Private Finished Flavors of the Past

Tucker would have been lying if he said he didn't know what was going on the past few days but he didn't want to ruin whatever Valerie was planning, whatever it was. She let her concoct her plan; he was subtly curious if Valeria actually thought he wouldn't catch on to anything. Truth be told, he knew she was planing something but he decided if she was going to be secretive, he'll allow her that and decided not to try and investigate himself.

He went on the days just, looking over his shoulder every now and then, though not the same way as he would his erm... 'friends on the other side'. This was his daughter after all; she couldn't be plotting something so dark. And in any case she didn't, he should have known earlier on. Other than his scheming daughter, everything seemed to be in place.

Tucker was awake a little earlier than usual that particular morning; and he already realized there was someone missing on their floor. It didn't take him too long to figure out something was a little more different than her sneaking about compared to the last few days.

When Valerie entered his room, she found him asleep. Or well, she thought he was. With a look of the calendar over his desk, he already knew what she would have been planning so he decided to pretend he didn't wake up earlier than the usual. It took a little of him not to chuckle in his 'sleep' until she walked to his side, a tray in her hands. He could already guess what was in the tray... well, mostly. The aroma was easy to recognize; one all too familiar. This sin't surprise him all that much with all the facts.

He faked being stirred awake, humming curiously, "Val? You're up early," he greeted as he pushed himself to sit up. Her voice was as bright as the morning sun, he couldn't help but laugh.

Tucker turned to the tray, as he guessed it had been curry and she even put the effort of serving tea with it. The aroma was faint, but he could pick the scent of green tea and something sweet. "So this is what my scheming daughter's been up to?" he said, lightheartedness in the tone of his voice as he lightly tapped at her nose while she had this huge smile on her. He was touched, quite honestly, but these were always hard words to say when truly heartfelt.

Tucker laughed at his daughter's antics. While she was old enough to be an adult, she was certainly childlike in a few aspects that amused him so. A few times he wondered how it would have been like if he got to be there for her younger years but the March incident gave him a little insight to that. He missed a lot, he was sure, regretting having left too soon then, but he justified that he wasn't left with much options. Then again, if he'd known 25 years later he'd be finally found by him of all people, it wouldn't have mattered if he left or not.

"Well, it worked: I'm surprised; even though I knew you were scheming behind my back," he told Valerie, a light chuckle in his tone as he marveled contents the tray. For most of the time, it had been him preparing meals for the both of them, a few times Valerie had pitched in to help in the kitchen when they had the time together. It wouldn't be too far off to say he felt proud of her.

For Valerie, it probably felt like Tucker was dragging on giving a response after he'd taken the first bite; which wasn't far from the truth. Tucker certainly did make her wait, only to tease her just a bit, and a little of actually savoring the flavor. She did well if he could say anything; perhaps a little off from how Valencia had done it, but very close enough for anyone else to not tell the difference. Still, it brought back a few lingering memories when they'd been together all those years ago.

Tucker turned to Valerie after a moment, before his smile broke out into his expression. "You did a great job, sweetheart. Just like how your mom used to make it," he told her, lightly ruffling her hair as he said it.

It was nice to see her happy, Tucker thought; the way her anxiety seemed to wear off once he'd finally said his piece gave him a sense of joy just by seeing it, like her happiness could just be as infectious. He welcomed the hug, just as proud of her as he could possibly. Part of him felt a sense of loss, thinking of the lost time they had, past birthdays they had to spend apart from each other -- then again, Valerie had her mother then. He on the other hand, had spend the last few years travelling as he always did in a self imposed exile he placed on himself.

Tucker had to keep a tired sigh from leaving him just from the thought, but worried she might take it badly. As the harpy pried herself away, he couldn't help the small chuckle that followed. "Of course I meant it, Val," he told her. "Your mom should be very proud of you."

Taking another bite or two, he turned his attention back to Valerie, nudging the plate to her direction for a moment, "You should eat too; you worked hard I'm sure."

Tucker looked at his daughter for a moment. He had a sharp eye and while he could say her bright smile could convince anyone, he would have said otherwise. Well, he did think that Valerie didn't really make it hard for people to read what's on her mind. She'd always been a little too expressive to be remotely neutral.

The mage decided to keep his chuckles to himself, setting down the spoon on the plate for a moment, looking at Valerie with inquisitive eyes. And yet there was a slight mischief hidden under his expression, a rare sight for most people since he chooses to be more covert with his thoughts. "You're sure? You're not just gonna watch your dad eat, are you?"

A quiet chuckle escaped the mage as he watched his daugther take a bite out of the meal. He felt a bit nostalgic; in the past few years he'd elected to be alone and focus on his original goals alone. He didn't let himself be distracted by anything, but once in a while, he did miss the company. Once in a while, he did miss living with a friend or a family.

Tucker laughed as his daughter turned her second spoonful towards him, raising a hand slightly in protest. "Really, now, Val? Really?" he spoke. While he'd said it rather sternly, there was a hint of laughter in his voice, as if he was trying to keep himself breaking down into chuckles. He looked at his daughter with a raised brow, almost as if he was waiting for either of them to break from the set-up. "Your father might be old but I'm still too eternally young and fit for you to be spoon feeding yet."