Lion Head Mesa My kindling sticks are the perfect little width

having finished with her lessons for the day, nazli was left to her own devices. she sought out @Zakariya immediately. she moved quickly, lest another fellahin find her and delegate another task (or, fearfully, pharaoh catch her alone somehow).
brother? the girl whispered plaintively as she followed the hall to the alcoves, finding his scent strongest where the fellahin rested between their shifts.

zakariya, too, had just finished with his tasks for the day. he was tired and resentful of the work assigned to him. he didn't want to learn. he wanted to play and be left alone with nazli.
the boy was thrashing his own corner of the resting area in protest, a futile expression of his frustrations that would surely only make more work for him. he didn't care. at least not until nazli's voice interrupted him.
he jumped slightly, then tensed as unexpected guilt washed over him. nazli, he said, more sharply than he'd intended. you scared me. his fur was fluffed, hackles aloft, but he calmed as he sniffed his sister over. she seemed nervous, but she was always nervous, so he didn't think much of that. she was fine otherwise, so when he was satisfied with his inspection he drew away.

she found him thrashing the bedclothes.
her time tidying and cleaning with tavina made her take notice of the poor quality of the pelts, and the disarray of it all, and she gave a weighted sigh and glared at the boy; he could not see the expression, thankfully.
before she could do anything, he was inspecting her. she tolerated it until she couldn't (which was not long) and then wedged beyond him to grab for the pelts.
you've made a mess, cautioned nazli in her best tavina voice. she began to adjust them to their original places, and made sure to tuck the more tattered edges hastily.

you've made a mess. he snorted. who cares? he kicked at another pelt and sent it flying. then again. and again. no one else cares. no one would even notice if we left it like this. because no one cared about them. in his mind, it shouldn't have mattered if their spaces were trashed. nevermind that it went against what he was being taught.

she'd barely fixed the pelts on one side of the alcove before others were torn from beneath her, or thrown, or grabbed and flipped, and so nazli drew back with a touch of fear; that swiftly transitioned to indignation.
i care. this is our home! whether he liked it or not, this was their place to be together and to be safe. why would he choose to ruin that? she began to fix things a second time and was more deliberate with her placements.
you know miss tee would notice. then i'd be kept away from you for more lessons. would you like that? nazli referenced tavina who tutored them both. her tone softened by the end, while she adjusted another pelt.