Tori Transmigrated

For an introvert, going to a party was like going to war. There was a lot of mental preparation that was often involved, and armor that manifested in nice clothing, shoes, and overall put together appearance. It was like this for Tori every time and she was used to the stages of preparation.

Tonight, they would be attending the winter ball of Count Ferrero, one of the main vassals to the Gueveras. The Ferrero Estate was just outside the east gates of the city and it wouldn’t take them long to get there. Tori had looked up his family and noted that there were two daughters and a son within a few years of her age. It was likely that she had been rude to them at one point and needed to prepare herself for meeting them.

Kasen said to expect that other vassals would also be at the party, as, of the three they were planning to attend, this one was the largest. The Gueveras themselves didn’t throw a winter ball. They had a family dinner. Instead, they threw a week-long spring festival in the city and then a harvest festival in autumn.

However, they still had social obligations and so members of the family had to make appearances. This often fell on Sebastian, the heir, Kasen, and now Tori, who happened to be home.

She stood in front of the massive mirror leaning against one wall of her room, looking at the slightly toned-down version of what would’ve been a rococo-era dress. It was heavy and she had to wear a small hoop to make sure the satin and lace skirt came down correctly. It had poet sleeves, ribbons, and a low neckline.

Tori looked down at her chest and pursed her lips. In her original world, she’d use her cleavage as a pocket when, for whatever reason, she didn’t have one and needed to free her hands. At her friend’s wedding, she needed to keep her car keys, phone, and a small wallet on her, so she shoved them in there and they fit in snuggly.

Now, she doubted it would hold a credit card snuggly. I’m not asking for my D’s, I’m just asking for something.

“My lady, you look very beautiful.” Tori heard the maid who just finished styling her hair into an updo speak as she stepped back. “The gown the marquess selected fits you perfectly.”

Tori took a deep breath and put on a little smile. “Yes, the colors go well with my features.” Her mother had gone with a sapphire-colored dress with gray embellishments. Her hair had been decorated with sapphire pins and jewelry that night were sapphires set on silver. “Get my coat. I should go downstairs.”

The maid brought out Tori’s black Ilyana coat and she put it on, careful of the sleeves, and only buttoning it down to her cinched waist, allowing the coat to rest over the skirt. She headed downstairs and already felt hot in the coat. She should’ve known that this many layers of dress would keep her warm.

“Look at my little girl!” Her father gushed as she came down the stairs. Her mother clasped her hands together, utterly pleased. “A beauty just like her mother.”

Tori smiled as she reached the ground floor. “I’m ready to go. Where are my brothers?”

“They’re already outside,” her mother said as her father offered his arm to escort her. Tori took it and they walked through the fortress to get to the outer courtyard.

A carriage was waiting at the bottom of the steps and her brothers were standing beside it. They were both dressed well, far neater than how she usually saw them dressed. Their black shoes were shiny and their suits pressed and dark beneath the mohair coats she gifted them. Even their hair was combed back.

It looked so odd to her, as she was used to seeing them with messy hair, that she almost laughed. Her father leaned down. “They look strange, don’t they?”

Tori snickered and gave him a nod before she was ushered into the carriage. Her brothers came in after and sat across from her.

“How are you feeling? It’s your first ball since the accident,” Kasen asked as the carriage jerked forward.

“A bit nervous,” she said. “But we’re just there to make an appearance on behalf of the family.”

“Sebastian is the heir. We can leave most of the talking to him,” Kasen said as he looked over at their brother.

Sebastian nodded. “Count Ferrero’s balls are quite casual and everyone in attendance is familiar with our family. There isn’t much dancing, either.”

Tori nodded and looked out the window as they passed through Presidio. The old streets had lamps, but they weren’t as bright as the ones in Horizon, likely because the streets were not as wide.

It took less than half an hour to reach Count Ferrero’s estate and by the time they arrived, there was already a small line of carriages in front of them dropping off attendees at the front. The estate itself wasn’t as large as the fortress, but it was newer or at least had been renovated much more recently. The facade differed greatly from the usual building styles within Presidio’s walls.

“Once we step out, just follow me to greet the various lords and ladies,” Sebastian said as their carriage slowly moved forward. “After we greet the major parties, you and Kasen can go get something to eat. Count Ferrero always has a good array of food and drink at his parties.”

Tori nodded once more. Their carriage finally reached the front and a footman came to open the door. Sebastian stepped out first, followed by Kasen, who held out his hand to help Tori down.

