The crying went on for a while, with the Count patting his wife on the back to console her, even though it wasn't the loud kind of crying Trice did and really, it didn't seem that unhappy. Why would she be so worked up? Oh, right, death penalty hanging over her head. That could put a person on edge for sure.
He knew the feeling, having worried about that exact same thing twice in his life already. Both in the last year, or just over now. It wasn't a fun place to be. Of course, in both cases he'd actually done what he thought he was going to be killed for. If she hadn't that probably made the whole thing even worse. How did you fight something that everyone thought was fact if it wasn't?
Petra looked around uneasily and saw her mother sitting on the right side of the room, which created a sudden stir, more hugging and laughing to go along with the crying. Not knowing what to do Tor looked around, avoiding direct eye contact while everyone else dealt with their own issues and greetings. The furniture was odd, made of wicker, like giant baskets with cushions in them. There were pads in the chairs, in a deep green material that looked like the Lairdgren colors.
The walls were a cool blue, nearly white and the light came from a magic plate on the ceiling, but not one Tor had made. It was a nice color though, and the plate itself felt like silver. The field was a little weak and would probably stop working inside six months.
Well, fields failed. You rented magic, you didn't own it, not really. On the far wall, behind where Maria and Marvin stood, there was one of his devices, a temperature control plate. That was probably why this was the cool room. Ah. Tor kind of wondered why the whole place wasn't done, but then he smiled. It was huge. It would be easier to get personal temperature equalizers for everyone. He could do that later. Well, some he could do now, he had about twenty with him, the glowing emotion reading ones.
When Maria saw Trice she smiled wetly at first and moved towards her, then… she shrieked.
“Patricia! What did they do to you? I… Gods…” Now the crying got loud and of course it started Trice off.
Well.
There goes the afternoon, Tor thought, holding his mind in a peaceful state. It was going to happen after all. What happened next was… interesting. Sobbing and crying, Maria started kissing the other girl. Hard. It wasn't just a comforting thing at all either. She pulled back and held the slightly smaller woman’s shoulders, staring at the stump.
“I promise you, we'll find the people that did this to you and make them pay! Even if it's the last thing we can do. I promise it!” The words were fierce and angry, but softened immediately, tears replaced with a cold rage. “Oh, my love…”
Tor let Petra explain everything. Luckily everyone agreed that the Austrans were at fault and not Karina despite her hand having done the actual cutting. She was, more or less, just the surgeon on the scene after all. Ward didn't approach, which was a little odd, because Tor had figured that Trice had been sleeping with him to gain entry to the household. And for fun. The guy was famous for scoring with beautiful woman after all and Trice was certainly that. The giant man just looked at the scene and nodded a little. To his credit he seemed genuinely worried for Trice when Tor mentally touched his field. It was a complex jumble, but jealousy didn't rate in the mix at all. Hardly at all. Tor felt as least as jealous of the scene the two girls were making and with a lot less reason.
Collette remembered they had guests first and sent for cool drinks, since she was acting as hostess. Tor didn't really get that at first, but Petra did, after a few minutes of Maria not acting properly.
“Oh!” The large girl turned to Tor her eyes going wide. “They're your prisoners, so they can't act as host or hostess. Have you stayed in your home the whole time, since Tor last was here?”
Marvin sat down with a thump.
“Yes. It's boring, but we weren't told what we were allowed to do or not. Mother said that Tor wouldn't insist we stay in our rooms however, and even Collette agreed, so we took liberty of the house. Is… that alright?” He sounded shy and a lot younger than his nearly forty years.
That really was fine with Tor. His only real stipulation was that they presented themselves at the appointed place for the investigation into the matter and to court, if there was to be a trial at all for it. If they were cleared, there simply wouldn't be. Maria stopped cuddling and cooing at Trice then, her eyes still wet, but her face suddenly still.
“We're… to have a real investigation first? I…” She started crying again, but with a smile. “We hadn't thought to get that! We figured that it would just be a show trial and then we'd be put to death. How did that happen? The King wouldn't buck that many nobles for us, not after everything, it would be too much to hope for… did Sir William Smythe step in for us then? If he leads the investigation everyone will have to admit we're innocent!” She sounded happy and suddenly triumphant.
“Ah…” Tor said, feeling horrible suddenly.
“No.” Trice said shortly. “Tor stepped in for you. Smythe ambushed Tor and they fought. They were both left completely blind by the weapon Smythe used. Tor had to take his right hand to get at it and fight already blind. I was there. It was… horrible. Smythe gave no warning and the situation didn't warrant an attack at all. He just moved on him… King Richard thinks that it was due to fear on the Counselor’s part, but he's blind now and only has one hand. So he's pretty useless in this.”
Two things happened then. Maria gasped and clutched her hands to her bosom, scared again. Actually projecting her fear, near terror, into the room. The Count went wide eyed and openly stared at Tor.
“You bested Sir Smythe… in single combat? Both with the same shields and him having the only working weapon? And… while totally blind? I…” The man straightened and bowed. “I apologize again for my conduct at the meeting concerning Countess Thorgood. Please forgive me.” He sounded totally humble, which Tor really didn't like. He was the one who should be humble here, wasn't he? If they were going to break with that tradition he'd be set adrift, not knowing his place at all.
Tor waved him up.
“Already forgotten. My part at least. The Prince too I believe.” He bowed back a little. “Really, I never took it personally at all anyway, so it was never an issue. I hope that…” Tor couldn't think of the next words and froze, but the Count just winked at him.
