"Take a seat over here." Isobel instructed. "I don't usually work in the kitchen but the King was very adamant about limiting the amount of interactions you had with others in the castle."

"You must be really special." She murmured to herself.

Bay hopped on the stool and swung his legs as his eyes examined the "kitchen."

This is where meals are prepared apparently but he found it strange that vampire's incorporated this room considering their blood based diet. Maybe they could eat other food as well.

Bay had grown up solely eating fish from his river. It wasn't a complicated task, so seeing these intricate machines and contraptions was making him worried about what he was about to be served. Despite his concerns, he didn't want to be rude by voicing his thoughts. Having Isobel start over seemed rather selfish so he opted to stay quiet for now.

"Are there usually people making food in here. What is it that you eat?"

Isobel peered over her shoulder with a smile before continuing her task. She seemed to be cutting something up with a knife.

"The kitchen is almost always busy, seeing that the councilmen meet so often. Other residents of the castle need to be fed as well so it keeps the cooks occupied."

"As for what we eat it depends really. Vampires need blood to survive but we can easily eat other food if we want. The taste is pleasant but it has no actual benefits to our being. Are nymphs the same in that way?"

Isobel turned around with a platter of what seemed like an assortment of raw fish. It was diced up nicely and Bay had never seen it look more appealing.
He blushed; Why had he been so worried?

"I'm not sure if I can stomach food outside of my usual diet. Thank you Isobel this looks amazing."

Immediately he helped himself and hummed at the taste. He could tell that the fish was fresh, definitely caught this morning.

"Cepheus said he liked living alone, but you mentioned that a lot of people live here?"

"His quarters are strictly off limits. You must be given permission from His majesty himself to even walk up the stairs. Besides that, most of the castle is easily accessible."

He gave a closed mouth smile when a glass of water was placed in front of him. His cheeks were stuffed from all the food.

It didn't take him long to finish, after which he downed 7 more cups of water.

"Are you sure you don't need another?"

Bay shook his head with reddened cheeks. Truly, he could keep going but it was a bit embarrassing drinking so much in front of her.

Isobel could tell that the increased hydration benefited the nymph greatly. His skin took on a more glow-y tone and his eyes shone as a brighter, almost reflective silver.

"Alright, are you ready to go back to your room?"

Bay frowned at her words. Hadn't she said that they would go to see Cepheus?

"I thought you were taking me to see the King?"

Isobel's smile turned strained although she nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, of course. My apologies sir, my memory is quite short."

Bay grinned and hopped off the stool, quickening his pace to follow the girl who's steps were rather rushed.

They turned many corners until finally they ascended up a grand set of stairs. There were only a pair of double doors at the top of the steps; no other hallways were seen.

Bay eyed the entrance hesitantly. The doors were just as wide as tall and extended to touch the ceiling.

He looked to Isobel who didn't seem to be making any moves to even approach the daunting display.

"Aren't you coming?"

Isobel immediately shook her head, her voice seemingly gone. Bay's excitement simmered and slight unease took over.

Turning to face the doorway, he rose his fist to knock; although after a moment of thought he brought it to his side. Maybe it would be better if he went in unannounced. That way he wouldn't draw any attention to himself, while also avoiding interrupting anything going on.

Slowly he pressed down on the handle, pushed the door open and slid in the room.

"Cepheus I meant no disrespect by my previous comment, I was merely-"

The door closed louder than Bay anticipated and his presence was nowhere near subtle. All eyes were drawn to the intruder and the smaller nymph shrunk in on himself, his eyes desperately searching for his vampire.

Immediately,he scurried over to the head of the table once Cepheus was spotted and crawled into his lap, eager to get away from the peering eyes.

If he had known the vampire would be with this many people he would've listened to Isobel and went back to the room.

Cepheus released a relaxed hiss as Bay's skin warmed his own. The nymph was oblivious to the King's tensed form and the high-stress energy of the room.

The vampire's fangs were extended and red rings surrounded his brown orbs. It was clear that the events in the room had him upset.

"Your majesty, again, no disrespect but who might this be?"

Bay turned his head to face a female vampire who had just spoken. It was the same one who he interrupted with his entrance. He couldn't help but be entranced by her beauty. Her brown hair was tightly curled and fell just above her breasts. Green eyes stared back at him with an expression that he couldn't decipher.

Cepheus ignored the woman's  question, and instead continued their conversation from before Bay walked in.

"Oh fuck off with the niceties. I didn't come here this morning to listen to you all bitch and moan. Your attempt to act concerned about my well being is pitiful. I will not be undermined by the likes of you."

The female vampire didn't look pleased at his tone but chose to remain silent seeing that the King was only growing more angry and she didn't want to end up dead.

Bay nibbled on his lip, worried that his appearance had made things more difficult than they already seemed to be.

He took Cepheus' hand and played with the rings on his fingers to ease his own nerves. The subconscious action also seemed to calm the vampire in the process.

As if it were magic, the once threatening creature slowly relaxed in his seat, his features returning to normal. His jaw was still taunt and his eyes remained narrowed although the tension in the room eased significantly.

Cepheus pulled his hand from Bay's grasp and ran it through the smaller boy's hair. The nymph almost let out a whine in disapproval but sighed in content when the vampire proceeded to play with his strands.

"Now, going back to the purpose of this meeting. I do think creating an alliance with the fae will be of great benefit to our people. They have agreed to trade medicinals that increase the likelihood of natural reproduction. As pure vampires we are blessed with this ability but others are not able to have offspring of their own. This would be an evolutionary change for our people."

Cepheus knew that his point had been made. The councilmen in his service were selfish and only cared about maintaining the hierarchical standings in their society. Clearly this offering would strip them of something that made them superior.

"As for your earlier comments, I will excuse them this once. You all should know me well enough to know that I don't take well to disrespect."

He spat his words and Bay flinched slightly at his tone. He had never seen Cepheus this angry before.

"I..apologize your majesty. I am sure the rest of the men in here do as well. We know that you only ask for respect and that is nothing in return for your services."

It seemed like the female seemed to be the loudest voice in the room, seeing as the other 6 men continued to avoid eye contact with the King. They would much rather keep quiet when he was in such a state.

"Yes. Well, we will continue this discussion later in the week. My schedule will be full for the next couple days."

The female nodded, her eyes fixating on the nymph. The green orbs moved once the King stood up, prompting everyone at the table to follow suit.

"You are dismissed."