Lion Head Mesa i'll fake god today

if you're interested! tags for reference otherwise.

today she had been assigned to be the assistant of @Makono the princess, which was a surprise to nazli. she knew it was a great honor because that was what @Tavina taught her to think. she was in a rush; as always, her little legs were working overtime to speed her through the halls.
there was no sign of the princess! nazli found her way from the alcoves to the pharaoh's arch, but knew not to enter the royal chambers without a summons, so she waited there a moment. as she lingered she sought the scent of makono or any sign of her; but when there was none, and nazli thought she was wasting time, she hurried onward.
oh, how could i lose a whole princess?! came the fleeting doubt as she rounded another corner.

super interested! <3

makono had not meant to make the fellahin's life difficult.

not that she had gone to any lengths to make it particularly easy. sometimes, between teachings and lessons, she decided to roam. such was her right! however sometimes that meant she went places others would not be allowed, or that they might not know of.

eventually she grew bored of the solitude in these hidden spots.

enough to emerge and see the sight of the fellahin quickly rounding a corner. makono's moral compass was still present enough to know that she, the princess, had certainly placed the assistant in a bad position. however that compass was not developed enough (or, perhaps, tended to enough) to halt the words that sputtered forth from her.

where have you been?

lapis gaze settling on the other girl.

omg the attitude

all at once her vision was filled with the loveliness of brocade gold. the harsh blue of makono's eye was upon nazli now, and her voice as sharp as any spear.
i—! the fellahin stopped short. her coat fluffed out, which wasn't so noticable given its thin nature, but there was no mistaking the flare of upset that shot through nazli's expression. she had to remember her lessons and tempered herself immediately.
her eyes averted.
my apologies, high-ness, my chores -- they distracted me. i did not realize the time... was it wrong to lie to royalty? or to lie at all, if it was necessary? nazli had not been coached either way.
she only waited now to see what makono would do.

makono knew the ugliness within her now, as she saw the brief upset on the fellahin's face.

she did not know if this was a good or bad thing. no one was here now to correct such a behavior, but her gut churned with an uncertain knowing.

hot with shame, she cut her gemstone gaze away from the other girl. lilac tinged and long legged. makono may have felt her first flush of jealousy if it was not for the very status being in the gold of her own coat. the jeweled status of her eyes.

i want to do something new today, she declared, content to move on from her brief moment of near-bullying. do you know of any secret spots?

she looked away. that seemed to be the end of it? nazli wasn't sure, she only felt a hot flash to her cheeks and a churn in her belly, and wished to go back to tavina. she knew the woman wouldn't appreciate it; she had to be better than that, given how it would look upon her tutor if she failed.
makono wanted to be somewhere new.
she tried to be quick with her thoughts.
well, um... there's the, wellspring... but of course makono would know about that! it was a common place for the royalty of the mesa. nazli felt stupid; put on the spot like this, how could she think of anything that might appeal to a princess?
or there's the catacombs. such a place was eerie to the fellahin; not to nazli specifically, as it was closer to home than any other place... but it was defintely not a space that a princess would ever be found.

it was decided the moment it was spoken.

take me to the catacombs. she left little room for argument in her tone. she was prepared to find such a space empty, ideal for the princess who wished to be hidden. such a place sounded reserved for the lowly. who would think to find her there?

she looked over once, twice. glances spared with only brief thought.

she ought to talk to the girl. learn something about her. they were stuck together all day, after all.

she nodded. yes, lady makono. and away she went.
from the throne room's hall the girl moved south, to where the path split. there was a route that went out to the steppe but that was not where nazli turned this time. she knew of two trails within the palace that could lead to the catacombs: one from the alcoves, and one from a hidden grotto within the wall of the wellspring.
rather than face potential scrutiny from entertainers in the wellspring (or perhaps a royal sibling, maybe even the dread father himself) nazli turned towards the alcoves and followed the hallway.
this was a path she had taken numerous times. here she shared an alcove with her brother, and the other fellahin often came or went. it would be difficult to slip through without notice but nazli would do her best to facilitate such an adventure.
the downside? she moved with her usual haste exacerbated by anxious obeisance; so, makono at some point or another, was left in nazli's dust.

