The dining room had enough room, but got reconfigured into the needed shape, the long table remaining, so dark brown it looked black, with a light blue table cloth on it, but a new, narrow side table got set up to match it, for the food to be placed when it came out. Then Collette winked at him and suggested they go get everyone else.
The meal was good. Nearly as good as what the palace served even. After the meal he gave almost everyone hugs and grabbed Sandra. Bonita had already gone off with Burks and Denno, to see about finding out that secret information of his, and Ursala looked at him meaningfully, a bit sad.
“Right, so, we need to get back to the school for a bit and get the kids there set up. Um, Ursala, a word?” He hated the way he sounded, like he was about to take her to task for something, which wasn't the case at all.
She kind of glared at him too, but she walked over, if a bit stiffly.
“Sending me away?” The words were an accusation, and not happy at all.
“Um, why would I do that? I kind of need you. Right now for work, true, but seriously, stop moping, will you? Anyway… I was wondering if I could get you to do some things for me? I know, who am I to send you on errands, right? But I can't get it all done and no one else would really work for some of it.”
Like checking on the girls at Wildlands Station. Tor had ignored that situation for nearly a year, but they were still his responsibility. Her eyebrows shot up, but she nodded.
“OK. Anything else?” She sounded bored, but not as angry at least.
“Yep. We need to expand the civilian transport fleet, and I'd like you to come with me to Two Bends, because I'd like to get some of the people from there involved.”
“Oh? Well, that sounds more interesting that sitting around feeling alone and bitter at least.” She sighed. “Why not?”
Trice flew them in, being a better hand on the controls of even the fast carriage than he was, and they managed to get on the ground and have the carriage put away before anyone came out at all. There was at least a foot of snow on the ground which took Tor by surprise. It snowed in Two Bends, sure, but normally not near Postern. It was just a thing, particular to the area. It should have been cold, but not snowy. After the second time he slipped he just rose into the air and floated over to the bakery. There was activity down the way and a whole host of new buildings, which made everything seem strange. The old shop he'd grown up with was different too. The front was closer to the street, having been built up, more, it was painted and had a sign with actual words on it. Two Bends Bakery.
My.
Tor blinked and just walked in, floated in, the others following without pause. Behind the counter a familiar form worked, efficiently enough it seemed. Tor's little brother Todd. If by little he meant younger, which the kid was, by a year, rather than shorter. Somehow he'd managed to stretch up to nearly five-ten or so. Otherwise he looked like all the kids. Pale, black haired and light framed.
“S'rih wit'o ifn pleasure.” He said before making a full turn, a tray of bread rolls needing to go into the rack.
When he finally turned, wiping his hands on a clean cloth, he stared, first at everyone else in the room, then back to Ursala, who was almost a foot taller than he was.
“Um, Welcome Lords, to this humble establishment, how may I be of use or service today?” He bowed and held it, not looking at anyone in particular, but from behind the counter.
“Hey Todd, ma set up a marriage for you yet?”
“S'Tor! Um,” he stood up and glanced at the others, “Sorry, I meant to say, no, not yet. Why?”
Tor shrugged and very purposefully didn't look around.
“Just keeping up with things. I heard a rumor that Countiers are far more popular than regular Two Bends guys, but so far I'm not seeing it myself.”
He made the introductions, or started too. Todd already knew Ali and remembered Trice. He even nodded to Ursala.
“Um, Countess… Thorgood?” He said, making it sound like a guess. “We met, briefly, at the King’s birthday celebration?”
“Oh, of course! You were there with your parents, brothers and sisters?” She spoke warmly, at least getting that being nice to Tor's relatives was a nice thing to do.
They made small talk for a while, Ursala moving closer to the counter and Todd getting each of them a sweet roll, orange apple. It was unique, but Tor liked it.
“You make these Todd?”
“Yeah, da said I needed to come up with some signature food items, maybe run them by you and see if you'd front me the capital to start my own bakery. I do deliveries too, which pays well enough, but I always liked baking.” He let his head hang a bit, looking embarrassed, probably because it was considered a low level merchant position and they were all royals.
Taking another bite Tor nodded.
“Alright. Pick a location when you’re ready and I'll do that.”
Ali walked forward, pulling something from her purse, from the sigil it was one of the new, more advanced houses. It took a second, but she started to explain quickly enough.
“This will make a good bakery and you can live in it too, so you won't have to spend a bunch of money at first building a real structure.”
It was a good idea.
A great one actually. He could have a baking castle with that if he wanted, which actually sounded kind of cool. All he needed was to buy or rent some space, which was doable.
“Good. So just send a note or come find me and it will get done, gold wise. Should have thought of it sooner. Oh, hey, want a job for Postern? Everyone else will probably be off playing, but there will be a lot of nobles around, so if you can impress any of them with your products, they might want you to set up in their areas. It never hurts to have friends. I'll rent you a space next to my place outside the Capital and you can give away what you make. I'll pay you for it. Get some of the others to help too. If you want.”
He grinned, a charming, if shy thing.
“That sounds like fun. We don't get to do much for Postern here. Just eat a big meal and talk about how important family is.” Looking at the others he bowed again, a small thing though, rather than the proper one he threw out earlier. “Which it is, of course, but it doesn't really make for stunningly fun times for some reason.”
Next to him, Alissa nodded, “we'd love to have you. All of you, Kari and I can help with the baking maybe?” She looked at Tor a little slyly, but didn't smile about it.
Well, as long as she didn't sleep with his brother, that worked for him. Karina could go too if she wanted.
“Hmmm, well, she does need a suitable match, Todd here is within the three steps even. I'll suggest it too her.” Trice giggled as she said it though. Probably because Ursala was turning a bit red. It wasn't blushing, Tor knew that because her eyes narrowed.
“I think not.” She looked at Tor and tilted her head, which looked regal on her. “Where is your mother, do you think?”
He had no clue, but Todd did. She was working at the central warehouse, setting up the schedule for the next day’s deliveries. The pointing finger suggested they go down the street to the new buildings, to the right.
“Thanks Todd. Hey, I mean it about Postern. You in?” He used the home tongue, which got his brother to grin.
“Hey, yay! Just to see the Capital would be nice. I always get the deliveries to the eastern coast. Never been down that way save the once. Think ma and da will be all right with it?” The cadence was rapid fire and without much pause. It was nice to hear someone speaking properly again.
“Should be all right. I'll clear it with them now if you want. Oh, um, what do you think of Ursala here? She's single and needs to get married and is really nice. I can suggest to ma that setting up a go between might be a good idea.” It took work not to make his tone teasing, but he managed it. Mainly due to pure lack of energy, but Todd just blinked and stood still for a second.
“Alright. She's very pretty and if you say she's a good sort, that's enough for me. I don't know that she'd have me, but what the heck? Ever since Vera married Lind Samson, there hasn't been even one eligible girl in town. I know, you'd think that glamorous flying men would get some attention other places, but people tend to leave us all
