[FIN] Sunrise Salutations [Adenah/Faisal]

[Painted Moose]

It had been years since Adenah had last seen the sprawling cities of Oba. The friends she traveled with huddled together, their shifting skins drawing the eye of every local they passed. In the early morning hours their bodies were still adjusting to the moon's departure while Adenah remained stagnant. Not that it mattered; one oddity among a group of foreigners was hardly anything to scoff at. A gaggle of teenagers, fresh from Jauhar, all looking to spend some time in the desert sun, and among them was a girl just looking to go home.

Adenah had missed Oba more than she'd ever thought possible. Even with the dry heat beating down on her dark shoulders the hybrid couldn't find it in her to hate it. This was welcoming; the baking sun, the near skin cracking heat, as opposed to the humid mess of Jauhar. She'd come to enjoy the colors more, and the trees weren't so bad, but it just wasn't....home.

Not like Oba.

So despite the dangers of coming back, here she was, happy as a lark, and pointing out local sights to her shifter friends.  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

It was often that Faisal went outside without Dair or someone else in the family but when he did leave the house alone he always intended to make it interesting. Sure, Dair could go out and find something fun to do so that he could tease Faisal about it later...so why couldnt he do the same? Already he had gathered the supplies needed by his mother and while those rested in a satchel hanging by his side the hybrid boy fiddled around at a weapons shop. Admittedly it was in a lower district, one he wasn't supposed to be even near considering how far it was from the herbalist and his mother's favored tea shop, but Faisal wasn't worried. The upper markets tended to be a bit too stuffy for him, too uptight to really joke around with anyone.

Especially as a hybrid.

Even though Faisal knew he could flash his family's crest it offered him little satisfaction when it came to some people's reactions to a pure. But that made him even more daring. Why bow out of a situation when you could simply prove yourself? Anyone who called him weak could just gain a black eye or two after all. It was no wonder then that he had kinda taken a fancy to the lower markets for a while considering how the last Noble hadn't been too happy with Faisal's victory.

Speaking of victories... The boy grinned as he noticed a group of girls heading down the street. Throwing a coin to the merchant he pocketed his daggers before tossing a penny for some flowers from another stand.

Smooth as could be (or rather what he would imagine was smooth) Faisal darted down towards the group, "Welcome to Oba~" He called out towards the girls, "I'm sorry to call you out but if I may...it seems like there's an issue here."

 

[Painted Moose]

Quick as flash they’d been spotted, but it wasn’t as if any of the girls were unhappy with it. Adenah herself was mostly amused; flowers? She crossed her arms under her bust, and bit back a laugh.

Those closest to the smooth talker flushed, some going as far as to giggle and wave him over. A pretty little shifter was the first to speak, “There certainly is.” She pouted, but that quickly disappeared in favor of a slick grin. “You haven’t introduced yourself! I’m Ilya, this is Zara, Hali, and Adenah.” When she was introduced the chubbier gal passed him a playful little wave. “Deni was showing us around, but I bet you could do a much better job. She hasn’t lived here since she was a kid, and a lot’s changed, hasn’t it, Deni?”

“Oh yeah, sure, so much.” There was a fair amount of sarcasm in her voice, but Adenah couldn’t stop from reaching out to give her friend a pinch. Nothing had changed, at least, not so much that she couldn’t find her way around, but if Ilya wanted to play it up who was she to stop her? “What about it, big boy? Think you can give us a hand?”  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Oh he liked these girls!

Faisal grinned in return at the introductions before slowly raising a finger to tap on his lips while his other hand still held the flowers, "How surprising. I came here to let you girls know of a problem but now it looks like I'm the troublemaker." He teased as he seemingly pondered things, "I suppose it would be a shame to cause such a hassle for a group of lovely ladies so I better introduce myself. I'm Faisal and it's a pleasure to meet you all~"

He grinned and waved the handful of flowers towards the other hybrid in return before blinking at the sudden turn of events. This was surprisingly easy. Did he mention he really liked these girls? Perhaps he really should visit Jahaur! It seemed like all the shifters knew how to relax at least, "If Deni would like to.keep giving a tour I can always fact check." He teased with a smile, "And since sooo much has changed maybe I can point out a few fun places that you miss?"