“Good then. One less thing to worry over.” The smile he gave was so strained it barely made the classification, but the man tried. That counted too. Right?
The idea that formed as Maria cried helplessly turned his stomach more than a little. Tor could fix the man’s eyes. Possibly even with the device he'd made for healing, so it wouldn't even be hard. It wouldn't regrow a hand, but would probably heal the wound. It had on Trice at least. She still covered the stump, but that was just to keep it from making people sick, she said. If the hand for her could be made to work, then he could probably make one for Smythe too.
The sick making part was that the guy would probably kill him at some point if Tor did. Everyone else kept talking like the man was a saint, beyond reproach and nearly perfect at his job, but Tor just couldn't see it.
What it came down to then, was that these people’s lives, people he didn't have any great reason to love — apologies or not — were worth more than his. Tor had to put that off for a while, the idea was too big to process all at once. Instead he went to his case and started pulling out things from the bottom and piling them on the floor quietly. He had four piles set up after a few minutes. After a bit he realized that everyone was staring at him.
“Presents.” He said simply.
“Sorry, I know that they should be different for everyone, and these are kind of generic, but I… kind of had to rebuild my inventory of stock recently, and things have been a little hectic…” He held up a group of glowing amulets on strings. They just had a cool blue color for now.
“Temperature equalizers. They change color depending on your mood too. I'll make enough for everyone if I get a chance. How many people do you have here?”
Maria knew that off the top of her head, being in charge of the house normally.
“One hundred and seven all told, more counting guests…” She looked around at Trice, Collette and Ellen. Her gaze skipped Petra. Old habit or did family not count as a guest? If so, why count Ellen, her mother in law… Well not his concern.
Tor just nodded. After a second he got it. Petra had her amulet out and showing, so wouldn’t need one.
You'd have thought he invented bread or something the way they went on about the equalizers, Tor thought, how they tracked the mood and turned lovelier colors if your mood was good. Ellen smiled at him and bowed from a sitting position, which reminded him of something. He handed her another one. She looked at him, happy enough, but not understanding.
“For Georges. I have some other things for him as well, I can send those along with you?” Tor remembered the old serving man and retainer, who'd guarded them with his rusty spear the one time he'd been to her house, even further south. It was largely a swamp, hot and uncomfortable all the time he'd bet. They had a problem with dangerous giant lizards there. Ones that apparently thought royals were tasty eating. It was probably true, they had a lot of meat on them.
Her eyes lit and she surged to her feet, pulling Tor into a hug that pulled him from his feet for a moment. She kissed his cheek.
“Oh! That is so sweet! He'll be please to know that Master Tor thought of him personally and remembers him by name, I think.” She beamed but let him go and sat, which was good, since it let him get to the next pile of stuff.
“These are fishing boats.” Tor didn't explain and didn't have too, because Petra started to gush about them instantly, clapping her hands.
“Oh brother! Those aren't just boats, they're magic schooners, fifty foot long and they propel themselves through the water, even against the wind, at speeds faster than a horse can run. If we moved beds in we could take long voyages in one. I…” She stopped suddenly and grinned a little. “They're really neat.” She finished lamely.
Beds? Well, if you didn't need the hold for fish, that could be done. He hadn't thought about turning one into a home before. Was that a thing? He realized that he already had almost everything he needed for it. He'd probably want to make it a bit bigger and maybe prettier… Add some amenities that the fishing boats didn't have, like restrooms and showers. Tor realized that Petra was looking at the amulets wistfully. He shook his head.
“Petra, can I give you yours in a few days? I have an idea…” He didn't say more and as dark as she was he didn't think she blushed, her even smooth tan skin staying the same lovely shade, but she nodded and gave him a funny look.
“I didn't mean…” She started to say a little meekly, but Tor moved to the next pile of things.
These were just freezer units for cold boxes, since it was warm here and ice was a treat in the heat. Tor assumed it would be the case at least.
Everyone but Trice went very still, including Collette. Tor glanced at her and tried to show that he didn't get it. Was having ice forbidden? Had he just run up against some kind of anti-frozen water social taboo here?
Ellen rescued him, thankfully, explaining the situation, her voice impressed, even if her face looked a bit shocked. She had some at home though, at her dowager estate. Tor had sent them himself, so maybe it was because the Count had been in trouble so recently?
“That's a fine and expensive gift. A pound of ice is worth a gold here in the summer and half that in the winter. The ability to make even small amounts of ice is like being able to produce currency this far south.”
Maria nodded, and told them that they should make an effort to give some away to the poor, since they wouldn't have access to any otherwise, especially if they could do it for free. Tilting his head Tor had to stare at her, for three reasons. First, she was pretty. That's what got him into trouble with her in the first place wasn't it? Second, well, she seemed awfully nice really. Everyone he'd talked to about the topic had described her as a bitch, but he hadn't seen it, well, not recently at least. Was this all an act? It wouldn't help her or her husband in regards to the investigation, and Tor would have done the same things even if she was still screaming at him and being belittling. Then Trice hadn't said Maria was bad, just that she had more dick in a month than the girls at the whorehouse. A bit promiscuous, even by royal standards, but not a sin really, just… friendly?
The last was a new design idea, if everyone was willing to just give ice away for free or at least sell it cheap. Tor nearly laughed when he realized that this, too, was just a recombination of things he already could do. At this rate he could have more presents for the next day.
