Tor threw his pillow at him, missing horribly, the soft thing landing all the way across the room and resting half against the back wall, half on the floor. The return volley from the tall red head was far more accurate and hit hard enough for his shield to activate and stop. Handy that, Tor thought, not being knocked to the floor for once. Getting up lightly he handed the pillow back on the way past with a soft sigh, retrieving his own before sitting down.
The room was the same size it always had been, but it looked smaller to him now. The wooden walls were plainer, the small desk each of them had to do schoolwork on seemed dingy and poor suddenly. That wasn't right though, it was a perfectly good room. He was just acting spoiled because of all his trips to the palace and his new magical houses.
Grimacing Tor looked around and tried to put his mind in a better frame. It was a good room. This had been the nicest place he'd lived until a little over a year before, it would more than serve. He'd been thinking about putting in one of the new bed devices, but decided against it then. Too much luxury and you stopped appreciating it. This was a good lesson for him, and since school was about learning it would make sense for him to pay attention to it, right?
Rolph suggested that they gather their current people up and go get something to eat. The dining halls weren't open yet, but the town had three good restaurants. Tor half wondered who all their people were, but everyone needed to eat, and spending gold meant that the people working in town would have some to spend and so on. He placed about twenty gold in a small velvet bag made for the purpose and formed a little pocket in his browns to put it in. Rolph shook his head at the amount, but Tor hadn't ever really gone to any of the places in town before and didn't know how many people he’d be paying for. Better to bring a little too much than to not have enough.
They found Alissa in her room with a young girl, also a first year, by the look of her and the fear in her eyes. The girl was thin and plain looking, especially compared to his wife's cute and busty look, they had about the same color light brown hair, almost a dirty blond, but the new girl's was done in the new standard look, a short military style bob. She wore brand new student browns, but was tall enough she was clearly a royal, a noble, of some kind. Alissa met him at the door with a kiss and a musky scent that meant Ridley hadn't been kidding about what they had planned earlier. Rolph got a hug from her, since they were friends now. Not lovers, Tor didn't think, but asking that would be foolish if he didn't want to know. Technically they were to related to get married, but there were things allowed in their circles between distant family members that Tor didn’t think were right at all.
Moving back to Tor, Ali pressed her breasts against his chest and smiled sweetly at him, already nearly looking him in the eyes. In a year she'd be a few inches taller than him or more and in three years she'd probably be near six-six or so. A giant compared to his five-four. He'd keep growing though and by about three thousand years old he should be about five-nine. The idea was ridiculous, but there it was.
“Tor, Rolph, this is my new roommate, Sheri. Um, Sherilyn Bonner, she's a Ducherina second, youngest in her family. Sheri, this is Rolph Merchant, who studies accounting here, and my husband, Torrance Baker. He's a builder. Also Countier four Lairdgren, but he almost never bothers with titles himself.” Ali sounded proud when introducing him, which made him feel a bit better about the scene earlier. At least she hadn't decided that Tor wasn't worth spending any time with yet. That would make for an uncomfortable marriage to say the least.
Tor smiled at Ali and then the new girl, Sheri. He tried to remember the name. How rude would it be to forget something like that?
“We were just going to go to dinner, would you like to come Sheri? The dining halls are closed until tomorrow at lunch.”
The girl went still and her breath caught. It could mean anything, but Tor had recently become aware of how many spies were around him all the time and decided to take action when he could. Focusing lightly, the girl’s pattern, and thoughts, came out clearly. Not in words or even emotions, but for a moment he knew what she was thinking and feeling. He just knew it.
Uneasy, because this was all new, and a bit ashamed, because her parents hadn't sent her with money for fine dining, just school supplies and some toiletries. If she spent her money now she'd feel that lack later. If she didn't there wouldn't be food for a day. It was a quandary for her. One she couldn't get out of without losing face. Not in her world. She steeled herself though, trying to find the nerve to tell these people she was too poor to go with them, so they wouldn't mistake her reluctance for distaste.
Tor nearly misted up, the emotions were so strong.
“I'm paying for everyone. We may even pick up a couple of others on the way, it'll be fun.” His voice was light and cheery, and out of all of them only Rolph got that something was going on.
Tor wasn't sure that he understood what exactly, but he grinned and looked down, as if feeling sheepish.
“Ah, that's true and I get to pick up the tip, because I kind of lost a bet with Tor… He bet me that he couldn't pick up my sisters. I mean, look at him, they should have been all over him, but no, all decorum and politeness. Go figure. Anyway, this meal is totally covered and for the bet we agreed at least six people had to come with to count.” He spread his hands and shrugged playfully.
Sheri stared and then laughed behind her hand delicately.
“Are you sure they weren't just discrete about it? I can't imagine a lot of women actually say no to him. Torrance? That's a nice name. I'd love to come, thank you.” Relief came out of her in waves and her stomached growled a bit already.
It was a giant thing, they were always hungry and the growing ones were generally worse about it than the adults. Going a day without food for the skinny Ducherina would have been like him going without for two.
Maybe three.
They walked into town, since it wasn't far at all and zipping along using Not-flyers would have been showing off here. In the Capital a few hundred people had them, the devices that let them float about four inches off the ground and travel way faster than could be run. Much more than that if they were military grade ones, which was all he'd bothered giving his friends. Plus Sheri didn't have one yet, so it would have been rude.
On the way they passed Ridley, who was with another young man, both dressed in all black, the material looking soft and expensive. Petra, one of Tor's girlfriends, had told him what it was called, but he couldn't remember the name at the moment. They were invited too, which made Ridley smile and seem pretty happy all things considered. Well, things could have been tense between them, Tor guessed, but it was a simple fact that Ali was going to have sex with other men. And probably women. At least Ridley would make sure to treat her properly and with respect.
Then they managed to pick up a young man almost randomly, a second year, that also needed food but was too proud to ask, and ran through the whole diner bet thing with him, including him without question. He was a scholarship kid and rather humbly let them know that, but Tor just shrugged.
“So you got in by earning your place rather than having it handed to you? Good. I don't think anyone here has a problem with hard work, do they?” The other new kid in black surprised him a bit by stepping forward and putting out his hand to shake.
“I'm Gersh, pleased to meet you.”
The boy ducked his head shyly and shook hands, clearly expecting a game or to be mocked, but hunger drove him to at least try.
“Henry.” He replied.
In all they had a round group of ten that was dressed in multiple dark shades, when the server in the restaurant, a fairly short woman only about three inches taller than Tor, wearing a pretty blue and red skirt and cream colored top, saw their plain clothing she balked a bit and didn't want to let them in. Tor cast his mind out again, just to see what the problem was. It was simple enough, she really doubted that they had enough to pay for the meal and didn't want to have her place of work ripped off. Ah. That kind of seemed sensible, if people didn't normally pay first.