"Obviously I'm not one to leave those in need alone so I'll gladly help out." He replied before holding up the various lilies of reds, violets and cream, "But it's hard to help out when my own hands are full so if you ladies don't mind I'd rather give these to you so I don't have to worry over them." He joked lightly, "Flowers seem to fit you all better than me anyways."

 

[Painted Moose]

“Oh yeah? Well what kind of problem do you have?” Adenah motioned in his general direction, taking care to look him over just so. He really didn’t seem all that distressed so the teen just assumed it was another of the playboy’s ‘moves’. “Not enough arms for all of us?” She took a half step forward, cocking her hips as she did so. Nimbly she plucked the flowers out of his hands and took the prettiest cream blossom for her own before passing them around the girls. Each and every teen fashioned the sweet smelling flowers into their hair, Adenah included. Normally she was a fan of bright gold, simply because of her dark coloring, but this...wasn’t so bad.

Hali slipped up beside of Adenah and took her friends arm, murmuring something about how much more entertaining this trip became and she had to resist the urge to pinch her too.

“Alright, well, what about the crooked fountain? The one on the backstreets, where little Vario sells his shoes? The water was always so sweet in the evenings; is it still there?”  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Faisal grinned at Adenah, amusement obvious in his amber gaze, "Basically yeah." He replied quickly, "Though I suppose everyone can rotate for a bit, I do have two arms open~" He couldn't resist teasing as he truly was having a good time with these foreigners! Though the one girl seemed a bit not so foreign. So she was an Oban hybrid then? Oban and Shifter he would assume. Poor girl. Not that she wasn't lovely, Faisal thought she looked rather nice with the combo. It was just well...Obans and hybrids tended not to see eye to eye. If she had lived here as a youngling then he hoped that things hadn't been quite so harsh on her.

"I think so. It leans a bit to the right, correct?" He motioned as if he were the tip of the fountain, "My brother and I used to try to try and roll marbles down the side in a contest." It was always satisfying for the little 'plop' as the marble hit there, "They have a dumpling stand there now too. Was that there when you last visited? " He smirked as he studied the group, "So if you girls are hungry and something simple suffices I would definitely recommend them. The steamed bun with the beef and spices definitely attest to the flavor of Oba~"

 

[Painted Moose]

Hali and Ilya were quick enough to take him up on that offer. Each girl took a different arm, sidled up real close to the handsome stranger and batted their eyes up at him. Adenah liked her friends well enough to know they were only half as floozy as it seemed. The little shifters could be real tricksters when they wanted to be, but so long as it was a bit of fun, who cared?

An Oban mixed with some water? She recognized the markings plains as day, but the hair is what really got her. Adenah just hoped it was a consensual union and not something so...harsh, as some of the hybrids she’d met growing up. It was for that reason that as much as Adenah preferred Oba she could never really trust it. The people here were a little too sketchy for that.

“I talked my sister into climbing up it, then I pushed her off.” The way she said it was almost prideful, as if talking her sister into anything like that would have been a challenge. Her eyes widened at the mention of dumplings, and even in the cavalcade of voices Adenah’s was the loudest, “Dumplings? Who makes them? Are they local? If they are you absolutely have to take us!”

Hali laughed, “That’s Deni for you, always thinking with her gut.”

“Damn straight I am.”  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

It was quite obvious that Faisal was enjoying the attention. His day had shifted from errands to something entirely more fun and potentially even a fond memory in the future. As he grinned towards the girls and dropped various compliments and pointed out random things about the street to hopefully catch their interest the hybrid also made certain to steer them away from any shady areas or from anyone who may recognize him. Not that he had much to worry about that here. Now if they went to the upper markets then he would probably have an issue but for now Faisal was just enjoying himself. Who knew that On'os would bless him with such luck today? He could not wait to brag to Dair about this!

