Weeks had passed since Inji became one with the palace. She had begun to settle in, learn the passages of the halls and their intricacies — she found herself often accompanying the Queen, studying the members and their placements, their routines and what they enjoyed. A few she had met with alone — the unlucky fellahin Tuna, and the neb known as Naberius. However, there were many more to attend to.
Today, she is alone. The mazoi barracks are where she has business today, straightening bedfurs and sweeping the halls. She hums to herself absentmindedly with a pelt slung around her shoulders for ease of carrying, and she is light on her feet as she goes from chamber to chamber, poking her head around in search of whoever may linger.

A voice from behind echoes through the halls, polite and airy; woven with silk and accented deeply with those of the desert. When she turns, she is greeted with thoughtful eyes and a dark masked face.
Oh, hello, Inji returns the greeting with a curl of her lip. I am, yeah! her body swivels, the pelt slipping to rest upon her mid-back. You must be one of the other fellahin, right? Nice to meet you, co-worker. her grin stretches.
She swoops behind Eset to check one of the empty rooms — within it, she sees a dried-up water dish and a pile of crumpled bedfurs. She makes a note to tend to it later. I'm doing alright, she shrugs, a coolness to it. so far, everyone's been really friendly. The Queen especially. And it's so fancy, isn't it? Like, look at this! she gestures to nothing in particular. It's kinda crazy. I feel lucky to work in a place like this, y'know?
A buttery, girlish giggle falls from her lips. Her gaze finds the intricate golden necklace strung around Eset's neck, and curiously, she bends down to admire it. That's so pretty! Who gave you that?

A gift from nobles? Wow, what an honor, she pulls herself away, shifting nimbly in order to lean against the wall. She'd realized in that moment that perhaps Eset did not want a teenage girl hovering up close to her neck, especially not with something so certainly expensive around it. that's so cool. You must be very proud!
Eset's tone becomes terse, as if she is warning her of something. A darkness settles within her gut. Why would she need assistance? Not that it's not appreciated, but, y'know, I grew up in this sorta environment, she shrugs her shoulders bashfully. not quite like this, but, um. My family goes from pack to pack doing odd jobs to score places to sleep for a bit. I'm no stranger to it! You don't have to worry about me, as she'd done with Tuna merely days before, she drawls on before coming to an abrupt pause. She's rambling again, isn't she?
She whispers now; low and gravid with uncertainty, searching. You must answer. Inji frowns. She knew what she meant.
She thinks of Naberius. So I've learned.

Eset does not pry; Inji does not elaborate. The memory of the neb would be buried deep within the chasms of her brain, locked away behind a well-guarded safe.
Eset does not linger on the topic for long, either; instead, insisting that fellahin must stick together. Inji, in her malleable mind, takes this as an invitation of companionship; guidance. Her smile brightens. Thank you, Eset, I'll keep that in mind, her eyes scrunch shut as her tail flicks up and into a gentle rhythm. you're very sweet. Y-You've got a friend in me, too, y'know, I'm always happy to have somebody to talk to. And show me around. The Queen gave me, um, a little bit of a tour, but maybe we could learn more together.
She pauses upon the next question; what did she want to study? Um, her eyebrows knit together in thought. she mentioned that a little bit. I don't think I really know yet, is that bad? one ear twitches, then falls to the side of her head. I thought about maybe sharpening my hunting skills, but... can we even do that? Or maybe, um, like, hmm, another pause; her cheeks puff out as she swishes air around inside her mouth. oh, maybe an entertainer! Do you know if they do training for that? Like, singing and dancing and stuff!

Eset indulges her, allows her to flutter to and fro with nods of her head and gentle encouragement. All the while, Inji follows along — picking up alongside her by giving a pelt that makes a bed a good shake, followed by a smoothing press with a paw.
Thank you again, Eset, she urges, giving a soft hum. Safety that could be found in others of her kind would never not be appreciated. I'm here for you too, if you ever need an ear, like I said. It's a hard life sometimes, right?
Their idle conversation comes to a close as Inji reaches up to dab at her forehead with the back of her wrist. A question is asked amidst the pleasant silence.
A name.
She freezes.
A frown finds her features, ghostly — why did she want to know? — before she lowers her voice to a whisper. Naberius, the neb, she gives a rapid blink. h-he didn't, hurt me, or anything, I promise. He was nice. Why do you... ask?

Something about the way Eset had asked about Naberius gave a prickly feeling to her stomach. Why did it matter? Why did she want to know?
She can trust her. She wanted to, she did! And perhaps it was nothing; perhaps it had merely been her own anxieties. There was no reason not to! Right?
Okay, and she gives a polite nod, downy eyes following as she slips through the doorway from which she came.
With a puff of air from her lips, Inji resolves to return to her work. Perhaps she'd now tend to that particularly stagnant room at the end of the hall.