Sly Fox Sand Dunes arid

siani swallows, throat bobbing as her gaze flicks from the displaced beetle to the man who had cast it aside. the desert was silent save for the wind whispering over the dunes, tugging at her veil, her silks.

her fingers twitch where they rest against the sand, curling slightly. she does not flinch beneath his gaze, though it weighs heavy.

i did. the words are soft, quiet, yet they carry. she lifts her chin, meeting his eyes with something careful, something guarded. i am a handmaiden of princess madhuri.

a pause. her breath stills.

but i do not know where she is.