If only Trice’s arm was that simple. Maria had pulled her down next to her in the awkward looking seat, a bowl shaped disk that looked like everyone should slip out of them instantly. The last was just a set of lights. On stone, not metal.
“The ones in here are going to fail in about six months and probably dim and flicker three months before that. So, here.”
Instead of asking for a room, Tor set up a house on the lawn out front, which caused people to come and peek in the windows. A lot of them. So many that Tor finally set up another one on the other side of the lawn for people to tour. It didn't get everyone to leave him alone, but it cut down on the noise a little at least.
The beach here was a smooth white sand, about a half mile from the palace. Light gray at least. It took a lot longer to find rocks to work with, so finally, he just used a compressor, one of the new stronger ones for processing rock and used a small cutter to make about four hundred thin glossy tiles of white. Whiter than the sand itself by a good four shades, however that worked. They looked like glass he realized, if opaque.
Then he popped some holes in then, with a device, a modified cutting tool, right there on the beach as people watched from about ten feet back. Everyone still wore white, but now they had different colored sashes not just blue and red. Filling up his canvas sack he walked away, trying to smile, but feeling self-conscious as he went. People were watching him. Smiling, but clearly tracking him with their eyes as he moved away.
It wasn't meal time yet, even though he was hungry, but Tor started working anyway. If he did the equalizers first he could have them done by dinner. It would be two batches, but that would leave some extras to hand out, if people wanted them. They ended up looking different, but in a way they were even more elegant, the thin white squares contrasting nicely with the purple light of the sigils that glowed constantly, and disappeared when turned on.
He had enough of them, hopefully, so after he washed up and changed to another set of workman's clothes, that being all he had. Tor loaded the tiles into his little bag, then went to dinner, which was to be held outside, festival style, since Tor was “letting” the Wards have full liberty, as long as they held to their agreements. For the common person it was cooler outside than in, so the tradition had the evening meal served there. Bugs or not.
Well, Tor had grown up in a forest, he was used to insects at least.
The sandwiches were a cooked and shredded meat, with a tangy sauce made of fruit, and thinly sliced vegetables. It was good. Everyone ate the same food, and it seemed like half the city had turned out, again with a band playing and people dancing and drinking foolish amounts of alcohol. Tor stuck to pure fruit juice, checking it openly for poison, using the little stone he'd created for it. He passed those out as well, since he had a lot of them. The food was on a huge table, so he checked the whole thing. It was safe, of course, but then he'd thought that all food was safe, once upon a time. Being poisoned really sucked. Hard. If he could help anyone avoid that, he simply would.
Maria had Trice sit on her left and waited on her like a servant, reaching out to touch her over and over again. Ellen sat directly to Marvin's right and Petra past her. There was no room for Tor at the table, not the one set up in front of the residence at least, so he just grabbed a plate of food and went to join Collette at one of the round ones that had been set about twenty feet away, out on the short grass. Men kept coming over and asking her to dance, which she playfully declined, since she was eating still after all. They'd just have to wait…
Tor didn't blame them though. He'd have asked her to dance too. The idea made him chuckle a bit and shake his head. Why shouldn't he? Collette looked at him politely, if quizzically. Right, she couldn't read his mind. He finished his bite, waving his hand to indicate what he was doing, so that he wouldn't have to talk with his mouth full. It was both in that book on manners and something his mother had taught all the kids from childhood. It made sense, after all, they were the rules she'd been raised with as the daughter of a Count, so she passed them along.
Really, it was only the sexual etiquette and relationship stuff that Tor had big trouble with. For the most part, he found reading the book, he hadn't even been messing that up too badly yet. Oh, he hadn't been polite, but it was a near thing, so he just looked cold, not like he wanted to insult anyone. It was a relief to see it in print, but he already knew that real life could be a lot different. Maria had freaked out on him after all, hadn't she? That wasn't covered in the book at all yet. It just wasn't supposed to happen.
Ever.
“I was just thinking I should get you to save a dance for me too, that was all.” He smiled, hoping it wasn't too forward. They didn't know each other that well really.
She laughed out loud, enough so that the people at the head table looked over at them from some twenty feet away.
“Me save a dance for you? Master Tor, I think it should be me asking that instead. The only reason women haven't been asking you yet is that they need a few more drinks to work the courage up. Even if you hadn't being giving out magic all evening it would happen. If you sleep alone tonight it won't be due to lack of offers. Is there a queue for that? If so I'd like to take a number myself…” She reached out and touched his arm, starting when she hit his shield. She pulled back suddenly as if embarrassed.
“Oh.” she said, worried suddenly, as if embarrassed.
“What?” Tor asked amused.
“Oh, well your wearing a shield? Are you afraid of attack here? I know that not everything has been smooth between you and the Count and Countess, but I don't think they'll attack you here. They rather need you after all…” She looked down at her plate, the food half eaten.
Tor shrugged and smiled.
“Habit mainly. Having a shield and not using it is a bit like being kicked down a flight of stone stairs, or getting a knife in the back, I've found. Plus, we're at war with Austra. Austran agents have tried to kill me, three, maybe four times already. For a nobody like me, that's a lot.” He turned the shield off and reached out to touch her arm, then took a bite and put it back up while chewing and sitting. He did it automatically now and normally didn't even notice it any more. “Anyway, I think the topic was you wanting to know if there was a waiting list to spend the night with me. The answer is, alas, no. I'm intending to work a lot tonight though, but I have tomorrow night free, if that wasn't just an offhand comment, I mean. If it was, that's all right, I won't take offense if your already engaged or busy.” Or just didn't really want to. She was nice, but that didn't mean she'd want to get that close to someone like him. Tor could understand that.
