Lion Head Mesa rises the moon

She was tired.

She was worn by her grief, she did not bounce back as she once did. Her dreams woven with Maegi, with Blackfeather Woods.

She blamed herself, more than anything else.

Maybe that was selfish in the wake of things. Maybe she have turned her grief towards otherwise, outside forces. Yet she had carried Morta as more than just a title.

It had been her lifeblood.

Now Maegi was gone.

Jakoul looked twice her age. Limp pronounced, sides sunken into bones, soft greys tickled her face.

Stones had been produced in a tall way. Near a place of the territory closest to the woods. As close as could be while still in Akashingo. Jakoul had placed a sole raven upon it. On that raven was a red flower.

Word of it would certainly make way to @Ramesses, to @Gucci.

She did not busy herself with faces much anymore. She had no care of what others would think of her either. No one here held her soul in the way Maegi had.

No one here could.

She laid before the memorial stone now. Akin to an old dog on a porch.

She came upon the altar quite by mistake.

There was talk of a grave, or a memorial, which crept through the servants one by one; when Nazli heard of it she was surprised, and asked Tavina, who told her in a quiet way that Maegi had passed; but she had been in Mereo at the time, and had not thought about the old woman.

When she found the altar is was a surprise; she did not see Jakoul at first, as Nazli's eyes were upon the raven offered amid the stones.

The sound of breathing slowly filled the space, as there was no other sound, and at first Nazli thought it was the wind and looked up; the gathering clouds gave everything a moody overcast.

She stepped closer to the altar and very nearly stamped a paw upon Jakoul's tail; it was in that instant, when it shifted, that she saw her for what she was: a woman grieving.

Nazli sank back, sitting near, but did not touch her, and did not speak.

jakoul was a face toula would never forget. nor the joy that was once present upon her features. she was to begin more stringent lessons of how to best use her teeth, and she had an idea of who she would like to teach her! but the mazoi had made herself scarce while toula began her considering.
toula was escorted by a fellahin, following the trail of the youngest of them. there had been a reason for that, but as toula came across the scene she had forgotten it. her eyes landed upon the items placed on the altar, one item black, and atop that, something red. toula saw that the shape was that of a raven, and a flower atop it.
toula knew this for what it was, if only because of the somberness within the air. and she whispered to one of her fellahin, for no ones ears but for theirs, and they departed swiftly, quietly.
to her was soon brought something similar to stela. toula, divine, thought to do as the Gods would wish. she carved her claws against the frail stone, as though marking some inscription, and broke the silence as she spoke over it:

Iset, wife of God
Osiris, who presides over the West
Horus, protector of his father
An offering which the king gives to Osiris, presiding over the West,
That he may give everything good and pure.

gently, and only when finished, did toula move to place this alongside the memorial... for the mazoi, and for the departed royal, who toula need not know to see how much she was loved. and now these gifts that royal would receive in the West, Osiris surely having listened!
and then toula too sat in the quiet. this did not seem a time for speaking beyond prayer. but she would be there for the mazoi, who had once been there for her--to make sure she did not dance alone.
toula was still a very young girl, inclined to appropriate requests at inappropriate times. and though she yearned to sing for jakoul, and dance with her again, even toula understood that now was not the moment for such.

Faces before her.

She stared through, but did not turn them away. Even when one almost stepped upon her tail.

Another brought a stone and prayers. Once, she may have been moved by effort brought to this moment. Now it was music to punctuate her misery.

Her bony sides were perhaps the only sign that she still remained on this side of the earth. Their soft swelling followed their eventual collapse.

She could not say a word to them.

But perhaps when her glassy gaze came somewhere back into focus, they would see she did care for their company.

The girl was very far from the palace, and so Nazli would mind her. It was her duty; beyond that, she was another amiirad and she could not stop her from making her plea to the fates, or the gods; whichever the prayer was for, Nazli listened.

She also watched as the shadow shifted. She saw the bones through the flesh, the sorrow that weighed the mazoi in such a way that it draped across them, dripped from them.

There was a moment of silence between them, and then Nazli advanced to where Toula rested with the mazoi. That was very kind, young miss. Very beautiful.

She felt at once that they were disturbing Jakoul, but did not dare whisk the girl away either, after the brief look that passed over their dark face. Nazli waited patiently for any orders from the child, and nosed close to Jakoul's ear to ask very softly, Is there anything I can... get, for you, or do? A hot meal would do her well.

toula felt herself blush at the attention given from the fellahin. it was kind, though toula had not meant to be so loud as to disturb. at the very least it had not been the opposite, and she murmured gently, thank you, though said nothing else as she thought.
it was just after the fellahin whispered to mazoi that her thought needed to be voiced. after seeing the  bones upon the woman she cared for, she could not keep quiet then. would you mind gathering some sweetmeats, for us all?, she meant to include the fellahin. like nazli, toula had not missed the care there. and so in this duty, they might be kindred spirits. i think it would please the Gods and those beyond that we sup here, where we have prayed, Osiris could see, and tell the late nebet in the Land of Reeds, that the living here fought for the mazoi.

One young woman whispered in her ears, words of an offer.

Jakoul could not fathom the concept of food, of anything beyond this moment. It was a terribly unhealthy way of living. Her dry lips pushed together tightly, before they drooped once more.

The princess spoke, commands given in a divine way of kindness.

Her tail offered a sweep across the ground in what could only be assumed as acceptance of it all. Slowly she rolled her head towards the young princess and awaited whatever may come next.

The dark woman said nothing; Nazli almost regretted asking her anything, as she felt the palpable sorrow and saw how it weighed her down. How could she so foolishly expect the mazoi to speak of her wants? Of course she wanted; of course there had been loss, and it was not something Nazli could return to her.

The princess Toula spoke then. She asked that they sup there by the altar, to which Nazli nodded; she did this more out of habit than acquiescence, and kept her gaze averted from them both.

Yes, miss. I will bring a meal for you. Something small but fresh, which would be easy to digest if either the shadow or the golden spark were to seek it. Nazli was away with swift steps, drifting briefly from their company.

Feel free to skip Nazli for a round or two!