Renee walks through the market, inhaling the spicy smells of hot sauces and perusing the art vendor's collection as she slips down the rows with other tourists. The young girl distantly wondered if the jazzy music of New Orleans would open her artistic pores as she peered at her surroundings, her boots thumping in time with the clashing music lingering in the air.
At a distance, she finds a bunch of fortune-tellers who set up their stands. If it was her world, she would've thought them to be preying on the desperate, wishing to swindle tourists of their cash. But in this world, she couldn't say that with conviction. You never know who's the real deal. And despite the brewing weather, people linger all around, selling jewelry━━pendants and charms designed to ward off evil or bring good luck.
"Here," a voice beside her calls, and the next minute, there was a sandwich shoved into her face. "It's good," Tyler comments with a satisfying hum, his mouth already working on chewing the bread with relish.
Renee grimaces at his face. He looked like a hamster, she thought in passing. Carefully she takes the sandwich off his hands. It looked like a muffuletta. After taking a small bite, she decided she was right. And it did taste good.
"It's so fucking hot," She couldn't help but complain as they walked on the cobblestones beside each other. The weather has been giving her a whiplash, honestly. One minute, the sun has been blotted out by clouds, the low, dark kind that warns of storms, and the next, the heat hits like a ball of head and smothers her lungs.
Her brother grunted like a caveman at that, agreeing, his mouth filled with fried-shrimp goodness. But Tyler did not look much better, either. His tan skin was slick with sweat, with his jeans and a superhero shirt, and a jacket tied around his shoulders where it hung limp in the sticky air. But while Reene's dark hair is pulled up in a complicated bun, some of Tyler's black hair was matted to his face while others were sticking up as if he'd run his fingers through it. "It's like the city is going through the summer and monsoon at a time."
Minutes later, she stopped by a jewelry shop that caught her eye, and unfortunately, Tyler didn't have much choice but to follow. She sends a small smile to the woman who pops up from behind the table at the sight of Renee as she examines her work. It was striking, to say the least. Colorful crystals and beads filled small circles, ovals, and squares. And then, the shapes are linked together into bracelets and necklaces. Even the earrings are dangled with intricate patterns.
