Lion Head Mesa duniya ke sapane

hoping for @Siptah or @Makono before the wp! creating some lighthearted sibling threads with lessons <3

toula adored her elder siblings. if rivalry existed between them, she was (at least at present) nonethewiser. her youth afforded her this luxury, as did perhaps the order of her birth. all toula wanted was for smiles to be upon the faces of the ones she adored. all the better if she put them there!
not alone, toula walked with some servants around the palace. toula wished to practice her hymns, but thought to call upon either siptah or makono to join her, who she had seen most as of late when not with her own tutors.

oh, her sister.

smaller and younger. just as vibrant and beautiful. carefree, without a thought to the stirrings between the older batch. some part of her was envious of that last part. the other part of her was not.

knowledge was power.

but, ah, anyway. she came upon her young half-sister with the expected collection of servants.

may i steal you away, princess toula?

her eyes shimmered with delight.

it was only the eyes of the fellahin, and others around them, that prevented toula from sprinting toward her idol of the hour and smothering her in frantic kisses of adoration and greeting combined. but upon seeing her, the delight was apparent. her steps appeared even lighter, and her expression bore the full brightness of Ra's light. toula loved makono, that much was clear. that they were not full-blooded sisters was of no consequence to the youngest amiirad.
close, now, toula did rise to greet her sister with a chaste, familial kiss to her cheek. and at her sisters words, toula withdrew with a giddy smile to the title her sister attached to her. sister! she answered cheerily, her voice filled with love, light, and laughter too. her hymns were not forgotten, but put aside for the moment. she and her sister had all the time in the world to pray, and besides, she had recently completed her morning ones. the fellahin kept close, but granted the princesses their space. their own assembly appeared grander together.
what shall we do? she asked, all too eager to be stolen by the sister she so clearly adored.

a blossoming amiirad.

she wondered if her younger sister spent much time with ashikaga. it would not be hard to think not, her twin had become withdrawn. closed off. expected from the passing, but it hurt her all the same.

she would guard and treasure toula. protect her from the hurt that could live in these halls.

hmm. pick between the wellspring and the top of mesa, amiirad. she cooed warmly, nudging her along.

toula considered in silence, before saying with feigned annoyance, oh! how could i! when both are so wonderfuls! here, at the end, toula giggled in between the words. she was not so great a pretender; makono would easily see she was not at all bothered... rather, she was overjoyed between both options.
yes--in truth, both sounded appealing. her ambition only went so far as what could be seen this day, it seemed! sister... she dared to ask, could we see both? here her eyes grew wide with the hope in her heart!

her sister did not speak with the demands that makono did. not the certainty that gripped her when faced with options or the ability to speak for what she wanted.

she kissed her crown, delicately.

we will see the top first. then when we have been dusted in the sand and tussled by the wind, we will return to the wellspring. what do you say? she moved to guide their steps towards the sloping heights of the mesa. prepared to point out all the wonders to her younger sister.

all that she had ever asked for, ever desired, had been given to her. sometimes, she need not even ask. sometimes, all she needed to do was gesture, as her father might. makono gave to  her both these things she wished for, and she grandly gestured for the fellahin in their assembly to join them with a sweet, inviting smile accompanying the gesture.
i say that sounds wonderful, she answered in earnest, settling at her side with bright, reverent eyes. she was glad for this time with her sister. she was often away, and toula missed her when she was gone. her presence was a great one, whose absence toula never failed to miss.
as they moved, toula thought to ask, sister... is mereo as grand as this? she wondered, doubting such a thing possible. but she so loved to hear makono speak, sharing whatever story she might with it.

she laughed, warm and spring like. toula brought it out of her. having been hidden away by a heart crushed by politics.

not at all. but it is not an ugly place, either. the men soldier have plebian who keep the place lively. not really fellahin, but they are below the soldiers. it would be important for toula to learn these things! for who knew, she might see the face of the soldiers one day and swoon.

some part of her dreaded the thought.

toula veritably glowed at her sisters laughter. the joy spread onto the planes of her face, and reached a happily swaying tail. she did not think it would be, though she had her own bias toward home. toula had an adventurers spirit, but for now it was sated by stories. and makono with the rest had plenty to tell! but she adored these times with her most beloved sister, too, beyond the stories.
plebian. not fellahin, but were they obedient nonetheless if they were below the soldiers? and, plebian, toula repeated, tasting the exoticness of it and delighting in it as she might a fruit. so different sounding a word it is! she breathed, thinking on that for a moment. and then, looking to makono, do you know what it means? she wondered. did it have a meaning? well, it must--for fellahin, attributed to a slave, did! they were peasants.
the comely child then asked, what was your favorite part of mero? as she primly stepped over a stone that someday, would hardly be an obstacle to her! the fellahin noted the next one, and moved it out of her path.

it means they are a commoner. they do not have so many ranks for all that is learned. they are a place of soldiers first, so soldiers have spreading ranks.

all of it more than the girl truly needed to understand yet, but makono was happy to share all the same.

as for her favorite part? she released a thoughtful hum.

the knowledge i came away with. i learned diplomacy in mereo. although...perhaps how obedient soldiers are to a princess. her features split for a moment with a smile, hoping to rise something out of her younger sister.

what do you think of that? of them? she asked with a tilt of her head. toula would soon grow into her own mind, but it was shaped by moments with her sister, a voice she valued hearing. toula absorbed all that she said, happy simply to hear her!
diplomacy. toula lifted her head a measure, nodding as though to say, oh, of course!, but then... can you teach me diplomacys? her tail wagged. her sister had learned it there, could it be taught to toula in turn?
she delighted in her sisters smile toward her. soldiers, obedient to them! if... if i were in mereo... i would command a soldier to... she thought for a moment, and then giggled as she said: dance with us! still young, still innocent, she hoped to elicit another smile from makono, too, with her half-joke.
she would not do such a thing, but it would be funny to! ...and also, lovely to have yet another partner to dance with.

i think it is useful. she quipped with a small smile to her sister. treva had not done such a terrible job in producing these ones, had she? still she hardly knew the woman who bedded her father and brought more royals about.

of course i can. she cooed with a fondness welling up in her, exposed in her gaze. as they moved along, she leaned her head down some to affectionately nose along toula's crown.

that should be your first lesson in diplomacy. how would you convince the soldier to dance with you? not all can be so easily commanded away from their post.

oh! her sister was so smart! toula dreamt of being as wise as she, who might already know the answer to the question she asked of her. it seemed adults knew everything; toula was ready to become one, for that reason alone!
toula delighted at the affectionate touch of her sister, and happily returned the gesture, leaning into it.
before she had her answer, and considering it even while she posed this one to her sister, she asked: ...what does mereo value, as soldiers? is... is culture something they would appreciate? she inquired, head tilting. her opinion on them was a changing thing, but toula approved of them because it seemed her family did. toula then said, perhaps i would convince them... by learning something that is important to them,  too, showing them her own appreciation... it could only be a good thing, could it not? she looked to her sister for any traces of approval, or happiness—what mattered most to toula was this!

soldiers are often times about the physical world.

germanicus had taught her such when her bringing of meat had been a favored gift. rations were the way to a soldier's heart.

sometimes culture scares them. soldiers work all day and they get hungry. like the beastly things they can be. her words full of humor! now with that knowledge, what better way can you think of convincing a soldier to dance?

she expected her sister to make the connection. the smart, blooming lotus that she was.