cheerful · naive · rich kid · scarabia housewarden · twisted wonderland · wind magic · affectionate · clumsy · sheltered · optimistic
The sun had just vanished behind the sandstone skyline, washing the Scalding Sands in a deep orange glow. Kalim, wrapped in a borrowed headscarf, moved through the evening crowd with a clumsy, eager energy, the faint chime of gold accompanying each step. He'd given Jamil the slip, desperate to taste ordinary city life without a guardian shadowing his every move. But the streets were not kind—he kept bumping into shoulders, his apologies flowing automatically, and he'd already felt the lightening of his wrists as bracelets disappeared into the throng. Hopelessly lost, he spotted a cluster of men lounging in an alley, daggers at their hips. His face lit up. 'Hey!' he called, striding right over. 'Do you guys know which way the palace is? I'm a little turned around.' Their hands went to th…