Smile. Nod. Shake hands. Friendly greetings, exchange questions, and move on. Tori told herself as she fixed a neutral, business smile on her face and stepped out of the carriage. She took Kasen’s arm and was led inside. They handed off their coats once they entered the foyer.

“If anything happens to that coat, someone will pay dearly,” Sebastian said with a cold smile.

Tori resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She tugged his sleeve and gave a nod of her head to urge him to continue forward.

A set of double doors was up ahead and small groups of people were waiting to be announced and enter through them.

Smile. Nod. Shake hands. Tori stood up straight with her shoulders down and chin up to elongate her neck. She kept her pleasant demeanor as she stood beside Kasen and followed Sebastian closer and closer to the entrance.

“Lord Sebastian de Guevera, Lord Kasen de Guevera, and Lady Victoria de Guevera have arrived!”

They stepped into the wide ballroom and the bright lights almost made her squint. She could feel dozens of eyes on them as they entered and she could only pretend she didn’t notice as she followed Sebastian around.

Smile. Nod. Shake hands.

“Count Ferrero, thank you for having us. We’re happy to be able to come tonight,” Tori shook the hands of a tall, middle-aged man who was beaming.

“It’s a pleasure to have all three of you come. How has your time been at Lycée?” he asked. He looked thoughtful. “Have you gotten homesick yet?”

“A few times, but I call home often,” Tori replied after shaking his hand.

“Ah, it’s always hard to be away from home for the first time,” Count Ferrero gave her a nod. “Since you’re here, be sure to try tonight’s food. I’ve made sure to put out the best of our southern delicacies.”

A genuine smile reached Tori’s face. “Not to diminish your greeting, but that may be the highlight of my night.”

Count Ferrero let out a laugh and ushered her along to greet the next guest. The line of greetings continued on. Count Ferrero’s wife, three other vassals, two local lords, and some visiting nobility came one after the other.

Smile. Nod. Shake hands.

“Last one,” she heard Kasen whisper as they reached an elderly woman. Tori gave her a proper greeting and smiled. She answered the questions asked. She even stood there patiently as the woman, Viscountess Navarro, name-dropped her grandson who was in La Garda.

“He’s only three years older than you, but if you are in any trouble, you can go find him,” the Viscountess told her as she patted Tori’s hand reassuringly. “He’s a good boy. Very handsome.”

Viscountess, there are already too many handsome men in my life. I’m good. “I will keep him in mind. He is a Navarro?”

“Yes, Gael Daniel Rodrigo de Navarro,” the Viscountess said. “I will let him know about you.”

Tori kept a smile on her face as Kasen interrupted and finally led Tori away. He leaned in closer. “You’re not really thinking of contacting him, are you?”

“I was being polite. She seems like such a nice old lady, I can’t say no,” Tori whispered back.

“The Viscountess just loves matchmaking. Don’t take her seriously,” Kasen said. His eyes narrowed. “Doing so is a mistake.”

Tori raised an eyebrow and wanted to ask more, but they reached the long-awaited tables of food. Tori’s eyes lit up as she pulled away from her brother to walk along the tables and get an idea of what was offered and figure out what she’d get first.

Her first instinct was to go for the desserts, but there was so much more offered on tiny plates for her to pick at and get a taste of.

How bad would it look if I treated this as a buffet...and are there tables where I can sit? She turned around to look for a place to eat. Preferably a hidden corner or behind a pillar where she could sample as many of the food tastings that were laid out as possible.

“Drink first,” Kasen said as he handed her a glass of white wine. “You’ve been talking for a while.”

“You’re always dependable, Kasey.” She took the small wine glass from his hand and took a sip. “Where should we go to eat?”

“There are some standing tables along the walls,” he told her. “We can always come back, so there is no need to take as much as possible at once.”

Tori rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to pile my plate with food.” Anymore.... “There’s so much, I don’t know where to begin.”

“Pick what you want to eat first.”

“I want to eat everything....” Her voice trailed off as her eyes fixed on yellow slices of fruit laid out on a white platter. They were circular rings accompanied by small cubes and, as a garnish, there were the pointed leaves of the top of the fruit beside them. Her heart quickened. If this was what she thought it was, then a whole new food situation opened for her. “Is this a pine-”

“Tori.” Kasen stepped closer and motioned his head to the side. She followed his gaze and saw a small group of half a dozen teenagers approaching. “Count Ferrero’s eldest daughter and her friends.”

