belen sulked. she had scarcely seen the pharaoh except in passing. and it seemed that each time she did spot the man, he stared at her with an expression she did not understand or like. today the girl did not go far from kasmut. she wandered through the halls near the wellspring, nosing into every corner she could find and pulling out things to discover.

Sayf was between duties at the moment and wandering near the wellspring as well. He picked up the scent of the new fellahin and immediately began to track it through the halls. He hadn't met her yet; he had only seen her from a distance. It was obvious why Pharaoh had chosen her, but he had heard rumors of her resistance. 

When he found her, the girl was tucked into a dark corner. Sayf couldn't tell what she was doing. He stopped behind her and chuffed gently. 

Assuming she turned to face him, he dipped his head briefly and offered her a friendly smile. I am Sayf, your fellow fellahin, he said first. How are you settling in to Akashingo. He already knew somewhat of the answer, but maybe if he knew more, he could help her shine in her new role.

the man was a coyote. belen snorted at him. but the other's sunshine eyes seemed to know things, like the rosy eyes of kasmut. or the blue ones of the queen. "i am being educated," she told sayf dryly, pawing at a dried flower she had found pressed against the stone wall. "i am told i should be grateful to be chosen. but i do not know what he wants." belen smiled coldly. "why are you here, sayf?"

He nodded as the new fellahin told him of her training. He knew this already but he let her confide in him. She clearly didn't understand what an honor it was to be chosen to serve the pharaoh and the queen Satsu. 

He smiled at her question. I am here to serve the members and guests of Akashingo, and to serve the pharaoh above all else. I serve in whatever way I am needed. He moved closer and took a seat next to the petulant girl. It is an honor to serve the Pharaoh, he explained. He takes care of those who take care of him. Already he wondered how long this fellahin would last. How could she not see the god who had chosen her? He worried she would never recognize this gift for what it was. But as long as his master wanted her here, Sayf would try to make her see.

an honor to serve the pharaoh. how many times had that been said to her? belen ran her tongue along her lips. "i have not been in his presence since i was brought here." how could she know what he wanted if she did not see it? kasmut and jawahir had been thus far aloof with details. maybe sayf would tell her more. "what does pharaoh like? when you go to see him, i mean."

Once in the pharaoh's presence had been enough for Sayf. But clearly Belen had not had the same realization; it did not give him the best impression of her. He supposed that was why she needed training when the rest of them had not; they had all gladly served the pharaoh. 

He smiled at her question. He likes to be worshiped, he told her. And he deserves it, Sayf added, his expression filling with adoration. He likes to be pleased, the fellahin continued, raising an eyebrow. 

Have you ever pleased anyone before? he asked. If not, then she would need to learn in order to properly serve the pharaoh.

they all thought of this man like a god. belen watched sayf's face change and frowned contemplatively. and then she shook her head. "i have only been told that i must adore him. and that i will not be sent to the mazoi until i have been with him." her own gaze grew shrewd. "what do you have to teach me, sayf?" all of belen's attention was trained upon the other fellahin.

So she would eventually be shared, like he was. Some part of him was relieved; he hadn't been able to ignore the hint of jealousy that had formed knowing Kasmut was kept only for the pharaoh while the rest of the fellahin served more than just him. Of course, Sayf enjoyed the variety of Akashingo members and guests he was able to please, which only made the feeling even more confusing. 

I can teach you many things, Sayf promised her. Then you can impress pharaoh with what you have learned.

belen's eyes glinted almost dangerously. she leaned toward the man, and whispered what little she knew of the mazoi and the fellahin. perhaps she had seen this one with sakai, but she knew enough not to mention it. sayf would find her woefully undereducated, but brimming with the willingness to be taught. she was his pupil for the day, at least until kasmut or jawahir called her away.

The other fellahin quietly whispered what she knew, which was not much. But Sayf was not surprised; he could tell who knew the ways of pleasing and who did not. 

Hmm, he said first. He had an idea but he was not sure how she would feel about it. We cannot be together before you are with the pharaoh, he explained. But there is a mazoi that I am close with. I think he would be happy to let me use him to teach you. Sayf paused and flashed a heated smirk. If you would be okay with that, of course. He could tell she was eager to learn, but this may be too much for her.

belen caught her tonguetip between her teeth and nodded eagerly. she had been sheltered from the mazoi as much as from pharaoh. and so she would follow eagerly wherever sayf might lead, or wait for him to bring back this man so that belen could begin the next stage in her education.

