Celestial-Seas Summer Prompts

After the group had finally agreed to go their separate ways and explore what Harara had to offer, Clover and Grimm found themselves walking down a street lined with colourful stalls. Most of them were selling food, and the various exotic smells, each more unique than the last, were whisked over to the two browbirds, hitting them straight in the faces.

Grimm’s nose crinkled and he sneezed twice, which made Clover giggle lightly. He stuck his tongue out at them playfully and they batted him away, chortling. Holding hands, the two snaked through the stalls, agreeing to try various dishes as they were introduced to them.

One dish was a magical take on traditional fried rice: thick soy sauce with deep blue sparkles in it was the crown of the dish, and once it was eaten, it left the customer with visible blue breath that hung in the air like fog. The entire stall was actually surrounded by blue smoke, and once they had finished eating, many sat back with their mouths open in an attempt to make shapes in the air.

Another dish seemed to just be soup and noodles, and Grimm and Clover glanced at each other with a raised eyebrow. The stall owner threw his head back and laughed boisterously, then turned to his right. Sitting on the countertop was a glorious large lizard with iridescent red and blue scales. It seemed to be quite content with its surroundings, allowing a few nearby browlets to pet it gently on the head.

The stall owner shooed the browlets away, then bent a little to murmur a few words to the lizard. It grunted in what seemed like agreeance, then shifted to present its back to the chef. Taking a deep breath, the reptile reared up, its scales sticking straight out in an aggressive display of beauty. Light arced over the stall and hit the lizard’s scales in a spectrum of colour, resulting in a rainbow of fire that crowned its head and shoulders. Many watching the spectacle applauded and cheered as the lizard opened its mouth in a grin, glad to be the source of attention. Chuckling to himself, the cook swiftly chopped off a few scales and dropped them into the bowls of noodles, nodding to Grimm and Clover. Grimm grinned at his partner, grabbing two pairs of chopsticks.

“Let’s hope this tastes as good as it looks!”

“Grimm-- look!”

Clover had grabbed Grimm’s arm, pointing excitedly down at their bowls.

The previously bland-looking soup had turned a deep blue with maroon stripes lining the bright azure noodles. The soup also had a brilliant sheen to it, and the scales had dissolved and left white sparkles that dusted the outermost layer.

The two grinned at each other and dug into their food heartily, grateful for the stall they were sitting in and grateful for the presence of someone they loved.