Enoki watched as the old innkeeper went into the kitchen to prepare some more of the wonderful looking egg dish. Another centaur took away the one placed earlier. Honestly, Crackle’s statement had caught hir off guard. Ze had ended up being agnostic growing up. The idea of “there was a god but maybe not something they understood” had bounced around in hir head for some time. Still, in a world where there was proof that gods not only existed but where someone you could call up and say ‘yo I need a spell’, to still be a form of agnostic was interesting for sure.

“So… you don’t like the gods, huh?” Enoki was handed a drink that smelled like a spiced tea as ze spoke.

Crackle took one as well, and motioned for some sugar to put in it. “Oh, it’s not that I dislike them. How can you truly dislike someone if you don’t know their character?”

Enoki sipped the steaming tea. Feelings of anise and allspice danced across hir tastebuds with a hint of bitterness. Ze certainly wasn’t expecting something so close to chai today. But it was a welcome reminder of home and hir friend’s specialty. A second sip to help chase the bitterness before ze spoke again, curious now.

“So you don’t think you know the character of the gods?”

Crackle swirled the tea in her cup around, letting the sugar crystals carefully dissolve away. “It’s hard to tell when you can’t talk to them properly isn’t it? I know stories of prayers denied and granted. I know stories of the gods punishing races that no longer exist. That we only know exist because of the elves.”

Hir breath froze in the shapeshifter’s chest. Did Crackle know what the other chefs did? Did she have more ideas on how to save everyone or what dishes were made in the past? 

As if reading hir mind Crackle spoke up. “I don’t have much for you. Other than, my newest friend, if you are cooking I have no fear. And I have no reason to not help a friend.” She quickly drank down the cup of tea, scrunching her nose as she did. “Bleh. Still bitter.”

“Your tea… You didn’t even taste it.” Enoki half whimpered as ze turned back to hir own to savor the flavors properly. Was there something like cinnamon in this?

The innkeeper laughed as he set down the bowl of poached green eggs and spicy red sauce. He had even sprinkled some soft and crumbly looking cheese that was already starting to melt. 

“Well, that one is still barely an adult. I doubt she’s ready to have a proper adult meal and drink yet.” He pushed a bowl towards Crackle. “Regardless. Where are you both going? I can help you on getting to the right part of the market before it’s crowded.”

Enoki picked up hir spoon. “Ah, Crackle’s hometown across the Salt Spikes um… food first before directions.” 

Ze licked hir lips in anticipation. Ze didn’t have the list yet after all. Crackle’s and the Innkeeper’s voices faded as Enoki honed in on breakfast. Despite the green appearance of the egg, making it look like a reversed avocado, Enoki quickly took hir first bite. It was obvious the chef of the morning preferred to have smoke coming out of their ears. But below the heat, the soft and fatty yolk shone through and allowed the tomato- and cumin-like flavors to come forward. Honestly, it reminded hir of the tomato and egg dish called shakshuka. Ze’d only had it once but vividly recalled the bright red sauce dotted with the familiar yellow and white poached eggs. It had been a favorite of hirs to recreate on the vlog.

As the memories faded into the background of the next bite, Enoki noticed another flavor. There was a gentle smokiness to it all. Enoki suspected it was either a smoked spice and salt, or charring the peppers and slightly sour tomato-like fruit that had gone into the sauce. A bit of the printine from the egg started a light palette cleanse. A sip of the tea finished it off, allowing for another bite. A few more bites and a bit of the unleavened bread came out, only lightly charred from being in direct contact with the cooking stone. Enoki saw others using the bread like a spoon and followed suit. Sure enough, the simple bread knocked down the heat and created a balance into the dish. Small waves of spice rose and fell throughout hir body as it brought the other smoking and savory flavors along with it. All too soon ze was out of bread and had to fight from literally licking the bowl clean.

