What took root did not announce itself.
Aaliyah felt it first as a subtle return, not of urgency, not of ambition, but of engagement. A gentle pull toward doing, shaped by curiosity rather than need. It surprised her, not because it was unfamiliar, but because it arrived without pressure.
She noticed it the morning she woke thinking about the studio, not replaying what she had drawn, not judging the hour she'd spent there, but wondering how it might feel to return.
The wondering stayed light.
Rowan was already awake, sitting at the table with a notebook open, pen idle between her fingers.
"You're thinking again," Rowan said, amused.
Aaliyah smiled. "I think something is asking me a question."
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Do you know the answer?"
"No," Aaliyah said. "And that's what makes it interesting."
The day unfolded with a quiet hum of attention.
