The pale man grinned slightly as his toes touched the Imp border. The last time he was here it was a very different kind of meeting. And the last time him and the tall man spoke, well that hadn't one too well either. This time he hoped that it would be a lot better, and that the two men would walk away without wanting to tear out each others throats. Letting out a soft breath he reclined to his haunches, his head tipping back to let loose a call for Valentine. He had come home and heard some very interesting things that had gone on while he had been away, and he needed to make sure that him and Valentine were on the same page. Lowering his head he waited, tail tip twitching on the ground. There could be many different ways that the blue alpha could take what had happened between his daughter and one of his own pack mates. Only time would really tell what he did think, and it wasn't a matter of life or death. It did however, have the potential to worsen the relationship between the two packs. Bass' ear flickered, he didn't think that it should rock their pretty shaky agreement, but he couldn't tell what the other was thinking. Plus, it was about time to make amends for old issues.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

What was this? Bass was at his border? Huh. After the way the Abaven alpha lost his cool during their last meeting Valentine hadn't been too sure he'd ever see the man again. Of course he knew why the brute was calling. He was aware of a tiff that had taken place between one of Abaven's young wolves and his daughter. What other reason could the Azat have for visiting today besides that? And there he was. Cresting a knoll brought the smaller man into view and a lazy jog quickly closed the distance between them. He dipped his head in a polite greeting before rumbling, "Bass." The last time they'd met his respect for the alpha had dropped steeply and while he had no intention of saddening Rhythm with moves against Abaven, he did not consider her brother or his pack a political equal. That said what had happened with Evangeline was, in Valentine's opinion, nothing more than a squabble between two children and did little to the Imperium/Abaven standing. It made sense for Bass to come and seek an apology for the actions of Evangeline and/or check to make sure it hadn't incited an angry mob. It was also entirely possible that Bass himself was the angry mob. He jumped straight to what he assumed was the heart of the matter. Pleasantries had their place, but he really wasn't one for small talk, especially when more important matters were at hand. "I assume you're here because of what transpired between my daughter and one of your members?" Unsure of what kind of direction this meeting was going to take, Valentine remained standing. ""

It didn't take very long for the larger man to show up, and he could tell that things were very much still unsettled between the two. Bass couldn't help but smirk, it would seem that he really did a number on the alpha of these lands. Heh, he wasn't used to doing that, but it was quite clear to him that there was no prospect of warmth coming from the darker beast. No use in pleasantries, as the man got right to business. "Valentine, a pleasure as always," he rumbled, not rising from his seated position as the other man stood. His head tilted slightly, yellow eyes meeting his blue ones. "And yes, I did come here because of that. Although I think that what happened was between the girls, I did want to come and make sure that you thought the same as well. From what I heard the girl from my pack brought it on herself, and it doesn't surprise me that your daughter took a chunk out of her." He said, a muted chuckle leaving his lips. Head shook back and forth slowly, ears flicking on the top of his head. "I come back from visiting my family to all of this, it looks like I really do have my work cut out for me. Seems like Lillie has caused a bit more trouble than she can dig herself out of, but at least now she is determined to become a better fighter. Evangeline sure did a number on her." Surly this is not what the other alpha expected, but Bass was a touch amused. Seeming to just completely ignore Valentine's uneasy mood, he kept talking. "I assume that she came home and did a little victory dance, eh? Or did she brag to her siblings first?" Bass-the-dad was asking more than Bass-the-alpha. If that happened to one of his kids, he could only imagine the bragging rights that a fight like that would give them. "Seems like your children are already well versed in fighting, which doesn't surprise me. But I also came here for another reason..." he said softly, the thoughts of fighting leading him to another train of thought. "I came to apologize for our last meeting, and to say that the joint training is still open if you wish to do so." Bass wasn't expecting to walk away from this all buddy buddy with Valentine, but maybe a more neutral alliance than an actual pact.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