It was a little clumsy maybe, but the book had said that all invitations had to be taken seriously, but when in doubt, give the other party a graceful way out. He was in doubt of course. Collette was blond, not his personal favorite hair color, preferring brunettes really, but she was probably as pretty a person as he'd ever met. And she'd always been kind to him. If the engagement with Princess Varley fell through, which it probably had already, and if Petra didn't want to marry him, Collette would certainly be someone to ask.
The idea startled him a little bit.
Not that he'd consider asking her, but that she'd actually marry a little troll like him. He fought to keep a wince off his face, which was good, considering what she said next.
“Really? I'd love to. Your house then, tomorrow night? Shall I plan to spend the whole night, or… is this a secret? I can manage discrete if I try, I think. A quick visit in the evening perhaps, wouldn't be taken amiss. I could tell people I was consulting with you on a bit of magic, or trying to wheedle something from you. One of those houses for instance. I looked in to the other one earlier. A full working kitchen, freezing box and oven. A working restroom that removes waste with magic and a full warm water shower and bath? And those beds… Have you considered making those as a standalone? I'd buy one. Right now. I don't care if it beggars me until I get my next allowance even. Just heavenly. Could be a bit bigger though, in case I wanted to have a friend or two over….” She giggled, so Tor chuckled too.
Apparently, according to “Manners”, if a woman chuckled, giggled or laughed at anything other than death, a gentleman did too. Even if it wasn't really funny. The instructions flat out said that too. With death you were supposed to pretend it was just nerves on the ladies part and comfort her as if she were troubled, even if she was really just being evil about it.
If she passed gas in public the nearest man was supposed to look embarrassed and excuse himself for having done it, to save the lady in question from being shamed. Well, so far that hadn't come up, but if it did, he was ready. “Manners” was a really complete book.
“Well… Technically I'm engaged to Varley, Princess Veronica? But that may be falling through, political stuff, if I was told correctly and not just being put off. We're friends regardless, so I wouldn't want to embarrass her, and I'm kind of fond of Petra, so I wouldn't want to insult her or anything either, so… I guess a bit discrete? I think we can get away with more than a quick meeting though. We're friends too.
“On the other stuff, I haven't made beds like that, but I have the basic field for it, so that would be easy enough. I can't do it tonight though, not if I want to sleep. If I didn't I would have asked you over already. But I have some things to do up first… I can give you a house though, if you want. I have a bunch of them left.”
She clapped and leaned into him, whispering gently.
“Can you decorate it too? I'd love a sofa and maybe some drapes.” She laughed, but this time he didn't, not trying to be rude, but taken aback a bit as the idea hit him.
It was all possible, if he knew what he was supposed to do. He could even modify the current field to redesign the interior without having to rebuild the whole field. If he could get her to show him what she wanted…
“Yes… It will take a little longer, but if you're willing to do the design work and get me pictures, or examples to work from… That could be done. It's really a good idea. The thought is for these houses to be portable, which gets harder if you have to put in real furniture and stuff. But making it a part of the field… Yeah… That makes so much sense.” He grinned at her, feeling a little excited at the idea. “Let’s do it!”
After he finished eating dinner, but before the real dancing began, the Wards made a point of passing out the temperature equalizers Tor had made, so almost everyone was glowing openly when the servants, also glowing at the throat, mainly in bright yellows and greens, brought out three large containers of ice for everyone to enjoy. Maria made a point of giving the credit for it to Tor, but it hadn't been his idea. It was hers.
The Countess smiled at Tor and bowed lightly, but didn't take any credit for her own action in giving it away at all. Tilting his head towards her he bowed back with raised eyebrows. She got it well enough to look pleased, which was a little baffling to tell the truth. He wouldn't have thought she'd care what he thought about most things, especially her.
After that, well, it turned out that Collette wasn't wrong about women coming to ask him to dance. A couple of men did too, much to his surprise. Tor nearly froze the first time, but then shrugged. If people thought he liked men, well, those rumors had been around for a long time, hadn't they? Started by Maria, come to think of it. As long as they were just the happy bouncing dances and not the grinding ones that couples were doing, he decided to just agree. He mainly danced with women and did manage a turn with Collette, though she was as busy as he was. He tried for a turn with Petra, but that wasn't happening he soon realized. She was very popular here and a good dancer. Like him she didn't turn anyone that asked down, it seemed, and that meant she didn't get a chance to do more than breathe between songs.
Tor would have danced with Trice, but she just sat next to Maria the whole night, leaning into each other more and more closely as things wore on and drink flowed. Both had glowing amulets out and both had more than a little pink showing. So they were friends? Tor looked at them, and realized the interest was probably more than that.
Right.
Well wasn't he just a provincial hick, then?
Tor had no business telling them how to live their lives in their own place. If they went to Two Bends, the rules there were different, but here? Well… they weren't exactly being discrete, were they? So maybe that would be an issue. It wasn't his business, but it seemed a little mean to Count Ward. He just sat and watched the crowd. Apparently the high royalty weren't allowed to dance or something? Or maybe he just didn't feel like it? His pendant was black and blue swirls after all. Maybe he realized that things were darker than Maria did? That seemed odd, because she kind of seemed the brains of the operation, but there it was, Marvin Ward, pensive and gloomy, in front of everyone.