Personally his admiration of Adenah grew as she confessed her childhood ploys, "Pfft! That's genius!" He joked, "I'm sure she enjoyed the free bath you gave her." His own brother would probably have dragged him into the fountain. After all they had done something similar in the big one that was in the central area of their gardens at the manor. It was always best to grow up with siblings who shared similar thirsts for adventure and trickery. Odd how seeing some foreigner was making him nostalgic for his own childhood, "Obviously they're local!" He replied, almost as if offended, "I would never stray from some local dumplings. The vendor is an older lady who has made them for years now. Her husband passed and so she's set up nearby so that it's easier to get back and forth from home. We just lucked out that she's in such a great location from the....from my home." Probably not the best to say the upper areas, right?

"Welp I guess great guts think alike." He teased back with a wink, "Because I could definitely go for some of those dumplings. She also makes great sweet rolls to match with all you sweet ladies." He gestured them forward, "It's towards the right path up here though Deni probably already knew that~" And indeed a tilted fountain would await them along with the aroma of food from a small stall that was set up behind the fountain in the paved street way. Some other vendors, mostly those with their rugs spread out on the ground so that they could sit behind them, rested along the walkway with their necklaces, bracelets, and other wares.

 

[Painted Moose]

Adenah didn’t miss the way he kept their little group around the ‘nicer’ spots of the city. They certainly weren’t where she’d spent the majority of her childhood, but it was where she’d been planning on keeping them, anyway. The risk of something happening to her friends just because of her was too high, and honestly, she didn’t want to drag this guy into anything either. An airhead like that would get his pretty little face smashed with a rock just for looking at some of the guys who wanted to hurt her.

Zara kept her arm around Ade’s as they followed along behind the trio, piping in a few quips here and there. Admittedly it was nice to spend a little time with locals that didn’t mind being around foreigners. Oban’s could be really stuck up when they wanted to, even in the slums, but this would make for a better trip all the way around.

“Yeah...real lucky for us.” Had he...slipped a little? Adenah smiled back at him, and cooed when she was supposed to, but her eyes were a little sharper. What if he was some kind of spy? Maybe she was just being paranoid. Honestly, not everyone in Oba was out to kill her and her mother’s influence was way too strong, but still…

“I don’t know about sweet, some of us are a little too hot for you to handle.” Adenah quipped, much to Zara’s delight. The shifter snickered, nudging Ade when Ilya looked back at them and stuck out her tongue.

“Well I’m sweet enough for you,” the little shifter piped, and Adenah fake gagged.  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Faisal glowed from the affection and the attention. Here and there he'd make more commentary and every giggle from the girls only made his smile widen. A bit innocent and goofy on his part but the boy didnt' care. What was wrong with having a good time, after all? He glanced towards Adenah when she replied after his near slip and suddenly a bit of the light dimmed. Had she caught on? Was she upset at him for his mishap in speech? Faisal had to take a moment before shoving the worries aside and forcing a smile, "I'm glad you think so~"

His shoulders relaxed a bit more when Adenah started teasing him and the boy laughed, "I dunno I do love sweet and spicy things." He teased happily, "I just hope you guys feel the same~" When the shifter girl piped up about being sweet Faisal nodded, "Maybe? Though in Oba you have to be careful. Some sweet things hide a bit of spice." He let go of the girls as the vendor came into view and he waved towards the older Oban woman, "Granny!" Speaking on friendly terms by calling the older lady 'granny' Faisal hurried over towards the food stall, "I brought you a lot of business so you should really give us a good deal!"

As steamed buns came into view Faisal motioned towards one of the many stone benches, "My treat girls so eat your fill!"

 

[Painted Moose]

Some sweet things hide a bit of spice.

Adenah wasn’t so sure at this point if his end game was to get a kiss or to kill her. Now she really was being paranoid. Moving along behind him she smiled sweetly enough to the elderly Oban woman, even going as far as to compliment the wonderful smells emanating from her cart, before moving on to find a spot on one of the benches. Naturally her suspicions brought her to sit at Faisal’s side, much to Hali’s chagrin. The plucky hybrid picked up a warm dumpling and closed her eyes with a happy little moan. It really did smell amazing, which is why she was hoping her little trick would prove fruitless and she could actually eat one.

