#aisha 004

As Jasmine strolled the stalls of carnival games with no particular desire to play a specific one, she saw a certain someone by themselves in an apparent struggle with the equipment they were using, and felt the need to make her way over. "Need a cheerleader?" she asked over Aisha's shoulder as she was about to take her next shot.

WHERE: the wheel, countryside.

WHEN: early march, 2026.

Catching up with friends was fun, but catching up with friends while making pottery was top tier -- and Elena couldn't say she hadn't been looking forward to the outing with Aisha. The weather was still too cold to spend much time outdoors, so indoors would have to do. Dressed in a cozy, old sweatshirt and jeans, Elena entered The Wheel and smiled as she paid for a session for two, telling the girl up front that Aisha should be right behind her, and headed into the back to find the clay and a wheel to sit at. Everything had been a little topsy turvy in a busy way post-holidays: getting the shop organized, the gala happening, and then this whole debacle with the Benefactor... yeah, tossing a slab of clay onto a wheel seemed like a great idea at the moment.

WHERE: Bardales Inc., downtown

WHEN: January, 2026

"The board is very convinced that one of our resolutions for the year should be having more of a presence on social media," Rafael said, hesitating a little bit with the idea... mostly because he had bucked so hard against becoming one of those people mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or -- shudder -- opening a TikTok account. But he had listened to their advice, and he understood... people got their recommendations, their news, their reviews from their peers and their creators on social media. And, well, that was where Aisha came in. "Which means that ... well, I guess I'm asking you what you think we can do this year to make that happen."

WHERE: Harmony Ranch, countryside

WHEN: Bachelorette Party (October 12, 2024)

"Aisha, hey, wait up!" Stelly grinned when they recognized their friend, hurrying to catch up on the gravel pathway up to the barn. Which was still delightful -- a bachelorette party, at a farm? This was what dreams were made of. "Good, a friendly face," they replied, slightly breathless when they made it to Aisha's side, "not that I expected anything else, but. I'm glad you're here!"