How Bazaar! (EE, Thoroughfare)

[Ali ibn Farid]

Ali watched, eyebrows raised as the princess tried, and failed, to eat meat from the skewer. His expression was gently amused as the piece of meat fell to the ground. "Perhaps I misjudged what you would find easy." He murmured.

After a moment of consideration, he jerked his head, leading the way to another stall. The same ritual, a bit of pointing and fingers, and he was handed a bit of flat bread, a bit thick in the middle from some filling. He took it carefully into his hand with a clean bit of cloth.

Turning, he presented bread and cloth both to Sora. "Trade you." He said, smiling. "And... perhaps lets find a place to sit."

[Soraya al-Menjari]

Still frowning ever so slightly, Sora gave a forlorn nod before trading the skewer for the bread, taking the wrapped treat in her hand before looking around; She spotted some barrels back off the thoroughfare lanes, "Perhaps we could sit on those tall chairs?"

[Ali ibn Farid]

"Those barrels?" Ali's eyebrows went up, but then he nodded. "Yeah. Good idea."

He started to lead the way, but on an impulse, he stopped to get one more thing. The merchant handed him something wrapped in a leaf.

Tucking it carefully away, Ali flashed Soraya a grin. "Okay. Let's go."

[Soraya al-Menjari]

Soraya was already ahead of him, having snuck off while he was busy with the other treat. She sat atop one of the barrels cross legged, hands on her ankles and the wrapped bread resting on her lap as she looked at Ali curiously.

[Ali ibn Farid]

With a grunt, Ali hoisted himself up onto the adjacent barrel. Unlike her, he let his legs dangle over the edge, his knee not far from hers.

"So... what do you think?" He asked Sora, even as he bit another piece of meat off of his skewer. He seemed to have no trouble; maybe it took a lot of practice?

[Soraya al-Menjari]

She unfolded the small bundle in her lap and looked over the stuffed bread, "Hm... do you know what's inside then?"

[Ali ibn Farid]

Ali nodded. "Yeah. A little bit of meat, sauce, and spice." He smiled gently at her. "But the bread's the highlight. Crispy and spiced. Stays warm for a while, but not too hot."

He still held his skewer, but he waited, watching Soraya, waiting for her to try it.

[Soraya al-Menjari]

She lifted it to her lips with both hands after letting go of her ankles; A tentative nibble, then another.

"It is crispy indeed. And..."

A bigger bite, flakes falling onto her clothing a little.

"A bit messy. But I love the texture and the smell."

She did not speak when she chewed, but the little bites did not take long.

[Ali ibn Farid]

"Good." Ali said with a grin. Satisfied, he turned his attention to his skewer.

A few bites, and then he nudged her knee with his, pointing out towards the street, visible from where they sat. "One of the fun parts of festivals is people watching. Like, look at that guy."

He was indicating a large man, bald, and covered with scars. A big knife was on his hip. And he held a colorfully decorated streamer, waving it casually as he walked along.

[Soraya al-Menjari]

"Oh, I most agree; So many people in this city, so many different ways of dressing and talking and such. I could watch the crowds all day, really."

A bigger bite, this time with some filling. It was warm, but not too warm, and there was something about it that made Soraya salivate. It wasn't tasted very rich and complex, and she made a sound of appreciation on her throat.