"What?"

"How long ago were you born?"

"It was March seventh!" says Kerron obliviously.

"And," she says, smiling despite herself, "what's the date today?"

"May sixteenth!" Kerron nods. "I know dates."

"Yes you do," she agrees. "Is magic involved somehow in how fast you're growing up?"

"Not especially. Even half-vampires who aren't witches or ingots grow this fast," says Kerron. "Wolves are slower, and humans, but I like growing this fast, it was boring not being able to talk. I'm gonna learn to read soon. It's not fair that Henry can already."

"...I see," she says, trying not to laugh.

"How come you wanna know so many things about Mummy when you don't wanna ever see her again anyway?" Kerron asks.

"...Because I don't understand her," she says. "I used to think I did, but I really don't."

"Why'd you think you did if you didn't?" asks Kerron.

She shakes her head. "He used to act... very differently... from how it sounds like he does now."

"People do that all the time," Kerron says. "They grow up and learn stuff even if not everybody does it as fast as half-vampires."

"Mass murderers don't turn into doting parents that often," she mutters, mostly to herself.

"What? No, they totally do!" laughs Kerron. "There's lots of vampires who have kids and almost everybody who's been a vampire for more than like thirty years ate lots of people before! But they stopped because now they know that you can eat animals and also there's magic and also the Princess brings home golden bubbly from -" He looks around him. "Hey wow is this Milliways? That's where the Princess gets golden bubbly from!"

"...Yes," she says, rubbing her forehead. "This is Milliways."

"Ooooooh," says Kerron.

She snorts.

"I could get bubbly here - or blue, they have blue - there might even be other stuff," he says, bouncing, "those are just the ones the Princess brings home - oh, except I don't have any money."

"The first drink's free," says the bat lady.

"Oooh," says Kerron, and he runs up to the bar much more quickly than a human with such short legs would be able to, and he asks "Can I have a thing that's like golden bubbly and like blue but not either one that's nice and good for me to have?"

It's about the texture of a milkshake, and it's yellow. "It looks like a pina colada! That's my favorite thing that's not a blood synthetic," Kerron says merrily, running back with his drink to where Roberta sits. He sips. "Doesn't taste anything like it, though, but it's good! I guess you wouldn't like it 'cause you're a human."

"I guess I wouldn't," she says.

"What's it like being a human? I don't know too many of those. Just a couple imprints from the wolf village, that's all," says Kerron.