Colorful

Munching on one of the spicy sausage piroshkis she had bought from one of the vendors, Chang wandered through the colorful fabric tents that made up part of the market.

After having eaten and wandered among the color and excitement while being warmed by the generous sunshine, Chang started to feel like herself again. The funk that had cast a shadow over her days started to finally recede. Hawkers called out, pulling someone to check their wares or taste a product. Which she herself had done, trying almost everything, enjoying the rich diversity of food.

As she wandered, the faint drifting of music could be heard over the cacophony of voices. Thinking of the open area where people had been dancing and playing music she had seen with Jian. Trying to follow where the sound of music grew stronger, Chang cut through small streets and alleys to avoid the cloistering in the main streets lined with shops.

In one of the alleys she passed through, a group of old men sat where they had some shade covering them, smoking a long jeweled pipe they passed amongst themselves. The one who currently held it blew out a giant cloud of smoke like a dragon, eyeing the woman traveling alone through the back roads with a shrewd black eye.

Under all the men's gaze, Chang felt a little nervous, quickening her step she pulled the hijab a little further forward so that it blocked the view of her face even more.

"Selam." The man who had stared bobbed his head in greeting as she passed.

Taking a second look, Chang realized that while the older men had a hardened look on their faces, they was not unkindly.

"Selam." the man who had stared bobbed his head greeting her as she passed. Chang took a

second look at the older men, only slightly slowing. What she had thought were hardened faces were merely weather-worn. The men's eyes too were kindly not cold and hard like another's as she had initially thought.

Returning the greeting, Chang bobbed her head at the older man who spoke. Before she left, the man who held the pipe, blew out a cloud of smoke, hitting Chang with the pungent smell, causing her to cough and sputter.

A couple of the men laughed while the man who had greeted her smacked the shoulder of his capped companion who had fumigated her with the foul smelling smoke, while berating him in a foreign tongue.

Grabbing a flask from beside himself, the man walked to Chang motioning for her to drink with his hands and smiling eyes. Gratefully, Chang took a sip and almost immediately choke as it was full of a very strong wine. Passing the jug back immediately, she thanked the man who nodded his head while lifting his brows at her, as if to ask if that was better.

In a small pouch tied around her waist, Chang held a little money as well as a little bundle wrapped in a white cloth. Holding out the small bundle, contain the last piroshki she had purchased earlier, Chang urged the man to take it in thanks. The older man eventually took the small wrapped bundle and Chang smiled widely at him.

"Shrukran Jid! To the best of her knowledge of Arabic which she had worked on over the last couple of day, Chang thanked him. The old man's leather-like face creased into a wrinkle of smiles after she thanked him.

Leaving, Chang felt slightly abnormal and spacey but did not think too much more on the matter and continued her mission to head to the square. After around ten minutes and getting lost a few more times in the maze of buildings, Chang exited out near the circle of women dancing.

Watching the dance from the side until she understood the movements, Chang kept time with her hands to the lively music. Jumping in at the next song, she enjoyed the freedom of dancing with the other women. Feeling the loose material of her clothing lift and swirl when she would twirl, Chang could feel her spirits lifting as well. As she lost herself to the music and movement, more people came to join.

Soon the area became crowded with people and Chang had to stop as she was out of breath, sweating from the vigorous dance. Leaving Chang was stopped by a few of the women who had been a part of the dancing circle when she first joined in. Smiling and laughing they spoke to her in singsong voices.While she could not understand the words they spoke to her, and was unable to directly converse, the feelings were understood. All of them had had a lot of fun together.

Standing with them, Chang looked to the sky to see how far the sun had crossed the sky, to help gauge the time. Seeing that it had crossed a fair distance, Chang realized he had broken her promise to the guard.

Cursing herself silently, Chang bid farewell to the ladies and hurried to go back to where she had left him, using the giant palace that rose over the city as her orientation point. To avoid the crowds and to make quicker time, Chang went back into the dark and narrow alleyways. After her first turn though, she felt several hands seize her.