A Cruel Jest?

12

Mori finally was able to eat. She took Nocturnes idea about the steak and found that it did actually taste good. Although she had never been partial to bloody meat she had always made sure that it was well done before, now she finds that it's sweet to her this blood. The fruit wasn't as ripe as she had hoped but she still managed to eat it,  but the salad really surprised her, that she couldn't get enough of and ate it as quick as she could.

Nocturne watches her and smiles thoroughly enjoying her reactions to foods that she used to know so well and now are so new. He tells her to order whatever she wants, calories are important and soon enough she won't tolerate the human food nearly so well.

Mori orders something that she hasn't in decades, something that was always something she wanted but money had to be carefully rationed, a milkshake. 

Mori takes one bite of the milkshake and lets out an oath, "Damn that's ...cold." She reins in her voice as she notices the children looking at her in interest and their parents with reproof. "I never realized just how cold ice cream is."

"Things, tastes and sensations will become more noticeable and strong. I doubt that ice cream was near as cold as it is for you now." Nocturne hides his true amusement behind explaining to her about things.

"Does that hold true in all things? And what about after the children are born, will I return to normal human feelings? How I felt before?" Mori asks Nocturne, starting the questions she has for him. She's not sure if she's excited or not at this point. She's not even sure she wants to know the answers.

Nocturne gives her a half smile, "This question I would answer Mori, if I knew the answer. But truthfully I don't know. I've never paid attention to the breeders that survived, since they had nothing to do with me. But truthfully, not even that would have been enough for me to give an honest answer to your question. I will say this honestly, females that give birth to twins almost never survive and half the time even the children don't survive, or at least both of them don't. The human that birthed me and my brother didn't. It would have been better if my brother hadn't."

To Nocturne's surprise, although well hidden, the idea that she wouldn't survive the birth didn't faze or at least didn't seem to faze Mori.  "What will happen to your children when they are born?" Mori knows better than to think they will  ever be considered her children.

"They will be taken to a place that will be safe and raised there until they will be old enough to protect themselves. Court can be a vicious and dangerous place for the unwary." Nocturne replies. He is a little worried about the normal fate of the breeders especially those of twins since his life is now entwined with the one he chose.

"So the rumors about you are true?" Mori asks softly looking down at the now mostly melted shake. She doesn't look at the vampire across from her as she plays with her straw.

"There is a definite reason why I have the reputation of being the most vicious vampire out there Mori. Kingship isn't determined by hereditary rights. I was simply more vicious and deadly than the other contenders for the throne. All of them except my brother died in the fighting that ensued when my father announced he was tired and wanted to relinquish the burden of ruling. The fighting spilled over into the human world on more than one occasion. You would know them as the world wars. I prevailed both times. My brother and his forces slunk away and hid. I managed to take a lot of his territory and it has weakened him, but he's still a force to be wary of. I have found even among those I trusted most to have switched allegiances.

"But if you think my reputation is bad, my brother is far worse." Nocturne says softly this touches on some of the topics he'd rather not talk about with her.

"Are you angry with me Lord?" Mori has also become more sensitive to Nocturne's moods and now shivers in fear. She keeps her eyes downcast so that she doesn't set him off. He's so angry.