Stumbling back into Imperium, tail and head low with exhaustion from her long run and seemingly even longer return journey, she stopped on the Imperium side of the border and just stood for a moment as she swayed. It had been stupid of her to leave after talking to Neios - stupider yet to run herself into exhaustion. She should have stayed here... should have spoken to Valentine instead of trying to run her demons off. Why had she been so... stupid?

She dropped to her haunches, sides still heaving and head drooping. She should go home... she didn't want to. She did want one thing though... and it wasn't what she'd have thought. Forcing herself to lift her head she sent out a quavering call for Valentine.

Cascade? Valen's head rose and his ears pivoted as he locked onto her call. She sounded...odd. Was that a quiver he heard? His brow knit as a fist of unease settled in the pit of his stomach. At once he set off in her direction; eager to put his worries to rest. --- The slumped and exhausted looking figure that caught his eye was so far removed from the usual Cascade that he almost mistook her for someone else. With haste Valentine reached her side, his eyes running over her person in search of injuries or clues as to what was wrong. Clearly something was amiss, but he was at a loss as to what exactly. "Cascade?" he ventured, "Is everything alright?" Gently he reached out in the hopes of touching the top of her left shoulder with the tip of his nose. ""

She may have fallen asleep sitting up. It wasn't very long since she called, or she didn't think so anyway, before his voice and touch startled her into lifting her head. She stared at him for a long moment, not quite sure what he'd asked, but when she realized he really was there she sought to press herself against him with a weary desperation. No, she was not all right. Not at all. She'd gone from furious at Neios to feeling so lost, so alone in the space of her journey. So exhausted it was all she could do to keep from crying now that she was safely with Valentine, though she didn't - just took a long, shaky breath. When she finally spoke, her voice was filled with a weary bitterness. "He left me again, Valen. I spent my whole trying to find my way back to my family and when I finally do, they all abandon me. Even Neios is gone now."

Valen's alarm rose at a slow but steady pace as he took in Cascade's odd behavior. She started at his touch and then stared at him as if she hadn't been expecting him to walk up at any moment. After a few seconds she seemed to snap back and moved to lean into him; a move that only added to his alarm but one he nonetheless accepted. Patiently he waited as the seconds ticked by. The ball was in her court; if she wanted to tell him what was wrong it was up to her. Finally she spoke. Her tone struck him as tired and world-weary, and somehow aged; and he didn't know what to make of it. Neios? Her brother? The pieces started to slide together and Valen's alarm lessened. He'd never cared for the brute, but clearly he had meant something to Cascade and so for her he was saddened by her loss. He knew what it was like to be left behind. Luckily for Cascade she wasn't alone. She had their children and she had him, and as long as she'd let him, Valen wanted to be a part of her life. Leaning into Cascade, Valentine reached over her left shoulder and attempted to hook his chin around the top of her neck. He couldn't think of a reply that would do his thoughts or her feeling justice, so instead he sought to pull her into a hug. It wasn't much, but it was all he had to offer. ""

Valen didn't reply, just pulled her into a hug and Cascade melted into it with a faint whine. "Why, Valen?" she mumbled into his fluffy fur. "I don't understand what I'm doing so wrong." His embrace was relaxing, and safe, and for a moment she clung to him before reluctantly pulling away. "It's better for you and the kids that he's gone. You'll be safer. He'd gone... crazier than usual." Her mind conjured up the way he had loomed over her, the fury and the... hunger in his eyes and the barely held violence in his stance, and she flinched, before dropping her gaze to the ground. "If he comes back, I won't let him hurt the kids. I'll kill him first. You don't have to worry about them, I would die before I let him touch them, I just... wanted you to know that it was a possibility that he'd try." Her voice had a dull mechanical quality as she spoke, as though she didn't really care if she did kill him, but... the thought made her chest feel tight with panic. The thought of dying if she failed didn't even dredge up an emotional response but if she failed it would leave them vulnerable... better for Valen to know, just in case. She considered leaving, now that he knew, but she couldn't even muster up the energy to trudge to her den. "I'm sorry," she murmured miserably.

