Rhyske trailed after Rubiyah as his mother drove a path between the people gathered in crowds along the merchant's street in the newest town they had entered. Whatever his mother was after, she was relentless right now, and Rhyske was left following her to make sure she didn't hurt herself or anyone else while she was trapped in whatever mood she was trapped in currently.
But that didn't stop him from looking around to see what there was to see. There were so many people, so many strange sights and smells and Rhyske found himself wanting to go explore the town on his own. He had enough money to give himself a cushion even if his mother went off the deep end and spent every last bit of coin he'd given her, so he wouldn't have to steal or con people into giving him money. But exploring would have to come after he made sure his mother wouldn't cause trouble.
As he walked, he caught the scent of grilling fish, and his stomach rumbled. Rhyske hadn't eaten anything since the wee hours of dawn that morning, and that was just a handful of nuts and dried fruit. And he'd been moving since then, so he knew the moment his stomach started arguing with him he was done. He glanced at his mother's back. She wouldn't miss him, and so long as she didn't cause a scene or cause trouble, Rhyske decided she would be okay if he wasn't there to watch over her for a little while. Besides, she was easy to find, and if she had a moment of clarity and looked for him, the young Horizon wasn't hard to find either.
So Rhyske changed course for the smell of the grill and the fish, and stood there watching the grillmaster perform his art. There was a small crowd around the grill, so Rhyske knew the food was good. No one would crowd if the food was terrible. Locals knew, and to Rhyske, these people all looked like locals. The tourists or strangers probably would be closer to the docks or the nicer parts of the city, where they could find things that catered more to their sensibilities. Rhyske, however, was used to being assimilated into the local life, and was far more comfortable with it, unless he was grifting and needed to look the part of a noble. Even then, it wasn't his favorite thing to do.
When it was his turn, Rhyske dug into his pocket for a coin and traded it to the fishmonger for one of the cooked fish. Even as the coin and fish exchanged hands, Rhyske glanced to the side as he caught movement out of his peripheral, and found that he was being stared at by a cat. It was a pretty cat, he decided. Pretty, with its auburn and dark fur. And he didn't miss the way those soulful eyes stared at him, or more accurately, his fish.
Rhyske dug into his pocket again for another coin. "One more," he said to the fisherman.
Obtaining the second fish, Rhyske lifted it to his mouth to blow on the fish to cool it as he walked toward the cat. He didn't want to scare it off, so he didn't get too close, but he crouched down and held out the second fish, hoping it was cool enough.
"Here you go," Rhyske said, his voice soft and friendly. He set the fish on the ground between him and the cat. "Just be careful. It might still be hot."