[Ovelia's POV]
The sizzle and smoke from the stall had pulled me in like a lifeline, the savory aroma so potent it drowned out the flutes and harps. I had been so captivated that I hadn't realized how far I'd drifted from others until I was standing alone before the grill. The shapes cooking there were strange and fascinating—long, tubular bodies with curious, curling tentacles, their surfaces blistering and turning a golden-brown. Then, the memory surfaced: a faded, water-stained illustration in a book I'd secretly read in the Timberline library. A squid.
"Hello, beautiful lady!" the male vendor said, his face breaking into a wide, friendly smile as he expertly flipped the grilling seafood.
Beautiful lady? The unexpected compliment sent a warm, self-conscious blush to my cheeks. No one in Timberline had ever spoken to me like that.
