Dane's gaze seemed rarely interested in visiting either of his two companions, but he'd happened to look up during his little story, catching that subtle hint in Ace's intonation. His gaze dropped down to the smile for a moment before bouncing directly back up.<br/><br/>"Never said knight, did I?" he asked. There was just the faintest air of indignation there. That, however, was quickly dropped to the weigh side as their newest little problem seemed to be cropping up. In the Deep, small problems could quickly turn into monumental tasks. It seemed best to deal with whatever came their way efficiently, especially where the crowing and cackling of the harpies was concerned.<br/><br/>Crusty's attention seemed to be locked up and out, bristled by the sound of them. As Ace pointed, he turned his eyes only for a moment. Well, that was exceedingly helpful now wasn't it? He looked back up, taking in a deep breath as he assessed the situation further.<br/><br/>"That'll do a bit better than stones." He waited for Ace to retrieve the rope, tossing it to rest over his shoulder while still holding the snake in the other. "That was the plan but, with that," he motioned to his bow, "we can try and pick one off as soon as possible. Rig it up with the rope, and hope that keeps them away for the rest of the night. Pluck a few feathers out, spread them around. I've seen that turn them off before." He sighed. "Though having a fresh corpse dangling about is not ideal. You're right there."<br/><br/>Caine stretched a bit and gave a shrug. "We're not far into the woods yet. The risk isn't too high that we can't deal with it. I'm quite confident in our combined talents."<br/><br/>He grunted a bit, obviously not as reckless as their dark haired companion. He looked back to Ace and continued with, "I'll get to cooking, see if it lures them in. That doesn't work, I'll decide to go and have my dinner in the middle of the clearing. That should do the trick." And he was quite certain of that. "Now, the kindling, if you'd please?"<br/><br/>Dane seemed quite eager to return to their tasks, especially the one where they'd get to eat. Despite the measly meal of roasted snake and bread, it would keep him from being on edge- he got a bit worse off when he was hungry.<br/><br/><br/>While the kindling was gathered, Dane worked to skewer the slender bit of meat and see to prepping a cleaned area for the fire. He was quickly able to create a small and contained blaze with that black goo by striking the back legs he'd pulled off together, igniting a fire that not even the occasional strong breeze could undo. As long as the man kept feeding it, the fire would last them the night. Another few Y-shaped sticks were used to hold the long skewer and, with him turning it every now and then, the soft scent of cooking meet soon tainted the breeze.<br/><br/>The serpent was finally done and Dane was moving for a small knife he kept on his belt when the laughing came again, a soft 'hahaha' from the trees not far to their north. He stilled only for a moment before going back in for it, lifting the steaming spike up and starting to cut it into three equal measures. Caine, who had been leaning back on one of the smaller trees with his legs crossed, eyed the man's motions.<br/><br/>"Could you toss me my part before the fighting starts? I'd rather like a meal to enjoy the show with." Apparently he didn't plan on doing much, which was his goal with the statement. He earned a huff from Dane before a section of the stick was cut off, the meat attached. He stood with it, moving over to offer it to the man before moving to Ace to offer his.<br/><br/>Dane gave a sigh. "I'll try to stay sitting for as long as possible." That way he would be a smaller target that could be hit. Getting stuck with an arrow would do nothing for their mission nor his mood.<br/><br/>After the food had been taken, he made his way out to the middle of the clearing and plopped down. Wasting no time, he tore off a bit of meat with his teeth and gave another huffing sigh through his nostrils. While this was an obvious trap, harpies weren't exactly known for their wit, hence why their only real strength was persistence and numbers. Well, the razor sharp talons helped to, he supposed.<br/><br/>He was only three bites in before another round of laughter was accompanied by the thick cracking of branches, the hissing rustling of leaves echoing, and the deep rowing of feathers. With the last of the day's light gone, they were dark forms in the trees, their outline an odd bulky shape against the curves of nature. A solid set of cackles and they were suddenly up and into the air, three of the moving to circle like plump vultures above the solitary Dane who did nothing more than give a slight glance upwards while taking another thoughtful bite.<br/><br/>One swooped down lower over him and, suddenly, her cackles turned nearly neurotic, higher in pitch and somewhat frenzied. The other two were quick to join in. From where they were tied, the bay horse gave a nervous set of sounds, pulling a bit back on the tethers to the tree. Despite the animal's fear, the beasts seemed to only have eyes for Dane.<br/><br/>Even in the darkness, the dingy brown of their feathers against the contrast of their pale skin stood out. Regardless of how well endowed the human halfs were, there was little appealing to the way that the brownish veins rose into the skin or where the arms blended with muddy feathers into wings. The rather squat and thick legs of the animal also helped to ruin the appeal, if the patchwork beak and the rest didn't do the trick. One twisted down and swooped clumsily while the man just sort of leaned to the side to evade.<br/><br/>"Any time now," came the bland statement from Dane. Caine gave a little chuckle and just watched, ever so amused by the chaotic chanting and swarming of the harpies as compared to the calm man who sat peacefully eating among them.<br/><br/>Of which was suddenly interrupted as one of the harpies twisted and dived, a talon snatching down to try and latch onto one of his arms. Dane twisted to the side, quickly breaking the animal's hold before he was lowering himself back down, leaning onto an elbow to stay low both for the sake of Ace's aim as well as to make himself a less easy target to pick up. It was harder to fight when you were dangling mid-air.<br/><br/>He did keep one arm slightly raised, however. He wasn't going to let the harpies or the dirt spoil the rest of his meal. If he could help it, that was. He'd been careful so far to keep it safe, wielding the stick delicately like some mage's wand. He was quiet attached to the idea of consuming the rest of the meager bit of meat.