They'd been seeing each other sparingly since the end of Poem's pregnancy. Theory had been so preoccupied doting on her sister that so much had fallen to the wayside, including her quiet time with Thalia. Now that the puppies were on the ground - and healthy! - she made it a point to arrange a meeting with her today. For a change of scenery she'd asked her Abraxas girl to meet her by the bay. Theo had loved this place when they'd lived here, but she understood the pack's desire for a return to normalcy. It had been her pleasure to honor that with a return to their ancestral lands.

There was nothing "normal" about this spring, though. Snow still fell and sometimes it felt like they were seeing more now than they had all winter. And there were rumors of strange, enormous creatures - not to mention she'd seen that ponderously huge elk on the plains with Ruin. So, uh, not rumors. Truths. Big, frightening truths. Trying to cast out the dangers that preyed on her thoughts (everything bad seemed to come from the north), Theory trained her eyes on the horizon. The waves were choppy but the sky had finally cleared. A brilliant, cold sun shone high above the ocean. It felt like the first clear sky in months. She settled in a few dozen yards from the shoreline and wasted no time hunkering down in the sand. Although the wind coming off the water was frigid, once she tucked her paws underneath her chest she was able to retain her body heat a bit better. Besides - she wouldn't be cold for long. Thalia was coming.

Life with Abaven was different, but not nearly as different as she was anticipating - despite the fact that adjusting to things here was a slow and steady process for her. Most of the wolves here were simply preoccupied with their day to day lives, from what she noticed; from the recent pregnancy and collectively looking after the newest puppies, to hunting and simply... living life. It was also no surprise that Theory was far too preoccupied to spend most of her time with Thalia, which was something she'd understood ahead of time. Such was the life of a leader, after all.

But Theory had made a point to request her presence today at the bay. It wasn't quite as picturesque as Thalia was sure it could be in the summer. The winter seemed to drag on and on, with little end in sight. It was even colder here than she remembered the west being - and far colder than Auster had ever been, at least from her own memories. Even though the sun was crisp and clear overhead it hardly broke through the bitter cold, even if it seemed a promising sight. She shivered slightly against a breeze that drifted in from the sea. The cold was easily forgotten as she spotted Theory and quickened her pace to meet her, lowering her muzzle to lightly bump her shoulder as she sunk down beside her.

Theory rolled her shoulders into Thalia's familiar warmth once the smaller woman sank down beside her. This was perfect. She couldn't imagine anything better than this - the pair of them staring out over the windswept bay. "Do you miss home?" she asked. It was a loaded question. But everything between them was loaded. Their relationship was predicated on walking a razor-fine line. In this case, though, she simply asked because she was curious. "Or, do you miss Auster? I guess I wonder if it's the place or the wolves that make it home. I think I'd be fine just about anywhere - I love this bay, after all. I loved the islands. But it was Poem and Rhyme and Shaye... it was everyone else that made it home." She closed her eyes tightly and turned to lay her chin on Thalia's paws. "You make this home." Perhaps after this she could visit Aerie, but her situation was different. There was no way she could get away for any length of time. Nothing meaningful, anyway. But she would like to get to know her family better. After seeing Poem's little ones, family felt more important than ever. Religion and blood bound Thalia's family tightly together. What did that bond look like? Was it different than what she knew? Closer, somehow? "But this endless winter," she paused and blew out a long, hot breath that misted and floated up into Thalia's face, "is insufferable."

There was no real greeting as Theory approached, but truthfully Thalia appreciated that. She wasn't one for small talk - not that she was really good with conversation in general, at least not around wolves she wasn't completely comfortable with - and she was happy to forego pleasantries to answer a question, albeit one that caught her slightly off-guard. Did she miss home? Of course she did. How could she not? Theory quickly clarified what shed meant - Auster. Thalia let out a sigh as she leaned into her, thinking carefully. Around the other woman she found herself speaking more easily but words still never came as easily to her as it seemed they did to most wolves.

