Private Bazaar of the Four Winds

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Ohh, that does sound like it would be fascinating. Is it normally done at night to showcase the fire aspect of it?" Zaiya inquired, taking the first dish from Aris Noble with a smile before moving towards one of the secured cupboards to store it inside.

"What's your favorite part of the Festival of Fire, then?" came her follow-up question, pressing the cupboard with her fingers to unlock it. It swung open, and Zaiya slipped it inside, setting it down carefully before securing it. I had to in order to make sure things didn't shift around if they went through any turbulence. She shut it close afterward with a soft click.

Padding back quietly, towards him, she'd lean against the counter beside him, propping her chin up with her palm as she listened attentively while waiting for their drinking cups.

 

[Aris Noble]

"It's a week long affair, day and night."

Food, dance, celebration. One by one he finished off cleaning the dishes, but smiled as he remembered the first time he'd seen the festival. It was warm. Bright. It made him happy even just to think about it. He blinked at her question though, pausing his cleaning to look at her in deep thought. Which was his favorite?

"The fire dancers. They take fire, flame, which is often too hot to touch, and dance with it. It's.. Beautiful, honestly. In a way I didn't expect but I certainly won't forget." Then he went back to the cups, finishing those off in the sonic sink before smiling back to Zaiya again. "Alright. Okay. This festival first, though. You ready?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

“So fire dancers?! Whoa that sounds so-o cool.”

There was no need to ask Zaiya twice. With giddy cheer, she took the two cups from Aris Noble and said an excited,”Yes!”

With hurried steps she made her way to put the cups away. Once done, she quickly came back to Aris, already reaching her hand to take his.

"Let’s go!” she beamed, once more delightfully resonating with the younger Noble again. She missed this. Holding hands. Spending time with someone. Enjoying simple pleasures and exploring new wonderful things. It made her miss her parents again, but the melancholy was soften by the joy of being able to go to the festival with Aris.

 

[Aris Noble]

"It's a lot of control of something very, very dangerous." That was likely why he found it so enthralling. All his waking life he was at odds with himself in controlling his strength to avoid hurting anyone, and showing it as an Epicanthix. By holding back, he felt more and more like he was hiding.

Fire dancers showed him a way to be able to be both in control, and not hiding.

He smiled as she took his hand though, giving a brief squeeze. He wasn't thinking to himself any of these negative thoughts, not now. Aris and Zaiya had a festival to go to, and that alone had him estatic! Aware. Aris was just about to pull her along in hus excitement when he saw.. No, felt it. Just a brief melancholy. Instinctively he squeezed her hand. Comfort.

He didn't ask about it, didn't pry. Instead he smiled while trying to provide some comfort with his squeeze. "Is there a place you want to go first?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

It was the comforting, reassuring squeeze that softened Zaiya's expression. Her gratitude radiated from her complexion over at Aris Noble and from the reciprocating squeeze of her hand to his, not only from the softly curving smile on his lips but also from the comforting reassurance mirrored in his green gaze.

"I'd ask if you'd want to go to the food vendors, but we did eat quite a bit already," She added sheepishly, being led out of the galley down the corridor and towards the airlock exit.

"Umm... we could go to the game vendors and see around what time they will start the opening ceremonies." Zaiya's voice was filled with a hint of excitement, her eyes sparkling at the thought of the colorful powder pouches.

"That's when we can buy all the different-colored powder pouches and have fun tossing them up into the air and at each other."

"Or walk around and see what might be fun?" they reached the exit, and Zaiya's heart swelled with contentment as she gave Aris a dazzling grin, her pearly white teeth flashing. Once they stepped outside, she'd lock the ship, but for now, she was thoroughly enjoying the simple pleasure of holding his hand and chatting out their plans.

"As for those fire dancers... I wonder, can anyone do it or train to do it?" Zaiya's curiosity sparked, her eyes gleaming with interest as she pondered the path to becoming a fire dancer.

 

[Aris Noble]

A festival meant food.

Aris seemed to have forgotten that by how crestfallen his expression was for the briefest of moments. He wanted food. There were so many different types of food here, and at a festival that meant more and more would be on display. He had quite the internal dilemma, but it ended with him letting out a heavy sigh. ".. We'll try the food, not overeat, but it would be a shame not to try all they have to offer, right?"

