It had already been three weeks since Gram had been established and yet Aden still had no clue how the rest of his family has doing. The constant “what ifs” that filled his head made sleep an all too rare commodity for him. But in the end, the only option he had was to keep moving forward, so instead of moping about like a brat he kept himself busy. So whether it was volunteering for patrols around the perimeter or taking up night watches on the wall, he did just that. The work didn’t keep his stupid thoughts away for long, but it certainly helped.

The airship had landed just as Aden was coming back from one of his patrols. At first glance, it seemed like the thing was holding itself together through sheer stubbornness rather than parts, as the hull was beginning to look frighteningly similar to wiffle ball. Students were already beginning to disembark the bucket of bolts, with expressions that couldn’t seem to choose between relief and exhaustion. Aden could hardly blame them, as he remembered just how trying his own journey had been. It seemed like he wasn't alone in that regard, as various students and teachers stepped forward and offered to show the new arrivals around. 

But Aden wasn’t one of them. Instead, he stuck to the side and scanned every face that got off the ship. At the same time, his logical part reminded himself just how stupid he was for doing so. The ship was obviously from Atlas. The odds of them picking up stragglers from Vale were closer to none rather than slim, but he still found himself looking for familiar faces.