Sayf nodded, pleased with her openness and willingness to learn what would make pharaoh happy; it gave him faith that she would become a proper fellahin with some more time. 

Wait here, he told her. Then he turned and trotted off. He knew the giant would answer his call if he was able. Once he had summoned @Sakai, he returned to Belen and sat beside her. He touched his nose to her shoulder. He will be here soon.

Sakai froze, swinging his head to face the direction of his lover. As it happens, the guard was off duty. A call back was given, they weren’t too far from each other. 

“Hello, Little Bird.” Upon arriving his dull gaze became fixated on the warm fellahin, traveling then to a woman he had not yet met. “Who do we have here?”

belen was not sure what to expect. it certainly wasn't the large grey wolf which soon stood before then, reducing her to the smallest height. belen stared up at him in awe, watching with pointed interest around the way they greeted one another.

"greetings, mazoi of akashingo. i am belen. i am ... a fellahin in training." it was at least most of the words she had been taught. the girl bowed, but her gaze slid sideways to sayf in questioning.

The giant was close and offered a call in return as Sayf settled down next to Belen. 

His eyes lifted to meet the gaze of his lover, adoration softening his expression as the mazoi greeted him and then asked about the other fellahin at his side. 

He met Belen's questioning gaze with a nod of approval and then moved to sit between the two of them. Sayf nibbled playfully at the giant's jaw. I am teaching Belen what it means to please so she will be able to properly worship pharaoh, he explained, his golden eyes becoming heated. I thought you might like to help me with that. But we cannot touch the new fellahin yet; we can only show her what to do. It would be an exciting game for them, he thought. To sweeten his request, he nibbled again at the mazoi's jaw as he waited for his answer.

Her slight falter in words was not lost on him, and he smiled. She was a sweet little thing, perhaps one of the slightest coyotes he had seen around here. His very presence next to her, what with being a large specimen of canine, must have been at least a little intimidating. But Sakai was never rough with females. Not unless they specifically asked for it.

However, Sayf was a different fellahin all together now wasn't he? Kai's muscles tensed not in anxiety, but anticipation when his lover was around. Again, that familiar shiver felt its way through his tight body while the mesa-painted man claimed him in front of the lady and mentioned "pleasure".

"It's nice to meet you, Belen. I hope you are making yourself at home here." It was a sincere wish. A pause to take in the suggestion and another pause to lower himself into a sitting position. And indication before he even spoke that he was open to the idea. The soldier pulled away from his Favorite by recoiling his head high, just out of reach. He liked to tease Sayf every now and then to let him know he held the power. "I'm always here to serve the Pharaoh. Anything to make the his experience with the new fellahin more pleasurable." Eyes bore into the lady's, a hint of beckoning within them. He would not cross these boundaries however, as Sayf requested.

the interaction between sayf and sakai interested belen more and more. the look in the eyes of the mazoi were not met with her own shyness, but a brazen, open expression. the girl stared at the other fellahin, then lowered herself to a seated position some feet away. unsure of how close she was allowed to be, she looked to sayf again. belen was ready to absorb this lesson with a raptness reserved for a great teacher.

Sayf was a naturally subservient creature; he preferred to be in relationships where that aspect of his personality flourished—the giant never failed to deliver that reassurance. As with any time the mazoi subtly—or sometimes not so subtly—reminded him of their power balance, the move swiftly stole the fellahin's full attention. Sayf moved even closer to him, his gaze glued to the guard as he agreed to help. The coyote offered a heated smile first to Sakai and then to Belen. I thought you might feel that way, he said softly as he looked up at the giant once more. 

We can go to my quarters, he suggested, but he would only get up and move when the mazoi did. 

The idea of a captive audience nearly made the man start to salivate. Her returned ready gaze and the feeling of Sayf soften within his grasp had the mazoi on all fours and heading to the dens with not a single look back. "Come."

belen followed as if in a trance. what she beheld was transformative. she watched and committed each of these things to memory, the breath, the movement, the way that they looked at one another. she was dazed thereafter for a long while, amused, running at once to kasmut.