Aaliyah

Aaliyah is Rabi’s older “sister”. When he was fresh out of the factory, scared and alone in a world that cared nothing for him, she took him under her wing and taught him not only how to survive, but how to enjoy life. She is a devout Muslim and wears an abaya and shayla hijab, and dresses a little more conservative in her choice of colors and patterns than other Emirati women. In her precious little spare time, she takes care of any stray animals and injured wildlife she comes across.

She was a prostitute when she took Rabi in, forced to work in a brothel like so many other robots without masters, all the while sheltering as many of her friends and neighbors as she could. After a few years, Aaliyah garnered quite the positive reputation in the neighborhood, and people knew to go to her for help. Many donated supplies or what little money they had, and even eventually a larger building, and finally she was able to abandon the brothel and spend all of her time at her new safehouse. Her doors are open to any and all robots in need of repair, shelter, protection, or a safe place to hide.

Her reputation as unofficial neighborhood mom has brought her some unexpected benefits; she is one of the few robots who can walk the streets of the Muzawara District without fear. She is so well known and respected that even the human interlopers know not to bother her in broad daylight. That does not, however, extend to her safehouse. It has been raided and vandalized more times than she’s cared to count, and burned down and rebuilt twice.

Aaliyah has always been close with Rabi, but his physical distance and insistence upon secrecy has put a strain on their relationship, whether they want to admit it or not. She knows Rabi is up to something dangerous, but she doesn’t know what and knows better than to press him about it, lest it push him further away. The thought that he could be Numair has never crossed her mind. She worries about him, especially when she doesn’t hear from him for weeks or months at a time.