The ice festival, impromptu as it was, needed some games, which the Count and Countess got to come up with, that being the tradition in Ward. Tor offered some of his little devices as prizes for them. He got out some lights, Temperature equalizers, Not-flyers and cutters. For a grand prize he offered one of the houses complete with water pump, one of the purifying kind.
The games were at once familiar, and disturbing to his country bred mind. The contests for the kids were unique, but made sense in a way. Like one were the competitors had to sit on blocks of ice, the one that lasted the longest won a Not-flyer. A basic idea that wasn't so much skill or luck based. Good for the young ones, or at least Tor thought so at first.
It came down to a little boy of about five and a twelve year old girl, both in clear agony, who refused to let the other win. At an hour Tor went into his house and got one of the remaining devices in that set and brought it out, handing it off to the Count. The large man declared them both the winner, in a loud booming voice, and presented then each with a unit with a happy smile and congratulations.
Petra suggested that they earmark both of those kids for military service later, because they'd already proved they were tough enough, hadn't they? Ward nodded, but with a somber sidelong glance at Tor as if wondering what he'd say about the idea.
He just shrugged.
“The girl will need to go to school in a few years regardless. Get with me when it's time and I'll cover her for that. The boy too, when it comes time. I have some connections in that area, or will at least, by then.”
Marvin bowed. Honestly he looked more than a little happy about it. Like it was a gift for him personally or something. Then again, as the Count, any child given an education from his area was a good thing, right?
If anything that made the rest of the competitors work even harder for some reason. There was a fruit eating contest, which was close enough to things Tor recognized really, even if the fruit was unique to him, bananas, followed by people eating raw fish.
If it was up to Tor, each person willing to take a single bite and keep it down would have gotten a prize, because he nearly lost his lunch just watching. The contestants ate with vigor and seemed to enjoy it and the winner of that contest put away pounds of the stuff.
The contests that got to Tor a bit were the later ones, in the afternoon. The ladies dance competition sounded innocent enough. After all, what harm was there in dancing and bouncing around to music? All the women that wanted to compete went out into the green and danced, using their best and showiest moves. It was to last ten songs, with the crowd hooting and clapping at the end of each musical number for each in turn, the one with the most applause winning the round. Win the most rounds and you got the prize. By the fourth a woman just sank to her knees and started mimicking pleasing a man with her mouth. It was funny and pretty provocative, Tor thought, figuring that would end there, or possibly be copied in the next round since that woman, a cute red-head with dark skin, at least as dark as Petra, won that dance.
Instead, in the next round half the women took their tops off and danced that way, to the hoots of the crowd, who were starting to get a little drunk already, as early as it was. Two dances later all of them were completely nude and thrusting in the air and sometimes with each other and in the last round several of them were openly pleasuring themselves while the band played. Tor moved close to Petra and asked, a little timidly, if this kind of thing was normal. She shook her head and glanced at him, looking away from the spectacle for a bit.
“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.