“How bad was my past relationship with them?”

“Subtle rivalry at best. Parasitic at worst.”

Her lips tightened into a line. “All right. I can deal with them.” Kasen gave her a nod and began to step away. “Ah, but don’t go too far.”

He gave her a small reassuring smile and nod before taking a few steps back. The teenagers greeted him as they passed.

“Lady Guevera,” the young woman leading the group was young Lady Ferrero and she and her entourage stopped before Tori and gave her a small bow. “It’s good to see you again.”

The business smile was back on Tori’s face. “I am happy to be able to come. It’s been a while since I’ve been home.”

“How is your time in Lycée?” young Lady Ferrero asked with a pleasant smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ve heard that you’ve had quite a time when you started.” There was a sharpness in her voice that wasn’t well hidden.

“It was a bit chaotic at first,” Tori replied. “But it isn’t bad. I’m at the top of my electives class and rank third overall as of the last exams.” She looked back at them, glancing at their faces one by one. There were only two other students from Presidio who made it into Lycée and both were from scholar families. Tori didn’t have much interaction with them, but she did look into them after finding out that rumors of her buying her way into the school were spread through them. “How have all of you been?”

Before they could answer, Tori saw a blur of yellow from the corner of her eye. She turned her head as someone grabbed onto her arm. It was an affectionate gesture and one that Ilyana often did. It was familiar enough that for a moment, Tori thought Ilyana had come to visit. She looked at her right arm and drew her head back.

A pretty girl with light brown hair was smiling widely at her, but Tori didn’t recognize her.

“My lady, you’re finally here! You must come see this. Lady Veronica is wearing a hand-me-down dress from her sister! She didn’t even try to alter it; can you believe it? Count Ferrero’s ball is the largest this winter; she should have some respect as a noble!” The girl spoke in one breathless sentence, but despite that, Tori heard every word and felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment.

Without answering, she looked towards her brother with wide, questioning eyes. Was this how I was like? Really? I would’ve hated me, too.

Kasen seemed to be holding back a smile as he quietly raised his glass towards her, as if in confirmation. Tori cursed Victoria.

She looked back at the girl clinging on to her arm and took a step back, gently trying to pry her off as she gave her an apologetic smile. As Tori managed to pull her arm away, the girl looked confused.

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t recall who you are,” she said in the most courteous, but somewhat confused voice she could manage. “I don’t mean to be rude, but since I had that accident, I have some gaps in my memory. I’ve had difficulty remembering people.”

She looked at the others to try to read their reactions and most seemed surprised while a few were in disbelief.

Tori squinted and prodded. “Did you know I fell off a horse and was unconscious for several days last summer?”

The young nobles seemed to snap out of their surprise and looked at each other before nodding. Someone else she didn’t recognize stepped forward and gave her a dubious look.

“Are you sure you don’t remember people?”

“Unless they were family I saw every day, no. I didn’t even recognize some of the servants and knights at the fortress.” Now that she’d told them, she looked at the girl who had clung on to her and offered her a polite smile. “May I ask who you are?”

The girl seemed to think for a moment before her face lit up. She reached forward and grabbed Tori’s arm once more. “I’m your best friend!”

For a moment, Tori imagined Ilyana somewhere in Horizon, suddenly getting upset and not knowing why.

Tori kept a polite smile on her face. “What’s your name?”

“Angelica Montes de Castillo!”

She tried to remember if that name was familiar. She vaguely recalled the names from the few notes asking about her when she woke up, but none of them were from an Angelica Montes de Castillo. Once more, Tori pulled her arm away from the girl.

“You are my...best friend?” Tori asked carefully. The girl nodded and Tori narrowed her eyes. “Then why didn’t you visit me when I woke up?”

The girl froze. Tori looked at the others and could see the satisfaction and smirks on their faces as they watched Angelica’s face drop.

“Well, it looks like your usual kissing up to Lady Guevera isn’t going to work this time, is it, Lady Castillo?” a young woman next to young Lady Ferrero said with a mocking grin.

“Go ahead and answer her,” another teenager urged with a smirk. “Whydidn’t you visit her when she woke up?”

“I...I didn’t know...there wasn’t an announcement!” Angelica floundered for a moment before seemingly finding her ground and glaring at the other young nobles. “But what about you all? I didn’t visit, but at least I didn’t go around saying Lady Guevera deserved to fall!”

