The enthusiasm of Aiesha's return carried her swiftly through the halls of Satriya, to the bloc of noble-owned apartments which had been graciously given to her, her father, and their ilk.
They had once shared such a space within the monolith—it was to this accommodation that Aiesha drifted; in that transient way that youth conveniently forgot important things—she had put aside the argument with Senmut in order to focus on making herself useful in other ways, and by now saw her dream realized. Paying no mind to the fact that she had not seen her father since that moment, not even to tell him or anyone of her desire to visit Tianlong, Aiesha hurried to the door and then through it.
What she found was—an empty room. Yes, it was her father's... However, it did not look like anyone had slept among the furs there. It had become more spacious when the nebet had her own things removed, and there remained a void from where her sleeping place, oils, and tableau had once been.
Father?She called out with a vague sense of unease—and the walls caught her voice, with no rejoinder.








