575 B.C.
"Aakashi, where were you last night? And this morning, for that matter." As soon as she stepped into the Domo, Ajak was on her, placing firm hands on her shoulders.
"I was checking on that family that got hurt the other day. I wanted to make sure they had recovered properly. Sorry for not telling you." Aakashi smiled, fooling Ajak with her guise of innocence.
"I see." She nodded, lowering her arms and looking over her shoulder down the hallway. "Druig just got in as well, from an impromptu patrol." Aakashi pretended to be curious. "Gil left breakfast in the dining room for you two, so go and join him."
"Sure." She grinned, earning a confused look from Ajak.
She skipped down the hallway, swinging round the doorframe, and found Druig already sat down, eating. "Ajak asked me to join you." She said, grinning.
Aakashi took the seat next to him on his right, placing her left hand on her lap. Reaching for the food with her right, she felt Druig delicately take her hand, intertwining his fingers in hers. She looked over to him, and he looked to her, grinning.
"Hey, guys, where were you last night?" Kingo strolled into the room, picking up an apple and tossing it around lightly.
"Patrol."
"Visiting someone." They each answered, completely monotone.
"Okay... Phastos wants you in the lab in, like, ten minutes, Aakashi." He told them, eyeing the pair slightly. He had always been strangely perceptive.
"Cool. I'll be there in a sec." Aakashi told him, beaming at him as he left the room. "I think we need to practice acting more natural." She said quietly to Druig once they were alone again.
"I was as hostile as usual. You were the one acting all frozen." He accused, causing Aakashi to reel back, jaw dropped in fake horror.
"I think I did just fine, thank you very much."
"Just eat your food." He told her, laughing lightly. She nudged his shoulder, giggling as well.
-
"Was that the last of them?" Aakashi yelled over the noise. She held her hands outwards as they guided a bolt of white gold. She was controlling the lightning she'd created, and she'd just shot a deviant in the stomach with it. It now lay limp and lifeless on the ground in front of her.
"Yep. Kingo and Thena got the other one, and Gil is finishing off the small one." Phastos informed her, walking from the Domo.
They were just outside the city, and the deviant they'd gotten a few days before had had its herd hidden away, ready to avenge its death. Phastos' tech had picked them up just before they'd reached the outskirts of Babylon.
"Great." She let go of the lightning, letting it strike dirt and pushing the clouds away slowly and letting the wind fade away. "I'm gonna go back, is that cool?"
"Yeah, go on." He waved her off, looking down at his hand, where a little globe spun.
-
"How was it? I could hear the lightning from here." Sersi asked as Aakashi got back.
"It was great. They didn't even get to the first building." She laughed, walking with her towards the lab.
"Ajak told me you'd visited a hurt family last night. Who was it?"
Aakashi froze, remembering how Sersi knew most everyone, especially those who live outside the walls. "Oh. I don't remember their names..."
"Really?" Sersi looked surprised, but didn't push it further. She turned off into her room, looking over her shoulder as she went in. "Druig's looking for you, by the way."
