"you did not call for me again, hemet."

the crocodile's words were for @Melody, pitched low with sole intention toward her ears. "and when next i see you again, you have placed your lot with a mysterious princess who wishes to be pharaoh." he was amused. "did the desert give you its dreams, holy one?"

She'd scarce parted from @Ashikaga since her return, seeing to it that the Amiirad was comfortable and regarded with respect by those few who approached her. It was not lost on Melody that perhaps this intrusion was unwelcome. Yet the Gods had led her here, had they not?

Perhaps Senmut, too, would forsake her for this. But what priest would argue with his own Gods? And so Melody had not yet taken the time to speak with him, not ready to see her teacher in this unfavorable light.

It was Khusobek who sought her during a rare moment alone. She met him with a languid smile, a glance over her shoulder without turning fully to meet him yet. Senmut asked me to look to the stars. To the Gods, She began, gaze drifting skyward briefly. So I did. Nothing more. Her eyes found Khusobek again. You found entertainment elsewhere, no? The Queen's servants. I decided to reach higher, rather than lower.