With Rhythm in tow, Valentine arrived at the cliffs. The sun was just beginning it's final plunge and was tinting the horizon ever so slightly with red. Perfect. Given how much of a disaster their last date had been, the brute was determined to make up for it today. With rain on the way, the sky was full of thick, puffy clouds - something that was sure to contribute to a dazzling show. Turning to Rhy, he asked, "Have you ever been here before?" He was going to be a bit disappointed if she had, but he'd make do. Perhaps it was a bit silly, but yes, they were there to watch the sun set. ""

She would follow him with ease, even with his longer stride the girl would have no trouble staying at his side. He would, surprisingly, lead her somewhere within the eastern lands that she had not found herself exploring yet. The scene was rather amazing, they'd made their way onto the cliffs, mass amounts of sky would be filled with giant puffy clouds just starting to change their color. Bright eyes would take in the view before finding a moment to glance at the one who'd brought her here. His massive frame would shift to face her as she found herself with a rather pleased grin playing on her maw. "It's my job to have been everywhere before," the girl would start mischievously, "I've never been here though." Dagger like teeth would flash before she left his side to wade softly through the pool of blooms. Rhythm would breath deep, letting her thoughts dwell on this magical place. Tiny spots of yellow light would illuminate the field of flowers, sparkling just for her the fireflies were a welcome addition. A look of awe would settle over the girl's features as she forgot about the heartbreaking thoughts that would plague her at home. She could really smile here. Dainty paws would carry her to a comfortable place nearer the edge of the cliff, tilting her head in curiosity the she wolf would again look to Valentine. He didn't even realize how thankful she was to him for just being able to get her mind off death. "Are we watching the sun set?" Haunches would coil beneath her as her dark tail wrapped around her paws, the bright grin fixed on her features as she looked back to him. ""

Rhythm moved away from him to walk through the wildflowers and Valentine found himself following. He was a little less gentle with his steps, choosing to kick aside large flower heads and fluffy white dandelions. Fuzzy white dandelion seeds scattered before him before getting picked up by a breeze and lifted into the air where they mingled with the first wave of the night's fireflies. With Rhythm leading the way, Valentine couldn't see her reaction to it all, but he gathered by the way she moved through the field that she was taking the beauty of it in. So far it appeared as if he'd chosen well. She settled near the edge of the cliff and the brute moved to do the same, taking a seat at her left side. "Mmhm, yes ma'am, we are." The place was picturesque and just as lovely as the lady he'd chosen to share it with. He hoped she liked it, although now that he was thinking about why they were there, he hoped she didn't find it as cheesy as he was beginning to feel it was. You don't think this is silly, do you? Watching the sunset? It's certainly not sledding..." ""

Valen followed after her slowly, his form coming to a halt at her side as he became comfortable as well. He'd easily answer her question, affirming that they were indeed in for an evening of sky watching. Her expression would brighten as bright dual toned eyes watched her date, the scene was perfect, her company was pleasant and she was away from her every day life. She hadn't realized how much weight she had been carrying on her shoulders until she'd dropped it when she'd left with Valentine. Everyone and everything else could be forgotten up here and she could easily relax. She would too, wearing a rather care free expression her shoulders would drop and release the tension that had built within them. A soft sigh would filter from her lips as she looked up at the colors that stained the sky. Valentine's words would catch her attention, her bright features tilting as she listened to what sounded like a break in his confidence. She couldn't help but smile at him, her tail thumping amusedly at her side. "Of course I don't think it's silly," she'd start with a hint of a giggle. "It's really sweet and romantic." She'd end quietly, finding she wasn't quite ready to look back up at the show he had brought her to in favor of his handsome features. ""

