AN: Hi yall, sorry about that impromptu pause in uploads. They might continue to be a little inconsistent in the weeks to come, but I'm hoping to start updating this again. I have it basically finished, I was thinking of making it longer because I have more ideas but I think they will be best in a second story extending from this one. Anyways, last chapter was Peach being escorted home, this chapter is Daisy and Tatanga having dinner. Enjoy this lemonless chapter!

Daisy woke up feeling refreshed. Tatanga's arm was still draped over her. She noted that the sun was still up, indicated by the bright glow of the room, so they thankfully hadn't slept the evening away. She yawned and stretched her arms in front of herself. Tatanga's arm tightened against her as he stirred awake. He pulled her in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Mmm, that was a great idea," he crooned. "I feel so renewed. Full of energy to make you a delicious homemade meal." He tilted her face towards himself and kissed her chastely. He stood up and walked to his wardrobe, grabbing a pair of lounge pants and a tank top. Daisy breathed a sigh of relief - the idea of putting in effort to dress up was so uninviting.

Tatanga sent out a communication to his staff through the intercom system, letting them know that they could have the night off. Daisy fetched the long silk robe that complemented her nightie that she wore and tossed it on, tying the sash loosely around her waist. He held out a hand which she accepted as he led her out into the throne room and down the hall she had yet to explore.

Daisy drank in her surroundings - there were portraits of who she assumed were deceased relatives or members of a royal family dotting the walls, and she admired the deep burgundy wainscoting. Tatanga stopped them in front of a door that reminded Daisy of an old tavern, and pulled it open, allowing Daisy inside first. Her eyes feasted upon the beautiful kitchen before her, reminiscent of an Italian country style kitchen. The backsplash was red brick and there was a small wine pantry beside the fridge. Tatanga opened the fridge and began to pick out ingredients. "How does roast chicken and veggies with garlic mashed potatoes sound?" he asked her over his shoulder.

Daisy's mouth watered. "Yes, that sounds amazing!" She plopped down on a barstool facing the counter so she could watch him cook. Tatanga opened a cupboard and began grabbing spices from it.

"Do you enjoy cooking?" Daisy asked, watching him prepare to chop some produce. "Oh yes," he replied, "it's proven to be a great destresser and worthwhile hobby. I also enjoy food, so why not be able to make something delicious for myself? Or for others?"

"You don't have a chef?" Daisy asked, raising an eyebrow smiled. "Yes, I have a chef for my staff here, that kitchen is around the corner. They cook for them on their scheduled breaks and on busy days I will join them. Usually I make my own breakfast and dinner, and bring leftovers to their kitchen for anyone to grab."

"That's very thoughtful," Daisy remarked. Tatanga shrugged. "I don't really do leftovers, so might as well share the food so it doesn't go to waste." Daisy nodded. "It's still thoughtful. I'd love it if after a hard day of work I came into the break room to find a home cooked meal waiting."

Tatanga finished chopping the veggies and tossed them in some oil and seasonings before tossing them in a roasting pan with a small chicken and popping it in the oven. He got to work on the mashed potatoes and came to sit with Daisy at the small round table against the wall once they were chopped and boiling. "So," he began, "tell me about these joints we're going to be sharing. I've never used any substances before besides alcohol, so I don't really know what to expect."

Daisy raised her eyebrows. "Really? You've never tried anything even once?"

Tatanga shook his head. "Drugs just haven't been on my radar. We don't really have a lot of that sort of thing back where I'm from, but they do seem more common here on Earth. Have you indulged?"

Daisy giggled. "Well, yes, just in Piranha plant leaf though. I've done edibles a few times and smoked a couple of times with Peach. Our friend Rosalina discovered that Piranha plant leaf has some psychoactive qualities and started a colony of dormant Piranha plants on her planet for easier harvesting. She now sells all kinds of products - topicals, edibles, pre-rolls, pure leaf, you name it, she's got it."

"What's it like?"

"The high?"

"I guess anything you can tell me about the experience."

"Depends on the person, but most people feel happier, pain is lessened, food tastes better, music sounds better, sex feels better, you just feel comfortable and safe in the moment. It also helps alleviate anxiety and tension, so a lot of people use it therapeutically. Rosalina's actually cornered the market on medicinal leaf. She's like a big shot space dealer now," Daisy said with a laugh.

Tatanga stood and drained the potatoes, and began to mash them with milk, butter, and garlic. "I'll admit I'm excited. I've heard it's a lot of fun."

"Oh it is! I don't do it often but whenever I do I have a good time. Peach and I smoked some this morning and just watched some movies and ate junk food, it was a good time."

"You smoked today?" Tatanga asked. "Yeah, when I got back from your place. The effects had mostly worn off by the time we met up for Peach's departure," Daisy said. Tatanga chuckled. "I thought I smelled something on you this afternoon. I thought it was some new herbal fragrance or something."