At about eleven Tor made his way to his little house. The sounds from the party would continue, he knew, but he could block them out. It took effort and more than once people pounded on his door, which caused him to rouse a little each time. The third time Tor also heard a woman’s voice and it sounded urgent, scared, so he pulled himself up from the work he was doing to check on the situation. His mind had been deep and really, Tor didn't come all the way out, holding the pattern he’d been working on the whole time.
When he got there a lady was sleeping on his doorstep, passed out drunk. It wasn't anyone he recognized either, not even from the party, but her top was half off and several men were walking around shiftily a ways off. Three of them. They stared at Tor, their looks far from friendly. Had they been trying to have their way with her, in this weakened condition? Tor glared back and walked past the woman protectively, which got them to move off fast. He didn't even have a shield on, having been working, so he quickly pulled the woman in and locked the door. Running out to play hero like that was stupid of him. Tor blamed the working state. His natural inclination was to protect people and common sense kind of faded when he went deep enough.
What should he do? Nothing came to mind at all. Let her sleep it off, he guessed. With effort he moved her over to one of the beds, the one farthest away from the corner he took, and got her lying flat. Very carefully he fixed her white top, not touching her flesh at all, so she wouldn't wake up with her breasts hanging out in a strange place.
Trance state or not, he knew that would be too weird to think a good thing.
Then he went back to work, just hoping she wasn't an assassin cleverly using his known weaknesses to get to him. A frightened and helpless woman at his door would be let in, and anyone that knew him at all could figure that out, couldn't they? Since he was able to finish working and didn't have his throat cut at all, she probably wasn't. Still, when that was done he put his shield back on before he slept.
He drifted off more easily than he thought he would, the woman’s light snores comforting in a way. Tor woke to find her just standing in the middle of the room, no lights had been turned on, but the shutters let a little in around the edges, so that they'd seem real.
Tor slowly got up and opened them, one by one. It seemed less off-putting than just turning on the magical lights on the ceiling. If the lady with him wasn't a bit scared, she was made of sterner stuff than he was. That or insane. Either way, being polite seemed to make sense.
“Hello.” He spoke softly, having learned that people that had been drinking normally felt sick the next day. That should be sign that it wasn't a good plan, but people did it anyway and always claimed they had a good time, no matter how bad things had gotten.
The woman looked at him and smiled, wincing as she did.
“Hey… Um, is there a restroom around here somewhere? Maybe a place to clean up too?” She didn't introduce herself, so Tor didn't either. He just pointed to the correct rooms and listed them off. He decided to make some copies of things, just in case they went over well enough, and was just finishing that when a knock came at his front door.
A soft knock that he almost didn't hear at first.
Tor made sure his shield was on, just in case it was the woman’s jealous boyfriend, but it turned out to be Petra, who'd brought him a tray of food, since everyone else was probably going to be sleeping late. She was obviously hung over too, but didn't whine about it like most people did. Tor set up the table with plates and gestured to the seat next to his then got a pitcher of water and chilled it in the freeze box for a minute, then had to break the ice on top up to drink it, the field working a little too well it seemed. When he came back out the woman who'd been taking a bath, from the sound of it, came padding out nude and sopping wet.
“Do you have a towel or something? I… Petra? How are you!” The woman ran across the room, leaving a trail of water and grabbed his friend, obviously her friend too, who still sat, hugging her tightly. And damply, Petra's clothing got soaked instantly.
“Martya? Oh!”
Hugs continued. After a bit, when she straightened up, showing off dark nipples and pubic hair openly, making Tor stiffen a little more than was probably polite. Then she was the one walking around nude. He explained the drying system and how if she held her hand or any other body part, on the sigil built into the wall, she'd be hit by warm air, which would let her dry quickly. It wasn't a towel, but it worked well enough and could be built in.
Petra and he ate in silence, but the girl kept smirking at him. Did she think he slept with Martya, who was obviously her old friend? Tor tried to look at the situation from her perspective. Naked girl running around his place, washing up and acting like she belonged there… Yep. That's what he would have thought first too. Tor wondered if he should ask to sleep with the woman now, just so when people talked about them it would be true.
When she came back out she bowed to Tor, a low humble thing that looked genuine and had to make her head hurt, at least she grabbed at it like it did. At least she'd put her clothes back on. The stuff was nearly see through in the bright morning light, but it wasn't nude, making it possible to look at her without splitting the front of his pants open.
“Oh, Pet. Last night was awful.” The woman started, her voice woeful. “Farrell and his friends caught me out drunk and alone, I mean really drunk, and were pulling me down, probably to have back-door sex, you know how they are, can't even be bothered to do it properly if your drunk enough? So I ran away and found this, door and then passed out. I don't know what happened after that, but my behind doesn't hurt and I haven't had sex at all that I can tell, so this fellow is obviously a better man than Farrell. Which isn't hard, but still… I… don't know where I am. One of the magic houses obviously…” She clumped into one of the chairs without waiting to be invited, since they were obviously all friends now. Tor smiled, wondering if things were really just that easy here, or if it was just Martya. She looked miserable, if clean enough, though in yesterdays clothing.
He really needed a way to quickly launder clothing built in to the structures. He had water, and could heat it. That didn't give him soap, but he could make the water swirl or go back and forth rapidly to do the scrubbing for him, right? Then use the clothing dryer field… He'd have to work on it. Really though, could he clean the clothing without water? Just organize a field that would carry all the dirt and oil away from it? That… seemed really doable. It was just a variation of the earth moving field. It would just have to recognize fabric.
