Edit: marked mature for drug use and sexual stuff

Well, she'd had enough walking on eggshells and avoiding Valen. The uneasy memory of their argument had faded enough to leave her confident that he had not, in fact, managed to get under her skin like she'd thought - it was just a fluke was all. It was time to put an end to this uneasy truce one way or another...

Preferably in a good way, which is why she'd went to special effort today to prepare the setting. She'd carefully cleaned her coat of mud (again... what was with these kids and mud? Even Vana!) and gone off to hunt up a nice present for Valen...

Which had subsequently spattered her with blood and gore to replace the mud, but Cascade wore it proudly as she half-dragged, half-carried the limp form of a coyote by the throat. Seems the nearly-year long break since she and Valen had last cleared them out had made the little beasts bolder again. Maybe they'd have to go on another killing spree... But first they had to clear the air between them. Dropping the mangled corpse she raised her head to howl, calling out an invitation for the alpha to join her.

He approached with no small amount of wariness, half expecting to see the bedraggled form of some loner he'd met once upon a time laying at her paws. And there was something on the ground before her, but it wasn't until he was almost upon her that he identified it. His brow rose in a question. Coyote. Of course it brought to mind their massacre and subsequent fucking, but that was rather the point, wasn't it? He suspected so. And it didn't bother him in the slightest. “What's this?” He leaned down to inspect the coyote before straightening slowly, his eyes running from it to the gore that dotted Cascade's person and from it to her face.  His expression amused, he queried, “Don't suppose this means you're looking for a rematch?” “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

He didn't approach with a whole lot of enthusiasm, but he did come despite everything so she couldn't really fault him for that. She watched in silence as he inspected her offering, but his words brought a sly smile to her face. "I wouldn't say no to a rematch... but that's not why." The grin threatened to slide away, but Cascade slammed it quite firmly back into place. "You could consider it a peace offering. A... less problematic gift than the last one maybe?" It had occurred to her that it might be a risk to bring up the elephant in the room so quickly in the conversation, but it had taken her so long to come around to this that, now that she had, the words rushed from her without a whole lot of preamble. Still, she didn't regret it, didn't flinch, and didn't wait with bated breath. She just stared at him, smiled, and nudged the dead 'yote. "Couldn't really think of a better way to apologize. This seemed better than bringing you a gopher or something."

"I wouldn't say no to a rematch... but that's not why." He would be lying if he said he wasn't a tiny bit disappointed that she wasn't there to jump his bones. She was actually rather quick to set him straight, which struck Valen as odd. Made him slightly uneasy too although he hid his reservations behind a carefully cultivated facade. He preferred the other Cascade, the one who made it easy to not think, not the serious one he suspected he was dealing with. Her next statement drew a tame smile and a soft snort from him, but he made no comment. He was content to let her say her piece; to wait until he knew why he had been called. "Couldn't really think of a better way to apologize. This seemed better than bringing you a gopher or something." And there it was. Surprise lit up his face, his browspots shooting heavenward again. Out of all the things he might have guessed were the reason behind calling him, that one hung very, very low on the list. “I...” I what? Come on dummy, speak! “...have to agree. A coyote is a much better gift than a gopher.” Stupid. Stalling. Get on with it. Problem was that he wasn't entirely sure how to continue. To do so would mean he had to face several facts that he had been pointedly ignoring, facts that let him go on living as if nothing had happened. Facts that kept his life comfortable and the same (well, almost) as it had been before Rhythm's capture. Valen's ears fell flat and his gaze darted away to take in the distance. Everything about the situation was complicated. “I accept your apology,” he said simply. His gaze returned and he searched for eye contact. “But...I don't think that quite brings us back to where we were before, you know?” “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

For a moment it seemed like things were shifting, a faintly humorous comment from Valen bringing a flash of a genuine smile from Cascade. Why yes, it was a better gift than a gopher.

But then he had to go and get serious.

Cascade's mind scurried in a frantic panic for a moment looking for an exit. Damn damn damn, this was a bad idea this whole thing was a bad idea and she needed to get out before the whole trap snapped shut on her...

But though she dropped her ears warily, she stayed put. Did that mean that the trap had already closed, or that she just didnt have a choice? "I dont know where we were before, Valen," she said with unusual directness. "I dont know how to get us back there because I dont know how we got wherever we were in the first place. i crossed the line big time going behind your back, i know. It was stupid. But I've never had to worry about lines before because... I never cared before."

The possibility of screwing him had been a much, much safer topic... damnit she should have stuck with that. Maybe she old work the subject back around to it...

