Lion Head Mesa they're calling for your head and they're calling for your name

oh! she was surprised by how welcoming he was. how dearly she had missed his voice. he reached for her in the dark and for a moment she glimpsed his snout, caught in the light, and felt the tender brush of his nose against her face. immediately nazli felt overcome; she stifled her feeling, swallowed it.

no doubt her brother had been listening from his hiding place. he likely had more knowledge of the inner-thoughts of the palace than anyone! had he heard of ramesses' death? everyone knew of it, everyone spoke of it and they mourned! had he heard the rumors of her own situation? but he asked now for her story, and nazli breathed a deep, weighted sigh.

i have been ill. i have gotten -- i am fat, now! she could not help the girlish laugh that sprouted when she said this, darkened as it was by her worry. she wished she could explain the changes to him. i have missed you. again her tone shifts, her eyes gloss. tavina cares for me while i recover. i'm on reduced duties, it is... strange.

all she wished now was for things to go backward; to mend what had been broken, to undo the many choices which had led her to this point. but that was futile, wasn't it?