Upon the sultan’s departure, Nahla took a good few minutes to consider her next actions. It wasn’t often that she wasn’t at Grace’s side, and she couldn’t think straight as her mind swirled with what was to come next, what she would have to deal with regarding Ruz, and whatever her feelings to that urchin are…

By the time she shakes the thought out of her head, she finds herself in a familiar room- the sultan’s bath. Her fingers wrap around a smooth glass vial, and she doesn’t need to even look down to realize what she had grabbed in her fugue state.

“And what are [i]you[/i] doing here?” Came an accusatory voice behind her. 

Nahla spun around, quickly dropping the vial into her pocket as she finds Yasmine leaning in the doorway, her narrowed eyes piercing daggers through the northerner. 

“Ah, I-I was just, uh-“

“Just rifling through her Imperial Majesty’s belongings? Perhaps to simply wait here, undressed for her, to tempt her with your form to distract from your poor behavior? To utter upon her arrival ‘would you rather have dinner, a bath… or me?’ “

“I don’t know where you got that ide-“

“No? You don’t think word travels? You don’t think that Lady Ruz is already aware of your [b]history[/b]?”

Those words chilled Nahla into silence. She could barely move as Yasmine sauntered forward, crouching down until she was face to face with her fellow concubine before continuing.

“I would think long and hard about your past mistakes, before you go messing around with another girl’s mind.”

“I understand. I promise, I was just here to clean the room for Grace-of-Heaven, on her command. Then, I shall attend to a meeting with the Vizier to discuss my… outburst yesterday.”

“Good. Just remember, we’re here to please and serve her Majesty, not to satisfy ourselves. You’d best remember that before your next outburst earns you washwoman duties, before you next have any thought of blaspheming or of using her majesty for your own desires.”

Yasmine exits the bath, leaving Nahla to her free time. With her heart practically in her throat, Nahla begins to scrub away at the room, ensuring that the floor and bath itself are utterly spotless. Then, she draws herself a pail of water, scrubbing away at the sweat that leaked from every pore, adorning herself in a fresh set of clothing and once again cleaning the bath before making her way to Ruz’s private chambers. She was still early to this conversation, but she decided she’d rather do this now or wait here than to risk any more confrontations with Yasmine or Lila while Taima was busy trying to court the sultan’s affection. Gathering her wits about her, considering how Ruz fancied herself, and how this meeting was under the guise of demonstrating her learned lesson, Nahla courteously raps her knuckle against the door thrice before stepping back and bowing her head.