Tori almost grimaced. The atmosphere grew tense in an instant and under her eyes, the young nobles seemed to freeze in place. Her eyes darted past them, towards Kasen. His earlier amusement was gone and was now frowning.

The group was silent and some of the young nobles seemed to pale. Even if they had proudly said it before, it certainly wasn’t something to brag about in front of Tori. She saw Kasen put down his glass and prepare to walk over.

She turned back to the group and let out a low chuckle.

“Heh...perhaps I did.” Tension gave way to confusion and from beside her, Angelica was looking at her with disbelief. It seems she really expected Tori to loudly defend herself. Tori had a wry smile on her lips as she looked at each of them. “I wasn’t a very nice person before the accident. I know that. And I’m sorry if I insulted or hurt anyone. I won’t make up an excuse, but I am regretful of my past actions.” She paused for a moment and furrowed her brows. “I will try not to be so arrogant and rude in the future.” She gave them a small nod and stepped back with a tight-lipped smile. “Have a good evening.”

She took a step around them and walked towards her brother. She didn’t want to elaborate any further and aside from an apology, there was nothing else for her to say. While she wasn’t completely reconciled - she doubted she ever would be, considering she was apologizing for something she didn’t do, she counted this as the most practical course of action.

Address the issue, apologize, and move on before it can get any worse. She didn’t need to make friends and if Victoria was indeed as terrible to her peers in Presidio as she thought, then Tori wouldn’t want to be around them longer and make the situation awkward.

She reached her brother’s side and didn’t look back.

“How is it?”

“They look confused.”

“That’s good enough.” She finished off the glass in her hands and placed it on a table to the side. She took a deep breath and slowly released it, then looked up at her brother. “Should we eat?”

Kasen gave her a nod. “Have you decided what you want?”

Tori looked back at the table filled with food and squinted. “What’s that yellow fruit and where can we get it?”

Pinya gave her the strangest feeling of hope she had since she arrived. Not counting the pressing problem of having to face a world that was actively trying to make her a villain, there was still the feeling of displacement and longing Tori tried to ignore as a means of keeping her sanity.

She missed her original family. She missed her original friends. She missed her original world.

And she missed the food.

It wasn’t that the food in Soleil was terrible. There was plenty of food in this world that existed in her original world. Game food had to come from somewhere. But a Japanese dating sim that took place in pseudo-Europe fantasyland didn’t have all the food a Californian grew up with.

Of her many secret cravings: a burrito. She could almost kill for a good burrito or for a taco truck to appear. While she could make the food herself, it was time-consuming and it was never as good as when she bought them. Most importantly, she wasn’t sure if she could source all the ingredients she needed.

They had tomatoes here, but would they have beans and corn? When she saw the pineapple, or pinya, her heart almost skipped a beat. Pineapples were also a ‘new world’ fruit from South America. Was there a pseudo-Americas fantasyland also in existence?

Finally, the game gave her a break.

“It’s fruit from the Pacha Empire, across the sea. We do a lot of trade with them and have started trying to grow some of their staple foods in our warmer regions,” Kasen had told her at Count Ferrero’s ball, as he watched her scoop up a bunch of pinya chunks from her small bowl to her mouth. “Are you interested in foreign foods?”

Her cheeks were filled with the sweet taste of pineapple. “Yes.”

She spent the next few days combing Presidio for beans, corn, and peppers. She even wrote to Count Ferrero to inquire about the pinya and where she could get one. She received one as a gift and Tori had put it in the fortress’ cold room, telling everyone not to touch it as she was saving it.

Because of her sudden interest in foreign food, various members of her family began to seek out other imports. Tori began to wake up to news of random fruits and vegetables and spices from places she’d never heard of, but were likely based on places in her original world. Then, the day after her second ball, Sebastian had presented her with corn.

“Maize from the Tona Kingdom,” he had told her, looking so proud of himself. “They’re sending over these beans later, too.”

She was so close to her burrito, she could almost cry. She had walked over and given him a hug. “I love you, Sebby.”

Once she had her ingredients, she spent two days preparing until, finally, she’d made the most basic of her favorite burrito. Kasen had walked into the kitchen to find her hunched over one of the cooking islands, with tears in her eyes as she savored a loaded corn flour tortilla. It wasn’t as good as her favorite burrito place, but it was good enough.

