The rain had started pouring without warning, as was usual in the city. It was also his first time foraying out into the wild streets of Vietnam, and he hadn't brought an umbrella, as was also usual for a clueless tourist in Vietnam.
He had jumped into a nearby restaurant and taken their only empty seat in the corner, to the curious cursory gaze of the owner, who lost interest quickly, and went back to chopping up some meat by the entrance.
"Bahn goi? Nem chua ran? What the hell..." he muttered to himself, taking his phone out for a quick google search. He was beaten to the punch by a voice from behind him.
"Sour fried spring rolls. At least, according to Wikipedia."
He turned.
"I think I'm having a bahn goi right now, but I'm not sure which is which. Wanna try one?"
The girl said with a friendly grin, leaning over a little to the side so he could see her plate. They did look pretty damn good. Freshly served, slightly steaming, and untouched. Also, she was about as soaking wet as he was, so they had that going for them.
"Sure, why not?" He said, picking up his bag, then pausing for a second. "Mind if I..."
"Not at all," she said, using a foot to push out a stool for him across from her on the dingy plastic table.
They each picked a different dumpling and tried them. They were divine.
"Whatever it is, I'm getting more of that."
"This shrimp thingy's really good too. A little salty though," she said, chewing with a look of satisfaction, then taking a long swig of water. He called over the lady by the entrance, pointed to some food on her plate, then turned to his newfound acquaintance.
Brown hair tied in a bun, glasses, slightly freckled, youthful face, albeit a little tired, and a small frame, made all the more obvious by the shirt sticking to her skin, thanks to all the rain. He quickly turned his gaze back to the dumplings, forgetting what he meant to say. Halfway through a roll wrapped in what he assumed was uncut pho, he finally remembered to choke out a word of thanks.
"No problem. You seemed pretty lost, and it's always great to run into other tourists." She leaned in over the table, and whispered with a murky grin "I get off on sharing shitty travel tips I picked up on the internet with others."
"That's... nice," he said uneasily, shifting in his seat. She smelled nice, despite the rain, the pork and shrimp dumplings, and the general lack of hygiene in the store. If anything, her scent seemed to overpower all the other less savory olfactory stimuli.
"So what brings you here? And alone? You don't look the type."
He considered for a split second whether to ask what type he seemed, then decided against it.
"Oh, I just needed a break. From... things."
