The brute was beyond pleased with Imperium's newest addition. The Orchard was perfection; its many good qualities outweighing any flaws it had. It was the perfect haven for prey animals. In turn, it was a perfect place to hunt prey animals. Before taking off on a mission to meet some of the newer alphas, the brute had spent the afternoon simply enjoying the serenity the grove of trees had offered. He'd rolled around in the grasses, swam in the creek and soaked up the sun, basically just vegging for several hours in an effort to take the edge off his lingering restlessness. It was quite possible that his restlessness was to blame for his sudden desire to roam. The brute found he needed to move or else the frustration grew. With all that energy to move and nowhere to direct it, Valentine had decided to follow up on a rumor he'd heard. Near the beginning of his rein the brute had met a fae by the name of Epiphron. He'd liked her immediately. There was just something about her that demanded respect; and a something that made him give it easily. He'd heard she now ruled a pack in the East. Curiosity and the insatiable need to move had fueled his decision to investigate. Reaching the border of an unfamiliar pack that was marked by a faintly familiar scent, Valentine paused to stare into the territory. This had to be it. Raising his chin, the brute howled out a polite summons to the ruler of Fiori. ""

The call that rang through the lands was familiar, though it took her a moment to place it. She'd met Valentine just once before, before she'd even joined Ludicael under Jupiter's rule -- she'd been in an entirely different place then. Curious as to his coming here, though assuming it had something to do with the fact that he'd finally discovered she ruled here. Though her pack was small, it seemed to be attracting some interest from the neighboring packs. She still wasn't sure if the attention was a good thing or not yet. She traveled slowly toward the springs, where his voice had came from. When he came into view, she dipped her head, a smile gracing her lips. "Long time no see, Valentine Imperialis," the ruler would greet him as she drew closer. "What brings you to Fiori?" Her eyes would sparkle with amusement and curiosity as she slipped closer.

Table by:: Keno

His name rolled from her lips without hesitation. Honestly he was surprised that she remembered. They'd only met once and while she's certainly made an impression on him, he hadn't expected to make an impression on her. Valen was pleased by it, really. He returned Epiphron's smile in full; the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. "Indeed it has," he murmured as he sank to his haunches. She got straight to the point with a question--something he could appreciate--and he was quick to answer. "I heard a pack had recently changed leadership, and upon learning the new leader was a name I recognized I decided to come and formally introduce myself as Imperium's alpha." He shrugged then grinned apologetically, "Politics." Of course he also wished to know more about the new regime and to make Imperium's politics known as well. "Perhaps, if you are agreeable, we could discuss the policies of our packs?" ""

Of course he'd left an impression on her. It was difficult for a confident (and admittedly handsome) man to not. Her own smile widened at the pleasantness of his words and she found her tail wagging subtly behind her, mirroring his own movements as she sank to her hindquarters.  "I've inherited this pack from Jupiter," she acknowledged gently. Epiphron didn't know if he'd heard of her at all, nor if he'd heard that these same lands had once harbored nearly a dozen Destructions as prisoners.  "We are quite a different group now, consisting of mostly my family.  I seek mostly for us to keep to ourselves." This whole talk of politics had interested her once, but now she simply wished for peace and safety for him family. And yet... this Valentine was interesting. And he piqued her curiosity much like Kassander had.  "What sort of things would you discuss, Valentine?" Though she was indeed curious about what the kind of pack that he ran, she wished more than anything for him to lead the conversation, for she didn't know precisely what he expected out of this meeting if anything at all... or maybe he was just curious and wanted to see her again.

