many children to have. Two is a good number I think. Certainly no more than three. Eleven is a few too many."
Not that anyone would care what he thought on the matter, but he wanted to show support for his sister anyway.
Alphonse apparently did too, since he gave her a small half bow.
"Well in that case, we should meet sometime soon. Perhaps for s..."
Tor hit him.
It wasn't a little tap either, but a full blown punch that caused his shield to trigger and made the floor, which was solid stone, pop a little when the force got shunted downwards into it. Everyone froze for a second and Tor surprised himself... by hitting his best friend again even harder.
It didn't hurt him, but it made the Prince blink.
"I was just going to say we should meet to discuss some plans for Noram day or some projects to work on, to help make connections. Gods Tor, do you really think I'm going to proposition your sister in front of my intended? That would be beyond rude." There was a grin with it, but it looked a little confused and baffled, as if he didn't get that Tor was responding to his propositioning his sister in front of him.
Which only made sense. He wouldn't get it as wrong really, would he? Oh, his friend knew on some level that Tor was more provincial than anyone else he knew, but it didn't really translate to the idea that he'd lash out over something like that. If they'd been in Two Bends and someone had suggested they run off with one of his sisters for illicit sex he'd have been fighting still and not stopping until he couldn't go on any more. Even if it was his best friend.
It was a double standard of course, based on different situations. This was a noble place though, a royal one, so it was up to Tor to try and bend to their rules, not the other way around. He knew that, and normally did a decent job of it. He thought so at least. Maybe he just wasn't blending in as well as he'd imagined?
He'd had sex with all the women in Alphonse's immediate family at some point and his buddy had done no more than tease him gently over it. He didn't even do it seriously. Even the King had just smiled about it and they were his wife and daughters. By Tor's way of thinking the man had a right to have him killed... or do it himself. Even if he wasn't the ruler of the whole land.
He sighed and made a half bow to everyone, starting with Abby. After all, she was the one from a place where violence virtually didn't exist. Him hitting someone, even if it wasn't meant to really harm anyone, had obviously shaken her. Her eyes showed fear, a white rim around the ice blue in the center under the brilliant bird red hair. It was incredibly apparent that he'd miss-stepped with her. Of course, in the room he was in the only one that got what was truly happening was his own sister. She'd be within her rights to call him on it, maybe even ordering him out of the Capital all together for embarrassing the family. It wasn't a minor thing, attacking someone like that. Oddly enough, by the rules they'd grown up with Tor was the one in the right, except that Alphonse was a royal. That would have changed things normally, even a year before, but now Terlee just...
Laughed.
Her hand came out and touched his shoulder gently, which was meant to be calming he knew, then explained to the others before Tor could form a real apology.
"I understand the feeling Tor. I nearly hit him too and I'm planning to send a note later asking if he'd be free for such "discussions", it isn't easy to straddle two worlds like this. I'm sure Abby gets it, though with less lashing out, no doubt." Her words started warm and ended dry and slightly country sounding. It was just a hint of an accent though, not slipping into home-speak totally. If she'd done that Tor would be the only one in the room to understand her.
He nodded and puffed his cheeks up.
"Sorry Alphonse. I forgot myself. Won't happen again. Until, you know, the next time. I'll try to do better though." It wasn't a good
Not that anyone would care what he thought on the matter, but he wanted to show support for his sister anyway.
Alphonse apparently did too, since he gave her a small half bow.
"Well in that case, we should meet sometime soon. Perhaps for s..."
Tor hit him.
It wasn't a little tap either, but a full blown punch that caused his shield to trigger and made the floor, which was solid stone, pop a little when the force got shunted downwards into it. Everyone froze for a second and Tor surprised himself... by hitting his best friend again even harder.
It didn't hurt him, but it made the Prince blink.
"I was just going to say we should meet to discuss some plans for Noram day or some projects to work on, to help make connections. Gods Tor, do you really think I'm going to proposition your sister in front of my intended? That would be beyond rude." There was a grin with it, but it looked a little confused and baffled, as if he didn't get that Tor was responding to his propositioning his sister in front of him.
Which only made sense. He wouldn't get it as wrong really, would he? Oh, his friend knew on some level that Tor was more provincial than anyone else he knew, but it didn't really translate to the idea that he'd lash out over something like that. If they'd been in Two Bends and someone had suggested they run off with one of his sisters for illicit sex he'd have been fighting still and not stopping until he couldn't go on any more. Even if it was his best friend.
It was a double standard of course, based on different situations. This was a noble place though, a royal one, so it was up to Tor to try and bend to their rules, not the other way around. He knew that, and normally did a decent job of it. He thought so at least. Maybe he just wasn't blending in as well as he'd imagined?
He'd had sex with all the women in Alphonse's immediate family at some point and his buddy had done no more than tease him gently over it. He didn't even do it seriously. Even the King had just smiled about it and they were his wife and daughters. By Tor's way of thinking the man had a right to have him killed... or do it himself. Even if he wasn't the ruler of the whole land.
He sighed and made a half bow to everyone, starting with Abby. After all, she was the one from a place where violence virtually didn't exist. Him hitting someone, even if it wasn't meant to really harm anyone, had obviously shaken her. Her eyes showed fear, a white rim around the ice blue in the center under the brilliant bird red hair. It was incredibly apparent that he'd miss-stepped with her. Of course, in the room he was in the only one that got what was truly happening was his own sister. She'd be within her rights to call him on it, maybe even ordering him out of the Capital all together for embarrassing the family. It wasn't a minor thing, attacking someone like that. Oddly enough, by the rules they'd grown up with Tor was the one in the right, except that Alphonse was a royal. That would have changed things normally, even a year before, but now Terlee just...
Laughed.
Her hand came out and touched his shoulder gently, which was meant to be calming he knew, then explained to the others before Tor could form a real apology.
"I understand the feeling Tor. I nearly hit him too and I'm planning to send a note later asking if he'd be free for such "discussions", it isn't easy to straddle two worlds like this. I'm sure Abby gets it, though with less lashing out, no doubt." Her words started warm and ended dry and slightly country sounding. It was just a hint of an accent though, not slipping into home-speak totally. If she'd done that Tor would be the only one in the room to understand her.
He nodded and puffed his cheeks up.
"Sorry Alphonse. I forgot myself. Won't happen again. Until, you know, the next time. I'll try to do better though." It wasn't a good
Similar Books