Thankfully, Crackle was handing over some leftover bread she had. “Well,” Crackled mused as Enoki quickly mopped up the rest of the sauce. “I can see why En’mat was so worried you’d spend the money on food. I’ll get the list while you have seconds.”

“Bless you.” Enoki grinned. “For whatever that is worth.”

“From a friend it means quite a bit.” Crackle said as she bounded up the stairs.

***

Two more bowls later, and Enoki and Crackle were at the market looking at the various stalls and goods for sale. The early morning sun was already starting to make the sand hot to the touch. A few vendors were still cleaning out sand from the day before and trying to wave over the two. Enoki was able to ignore most of them, although the stall with spices called hir name.

“We will need tickets to board a boat, a cart, more water, magic tact, and we will want a mirror.” Crackle read off the list carefully, trying not to miss anything. 

Enoki nodded as ze was gently pulled away from a stall that had dried peppers and fruits. “And ah, food supplies?”

“If I do my job right then we will get some other food with the magic tact. Can you cast any spells?” Crackle slowed down a moment to look over a stall’s wares before moving forward again. “We can trade spells for a lot.”

“Ah, I haven’t tried really.” Enoki frowned. Ze had wanted to make sure En’mat could rest after yesterday's heat. But it was looking like hir friends would be more helpful here. 

Hir thoughts were disrupted by laughter like Daikon’s spell casting. Ze turned to see some vendors calling upon what looked like electrical energy and shards of glass to sink into a carpet and clean it instantly. Although the color was changed from a red to a bright yellow. Bob and McStabby swirled in hir hands. Crackle gently took Enoki’s hands and pulled hir away.

“Most of the people here use Shattered’s blessings. So knowing what a spell will do is sometimes preferred. But we can still make do without the spells. Don’t worry.” Crackle gave a sly grin. “After all, most don’t realize that magic can come in many shapes and forms. And sometimes as simple parlor tricks or knowledge.”

Enoki frowned. “I don’t want to scam anyone.”

“We won’t. But it’s not our fault if they think what we do is magic. Even if we are upfront with them.”

Before Enoki could think to breathe another word, they were pulled up to a stall with mirrors hanging from every part of the stall. The salescentaur walked forward. “Ah yes, travelers. Do you need a mirror? We have many to help preserve your luck and to signal for help.”

“Oh yes!” Crackle piped up. “We need two small mirrors for signals and a larger one for luck.”

“We have many lovely mirrors, come and look.” As the vendor guided Crackle to the stall, Enoki looked at the wares hirself. Ze supposed the mirror let you send signals in the desert so you could communicate with watch towers and with longer caravans. Though ze was going to have to trust on Crackle for why that was going to be helpful in a small group like this. 

As they talked, ze peeked behind the stall table and saw a copper framed mirror. The details were starting to turn green from lack of care and oxidation. The mirror itself had a thin, almost transparent red film on top of it. Enoki started to reach for it only for hir hand to be back kicked by the stall keeper.

“That one is not for the likes of you. If you touch it you will see terrible things. Things you are not ready to see in this world.” The centaur shuddered. “I made the mistake once when I was young. It is not a luck mirror.”

Enoki shook hir hand and squatted down, looking at it. “It doesn’t seem dangerous.”

“Some claim it caused the rot of the shapeshifters. It showed them a truth so terrible it killed them from the inside out.”

Crackle was now bent over looking at it. “Is that why the film is on it?”

“Yes. if you are not ready to see what it shows, it will mean madness for you. But this mirror here? Very lucky.” 

As the centaur walked away to show a small and pretty silver mirror, Enoki looked down to Bob and McStabby. “Ok, what do you all think?” Ze whispered, hoping the shopkeep wouldn’t notice. “Hell. Does Threads have an opinion on this?”

After what felt like a few moments of debating between the three, a few strands came forward to grab the mirror. Enoki gave a small nod. “Ok, but we aren’t stealing it. Let’s see what it’ll take to let us take it.”