by P. S. Power
Then he got dressed in a nice velvet black and green outfit with black leather boots. It was all magic, but other than the height, he fit the part.
“William Merchant.” Tor introduced him with a grin. “Rolph's da.”
Everyone laughed, except the Royal Guard who stared. Finally George, who looked younger and more golden skinned, like a southerner, nodded.
“Very good. I see it. Yes.”
Kari Merchant looked way different too. Heavier by about fifty pounds, a lot of that breast, and hips, which made her look pretty good, if Tor did say so himself. She had long red hair, which was close to her normal color, but a rather unfortunate port wine stain birthmark on her face. Her rounded and slightly mannish looking face. It was easier to add layers of light than not. Even the flesh felt right though, if someone touched it. Or the hair. It was all shield, but it moved right. Tor reached out and made her butt just a bit bigger.
Trice laughed, but not for long.
“No, really, I have to admit, that's about perfect. This even makes sense, William Merchant is a successful trader and has guards, brought his daughter to visit… and while they could stay in town, it only makes sense that Rolph's buddy Tor would open his home… Now we just have to make Maria match. So… Rolph's sister or… no… mom. That would work. Here,” she sat Maria down and started in on her with a vengeance.
In five minutes she looked twenty years older, sixty pounds heavier and like smiling was simply not her hobby at all. The eyes all got changed too, Kari getting plain brown, like her “mom” and Will, as Tor decided to call the man, getting the same blue that Rolph had. After all, they were family. That made everyone look different.
Veren walked over to Tor and nodded.
“Alright. I have to admit that's better than I thought you'd do. Think of it first next time. We were seen landing. It would have worked better if we'd gotten out looking like this.”
After a moment Tor understood. Veren was doing what they always did at weapons and fight practice. He saw a flaw, so he immediately pointed it out. Maria, who didn't have a new name yet, stiffened, looking far fiercer now than a few moments before, but Tor nodded back.
“Good point. I'll try to keep that in mind.”
Then, since it was nearing lunch time, Tor decided to collect up some people and see about getting something to eat in town. After all, he couldn't take Rolph's parents to the school dining hall, could he? That would look shabby. It meant going to get Rolph though, who'd come back the day before to set things up. He was a good friend that way.
They found him in the room he shared with Tor, and smiled when he walked in.
“They haven't even kicked us out yet, can you believe it? I'm not sure why though. We can't complete the term, but everyone is letting us back into classes anyway. I checked for everyone, because, you know, why should I be the only one to suffer?” He stopped and smiled at the people that crowded in.
Kari ran up to her brother and squealed a little, a lower sound than would have normally been. Something she was faking personally, but Tor could make that work with a device too… Which he decided to just write down, later.
“Rolph! So good to see you!” She all but tackled him in a hug.
Wide eyed he patted her back and looked nervous, obviously not recognizing her at all. A half beat later Maria moved in to do the same and finally Count Ward, who raised the normal pitch of his voice nearly to a deep tenor, did the same.
“Son! How's school life been treating you?” The accent was, nearly perfectly, standard merchant class.
“Um… Fine sir.” It was strange, no doubt, but Rolph got that something was going on and until someone either came to help him escape, or at least explained, would just play along. Tor got it. He pointed to each of the players as soon as the door shut.
“Rolph, This gentleman is William Merchant. Next to him is his wife, your mother, Mary, and your sister, Kari Merchant. They came to visit and are staying at my house for a few days. They brought some guards, which is a little bit of putting on airs, don't you think? Still, they all seem nice. I was just going to take them to lunch.” Tor stopped and furrowed his forehead a bit, still floating in place. It was still too hard to really walk any distance, though he could stand now, which he needed to make himself do whenever possible he decided, so set down.
“We, so you know where the working group is? I want to take them too. Lyn needs her allowance if nothing else and I should check the others too, make sure they have what they need.”
“Uh, yeah, I made contact yesterday. Um, I can run get them, or those not too busy at least. I fear you've infected them all Tor. Driving themselves like, well, you always do. I suggest you also point out the potential down sides to that.” He left then, leaving everyone standing, which was a little rude.
Of course, he came back with Wensa in tow, as well as Backus, who was both a Royal Guard and a music instructor. One of the best at the school. Tor held a hand out to him and shook, then gave Wensa a small hug, like he would his own sister if she'd been there.
Rolph smiled and wrinkled his nose at both those things, but didn't smirk about it.
“I got Sam to run and fetch everyone else. Would it be all right if Instructors Wensa and Backus join us?”
That got a low chuckle from Trice, but everyone else played it straight. Tor mock glared at her.
“Yes, always. I may need Instructor Backus' help getting back into violin lessons, once I can hold it again. Instructor Binchly would of course be within her rights to beat me in the commons for missing so much, but, honestly, I can't survive that right now.” He was sending a message, but it was a real enough one and not in code. Wensa got it and tilted her head.
“That rough?” Was all she said.
“Yes. But you know, sit around like I have and… Well it adds up.” Tor smiled, because she really did know all of that and really trying to talk to her in code about it was stupid.
He looked around the room and then winked at Rolph.