He stood relaxed before the Azat, his tail curling at his hocks and his ears pricked forward in interest. Bass confirmed the assumption the King had made about why he was visiting Imperium and went on to give his side of the story, which oddly enough, Valentine agreed with. Evangeline's honor had been on the line. She had been perfectly within her right to defend it. "Yes," he confirmed, "I share your belief that the fight was the business of the girls and no one else's." "I heard your girl took quite the beating," he commented. Lillie, eh? Valentine filed her name away for future use. Having gotten it from Eva's coat, he already had the girl's scent. Someday it might be nice to put a face to it all. "She's very proud, my Evangeline." A ghost of a proud smile quirked up the corners of his lips. "She ran straight to her brothers to brag, of course." Who wouldn't? Her first real fight, first real victory. It was quite the accomplishment. "Seems like your children are already well versed in fighting, which doesn't surprise me." Valentine nodded. His kids had been learning since they began walking. Not only did he want them to be able to defend themselves, but he wanted to instill them with an unflappable confidence. He wanted them to feel the same way he did in tense situations, to keep a level head while whoever they were dealing with disgraced his or her self by falling apart. Some he could picture growing into it. Others...not so likely. "But I also came here for another reason..." Oh? Valentine quirked an eyebrow questioningly. Bass was quick to explain. Ah, an apology. He wasn't entirely sure one was needed, the issue had been a very small one and while the Azat had been undeniably unprofessional, it had (at least on Valentine's end) changed very little other than his personal opinion of Bass, which, considering each and every encounter they'd ever had, hadn't been particularly high to begin with. Nonetheless, it took a strong man to admit to his mistakes and the King recognized that, and he was open to cultivating a more positive relationship between them. Valentine dipped his head in a show of acceptance before parting with the words, "I accept your apology; that conversation certainly could have gone better and we were both guilty parties in its demise." Joint training? For a moment he squinted in thought before it clicked. Oh, yes. That had been his reason for going there that day, hadn't it? "Hmmmm," he rumbled thoughtfully, "I still think it is a good idea, although I must admit I don't remember the finer details of what we discussed." Dryly, he joked, "I've slept since then." ""

Ah, so it would seem that the two of them were indeed on the same page, just as he had thought. There was no harm in coming to ask though, even though there was more than one reason for his visit today. He was glad that Valentine thought the same way though, it wasn't out of spite or a direct attack on each pack that the girls fought. From what he had heard it had been very much provoked by Lillie, and Vana had given her a warning as well. Girls would be girls, he supposed, but it was no thread to Abaven or Imperium. They were just children who had a squabble, and a very smart girl on his end who picked a fight with a much bigger wolf. He would hope that if his kids got into fights with other children, that it would be the same way. It would be different in other circumstances, but he wasn't threatened by the prospect of fighting yearlings. They had to get all that angst out somehow, right?

When Valentine commented on the status of Lillie, he couldn't help but shake his head slowly and let out a brief laugh. "Yes, and allowed my sisters very young pup to follow her out of pack territory as well. I do hope that the injuries she got will serve as a reminder to her on what she did wrong, and hopefully keep her out of trouble for a bit. Although she has been pouting a bit about her first loss, but as would anyone I suppose." He commented idly, tail curling around his side. Their conversation was pretty light and easy, and he was glad that there was little tension between the two men. Bass picked up on the proud smile that tickled his maw, and couldn't help smiling a bit in return. "No doubt there is going to be a race to see who can win next, as always seems to be the way of siblings." He thought of his own, on how Finch would whine about wishing to be strong like Lark, and how Lark somehow seemed older than his other litter mates. Ears flickered thoughtfully as he turned his attention back to Valentine, yellow eyes observant.

He watched as the man nodded along with his words, and he couldn't help but feel a small tinge of jealously deep in his gut. All his kids seemed to pick up on their mothers softer nature, only Lark aspiring to be a true strong fighter. Shrike wanted to master in everything where Finch and Starling were more reserved, quiet. And Sparrow. oh Sparrow. She wanted to be a diplomat of sorts, something that he wasn't to sure of. Not that he was any less proud of his kids, he just wished that they all had the drive to fight, to serve and protect the pack. Bass didn't love them less... but it would be nice.

