His parents had taken the two seats by the fire.His father was back to reading, having first hauled Bemmi up to his lap.His mother had a notepad and a pencil before her but she was watching Dorrimin get Tommick settled, not making lists, though she might have been making plans.
“Feeling better?”she asked Tommick kindly, interrupting his bemused staring at Dorrimin as Dorrimin arranged and then rearranged the blanket over Tommick’s lap.
“Warmer, certainly.Thank you.”Tommick was ever-polite.“I didn’t mean to be trouble.”
“Shush.”Dorrimin was aware it was not a nice thing to say.It came out anyway.Tommick looked startled again.
“Nonsense, dear.”His mother ignored all of that, from Dorrimin’s fussing and rudeness to Tommick’s repeated apologies.“Though I do feel sorry for your parents.They’re going to worry.”
Quickly, where he hoped Tommick wouldn’t see, Dorrimin met his mother’s eyes and shook his head.She frowned.
“I’m sure they’d expect any child of theirs to do the sensible thing,” Tommick said, a statement that could have meant anything to anyone who didn’t know that he thought his parents wouldn’t care.Dorrimin wondered if it was true, if they might not even notice that Tommick was missing.
“Millia will worry,” Dorrimin reminded him softly.“I would have worried.I’ll bet Bartin is going to be sick about it too.”
Tommick stared at him, unblinking.Then he exhaled, long and sweet, and bowed his head.“It’s all right, Dorri.”
Dorrimin didn’t think it was, but hopefully, he’d made it better.
“Ah, the brandy,” his mother suddenly remembered, orseemedto suddenly remember, and swept up from her chair and out of the room.
“A tradition of spirits to brighten the soul and warm the toes while a storm rages outside,” Dorrimin explained to Tommick just before his mother returned with a tray with the bottle and glasses for everyone.“Plum brandy.”Dorrimin had only been offered full glasses about three years now, although he’d been given sips when he’d been younger than that.
Tommick sniffed his glass before taking a small drink.He immediately coughed, then cleared his throat.“Strong,” he offered when he could, while Ollis barely hid her cackling.
“There’s little to do in the dark,” she explained.“It mostly puts us to sleep.”
“Lies,” his father murmured, not as deep into his book as he appeared.“It gives me indigestion.I have to take some of the Peptic Cures for it.”
“Then don’t drink any?”Dorrimin suggested, and got an affronted look for it before his father deliberately swallowed about half the contents of his glass.Dorrimin turned to Tommick, prepared to apologize to Tommick or tell him he didn’t have to have more, but Tommick was smiling and attempting another sip.
“So, Tommick,” his mother began after plopping herself back into her chair and propping her feet up on the other half of the footstool his father was using.She loosened her tie.“Have you ever been beyond the walls?The city walls?”
“I… no.Not yet.There was some talk, but then my brother went instead.”Tommick frowned at his glass.“No.I haven’t.”
“Neither has Dorrimin,” his mother carried on, enjoying her first swallow.“But his father is going to take him with him on his next trip out, to show him how things are done.Aren’t you, my darling?”She gave Dorrimin’s father’s foot a nudge.
His father raised his head to peer at her.Slowly, he nodded, then turned to Dorrimin.“I thought I had already.I hadn’t?Then yes.It’s time you went with me.Though it will be difficult in the shop without us.”
“I’ll manage,” his mother cut in dryly, before giving Dorrimin a smile.“So you’ve never been out there either, Tommick dear?”
“Outside the city?”Tommick licked the rim of the glass, apparently learning to enjoy the taste of plum brandy.“I suppose I could go on my own, but it’s never been suggested by my family that I ought to.At least not for their business.”
Theirbusiness.Notourbusiness.Dorrimin had some thoughts about that, but took a sip of his brandy before glancing to his mother, and then, when she nodded, to Tommick.“You could come with us, if you want.Come with me.I think you’d be useful, and perhaps we’ll have fun.”
“With you?Dorri—I mean, Dorrimin, with you?”Tommick lowered the hand holding his glass, tipping the brandy to one side but not spilling any.He regarded Dorrimin with confusion, but also, possibly, excitement.Maybe even amazement.Dorrimin felt ten feet tall and yet the least storkish he’d ever been.Tommick finally righted his glass.“Yes, of course.But why?That is, it’s for your business, isn’t it?You’d want me there?”
Dorrimin’s father also seemed somewhat confused by this, but he took a good look at Dorrimin and grumbled something before agreeing.
“You’re a smart lad,” he offered, nudging Dorrimin’s mother’s foot, probably because she had nudged his foot only moments before.“You both are.”
“Yes,” Dorrimin’s mother chimed in, smug.“Dorrimin also mentioned your interest in the display windows, and now that you’re here, perhaps you’ll have time to discuss it more.If the snow traps us inside, you’ll certainly need something to do tomorrow anyway.”
Ollis snorted but didn’t otherwise join in the conversation.
Tommick looked to Dorrimin, all questions.Dorrimin looked back at him and smiled in a way he hoped was encouraging.
“I told her about your thoughts for holiday decorations and she thought it was a good idea.Like I did.Because it was.”He wasn’t only saying that because Tommick was starting to slip down and now their legs were almost touching.Ollis might have said so, but he wasn’t.That was why he’d told his mother all of this earlier.