Unbeknownst to him, some of the dandelion seeds which he had scattered began to descend and land in his coat. The haphazardly placed fluffy white specks dotted him from between his ears to his rump, their lands so light that he remained unaware of them. Such was his punishment for kicking them aside. Above them, the sky began to slowly darker; purples, reds and oranges deepening and casting a a pinkish tinge on the world below. It was beautiful, anyone could see that, but the brute had eyes only for his date. He felt like such a yearling, pining after a pretty girl that was way outside his league. She reassured him that their date wasn't silly - he didn't believe her - and went on to explain that she found it sweet and romantic. Well...so long as she liked it, he was happy. "I'm glad you think so." ""

Ever so gently upon the dark man would fall the tiny seeds of the discarded dandelions. All up his back, though what Rhythm would see were the cute little fuzzies that began to adorn his ears and skull. His words didn't breathe much confidence, and through her giggling she wasn't sure he was enjoying himself. "You're getting a little fuzzy there Valen," Her grin would widen as she looked at his new adornment. He looked pretty cute. She wouldn't feel any kind of bashful as she craned her neck to take a look at his back, which was also covered in tiny little balls of fluff. Obviously delighted she'd help him out, her dark chocolate paws would swipe easily across his fur dislodging a few of the seeds to fly elsewhere in the world. She'd watch them disappear before her features returned to the man's face. Her smile was soft, and took on an innocent air as the sun continued it's journey. Her own coat would be lit by the bright orange light, giving her a warmer feel than in the regular sunlight. ""

He was getting what now? Fuzzy? The brute didn't have long to be confused as Rhythm began to lean towards him. Valen's heart skipped a beat and then quickened, as he thought, for just a second, that she was leaning in for a kiss. That thought was crushed immediately as her neck craned to look around behind him. He turned his head too, just in time to see the first of the seeds drift away. Oh. Fuzzy. Dammit. There wasn't much he could do about the seeds on his back, so he let Rhythm work, all the while secretly enjoying the touch. ""You coulda let me walk around like that." He probably would have let her. Well, maybe. The chance to touch her would have been hard to pass up. "You know," he mused, "It's occurred to me that we don't know much about each others lives beyond the time we've spent together. I'd like to propose a game of sorts. How about we take turns asking each other questions. If one of us can't give or won't give a answer, the other gets to ask a new one." There was a series of questions he'd been dying to know the answer to. Surely there were things she was curious about too. ""

The male before her would look incredibly confused before his eyes found themselves on the flight of the seeds. She wouldn't hide her amused giggle very well as she caught him from the corner of her eye. The girl would gently brush away the errant seeds, her features shifting back to him as he told her she didn't have to clean him up. "The thought was tempting." She would tell him as she moved up his neck, having to stand get get on her tippy toes as she reached. They had been sitting far enough away to make her task difficult. Almost falling into him a couple of times she would listen to his words as she finished removing the little puff balls. She found that she could not argue his points, and had he not brought up the predicament she would have eventually. Her slender frame would sink back down beside him, finding herself comfortable once more as he explained his proposed game. Chocolate features tipped curiously as she contemplated this offer. It wasn't quite a truth or dare kind of game, and didn't seem to have any consequences other than getting to know the other wolf. Seemed easy enough. "I'll accept your proposition," her reply was sure as she quickly thought up a good starter question. "I'll take the first question, start you off with something easy I think. How old are you?" She wasn't sure but she had to guess he was about her age. Of course she had so many more questions, but this one seemed good for a gentle start. ""

"I'll take the first question," Fair enough. "Start you off with something easy I think," He was a little leery of "easy" questions. "How old are you?" Alright, yeah, that was a pretty easy one. "I'm two and I'll be three in the Fall." The last bit he threw in as a bonus. It went hand in hand with his age and he didn't want her to have to waste another question to learn his birth season. Okay, his turn. Valentine didn't want to steal her question and he was fairly certain she was somewhere around his age, so he discarded the possibility of asking how old she was. What did that leave him? Well, he could ask if she was older than Bass or how she felt about him and Motif being so protective. He could ask- oh! That was a good one. "When we first met, why did you come with me into the caves? I could have been anyone." ""

