As the weeks passed, the quiet Petra left behind slowly settled into something more familiar.
Not emptiness exactly. Just… space.
At first, Aria kept expecting to see her. Turning slightly during discussions, half ready to ask for her input. Pausing during complex cases, almost waiting for Petra's particular way of looking at things.
Then remembering.
It was a strange adjustment.
"You will get used to it," Sorin told her one afternoon.
"I know," Aria said. "I just did not expect it to feel like this."
"Like what?"
Aria thought about it for a second.
"Like I lost something," she said. "Even though I know I did not."
Sorin nodded slowly.
"That is what growth feels like sometimes," he said. "For both people involved."
Not long after, the first detailed report came from Ashenfell.
Aria sat with it longer than necessary before opening it. She told herself she was just busy. That there were other things to finish first.
