“Dorgal.” She corrected gently.
“Then he can accept or not, based on that, if you want. Um, Lyn. If you don't want to say no, then just dump the real reasons on him. They’re so crazy he'd have to accept it. Probably without hurt feelings.”
Collette chuckled and put her hands on her hips, something Tor had never seen her do before.
“We haven't gotten a real answer from Lyn Cooper yet. If you want to get married, I need to present things differently than if you don't. Even if you can't for the reasons you said, wanting too is a real point. If you aren't willing, I can just lie and save face for him somehow. Say you have someone else or something.” There was no toe tapping, the pretty blond was too cultured for that, but it was implied. Strongly.
Lyn looked down, then sat when Tor pulled a chair for her. It had a nice dark brown shiny wood look to it, with a soft red cushion. It hadn't a few seconds before, but he changed it when he touched the chair. It got her to laugh.
“Oh… Alright then. Please tell him that I'd love to marry, but as the leader of the largest land on the planet, we may need to relocate back there, at least part time. If he still wants to. I'll understand if he doesn't of course. I know it's a bit of a sudden change.”
Collette's eyes went wide.
“Wonderful! I'll go do that right now then, shall I?” She didn't wait to be excused, just turning and leaving without a pause, strained smile on her lips.
Oh, right, room full of Ancients. That would do it.
“Sit, please, everyone. I think we have enough room. I don't know how we're supposed to get food, but we'll figure something out.” He strode to the top of the table and sat next to his mother.
“Does everyone know everyone else?” He looked around and saw Dan shake his head no, still smiling.
It was his house, so his job.
“OK, Burks Green, who's the Green man of legend,” looking at Weasel and Tiera he shrugged.
“Grandpa to you two and me. Um, he's also me, as you might be able to see. We'll go into that later. Over there we have Dan Green, our Uncle and ma’s brother.”
Tor nodded to Denno, gesturing with a closed hand and giving a seated bow as the man found a seat for himself, near the end of the table. The poison seat again. Poor guy probably thought it was his place or something.
“Denno Brown, the Ancient of Austra, roughly your Uncle. Your Aunt Lyn here you should both know. Tim, I want you to work with her for the next few months on building. She's good. But then you know that don't you. Met already and all that?” He sighed.
“Next to me, is Laurali Green Baker. My mother. Also Gray as you see, but her own person too, I hope. Oh, um Ma?” Tor dropped into home speech.
“Grand-da didn't tell you, but your natural mother is the leader of Afrak, and still alive. Also an insane man-hating old bat that is, essentially you, like I'm Green, only you two are closer I think. Watch the whole crazy thing will you? I'm not really kidding there or I wouldn't be this blunt. Nearly started a war with weapons master Kolb when we were there.”
Oops, he hadn't meant to do that, talk in ways that others couldn't understand. No one said anything though.
“The charming and intelligent young lady to my right is Tiera Green Baker. Also like we are Ancient genes and all that and this man is Builder Timon Green Baker, know as Weasel. Also as we all are. Only by feel I'd guess he's a son of the gray line. The first I think, if Lara was honest in what she told me. That will have to be checked though. Seems right.”
“What!” Laurali had been a little quiet until then but suddenly she roused, a bit angry seeming.
“Yeah, your mothers alive and really hates all men, beyond reason too. Not kind and considerate like you are at all.” Tor said quickly, knowing that wasn't the topic at all.
“As to the other part, about Tim, well, Burks, Lyn, if you'd check his field? You too Tiera. We'll wait for you to do that.”
The Ancients both walked over to him and touched him, one at a time, then checked each other and then Tim again. Tiera sighed and walked around the table.
“I don't know how to do this…”
Blinking Tor explained it to her. It was probably a little subtle for her if she hadn't been practicing, but he didn't mention that. She tried and then sat back down.
“I think I can tell it's him, but that's about all. He has about five other fields on I think?” She shrugged. Tor checked and nodded.
“That's right. Well we can practice a bit if you want. I know you want to take maths at school, but having an extra skill never hurts. I need to get back to that too. Math I mean. Oddly it keeps kind of coming up as something needed.”
“Now, before we go on, why don't we see about getting some food?”
Without going anywhere it started coming, almost immediately. There literally couldn't be any way for people to listen in the walls, could there? Unless Collette had build in listening holes or something? She was a spy after all.
He'd forgotten that part of things. Oh well.
It did get them good service, no matter how it worked.
They checked for poison but it was a lot more cozy than the palace, everyone just pulling a poison detector and using it openly when the food came. It was a family meal after all. They just didn't know who had access to the food, so they checked.
He let everyone finish before talking about anything. Not even asking Lyn what she was doing in Noram. That was obvious to him, at least in part. She was going to school and learning to be a builder. A freaking great one at that. As far as he was concerned, she was going to keep doing that too. At least until she finished. If Burks had a problem with it, Tor would just build his own school and hire all the Lairdgren personnel away. That or go to Vagus and help her learn himself.
It was Denno that spoke first looking around the table for a while to get everyone’s attention.
“The summit is in a week and we all have to go. All of us. It's very important. I guess we should get you all up to speed first, but we can start that in a day or two. Right now every Austran spy in Noram is on the way here and should begin reporting tomorrow. Tor and his people will check them out and if they aren't insane murderers, send them home. I don't really expect you'll find anything. The most telling thing will be how many don't show up.” He spread his hands, then touched his face, thinking.
“If they don't, that doesn't mean guilt of course, they could be dead, missed their flight or simply hiding, since they fell in love and don't want to go back. Noram… has its charms, after all.”
Like trees, but Tor didn't mention that. Austra was nice.
Except the parts he'd seen of course. But that still left hope for the rest of it.
“Sorry Denno. I can do the part with the Austrans, but I won't let my family go off to some summit of Ancients without knowing what it is and why we should be there.” Tor held up his right hand as the man started to speak.
“OK, I get that I can't stop them either, if they choose to go, but I won't go myself without more information. You've been dodgy about all this to the extreme. First you tried to force this summit and now you want us, some of us literally kids, and the rest, like Mother and Uncle Dan must just about seem like that to someone like you, to go to this thing?” Tor tilted his head and looked around the room, and did a mental count, feeling slow and tired suddenly.
“Heh, you're trying to control a vote, aren't you? Like how they do things in Austra? Do the Ancients vote on stuff Burks? Lyn?” He glanced at them both and got a nod from Lyn at least.
“That's right Tor. I don't know if that's the plan, but we do vote on everything. If you might be able to back up what you want in a few thousand years, you get a vote, so that's everyone at the table. This would be about half the Ancients in the world right now, unless the Blues all come. I… Cindy Blue and I don't get along.”