Thalia was still slowly adjusting to life within Abaven. She busied herself with idle tasks, like joining in on pack hunts or scouting the borders whenever she was able. Whenever she faced with the prospect of leisure time was when she became restless. It was then her mind started to work overtime, doubting why she'd even come here and what the greater purpose of all this was. As much as she was enjoying her time with Theory, that wasn't the only reason she was here and she needed to constantly remind herself of that. Her ultimate goal here was to further the reach of the Abraxas and of her kin; if Abaven benefited at all from her presence it was merely a byproduct of the work she was ultimately doing for Aerie.

In the meantime though, as everything slowly settled into place, Thalia was trying to learn how to be comfortable here. She'd never been the type to really seem totally comfortable anywhere though, even in her own skin. Here, in a place where some likely viewed her in an unfavorable light, it was impossible to really fully relax. Today was no exception. It was early and a dense fog hung over the plains, and Thalia - at least for the moment - felt more comfortable that she might be able to walk about the lands freely. She had no real plan in mind save for wanting to help soothe her anxious thoughts, and so as the dawn broke she headed off in search of nothing in particular.

Rhyme didn’t get a lot of time to himself these days, but really that was a good thing. He’d been through so much in his life that dwelling and being alone with his thoughts were often a detriment. He had four rambunctious almost yearlings to see after, a lovely mate to keep him warm, and a huge family that wanted nothing but love and support. Poem was due to give birth any day, and the pack could finally begin to look forward to spring.

The scent of Thalia reached him as he stalked through the mist before the rest of the pack began to stir. Rhyme tried his best to withhold judgement, but the Abraxas name did anything but instill trust within the old wolf. He wanted to remain open minded, for his daughter. He didn’t know why Theory allowed the woman her trust, but because of that reason alone Rhyme would try. He wanted nothing more than to support and uphold his daughter and her decisions as leader. For now he wouldn’t allow what if to enter his mind. Not until his suspicions were proved true, and he prayed for his daughter’s sake they would not be.

Rhyme strolled easily in the snow, he’d get breakfast for Samara and the kids (Who he was very eager to kick out of the family den. They were way too big for that nonsense but at least it made for a warm den.) He crossed Thalia’s path and greeted her politely. ”Good morning,” he offered lightly.

Thalia sometimes wondered if she'd ever quite grow accustomed to life within Abaven. Her upbringing had been somewhat tumultuous in its own ways, from her pack moving from one continent to the other to her parents departure relatively earlier in her life (and her sister even earlier), but she wasn't sure anything had been as suddenly jarring as ending up in Abaven. Nothing about this place felt like home, and part of her believed that to be a good thing. She shouldn't let her guard down, nor should she get too comfortable here, though settling in slightly might not be such a bad thing. She was reminded of precisely how out of place she felt at the sound of someone's arrival. She hadn't fully expected to run into anyone despite knowing it was a possibility, and she felt herself instinctively stiffen as she turned to search for the source of the noise.

The voice and the face that followed were unfamiliar to her, though it was impossible to assume he was anything other than Theory's father. This fact set her even more on-edge than anything else. She nodded a stiff greeting before finding her tongue. "Good morning," she responded in turn. Small talk was not her biggest strength; in fact, it was one of the things she likely struggled with the most. Thalia had never been good at relating to other wolves and having to speak to them in a private setting like this only made it more difficult. "You must be..?" Thalia trailed off, looking to him to finish her thought. She didn't quite know his name since Theory had never given it to her, but figured that she didn't need an introduction, remembering that Theory had introduced her at the most recent meeting.

Rhyme had his suspicions about Theory and her relationship with the Aerie girl, he was certainly not near as comfortable with the arrangement as his daughter was. He hadn't been here when the Abraxas occupied Abaven but he would have to be dead and gone before he allowed it to happen again. Rhyme enjoyed how quiet and peaceful Abaven was, despite his youngest daughter's protests at the lack of excitement. Still, he wanted to trust Theo's judgement and would withhold his own for now.

She returned his greeting, perhaps a little more hesitant than Rhyme had been. She didn't seem like the overly social type, and didn't hide how uncomfortable she was particularly well. Rhyme took no offense to that, but he was a little hurt that Theory hadn't even told the girl his name. The old man hid his emotions well, and smiled softly as she coaxed him into finishing her sentence.

"Rhyme," he finished. His voice matching their quiet surroundings. "I don't mean to disturb you." Rhyme added, not wanting to hold her here when she had other tasks, or more comfortable situations to find herself in.

Thalia was uncomfortable here in Abaven, but she knew it was where she belonged. She had no desire to sever her ties with Theory no matter how out of her element she was here. It seemed inevitable somehow that she'd ended up here; it was as much a personal decision as it was a choice for the greater good of her family. The Abraxas weren't going to cower in the shadows any longer; soon enough the world would no doubt realize just how valuable they were as an ally. Thalia would personally make sure her influence was known and valued here, even if it took time to properly assimilate.

So far, she worried she wasn't doing the best job, but all she could do was continue to try. Learning the lay of the land and the makeup of the pack was an important first step. "Ah. Nice to meet you," she responded after a brief pause. She felt the slow, familiar ebbing of anxiety begin to build within her chest as she realized she had no idea where the conversation ought to go from here. "You're not disturbing anything. I figured I'd patrol a bit this morning. Still getting used to the lands," she explained carefully. It was strange to not be surrounded by family and like-minded wolves but she was slowly adjusting, though she had no idea whether she should completely let her guard down now - or ever at all.

He could see the effort Thalia was putting forward in this somewhat temporary home she now had. If she was putting up a farce he was impressed at the lengths she was going to pull the wool over his eyes. What she didn’t hide so well was her comfort, she looked tense from where Rhyme was standing, but then again she was alone in a pack she didn’t really know, he’d have felt the same.

”Patrolling? A great task to learn the territories.” He asked, shifting himself so he could more easily continue on the well worn path before them. ”Do you mind if I join you? At least until I find a trail that will lead me to breakfast.” Rhyme assured her. He wouldn’t make her endure his presence for very long, actually she could deny him altogether if she wanted. Rhyme had the big task of feeding hungry mouths he could get back to. ”You’re from Aerie, right? What’s it like there?” He tried to lead the conversation. It was small talk, but sometimes that was all it took.