He would give her no qualms about her taking the first question, she would ask him simply, not lying when she'd said it was an easy question. Because of that he'd even offer the season of his birth, only one after her own. They were rather close in age, just as she'd suspected. However she couldn't pass up the opportunity to make obvious she was the older one. "little youngin' aren't you?" she'd tease, "I"ll be three next season." She would raise her head proudly, a smirk on her features before his words would reach her ears. She would tilt her head slightly as she contemplated her answer, "why did you come with me into the caves?" Her smirk had disappeared as her narrowed her eyes and stared off into space, her mind back racing back to that moment. "You could have been, but you seemed concerned for my safety. And really, had you any foul intentions you would have surely let me get lost first." Really her actions hadn't been too stupid, though she was sure any of her siblings would argue against that. "You were pretty cute too," she'd add, with holding the urge to wink with her words. Her eyes would find him again, contemplation and scrutiny obvious in her blue-purple stare. What would she ask him next? What questions did she need answered about this handsome brute? Where was he from? Did he have any siblings? What was Valentine's favorite color.. they all seemed so dull and trivial. "Why did you come say hello to me at the Pantheon Festival?" She'd been little more than a timid shadow of Bass. Though that moment was the origin of their 'date'.. intended as a prank on her brother it had turned into so much more. She was here, sitting easily in the company of Imperium's alpha.. all to herself. Though thoughts would cause a shy smile to cross her features, curious eyes lingering on Valen's features. ""

She teased him over his age and for a split second he wondered if his calculation of her age had been wrong. Quickly she admitted that she was only a season older than him, confirming, as he'd expected, how close they were in age. A very small childish part of him was displeased that she was older than him, as if that somehow made her the boss, but he squashed it. ”Whoa, a cougar, huh?” he teased. Finally she answered his question. She called him cute, which he secretly appreciated. ”I think you are too trusting,” he admitted, ”But I'm glad you took a chance on me.” That was something that made him a bit nervous. Valentine considered himself to be a moderately good person. At the very least, he knew wolves who were way worse. He wasn't always a nice guy, but it wasn't often that he went out of his way to hurt someone. But what if he had been that type? Rhythm was small and gentle. It would have been laughably easy to harm her. Her next question was extremely easy to answer. ”Because I wanted to get to know you better.” He shrugged, ”And even though I didn't intend for Bass to get up in arms, I must say it was a rather nice bonus.” His turn. ”Are Bass and Motif your only siblings?” ""

It was rather amusing to know that she was older than he, if only by a season. Like Valentine she felt that childish pride, but she got to boast about being the elder. He'd tease her playfully, calling her a cougar. Playing along she couldn't help but extend her paw and splay her toes, making visible her shining black claws. "Oh yes, look out for my kitty claws." She would giggle amusedly before lowering her paw and listening to his rebuttal. She couldn't help but feel flush as he gave his opinion, not scolding but obviously more concerned than she had been. She couldn't help the smile that would sneak onto her features as he admitted that he was glad she'd taken the chance though. She'd feel a mass of butterflies well up within her stomach at the combination of his protective thoughts and his obvious pleasure that they'd met. "Me too," She'd add in softly before asking her own question. His answer came easier than she'd expected, again though soft lyrics would send her tummy butterflies into a whirlwind. Even though he shrugged off his answer she felt giddy from it. How was it that she was so special that Valentine would seek out her presence to get to know her better. She had to admit though, Bass's reaction had been most enjoyable. Not that she'd think on that day for very long, the next question was in her court. "Two others, my brother Chord and sister Harmony." Both were rather distant, especially as of late. "Chord's never joined the pack, he's always off exploring the lands." She'd try to keep the wistfulness from her voice but she doubted it worked. "Harmony just came back recently, but I haven't seen much of her, I think she's still recovering." Easy question, but she'd give him bonus answers as well. What else did she want to ask? "How about your family?" She knew relatively little about his own heritage while he'd at least had a bit of contact with her brother and sister. ""

