It was clear by the other's short answer that he was still licking his wounds.  Ace rolled his eyes, his mouth twisting slightly down. Perhaps he had been wrong, and Caine wasn't exactly a nice companion. At least when his pride was hurt. He supposed he would need to wait and see. He could very well stay away from both men if he needed to, but he wasn't really looking forward for a journey with Crusty and Slimy.<br/><br/>The thoughts about Caine sour mood left his mind almost immediately when Crusty answered him. He wasn't sure if he was impressed by the fact the other had answered at all or amused at the fact he didn't seem to catch the joke.<br/><br/>"You do realize I was just..." Ace made a movement, a half shrug, before shaking his head to himself. Considering the way the soldier had talked to him so far, it was a surprise he had even got an answer like that at all, even more something from the other's past. Perhaps it was just the way he was, but Ace would never share a personal story so easily. "Nevermind." he didn't add that he knew very well what those things could do. He had burnt his hand once, and he was always very grateful that the goo had only hit the piece of wood that he was using to defend himself at the time. "If you were able to kill him quickly, though, then I assure you there are worse things to watch." his eyes darkened for a moment, and the smile disappeared from his face. He wondered if he would have killed her to spare her from suffering, if he had the chance to. While he would like to think that yes, he would, even now he couldn't even picture himself raising a sword in her direction, no matter the circumstances. "I knew you were a knight." he said, interrupting his own thoughts, the smile returning to his face, although this time it was slightly fake.<br/><br/>"Tired of me already?" Ace teased, when the other asked him to fetch some wood. Before he could answer the part about the shifts, though, the loud sound made him look up, frowning.<br/><br/>True, he could think of at least three other beasts in the Deep that could be mimicking a woman's laugh, but he would trust Caine and Crusty's judgement for now. He could identify so many monsters he often wondered how he remembered them all, but he found it easier to evaluate their tracks than the sounds they made. His ear was good enough to pick up sounds, but it wasn't easy to identify what made them, sometimes. At least it had made Caine get out of his moping.<br/><br/>"I'd rather be throwing arrows than rocks." Ace said, the amused smile returning to his face, as he pointed to the general direction of his bow. His skill with it was way inferior to his skill with his swords, but he supposed he could handle a few harpies. If he hadn't met many more of them, it was because they were hunted with passion by those who had lost someone to them - and considering the way they went about picking up people, there were quite a few that would want revenge. But anyone travelling for enough time would be bound to see them a few times. Ace had encountered groups small and big alike, and although they weren't extremely dangerous compared to other monsters, in big numbers they could still cause more damage than they were worth.<br/><br/>When Caine spoke, though, he tried to keep himself from chuckling at Crusty's frown at the idea of eating a harpy. He wasn't exactly eager for that himself, but if it came to that, it was better than some other monsters. It was still an odd thought though.<br/><br/>"I have some, yes." Ace got up, stretching again, and went to fetch his backpack, taking his bow with him as well as he walked back to Crusty. He knelt down again, searching inside the pack until he found the rope and handed it to the other man. It wasn't that sturdy, but perhaps it would be enough for what he had in mind. "So, we lure them here, kill one and hope the others get the message and don't attract worse things here?" he wouldn't mind fighting something along the way, but it would be best if it was after he had gotten some sleep.