Sorry, things got kinda busy, but here's my entry.
sweatdrop "Hey Cinder, it's time to get up," murmured the kin trainer as she gently ruffled the Ember the Fox's fur. Cinder blinked slowly, enjoying the attention a moment longer before stretching out her small body and standing.
"Good girl," cooed the trainer softly as she rubbed the fox's ears once more before standing as well. She beamed down at her partner kin, arms outstretched and ready to catch Cinder if she wanted to be carried. It was no surprise to the trainer when she ended up with an arm-full of fluffy kin that immediately attempted to go back to sleep. "I've got a surprise for you today. I know it's still really early, but I want to get there when everything first opens, okay?"
Cinder's ear twitched in interest at the mention of a surprise, but her only response was a yawn that might have been big enough to swallow a sycamorte whole.
"Right then," Cinder's trainer murmured in amusement, "you just worry about getting that extra sleep you so desperately need and leave getting there to me, hmm?"
The walking pace her trainer set was a perfect tempo to lull Cinder into a half doze, but not enough for her to get fully back to sleep, and even if she could get back to sleep, Aerestia's words left her more curious than tired the longer they walked. What kind of surprise could her trainer have in store? How much further were they walking? Most importantly, what was that
smell? It was like every fried and fire-cooked food got into a fist fight, but instead of their being a single winner, they all tied for last place and took on the scent of everything else. Cinder scrunched up her face and shoved her muffle into the crook of Aerestia's elbow in hopes of at least hindering the offending smell.
"You smell it too, huh?" Aerestia asked, coughing once the first whiff assaulted her nose as well. "It might not be so great right now, but once we start walking around it should get better." Under her breath she murmured a soft "I hope" that didn't escape her kin's hearing. With a little bit of coaxing, Cinder moved from her perch in Aerestia's arms to wrap around her trainer's neck and rest upon her shoulders, finally taking in the sights as well as the smells.
There were booths lining both sides of the open area they were in. The sun was just starting to peak above the trees off to the left and already seemed to promise them a warm day ahead. Men, women, and kins alike were manning the booths, some already yelling out about their wares while from other booths the only sounds to be heard were the soft clanging as they finished getting ready for the day. All of the stalls here seemed to have one type of food or another either sizzling on grills or frying in oil.
As they walked Cinder could finally pick apart the smells that had only a few minutes ago been horrifying. There was batter frying on a grill, being covered in a menagerie of vegetables; another, more liquid-y batter being drizzled into oil and advertised as some sort of cake, although the kin wasn't so sure about a cake that looked more like a strange noodle; and was that meat that smelled so heavenly? She not so subtly went between nudging Aerestia's neck and pointing towards the meat stand with her nose.
"Alright alright, I can take a hint Cinder," Aerestia laughed, moving towards the meat on a stick stand. The vendor's grin brightened as well at the sight of the eager kin. He laughed heartily as Cinder sniffed the air and watched the meat intently.
"You've got a kin with great taste young lady," the vendor grinned, eyes sparkling happily. "How many will it be?"
"I'd say one," Aerestia responded, smiling just as brightly, "but I don't think Cinder would like sharing too much. Two please."
The vendor's laugh was loud and long as he prepped the food and traded it for the cash.
Cinder barely waited until her trainer held up one of the kebabs for her to start scarfing it down. The meat was a little dry and chewy, and she really didn't like how annoying the stick was, because how exactly was she supposed to eat around that? But the
taste, that alone made up for the mishmash of smells earlier and the irritant that was the stick. Quicker than she would have liked, she had finished her food and looked inquiringly at her trainer's which was only halfway finished.
"Don't even think about it Cin, you had your share," Aerestia muttered around the bite she was eating, side-eyeing her kin. "There's more things here to try than just those kebabs." Cinder gave an indignant sniff but left well enough alone. It wasn't her fault that her trainer took forever to eat, she was only trying to help her finish it before it got cold. After what seemed like forever, but could only have been ten minute at most, they continued on their way around.
The further they got the more variety in stalls they saw: several noodle shops seemed to be placed randomly between other food stalls, a quiet yet inviting presence in the midst of all the other vendors calling for attention; even further back and around a corner that couldn't be seen from the entrance were even games that astonished the kin. There were a lot of children in that area, but Cinder didn't mind so much with all their attention on the games and even more food stalls that seemed to be selling sweets rather than the variety that the entrance area had. She eyed the games, but none of them seemed too interesting until she saw one of the prizes to be won: a plushie version of herself, all white and orange and ridiculously fluffy looking. It was nowhere near as sleek and agile looking as she herself was, but she was flattered at the attempt nonetheless.
Jumping off her trainer's shoulders, Cinder made a beeline for the stall, mimicking the pose of the plush and eyeing Aerestia expectantly. She stared intently as her owner made her way over, a fondly exasperated expression on her face as the vendor made a noise stuck somewhere between a fond cooing sound and a chuckle.
"I guess I'm playing for her doppelganger," Aerestia smirked wryly, handing the man a handful of coins as he started to explain the rules of the game.
"Five balls equals five tries, knock the thing you want over and it's yours," he grinned.
A good while and innumerable tries later Cinder and Aerestia had a small crowd cheering them on and had just finally managed to win the doppelganger plush. Aerestia sighed and rubbed her throwing arm. The sun was well overhead now and they could feel the brunt of the day's heat coming in full force.
Picking up kin and plush both, and headed back towards the food stalls. "Now that we got your doppel," Aerestia smiled, "I think it's time for us to get out of this heat and maybe get something else to eat, yeah?"
Cinder couldn't help but agree. Her trainer may have done all of the hard work, but being really furry in the hot sun was no fun either. She sniffed the air as they got closer, finally enjoying them now that she was able to pick out the different scents individually. It didn't really surprise her when her trainer headed directly towards one of the noodle shops. It was quiet, shaded, and had its own seats as well, which made it downright perfect in the fox's eyes. She sighed contentedly as she jumped from her trainer's arms onto the counter next to where Aerestia sat.
Aerestia mimicked Cinder's sigh, albeit unintentionally, and smiled at the owner as she ordered food for the two of them.
The sun was setting by the time the pair finally left the festival. They hadn't tried any more games after their go for the plush fox, but they had tried some more foods and even found some stalls sell fresh vegetables and fruits as well. Cinder liked the pink fluffy candy well enough, but her amusement at how quickly it vanished lasted only so long before the stickiness on her fur caused it to be more annoying than it was work. Nothing quite lived up to the meat on the stick though, so they got more of those to eat on their way home.
Aerestia was carrying bags of fruits and vegetables she had bought, as well as the plushie, so Cinder floated on ahead, lighting the way with her flames, contented with the day.