Again, the response he got was not one he'd expected. This was getting far too serious for his liking. Why couldn't this have been a booty call? That would have been so much easier. He didn't want to have this conversation with her; he was rather content with the bubble of ignorance he'd wove around himself and here she was tearing it apart and forcing him to acknowledge it all. In response to her words the brute sighed and shook his head in exasperation. “Neither do I,” he admitted ruefully. Although he wasn't willing to say it out loud, Valentine doubted it was a place they could get to again. He suspected they had gotten where they were thanks (in part, anyway) to the three most amazing children Alacritia had ever seen. Valen also suspected that they were the sole reason he'd handled the kidnapping of Rhythm the way he had. This conversation, as short as it was at this point, was unbelievably tiring. He honestly felt aged, almost as if the act of conversing had sucked years out of him. “You did cross a line,” he confirmed, “And you put me in an awful position. But,” And this was where it got truly confusing, “No one has ever gone out of their way to get me what I want.” He could count the number of wolves who truly meant something to him on one paw. The list for those who he thought felt the same for him was even shorter. That Cascade had tried to give him what he wanted baffled him. His confusion only grew from there. Her comment about caring was a terrifying one and he had no idea how to handle it. “Then,” he said slowly, “I'm flattered that I'm an exception.” “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

She was quiet for a moment, trying to smack down the thoughts that whirled through her head like bumblebees on fast-forward. They buzzed in annoying agitation, and finally she just gave a violent shake of her head and peered at Valen. "I know I don't give the impression that I..." That she what? Had feelings? That there was more to her than a laughing trickster? "Maybe we need to start at the beginning like... like normal people, and actually get to know each other," she said quietly. "I can't - and I won't, and I shouldn't - change who I am, and I don't think you should change to suit anyone either. But - I can change what I do and maybe... we can at least make it to friends?" Friends with benefits? Friends who had children together?

She stared at him ruefully, trying to drop the mask of a smile back over her. "I'd hoped we were friends but I'd never had one before so I guess I... got ahead of myself." Change the subject, idiot... "Do you remember when we met?" Her smile quirked into some greater semblance of a real smile. Ok she'd been hoping to change the subject to sex but the words that blurted out were at least more comfortable than the murky depths of... FEELINGS. "You were high as fuck."

This was getting uncomfortably honest. Valentine shifted his weight from forepaw to forepaw as Cascade spoke, his eyes fixing somewhere over her left shoulder. He found himself nodding in agreement as she spoke and interjected only once. “I agree and I think we can.” Friends? Yeah, he thought that was a possibility and it was something he'd definitely be willing to work towards. "Do you remember when we met?" His gaze returned from the horizon. Weeeell...yes. Kind of. It had been the kind of day where he just wanted to veg under a bush until it was over--he remembered that much. “I...” If he remembered correctly, he'd just been reunited with his mother and it had ended on a frustrating note. “...do. Vaguely.” About the time Cascade had waltzed up to him he'd almost eaten enough of whatever that plant was to make him drool on himself. This was a safe, superficial topic. He could prattle about it; talk about it until the previous subject was long forgotten. His lips tipped up in a self-deprecating smirk. “A vagueness that has a lot to do with being high as fuck, I'm sure.” “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

Valen's agreement brought an unexpected surge of relief to Cascade and she beamed at him. If he didnt think it was an insurmountable mistake, there was a greater chance of things actually going right. "Glad you think so," she murmured, nearly under her breath.

He seemed as grateful at the change in subject as she was, and she grinned at his words. "It was pretty cute," she laughed. "You looked like you didnt have a care in the world." She paused, tilted her head the the side thoughtfully and more than a little wistfully. "What's it like? I haven't ever gotten a chance to try it." Would have made her lifespan considerably shorter if she had gotten high in the wilds with nothing but death and danger all around... "would you do it with me, if ifound any of your herbs?"

Cute? Well, he'd been called worse things. Her description of him on that contrasted sharply with how he'd felt. Even "high as fuck" he'd been aware of the shitstorm of conflict and angst that lurked just beyond the trippy barrier the plants had created. He'd been miserable and anxious, and somehow the reunion had made him feel even worse than before. "What's it like? I haven't ever gotten a chance to try it." To this he shrugged. “It depends. Sometimes it makes me feel like a god. Other time it scares me shitless.” He hesitated, then, “But it also depends on what you take.” "Would you do it with me, if I found any of your herbs?" Immediately his gaze, calculating and curious, darted to hers. A whirlwind of speculative thoughts assailed him, but he kept them to himself. Ask none and be asked none, right? “If you can find some, yeah, but I'm fairly certain Dione cleaned Imperium out when she left.” “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

His words made her nearly have second thoughts. Nearly. The idea of taking something that could frighten Valen was... hm... less than appealing. But the feeling-like-a-god part was, and the gamble itself was... intriguing. She scrunched her nose thoughtfully. Yeah she'd still do it.