she found herself lost somewhere in a wealth of rooms. the hall split with rooms and strange scents filled her nose. fellahin moving in and out, some sparing her only a glance as they hurried to tasks.

the lilac girl had been lost to makono's sight.

with it came a certain sense of freedom.

and she could have sworn she heard her name in one room. perhaps it had been nothing more than the wind. this she cared little about as she sought to poke her head into one occupied room — if not stopped by anything or anyone.

nazli realized too late that the princess was no longer with her. she tried to double-back, but by then the other fellahin had blocked off her original path. she had to find another way; thankfully she was swift on her feet and managed to catch a glimpse of makono as the royal daughter ducked in to an alcove.
oh no, oh no no no!
as nazli hurried to the door she probed the entry with her nose, and then hurried inside. makono! her voice was hushed but insistent.
this was tavina's room!
thankfully the woman was not present but being here unsupervised added a new layer to the tension within nazli's spirit. she hurried to the side of the princess and looked to the door, then back, then to the door; all the while murmuring:
lady, please, the catacombs are this way -- she did not want to say no to the princess, even though every fibre of nazli's coat was raised with nervous energy and she was clearly out of sorts about it.

the room would be spared her prying eyes as lapis gaze switched with a pointedness to her gaze. it was fortunate for everybody that makono was more interested in the catacombs than bullying the fellahin further.

she only huffed, pointedly, then would once more follow.

you're too hurried, you know, the air practically static around the lilac girl. her pace more frenzied than composed, in the eyes of the princess.

she said nothing more yet.

the princess turned and moved with nazli's urging.
though she did not do it silently. there was a barb thrown nazli's way which she did not appreciate, but in truth she was more stunned to have been spoken to at all, and thusly tongue-tied.
would tavina have apologized in this instance? the youngest fellahin felt the sense of propriety but not the desire, so she held her own tongue and moved along.
once out of the alcove nazli followed the arc of the grander room, and by a narrow doorway to an innermost storehouse, there was a lesser path which nazli motioned towards.
this path leads to the catacombs. it is a maze of a place, miss -- um! lady makono. high-ness. the girl was practically out of breath from the stress. she looked to the other fellahin and presumed they were ignoring both of the girls for everyone's sakes, which left the catacombs open for exploration.

no response.

she did not know if she was supposed to feel disgust or delight. some ugly mixture of the two found home in her belly. a sinking stone of a sensation.

then they found themselves at the path to the catacombs. her lapis gaze peered down her nose as she assessed the path before her.

shouldn't you go first?

the girl had called it a maze, after all. why should the princess go first?

the royal one waited, looking to nazli to lead the way.
the girl was immediately moving to the helm of the exploration party. she was familiar with these caves and some of the paths specifically because this was where she had lived as a babe, but even then her recollections were hazy.
r-right, yes, of course. the girl murmured, and stepped in to the dark without another moment of hesitation.
the catacombs were indeed a web of rock and shadow; there were faint illuminations where the rock wall was thin but there was no way to map these portions, and anyway, many of the twists narrowed or the turns dropped out entirely.
i could lead her in and then leave her, thought nazli with some spite. surprised by her own mind, she hastened to put distance between herself and those vile thoughts. the girl had just lost a mother, for nwts sake! (the girl didn't know if she should feel bad about that, either.)

this was where she wanted to be.

except now that she was here, in the dark cool stone halls, she felt uncertain. this place was indeed lonely, but it stirred some deep primal unease. worried about what may be within the halls.

what if it was not just them?

how did you find the catacombs? hushed, lacking her usual pointed tone for once. instead she felt only a confusing mixture of intrigue and concern.

nazli almost did not answer.
she did not anticipate the gossamer quality of makono's hushed voice and was surprised with how it carried; but there was no other sound here save their claws upon the red rock.
i was born here — she went on to answer, only thinking afterwards that it was a very personal detail, and one she should have kept close to her heart. her voice hitched in her throat when she realized.
a few steps later, as the dark began to truly swallow them up, nazli added: its not so bad with company. she thought of her brother and let a faint smile spread upon her face, as makono would not see it.

born here.

it was good they were in the dark for the sudden gobsmacked look on makono's face. born. here. in the dingiest place! well, she supposed it fit a fellahin. still she struggled to imagine it.

