slip slidin' away

Valentine had grown restless as of late. Watching his son's plans for Fireside slowly come together was heartening and made him proud; so many of his children and grandchildren were inclined to lead and he was satisfied the future would not be without a strong Imperialis presence. Still, he couldn't help but feel apart from it all. Though he was strong of body and mind he felt like his children and grandchildren treated him with kid gloves. He was not included - or even considered as far as he knew - in any of the shenanigans of the youthful and that knowledge aggravated him. Sure, he was not a spring chicken but he'd whip anyone who said otherwise to his face. He just wanted to have fun, dammit, and the lack of inclusion was particularly disheartening now for some reason.

A familiar scent froze him in his tracks. Rhythm was out here? He pondered this for a second. Though they were not a "thing" anymore that didn't mean they couldn't be friendly, did it? If anyone could appreciate his hatred of all things old it was Rhythm, who was at most a season or two older than him. She would know what it was like to be casually disregarded because of her age and excluded from things that would have been her bread and butter in years gone by.

He trotted towards her and announced his presence with a saucy, "Do my eyes deceive me? Are you wasting a perfectly good day just laying out here in the snow? My dear, say it isn't so!"