Thread: Love of the Desert [[ShadyxHoudini]]

First of all, I apologize for my terrible post last night. xD I am sick and I was exhausted last night but felt that I needed to post something, so I tried. I'm feeling a bit better today so things should be better this time, haha. xP There were deep purple dyed linens for the tables - white first, though. The entire room had already been striped so that set could be cleaned and she was to go around to replace them. She'd start with the tables, then move to the curtains for the windows and balconies. Her body had become relatively numb after about two hours of moving and stretching - it didn't hurt to strain herself anymore, even though she was sore. She knew that that night would be worse the rolling over and the laying down in bed, stiff for hours, would make her wake up groaning. Her body had taken a beating, quite literally, over the last day or so. Even still, Tahirah did her best not to think about it. She hummed quietly to herself, songs she'd only ever heard at large royal parties while she served the guests. As slaves they weren't really allowed to listen to finer music, except when they overheard it, though they weren't kept from singing their own songs or anything of the sort. Working alone, she figured, was just another punishment - perhaps not even on purpose. Tahirah glanced at the place on the floor where she'd tripped as she set the basket down, then at her knees, red from the scuff. Her shoulders slumped as she sighed and grabbed at the cloths in the woven basket. It didn't take her too long, even alone, to cover all four of the longer tables and the six smaller, round ones. The white linens were draped neatly over the edge, each chair pushed in closely, perfectly spaced apart. There was something about the order that Tahirah didn't like - she wanted to mess it up, to push something off balance to see if it would even make one ounce of difference. Would anyone actually notice? Just as she reached back into the basket to pull out the dark purple cloths for the table, which were actually just runners to go down the center, she heard a faint but slightly familiar voice. The gears in her head turned and as she realized who it was, she slowly angled her body toward the sound She couldn't help herself. For a moment she simply stared at him - first of all he wasn't dressed like he usually was, like he should have been. Then there was the softness in his voice - and then the fact that he was here at all. Snapping herself out of her gawking and retreating into her own thoughts, she turned herself completely to him, set down the cloth, and bowed her head, bending at the waist a bit before standing up straight. Your highness, she said quietly. Her voice held something more than usual - she was nervous obviously, more nervous than before, and the sweet purr that had been present before seemed to have disappeared a bit. Does his majesty need something? she managed, not even lifting her eyes above the toes in his sandals. Her speech, especially when she addressed him, almost seemed to hold a touch more contempt than usual. Tahirah wasn't sure if she was mad at him or disappointed in herself - maybe both - but she was certain the light struggle showed itself in the abnormal tenseness of her body.