So she had another brother and sister. Where they older? Younger? The same age? Did he even want to use a question up to ask that? Nope. There was plenty of other things he'd rather know about Rhythm. For now it was enough to know that she had more siblings. One other thing stood out to him about her explanation of her siblings. Her sister was recovering. What did that mean? It sounded like it held more promise than his other sibling related questions, but it also sounded like asking about it would lead to a saddening story. For now he'd (selfishly) hold off. She asked about his family and he frowned. Valentine doubted his family was as...nice or as straightforward as hers. He loved his mother, but despised his father. Catalaya had taken a mate and had children with him, and Valen had no doubt that Taurig had more children than the two litters (Cataleya's and Maia's) he knew about. "My family is complicated," he admitted, "And very big. I have one full-blooded  sister, her name is Senka, and I have quite a few half siblings." Too many to name in one go. While he could do it, he doubted she wanted to listen as he listed them all. To simplify things, he said, "My parents took new mates after they parted ways. From those unions I've amassed quite a family." His thoughts drifted to his children and his features brightened considerably. Proudly, he stated, "And I have three children, two boys, Seraphim and Angelus, and a girl, Evangeline - and I dare say they are the best children Alacritia has ever seen." Now for his turn, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't strike me as a fighter type. My question is, where then does your passion lie?" Healing? Children? Fishing? Hunting? Seriously, he wanted to know. ""

Dark ears would fall slightly as he reacted to the question about his family, obviously their memory harbored less than wonderful memories. Still he wasn't about to keep the knowledge from her and from the start he'd warn her that his lineage was complicated. She had no doubt that his upbringing was completely different from her own. She'd lived with her two caring parents for her first two years of life. Unlike her siblings she hadn't set off until her second birthday, finally feeling ready to disembark from that strong parental bond. She missed them sometimes, but felt comfortable where she was. One day she knew that she would need to return to them. She wondered if his family tree looked similar to her own, huge and seemingly boundless. Rhythm didn't even know how many cousins, second cousins, aunts and uncles she had out there. His demeanor would change as he finished his list, her own features returning to their relaxed state as he seemed to puff out his chest in pride as he announced his offspring. Her own expression would brighten at the thought for a moment as a flash of Shaye's face would materialize her mind, as usual the thought would open the flood gates of her memories of loss. She'd lose her breath for a moment, and she'd try to cover it with a cough as she shook her head of the thoughts. No, they wouldn't erupt here. Looking back up to her giant date her smile would return, obviously thrilled to hear about the tiny little Valens running around, though even more so that he hadn't made any mention of their mother. She had half a mind to ask, but wondered if that was one question better left unasked. Instead she'd focus on his next question, this time a bit more personal as he queried about her fighting skills.. and passions in general. Her grin would turn more genuine as the thoughts he'd helped her escape in the first place drifted off. "You'd be right. That's more Bass and Motif's specialty." The sea breeze would gust rather suddenly, bringing with it an unusually cold burst for the season. Rhythm's train of thought would be disturbed as she felt a shiver run over her spine and turn into a rather violent cold chill. She'd visibly react before settling back down in the now colder atmosphere. Surely the cold had been brought down suddenly from the not too distant North. "Brrr..." She'd shake her pelt back into place, "Anyway," she'd begin again, though she couldn't seem to rid the cold from her voice. "I try and learn whatever I can to help my family. When I first came here Bass gave me the rank of messenger. It suited me well, I went out on adventures, learned the surrounding areas rather well. I never had any important missions but I enjoyed memorizing the lands." Knowing exactly where you were was important for a messenger, "When Harmony disappeared though I had to take a step back from that and really advance my healing knowledge. My mother taught me all about childbirth and raising, so it was easy to expand that knowledge and become a healer." Had she one thing she really worked for her entire life? No one task could be boasted, but she did everything for her kin. She hoped the explanation was enough for him, "If that doesn't answer your question I can expand more with out penalty." She'd wink, though it wasn't a way to get free answers, she didn't know if she'd explained well enough. "But first.." she'd shiver again visibly, "Do you mind if I leach off your body heat?" Yes, that was her question. The cold was getting much too distracting to think of a real question. ""