Honeymoon in Hong Kong

[imthepilot]

Bodhi takes the card Jay give them and opens the door. It opens into large five star hotel suite - champagne chilling in a bucket and roses by the bed. In the corner of the living room are several large crates labelled climbing equipment. There's a welcome pack with maps and travel guides, ferry tickets and the number a car service.

Comments

[imthepilot]

The stall holder explains in a couple of languages before hitting on one they can follow well enough. "Pets. For luck."

[galen_erso]

"Lucky fish!" Galen laughs. "We should take some with us when our holiday is over."

[imthepilot]

"I like that idea. We'd have to get a tank. Something with a lid do the cats didn't eat them. Kyber would think they were a toy for him."

Bodhi thanks the stall holder and promises to come back another day. As they wander deeper, the smell of food gets stronger.

Big pots of noodles, the sharp smell frying oil, dumpling and savoury pancakes, fish stock soups.

Bodhi laughs and tangles his hand in Galen's. "This is great!"

[galen_erso]

"That must be food from all over the planet, and then some," Galen says, fascinated. "What are they frying?"

[imthepilot]

"Dumplings, portions of vegetables and fish, I think? Some white squares- protein blocks maybe. Oh, something with tentacles?" he peers closer and soon finds himself encouraged to try a fried tentacle, the stall holder grinning as is something is funny.

Bodhi doesn't seem to mind and tried one, laughing as he manages to get sauce on his chin. "Very good!"

The stall holder seems disappointed and offers on to Galen instead.

[galen_erso]

Galen takes it as well; there is nothing funny about tentacles. People eat them all the time.

These are good tentacles, though. He hums with appreciation.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi is already off and exploring, learning the names for things. He comes back with dumplings in sticks and a little paper cup of yellow brown sauce. "You have to try this. It's called satay." The sauce is spicy and nutty and goes well with the meat filling of the dumplings. "I need to learn how to make this. It would go so well with bantha meat."

[galen_erso]

Galen tries it, and nods, mouth full. "You wiff -- ecfuthe me --" he finishes the dumpling first. "You will have to buy all the cookbooks and then some!"

[imthepilot]

Bodhi laughs brightly and helps himself to another stick of dumplings, coating in sauce. "Galen, this is wonderful. I'm so glad we came."

[galen_erso]

"All the food!" Galen says, taking a long breath to inhale all the aromas. "It smells like warm, sweet fruit in that direction!"

[imthepilot]

Bodhi grins. "Then that's the direction we're going next." He slips his arm in Galen's and wipes the last of the sauce off his chin. "Let your nose lead on!"

[galen_erso]

"It's some sort of fried fruit," Galen says.

It is, in fact, a stall selling deep-fried fruit in batter and served with honey, sesame or coconut flakes -- like the banana dessert known to Westerners, but much more varied, utterly fresh and fried so quickly, the very core will still be crisp.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi croons happily and asks the names of all the fruit, repeating them back much to the laughter of the stall holders. He ends up with a tray with a little bit of everything, feeding bites to Galen.

[galen_erso]

"This -- this is the best!" Galen declares. "Tart inside and sweet outside."

It's pineapple.

[imthepilot]

He nibbles on one and moans. "Try this. It's carambola." He glances to the stall holder for conformation. "Star Fruit." Little five pointed stars with a citric tang.

[galen_erso]

"Edible stars -- how very fitting!" Galen declares, taking it.

[imthepilot]

"A star for my star." Bodhi croons, playfully mushy.

[galen_erso]

Galen grins at him, and eats another one.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi takes Galen's arm and they wonder on, exploring the sights. They round a corner that opens out to the sea, with a view of the islands.

Bodhi's breath catches. "We're going to climb those?" He can't believe his luck.

[galen_erso]

"Those are sone serious rocks," Galen says, awed. "They almost look designed as a challenge."

[imthepilot]

Bodhi chuckles. "Yes but the rain isn't trying to wash us away this time."

[galen_erso]

"We will need sunglasses!" Galen says, grinning.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi returns the grin and nods. "I think I saw a stall back there. They even had goggles."

[galen_erso]

"Good ones to take care of the more exotic kind of rays suns can emit," Galen nods. "I guess there's something about that in the brochures?"

As there would be on any decent planet.

[imthepilot]

"It's the only settled planet in a pre-stellar travel system. I'm not sure they'd think of anything here as exotic." He points out, chomping on another piece of fried fruit.