was just reflected light. It would take experimentation. The feedback and links to her mind would have to be… Incredible. Hundreds of links and for best effect they'd need to mimic the ones that a real hand used, of course.
Then, could he add mental feedback so she could feel? That information already existed, even within himself, so it should be doable, but he'd have to investigate that too. It was incredibly complex he realized. More so than anything he'd ever even thought of making, but… Tor could see it. It was possible. Potentially at least. After a minute he realized that Trice had moved in front of him and was using her right hand to jiggle his left shoulder.
“Tor! Hey, snap out of it!” She laughed at least. Everyone else looked a little concerned, but she'd seen him do this before. More than once. A lot more than that.
“We've got things to do, no time to disappear on us now.”
“Sorry.” He said brightly, and trying to cover for just how deep he was Tor forgot himself and leaned in, giving the tall curly haired girl in front of him a warm kiss on the mouth. She just kissed him back, instead of hitting him like he probably deserved for taking the liberty, but Varley “humphed” and crossed her arms.
“Hey, this is a business trip, not a couple’s getaway. You two stop that and start walking.”
Ah. Tor had forgotten for a minute that Trice and he weren't engaged any more, and that he and Varley were. At least for the time being. That whole thing with the King having sabotaged his last relationship still rankled, and Varley had capitalized on the situation, if getting him was any kind of prize.
Maybe it was just something they'd dreamed up to keep him from totally losing it? Regardless, kissing Trice like that was more than a little indiscreet and therefore rude. Maybe. The social code of the nobles said that anyone could have almost any relationship they wanted and most people had several, some having ten or more at once, but you weren't supposed to advertise things like that. It had been a little too warm to write off as joking even. It was just reflex though. Tor didn't explain, because that would just call more attention to it. Instead he blushed, and kept on walking.
Petra chuckled and moved in beside him. Leaning over slightly she whispered in his ear.
“Don't worry, Veronica's not really mad, she's just guarding her territory, that's all.” Then, possibly just to see how bright red Tor could turn, the tall girl smiled and grabbed his behind. No one else seemed to notice at least.
A few minutes of walking later, when they rounded the corner of a row of densely packed single story white buildings, each of them seeming to hold a small shop of some kind, his face cooled when the stiff breeze hit it. He could smell the salt and hear the birds before that, and had for a while he realized. There in front of him was an ocean.
The beach was rock instead of the sand he expected from his prior experiences with similar things and he almost felt like running to the water and dancing around in it to cool down. He was more than a little warm, the air being humid here and hotter than he liked, sweat collecting in his armpits, waistband and groin in an uncomfortable manner. Well, he should have taken the time to make a batch of heat equalizers instead of silly little lights. Live and learn, right? Looking around he realized suddenly that everyone with him looked comfortable. Darn them. He was the only one that had to do without it seemed. Because that made sense, didn't it? He'd invented the darned amulets and he didn't get to have one?
Yeah that was fair.
Along with the sea, there was a smell of food in the air. One of them, something fruity and warm caught his attention, he looked around until he saw the sign that said “bakery”. The scent was pie. It had to be. Peach he thought. For a second he wanted to get one and take it with them, after all, when you went to visit you were supposed to take something, right? Especially since they were showing up uninvited. Tor didn't have any money his being “borrowed” by Holly, and felt uneasy about asking anyone else to lend him some. It sure smelled good though…
An idea hit Tor and he smiled. He had an extra five hand lights in his pocket. Maybe the merchant would be willing to trade? It was worth a shot. The worst they could do was say no, right?
Waving Tor got everyone to follow him, most of them looking bemused. Except Kolb, who looked skeptical, and a little annoyed. Well, that made sense.
Going into the whitewashed little shop probably didn't seem in keeping with their task, did it? It didn't have a glass window, just a strange board that was folded up and provided shade as well as letting light in. As they approached the man behind the counter came to it directly, so they didn't have to go in at all, wiped his hands on a brown cloth and smiled.
“How Y'all doing?” He asked, his voice slow and relaxed. “New in town?”
“Yep!” Tor said brightly and inquired after the pies, just to make sure they were really there and not at one of the other shops. The man beamed at them all and brought one out, it looked perfect, flaky crust and brown topped, slightly darker where sugar had been sprinkled on it. From the color leaking slightly through the vents on top, and the smell, Tor realized it was a combination of peach and Strawberry.
The man ducked his head a little.
“These are the favorite of Countess Printer. She normally comes in for one about once a month in season. Sometimes more.” The man wore all white, an outfit similar to what the people in Warden had all been wearing.
“Would you be interested in one?”
Looking around Tor tilted his head. Royals all ate a lot, and he didn't know how many people Holly would have to feed…
“Two would be better, but I don't really have any silver on me. Would you be willing to trade?”
The man sighed hugely and looked skeptically at Tor. He was dressed well enough, but not so well this couldn't be his one nice set of clothing, which was literally true, this being the only thing he had to wear at all until he got his things back. All of them wore similar things. He had on a purple shirt in silk, along with a pair of leather pants and a vest in the same color brown. Now that he thought about it, he realized that it was probably something of Varley’s that she'd outgrown. In fact he'd seen her in it. Tor blushed. Royal girl flying clothes. No doubt he looked manly.
Getting out the hand light's he turned one on and handed it to the man. It was bright, but red. Other people stopped to stare, since it called for attention. The man gasped a little, his eyes going big.
“Magic! I… doubt my shops worth as much as this is. What does something like this go for, fifty gold at least? More than that?” His voice had gone from skeptical to awed. Not just a little either.
Tor grinned.
“Well, today it's worth two pies and something to carry them in. If you want it, I mean? It's just something I made myself.” After all, it wasn't even a proper light, being all red like it was. To someone like this it would be a curiosity at best. The man quickly agreed, looking a little guilty about it, but providing a nice basket with a top to carry it in. Tor just hope it really was something Holly liked. Merchants would claim anything to make a sale.
Even bakers always had the best bread ever, the most wonderful cakes, and so on.
After that was dealt with they only had another half mile or so to walk, the residence being carefully hidden behind some trees, a dense growth that had probably been there for a long while. There was no mistaking what the building was when it came into view. It wasn't the dwelling of a peasant or even a rich merchant, a huge, and old feeling, castle of stone, smooth and shining, meaning it was made with magical tools. The large blocks had been put together so well it almost looked like one seamless piece for a moment, except that the stone had different colors, some of it being quarried in different places Tor guessed. It wasn't lovely really, too eclectic for that, but it was majestic without a doubt. That had probably been the original point, rather than looking nice.
Petra pointed, seeming happy suddenly.
“There it is!” She said, causing Tor to feel a flash of unwarranted annoyance. It was obvious what it was after all. There wouldn't exactly be a castle every mile along the coast now, would there? He made himself let that go as unworthy. Petra was his friend and wasn't saying that the rest of them were too stupid to figure it out, she was simply commenting, just making conversation. Most likely at least.
Really, while he liked the girl and even kind of wanted to have sex with her, he didn't know how she thought overly. For all he knew she'd meant that they were all far too stupid to not mistake the huge thing in front of them with its motley stones of black, white, gray and gem like marble, for a barn. Instead of being a jerk, Tor decided to smile and give the girl a nod.
She winked at him.
