Samuel watched all of it.
They stopped at a food stall — Elara's choice, selected on the basis of smell rather than appearance, which was usually the better method. The man running it looked at them, registered something in the guard presence without quite identifying what it meant, and asked what they wanted with the practical directness of a person with a line to move.
She bought two portions of something that turned out to be a braised meat situation in flatbread, which was exactly what the smell had promised.
She handed one to Samuel.
He looked at it.
"Have you had street food before?" she asked.
"No," he said, with the specific tone of someone stating a fact that they are only now realizing is strange.
"It's better than palace food," she said. "Don't tell the kitchen."
He took a careful bite. Then a less careful one.
"It is better," he said, sounding mildly betrayed by this information.
