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Traveling south had never ended well for Alek, so this time he had gone east. Belrea was busier than anywhere he had ever been in Sauti, and they had wildly different ingredients for sale here as well. He was generally up for experimentation where his healing-adjacent components were concerned, but this abundance of strange new flora was going to keep him occupied for months.

He was tying up his fourth bundle of something that looked a little like bright red thistle when he heard a voice address him. Possibly. He couldn't be sure until he turned around, but when he did the person he saw left him speechless for an uncomfortable moment. At first he thought this might be a hybrid of some sort, but the lure certainly suggested otherwise. Had he known Kai found him interesting at all, Alek would have slowly melted into the ground.

"Y...yes? I'll, um, try to assist?"

Looking back on this later, Alek would be thankful that his face at rest was just as panicked as it was when he was surprised. He couldn't help the color it was probably turning right now, but at the very least his expression hadn't gone through a series of revealing transitions.

As it turned out, melting into the ground was not physically possible. Alek ceased blinking the longer this bright young man went on, and he clutched his medicinal plants for support as he finally replied.

"Okay... I... I don't know about the, um, cute bit? You're much more..." He cleared his throat and swallowed. "It really won't be any trouble at all. Do you want to see anything in particular?" He barely knew anything about this city himself, but he supposed he would have to wing it? This was such a mistake.

Alek nodded slowly, pushing a number of things out of the forefront of his mind so that he could carry on this conversation without embarrassing himself further. Compartmentalizing. It helped him through a lot. He considered the handful of culinary experiences he'd had since first arriving... four days ago. There had been some interesting gamey meat, fish cubes on a stick, and these wonderful pastries. Yes. That would be a safe thing to talk about. Baked goods had nothing to do with his cuteness.

"There are fluffy desserts with fruit and nuts that are served warm." He smiled gently. They really were delicious. "And as far as antennae, my people do not. Ice. From Zena? Up north. But the Aishan people have them. They are also born from trees!" Nope. Dial it back. That was far too much excitement about warrior women sprouting from flowers. He busied himself with his plants for a moment, then added, "I can show you where the pastries are, if you'd like?"

"All right," he replied, uncertainty softening his voice to a whisper. Making sure he had paid for what he was holding, Alek took a slow look around, then moved in the direction of the pastry stand. He thought seriously about what his companion had asked, going silent for an awkwardly lengthy stretch as he tried to narrow his interests into discussion points that wouldn't devolve into an outpouring of nonsensical syllables. There were simply so many of them, and the longer he stayed in Belrea, the longer the list grew. Eventually he decided to start with his occupation. It was the easiest topic to begin with, if only because he didn't have to think very hard to talk about it.

"Well, I am a healer by trade, so one of my strongest interests is in... getting better at that. I come south for supplies. Usually Sauti. But Belrea is fascinating, don't you think? All of this technology! The airships alone are terrifying." He straightened up, recalling that this boy thought they would look exciting together. Alek couldn't see himself ever being exciting, but appearing more confident couldn't hurt.

"Oh! I'm Alek, by the way."

"Convenient, yes." That was the reason he had pursued this branch of magic in the first place, so that he would never have to rely on anyone else to keep him in one piece. "Kai. I'm pleased to meet you as well."

He hadn't thought about leaving Belrea for a few days more, but he was carrying all of the items he had brought on this trip in his cloak and could conceivably go back to Sauti at any time. Or maybe there was a route that made a circle over the city? Alek's brows rose with thoughtful discomfort, but his features soon smoothed as he decided that it might be a lot of fun. As long as they stayed within sight of other people, nothing bad would happen, right?

"I... I wouldn't want to deny an adventurer the opportunity to fly high above Zenner. I'll just close my eyes if it's too harrowing. Or squish my pastry to mush." He chuckled, gesturing to the cart that was now a few feet away. "Are there any in particular you'd like to try?"

Generally the people who took pleasure in taking advantage of him didn't also want to share desserts. Alek told himself that as he watched Kai peruse the pastry carts with the innocence of a child. Or a Kahikinan. That must have been what he was. Alek didn't know a lot about the amphibious societies, but it made sense that they didn't do much with fluffy, buttery dough. He felt the smile pulling at the corners of his mouth and let it stay there, just for a little while.

"Meat and sweet." He nodded, stepping forward to pay now that it looked like Kai was done. Alek pointed to one of the golden puffs that was drizzled with sugar and topped with a bright red berry. "That's the one I was talking about. I haven't tried any of the rest." He looked around, more of the tension that always suffused him dissipating when he saw no one nearby except the vendor. "Where to?"

"Here, let me take a couple of those." Alek hurried to Kai's side and relieved him of two of the pastries. He should've gone back to pick up a bag or a tray or something when he saw how many there were, but it was too late now.

The shops here were quite the mix—everything from musical instruments to animal companions—but he was too busy looking for a nice place to eat to give suitable commentary. Alek glanced up at the buildings that surrounded them. They might not end up on an airship today, but they could go somewhere high.

"I think I know a good spot. Follow me."

Alek bit his lips together and chose a direction with all the confidence he could gather. It was only a few blocks to the lift and he took his time getting there, periodically making sure that Kai wasn't overburdened with his pastries. The platform wasn't present when they arrived, but the geian woman manning the pulleys waved them toward an empty line.

"It's a three minute wait. Food is allowed, but if you drop it over the side, you won't be allowed to return."