Martya grabbed her head again and moaned softly. Petra didn't, but looked ready to throw up. Tor also needed to come up with a hangover cure. If he did he was going to charge a lot for it though, silly people should learn to just drink less, shouldn't they? He wondered for a second what would happen if the healing field was used. It should help with illness, was this like that, a sickness? Poisoning maybe.
Chuckling, he went to his trunk and pulled one out. Without saying anything he activated it and handed it to Martya, who took it with a hesitant look. If it really hurt, or made her sick, he'd rather not ambush Petra with it. After all, she might sleep with him again sometime if he was careful enough about the whole thing. Maybe when he wasn't even in a trance? That could be fun. The girl closed her eyes and gripped the stone hard, her breath coming fast, panting shallowly for about a minute, then she smiled and set down the stone.
“That… Petra, here, try it.”
The large woman didn't wait, she didn't pant either. When she opened her eyes she looked… better, no dark circles, no hangover left. Grinning she kissed Tor and didn't stop for a long time.
“I could feel the pain drain away, the headache and sick feeling. I feel good. Rested. We need to get some of these to the King’s palace and, um, some other places. Like inside the big house today. Normally I'd let them all suffer, especially Maria, but she went out of her way to apologize to me pretty sweetly, so I guess I should attempt to be nice in return, at least until it proves to be a trick or something. It can wait a few minutes while we eat and catch up though.”
The two girls had a kind of short hand that he couldn't really follow, what he did get was that Martya was Petra's closest childhood friend, one of the reasons she always came to party with the Wards, it being old habit and her being popular. That, and it turning out that she'd gone into the family business after all, as everyone had always said she would, which meant that being a bit of a party girl didn't hurt in general. Tor didn't think anything of it, since where he was from most people simply did that. He'd have been a baker if he hadn't gotten a King’s scholarship, and even then, if he didn't have ten siblings, each vying for their own place in the world, he probably wouldn't have gone. Not if his family had needed him.
But Martya's family was in the prostitution trade. Apparently they didn't really need her for it at all either, and she wasn't wild about the work. Too many uncouth sailors that thought sticking it in and thrusting a few times should have her loving them abjectly. It was a silly idea, of course, but Tor could kind of credit it. After all, he'd liked Petra before, but didn't he feel a little more fond of her now? Like they were closer or something. Lovers. Did it count as that if they'd only done it one time? Probably not.
The girl continued on about how there wasn't much else for her to do, since she didn't want to fish or farm for a living either. Too much work she admitted, for too little pay.
“Um, Martya… Would you like a job?” Tor asked, feeling a little awkward about it.
“Sure… Since you could have had me last night for free anyway. What do you want, a blowjob? Regular sex? I'll blow you for free, just for the rescue and do the rest for that hangover remedy…” Laughing she started to shimmy out of her dress.
Petra crossed her arms and mock glared at her friend.
“Hey, get off my boyfriend you!”
Everyone laughed, even Tor, if not for the same reason.
“No, I meant selling ice. The price will probably go down, around a silver for ten pounds, I'd guess, given the market here, maybe less, but if you sell enough, that should work out. I don't know how much you make now, but… Well, let me show you.” His voice showed his excitement, earning a strange look from the other two. He grabbed the right pendants, there were three of them to make up one manufactory, and went outside to set things up.
He didn't whistle while he did it, but it took force of will not too. It was kind of exciting and happy all at once.
It took about five minutes, because he had to patch into a water feed, just using the one going into his house for now, explaining how it worked as he went. Then, after moving everyone else well out of the way, he tapped the main sigil, which made a white and red hut, about forty foot on a side with what looked like a red tile roof, so it kind of fit into the area, just appear in front of them. The sigil amulet slid into the wall and started glowing a soft pink. He just liked the color and though it worked with the white and red pretty well.
The water was going in not half a minute later. Then they had to wait. Not too long, but a good fifteen minutes.
“There it is! Good, when the sigil turns green like that, then next to it, after about ten seconds, a blue one should show up… There.” Walking the four feet towards the end Tor looked at them dramatically.
“Ready?”
Petra nodded with a little smile, curious, but Martya looked amazed and a tiny bit scared. Why that should be he didn't know. After all, she'd spent the night in a magic house. So a magic shed shouldn't be that amazing, right? Just to get her past her fear Tor asked her to hit the sigil, which set several things into motion at once. Martya jumped back, but laughed as she did.
“What is it doing?” She asked, eyes wide.
Tor just pointed.
The wall near the front vanished completely, leaving only a wall of ice about eight foot high. Then it slowly pushed forward until a foot of clearish white stuck out. A light blue light flashed inside the ice, to show where it was being cut, a crisscross of color, and then the wall reappeared, pushing the whole thing forward again about six inches. The wall of ice was cut into even one foot blocks, or close enough, meaning that there were two hundred and twenty-four one-foot square blocks. He wasn't certain, but guessed that it could do this faster than the blocks could be moved unless they had a large team of people working on it.
“So. What do you say Martya? I mean it's something to try, since you won't actually lose your ability to ply your other trade if it doesn't work out, right? We can easily move it someplace else too, though right now I really think we should build an ice castle in the yard. Not one too high, because it will fall apart when it melts…” Who didn't like an ice castle on a hot day?