They moved on quickly, and the man was fast to explain when he saw Valentine's brow rise. He was sorry for what had transpired, for how heated he had allowed himself to become and lash out at the taller man before him. They were both passionate guys who cared a lot for Rhythm, which is perhaps where they started to butt heads. He was very protective of his family, and had acted rashly when he felt like his back had been stabbed by one of those that were very dear to his heart. He had been foolish and letting his emotions rule before his heart, generally his first mistake. Maybe if their conversations had taken different turns at their first few meetings, the two packs and alphas would be closer then they were now. This whole conversation seemed... civil, at best. While they both seemed relaxed, there were no real signs of them being completely at ease with each other. But maybe Bass had deserved it, after all the trouble he managed to stir for himself.

He was pleased when the fellow alpha dipped his head, feeling a bit of a weight lift off of his chest. He hadn't realized how much it had been effecting him, but Bass didn't really like the idea of others not caring for him or his pack. He knew that not everyone would love him, but the fact that it was his fault that there was a rut here made it different. "It seems that we let a woman get between us, Valentine," he teased softly, a smooth chuckle leaving his lips. Woman always seemed to be the start of the issue, in most occasions. They loved them too much, that is where they fell short in other things. He blinked slowly when he saw the other mans confusion, before letting out a bark of laughter at his next words. "Well I would hope that you slept at least a few nights, since then. But I think we had talked about doing a spar training of sorts, one started in odd positions such as from behind, very close, or side by side?" He half asked, half told. What had it been now, a year? Half a year? Since they last talked about it. He didn't blame the other for forgetting, there had been more important things that had transpired since their chat.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Valentine's eyebrows rose as Bass mentioned a tiny niece having been lead outside pack territory. The pink puppy Vail, he guessed, unless Rhythm had another sister she'd never mentioned before. Since the statement about the niece had been dropped in the same breath as Lillie's beating Valentine assumed that the two incidences were connected, which meant that it was likely that the woman who had intervened was Motif. Knowing who all had been involved didn't matter too much, but it did help him paint a picture of what had gone down and he was genuinely curious. "No doubt there is going to be a race to see who can win next, as always seems to be the way of siblings." In response to this Valentine sighed in exasperation and shook his head slowly, a soft smile playing across his lips. "No doubt." Evangeline and Angelus were pretty competitive. While he doubted his son would set out with the singular goal of kicking someone's ass to prove he was just as good as, if not better than, his sister...Valentine didn't doubt for one second that this little incident hadn't set into motion a series of "one ups". "It seems that we let a woman get between us, Valentine." Valentine chuckled too, but made no comment. It was an accurate statement, wasn't it? From the very beginning their affection for Rhythm had set them at odds. A simple wink directed at Rhythm from Valentine had been enough to give Bass a conniption, the King remembered fondly. It had been fun to needle to Bass then, to poke and prod until he got a reaction. Bass' explanation jogged Valentine's memory. "Ah, that's right!" In his excitement the brute absentmindedly kneaded the soft dirt underfoot. He seated himself, his eyes momentarily going to the horizon as he thought. The timing for such an event was perfect. This year was rather mild so far, and even the midday heat of the summer was (for the most part) very tolerable. "I definitely think that's still worth doing." It was common practice for spar participants to start off facing one another, but Valentine knew from experience that real fights didn't always begin that way. He wanted his members to be equipped to handle unusual or disadvantageous starts. Yes, this idea still appealed to him. "If you are agreeable, such an event could be held in Imperium. At least, the first, anyway. Should we choose to repeat this exercise or try something else we can always alternate hosts." ""

Bass nodded, picking up on the other alpha's excitement. "Of course, you call it here when you are ready. Besides, you do have the most land." He teased, rising to his paws and stretching. It was about time that he headed back to his own pack anyways, now that he knew things were better between Abaven and Imperium. "and now if you don't mind Valentine, I am going to take my leave. I am sure we both have other things to do than sit and chat all day. No matter how tempting it may be." He said with a chuckle. Shaking out his pale fur, he backed up a few steps and dipped his head. "So yeah, just call us when you feel up and ready for it Valentine." He added, before turning back towards his own lands.

-exit Bass unless stopped-

ooc//; Terrible and oh so late.

"Speech"
'thoughts'