“Everyone is in disguise. Two hundred gold if you figure out who your family is by the end of the meal. Don't say it all out loud there though. I want to see which of the kids figures it out first. I guess… Hmm, this is a hard one. Lyn or… Mark I think. He's a third year, which is when he should be starting to get really curious about things.”
They walked to the restaurant, of course, except Tor, who floated. Not being able to do it any other way, except maybe flying outright. He hadn't built the controls for that without using his hands yet, but it was coming. Later though. Really, he didn't think any of the kids would be able to do it yet, since it was really complex. Then again, underestimating these people would be a mistake.
Lyn walked beside him and got him to drop back a bit, not two minutes into the walk. Just a gentle motion of her head and some eye contact.
“Tor? These people… They, I think they're making themselves look different than they really do, is it, I mean, do we need to fight? I… have a cutter.” She sounded scared, so he put his hand on her back as they moved along. It was firm for a girl, but not more than it should be with regular work outs. Apparently she'd kept up with her new fighting classes.
“We're good. They're all friends. Good catch though. Don't mention it to the others. I want to see if they get it too.”
“Oh. Alright.” She smiled then, happy and walked a little faster so she was next to Guide. They linked arms, which was something new, Tor thought. Then, how would he know? He hadn't exactly been around had he? Plus it also may not mean anything. If he did that with Mrs. Merchant, no one would think anything of it, right?
Except Maria.
The meal went well and he covered it all, since he invited everyone. Rolph started to get the tip, but his dad just chuckled and took care of it with a wink. Ward was amazingly good in his role and Maria managed to keep her mouth shut enough that it was hard to pick up on who she was. Kari, for her part, just kept staring at Sam, a meaningful enough interplay that it left the
boy blushing. He did glance back though. So, as long as Kari wasn't just teasing the boy, Tor had no problem with it. After all, she wasn't his sister.
After the meal, the kids all had to get back to work, mainly classes or copying. He pulled Sandra aside before she could run off, and set up a meeting.
“New work stuff. Can we meet tonight?”
“Sure. I was going to do some work, but I can wait a day…” She grinned at him for a second. “Your room or mine?” She was decent looking, so it was a natural enough thing for her to add, and even assume that sex was the real plan. If he wasn't so worn down he'd have switched up to it, or been tempted to at least, but instead he held his hand out.
“Read my field. Carefully though.” He waited.
After a few seconds she gasped. Then she took her hand away, slowly enough everyone else noticed.
“What did you do?” Her words were half accusation, half awe.
Tor pointed at the little dragon on the left side of Trice’s shoulder.
“That.”
Sandra walked to it and started to put a hand out, then froze and made eye contact with Patricia.
“Would it be all right? I won't turn it off or anything, just…”
“Go ahead.” She stood still while a single finger came towards it.
Sandra didn't say anything for a while. A long while. Finally she stepped back and made a face.
“I see. You need to show that to Instructor Fines. I'm not even half good enough to tell you it's good. Of course, you're nearly dead, so I hope the build was worth it? I don't know how you're even managing to be out of bed. I've seen dead people with more field cohesion.” She looked at Trice and then Rolph, who was standing back, by his “mother”.
“I don't mean that as a joke either, I've literally seen it… Don't let him do, anything in regards to building. For… I don't know how long. Just don't.”
Tor sighed, “yeah, worth it. But point taken, hence the need to get you all up to speed. For a while you and the rest of the group have to make sure we keep up with what the kingdom needs for the war. So tonight? No sex this time?”
The girl laughed at him. Or at least the words he used.
“Ten? Or, do you need to be asleep by then?” It was a real question, not just a joke at his expense.
“I think I can make it that long. Bring the others, if they're available. If not, well, then make them understand as soon as they are, if I'm not around.”
Her face fell a bit, but she nodded.
Of course she got how close he really was to being dead, didn't she? In her mind that probably meant that he thought he wouldn't make it. It was one option, but so far he'd gotten stronger, so he liked his odds well enough. For now at least. Until someone attacked him or poisoned him or maybe just got him to accidentally push himself too hard.
They, everyone but the building group, went back to “Ali's House” which he informed everyone was the name of the place, getting his wife to clap a bit and jump on Kari's arm happily.
“I have an official house and everything! This is so wonderful.”
Kari giggled and hugged her back a bit, which gave that part away to Rolph instantly.
“Ha! Karina. So that's one… Two more to go…” He stared at the Count, but then shook his head.
“Tall enough to be dad, but… something’s wrong. The voice doesn't fit…”
Finally after five minutes of head turning and looking around he put it together and put a single to his lips.
“Well, by size and being so near Trice… Count Ward? Making “mom” there Maria?” He sounded uncertain but Ali clapped again happily.
“That's right! You win. We'll have the gold delivered directly. That was really good. I wouldn't have gotten it at all.” She seemed genuine happy, and oddly, so did Wensa.
“Solid disguises then. The voices need to change more. Also, when you get a chance without killing yourself, you should change the scents too Baker. Nobles all have similar scents, fine foods and spices that lower classes don't eat at all, fine perfumes and liqueurs can all be a giveaway.”