"Sometimes," she admitted tentatively. "I have fond memories of Auster, and the castle we lived in. It reminds me of my siblings, and my parents." Her parents had left after the volcano's explosion, before they'd moved to Boreas, but still that move seemed to solidify a certain change in her life. It was a necessary change but a change nonetheless, something she struggled with. "I'm not really good with change. Of any kind," she admitted cautiously. Was it dangerous to admit her weaknesses so brazenly to Theory? She hoped not - the way Theory laid her paws down on her paws made her forget all about those worries, if but for a moment.

"So... I find myself quite attached to the actual place I'm living. But the people definitely matter more than the actual place, I agree." Thalia agreed with that sentiment. Already she was finding it less and less difficult to imagine living here for an extended period of time... but why? For what purpose? There was more to life than mere pleasure and yet that was all she'd been thinking about lately. Stealing quiet moments like this away with Theory, and merely enduring all the rest, doing what had to be done to better integrate into the pack. Not that she was doing a terribly great job. "It does feel like winter is lingering too long. Surely spring is just around the corner?" She wasn't as used to this cold as Theory was, she suspected; her childhood in Auster had been devoid of this kind of cold and she was still adjusting to it, though hoped it'd begin to fade soon.

Theory knew that much about Thalia, but she was grateful that she trusted her enough to speak it out loud. It was obvious she wasn't good with change. For the first month she'd arrived in Abaven, Theo had sensed her unease. Although a wolf less familiar with Thalia might not see it, she was well-attuned to her body language. There had been a distinct sense of unease about her. Those first few weeks Theory caught herself holding her breath. Would this backfire massively? She'd waited for it to erupt in both of their faces, less violent than the volcano but still leaving tragedy in its wake. When Thalia disappeared in the night to grieve with her family, Theo was sure that was it. She couldn't hack it here in the East with all these friendly, unfamiliar faces.

And then she had returned. Day by day, like leaning into a good stretch, she had witnessed Thalia slowly unwind and untangle herself. Eventually she'd seen it: languid and relaxed, nearly, almost completely at home. There was still a bit of general suspicion and quiet guardedness, but if she lost all of that, she simply wouldn't be Thalia any longer. Theory never wanted her to lose her essence, that quiet strength that had so completely drawn her in, but she had wanted her to find herself a home here. "A castle..." she murmured, her eyes widening just a bit. They had never made it to Auster together, always meeting halfway. There wasn't much that Theory knew about the faraway place. "That sounds unreal, like something out of a fairytale you tell in the den when the pups won't sleep. I'd love to see it one day. I'll have to imagine you there when I'm trying to sleep tonight - peeping out a tall, tall tower." Theory sighed and rested her head on Thalia's shoulder, pausing to enjoy the familiarity of the gesture. They'd grown so close since she'd come here. "It certainly is lingering too long - and I've heard strange, strange things. I even saw the oddest thing with Ruin the other day. A huge, towering elk. Biggest thing I've ever seen, and I thought I was pretty big."

Change didn't come easily for her and she had an inkling it never might. Some things wolves could get used to - places and people, like she was slowly growing used to Abaven - but she didn't think change itself was something she'd ever be comfortable with. If it had been up to her, she would've gladly gived in Auster and their castle for the rest of her days, simply because it was what she was used to. But that was also why she wasn't the leader of Aerie. She had a harder time seeing the big picture over her own immediate feelings; she had agreed the move to Boreas was a beneficial one, even if it hadn't been easy leaving those memories behind. And speaking of memories - she let out a quiet sigh at the thought of her parents, and where they might be now. Dead or alive, she had no idea. The former seemed more likely, given how much time had passed, but it was an ugly truth she didn't particularly want to deal with.

"Yes," she grinned very slightly at the thought. "I'll have to take you there someday. It was quite beautiful, though I can see why it might seem like a strange place. The way the moonlight came through the cracks in the walls could be a bit spooky some nights, when I was young." Thalia had never really felt uneasy about the place, though after moving somewhere far different she could see why returning now might make it seem a bit eerie to her now. Lingering on the tall tower seemed far less interesting than Theory's description of a massive elk though. She lifted her head slightly, twisting it around to catch Theory's gaze. "That does sound strange. Perhaps it's worth getting a hunting party together soon?" Things like scouting and hunting had become a huge part of her existence now that she'd settled her, thoughts of Aerie and her ultimate goals here somehow fading into the background. They were still there, omnipresent, but they seemed somehow less pressing now.