Her unexpected fixation on burritos, and her family’s subsequent not-so obvious pleading to make them some, pushed back her plans to explore and shop. Tori wasn’t sure if souvenirs were customary in this world, but she wanted to bring back gifts for her friends. It was something she did in her original world and she wanted to continue doing so.

She only had two more days before she was scheduled to leave with Sebastian and, today, Gramps was going around town with her and the twins.

“Why don’t you get them matching daggers?” he asked as they walked down a busy shopping street.

Tori squinted and prepared to say no, but stopped. While the daggers were not an option, it would be cute to get them all something matching. “What is a well-known item from Presidio that I can give?”

“Edible or non-edible?”

“If it’s edible it has to hold on the way back.”

“Why don’t you bring some cured pork leg? Then you can slice it for them when you get back,” her grandfather suggested. That was a surprisingly good idea.

She nodded. “That’s not bad.”

They continued to walk down the street and Tori peered into every window she passed. The original Victoria loved to shop, but it was for clothing and accessories. Tori had enough new dresses that her mother had collected for her while she was gone. She’d mainly stopped at pastry stores and the twins were loaded with sugar as a result.

She walked to the next store and slowed to a stop. She lifted her head to look at the sign. “Gramps! I’m going to go inside!” The former marquis looked back from where he was following his two youngest grandchildren and nodded.

Tori pushed open a green door and a small bell rang. The antique shop smelled a bit musky and wasn’t brightly lit, but it was filled with everything from books to curios to vases and paintings.

“Hello, miss!” A kind voice spoke to her from the back of the narrow shop and Tori craned her neck to see who was speaking. She saw a gray-haired head bobbing around some shelves before an old man with thick glasses reached her. “Can I help you find anything?”

Tori returned the amiable smile. “I’m just looking, but do you have any crystals on hand?”

“I do, I do.” Pleased that he could help her, he beckoned her over to the back counter and began to rummage around, placing box after box of crystals in various shapes and sizes, both cut and in raw form, on to the wooden countertop.

Tori moved her hand over the crystals, as she was taught by Instructor Ignatius. She had to concentrate to get a feel of the amount of energy that was in a crystal with her dominant hand. She moved her hands over the crystals twice and frowned.

The old man chuckled. “I’m afraid these are old crystals and no longer have any energy of their own. You would have to charge them or find someone to do so.”

“Oh....” Crystals usually had a very long energy storage life. It meant that these were used for quite some time. They could be recharged, but someone with skill needed to do so and it could take days to charge a crystal to its fullest.

Still, Tori picked out the most interesting ones, be it by their shape or color or how cool they looked to her.

“Are you a crystal user?” the old man asked.

Tori shook her head. “I’m still learning, but it’s very interesting. I can only charge a little piece of quartz right now, though.”

“If you keep at it, you’ll get better,” he told her. “Most people don’t waste their time with old crystals and prefer to simply buy new ones that still have energy, but used crystals actually hold more energy. Think of it as their field has increased and can hold more.”

“It’s time consuming to charge them, though.” Tori sighed. “It took me an hour to charge a piece of quartz to use as a light.” She held her hand and held her thumb and index finger apart to show how small the crystal was.

The old man chuckled. “This is why there are those who prefer using charms. Faster to make and charge, though with a much shorter life.”

Tori gave him a curious look. “Do you have any charms?”

“Not new ones.” The old man laughed once more. “This is an antique shop.” Tori cracked a small sheepish smile. He turned around and went to one of the shelves. He scanned one of the middle rows before pulling out a dusty, old, leather-bound book. He brought it over and put it on the table. “This is from the estate of an old scholar on the matter. It’s a collection of old charms. They’re all used, but the charms themselves are in good condition. They’re suitable for studying.”

Tori was interested. She leaned forward to take a look as the old man’s shaky hands lifted the cover and opened the book. Her smile widened. It was like a large scrapbook of used charms, but like the old man said, they were in good condition. The paper was aged and fragile, but the characters for the spells on them were legible.

“It wouldn’t by any chance have a guide on what they say, does it?” she asked with a bit of hope.

The old man shook his head, but smiled. “Unfortunately, no. But you will find that you do not need to be completely fluent in Old Sulfae to know what the charms do. Such as this character means liquid. The scripts around it instruct the charm to remove energy from it. What do you think it does?”

Tori grinned. “Freezes it.”