Table by:: Keno

Valentine rolled the name of her predecessor over in his mind in the hopes of placing it. It seemed Alacritia packs rose and fell every day and for the life of him he couldn't conjure up even a rumor about this Jupiter character. His rise had been silent and then, it seemed, his departure had as well. In fact, all Valentine knew about him was that his place had been taken by Epiphron. "What sort of things would you discuss, Valentine?" Well, everything. "I'd like to start by saying I'm not searching for an alliance." This statement was meant to be reassuring. He wasn't particularly fond of alphas showing up at his borders hoping a few words would grant them an alliance. "Make no mistake, I'm not opposed to them. I just think they aren't something that should be hastily jumped into." The brute paused to think for a second and shifted his weight from paw to paw as he thought. "If you're interested, I think a good place to start would be the nature of our packs." Since it was his idea it was only fair that he offer Imperium's information first. "In Imperium we place emphasis on respect and loyalty. We're lawful in nature and take a militarist approach to maintaining our home. Everyone, regardless of their preferences, must learn the basics of the trades responsible for keeping us safe and fed." That was information he gave freely and while he hoped Epiphron would be willing to share a bit about her pack, she was by no means obligated to. He could hope, right? ""

Epiphron had initially been impressed by Valentine, and their second meeting did not change that. Though he had no family name that she knew, it seemed he had built himself a strong pack and a name for himself, from what seemed like nothing. The air of self-importance he held did not deflate as he spoke; instead, his words only solidified his place as an equal, and she found herself grinning slightly at his words. He was no less blunt than she -- he didn't necessarily want an alliance. There was a place and time for them, certainly, but alliances weren't meant to be traded like sticks between puppies. Ears would swivel as he spoke, interested in his words, as she lowered herself to her hindquarters comfortably. Imperium sounded.. quite a bit different than Fiori, though she supposed it was similar in some respects. "Fiori isn't quite the same," she'd began with a gentle tilting of her muzzle to the side as she watched him. "We are lacking quite considerably in fighters. Most of the pack consists of my family, and it seems most of them tend towards healing. I'm hoping to be more communal, too, with decision-making done by a council vote rather than by me or any one individual."  Once, she'd been beyond happy to rule and to make decisions for her kingdom, but now? Fiori was for her family, and it only made sense to let them decide how their pack was run.

Table by:: Keno

Intrigue brightened his features and his ears and whiskers pinned forward as she shared a bit about Fiori. How interesting! Now there was something worth thinking about; a council instead of an alpha. He was rather fond of Imperium's current system, but it didn't hurt to muse about Fiori's. Valentine had never heard of such a thing. "How interesting!" He'd have to keep up with this pack, that was for sure. How it progressed, that is, if Epiphron was successful. It didn't sound like an easy transition. "The hoped for system, I mean," He amended. Her mention of Fiori being made up mostly of healers interested him too. Imperium and its healers could benefit from additional training. Perhaps, if Epiphron was open to it, a trade could be made. "I have an idea that I would like to propose. It's one that, if you're interested, I'd like to take to my advisers before committing to. But," he said with a small smile, "I think it's worth sharing now." His eyes briefly lifted from Epiphron as he considered his next words. They were quick to return to her; he knew what he wanted to say, it was just a matter of finding the right words. "Imperium isn't lacking in fighters," he began, "However, we could definitely use more healers, and the healers we do have could use more advanced training. Would you -possibly- be interested in a trade of skills?" Valentine dipped his head slightly in chagrin before continuing, "Admittedly I'm a bit sketchy on the details, but you have healers and I have fighters, and I think we might be able to help one another." If by chance she was interested he'd want to take the idea back to Imperium and get a feel for what some of his members thought. ""

Even when she had ruled the Kingdom of Seracia, her pack hadn't exactly been militaristic. Not like Valentine's, it seemed. She'd never been afraid of fighting but she knew as well as anyone that not all disputes needed to be settled with violence. A sharp mind could be just as dangerous, if not more, than the strongest jaws. The compliment sent a wash of pleasure over her, demonstrated by the wide smile she flashed in his direction. "Well -- thank you," she'd acknowledge his words quickly. It wasn't the most noble idea for a pack, but she wasn't looking to impress anyone, only to keep her family safe and well. Her ears would perk with obvious interest as he spoke. He was interested in a trade of sorts, and she couldn't help but think of her meeting with the alpha of the neighboring pack of Donostrea. She'd already proposed to send Amalia there to trade, but to send her to Imperium as well? It seemed like a lot to request of her, though she knew her daughter would do so willingly. She'd think on it for a moment before offering a suggestion of her own. "Have you heard of a pack named Donostrea?" she'd inquiry gently, her voice hinting that she had an idea of her own. "They, too, have come to me looking for some assistance in training their own in healing. I wanted my daughter to give them a lesson on the basics; perhaps you'd be interesting in joining them?" It made a lot more sense than repeating the lesson twice and making Amalia run halfway across the land to do so. "In turn, they're willing to give our aspiring fighters some lessons. Perhaps we can combine that as well." A gentle shrug was offered. Epiphron wasn't committed to the idea, but it seemed reasonable enough to her.