After her little ‘display’ Adenah pressed close to him and held up one of the dumplings to his lips. “Here you go; it’s only fair that you get first bite. After all, you bought them.”  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Settling down on the bench Faisal was content to watch the girls grabbing their free food. While he wasn't one to show off his wealth he did enjoy spoiling some cute girls here and there. Though Adenah had him a bit worried. Was she trying to fish for information? Did it matter if she found out he was from the upper side and was a noble? Would anyone even think a hybrid could be of such a status? The questions made his smile falter here and there before he quickly got whisked away into conversations again.

"Hmm?" Faisal blinked in surprise as one of the dumplings was offered to him, "But...i got them for you all." He replied before glancing around, "And everyone else already kinda...went ahead." He grinned towards Adenah, "So why don't you enjoy it first?" Wasn't that what a gentleman should do? Allow a girl to enjoy a meal before partaking in some himself? Honestly Faisal wasn't so certain and she did seem rather intent on him taking the first bite. Did she not think the food looked good? Or was she just really eager for him to enjoy himself first?

 

[Painted Moose]

How was it that a teenager could afford to feed four random foreigners without so much as batting an eye? He hadn’t even given them a price limit; rather he’d just ordered, which was suspicious enough. It wouldn’t be that weird if he had dealings with the underground, which wouldn’t be so unheard of for a hybrid in Oba. Was that how he could afford it all? Was he indebted to someone or was he just some kind of no-good scraping by with what he had?

She could sympathize, but that didn’t mean she’d let him get by with anything.

His answer was all she needed. Adenah leaned in real close under the guise of giving his ear a n** and instead murmured, “If you don’t want them to know what I know you’ll have a bite.” When she leaned back Zara was the first to catch what she ‘thought’ had happened and called Adenah out on being such a lascivious girl! “Oh come on, it’s nothing like that. Just trying to tempt our host into having a bite with us; after all, doesn’t really seem fair, does it?”  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

His gaze narrowed as politeness suddenly took a threatening twist, "I'm not certain what you think you know but you really don't have to force a dumpling down my throat." He replied before finally taking a bite, "I was going to have some anyways but I wanted to let you all enjoy first." He frowned before swallowing and pushing her hand with the remaining part of the dumpling towards her lips, "Now can you enjoy them? Would be a shame to let them grow cold, right?" Was it that she was trying to hit on him? Or was she just trying to get close now that she was piecing together that he did come from wealth? He hadn't thought any of them to be such people, considering that they were from Jahaur and not Oban society but then again she was a hybrid.

Had he offended her or was she trying to force her way closer to him? Not that he was a bad pick but it wasn't like he could get comfortable with someone shooting daggers from her eyes at him. Still he didn't wish to ruin the mood and so Faisal shrugged his shoulders and let out a laugh at the other girls' teasing, "I guess I'm just lucky enough that she really wanted to let me have a taste first~" He joked lightly before picking up another dumpling, "Seriously though they will get cold if we don't eat quickly enough~"

 

[Painted Moose]

[8/10]

“Oh I don’t think anything, I just know.” Adenah said easily enough and leaned back to enjoy a dumpling of her own. She had all the information she needed now anyway; he was nothing more than some stupid kid who’d scrapped together enough money, illegally no doubt, who was trying to have a fun time with some foreigners. If he’d wanted to kill them this would have been the easiest method, but since he hadn’t….well, her guard wasn’t completely down, but she was at least satisfied that he didn’t know who she was.

“Don’t get your skirt in a knot, Zara, I was just being polite.” When her friend visibly puffed, like a little fish, she laughed and nearly choked on the dumpling.

“Yeah, but you never share, Deni.”

“Oh yeah? Well how about now?” She offered the smaller shifter a bite of her dumpling, in much the same way she’d offered Faisal a bite, and smiled when it was well received.

“These really are the best! I can’t believe you didn’t mention them earlier; we should have totally come here first.”