A very valid reason that certainly wasn't an excuse.

He raised a brow as she went on though. Color packets to throw at one another? That sounded a lot more fun than he was expecting a festival of color to end up being, and he already thought it was going to be a lot of fun. He met her grin with his own as he nodded. Whatever they ended up doing, he was excited for it. "I think anyone can do it? It's just learning a dance. Why?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Zaiya couldn't miss the disappointment in Aris's expression when he mentioned not overeating. An amused glint sparkled in her iridescent blue eyes; she was eager to indulge in more of the festival's foods. His heavy sigh was unmistakable. With a soft laugh and an encouraging squeeze of his hand, Zaiya took the lead this time, guiding him down the ramp after locking the door.

"Okay, I'm totally up for trying the food. I know you mentioned your calorie limit, so I wasn't sure how strict you were about it. Bu-uut..." She paused, mischief dancing in her eyes and on her lips. "How about we share? Instead of each of us getting the same type of food, we can try more between ourselves without overeating."

Zaiya wasn't sure how Aris Noble felt about sharing food, especially if they were only ordering one nuna kebab stick between them. For Lovalla, it was normal to be communal in their food, but that wasn't the case with everyone. "That way, we won't waste food, and we can sample more of what's out there without stuffing ourselves. If that's okay with you?"

Leading him through the spaceport, Zaiya felt like a tiny glowing beacon guiding the taller Noble teen, a comical yet endearing sight. Their shared excitement for the festival deepened the tentative bond between them as they continued holding hands.

 

[Aris Noble]

He was already going to limit himself to sampling, but that would have only resulted in food wasted. Sharing, though? He smiled wide, nodding his head once. Yes. All of his yes. It would keep him from feeling like he was wasting anything, and he'd be able to try more. Way more. Yeah no this was really good, by the smile that had formed on his face.

Aris squeezed her hand as he practically hurried his walk. He wanted to get there, as soon as possible. Though grant it he wasn't sure where to go, but he was still excited.

"Food. I can smell it. .. Let's hurry!"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Zaiya gave a laugh as she threw her head back and laughed, the bubbly noise resonating with the amused tones of teal that went rippling over her skin. Joy radiated in her expression that Aris Noble was okay with sharing food to get the most out of what the festival could offer. With a grin, she quickened her step. Already, they were quickly moving past the spaceport section back into the bazaar.

"Haha, do you also have the ability to smell things even from a long distance?" If so, how good was it? Could he know what sort of spices and ingredients were in meals? Did that also mean he caught all the icky smells as well? How did he deal with that?

"As for the fire dancers, I was just asking because it seemed like you really enjoyed them," Zaiya explained, bringing back the topic from earlier, her expression bright and encouraging. "If anyone can learn the dance, why not you? I don't know if there's an age limit, but since you have already trained a lot to become a battle master..." She glanced back at Aris with a broad smile, her skin rippling with golden-flecked blue hues. "... why not also train in something beautiful from your culture? If you start early, you'll learn to handle such a dangerous dance safely, right?"

With another encouraging squeeze of his hand, she added, "I think it would be amazing to see you dance and manipulate fire like that."

 

[Aris Noble]

"Yes, though usually all of the scents are muddled. Sometimes they're clear, like now."

Clear probably wasn't the best word for it. Distinct, was more accurate, but he didn't correct himself. Instead he was literally following his nose to whatever wonders of culinary he was currently sniffing out. He didn't slow as he walked, instead glancing curiously down towards Zaiya. Him, training to be a firedancer too? He could, maybe.

"I will.. Look into it. I am already doing much, and I don't want to overburden myself with all my hobbies and training."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Okay, it was just a thought. I don't want you to feel overwhelmed," Zaiya replied, still shining Aris Noble a bright wide smile. Unfortunately, she didn't realize just how much time and effort Aris put into training. It would only be through time just how studious and diligent he was in his pursuit of becoming a Battlemaster and being all he could be. "Just make sure it isn't all studying and training. Gotta do some fun things too. Like I like making jewelry and trinkets."

