Dreams were never pleasant, only allowing him a break from their grasp when he could feel the warmth of a body near him. However, this night, there was none, only the cold wind of the night. Like he often did in situations like this, Ace woke up in the middle of the night, eyes searching for any threat that could be the cause. He had learned early on to remain unmoving as soon as he awoke, less trouble for everyone involved if he could slice a throat by surprise. This time, though, there was none, only the very soft steps of whomever was in guard's duty. Without making a sound, he turned his head just enough to see if he could find his companions in the dim light of the fire.<br/><br/>Ace could barely identify the form that laid far away from him in the clearing, but he supposed it was Dane, considering he could see Caine pacing around if he turned his head enough. Without thinking, his eyes turned in the direction of Girl, relieved to see the shape of his mare well and there. Well, perhaps there was still some time to sleep. The man returned to his original position and drifted to sleep once again.<br/><br/><br/>The soft sound of something knocking on wood made his whole body tense up and his eyes open, focusing on the source of sound. Even after he saw Caine, it took a very conscientious effort to make his muscles relax. He hated this, being woken up. Rarely ever this ended well, and even if they were supposed to trust each other to at least not try to attack, Ace wasn't willing to bet his life on anyone's good will. It took some effort to make his body remain calm and unmoving. Caine's comment made his eyebrow raise, though, and a lazy smile find its way on his face.<br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">Your</span>sleeping beauty?" he asked, although his voice was far from offended. He had been called way worse. Ace stretched, allowing himself a yawn and taking his time to finally rise, the muscles of his body sore like they often was from sleeping on the ground. It would pass soon. "You flatter me. I thought you were interested in our 'tight' friend over there. I appreciate the favor, anyway." Ace accepted the bread, putting the piece in his mouth while humming softly to himself and making a poor attempt of untangling his hair.<br/><br/>Once he finished, he also moved towards where the others were near the horses, patting Girl softly before turning to Crusty.<br/><br/>"Our knight in shining armor slept well tonight?" Ace asked, passing on arm around the other's waist, chin resting in his shoulder. A gesture he knew was way too intimate and make them way too close physically to be comfortable for the other. But even if he could tone down a little in his insults - best to be a knight than a king, he supposed -, it didn't mean he had given up trying to find ways to make the other react with at least a little emotion.<br/><br/>Chuckling to himself, he finally focused on the important task at hand - get Girl ready for the day.<br/><br/><br/>It was a lazy day. And lazy meant boring. Not that Ace always wanted a big threat, but some more harpies could have come their way, perhaps? It wasn't like they had been that much trouble, anyway. Well, at least the sun was warm without being too hot, and the birds chirping were actually nice. Nice enough for him to relax slightly in the saddle, trusting Girl to warn him of any surprises. Sometimes she would startle at the sudden movement of the does crossing their path, and it would put Ace on instant alert before he realized nothing was really following them and relaxed once again.<br/><br/>He was counting the claps of the horseshoes on the dirt when Crusty spoke. Ace stopped Girl immediately, eyes trying to find whatever had warned the other of danger. He could spot nothing, but as soon as he took a breath, his face mirrored Caine's grimace. Blood. And a lot of it, if the smell was anything to go by. It could be just a beast feeding time, but in the Deep, one could never be too careful.<br/><br/>In truth, Ace wasn't sure what he was expecting from this. Perhaps a nice fight.<br/><br/>"Suit yourself." he half shrugged at Crusty's question. The idea of someone going to scout alone didn't seem like a good one to him, but perhaps he was growing too paranoid from spending too much time in that damned forest. "I'll be right behind you, though. So scream if you need me to rescue you again." Ace teased, with a smile.<br/><br/>He waited for Crusty to go ahead, before turning to Caine.<br/><br/>"Not used to spending the night up?" the question was asked in a soft voice, enough that it wouldn't seem like he was teasing the other too much. Ace gave Caine's shoulder a light tap, before moving Girl after Crusty, being careful not to get too near.