Emryc glanced over as Jaikus enjoyed the kebab, finding it strange how anyone could like chewing on literal flames. He rubbed his eyes as they finally moved on, blinking through the moisture to find Jaikus holding up a drink towards him. Emryc took it quietly, sipping from it tentatively before deciding he didn’t mind it. It was refreshing and cool, though a bit sweet for his tastes. He generally liked the mint teas and had grown fond of them over time. Emryc eyed Jaikus as he used his fingers to pick off the kebab, grimacing slightly at the sight. Why did people like touching greasy foods so much?
The half Sephi walked in silence for a moment, taking in all the sights around him as he sipped from his drink. By now the music began to resound around them as the suns continued to descend below the horizon. More and more people were gathering in the main square, all adorned in bright and elaborate clothing. The medina was coming completely to life as the skies began to turn into a rich blue.
Emryc turned back towards the stalls when Jaikus spoke. He could smell the shisha, his gaze roaming over some of the tall hookahs. He had long since decided he wanted one for himself, but he simply didn’t have the space for it. His gaze next fell over the jewelry, his eyes narrowing slightly at the price. One of the vendors, a Toydorian, turned to Jaikus.
“Welcome welcome sirs!” He said excitedly, “I see you eying my wares. Anything strike your fancy? I got some jewels here to match your eyes,” He cackled as he addressed Jaikus. He then looked at Emryc, taking in sight of his attire, “Can I perhaps interest you in this fine Hookah all the way from Indupar?” He pointed at an over the top ornate hookah.
Emryc looked over at the jewelry, blinking at it for a moment. All the prices were written in Huttese. He pointed at a necklace.
“How much for that?”
“Ahhhh, 200 Crowns, sir and it’s a steal!”
Emryc stared flatly at the tag that clearly said the price in peggats. Doing a quick conversion in his head told him that the shopkeeper was attempting to charge three times the amount. The half Sephi rolled his eyes and began to walk away, but he paused. Emryc’s gaze fell on a thin, gold chain bracelet. It was subtly tasteful without appearing overly gaudy.
“Ahhhh this catches your eye-”
Emryc cut the Toydarian off abruptly by speaking rapid Huttese. The alien’s eyes went wide and it suddenly looked terrified. There was a bit of bickering back and forth with Emryc getting progressively more irritated. At some point the words ‘Spice Lord’ and ‘Preef Callo’ were dropped which made the Toydarian squeak in terror. After a bit more bickering in Huttese, Emryc reached for his wallet and handed over a stash of Crowns that was still a decent amount.
The half Sephi took the bracelet and turned to Jaikus, his face still revealing that he was grumpy. He set his drink down and took a hold of Jaikus’ wrist without a word.
“Spaceway robbery out here,” He grumbled, “Think they can charge whatever they want since I’m not a Jawa,” As he muttered, he kept his gaze trained on what he was doing. He clasped the bracelet around the Axxilan’s wrist, the gold working perfectly with his bronze skin. Emryc eyed it from a few angles before releasing his hand. He stepped back to take in sight of Jaikus’ attire, now complete with the bracelet.
“Hmm,” Emryc said in quiet appreciation before he grabbed his drink and kept walking. It didn’t even register what he had done beyond the fact that it certainly enhanced Jaikus’ look. He didn’t give it a second thought as he kept walking, now guiding them towards the square. Emryc tossed his finished drink cup aside as they arrived near the square.
The half Sephi turned towards Jaikus with an amused look in his eye, “Dance here is different. It’s a lot more footwork and precision steps with lots of coordination. Might not be conducive to Axxilans,” He added with a grin.
Song
Emryc turned towards the crowds that were already dancing to the live music, and he clapped his hands to the beat before he loosened his shoulders slightly to begin bobbing them to it. After he found an opening, he stepped into the throng of people, joining in on a group dance. He stepped forward and then back, his feet working in perfect sync to step to each beat. He clapped his hands and spun around in concert with the others, his arms swinging back and then his whole body spinning around again. He turned to face Jaikus at the end of a spin, grinning at the other man. This dance required a lot more coordination and it was vastly different from the waltz or grinding they had done on Serenno.
Most of the men danced differently than the women. The women were dressed in flowing attires that revealed their bellies, and their hips moved with hypnotic sway. Emryc was far too rigid to move like that, so he stuck with the more masculine version of the dance. However, his gaze certainly flicked over to some of the lithe men that could move their hips just as well as the ladies.
@Altaris