“Exactly. You are a smart girl.” He lifted his hand and tapped his nose. “This is a rare book. Not many people use charms now and most books don’t have these kinds of examples. This is rare.”

“Okay, okay,” Tori said, nodding with amusement. “How much is it?”

“I’ll give it to you for two gold coins,” the old man said, proud. Tori wasn’t sure if that was a good deal or not. She had no idea how much these sorts of things cost. Still, it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it.

“What about all the crystals I want?” Tori asked, waving her hand towards the dozen pieces still on the counter.

“Two gold for all of it,” he said. He crinkled his eyes as he smiled. “You are a smart girl, I can tell. These will be useful for you.”

Tori chuckled. He didn’t need to flatter her; she was going to buy them no matter what. “Two gold coins and I’ll throw in a few silvers. If you find any more interesting books like this, will you let me know? I will send someone to get it.” She lifted her comcry.

The old man thought for a moment and nodded. “All right. I am at your service then, miss.” He reached into his pocket and took out a pocket watch sized comcry that was a bit aged. He opened it and she could see a hazy, light blue stone.

She looked at the name that appeared on her crystal. “Jorge Andronikos de Ramos?”

He nodded and looked at his own crystal as her name appeared. His eyes widened and she heard him take in a sharp breath. “Lady Guevera?”

“Yes?” She glanced up with a pleasant expression and the old man stared at her. She blinked. “Was there something else, Mr. Ramos?”

He stared at her for a moment longer before he began to laugh. He shook his head. “No, no...I will pack these up for you, mis...ah, Lady Guevera.”

“Please, Tori is fine.”

“Lady Tori, then.”

Her assorted crystals were gently packed in a wooden box stuffed with paper shreds and she put it in the bottom of her fabric shopping bag. Mr. Ramos wrapped the book in some cloth and then let her put it on top of the crystals. Tori said good-bye and headed out. She found her grandfather by one of the plaza fountains, eating some honeyed nuts with her cousins.

“What did you buy?” he asked.

“Some interesting looking old crystals and a book on charms. I’m going to show them to Instructor Ignatius and see if they can be re-charged.”

Her grandfather nodded, seemingly satisfied. “That Cry Baby Benny is a good resource. Aside from those old men at Université, no one is likely to have as good a control and understanding of them as him. I’m not surprised the boy went into teaching in order to share his love.”

Tori ignored that her grandfather also called her instructor by such a humiliating nickname. She sat beside him on a bench and unwrapped her book to peek inside. “Gramps, do you know anyone who knows Old Sulfae?”

“Old Sulfae....” His voice trailed off and he seemed to look out into the distance. Tori turned to look at him when he went silent and watched his eyes redden as a look of sadness appeared across his face. “Your grandmother was the best at Old Sulfae. Université tried to recruit her to translate texts so many times and she refused. Being out in the field, digging up ancient texts in tombs and ruins...that was her real passion.” He sighed heavily as his voice carried a deep longing. “If only she was still here. What I wouldn’t give to hear her voice.”

Tori narrowed her eyes. “...Can’t you just call Grammie?”

Immediately, the longing on his face was replaced with an annoyed frown. “She’s been ignoring my comcry calls and says I’m interrupting her work. I’m her husband! How can she call me annoying?”

Tori sighed. Her paternal grandmother was currently at a research site in Nazria. When Tori had woken up from her accident, it was just before Grammie was about to come home for her. Tori asked her family to tell her grandmother not to come, as it was a month-long journey with a sea voyage included, and she was “fine”. She’d talked to her grandmother a few times when she was recovering instead.

Despite her grandfather’s complaints, Tori recalled Victoria’s memory of always seeing him and Grammie hold hands. The old couple was close, but Gramps was banned from the research site, as he was a general nuisance.

“Do you think if I use Papa or Mama’s comcry, she’ll answer?”

Her grandfather’s face lit up. “We’ll try that when we get home.”

One of the drawbacks of comcrys was that in order for one to be able to call another, the crystals had to touch to register the other party. It was inconvenient, as she hadn’t yet been able to register her grandmother’s, but at the same time, it was good in that she wasn’t getting several spam calls a day about her carriage’s warranty.

“Gramps, we’re done!” the twins chorused from his other side.

“All right, shall we head back?” the old man asked, clearly hoping to call his wife as soon as possible.

“I have to get one more thing,” Tori said as she stood up. She looked around. “Where can I get a cured pig’s leg?”