Food Courting

Chapter 24: Shopping Tripping

Cora had always known red was a symbol of luck, but she never truly felt the correlation until she saw the color on Farron.

It didn't matter that they were surrounded by red from the gaudy decorations covering every surface in Chinatown. It didn't matter that the literal character for "luck" was boldly stamped on the red signs posted over some storefronts, remnants of decorations from Lunar New Year. In fact, with every low-hanging red lantern that hit Cora's head, the color became more of a misfortune than a blessing.

But amidst the sea of scarlet, the only sight that made Cora truly feel lucky was seeing Farron in the middle of it, their vibrant red shirt brightening their smile as they haggled with a store clerk.

And sure, maybe it also had something to do with the way their fitted short sleeves wrapped around their toned arms and made the black ink of their dragon tattoo seem even bolder. But that was beside the point.

As the clerk finally began bagging Farron's purchases, Farron turned to Cora, grinning and winking. Cora had no idea what just happened, but the sight was enough to make her feel like she was floating.

Were trips to Chinatown always this amazing? Or was that just the burning incense?

"I got a surprise for you!" Farron whispered as they rushed to join her at the storefront, rummaging through their reusable bag.

"Watch your step first," Cora said, holding a hand near their elbow as they neared the uneven floor at the doorway.

Instead of heeding Cora's warning, they looked up at her, their grin wider than before.

"Okay," Farron said once they were safely outside. "Look what they gave me for free!"

From their bag, they pulled out a small, clear pouch of familiar-looking sweets: sesame candy. Bits of peanuts and caramelized sugar peeked out from behind the coating of golden sesame seeds, and Cora could already taste the chewy treat as if it hadn't been a decade since she last had some.

"I love these!" Cora said, already reaching for them before she stopped herself. "Wait, is it really okay? It wasn't too expensive, right? Like, they aren't going to lose a lot of money, are they?"

"It was a few dollars," Farron said, opening the bag themselves. "But my mom loves their dried fruit, so they pretty much know me by now, and that I'll always come back to buy more stuff."

Even as Farron took out a block of candy, Cora held herself back. "If you're sure..."

"I am." Farron held the morsel up and opened their mouth. "Ah."

Cora, still distracted by her inner turmoil, instinctively copied. "Ah."

She didn't realize what she had done until Farron moved the treat closer, and by the time Cora closed her mouth, her lips clamped down on the bumpy sesame surface.

Farron grinned. "Bite down, Cora."

Cora, unable to think of an intelligible response as her cheeks began to flush, grunted.

"With your teeth. You can't fit the whole thing in your mouth."

Somehow, Cora's face grew even warmer. That, plus the sight of the store clerk watching them from the register, were the main reasons Cora obeyed, biting down on the chewy sugar as Farron wriggled the remaining portion free.

"There we go," Farron said when they finally succeeded. "It's good, isn't it?"

As flustered as Cora was, she couldn't deny that Farron was right. The candy was just as delicious as she remembered, and memories of the flavor washed over her with a wave of nostalgia.