Sure, he'd never heard of such a thing before and neither had either of them, but the materials were at hand, so why not? Actually, since they weren't hung over anymore, the girls seemed pretty enthused by the idea, and Petra had an plan, a structure fifty foot long and twenty foot wide… After all, if you wanted a spectacle you didn't go small. Plus the ice was free. For them anyway.
Laughing they did just that, taking hours, and forming an almost solid mass of ice nearly as big as the ice producer itself. People came and started helping after a while, kids at first, but adults soon enough, with food and drink vendors an hour or two after that. Martya quickly realized the potential and started selling the blocks for a half silver each, which seemed a little high to Tor, but had people pulling up in horse draw carts to get it by the load within another two hours. It wasn't even noon and people were coming to see the ice castle, which was kept growing faster than it melted, even with all the sales.
The ground got damp, but no one seemed to mind overly.
People laughed and played, kids and even some of the young adults climbing up on it for as long as they could without freezing. Then they'd jump off, sliding down a ramp of melting ice that people built just for the purpose. He’d smoothed it with a cutter so it was very slick. It looked fun, if wet, so Tor jumped up the side of the castle, which was really a solid rectangle on the bottom and took a turn. It worked, but got him more than a little damp. No one cared though.
At noon Trice, Maria and Marvin all came out with Collette and Ellen trailing by a few minutes. Tor kind of expected the Wards to yell at him for ruining their lawn, but that didn't seem to matter as much as the wealth of ice growing there and the fact that it had been put there as a free entertainment. That part, seemed to be the real selling point. That it was a gift to everyone.
They all looked grumpy and tired, except Ellen who looked well rested and even happy enough, seeing all the smiling faces. Someone had gotten a band to come, which Martya cleverly paid instantly, making it worth their while to spend the day. They played happy tunes that matched the mood of the crowed.
Petra ran up to them and started passing a healing device around which made everyone happier inside a minute or two.
When it came around to Ellen she took it, but clearly didn't think much would happen, having been wise with the amount she drank the night before. Standing stiffly at first, her eyes closed, like almost everyone else had, her face relaxed after a bit and she smiled, a real genuine thing that took in her eyes as well as her mouth. She didn't let go of it for a long time, nearly ten minutes, even as people stared. A popping sound came from her lower back, which made her wince and cry out, but then she sighed.
Eyes still shut she nodded slowly at first, getting faster as she went, “OK Tor… I'll let you have my virginity…” She murmured dreamily, making the crowd of watchers laugh. She smiled again and opened her eyes wide. The whites were a pure now, without the slight yellowish tint of age they'd had before, turning the amulet off she handed it back to Petra, then leaned in whispered something to her, which got a chuckle from the people around them, but a nod from her daughter. That made everyone smile, except Trice who looked suddenly angry. She glared at Petra, and then him, for some reason Tor didn't get.
Did Ellen say something about her maybe? That didn't make sense. As far as Tor could tell they hardly knew each other. Well, Trice would tell him or not, or if it got bad enough, he'd ask. Then she wouldn't tell him, because “he knew what he'd done” or something like that probably. It was a favorite line of his mothers with the boys when she was particularly displeased over something that would have been too minor to anyone else to even notice. Luckily Trice didn't remind him that much of his mother at all.
The ice festival, impromptu as it was, needed some games, which the Count and Countess got to come up with, that being the tradition in Ward. Tor offered some of his little devices as prizes for them. He got out some lights, Temperature equalizers, Not-flyers and cutters. For a grand prize he offered one of the houses complete with water pump, one of the purifying kind.
The games were at once familiar, and disturbing to his country bred mind. The contests for the kids were unique, but made sense in a way. Like one were the competitors had to sit on blocks of ice, the one that lasted the longest won a Not-flyer. A basic idea that wasn't so much skill or luck based. Good for the young ones, or at least Tor thought so at first.
It came down to a little boy of about five and a twelve year old girl, both in clear agony, who refused to let the other win. At an hour Tor went into his house and got one of the remaining devices in that set and brought it out, handing it off to the Count. The large man declared them both the winner, in a loud booming voice, and presented then each with a unit with a happy smile and congratulations.
Petra suggested that they earmark both of those kids for military service later, because they'd already proved they were tough enough, hadn't they? Ward nodded, but with a somber sidelong glance at Tor as if wondering what he'd say about the idea.
He just shrugged.
“The girl will need to go to school in a few years regardless. Get with me when it's time and I'll cover her for that. The boy too, when it comes time. I have some connections in that area, or will at least, by then.”
Marvin bowed. Honestly he looked more than a little happy about it. Like it was a gift for him personally or something. Then again, as the Count, any child given an education from his area was a good thing, right?
If anything that made the rest of the competitors work even harder for some reason. There was a fruit eating contest, which was close enough to things Tor recognized really, even if the fruit was unique to him, bananas, followed by people eating raw fish.
If it was up to Tor, each person willing to take a single bite and keep it down would have gotten a prize, because he nearly lost his lunch just watching. The contestants ate with vigor and seemed to enjoy it and the winner of that contest put away pounds of the stuff.
The contests that got to Tor a bit were the later ones, in the afternoon. The ladies dance competition sounded innocent enough. After all, what harm was there in dancing and bouncing around to music? All the women that wanted to compete went out into the green and danced, using their best and showiest moves. It was to last ten songs, with the crowd hooting and clapping at the end of each musical number for each in turn, the one with the most applause winning the round. Win the most rounds and you got the prize. By the fourth a woman just sank to her knees and started mimicking pleasing a man with her mouth. It was funny and pretty provocative, Tor thought, figuring that would end there, or possibly be copied in the next round since that woman, a cute red-head with dark skin, at least as dark as Petra, won that dance.
