Page 14 of Free for Adventure

He nodded. “Ready to go?”

“Sure. Oh. I need my card.” She sprinted to the bedroom and grabbed the keycard. She put the card on the back of her camera in the stick-on pocket.

“You don’t need your card. I will take care of what you need.”

She sighed. “That is a lot of fuss on your part. I would rather pay for my own stuff.”

He chuckled. “You will see. Come on.”

She double-checked her sandals and nodded. She lifted the gimbal to steady her cam, activated her camera, and they went outside.

There was a strange hum in the village. Ohno asked, “Are you hungry?”

“I am.”

“It’s all food kiosks. Do you know what you want to eat?”

“Not until I see the options.”

He grinned. “Do you prefer sweet or savoury?”

“Both.”

“Fine. We will adhere to the standards. Chicken kebabs and roasted yams.”

Her mouth watered, and she swallowed. “Sounds good.”

They walked through the village and past the shops that had looked all bright and inviting. He led her around a corner, and market stalls were out and open. Fabric, jewellery, food, and holiday trinkets were on the tables for the viewing of the tourists.

He nudged her past the food and said, “Over here.”

She obediently followed, and he led her to a set of kiosks that were clogged with locals. They moved aside for Ohno when he cleared his throat, and several of them turned to stare at her. She smiled and nodded politely. “Good evening.”

A few of the alphas laughed at her and smirked as they said, “Good evening, miss. Come to sample some tastes of the island?”

She looked them in the eye. “I am very careful in what I wrap my mouth around.”

Ohno turned and handed her a small tray. “Come on before that mouth gets you into trouble.”

She grinned and followed him to an array of tables. They sat down, and a few of the alphas that had just been near them followed and took seats nearby.

“So, I am guessing that there are few tourists or that they don’t come out this early?”

Ohno chuckled. “The second. They tend to emerge when they have been drinking. That will be after the music begins, which is shortly.”

“Great, because right now, I feel a bit like chum.” She picked at the scorched skin of the yam and blew on it before digging with the short wooden prong.

Ohno laughed.

Musicians stepped onto the stage, and by the time she had worked her way through the caramelized sugar and butter on her yam, they had begun to play. She smiled and relaxed as the music went through her.

Ohno smiled. “Enjoying the food?”

“It’s lovely. So, why not the food in the market alley?”

He grinned. “It is smaller, more expensive, and more to tourist tastes.”

“Oh. Well, that explains that. I will edit that part out.”