If Ayah had genuinely believed there was no hope left for the twins after they vanished in Ultima Thule, she would have broken completely: their loss would have pushed her over the edge. Her fierce hope that there must be some way to unwrite this urged her onward. She refused to believe them lost.

She was shocked at their disownment by Fourchenault: she considered it absolutely unthinkable that her parents could be so cruel, and didn't know how to react to the realisation that the twins' own father had so easily cut them adrift. It left her feeling absolutely powerless, and far too young.

Losing her to the mysterious "illness" plaguing the Scions was devastating: she'd clung to Alisaie throughout it all, and her succumbing too was almost too much to bear. Ayah was quite frantic until she arrived on the First to be told that Alisaie was there too, and went after her straight away.

Alisaie was both easier and much, much more complicated. She took to her instantly, and by the time they'd gone through the Coils together she trusted and respected her immensely. Their friendship was fast and immediate; the complications came when they mutually realised it ran deeper than that.

Heavensward was a time of growth for the both of them and it led to Ayah feeling a lot surer in her own worth around Alphinaud. She came to understand where the limits of his (still extremely impressive!) knowledge lay, and how her talents could complement his own. They were fast friends by the end.