questionable men do things to us?”
These were her friends? They sounded both close and like horrible people at the same time. At least Lilli did. Well, no wonder she'd wanted to impress them so much. It was probably self-defense. A tall buff colored girl in the back, who was pretty, except for a horrible case of acne, moved forward and asked how much the pretty temperature equalizers were. She looked about sixteen and said her name was Yardley when asked, sounding a little shy.
It was a strange name but easy to remember. He handed her the healing amulet without even thinking about it, or asking if she wanted healing, which was rude. Tor winced internally but managed to keep it off his face. They all watched her acne fade in a few seconds. She looked in the mirror and started crying, then pulled her shirt up in the back exposing perfect skin. Lilli rubbed her hands over it and pronounced it smooth as silk.
That looked kind of like fun touching the girl like that, but other people were staring at the girls, so Tor got them to move to the side so he could work. He had a bakery to run after all, he mentioned with a wink. A few minutes later they were all standing and looking at amulets wistfully.
“Fifty gold? No, I don't have that on me today. Thank you.” Yardley muttered quietly to Debbie in the other room. She sounded really sad. Given the heat out, he couldn't blame her. He wore an equalizer himself and he knew Karina did at the palace. She didn't now though, probably so she wouldn't be rubbing her wealth in her friend’s faces.
That was kind of her.
When the people coming in lulled a bit Tor went and got four of the glowing equalizers, the same number of magical clothing devices and told them that they could have flying rigs and shields if they agreed to his terms. They agreed before he even said anything. He was tempted to throw a tongue bath in, whatever the heck that was, but his tongue felt pretty clean right now, so he skipped it.
“Pick your schedule, but a couple times a week walk around town in fancy costumes wearing the amulets, I don't know, glow, keep changing clothes, what have you, and tell people about this place. Better in the richer parts of town of course, the stuff isn't cheap… Each time someone tells us they came here because of you, if they buy something of value, so a magical device, not a hand pie, I'll give you a new something or other. Probably something random you don't want, and you'll have to share amongst yourselves, but not a horrible deal I don't think. Oh, also mention the new ice manufactory outside the south wall if people look hot. Other things might be added over time. Is that fair?”
They agreed seeming pleased enough, and said they'd come to visit at his house, regularly, to check on anything new he wanted them to do, which meant he needed to get some food in or something. Guests. Well, could be worse. How he didn't know, but the shop wasn't on fire when they left, so that was a plus.
The next few days went like that, with Debbie giving him half the gold at the end of each night, and, shield or not, getting him to walk her home at the end of the day. She didn't live far, but he could see the nerves, since she was carrying enough gold with her she couldn't physically lift it. That could be a tempting target.
Tor made her a special trunk amulet. The idea was simple enough and could be used for flying or walking. If you wanted to leave it in place you had to leave the amulet too, but the whole thing disappeared on command, meaning you could have a dozen of them with you at a time. It certainly made it easier to take stuff with you in an emergency. Plus you could pick the size you needed and even make them look any way you wanted, from simple flimsy fruit crate to solid gold casket.
Debbie invited him in a few times, but Tor always claimed he needed to do something else, sleep or work all night on one thing or another. It was true enough even, though part of it was that he didn’t want to take advantage of his business partner or ruin her reputation, having strange men in her place at night. Neighbors would talk, and while they might mean well, wagging tongues rarely improved things for anyone.
On the fourth day Debbie had a relative of hers in baking, a tall man that looked like one of his own brothers, but bigger. Debbie seemed happy enough about it, and told Tor that he wouldn’t need to stay. Not at all. Actually on that point her voice went a little cold.
It left him oddly adrift. He'd rebuilt the rivers for Afrak and the massive earth moving equipment they needed, but there was no way he could ditch the investigation long enough to go. It made him a little sad, because he really wanted to see the exotic foreign land.
Plus he was even the Ambassador, for now, at least.
It occurred to him that the King might have a plan, or be able to come up with something he just wouldn't think of, so Tor went to visit and as an aside, check to make certain his obligations to Smythe were being met. Well, as long as those duties didn’t involve him dying for no good reason.
That plan sounded simple, if nerve wracking, but he wasn't three feet into the complex before Varley met him and drug him inside to a little alcove where they'd kissed before a couple of times before. She grinned at him and motioned for him to drop his shield, which they had an agreement for, a kind of joke, where he let her kiss him when she wanted, if it was safe, as long as she wore her shield the rest of the time. When he did, she dropped to her knees, at first he thought she was going to apologize for getting pregnant, which really wasn't needed, since that had happened before the engagement. A bit bad to do it out of wedlock, but certainly he wasn’t owed anything over it.
That… wasn't her plan at all. Instead she started working on his trousers, loosening them, pushing him back towards the wall a little.
“Um, what are you doing? This is kind of public, you know?”
Varley didn't stop, but did giggle and keep working for a few seconds before speaking.
“We could go to my room if you want, but that's no more private. I can't go to your house, going twice this soon would look like a pattern, so it's here or in the middle of the hall. Take your pick.”
“What, no third choice, like, let's not?” He looked at her seriously and refastened his clothing. It wasn't that he didn't want to, god he was tempted. Her mouth looked so soft and inviting… But no. It would be too embarrassing by far and if someone accidentally caught them, a page or the King, what would they do then? Her hands became more insistent.
“Tor… I, I can't marry you. It's complicated… Let me do this, please?” She sounded sad for some reason, which made no sense, but Tor let her do it anyway, and then cuddled her as she cried softly after. Cradled against his chest. It had been fun, in a sexy, naughty way, but the tears just made him feel bad.
Wrong. Like he'd taken advantage of her.
He hadn't hurt her, Tor was experienced enough now to know that, thanks to the lessons Countess Thorgood, Ursala, had given him over the last several months. Sara Debri had taken her turns too, probably just so he'd like her enough to keep her around and let her spy on him. Honestly it was a good trade, but if he'd known at the time he would have bargained for more.
The rules were different, more gentle, for friends. He'd certainly been doing a lot more with Collette and Petra since he figured things out, not being mean or hurting them, but certainly trying some things that he hadn't believed were real when Ursala had told him about it.
He held and comforted her until she was ready to stop crying. Whatever she was mourning the loss of, it was important to her. Tor didn't fool himself into thinking it was him. In royal marriages there were rules, but those could be negotiable. Highly so, he was coming to learn. Still, it felt not just strange and evil, but dangerous to go from the girl directly to her father, but the palace wasn't a place for him to go poking around alone either. That was asking to get lost. Or suspected of being a spy.
Just to make things more awkward, Varley insisted on taking him, holding his hand the whole time as if afraid to let go. Like she might fall from the face of the planet if she did. So, feeling awkward he let her lead the way, wondering if the King would have a report on what his daughter had been doing already or not.
Smythe, conveniently enough, was talking to Richard when they came in. Well, as convenient as finding the person that possibly hates you the most of anyone in the world in a meeting with the one man that could, theoretically, order you to do anything. Really the idea didn't reassure Tor a lot once he thought about it.
“Take the boy back to Ward, then each of the event sights, as needed. Depositions, questioning all that. Can the lad take notes do you think or should we bring a scribe along?” Smythe had his back to the door and when checked didn't have a shield on. He didn't have any other fields on his person either, other than his own innate one at least.
Rich looked over the other mans shoulder, right at Tor, but with unfocused eyes, like he did in his memory trance. Tor had only seen it once on the man, but it was something a lot of the special school kids did, which might
