The bedroom was just a nearly exact copy of a room he'd stayed in at the palace. Some wooden chairs, a polished cherry wood table covered in white and a bed that was still the biggest thing he'd ever seen the like of.
Until now.
This was bigger. It was nearly twice as wide as it was long, and it was ten feet long. It had a canopy over the top with gauzy curtains that could be drawn for privacy or maybe to set a mood. Given all the spies and eyes on you in the palace, Tor figured it was the first one there. Privacy. Seeing it now Tor felt like it was ridiculously over done, but Petra threw herself onto it and rolled.
“Whee!”
Crawling under the covered she squirmed.
“Silk sheets? God Tor, laundering these delightful monstrosities must be impossible…” She didn't look upset about it. Tor sighed and acted a little put upon, crossing his arms and shaking his head at her.
“Alright, out of bed now… Out!” He smiled when she scurried out, looking worried, as if he was mad about something instead of just being playful with her. He tapped the headboard sigil, a glowing hawk, and the bedding disappeared and came back, tightly made and pristine. That earned him a gasp.
Over time Tor was starting to get that there were different kind of gasps, some of them shocked and angry sounding, others just surprised and amazed. That was the one he was going for here. Petra jumped back in the bed and got under the covers again, squirmed and rolled to mess the whole thing up, which took some work, then she scrambled out like a little kid and hit the sigil to watch it all again.
Then his tall dark haired friend, who might, he realized, actually be his girlfriend, if so, the first he ever had, froze, her eyes going wide. She tugged hard at the sheet, pulling it free from the thick comforter on top of it and stood, draping the gold fabric around her shoulders, staring at it hard. She got it all the way off the bed and made sure it hung totally off the floor.
“Wait, this is… silk? But it isn't is it? It's a shield you said? Like the hull and the deck? Or the house? But it looks and feels real? That means we could use it to make clothes?” She actually bounced in place looking gleeful. “They'd be really expensive, but you could add special properties to them or something. They could change color and glow on demand. Or, I don't know, pleasure you with vibrations or something. I saw a device like that once, Martya's mom had it… That could be fun. Could you make them fit anyone though, or would they need to be sized to the individual? That's why clothes are so expensive really, that and how rare the best materials are. Oh, and shoes, or boots, could they be the same do you think? Hit one sigil and you're dressed for the day? Maybe more than one outfit per unit?” Petra stopped talking and went still.
Clothes making and design was her passion, and since this time she wouldn't be doing hand stitching, Tor kind of figured her plans might get a little elaborate. Well, if it made her happy, he could try. Maybe he could make the controls work to mental command or feedback? Then it would at least be practice for Trice’s arm. He really needed to make a study of limbs and how they worked mentally soon, as well as how they looked close up. He didn't think about it much, but he kind of thought that getting it wrong would really stand out. He started working on the feedback and mental control aspects of the clothing, which meant Petra came back to herself before he did.
Pulling his arm gently she guided him to the pilot house and slowly drove them back to the bay. They just took off from the deck flying the boat about ten feet out of the water before turning it off. Tor knew that Petra kind of wanted to put it in dock, to show off, but what was the point of having a magic boat you could carry around, if you didn't? Like with the houses he'd made. He had one around his neck even though there was one set up in the Wards yard. Well two, but he planned to leave the other for them to use as a guest house, since they seemed to like it well enough. Tiny magic house in the yard, what wasn't to like? They could put it away until needed even.
Tor looked at her fondly. Out of all the people he knew, she always seemed the most innocent. It could be taken as stupid by some, but they'd be wrong. Petra was clever in her fields, just like he did all right in his. But her heart was what impressed him. Trice was funnier, and Varley, well, pregnant out of wedlock or not, it wouldn't shock him to find out in the end that she was the smartest person he knew. Rolph was friendly and personable, when not trying to be the best heir to the throne ever. But then, did they want an heir that wasn't trying his best? Probably not.
Karina was… Tor drew a blank there. The only thing that came was that she was not to be underestimated. He'd try to keep that in mind, because it felt like a portent of some kind.
Tor wasn't even going to try and categorized the King. That would be stupid. The man hid everything so well. He'd ticked off Tor by making Trice betray him in public, but… Well, he could have had a reason that Tor would never know about, couldn't he?
The same went for Connie, who at least pretended to like him really well and would probably sleep with him to prove it. Which was why he couldn't trust her. Not really. Even if she did like him, he wouldn't be able to tell if she was just acting for some reason. Unless he read her field of course.
The idea stunned him for a moment. It felt… off. An invasion of privacy if nothing else. One that would work though.
They flew back in silence, but a companionable sort that reminded Tor of being home in the woods, when there was just one or two other people and you did nothing but hike and camp for a day. There was a peace to flying, the world seemed so small and it felt like you could deal with anything. Best of all was the quiet. The wind rushing past you made noise, but you were too far away to hear anything from the ground. Tor hadn't realized how much he appreciated silence, until he'd learned to fly.
That being the case, feeling so relaxed, Tor half expected to fly back to find a fight had broken out, or someone dead. All they found though was a party and people cleaning up for dinner. They landed close to one another on the front stoop of the house, white stone, marble he thought, just as the sun was dying. There was no one there, even though he normally would have preferred to land in a more open area.
Trice saw them and walked over looking smug and belligerent.
“So, where did you two get off to for three hours? Out counting the sand dunes?” Her voice wasn't slurring from drink, but it didn't sound happy. In fact it sounded a bit like she wanted to pick a fight. Her face looked like that too.
Oh goody.
Tor couldn't tell who with yet. He tilted his head, waiting to see what she'd say next, but Petra couldn't contain herself and burst out happily about their day and his gift.
“It's huge! Some of the rooms are nicer than the King’s palace in the Capital, or at least copies of it, and it goes so fast, for a ship I mean. Would you like to see it? We could go tomorrow. We could stay out for a night even, the bed is huge, I mean we have to share, but it's twenty feet wide and ten feet long. It looks ridiculous, but it's so soft and it forms to you perfectly. Ooh, and the bed? You hit a single sigil and it cleans and remakes itself, so no sleeping in the wet spot.” She grinned and tried to nudge Trice a little on the shoulder. But she dodged it easily and glared at Tor.
“So, trying out this new magic bed with your girlfriend? Was she good? Did she let you be on top so she didn't crush you or what? I see how things are. I lose my arm and suddenly I'm not good enough for you? Or you just never liked me at all, is that it? Not noble enough for you?” Her voice was getting higher pitched and fierce at the same time.
“Scored a Princess, so figured that nothing less than a Counserina will do? Is that it? Found out you were a Countier and now I'm not good enough for you?” She looked ready to cry.