(set a bit after the bachelor party at Obsidian Beach!)

Thalia hadn't been able to stop thinking about Theory's challenge since she'd returned home to Aerie. Somehow Theory knew best how to get deep under her skin - not with gentle kindness and warmth, no, but by grating against her nerves, by daring her to come to Abaven and.. and what? See how things were between them? They'd only ever existed together in brief moments, in temporary lapses in time. Whatever they shared was fleeting and, though intoxicating, not really grounded in reality. Could it be something more? Perhaps this was the sign she'd been looking for all along.

Thinking about feelings wasn't something she was good at, and the longer she sat and thought about it, the less clarity she felt. Thinking through things logically was all she could do, and after a lot of thinking she decided seeking out Eligos was her best bet. She remembered exactly what he'd said to all of her family the day he'd stepped into power, relieving Pyrrhic from his unwanted throne, and his words had stuck with her. We need to go out into the world as a unified force, as family, walk among the packs in this place and be known to them as more than simply a frightening rumor. They were not meant to rule with an iron fist - perhaps someday they could find such greatness again, but it had earned them no favors thus far. Walk among them.  Make them believe we are their friends. Let them hire us to do the things they fear to do themselves. His words that day she had remembered nearly verbatim, repeating to herself like a mantra.

Reminding herself of his ultimate goal somehow brought her alarming clarity. Not in terms of her feelings for Theory, but certainly in what she needed to do. Finding Eligos wasn't difficult, perhaps due to the hour; it was just after dusk and she'd been pacing near the lake, and once she came within earshot of him she found the words tumbling out. There wasn't time for pleasantries, not that Thalia was really partial to small talk to begin with.

"Eligos," she greeted him with a dip of her muzzle, trying to figure out where to begin. After a moment she cleared her throat. "I'd like to ask you something. I've come across an opportunity. To join Abaven," she clarified quickly. How was she even supposed to begin this conversation? Though she worried how he would react, she had a feeling he would understand where she was coming from in the end. "I've gotten close to Theory, and she seems to want me to join her pack - at least for now." That wasn't quite the same tone of Theory's actual request, but that didn't matter, did it? Aerie and her loyalty to them were more important than feelings. "As far as I know, Abaven hasn't had the best history with the Abraxas. Give me a chance to fix that. I'll figure out what they need and how we fit into the picture."

Eligos had finished up a patrol as the sun began to set, and had sent the tired malinois back to the den to sleep while he himself paused at the lake to cool off. Having a black coat in a desert summer was less than ideal, and while it was getting towards fall now it was still hot enough to be unpleasant. He had just returned to the shore and shaken the water out of his coat when Thalia approached him. She seemed serious, and his greeting died unspoken when she immediately launched into speech, and he listened rather than interrupt her. And as she spoke, he grew troubled. "Join Abaven?" he repeated as she finished speaking. He disliked the idea of losing her, however temporarily, to another pack. It put her in a very compromising situation, a dangerous situation, and she would have no backup in the stronghold of a potential enemy pack. On the other hand, she was training in the path of shadows. She was intended to infiltrate, to spy. He had just never yet been faced with what that would mean. "That is a great deal of danger for me to put you in," he told her softly. "Do you truly believe that the rewards will be worth that risk?"

Thalia wasn't used to being so forward, but she trusted Eligos - and more than that she trusted the path that their God was laying before her. "Join," she reiterated carefully. "My loyalties will always belong to you and to Aerie, no matter where I lay my head at night. Allow me to come and meet as if I belong to Aerie as everyone else does, and I will share what I have learned." The plan seemed mostly foolproof, if not.. well, slightly dangerous, as Eligos quickly explained. As for whether the rewards would be worth the risk, it was hard to say with any amount of certainty. "I do think so. Abaven is one of Boreas's oldest packs, if not the oldest, isn't it? Their leader is strong, but I think..." Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right words. Theory was more compassionate and selfless than Thalia could ever dream of being, perhaps to a fault. Surely the Abraxas could find a weakness to wedge themselves carefully in - and before long Theory would need Thalia as much as she thought she wanted her. Logical reasoning had to come first; she'd deal with her own feelings later, feelings that were no doubt there but far too tricky to begin to mull over in Eligos's presence. "I think she'd benefit from an alliance with us, and even more importantly, we would benefit from that connection. Abaven is not a weak pack, even if they may seem it. I don't think this is something we can gain without me joining them." Thalia was cautious and observant, never quick to act and hardly one to let down her guard. She wouldn't allow herself to be put into a compromising position, especially when not around her own family.

He searched Thalia's gaze as he thought over what she'd said. Her words hadn't eased his reluctance, though it was true that there would be some gain in coaxing the other pack to trust them. Briefly he thought of Poem, and dutifully banished the thought as soon as it had appeared. "Very well," he said slowly. "I will ask you to check in here regularly, when you can slip away without uncomfortable questions. Find me their secrets, Thalia. Their weaknesses, their needs. Find what Aerie can exploit. When you have learned all you can of them, come home. You will have certainly graduated into a high rank." He gave her a ghost of a smile, absently, then sobered. "And be safe, as much as you can be. I do not have so many wolves I can trust, even within our own family, that I would wish to risk your life for such paltry coins. Come home safely to me, Cousin."