Here's another chapter you guys! Hope you like it. If you have any suggestions I would be more that happy to incorporate them. I'm always looking for good ideas! And i've been blocked lately.
After the small duel in the courtyard, Ja'far had gone off to prepare for lunch, only to find that there was nothing good to prepare it with. He wanted to make it special for Mari, since it was her first ever meal at her new home. But to prepare something worth eating would mean a trip to the market. In Balbadd. He grimaced. But it would be worth it just to see a small smile cross her face.
"So what seems to be the problem?" a voice from behind him made him jump a bit. He turned to see Sharrkan staring over his shoulder and some of the ingredients he had found.
"There's nothing good to cook these with, which means..." Ja'far began but he was cut off.
"The market!" Sharrkan yelled.
"Yeah. The market." Ja'far rubbed the back of his head.
Mari walked in through the big front doors and hopped onto the checkered tiles that were the same color.
"Guess what!" She giggled at them two.
"What?" Sharrkan smiled at her and nuzzled her forehead.
"Tousan said I could go to the market with you guys." She smiled.
"H-how did he…?" Sharrkan stared at her.
Sinbad emerged from the front door as well.
"I know everything. Just remember that." He warned. He picked up Mari and lifted her up and onto his shoulders. She smiled and kissed his forehead.
"This is my first time going to the market." she smiled.
"Well then, I hope it is wonderful." Sinbad said. "Now let's go before it gets busy."
"I'll come too." Aladdin smiled, walking through the door too, with Alibaba and Morgiana behind him.
"And me." Masrur placed a hand on Ja'far's shoulder.
"Alright, alright. I guess we're all going to the market." Ja'far said wearily.
Tousan was holding me on his shoulders as we walked through the various streets and back roads of Balbadd. Ja-kun and Sha-sama were sort of fight of the long line of people who came from Sindria. There was Ja-kun, Sha-sama, Ala-san, Baba-kun, Momo, Yamu, Pisti-pyon, and Mas-chan. They all seemed to crowd around me and tousan, and tousan wouldn't let me go off on my own. He held my hand firmly and when I tugged, even slightly, he held me that much tighter.
Ja-kun had a long list of things we were going to get from the market, like cabbage and some spices. Every so often, he would send a few people to different tents and when they came out, they had small bundles of food with them.
Ja-kun checked things off every so often. But then he got to something on the list that made him stop. Sha-sama bumped right into him, since he stopped so suddenly.
"What?" he asked.
"We have to get wine for...certain things." he said said. Tousan along with most of the other men seemed to come alive almost.
"I need Sin and Sharrkan to come and make some selections." he said rolling up the list and tucking into his robe. Tousan picked me up off his shoulders and placed me down on the ground.
"Now, a wine shop is no place for a little lady. So be good until I get back." he snuggled me once more before standing up and telling a few things to Mas-chan. He nodded and tousan walked into the shop. Mas-chan took my small hand in his and we began to walk down the long street towards the docks. Mas-chan was holding a large bundle on his back and a smaller bundle in his other arm.
"Mas-chan? Where are we going?" I asked, looking up at him. His red eyes stared down at me, but he said nothing. He pointed toward the docks and then gestured to the small bundle in his arm. I nodded, although I had no idea what he was trying to say.
We made it to the dock, where there were a few barrels that we used as seats. Mas-chan pulled me into his lap and unwrapped the bundle, holding a small box. He opened it up and it was rice. I smiled up at him and he gave a softer look at me. He took a small rice ball and held in front of my mouth so I could eat it. Although it was small, my mouth was equally as small, so it took about three bites to eat the whole thing up. I snuggled back into his chest and he began to eat himself. When he held another rice ball in front of me to eat, I denied it. I wasn't hungry anymore. I could be. It had been so long that I had went without food, and my stomach wasn't accustomed to eating a lot.
Mas-chan hesitated a bit, before taking a bite of it himself. I snuggled back into him and watched the street before me. Tousan, Ja-kun, and Sha-sama hadn't come out from the shop yet, Yamu and Pisti-pyon had gone off on their own, and Momo, Ala-san, and Baba-kun had already circled back to Sindria.
After a few silent minutes, Mas-chan placed me on the ground and took my hand in his again, and began to enter the large sea of people.
"Where are we going now Mas-chan?" I asked. This time, Mas-chan didn't even look down at me. Was he mad? Had I done something wrong?
I looked down at the dirt ground. I felt horrible. Maybe...maybe I hadn't done, the right thing, or asked the right questions. I sniffled. He was mad at me now.
Maybe if he didn't have to take care of me, he would be happy. Maybe if I could take care of myself, he would smile. And so I pulled against Mas-chan's hand. I pulled against him until I slipped right from his hand.
And I ran.