Mature: Desert Moon

[Emora Deen]

Tenara shrugged. "I don't know." She went back to her bed and climbed up into her father's lap. She smiled up at him. "Daddy, I'm hungry. Is mommy up?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad's quiet red eyes masked the wariness the vampire felt. "Mommy is sleeping with Papa. Would you like to go to breakfast with me?"

[Emora Deen]

Tenara grinned. "Okay," she replied, curling her fingers around her father's hand. "Can we eat cake?"

[Soran Nightblade]

"You can eat egg cake," the vampire smirked, taking her by the hand. He drew her over to her closet and let her survey her not insubstantial wardrobe. "Pick something and we'll head over," he offered.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara picked out a violet dress with minimal ruffles and struggled into it. As usual, she couldn't find her shoes. She ran around the room with the dress unbuttoned down the back while searching for them.

"Stalker did you eat them again?" Tenara asked the hell hound, cupping his face. "Don't eat shoes."

[Soran Nightblade]

*Don't eat shoes,* Vlad echoed the instruction to his familiar. *Except as a good prank.* The creature nodded sternly.

That said, the vampire located her shoes near the door to the room and levitated them up to his hands. "Here, Snack," he offered, scooping her into his lap in a familiar motion and handing her each shoe to put on while he zipped her up.

[Emora Deen]

When her shoes were snug on her feet and her dressed pulled tight she hopped out of his lap and bounced towards the door. "Cake! Cake! Cake!" she proclaimed merrily. "Egg cake!"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad followed after her, snapping his fingers for Stalker to accompany them. They looked every bit the part of fatherly monsters as they escorted the cheerful girl to breakfast. Rather than go to the main hall where many in the palace went for their meals, they headed to the private dining room reserved for Atul and his family or guests.

"Good morning, Lord Dracul, Miss Tenara," the butler greeted as they entered the room. "What would you both like for breakfast?"

"I was thinking I'd cook for myself," Vlad replied, stunning the polite man to anxious silence.

"My Lord....we will prepare anything you would like. If there's anything you'd like the chef to change..."

"No, it's nothing like that. I just feel like cooking, and Tenara could use to learn."

"A young daughter of the king should not need to cook for herself at all!" the butler gushed out, aghast.

"A young daughter of Vladimir Dracul can feed herself when she needs to," Vlad waved his hand, thought he was more amused than frustrated by the man's protests. "Tenara, do you want to learn to prepare food, or let Geri make it for you your whole life?"

[Emora Deen]

"I learn," announced Tenara, throwing her hands into the air. She showed the butler and her father the brightest smile, a very Vlad-like smile, with just a twinge of mischief.

Tenara took off towards the kitchen, waving her hands in the air as she went. "I learn!"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad's smile was proud as a peacock as he smugly followed after his daughter into the kitchens. It took a few minutes of therapy to convince Geri they weren't unsatisfied with her cooking, and then Vlad and Tenara were given free rein. The vampire fetched a basket of eggs from the store room and set them down beside the stove. He pulled out a small skillet and prepped it with butter. "The first part takes some practice." He pulled a stool up next to the counter so his daughter could reach the bowl. "You take the egg and give it a light smack. You don't want to be too rough, or you'll get eggshells into the bowl." He demonstrated it for her and separated an egg into the bowl. "Ready to get some practice?"

[Emora Deen]

Tenara nodded eagerly. She reached for an egg, but her grip was too strong and it shattered in her hand. "Ewww," she giggled, showing her father her egg covered palm. She smeared her hand on her dress before even thinking to wipe it on a rag, much the way children do, and picked up another.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad shrugged, accepting a towel the now interested chef handed to him. He reached over and gave her slippery hands a wipe to clear off the broken shells and fix her grip. "Keep going. Take your time."

[Emora Deen]

Tenara picked up the next egg much more gently than the last. She admired it a moment and gave it a tap on the corner of the table. She tapped too lightly. So she tapped again, this time harder. The egg cracked. She went to the bowl even as goop oozed out and separated the egg over the bowl, almost falling off her stool in the process. She giggled at the near miss, and drew her hands back to see if any of the shells got in.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Excellent," Vlad encouraged, swelling with pride that made Geri muffle a laugh into her towel. "We'll need a few more to make egg cake."

[Emora Deen]

Tenara set about cracking more eggs, doing exactly as she did before. Just a few times some shell ended up in the bowl, but she plucked them out with her tiny fingers.

"Sticky!" she giggled, showing her father her hands and wiggling her fingers at him. "I'm a sticky monster!"

* * *

Atul sighed. He'd been awake for a little while, but too comfortable to really move, and too happy with the view. Tenele was sleeping peaceful on her side of the bed, the space where Vlad had been between them still open. He could have moved closer, could have wrapped his arms around her, but he was pleased enough to watch her dream.

Eventually he slipped out of bed, snuck through the secret passage back to his room and dressed showered. It was a long day at court, and he had a lot of subjects to see. But, it was only a few days more before he could take time to be with his family after their wedding.