"Well, if what delicious smell can you detect that is making you salivate and want to find out what it is?" Zaiya inquired, grinning, "Let's try that one first!"

They were arriving near the vendor stalls again. Perhaps there was an item that Aris's nose was itching to sniff out.

 

[Aris Noble]

"It's a good thought."

Aris glanced to Zaiya for a moment. It might not be a bad idea to learn it, eventually. Still, he smiled and nodded. Everyone was telling him that, to not focus only on the learning part of it all. The training, the studying. "I like hoverboards." Which was hopefully enough for her to realize that he wasn't just a student. Maybe. Right now his attention was really just on the food, and the moment she brought it up he snapped his attention forward like a bloodhound.

He paused by one of the stalls. Meat. Meat and lots of it, roasted and grilled beautifully. "This. This is good. I can smell it, perfectly grilled and seasoned lightly, not overwhelmed. We'll take one."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Oh hoverboards?" Interest glimmered in Zaiya's eyes, lids widening as she turned her head to look at him.

"Those are fun!" the Lovalla teen happily exclaimed, giving a wide grin and a shimmer of delight over her markings, an ombre of teals dancing over her skin.

"That is one thing I do know how to use," She chuckled, "One of the engineering class projects dealt with having to build one with sustainable products but keep it not only functional but within budget."

There was just something about the speed and ability to dart across the testing field.

"Which kind do you have?" Aris had mentioned he was building a speeder, but perhaps he bought a hover board?

Either way, the Epicanthix had lead them to the mouthwatering stand of perfectly grilled meat. Aris's nose had not done them wrong. Already, even Zaiya was salivating.

There were soooo many options.

"Umm... let's try ... " she leaned in close, mesmerized by the rotating sheets of meat slowly roasting on a spit. The vendor would slice a sharp knife vertically to cut slivers of meat into some sort of flat bread.

"Nuna kebob and..." another listing caught her attention, "The grilled nerfsteak on a stick?"

 

[Aris Noble]

She.. Also had a hoverboard?

Aris turned his gaze to her, then back to the meat, then back to her. There was a clear dilemma in his mind as he was trying to find a subject to focus on, with both clearly having him excited to talk about. Or eat, considering how much of a mouthwatering aroma had overtaken the other scents of the area. He nodded quickly, glancing between the two options she'd picked out before reaching into his pocket to take out the credits needed to pay.

"Yes."

Was his ultimate response. He hovered before the stall more or less, watching as the food was prepared. Learning, more or less, how the process worked. He was a terrible cook he knew, but he did want to get better. Only when the two meals were served did he finally let his attention drift back to Zaiya, giving her a sheepish smile before he took a bite of the nuna kebob.

It was good. He hummed his delight as he chewed, swallowed.

"I made my own. It was easier than a speeder, and I wanted something fast to use while I figure out how best to put together a proper speeder."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

While Aris thoroughly enjoyed his nuna kebob - she caught the enjoyment and the hum of utter appreciation - Zaiya did so in turn with her grilled nerfsteak on a stick. She held it with both hands, one on the stick, the other holding the pointy end. It was a juicy, delicious, mouth watering bite, one that made her equally give out a throaty hum in pleasure, "Mmm...."

She chewed deliberately, enjoying the grilled meat, listening in on what Aris mentioned regarding building his hoverboard. Her eyes went wide and her brows drew up, giddy to hear that. It made sense if he was also building his own speeder with spare parts he'd do the same with a hover board.

Swallowing, then licking her lips of the juicy fat drippings, she handed the grilled Bantha stick over for him to try while saying, "Oh wow! That's awesome. How fast does it go? And what are you using to power it?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"It's not the fastest, at least not yet. It was more a proof of concept." Which was what he believed anyway. But with what he was building it'd certainly be something fast, even if he himself didn't think it was. "I'm trying to incorporate holosails, actually. It'd make it easier to keep charged, but I was able to pick up a plasma battery to plug in in the mean time. Just need to get the repulsors set and it should be done soon."

There was more he could and would say, but he couldn't keep himself talking with such mouthwatering food in his hands. He took another bite, sighing happily as he chewed. Then nodded ahead to another stall. They were going to have to keep moving.

Zaiya Ceti