The mention of Dione perked her ears up. Dione did this stuff? Well that explained a lot, and might explain the odd plants growing outside her old den... the question was were these feeling-like-a-god herbs or scared-shitless herbs? "There's some plants I don't recognize growing outside of her old den... Maybe she was in too much a hurry to get out of here to grab what she'd left there," she ventured, kicking absently at the dead coyote as though kicking at the absent green witch.

Her expression went merely thoughtful to speculative - bordering on suspicious - as she moved her gaze to him. He wouldn't deliberately give her anything that would mess her up just to get back at her for Rhythm, would he? Well, she was one of his few warriors, and the mother of his kids so surely he wouldn't do anything that would seriously harm her but... She shrugged internally. If he did, good for him. She was the last person to protest getting a bit of your own back in a prank, and she would not escalate it if he pulled something, cross her heart. Maybe.

"Want to go check it out and see if they're ones you recognize?" she continued. Her suspicions had already faded away into the realm of doesn't matter anyway and she was ready to give this a try. So, tail wagging, she started in the general direction before looking coyly back over her shoulder at him. "You planning on coming or what?"

For a couple of seconds Cascade eyed him like she was trying to figure something out and he, not knowing the cause of her scrutiny, quirked a brow at her in a silent question. She didn't voice whatever it was that made her suddenly keen. Valentine dismissed it. Whatever thought she had was her business and none of his. "Want to go check it out and see if they're ones you recognize?" He shrugged. “Yeah, sure.” Her mood suddenly shifted, spirits seemingly taking flight, and she took off in the direction of Dione's old densite. "You planning on coming or what?" At this he smirked. “Race you there.” Immediately he took off, long legs eating up the ground as he sprinted towards the abandoned den. ---- Panting, the brute skidded to a halt in front of the gremlin's old keep. Sure enough, a plant had been left behind. It wasn't what he'd been eating the day they'd met and that was definitely for the better. The leaves of this plant were bigger and broader than the small, oval shaped ones he'd made himself terribly sick on. “Huh.” He nosed at some of the upper leaves. Honestly he hadn't expected to find anything. “I bet she misses this.” Had she really been so eager to leave that she'd forgotten something so valuable? The gremlin had probably wanted to kick herself once she'd realized what she'd done. “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

Valentine pelted along behind her, and Cascade laughed aloud in exhilaration as they chased each other over the knolls. Cascade was fast, very fast, but Valen had a natural size advantage, so when Cascade bounced up to the den he was already there. "You should have made it a bet, Valentine, you could have had anything you wanted," she laughed. Though maybe she was glad he hadn't - a week of feeding the whole pack by herself would be a much bigger chore now than it had been with a smaller pack. Cat-curious, she padded up to sniff at the plant. "So is this one of your plants then? What do we do with it?" Her tongue darted out unbidden to touch the leaves. Was this supposed to get her high? It just tasted like grass. She cocked her head to the side to glance up at Valen with a smile. "So d'you wanna?"

His plants? Well, this one was kind of his now. “It is; a tame one.” Careful not to harm them, Valentine absentmindedly picked at the leaves. “We eat them. Not a lot, just a couple.” The brute was by no means an expert. He knew about how many he could eat to bring about the desired effect, but that was it. It wasn't an exact science. It took so long to kick in that the first couple of times he did it by himself, Valen had eaten enough to make the experiences unpleasant. "So d'ya wanna?" Duh. That was like asking him if he wanted to hook up. This was a much safer activity than say, the talk they'd been having a few minutes ago. Of course he wanted this. In response to her question, the brute plucked a few leaves from the plant and dropped them on Cascade's forepaws before nipping some off for himself. Eying Cascade, he asked disbelievingly, “You've really never done this before?” This was right up there with sex; didn't everybody do it? “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

He plucked a few leaves to flutter down at her paws instead of answering, and Cascade smirked. Well ok then, guess this was happening. She leaned down to lap them up, but his words stopped her for the moment. She cast a wry glance upward at him. "A little girl, all alone in the middle of nowhere with no family and no one to protect her, wandering around high off her ass? I'd have been dead or raped before I was a year old if I hadn't been in complete control over myself." Her voice was tart, but she smiled to take the edge off her words. She leaned over to try to brush her shoulder against him in an affectionately joking bump before leaning back down to chomp up the herbs and flop down. She waited a beat, then added, "I don't feel anything. Should I be feeling something?" Hm, if it had been anyone else she probably would have insisted on waiting to see how it effected him before she tried them. But, well, it was Valentine and he had yet to steer her wrong. Well, other than the time he got her pregnant but that turned out pretty well so she couldn't complain. She just lolled back and grinned at him.

