Lion Head Mesa You are a golden animal

open! tag for reference.

having eventually found her way back after being sent on a fool's errand, nazli entered @Tavina's quarters to stash some of the plants and things from the bundle. some of it might have been useful; above all, nazli burned with indignation.
it had been a foul trick!
nobody at the barracks had needed her after all. whoever she had been sent to learn from, for real, must have arrived to find her absent from that hill. and the fellahin who had insisted — jawahir, nowhere to be found.
nazli was out of breath. red dust plumed from each step she made, as if her embarrassment and internalized frustration fell away from her as grains of sand. she was a mess; it was not a good look.

i think this falls before 'palm' technically and i couldn't resist so!

makono had finished morning lessons.

now the sun heated the land and the princess found herself perched upon a high point. her eyes scanned the flatlands with feverish intent. from here she could see the scurrying bodies of working members and the regal mingling of nebs or nebets.

a thought stirred within her and she sent one of her nearby servants off to fetch none other than the lilac fellahin. it was an order from the princess!

she'd have time to organize the items at the very least.

a body scurried outside of tavina's alcove and for a second nazli paused to look, thinking it might be her mentor returning, but then returned to stashing the pieces of the bundle she recognized; what wasn't useful so far as nazli could tell, she placed off to one side.

a face popped up suddenly in the doorway and said her name; sayyadina! why call for her? why weren't they with the pharaoh as usual? makono requests you, now.

oh! for a second nazli brightens. she moves to follow the fellahin and halfway to where makono waits, realizes she's covered in dust and her fur is a mess — but there's no time to fix this.

she was led up to the high point, and left there.

um, princess? the girl's heart was practically vibrating out of her chest with nerves. miss makono. how may i help you?

makono wore a well practiced smile as the lilac girl approached. although she seemed crimson kissed, dirty dusted by the lands.

it seemed she had been hard at work this morning.

the princess sent off any others with a pointed look, intending to only keep her agemate fellahin as company now. the question was all but ignored as she looked over the girl again. why on earth was she so dusted? did the fellahin think they couldn't bathe?

where did you go to look like that? there was no taunt in her voice despite her words. she merely draped her head over her paws with a mischievous gaze.

makono was discerning; quick to point out the obvious dishevelment of her chosen fellahin and the quick words felt barbed to nazli, who quickly averted her gaze to a patch of light upon the ground.

i was to start my above-ground training. the only place to find such rich red earth was outside of the palace, which makono knew given her free reign of the territory. nazli's jaw briefly tensed; she wasn't sure if it was proper to share too much detail about jawahir or their trickery, but she wanted to talk to someone.

a friend, not a princess.

i got a little... carried away. turned around, more like it. it had taken her ages to find the mazoi barracks and after, when they hadn't needed what she'd brought, it took time to find her way back. hours, wasted!

above ground training!

makono still found her heart grasping something close to pity. the thought of a life wasted away under ground. she supposed it was good that the lilac girl got to witness some of the beauty of akashingo.

what happened? this she questioned as she slowly stood. then gestured for the dusted girl to follow her, where she would cut a path from here to her private quarters.

the princess rose and with a beckon, issued that nazli should follow. her query was met with a flash of warmth to nazli's face and an uncharacteristic reticence.

the girls moved together; makono in the lead this time, nazli at her heel, well trained. she was a bit sad to head away from the high place, its wonderful views and touch of the sun.

i was... told to wait. that a mazoi would be along, or lady qiao, to teach me about the land. someone else came along and gave me a different task. even now she wanted to keep the name of jawahir from her mouth lest the meshkhenet was somehow summoned by it. nazli did not know much about the creature except that they lived deep within the catacombs.

i did as i was told. it only... took me longer than anticipated. she swallows a bitter guilt.

makono listened and plucked the details from it.

someone came along and gave her a different task. only the fellahin did not name who. and this task she had taken seemed to take her longer to complete. the girl wondered why the fellahin spared details on names but confessed how long it took her tasks!

makono spared her a coy grin.

would you like to accompany me for the day instead? or does lady qiao still wait for you?

there was one right answer and she wondered which the fellahin would pick.

nazli hadn't thought about the medicine woman at all; she hadn't thought about the mazoi after stumbling upon the barracks and finding it empty. now, flustered and frustrated by the ordeal, makono's reminder was hard-hitting.

um! she didn't know any curses but the look on her face was as close to oh crap as nazli could get. her thin coat puffed a bit and she looked around as if tavina would appear out of thin air to scold her.

better to go with makono. at least there'd be a good excuse to miss her lessons. what would you like to do today, miss makono? she'd made her choice swiftly.

she beamed, bright and vibrant and genuine. makono did rather enjoy being picked! she ignored the fact that she may have pressure the fellahin into the choice. that detail did not matter.

i'd like to go for a swim. she decided with a soft hum. i want to get strong but not like...the mazoi. makono had no desire to become some bulked beast, a warrior in the flesh.

she'd leave that to her brother, thank you very much.

a swim?
there was the wellspring, of course.
makono wanted physical strength; nazli thought of the mazoi immediately and then banished the thought, given that makono voiced opposition as if she could read nazli's mind.

well, ah... there is the spring, of course. makono would know of it, but perhaps not the schedule kept around it. i believe it is being cleaned now. if you like, i could check?

another thought sprang forth and as it could've been a resolution to a problem, nazli blurted: i saw a pond outside the palace! once. it wasn't long ago, its probably still there?

happy to either fade so we can drift into the new stuff or keep this going! :D

nazli remained diligent as ever!

makono spared her a glance that sung of approval. such a quick thinker. this would, of course, always be beneficial to the young princess.

to the pond! this she beamed brilliantly with delight, perhaps always a bit too eager to step outside of places she had been before. and if it's there no more, then the wellspring should be cleaned by the time we get back.