Rose tenses up, so I grab her hand and pull her along. We can't get caught here. We both have so much to lose...
"Just act natural," I whisper into her cloak. The cloak nods.
We awkwardly stride into the market. Everything is bustling, and busy, which is good because we can easily go unnoticed. Rose's eyes lights up, and she pulls me to a nearby stand. She scoops a weird-looking fruit up.
"How much is this?" she asks the shopkeeper.
"2 yuans," she responds with a smile.
"I'll take 2," Rose says delightedly, then I pay the keeper.
Rose hustles me a bench. She gives a fruit to me. "Have you ever tried this before?" she asks excitedly.
"Uh... No? What is it?" I reply.
"It's a peach," she says delightedly. "It's all the rage in the Earth Empire. Try it."
I stare at the soft, fuzzy fruit in my hand, then lean in and take a big bite. It's delicious, like nothing I've ever tasted before. Fruit juice drizzles down my arm. I chew, then swallow. "Man, that was good."
Rose doesen't respond, as she's buried her own mouth into the sweet fruit. Once she's done, she smiles, wiping her own sticky arm into her cloak. "Let's wash up and fill our water bottles," she says. "Meet you back at this bench in 5 minutes."
She turns, walking to the lady's bathroom as I walk in the other direction to the men's. I feel blush rise up slowly to my cheeks, although I can't figure out why.