She made a good point. It got him thinking. “You never traveled with anyone?” He hadn't been on his own for long, but young Valen had found himself wandering from loner to loner. For comfort or protect or what have you, he'd just hated to be alone. She bumped his shoulder playfully and Valentine was quick to retaliate by doing the same. Cascade snapped up the leaves and then a beat later asked if she should be feeling something. His lips quirked up in a faint smirk and he chuckled. “Have some patience, will ya? It takes awhile to kick in.” With that said he flopped down and stretched out on his belly; his hind legs kicking out behind him. Lazily Valentine licked up the leaves, chewing them slowly and grimacing at the taste. They were just too...green. “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

She shrugged eloquently at his words. "My dad was killed - I'm told he tried to rape someone - and my mom went crazy and took off. It was just me and Neios and Nausica and you can imagine they weren't the safest company for a sensitive -" whiny, delicate, naive - "pup. I got lost, and there was no one to come find me. I learned pretty quick that any loner willing to take in a little girl was looking for something I wasn't willing to give to anyone. I was safer on my own. What about you? Somehow I can't picture Cataleya as the cuddly loving mother."

She rubbed her shoulder on the ground, dropping her head to the side to continue to watch Valen, before rolling up onto her back beside him with her legs dangling into the air. Idly she wondered if he'd protest if she just kept rolling over until she could burrow under him, but she refrained. After all, she still didn't know how Valen felt, and she didn't really fancy being rejected again. She scowled at the thought, but deliberately shoved it away and instead wiggled, feeling the grass scratching her back in a very satisfying way.

Valentine's browspots rose as Cascade gave him a glimpse into her childhood. She spoke the truth; Valen was familiar with that kind of loner. The rest of her little summery was equally rough. Cavalierly, he rumbled, “You had a shitty childhood.” She asked about his childhood and he frowned. “She had her moments, but it was like walking on eggshells. She was sweet when it suited her and severe when it didn't. Let's see...” So long as they were on the subject of shitty childhoods he may as well unload. “She abandoned me twice. Once with my father who then turned around and did the same thing. I was still quite small so I went back to her, to the first Arcanum. She let me live with her again and then when the plague happened she took my sister and fled, leaving me behind for the second time. ” Something he hadn't taken well. A season of hurt feelings and self harm had followed on the heels of his third abandonment. Resting his head on his paws, Valentine watched Cascade roll around. His expression grew amused. He had half a mind to reach out and grab at one of her ears, but at the moment, watching her flop around was entertaining enough. “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.

"It had its moments," she countered, tossing his words back at him. "Once upon a time I met this guy and he caught my interest enough for me to join his pack and I ended up fucking him and having his kids. Best fucking year of my life." She laughed, a bright peal of sound, but sobered as she considered his life story. "I can't say that surprises me about Cataleya... She does seem kind of fickle. I'm glad your kids will have a better life than either of us did." A faint flicker of half a memory fluttered through her head, of a tall wolf that might have been but couldn't have been Valen, of her first and last pack meeting before everything had changed. But she stomped gleefully on the memory of the alpha who hadn't even realized she was gone.

Rolling back to her stomach she took a moment to study the male at her side with a crooked half-smile. "Anyway, it's not our past that defines us, it's the future that matters, isn't it?" But her sudden philosophical musings were shattered by the sudden giggle that bubbled up, bursting into an unrestrained laugh at her own expense even as she watched him. Somehow, she was even more aware than usual of his presence, and her heart seemed to pick up a stronger beat, and even more aware of her desire both to leave behind the seriousness of their earlier conversation... and her desire for Valen himself. Stretching to her feet, tail flicking behind her, she grinned at him. Her forelegs dropped as she bowed in the universal canine gesture of "let's play!" Laughing, she bounced a little in place, the invitation to come play clear without words. They had to pass the time before the drug kicked in somehow, and sitting for who-knows-how-long spouting philosophy and feelings didn't seem like the most fun way to spend it.

He fought the urge to snicker as she recounted the events of the past year. Forcing a serious expression, he commented, “He must be one hell of a man for you to do all that.” Ugh, Cataleya talk. “'Fickle' is definitely a good word for her.” He nodded in response to her comment about their children. “They will.” Cascade suddenly got very deep, her statement causing the brute's browspots to rise. The moment passed quickly; for reasons unknown to him, she began to laugh. Valentine regarded her in silence for a few seconds before the contagious mirth began to work at him. Slowly his lips started to rise in a smile and then he too started to laugh. He laughed until his belly hurt and he couldn't breathe, the sounds becoming choppy and occasionally punctuated with gasps. She was suddenly on her paws and beckoning him to play and Valentine, with a mock growl, threw himself towards her. With no real game plan, he attempted to throw his paws around her neck. Maybe he'd try to wrestle her to the ground or bite her ears or something. Ooooo, both sounded good! Yeah, he'd wrestle her to the ground and then bite her ears. “”

NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.