Lion Head Mesa lapis

attn @Nasima tho! Other tags for ref

as she again returned to the responsibilities of being Pharaoh, the duties of motherhood still remained—it was easy enough when they could not move so very far, but now! they were still her greatest joy, but Toula knew that to ask for help was no weakness. most might have their mothers to call upon, and though Toula had a village filled with incredible women she knew that each had their own duties to attend.
there needed to be someone to look after the children when she could not. and her heart sang when @Rashepses had heard her, and @Senmut, oh, Gods bless them both! 
now to meet the woman who was deemed worthy to look after her little Godlings! a small, but hardly modest, luncheon was prepared for them both—warm furs placed opposite of a long wooden plinth that held the things prepared. the invitation sent, Toula looked approvingly over the spread. wonderfully plated, @Charmion, she commended warmly, and she then watched him take his own place. while she awaited the governess, Toula discussed quietly with another that they check on the progression of @Safiya and @Machiavelli. that they had not yet arrived raised a flag within her, but then… this was the girls first adventure. perhaps beautiful new things captured her attention. that, Toula could forgive—and understand!

Being summoned was something that gnawed at the woman’s nerves—being so new, her place amongst them was precarious at best, and yet she looked forward to this all the same—to meet the mother of her new ward—to gain better knowledge of what Pharaoh herself wished to see her teach them—how best to guide them.

Eager to ensure the best first impression, she moved with swiftness among the halls, still learning her way among them. She swallowed her nerves—lazuli eyes falling only briefly upon the set meal before her, but looking in quiet admiration of the beaming woman before her.

And oh, she was stunning! An aura of kindness emanated from her, and giving one last internal shake of her own fear, she stepped forward, muzzle dipping low as she made her presence known. “Great Pharaoh, thank you for meeting with me.”

she was beautiful. Toula could recognize such the moment she walked into the room. furs of the soft fertile earth and eyes of the serpents cooling riverwater. Toula admired her openly, appreciating the beauty—taken in herself by it! 
it is I that should be thanking you! you may rise, she hummed, though as a God such things were often deemed… beneath her. Toula, however, did not believe such—her gratitude and her love were part of her own power. it was not wielded aimlessly, but intentionally—she would let her people know these feelings she had toward them! she adored the smallfolk. you are a boon to me. but not merely that. I wish for you to be happy, too, and she searched the gaze of the woman before her. tell me of your experiences—are you yourself a mother? Toula leaned a little closer, while another fellahin brought to them dried sweet meats to sample.

Pharaoh was as they whispered among one another—as beautiful within her soul as she was to look upon. She settled herself delicately before the great one, the proffered food taken with pleasant surprise and a soft hum of gratitude, though the question that drew from Toula’s lips left a certain dryness to her throat as she swallowed.

“A mother, no,” she offered, a wisp of a smile placing at the corner of her lips. “But I have always loved children and found it one of the more delightful and amusing tasks when placed to look after them,” she ventured to share as her glacier eyes lifted shyly to grace Pharaoh’s features.