Shail didn't notice it at first. The smell could be his imagination, just a trick of his hungry stomach. He'd been lost in his thoughts, still thinking about his mother and the hot breakfast that she'd wake up just before the sun to start cooking. He pictured every ingredient and smell, the texture, and the taste down to the tiniest detail. So when his nose started to pick up the smell of food, he didn't think it was real. After a minute though, the smell strengthened. His hand tightened in the folds of a blanket. Was this torture? He couldn't help but shift until he sat just on the edge of the alcove.

In the cave, the djinn cooked over the cauldron. Somehow, he didn't expect a djinn to cook in any way resembling a human. Did they need to eat or did they eat humans? His heart skipped a beat, but it already smelled like meat so he discarded the idea as illogical at this point. Logic countered fear well for him. But still, it took every ounce of his energy not to crawl out and go to the food. Until she stepped closer with a bowl, he didn't dare to hope.

"What?" Shail gaped, startled so much at first that he just stared at the bowl. Carefully, he pulled the bowl into the alcove with him, then devoured it. When he finished, he felt as if his hunger had only been whetted. This time, he only hesitated a little. Shuffling out, he eyed the cauldron of stew. "...Can I have more?"