“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.
Chapter nine
Petra ran past him into the driving area, which she called the “pilot house”. It had windows all the way around, well, invisible shields, but that was even easier than making them look like something else, so Tor hadn't stinted on them. Petra examined the controls and smiled, it was the same as for a fishing boat, even if the craft was way larger. She started slow, a few miles per hour and then inched the lever forward slowly. It gained speed, moving faster until the whole thing started to shudder and skip a little on the waves. She giggled and slowed it down wide eyed and smiling. At a guess she was moving at around forty miles per hour still. The turning radius seemed horrible, the big ship making a circle about an eighth of a mile in diameter, but she seemed pleased with it. Very.
“It's just how boats this size are. Actually this one seems to handle better than most. A lot better….” She took it out for miles before bringing the speed to zero, pulling the level, one that looked like polished wood in a dark color, all the way back. They stopped moving then, except where the waves lifted the boat a little bit.
That's what happened when stopped, so there wouldn't be a need for an anchor. That earned him another hug, then a kiss, her hand moving down his back and finally clutching his behind. It was playful and seemed a little interested, if Tor was any judge of such things. Petra grinned again.
“Show me the rest?”
The deck, obviously was just a deck and had no special properties at all. There wasn't even a hatch for a cargo hold, since it wasn't meant to carry any he let her know. The railing looked good and they spent a minute looking at the ocean, holding on the rail and each other for a while.
“I love this. The ocean I mean. The present is alright too.” She chuckled and shook her head gently. “Of course now I'm spoiled and no boy giving me mere flowers will ever stand a chance. Well, unless he's really cute of course, then it might work…”
Tor stuck out his tongue.
“Like you'd ever be anything but proper? Besides, flowers are nice. Their colorful and smell good. Who doesn't like that? At least the equal of something like this.” Tor grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the door at about mid-deck that held the stairs. It was a spiral set of steps, because Tor thought it was elegant, if slightly dizzy making, each looking like sturdy pieces of drift wood. So the look was eclectic? It gave it a bit more character than if the whole thing was just one style, right?
The rest of it was massive, now that he got a good look at it. It had five rooms in all, a restroom, done to look like warm wood and that had a pattern to it that made you feel like you were in a forest somewhere, the ceiling looking like trees with a daylight sky above. That was where the light came from, but it didn't change. He hadn't figured that part out yet, making the image move. The bathing chamber had a big tub, but it looked like it