it's not, she dared to agree before briefly exhaling out her nose. a sharper sound, not intended to be so but remaining all the same.

you don't...live in here still, do you?

surely not, she thought. surely the girl would live in one of the previous rooms or some sort.

but what if she did?

makono's heart only briefly flickered with a thought of pity.

the princess didn't say anything for a beat, and when she spoke again there was an odd lightness to her tone that nazli could not identify, but it made her feel ashamed. her question after made nazli's smile slip away.
no, i live - where the other fellahin live. most of the time i'm with tavina though; you know tavina?
of course makono would! what a stupid thing to say. tavina knew everyone, presiding over every injury or birth, and was likely present for makono's own.

did she?

the young princess rolled her eyes in the dark. yes. she responded back flatly, not letting too much of her sass drip into her words.

what has she taught you?

the girl wished to pry into the knowledge the fellahin may have. if the blue toned girl proved useful...well, who was to say. makono did not entirely despise her company.

nazli led them along another bend in the catacomb network and slowed when she heard the question. it wasn't exactly a special interest but... nazli had very few people to talk to, and little to talk about outside of her work, so being asked that question opened her up immediately.
oh, there's a lot actually! keeping the storehouse clean, um, and the alcoves; there's all the herbs in her private stash she's been teaching me about, and what's dangerous to use, um... she immediately thought of the poppies.
were these used on the queen? she'd once asked tavina.
feeling suddenly and intensely nervous, nazli paused with a half-step. she says we should be seen, not heard, and try to anticipate everyone's needs. this explanation came tumbling out of her in one nervous breath.

nazli has my heart forever WEH

the girl bloomed.

the princess smiled as they rounded the turn.

makono took some pride in this, to have the fellahin open up so freely! she would be a great assist to the young princess, if they built this bond — or rather makono tended carefully to her comfort. the princess was aware that this too could be good for the lilac girl. see how kind she could be?

you'd be very nice to have around more, she cooed in a faux (or was it? she struggled with the thought of it being genuine) compliment.

a fellahin who knew the ins and outs from birth, who knew things of great danger and places of secrecy.

compliments were rare commodities. when makono gave her's, it both stunned and thrilled nazli away from her anxiety. she felt warmth in her heart that shot up her throat, a warmth at the base of her ears. her cheeks too.
nazli wanted to go find tavina and tell her all about this monumentous event! but she couldn't very well abandon makono to the catacombs.
oh, th-thank you, i... i do my best! she didn't know what to say. how do you take the word of a princess? should she be humble? should she say anything at all?
the corridor's twist suddenly terminated; they'd have to turn around.

a dead end.

they were wholly alone here. not another soul stirred this far within akashingo. makono felt stirred into some sense of...royal entitlement. she wished to coil her grip on the fellahin tightly like a serpent.

will you visit me more? you can tell tavina that i asked. if the sesh was in charge of the fellahin's teachings, perhaps this present the way for makono to steal away the fellahin instead.

they didn't immediately go anywhere.
nazli had spent enough time in the halls, alcoves, and catacombs themselves that she wasn't immediately put-off by the abrupt end. she wondered if it would be better to step around makono and lead the way out again, or leave it to the princess --
you can tell tavina that i asked.
playing in to nazli's need to be liked, i see.
i will tell her. she nods quickly, and smiles, oblivious to the princess' deeper motivations; she wanted so very badly to believe she'd made a real friend - and a princess! how lucky!!

can be a fade or can keep going! :3c

she struggled internally.

there was something genuinely endearing about the lilac girl, this makono could not deny. yet the princess also knew her own wishes.

good, she decided on with a smile. you've shown me a secret place. i want to show you a place to see the whole kingdom.

heart thrumming with happiness, nazli was more than pleased to go wherever makono wanted.
she had been everywhere within the palace; she could think of no vantage point with the full view of the whole thing, and so she was excited to see what makono had in mind, and also skeptical such a place existed. nazli had lived her whole life underground — so any place higher didn't exist in her mind.
i will lead us from the catacombs, then. her voice was chipper; she moved quickly to follow the corridor and in no time at all, they'd be free of the dark. each step made nazli feel like a new person entirely, as she practically bounced along.