Daisy laughed. "I mean, arguably it was an herbal fragrance!" Tatanga let out a belly laugh from where he stood. The alarm on the oven went off and he removed the pan from it. Daisy inhaled deeply. Everything smelled amazing. Tatanga served two plates full and brought them over to the table.

"Wow, it smells and looks great. If it tastes half as good as it looks, I might have to hire you as my personal chef!" Daisy quipped. Tatanga hesitated before speaking. "Thank you, darling. I'm glad you think so." Tatanga watched as Daisy loaded up a fork with a bit of everything and popped it in her mouth. She closed her eyes. "Mmmm, that's amazing." Tatanga smiled and began to dig into his meal. "Good, I'm glad it meets your tastes."

"So this afternoon while I was loading Peach's many bags into the wagon, I heard her say something about you not missing Luigi. Is that that red plumber's brother?" Tatanga asked. Daisy nodded, rolling her eyes. "Yup, he is. Their relationship, or rather Luigi's need to try to get attention in the same way Mario did, was one of the things that ultimately undid our relationship." Tatanga's face softened with empathy. "I'm sorry to hear that. What exactly happened?"

Daisy exhaled. Guess she was getting a free meal AND therapy session tonight. "He was nice enough, but Mario always had the glory, even if they worked on some rescue mission together. If you'll recall, it was Mario who rescued me when you first invaded, not Luigi. I think that always bugged him; Peach was getting kidnapped all the time and Mario was rescuing her, but the one time in my life I get kidnapped it's before we've even met and his brother saves me, and then he never gets a redemption arc. He would try to pick up little sidequests for neighbouring towns and kingdoms to earn some brownie points, but he often forgot about dates we had scheduled because he was busy wandering around for someone to help. It would be different if he had been asked by some kingdom to save their monarch, but literally he was just finding small insignificant things to do like saving a kitten from a tree or helping an old lady cross the road, and he was only doing those things for glory anyway, not because he wanted to."

Tatanga nodded his head thoughtfully as he swallowed. "That's terrible. Did he ever apologize?"

Daisy laughed. "No! Never. He thought I was being selfish, claiming he was helping people who really needed it. But he was the selfish one, only doing it for his own gain. He was one of those guys that put up this front that they were so nice but it turned out he was actually really self-centered. That also translated to the bedroom," Daisy continued, realizing she was kind of rambling on. Oh well, it felt good to get this out. She didn't end up talking about it much with Peach since they had both been so focussed on the Tatanga stuff. "Luigi didn't bother trying to please me, he just assumed 5 minutes of missionary would do the trick. He'd just want to rush into it. I think I could count on one hand the amount of times he went down on me - every single time I had to ask, and every single time he complained after about 5 minutes that he was tired or wanted to just have sex. He'd also blame me, claiming it was my fault I couldn't cum from his touch."

"That's awful. He wouldn't try to please you? What kind of selfish asshole doesn't care about their partner's pleasure!" Tatanga said.

"The kind that cares more about how other people view him than his own girlfriend," Daisy responded.

Tatanga leaned in a bit more. "How long were you involved for?"

"We started dating shortly after that first invasion. Mario introduced us after I became good friends with Peach. I guess he thought we could double date, which we did, but those dates always turned into some contest of strength between Luigi and Mario and me and Peach talking about whatever. We only broke up a few weeks ago, so we dated for about 3 years. I think I stayed for so long because I felt I'd lose contact with Peach who's become my best friend, but one day after a big fight with Luigi I shared this concern with her and she said she had no loyalty to Luigi, only to me. She found him to be kind of a jerk too. So I finally had the courage to break it off with him."

"Huh. Well I'm glad you did, you deserve the world and more, not what that guy was serving you."

"What about you?" Daisy asked. "Any sordid affairs before me?" She winked at him.

Tatanga scratched his head. "Well, there hasn't been anyone since I first invaded Sarasaland 3 years ago and met you. But before then I did have a partner for about a year. Her name was Rhasmodia. She was a member of another royal family and our parents had arranged for us to meet and court so that we could marry and blend the two kingdoms."

"What happened?"

"She ended up having an affair with some lower member of her court while we were betrothed. Her parents were insistent that she waited until marriage for our union and forbade us from any sexual contact. Which was fine by me, I wanted to wait until we had developed a stronger emotional connection anyway so I was fine to just wait until marriage. But my parents found Rhasmodia's affair to be unforgivable and a complete blow to their reputation if we went through with the marriage, so they called it off. I don't know, I definitely liked her but it never really went anywhere, and I don't think she was too fond of me rejecting any advances she did make. I was not about to welcome the rage of her father so I didn't risk anything. But I guess she had needs she wanted fulfilled, and got them satisfied elsewhere."

"That's shitty. Cheating is awful, I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

Tatanga shrugged. "It sucked at the time, but I kind of knew we weren't going to work out anyways. I didn't want to disappoint my parents by calling it off myself, so I was secretly kind of grateful when something came up that did it for me."

Tatanga stood and cleared their plates. Once the dishwasher was loaded and running, he offered her a hand and led her back into his room.

See you next time!