This man was growing increasingly more different than she could ever imagine, she was sure in her decisions. Felt she was going to get some answers to add some more clarity to a world already enshrouded in so much haze. Maybe she thought he would be more open, to shed some light on this strange new land that had seemed so terribly confusing and disorienting, even at its finest moments. Just to scratch the barest of its titanium surface. There were creatures with potent powers, hunters who could not be controlled, and feud wars blooming left and right. She wasn't sure if it was a place she could trust, to rebuild a life for herself. Was it worth it? Was running away from such a bitter broken past worth coming here? Grass was never greener on the other side, but damn it all, was it all dead and dying?

She could see the man seal himself shut, like a vault locked up tight. Suddenly he acted like that difficult feline in the forest, simply watching her upon that high branch as she struggled. He was certainly in his own way, a mind fuck and she became increasingly unsure in her judgements. One moment he is helping her, promising to answer her questions and the next he retreats like a turtle in his shell. Questioning her with questions as though toying with her, was he truly that cruel? There was no smirk to suggest he was simply toying with her to be humorous, a joke only he would understand, nope, just a strong wall suddenly placed between them. He was a stranger, yes, being kind for a moment and then to switch just as quickly like a Cheshire cat, speaking in what seemed like riddles. Only he didn't speak enough to make the riddles transparent so that she could figure them out.

For a moment there was something and then there was nothing.

She tries in her own way to melt that unreadable, haunted exterior. Instead, all it did was bring a quizzical look upon her face. It would appear he didn't know much of his lineage and some didn't but a lot knew of the roots in which they had come from. After a series of shrugs, she sighs.

"Okay, Tetradore." She replies, suddenly not in the mood for another light hearted retort or a tease to bring out a personality quirk of his. She was surprised she could even try, after a night like tonight. All she wanted was a moment of comfort, a moment where things weren't as fucked up as they were. Instead she focuses on her steak, the rawness of the meat soothing and pleasing the wolf within her.

He asks her name in turn and she offers it, the name tasting as foreign as the act of kindness he had shown her. For a moment they are doused in silence and she is swept away by her own thoughts, wondering what would happen if she could be traced to Sacrosanct. Was there a safe place to truly turn to? Was living outside of any pack, truly a safe option? Her only experience with a pack had been a wicked one. Or perhaps being rogue was the only safe option? With only herself to answer to, it was an appealing thought. She would live quietly and isolated, which was so unlike the untamed wolf spirit dwelling within her. Wolves were in packs plain and simple.

She suddenly finds herself at odds with her own questions. A frown finds its way to her exotic features as she decides to try a bite of the mashed potatoes on her plate. Of course, they were packed with flavour, reminding her of her mother's secret recipe from when she was a child. She could only hope that the repercussions of leaving that pack hadn't put her family at risk. She had hoped that those years she had committed herself to the pack was enough to show she had broken all ties to the family she once knew and cherished. That she simply didn't care anymore. Without her there, there was no need to use them for leverage, she simply ceased to exist, the very woman she once was.

She decides to ask him a question, to attempt to figure out who he was by simply asking him, perhaps she was foolish to think she could get what she needed. So many people just loved talking about themselves. Instead he answered her with a 'What?' She toyed around with her potatoes on the plate. "I want to understand, so that if my path ever crosses with this Frost. I want answers. So I know what I have walked into. I don't expect peace on earth or some kind of hippy bullshit, but I want the honest truth of what I am dealing with." She ran her fingers through her damp tousled hair.

He then admits he is Alpha, as though that would explain everything and it wasn't enough. It definitely was not. She already knew he was a part of a pack from the sheer amount of scents that came off of him. "I can't say I am surprised." There was admittance in her words. He carried himself with a confidence only the dominant were-creatures had and cared the way a true alpha should. Not like she had an example to compare it to.

She put her fork down upon her plate, lacing her fingers, golden eyes peering at his emerald ones. The wolf and the panther, what an unlikely duo to be breaking bread at this very moment. "So what do you say to this, instead of shooting a million questions your way and you just barely answering me. How about a little give and take. If you answer me my questions. I will answer yours and I will reveal as much as you reveal to me. What's a little slow and tell amongst friends?" After all it was only fair and having something was better than nothing. Only then did she realise the weight of what she offered. She had to speak about herself and that was the last thing in the world she wanted to do right now in a physically vulnerable state. But judging on how he responded she wasn't going to have to give very much at all.

Mira Ramos