Mature: Desert Moon

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad drew his arm around Tenele's waist and took Tenele's hand in his uninjured one. A moment later, the three were in their quarters. Vlad went straight to the balcony and checked outside, a tendril of paranoia still passing from his burnt hand to his brain.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele ushered Tenara into her bedroom and stripped her of her wet clothing and wrangled her into a soft dry gown. "Mommy's going to go change too." Tenele left her daughter and went into her own private room where she stripped off her dress and dawned a slinky silk Hajaran outfit appropriate for the temperature of the day.

Then, she went to the desk drawer and gathered parchment, quill, and ink and carried it out to Vlad on the balcony. "Here," she smiled. "Write your love letter."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad reached out and took the materials with his good hand, which was also fortunately his writing hand. The weight of the pen and the focus of a new task took the edge off his nerves. "I'm not letting you read it," he warned his suspiciously helpful wife.

[Emora Deen]

"I'll get your a wax seal so you can close it all up and then I'll give it to Knight," she smiled pleasantly at him, a little too pleasantly. It wasn't like she couldn't order Knight to tell her what it said. She curled her fingers in his shirt. "Then, perhaps later you can remind me about those hands we were discussing earlier?" She placed a firm kiss on his cheek, slapped his soggy rear, and headed off to play with Tenara in her room.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad smiled to himself, spreading out the paper on a small table on the balcony. He uncapped the ink, dipped the pen, and began to write. Twenty minutes later, he returned to Tenara's room and waved a dried and folded sheet of paper at his wife.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara was playing with her dolls on the floor while Tenele combed the hair of a rather unkempt one.

At the sight of her husband she smiled. "Great," she replied, going to him and reaching for the letter. "When would you like me to deliver this to him?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad grinned. "Whenever you wish. Though I imagine Atul should be warned first."

[Emora Deen]

"Then, I'll wait until tonight when he's off duty," Tenele smiled. She took the letter and went to their bedroom, placing it on the night stand.

The evening past uneventful, with Tenara merrily playing away. By nightfall she was so tired she could barely stand, so it was easy to put her in bed. After tucking Tenara in Tenele curled up on the couch in their small sitting room with a book, but, while she tried reading, her heart wasn't really set in the task. She kept glancing at the open bedroom door, thinking about the letter.

Atul had yet to return from his meetings, which meant he was probably working late.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad sat by Tenara's bed in a plain wood chair that most humans would find uncomfortable. The vampire often spent time there without complaint, watching his daughter sleep. He sat with his usual uncanny stillness, just watching the girl's restful breathing. He was known to be there perfectly still for hours without tiring of it.

He did, however, eventually break the statuesque vigil, turning to ponder the closed door. "It must have been busy at court," he observed. He wasn't always quite so patient when it came to awaiting his lovers' company.

[Emora Deen]

"Must have," Tenele replied, standing from the couch and moving to the door to peer in on her husband and her daughter. "She's so beautiful." Tenele placed her hand on her husband's shoulder. "How's your hand?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad lifted his wrist and turned it over, as if he'd forgotten the burn from earlier. "I didn't keep contact for long, and nothing pierced the skin. It should heal in a matter of days," he observed. "I'll send for someone to get the arrow down and burn it tomorrow. There are better places for it than our daughter's favorite playground." His gaze shifted down to her book. "Anything interesting?"

[Emora Deen]

Tenele nodded. "That's a good idea," she told him, taking up the book with both her hands and admiring the cover. "Not particularly, or maybe I'm just not in the mood for reading."

Tenele heard the faint clicking of the door connecting their bedroom to Atul's, and a moment later the King emerged from their bedroom, looking a bit exhausted, but cheerful.

He almost made a loud greeting before noticing Tenara curled up asleep in her bed. He covered his mouth and backed out of the room so he didn't wake her.

Tenele followed him out of Tenara's room, setting the book on the table and giving him a long hug. "Long day?" she asked him softly.

"Very long," he replied, placing a kiss at the top of her head. His gaze fell on Vlad with a pleasant longing smile. "I'd have much rather spent the day with you three."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad walked over to his lover and placed his arms over the king's shoulder's, loosely territorial. He gave the man a very unchaste kiss. "I don't approve of long days," he said pointedly, licking just below Atul's hear.

[Emora Deen]

Atul chuckled, shying away from the ticklish touch. "I'm sorry," he replied. "Please post your complaint in the suggestion box at the entrance to the great hall. The King will be sure to take it under advisement."

He peered over Vlad's shoulder to Tenara's bedroom door. "I was hoping to get back in time to read her a story. Maybe tomorrow night."

Atul swished around them and gathered up glasses and a bottle of wine before heading out to the balcony. "Its a beautiful night. I've had a long day. I want to spend the rest of it relaxing under the stars with two people that I love."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad watched a moment and followed the others to the veranda. He remembered seeing Atul drink when they were first reunited, all pain and desperation. There was a part of him that felt overly tender toward the man whenever he had a drink in his hand since.

"Was everything well at court? I'm free tomorrow except for some wedding stuff," he mentioned as he leaned against the stone rail of the balcony and looked out over the city.