Table by:: Keno

Donostrea? No, he hadn't heard of that one, although that wasn't much of a surprise. Alacritian packs rose and fell every day. The real question was, who had fallen for this new pack to rise? Or, he mused, perhaps this was a pack that had successful stayed under the radar. "I'm afraid I haven't," he admitted. The idea appealed to him though. Two birds with one stone. Perhaps it would save him the effort of hunting this unknown pack down. Seeing them in action would also give him the opportunity to assess the worth of their military; since they were confident enough to hire out their fighters they had to be a force worth considering. He nodded in agreement. "Perhaps there is some halfway point of sorts where we could all meet? That would save any one party from having to make a very long journey." Valen took a deep breath and smiled softly. "But I'm getting ahead of myself." He still wanted to speak to his advisers. Candidly, he said, "I do hope this leads to a mutually beneficial relationship between our packs." Imperium's allies were few - the result of equal parts pickiness and disinterest in politics. At the moment Valentine felt he was dealing with an admirable specimen and he was uncharacteristically interested in both her and her pack. When he said he was hopeful their relationship would become prosperous he spoke the truth. ""

Epiphron would have to discuss the plan with her own higher-ranked wolves, and of course Amalia, before coming to any conclusions. But it did sound like quite a good idea. "They seem to be a family pack, much like my own," she'd explain casually. She could only hope the idea might please Voltage and his family too. Epiphron would begin to consider a more central land they could meet in. The forest might not be the best place for training.. perhaps near the shrine? But that decision would come later. Her smile was genuine as she considered the ideas they had both presented. "I hope so too," the ivory woman would agree quickly. Though she didn't have much interest in being allied with all the packs in Alacritia, this Valentine fellow had certainly caught her eye.. and it seemed they both had things they could offer one another. A mutually beneficial relationship was the only real kind she was interested, in regards to Fiori's relation with other packs. "Perhaps in a few weeks I can come visit you?" she'd suggest with another small grin. "I'd like to give you time to consider, as well as for me to contact Donostrea and see if they'd like to participate as well." Her head would tilt as she wondered; was this all he had wanted to see her for? Or might the meeting turn into a more casual one? She'd silence herself, waiting.

Table by:: Keno

OOC: I'm so, so sorry I missed this one >.<

Donostrea. He mentally rolled the name over a couple of times. Epiphron hadn't told him much, he didn't even know the gender of their leader and it would be impolite for him to ask for more information considering the situation, so he could certainly benefit from meeting with this other pack. Epiphron seconded his statement, her words serving to hearten the brute. There was still much he didn't know about Epiphron and her pack, but what he did know he liked. He believed her to be a capable leader and in some ways thought she might be a kindred spirit. "Perhaps in a few weeks I can come visit you?" she queried. Of course she was welcome to visit. He'd shown up at her borders without so much as an invitation, the least he could do was return the goodwill. Valentine was eager to show her around and give her a better understanding of Imperium. "Of course," he murmured, "I'd be happy to show you around and I'm sure I'll have an answer for you by then." On a whim Valentine decided to try to satisfy some of his curiosity. "If I may ask,", the brute began, "What drew you to the Mangroves? I went there a couple of times as a yearling."  Well, he'd taken dates and met girls there, but she didn't need to know that, did she? ""