Lion Head Mesa mastaba

the sun had fallen to midafternoon when pharaoh walked quietly to the quarters of the mazoi. 
his ears were sharp and upright. his bearing was proud. there was no sign of the grief for satsu nor the conflict that he should be here at all.
he called softly for @Treva, waiting in the flower-scented air that had begun to grow muggy down in these recesses.

oops this got a little long! no need to match ofc <3

treva had been being tended to be sayyadina, when the woman was not called upon by others. today she had sought to be groom properly. washed in the waters, dared to be pressed against flowers so a good scent might cling to her. the room freshened too with new furs, flowers.

the mazoi had spent far too long wallowing. she wished to feel whole once more.

and whole she was, with the prominent swell of her sides. she tried to ignore how she could feel them now too. especially when she laid within a way that the life inside seemed to disagree with.

it seemed she would not need to struggle with a slumbering position though.

sayyadina helped her up, treva disgusted by the need for it but always soft to the helpful woman. one who she sent off when her eyes settled upon ramesses. truthfully, she had not expected to see him until the mourning had past, when his soul might have settled more.

pharaoh, warm despite the tiredness that had clung to her like a shawl the last few weeks.

<3

treva glowed. her pelt smelled of crushed flowers. the fragrance of the wellspring hung about her in an aura.
but ramesses' heart was crushed with grief, even as his mind sought to remain that of a pharaoh, and one fit for the glory of akashingo.
the lazuli eyes traced over the richness of her coiffed and rounded flanks. "i did not intend to see you before this time was over. and yet certain things have happened which now bring me to your door."
he straightened. "when the veil of grief has passed from akashingo, you will join me upon the throne."

she held the advice of tavina close to her heart now. men lash out in pain, he says terrible things to those around him — things she did not see now, but felt aware enough to know one misstep could bring them to light.

is there anything i need to do before then to prepare? with a self conscious gaze, she turned to look at her own rounded side. she was hardly mobile these days. soon enough whatever was inside would be out and she'd find herself further hindered by the lives.

what if she found herself as the previous queen?

her green gaze would return, hoping to find his blue one.

"it was not suitable for us to meet before the mourning was over. prepare to — well. i suppose you cannot fast."
his eyes roved over the curvature to her body. 
for some reason, it imbalanced him.
"speak to tavina of your — plans for motherhood. she will understand if you say those words." he was poised to leave. and yet he did not walk away.

fasting.

she supposed there was relief in not being ordered to do so in a state like this. ballooned like some sort of whale, ready to be beached and get this over with. she did not speak such unkindness to him.

i will. she's been very...diligent tending to me. sayyadina, too, but surely that went without much saying. she watched him carefully now. the way he seemed...near ready to depart, yet he lingered and she wondered what for.

she lifted a paw, as if she intended to walk, only to gently place it back down.

she did take a step in her boldness, though.

do you intend to give names? or should i?

"i will give male names. you will title any daughters. unless you would like me to name them all, in which case i will ask lady qiao to consult the stars."
he stared at her. in a short while the chaos of grief would be over and akashingo would fall into a new step. he found himself both ready and unprepared, and thought briefly upon what treva might be experiencing.

i'll name any daughters, she said this with a certainty. the only thing she had had any confidence in these last few weeks.

only it lasted but a few seconds. fading away as they looked at one another. what was she to say? to do? sayyadina was somewhere in the nearby distance and it would have been all too easy to summon her and whisk away for rest.

so why did they stand here?

it had been so easy to be in her company. he wanted her even now. but something unseen and unspoken loomed between them. 
ramesses no longer wished to feel that tendriling chain.
"be well, my sweet."
his proud shoulders turned. he was stepping away and would not be persuaded back — for now.

his words so sweet. it gripped her with a thought she wouldn't speak. watching the strong hold of his shoulders as he departed.

sayyadina returned in his absence.

treva turned her away too for the moment, retreating to her place alone.