Not waiting Tor went to find some paper and started taking notes. They were good points. It didn't take a lot to convince a person at a distance, but if you wanted to hide someone long term amongst people that should know them… Yeah. Scents, voice…
“What else?” He looked around the room and then waited.
“Make people taller? Or seem shorter somehow? That or just turn invisible. That would work too.” George added this with an almost bored sound to his voice, that or dry.
It could be done though, couldn't it? He made a note of it, just in case.
Then a half dozen ideas came, mainly from the guard and mainly about things that they'd like for Noram day. He'd missed the last one, again, traveling with everyone, but there was always next year. Finally Alissa looked down and didn't make eye contact with him.
“Um, what about a device that made you feel pleasure? You know…” She didn't finish.
Tor nodded to her though, managing to not blush at all.
“Um… what kind? I mean sexual, but just, pleasure or, specific feelings, vibrations or like your being touched or other sensuous feelings or… maybe all of them at once?” It was doable. He'd even done a “naughty tingle” field before, for a firework display. It wasn't that hard.
“I can do all that, not a problem. Would anyone want something like that though?”
Everyone in the room grinned and looked away from him, like he was being stupid. Instead of insisting on an answer he just wrote it all down.
Why not? If there was a market for it, then it was worth doing, right? Well, as long as it didn't hurt anyone.
After that everyone broke up into little groups, none of which actually included him for some reason. That… OK, Tor knew why that was. He couldn't do anything. Not really. Go shopping in town? Maybe, but asking him to float around looking at things was a little much at the moment, at least as far as his friends were concerned. Weapons practice was right out, same with running. He did spend half an hour standing and then, using a low side table for support, doing knee bends. That didn't last long. About eleven of them. Still, it was an improvement over the none that he’d been able to do the day before.
Finally he just decided to go out on his own and see if there was anything for him to do. He wasn't tired yet. Not too tired anyway. Not for floating around like a ghost.
It wasn't until he found the three girls surrounding Judith that he remembered her. They'd kind of packed up and left her all alone. The bullies hadn't forgotten her though and it seemed, that in about twelve seconds, that state would become permanent, because the giant girl was about to lay waste to them all. Hard.
“Freak!” The smaller royal girl in the center of the clutch called out, holding her right arm already. “I'm telling, have fun in prison bitch!”
The other girls made sympathetic noises, but the larger girl just shook her head.
“I'm not going to prison. I'm swinging on the gallows. For your death.” She smiled grimly and pulled something from the pouch on her right hip. It was probably a cutter or force lance.
“Bitch.” Then she hit a sigil and moved in.
Tor chuckled softly, getting everyone’s attention. When they turned around Judith looked at him, not seeming to see him at all at first. The other girls all looked away after a second, except the one on the right hand side, a kind of round faced girl that was tall, and kind of cute, with hair that was black and curly, like what Trice really looked like, but with a tiny nose and funny eyes. He'd seen the look before… In Austra.
“Go away. This is a private matter.” She sounded Austran too. A clipped sound to the voice. Hidden but still there. So, a spy most likely. Hard to tell. If so she wasn't very good, but then how hard would it be to blend in at Lairdgren? People had a lot of different accents there.
Tor just shrugged.
“Is it? Seems an oddly public place for it then. Why don't you all just
come with me to the Dean’s office and we'll let you settle it there.” Tor stared at the girl that had spoken, holding her gaze for a second. She finally looked down and away.
“Screw you. We don't have to answer to some little peasant boy. I'm a… Baronetta… and above people like you.” She actually paused before saying it even. It was nearly cute or would have been if Judith wasn't about to cut her and her friends down where they stood.
Of course they'd be fine if they had shields on, and they should all have them. Tor didn't check, that wasn't something that was doable at the moment after all. Instead he just shrugged.
“Oh? A Baronetta? What's your name then?” Tor took a breath, having a sudden, very deep urge to run away. He couldn't though, not really. Instead he moved to Judith's side and tapped the sigil on his chest and made sure all the devices the other girls had were turned off. Then, slowly, casually, he pulled the glossy white weapon in his own right hand pouch and got ready to trigger it.
The first girl answered for the Austran after about fifteen seconds of silence, baffled by her friend’s lack of speaking. Royals were most often very proud of their titles and families after all.
“She's Baronetta Coltress. Ginger Coltress if you must know. Who are you?” The tone was snotty. But then, an entitled noble, who knew, yeah? Tor smiled.
Judith spoke before he could, “He's Master Tor, Y'all never heard of him?” Her accent was thick again, probably due to nerves. The Austran's hand tried to pull something from her left front pocket, so Tor hit the first sigil, a force lance, that picked her up off the ground and slammed her into the soil. The other girls…
Screamed and started trying to run away.
“Judith, subdue them. We need them alive.” Was all he had time for, because the girl on the ground instead of laying very still, a normal reaction to being hit that hard, rolled to the side and sprang to her feet. He took her down again, even as she fought for whatever was in her pocket. Tor was too busy trying to stop the potential spy, who looked about sixteen, from doing anything else to really look at what was happening around him. He did hear the sounds of a fight though. After about a half minute that stopped and someone ran up to him, yelling.