Instead, in the next round half the women took their tops off and danced that way, to the hoots of the crowd, who were starting to get a little drunk already, as early as it was. Two dances later all of them were completely nude and thrusting in the air and sometimes with each other and in the last round several of them were openly pleasuring themselves while the band played. Tor moved close to Petra and asked, a little timidly, if this kind of thing was normal. She shook her head and glanced at him, looking away from the spectacle for a bit.
“Not at all. The most I've ever seen before was a bit of toplessness, and that was late at night with women more than a little drunk, not in the middle of the day and sober like this… but this is for one of your incredible magic houses. One of those is probably worth about fifty thousand gold you know… Or well, maybe you don't? You never seem to count the golds when you do things. It's kind of humbling. I almost cried when you made it so both those kids would have Not-flyers for their prize. No one even sells those anywhere and even rich kids here wouldn't be able to get one at all. They'd have to get it on the black market and I assure you no one but the wealthiest could afford one. But really, you can rest assured that all these women are doing this to get your attention, just in case they don't win the contest here. It's a good strategy, if they don't know you. Really, if any of them had asked me, I would have told them to just go to you and suggest that they'd like one.” Petra looked at him mischievously, licking her lips a little.
“Hey, if I do some of those things with you can I have one of those houses?”
Tor laughed and took her hand so she wouldn't think he was mocking her. Their shields bumped which got them both going.
“Nope. I think… I hope at least, that what I have for you is better. If there's any daylight left at the end of this thing, I'll show you. I promised tonight and tomorrow to Collette. Um, work stuff, at least mainly… Working to build in decorations and furniture on the inside of the houses? I already tried a little, but… well a woman’s touch, you know?” He hoped that was discrete enough. It was all true, as far as it went, but would Petra buy it?
“She's hot, you should totally try to get her into bed if you can. Patricia too and probably Maria… Maybe my mom… She asked if I'd mention that too you earlier. I told her I would.” Her voice was warm, but not teasing.
Tor almost choked.
“No. God no. I mean, yes to the first two and possibly Ellen, she's nice and I consider her a friend already, but Maria? That would be the worst idea possible I think. Look around us.” Tor didn't watch the action, even as the song ended and a few women were faking orgasms. Either that or their timing was perfect. The crowd didn't seem to care either way. They practically roared their approval.
His gaze found, not the happy go lucky crowd, but the half dozen people openly staring at him the whole time. Some of the faces were familiar, from around the palace, or even his old school. They'd watched him there too, he realized now. At the time he'd just thought they were staring because they just didn't like him, but now..
“Spies?” She breathed into his ear the moving air tickling slightly.
What did he know of spies really, but it made sense.
“I can have fun with you and Trice, possibly Collette even, but Maria? No way. That would look a bit like the King doing her before the investigation. No one would ever trust it as to a fair hearing or trial then, would they? It's why I need to get back to the Capital and fix up Smythe and get him to agree not to kill me anymore, in some way that will stick. He seems to be the only one everyone will trust. But… Yeah. I have to watch myself. Bad enough I'm thinking about asking you to marry me if this thing with Varley really does fall through. It probably will, since she's pregnant and we've never, you know…” Tor blushed brightly. “You were my first.”
Petra tried to kiss him, and made him drop his shield so he could.
“I'll think about it… really I was your first? And you're already that good? Damn. Well, engagement or not, be sure I'm going to be jumping into bed with you again. I would tonight, or even right now, but really, you should take a shot with Collette, too good to pass up. Tomorrow if you have time?”
Tor agreed. What did he have to lose at this point after all?
The last competition was drinking, in which everyone, except the winner for some reason, nearly died. They drank as fast as they could, of a stronger beverage than Tor had ever encountered before, and were succumbing to poisoning when Petra went around and started healing them all. Then amazingly, half of them started drinking again. Laughing Petra held out her hand.
“Don't do it! I'm leaving to get some work done and won't be back till dinner, die before then and it's on you.”
That got a chorus of laughs for some reason Tor couldn't understand at all. Trying to drink yourself to death was funny here? That was insane.
They flew to the beach so that no one would follow them and then, over the water by about fifty feet, Tor hit the sigil under his shirt. It was a tiny action that made a huge boat appearing beneath them. It was two hundred feet long, the deck looked like wood and the rest was a stark black, shining like glass. It was forty-five foot wide and set into the water nicely as he lowered it, hoping he'd gotten the hull the right shape. It floated and didn't tip over at least, which he took to be a good sign. Landing on the deck pushed the boat a little lower into the water, a gentle bob of the whole thing. Being careful Tor took off the amulet and went through a door in the side of the cabin on the top deck. There he hung it on a metal hook meant just for that purpose.
“The stairs here take you to the living quarters below.” He started towards the door, bet an arm snaked across his chest first, making Tor pause.
“Drop your shield.” She spoke gently, though with a little bit of a growl. Petra seemed happy enough, if suddenly serious, so he did it, not really knowing if she was going to hit him or give him a hug. The answer was neither. She kissed him long and hard, a lot more passionately than he figured she would for a simple present like this.
Then, laughing she pulled back and asked for a tour.