He arched one grey brow at the next accusation of him being a knight. He was really going to stick with that one, was he? Dane didn’t gratify him with an answer, especially when he came to what he apparently thought of knights and how they treated others. It was widely regarded sentiment, the one he felt. Not unlike ones that he had been under the yoke of before. In lands where tyrants ruled, knights were just extensions of them, he supposed. That meant a man like Ace couldn’t have come from the upper kingdoms. Not unless he was a crime, of course. The sort who held that reason in their heads because it was justified to run them through. Given the man’s actions earlier, he couldn’t completely rule that out. He’d have to be a little less trusting of how deeply he slept at night.<br/><br/>Ace’s turn to what had happened earlier struck a chord in the big man. Just the mention of it was enough to turn his features, gaze falling to the side. That wounded look was so unguarded, so genuine. He recoiled, sitting back a bit more. There was no doubt that the question had roused something unpleasant in him, and it only came further with the explanation he gave next. He had been trying his hardest to forget what had happened in the clearing. The pain for him was still fresh, and the wounds still tore at his thoughts.<br/><br/>It hadn’t been intentional, he was sure. Still, the man fell silent, turning to stare down and away. His concern was no longer with avoiding Ace’s question, but of running from his own pain. That ache in his chest stayed, and it took a few beats for him to respond. He did so by standing. He got a few steps away before that heavy brow furrowed and he stopped, turning to look over his shoulder.<br/><br/>“In the clearing... Someone who is exactly who you think they are. No mask, never lying.” His gaze was on the ground though it lifted slowly to Ace. He’d seen the pain in him, too. “You saw someone like that, too, didn’t you?” he wondered, though he didn’t give Ace a chance to comment on it before the big man was stalking off. He’d offer to take the guard shift from Caine in favor of distracting a mind that went places which were hard to come back from.<br/><br/>It had been a wide round that Caine had been relieved on. The behemoth who could stop a tree with his back had disappeared a handful of moments before Caine finally made his way to their shoddy little camp. He gave a huff and plopped down, instantly moving to his boots.<br/><br/>“Really, you would think you were going to die with as much as he fusses over you. Whatever you did to ruffle his features,” he looked up as he popped one boot off, “thank you. I thought he was never going to relieve me. I told him you’d be fine, but he seems the headstrong type. One of those ‘high-on-his-horse’ types who always knows best. You know the ones I’m talking about.”<br/>He didn’t think Dane was like that at all, but he had been eavesdropping. For now, the bit of information was useful to complain about.<br/><br/>The other boot came off and he leaned back on his hands, head bowing forwards. The man obviously wasn’t worried about something sneaking up on them. That or he was being careless, you really couldn’t tell with someone like him. A moment later, he was popping open the high collar of his armor, a set of hidden latches under the leather at his throat. Allowing it to breath, there was a soft satin material wrapped around his neck underneath that hid the skin.<br/><br/>“Hasn’t fallen off completely yet has it? The leg, I mean.” He smirked a little, the only one to make it out of the fight without anything but a bit of scratches over his cheek from the owls. “We’re really not too lucky for being so soon out of the gate, are we? I do hope this isn’t a shade of things to come, or else we might need to hire a bit more help.”<br/><br/>It was clear he was just making conversation now, completely at ease despite his behavior.