“Don't do it! I'm leaving to get some work done and won't be back till dinner, die before then and it's on you.”
That got a chorus of laughs for some reason Tor couldn't understand at all. Trying to drink yourself to death was funny here? That was insane.
They flew to the beach so that no one would follow them and then, over the water by about fifty feet, Tor hit the sigil under his shirt. It was a tiny action that made a huge boat appearing beneath them. It was two hundred feet long, the deck looked like wood and the rest was a stark black, shining like glass. It was forty-five foot wide and set into the water nicely as he lowered it, hoping he'd gotten the hull the right shape. It floated and didn't tip over at least, which he took to be a good sign. Landing on the deck pushed the boat a little lower into the water, a gentle bob of the whole thing. Being careful Tor took off the amulet and went through a door in the side of the cabin on the top deck. There he hung it on a metal hook meant just for that purpose.
“The stairs here take you to the living quarters below.” He started towards the door, bet an arm snaked across his chest first, making Tor pause.
“Drop your shield.” She spoke gently, though with a little bit of a growl. Petra seemed happy enough, if suddenly serious, so he did it, not really knowing if she was going to hit him or give him a hug. The answer was neither. She kissed him long and hard, a lot more passionately than he figured she would for a simple present like this.
Then, laughing she pulled back and asked for a tour.
Chapter nine
Petra ran past him into the driving area, which she called the “pilot house”. It had windows all the way around, well, invisible shields, but that was even easier than making them look like something else, so Tor hadn't stinted on them. Petra examined the controls and smiled, it was the same as for a fishing boat, even if the craft was way larger. She started slow, a few miles per hour and then inched the lever forward slowly. It gained speed, moving faster until the whole thing started to shudder and skip a little on the waves. She giggled and slowed it down wide eyed and smiling. At a guess she was moving at around forty miles per hour still. The turning radius seemed horrible, the big ship making a circle about an eighth of a mile in diameter, but she seemed pleased with it. Very.
“It's just how boats this size are. Actually this one seems to handle better than most. A lot better….” She took it out for miles before bringing the speed to zero, pulling the level, one that looked like polished wood in a dark color, all the way back. They stopped moving then, except where the waves lifted the boat a little bit.
That's what happened when stopped, so there wouldn't be a need for an anchor. That earned him another hug, then a kiss, her hand moving down his back and finally clutching his behind. It was playful and seemed a little interested, if Tor was any judge of such things. Petra grinned again.
“Show me the rest?”
The deck, obviously was just a deck and had no special properties at all. There wasn't even a hatch for a cargo hold, since it wasn't meant to carry any he let her know. The railing looked good and they spent a minute looking at the ocean, holding on the rail and each other for a while.
“I love this. The ocean I mean. The present is alright too.” She chuckled and shook her head gently. “Of course now I'm spoiled and no boy giving me mere flowers will ever stand a chance. Well, unless he's really cute of course, then it might work…”
Tor stuck out his tongue.
“Like you'd ever be anything but proper? Besides, flowers are nice. Their colorful and smell good. Who doesn't like that? At least the equal of something like this.” Tor grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the door at about mid-deck that held the stairs. It was a spiral set of steps, because Tor thought it was elegant, if slightly dizzy making, each looking like sturdy pieces of drift wood. So the look was eclectic? It gave it a bit more character than if the whole thing was just one style, right?
The rest of it was massive, now that he got a good look at it. It had five rooms in all, a restroom, done to look like warm wood and that had a pattern to it that made you feel like you were in a forest somewhere, the ceiling looking like trees with a daylight sky above. That was where the light came from, but it didn't change. He hadn't figured that part out yet, making the image move. The bathing chamber had a big tub, but it looked like it was made of clear glass. The shower next to it also had the same look. The walls did too, something he was particularly proud of.
“Obviously, we can see out, but even someone trying to look in will only ever see the side of the ship. I um, thought you might appreciate the risque aspect of it.”
She did, and wanted to show him just how much right then and there. Tor was tempted, but he kind of had something set up with Collette. When he admitted it, Petra just smiled at him and shook her head. She didn't push the issue though. Tor wondered if he should have done it anyway. It was so tempting, but felt wrong somehow.
Yes, it was wrong.
If he was in Two Bends.
Here having two women in a day was probably normal. He so needed to finish reading that book on manners Holly had lent him. It was probably covered in there. If not he needed to make up a list of questions and just grab someone to ask outright. Rolph would tell him. Or Rich maybe, if he really got desperate. If the poor man could find the time to talk about things that trivial to the kingdom.
Pet tested the water and then tasted it. It was pure, and cold. It didn't take her ten seconds to figure out how to set the water to what she liked, something far hotter than what Tor would have picked himself. Then she let it all out, checking the speed and action as it drained, seeming impressed.
“Another thing that would work well I think, just to carry around with you. Except, if I'm using it in public I wouldn't want it to look like clear glass. That has to make your butt spread in highly unflattering ways.” She tried to look at her own behind over her shoulder and laughed at the same time.
The next room he showed her was the kitchen, which she told him was the galley on a boat. It had an eating area right there divided by a serving counter towards the back of the boat. That section was decent sized as was the kitchen, the cooking part was all in black stone marbled with lightly glowing blue and orange, at least for the counter tops the rest was white stone that didn't glow at all, except for the ceiling, which gave off a decent approximation of sunlight. She liked the look, but pointed out that she could barely cook, no matter that he was providing magical instruments for it. Tor shrugged.
“But I can.” He said lightly. “It will give you a reason to take me with you when you go places. Part of the time at least.”
The dining area stopped her in her tracks.
“This is lovely Tor!”
It was, that's why he copied the look from the guest house dining room at the palace in the Capital. The walls were covered in green silk, the table in green linen. Everything else was wood of half a dozen different colors from deep cherry to blond pine. Really, lacking taste himself he feared, he'd done similar things with the next two rooms, if in his own way.
The big room had three sofas and four softly cushioned chairs. All done in white velvet and dark wood that almost looked black. There was a table to hold beverages near each, except a low bench like thing he'd gotten the idea for from the madam’s office at Wilderness Station. It looked good for a quick nap. It occurred to him then that a madam might have something like that for something other than dozing and blushed, but Petra seemed to like it.