“Would you like some food, dear?” asks Akilah as she guides Salim into the grandhall. Salim nods, stumbling into the fancy interior. Wanderlust fills the eyes of the young boy, for he has not seen anything this awe-inspiring before in his life (aside from his short-time on the airship). The music was also a nice touch as well, but Salim has one task in mind - food. The boy did not eat much on his way towards the school and so was dying to see what food was being served. Arriving at the food-area, Akilah grabs a plate and a few utensils. While plenty of fancy foodstuffs was being offered, Salim had no care for them. All he wanted was what he knew - Biryani, Tabbouleh, Kofta, etc. He also had gotten accustomed to other foods as well like jam on bread, Papoutsakia, Tomatokeftedes, Shkembe, and more. The standard method of operation was simple: Salim points out what he likes and Akilah will place it onto the plate, simple as is. After gathering foodstuffs, both Akilah and Salim walk themselves to the tables, happening to sit near Jeanne. 

Now seated, Salim starts to chow down fried green tomatoes, Biryani, and anything else that he could use his hands on. Of course, there were a few foods, like soup, that would be physically near-impossible for him to eat. As Akilah knows, Salim is quite a special person when it comes to fine-motor dexterity. And so, when it came time that the boy wished to eat his Avgolemono, Akilah grabbed a spoon and fed Salim. Akilah sat close to Salim, spooning into the soup and then moving the spoon to the mouth of Salim. Likewise, Akilah also had to ensure that Salim does not physically harm himself while eating food on his own or being fed. Involuntary body movements, resulting from Salim’s rare neurological disorder, were constant and that often placed great stress on the poor boy’s body. It did not help either that this was a heavily crowded place and Salim was not someone to enjoy such a place - enhancing the risk of such movements. 

“Careful now, dear. You don’t want to harm yourself,” Akilah notes as she carefully watches Salim grab some Tomatokeftedes on the table. Salim’s left whole arm twitches and moves nervously. When the boy makes contact with one fritter, his fingers struggle to properly handle and grip one fritter. Akilah clasps the boy’s left arm, stabilizing the involuntary movement.

“Don’t rush yourself, dear,” Akilah says softly as she also grabs the back of Salim as well to make sure Salim’s body does not give away to heavy convulsive movement. Now that Salim is stabilized with the aid of his caretaker, the boy focuses on grasping the fritter. He does so after a few tries and manages to successfully move the food into his mouth. 

“Would you like to go somewhere less crowded?” Akilah asks Salim, understanding the boy’s great dislike for such a crowded place. Salim shakes his head, denying the request as he continues to eat with struggle.