She pictured a dimly light night, moon half full, padding through a maze made of stone. Theo imagined there would be moss there. Wasn't Auster a bit warmer? Tepid, summertime weather. Thick moss underpaw then, hardly making a sound as she wove in and around towering, cold stone columns. No warm breath turning to fog. No bone-chilling winters. But also... no family. No Rhyme. No tumbling, chubby little nieces and nephews to take care of. The mystique of Auster - and of Thalia - had her spellbound, but there would always be something that drew her back home. Perhaps it was selfish of her to "keep" her here, but in the same breath she knew that Thalia would never allow herself to be kept. Everything between them was a careful dance. It struck her as incredibly intricate and beautiful even more so because it was unchoreographed. They simply found themselves here. Together.

"I'd imagine Brandr is already on it. He knows these lands far better than I do. But perhaps we can run our own reconnaissance mission... maybe venture north a bit. See if we can see any hints of change." Theo sighed and peered towards the source of the frigid winds. They wrapped around the base of and soared down the slopes of the mountain relentlessly. All of nature was crying out for release from the cold. She imagined the plants, buried beneath the snow, also somehow bewildered. "Would you be open to staying? A bit longer," she corrected herself quickly, even though she wished that she could home to Thalia curled up in her den day after day, season after season. "It might be unsafe to travel extensively in these conditions anyway. Until we survey exactly what we might be dealing with." She spoke haltingly, aware of how she sounded like she was making excuses even as they came so easily to her lips. Anything to get her to stay a while longer.

As much as Thalia missed her home, and her family, ultimately in came down to one thing: what was best for the Abraxas as a whole. Eligos's vision of what they could be, eventually, had entranced her when she'd first heard it and his words had never left her mind. They could be more, they could be integral to this world in a way they'd never quite been before. They could truly matter. That was why she was here, among other reasons, and she hadn't yet forgotten that. The Abraxas were necessary, and by being here in Abaven she hoped she was proving that. Their dedication was unparalleled, and someday Theory would see that - she hoped she was beginning to, even if just in a small way.

"We could," Thalia breathed in quiet agreement. Going north on a small trip with her sounded quite nice - away from the prying eyes of Theory's packmates. And her temporary packmates, she supposed. She wasn't sure yet if anyone had caught on to the nature of their relationship yet, or if they'd care about it half as much as Thalia did. Would Eligos care if he found out? She didn't doubt he'd worry about whether or not her feelings would compromise what she was here for, but she had to hope she knew better than to let herself slip. But she felt herself beginning to tumble as soon as Theory spoke, asking her a question. Would she stay longer? Her mouth went dry. "How much longer should I stay?" The truth was that she felt her time here wasn't up yet. She longed to check in with her family and see how they were faring through this harsh season, which was more intense than weather in Auster had ever been, but she knew without her they were faring fine. She had to believe that. "Either way, I'm not ready to go yet," she admitted, reaching to drape her head over Theory's side and drink in her scent.

She sighed deeply as Thalia draped herself across her back. It felt so good to be held so tightly. Their bodies were in constant conversation now - a quiet negotiation of where to place each new touch. It was wonderful. Theory was positive in that moment that she would never grow tired of this. How much longer should I stay? It was a good question. More sensible than she had been thinking. She knew she could always rely on Thalia to be pragmatic, even now when all Theory could think about was this moment. Thalia had a way of looking beyond their feelings - other wolves might be hurt by this, but Theo admired it. She often wished she could be less selfish, but no matter how she tried, Theory couldn't give Thalia up. In the dark interior of her heart she knew that if it was called for (by her god, by her pack), there was a very real possibility that Thalia would betray her. Duty above all else. It was devastating (and thrilling, in its own way). Their relationship was always on the precipice of something, whether that be the pure bliss of this moment or a brutal end.

Choking down these thoughts quickly, she pushed her nose deeper into Thalia's flank and breathed in to ground herself in this moment. "Let's pay a visit to Aerie. You can see your family and I can get to know them a little bit better. Plus, it'll be good for diplomacy and all that." A two for one. It was an enticing proposition. The winter had sequestered them apart from each other - and seeing as it didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon - it might be best to try paying social calls sooner rather than later.