"Why, Valen?" The inevitable question. Valentine wasn't surprised to hear it. Even if he hadn't he would have suspected Cascade thought it. It was something he'd asked himself. Why? What am I doing wrong? Is something wrong with me? She pulled away from him. He almost followed. Before he could tell her the truth as he saw it, Cascade went on to share with him some of the details of her last encounter with her brother. Instantly his hackles rose and the blood rushed to his face as a primitive rage built inside of him. His lips lifted slightly in a misplaced show of hostility. If that crazy ass brother of hers came back she wouldn't have to worry about killing him. He'd do it. And he'd do it without hesitation. By the time Cascade got to her apology Valentine had tamed his anger and tamped it down to a simmer. "Don't apologize," he said a tad too sharply; his mind lingering on her lowlife brother. He made himself breathe and forced the sourness down further. "It's not your fault your brother is batshit," okay, so he was still a little keyed up, "Crazy. As for the rest of your family...perhaps I'm a bit out of line in saying so, but if they're stupid enough to walk away from you and not realize what exactly they're missing, then fuck them. They don't deserve you anyway." ""

Cascade stared at him quizzically, too tired for full on suspicion, but he was being so... nice. Why would he be this nice after the way she'd gone behind his back? He claimed her family didn't deserve her, but how could she deserve him then? "I don't... I'm not..." But... she sighed. "Neios is insane. I won't miss him and I wouldn't trust him around my family if he came back. If he hurt the kids... if he hurt you..." A spark roughened her voice, her lips lifting just slightly to show a flash of fangs. But the flash of fire faded and she sought to press back against him again. "I'm relieved that he's gone," she admitted into his chest. "I've just always held onto this idea that I would come back and Neios and Nausica and my mother would be here waiting for me, and we'd be this happy family. But..." she shrugged, dropped her head against him. "We hadn't been even before I got lost. I'm mourning something I never even had."

"Neios is insane." Yeah, he'd gotten that much. Cascade went on to elaborate on her feelings. She leaned into him again, still explaining why she felt the way she did. In an attempt to be soothing, Valentine leaned down and attempted to gently lick at the fur between her ears. Maybe he was being silly, but it was something he'd do if one of their kids was upset. "I can understand that." Being able to kind of relate wasn't enough and Valentine doubted Cascade was looking for a pity party. He tucked his chin in the hopes of resting his jaw on the top of Cascade's head. What did she want him to say? That he was sorry she had a shitty family? That he understood where she was coming from? Because he was sorry and he did understand. He felt the same way about his family. "I'm sorry," he said finally, the statement ending in a sigh. "Would you like me to walk with you to your den? You look like you're about to fall over." Valen paused, then offered, "The kids can stay with me tonight. Or...you can come stay with me." He wasn't necessarily suggesting she come sleep with him. If he were in her place he might not want to be alone, but he might not want to be mobbed by the kids either. ""

Valen's tongue smoothed the fur against her forehead in a soothing rhythm, and Cascade found herself relaxing as she spoke, and curled against him when he rested his chin on her head.

Cascade couldn't help but chuckle wryly at his words. If she looked like she was about to fall over, it was pretty accurate as far as how she was feeling right now. "My own fault," she muttered. "I was the one who threw the tantrum over this." She hesitated, though, mulling over his offer. She wanted to say no, that she could handle the kids just fine on her own tonight but... She didn't want to subject the kids to seeing her this bedraggled and subdued. Maybe it was vain of her, but she wanted her kids to believe their mother was a superhero for as long as she could manage it. They'd doubtless be ecstatic at the idea of daddy babysitting for the night. But having Valen hold her like this felt... oddly soothing, and she wasn't quite ready to let that go yet.

She sighed.

"I would appreciate it if I could stay with you, Valen." She brushed her muzzle along the front of his shoulder, in mute apology, plea, and thanks mixed together so closely she couldn't really say which was foremost in her emotions at the moment. "I know it's a lot to ask of you for something I brought on myself, and I know it's not your problem but... I'd really appreciate it."

She mumbled something about a tantrum and the brute shrugged, forgetting for a second that she was leaning against his shoulder. All things considered her reaction seemed pretty reasonable. It wasn't like she'd gone out and slaughtered guileless rogues in protest of her abandonment. Or had she? Perhaps there was more to this than he was aware of. The sigh surprised him and he briefly wondered if her exasperation was directed at him. Valentine leaned back a bit so he could see Cascade's face.  Her words quickly reassured him...and she was so wrong. He shook his head firmly. She was implying that her staying with him would be an inconvenience, that she was somehow a burden. "You know you..." He was treading dangerous ground here. "Are welcome there any time." A soft huff of frustration escaped his nose as he struggled to put his thoughts into words. "You're wrong if you think you're..I don't know...troubling me? Putting me out? Or that I'm..." He trailed off and shook his head again, deciding to let it go instead of risking being misunderstood. You know what? They needed to talk about something else. Now. Attempting to lighten the bleak mood that had settled over them, he leaned down suddenly to playfully nip at her ear. "Now, can you make the walk there or do I need to carry you?" ""