Lisette barked out a laugh. “Do you even remember what those ‘usual festivities’ are?”
Alric flashed her a wide grin. “No, I do not. I was barely more than an infant the last time they happened. That’s why I’m relying on you, Dieter, and Gunter to dig out all the old journals to uncover what we need to do to properly greet our guests. Rodrigo and his retainers are here on grim business, but we will show them proper Burkhard hospitality. The relationship between our two clans has been strained for too long. I want that to end with this trip.”
“As you wish, Hoheit,” Dieter said with a bow of his head.
“Is it safe to announce the exciting news to the rest of the castle?” Baldewin asked, but his eyes were trained on a very quiet Ravi, who was staring down at his lap.
“Assuming that Ravi hasn’t texted it to the entire castle yet,” Alric said.
Ravi looked up with a gasp. “I haven’t told anyone yet!” he cried. He held up the phone from where it had been in his lap, showing a long text filled with exclamation points and what might possibly be snowflakes. “See! I haven’t sent it yet. I was just preparing it.”
Cameron squinted at the screen and laughed. “It’s to my sister. You won’t need to announce it. Ravi tells my sister, and the entire castle will know in less than twenty minutes.”
Alric groaned. “Ravi, delete the text. Don’t send it. Dieter will send out an official announcement to everyone so they have the correct information and their questions answered. This isn’t gossip.”
“Of course, Hoheit,” Ravi mumbled. He held his phone out so Alric could clearly see him delete the unsent text.
“I think that’s enough excitement for one day. Everyone, please see to preparations for what we’ve discussed.”
They all rose as Alric officially closed out the meeting. Luckily, Baldewin didn’t have too much on his plate. An update to the policy in regards to leaving the castle, a check in with his security team, and then he could finally find Tori. He needed to see the mage, to hold him. Only then would he finally be rid of this anxious twisting in the pit of his stomach.
Tori caught Ha Na’s arm with a laugh, doing the now requisite do-si-do to switch places with her. The distance between the tables was technically wide enough to walk by, even two abreast, but Ha Na insisted on this dance-style switch off when they had to change places. And since Tori had basically fallen in love with this seventy-year-old grandmother with outrageous hair, he played along with a smile.
Ha Na was amazingly fun. He could see where both Cameron and Cassie got their personalities from. Tori would give his eye teeth to have Ha Na as a grandmother.
She giggled, as she always did, her empty bowl clutched in the other arm. There was a sparkle in her dark eyes, happiness in her face, and he smiled helplessly back at her. This woman’s charm was lethal.
“Tori!” Cassie called from her comfortable perch in the window. “Stop flirting with my grandmother! You’re going to make Big B all insecure and jealous.”
“It’s too late for him,” Tori called back. “Ha Na’s already stolen my heart. There’s no turning back now.”
That earned him another giggle, and she closed in for a hug. “You’re the most precious thing. You play with me. Those useless grandchildren of mine don’t play with me.”
“Hey!” Cassie spluttered in protest. “I play with you all the time!”
Ha Na soundly ignored her, still hugging Tori with one arm around his waist. “You be my grandson from now on, alright?”
“Done,” he said and meant it more than words could express. He knew Ha Na was mostly joking, but he wished she actually meant the offer. She’d love him as a grandmother should. His own grandmother couldn’t even bring herself to look at him.
“It’s a wonder we got done, considering how much you two play.” Melissande reached over the packaged shampoo bottles and poked Tori in the shoulder with a pen. “Come back here, you. I’m not done with you yet.”
Tori flashed her a smile as he disengaged from Ha Na’s hug, resuming the task that sent him over there to begin with. Namely, fetching the labels from the printer.
Cassie had taken over setting up the labels and such to print, as she could do that from her laptop and not move from the chair. But the printer was not near her, instead perched close to the ingredients table, leaving someone else to fetch them from the tray. Tori picked up the stack and returned to Melissande to help her put on the many, many labels.
It was quite the array of things they’d made this morning. Shampoos, lotions, hair tonics, facial cleansers for acne.
One of the products, he’d helped tweak—the willow bark topical salve. It would be far more effective for sore muscles than before.
Lisette mentioned they made something along those lines for Alric, but more powerful and infused with magic in a way they didn’t dare sell openly on the market. It was the first hint Tori had that the king was suffering from some old injury. The way he acted, it wasn’t at all obvious.
They were done brewing for the day, the bottles lined up neatly. Everyone was a little tired from moving and standing for so many hours but satisfied, too, with a job well done. Tori wanted to sit for ten minutes, but they were so close to being finished, he chose to push through it instead.
Cassie had printed out a stack of invoices, and their job now was to get the labels on the right jars. Apparently, the dragons took it from there, as they were the ones in charge of shipping and handling. It was a fair division of labor, and another sign that this clan really knew how to support each other.
Tori looked around the room, still marveling at it all, despite being in here for seven hours. Eight mages, all working harmoniously together, and enjoying the work.
Nine, including him, and they had very much included him. Welcomed him with open arms and smiles and never once made him feel awkward for being there. If this was any indication of what the clan was like as a whole—and Tori bet it was—then it was an amazing place to be.
How had Tori ever feared these people? How had he ever thought of them with hate? Now that he knew them, he’d give anything to be one of them.
“I’m really excited about the new lip balm line,” Carla said, pulling him out of his thoughts. She joined the sticker assembly line on his other side, tackling the shampoo bottles. “I think it will sell really well.”
Tori shot the mage with pale blond hair a shy smile. The lip balm was something he’d made for himself, a protection against the bitter cold of Finland. It healed chapped lips quite well and required little in the way of magic to work. Perfect for the everyday human. “I’m glad you were willing to try it.”
She nudged him with an elbow, a playful expression on her face. “It’s obvious you know your craft. Why wouldn’t we? And really, sometimes we’re stumped for ideas of what to create next. You can’t offer the same products all the time. The market goes stale on you.”
“That’s very true,” Lisette agreed, picking up the temporary containers for the lip balm. New containers needed to be ordered for the new product before it could be packaged and shipped. “With Tori’s help, we’ll be able to take on more orders, perhaps start offering customized packages.”