Lion Head Mesa (ap) clay

a man was being brought before the pharaoh.
tamar recognized him as the wolf who had come upon she and sayf in the corridor. her breath caught to see arsenio's teeth flash. he was a powerful man. he was all that he said.
her flesh remembered him.
but the growing tension of the air kept her eyes watchful. tamar looked around for @Sakai. he was a kind sort, untouched for now by the lust and violence of akashingo, and the maidservant wanted to see how he reacted in this moment.

After taking a few moments to himself, Sakai felt his social meter begin to recharge. Thanks to Sayf, he was able to have a bite to eat while taking a moment to unwind. Having satisfied his hunger seemed to lift his spirits as well (along with a few berries to give him spirits). With this loose demeanor, the grey man felt himself more willing to take part in the celebration. A quick pep talk and down to the mesa he stepped. 

"Tamar?" He called, the fellahin in the distance looking slightly on edge. "Are you alright?"

"i am."

tamar allowed herself to smile. she wanted to be seen in his company, pleasant and yielding. it would veil arsenio, so she hoped. veil the both of them.

"are you enjoying the party?" she gestured to everything else but what was happening in front of her: the crimson stranger, surrounded by mazoi and shouting at the pharaoh.

There was a commotion... from behind him? Perhaps the intoxication the mazoi had been feeling had fogged his mind more than he was aware of. "I am." His words mimicked her own. Unsteady but not completely incompetent, Sakai circled around Tamar to brush against her side, in hopes of seeing what was going on. "What's all the yelling about?" His tone quickly changed from confused to attentive as he pressed his ears forward. 

He could hear yelling, and see the Pharaoh and a few mazoi together.

Looking down at the female, the man watched her reaction carefully. Took in her body language fully as if this would help him understand the situation. "What is going on?" A stern but still gentle command, a rare reaction from the laid back gentleman.

tamar moved closer beneath the eyes of the mazoi.

"that man is from a place called brecheliant. he came here with a woman." tamar's brow furrowed. she swept her eyes around for the raven.

"he got very drunk and insulted the queen. the pharaoh had him thrown out. but now he has come back."

dread prickled her hackles. tamar looked up at the tall tradesman. "pharaoh will want you there — with them. for whatever he will say." 

but she did not wish sakai to walk to that place.

So it was trouble he was missing. Odd, usually he found himself in the middle of it. The ghost peered once more over the throng of guests before letting his attentions fall once more to the woman. He silently worried for her safety if something larger than a challenge were to break out... for Sayf, too.

"I'm going over there." Kai murmured to the fellahin, thoughtfully holding her eye contact for a moment in hopes of reassuring her. The more mazoi, the better. He took her in fully, bristled with uncertainty and offered a gentle smile in return. There was no need for her to overthink it. "You should head back to the fellahin's quarters. I can't imagine we won't all be needing a drink after this." He already knew he would.

sakai dismissed her. 

his voice was gentle. he was a thoughtful man, tamar believed.

"tonight i work until everyone sleeps."

she stepped closer, bemused by her own thoughts. "our queen has not lain with a man. tonight she will lay with ramesses. i must be there to decorate her first."

her lips curved in a pleasant smile, one that slowly faded as she looked toward the growing scene.

Sakai made funny faces when he heard hot tea, good gossip or what have you. He tended to look wide eyed with raised brows and his mouth downturned in am exaggerated way that kind of resembled a frog's. "Ohhh? Ya don't say..." The mazoi halfway pried with a wiggling brow. The man chuckled lowly, as someone who knew how to keep a secret he didn't want to draw too much attention to the conversation. "Well, that sounds like a pretty exciting duty to me. Nothing like giving a pep talk before sending someone into the ring." He immediately hated what he just said and recoiled slightly at his own words with a wrinkled snout. 

"You know what, let's forget I made that joke." His gaze followed hers as the situation intensified and knew his assistance would be needed.

exciting was not how tamar would have described it.

but to a man she could see how titillating a picture she had painted.

she smiled all the same, truly amused despite her place of servitude. "perhaps your good humour will rescue that poor man," she said of their cornered brecheliant guest.

but it was not to be.

She didn't seem entirely too offended by his crude humor. It almost made him want to test the waters further, but he would refrain for now. Sakai had a job to do. "We will see. I think you might be the only one who would think I was remotely funny right now." The soldier laughed and offered the girl a light nudge on her shoulder with his snout. "I'll see you around, Tamar. Stay well."  With that and a last look, Sakai took leave to attend to the situation at hand.

I think this will be my last post!

<3 thank you!

she smiled. she was not happy to see sakai walk toward the group. but she had faith that he would handle such things well.

tamar herself slipped away as soon as she was able.