Laura shifted her gaze off of him, starting to pick at the fabric of her shorts.
"I… I do want to stay here- but… I- I feel bad. I really don't deserve it." She insisted in a quiet tone, still avoiding eye contact. She couldn't make herself look up at him, considering how guilty it made her feel.
"I don't deserve getting to stay, or any of this. I didn't do anything for you."
"You don't have to do anything to earn kindness." Ash didn't make Laura look at him, staying sat on his heels with his hands in his lap.
"Everyone deserves it. You can still stay here, Laura. I'll never take that offer away. If you want to stay, then do."
"Do… do you really think I should stay?" Laura asked softly, barely glancing over to him.
She really didn't know what to do right now. Leaving wasn't a smart choice, but neither was staying. For an eight year-old, she seemed pretty smart about this. Though she was definitely over-thinking this.
"I really think you should stay," Ash said quietly. "And while you're here, we'll figure out the best way to continue from here. You're safe here, Laura." Ash looked at Laura with hope, wanting her to be safe.
Laura bit into the inside of her cheek, listening to his words intently. Her gaze flicked up and down his figure, noting how safe she felt with him around. After a couple of seconds of thought, she nodded just a bit.
"Alright… I-I'll stay." She told him softly, lifting her head up just a little.
"Okay then." Ash gave Laura a small, reassuring smile. "Let's go pick out a room then, okay?" He stood, letting Laura decide his she wanted to come with him, to hold his hand or follow beside or behind. Whatever she felt best with. His tail flicked.
"She's that sound good to you?"
"I really get my own room here?" Laura asked softly, sliding off the stool to follow after him. She kept her distance, but was still a lot closer than she had been. "Because I don't mind sleeping on a couch, or the floor with some blankets."
She didn't want to come off as ungrateful, but she also didn't want to sound needy.
"You really do," Ash said softly. "We have plenty of rooms for you to pick one from, with your own bed to sleep in. It's okay, Laura. Really, I promise." Ash looked back at her, leading hey into a hallway lined with doors. Each of them had a name plate, some blank and some with names, including Ash's.
"Pick a blank door," Ash said gently.
Laura glanced at all the empty doors, slowly making her way over to one of them. Gently she pushed on the door once she turned the handle, peering around the corner. She was still pretty hesitant despite her reassurance.
"Is… is this one alright, sir?" Laura asked him softly, looking back to him when she was in the doorway.
The bedroom was sparsely decorated, the essentials one needed to be comfortable. There was potential for more, though. Ash smiled softly.
"Yes, this room is perfectly good. Is this the room you want?" He stepped forward, pulling out a pen. He would write Laura's name on the blank label if she did.
Taking a few more steps into the room, she nodded just a little. She kept a smile on her face, glancing around the darker room.
“Yes sir, if you’re sure it’s alright.” Laura nodded a bit, slowly walking around the room. She seemed relaxed at the moment as she wandered. Gently she ran her hand over the sheets on the bed, noting how soft they felt.
Ash nodded, smiling softly as well. He wrote Laura's name on the label.
"It's officially your's now," he said, voice soft.
"Is there anything you need right now, anything at all?"
Laura glanced back over to him, before down at herself. She could probably go for a shower- but didn't want to ask. Not now at least.
"No, sir. Thank you very much, though." She smiled softly, climbing up on the bed. Kicking off her shoes, she sat on the bed criss-cross. Clearly she wasn't too intimidated by everything. Not now at least.
"I'll… I'll ask if I need anything."
Ash stayed in the doorway, nodding.
"Alright then. My room is just down the hall, and the bathroom is clearly marked." He smiled gently. "I'm going to go tell the lady who owns this place you're here now, and then I'm going to head to bed."
Laura looked over to him with a light smile. She nodded when he started talking to her, thinking about it for just a minute.
"Is… is she going to come up here?" Laura asked softly, her smile slowly dropping at the realization. Even if she was decently comfortable around Mr. Ash, didn't mean she would so easily relax around others.
Ash shook his head.
"She isn't. Especially if you don't want her too. Everyone here will give you space until you're ready." He stayed in the doorway as he spoke to her, leaning against the door frame. He made sure not to take up the entire area, leaving plenty of room for Laura to be able to get through. He didn't want her to feel like she was trapped her.
"Really?" Laura asked softly, taken by a bit of surprise. That was certainly different.
"I… thank you again, so much, sir. I really don't know how to make this up to you… " She told him softly, tucking her hair back out of her face. She glanced up to him with wider eyes. Even if you couldn't tell how grateful she was by her words, you could definitely see it on her face. "I don't deserve any of this."
Ash nodded a little, giving Laura a happy smile.
"You don't have to make up for it," Ash said, still smiling. "You really do deserve this." He pushed himself off of the doorframe, taking a step back.
"Sleep tight," he said gently. "Do you want your door open or closed?"
Laura smiled a little, staying on the edge of her bed.
"Open just a little, please." She told him softly, twisting a loose strand of hair around her finger. "Thank you, good night sir." She told him softly, tracing circles into the sheets.
"Good night, Laura. Sweet dreams." Ash closed the door, leaving it open just a little like Laura had asked. He smiled softly to himself, then walked away.
(Time skip?)
(Yup!)
The next morning when Laura got up she quietly made her way down the hall. She silently read over the names on the doors, trying to find Mr. Ash's room. She didn't really want to bother him, but she doubted he would want her trying to make her own breakfast.
When she came up to what she assumed was his door, knocking just a little.
After a few moments, the door opened sightly. Ash peeped out, looking to see who had knocked. He smiled when he saw who it was opening his door completely.
"Good morning," he said, still smiling. "Did you sleep well?"
Laura nodded a little, smiling at the sight of his familiar face.
"Good morning… and yes sir, thank you." She hummed, tipping her head to look at the taller man. From the night of sleep, she already looked way better than when he had found her. "Did you?"
"I did, thank you." Ash squatted so Laura didn't have to look up at him, smiling. She did look much better now.
"You ready for some breakfast? There might be someone in the kitchen already, but they won't bother you."
Laura gave him a little smile, nodding just a bit. "Yes sir, if that's alright. I would have made myself breakfast, but this isn't my house."
When she stepped back out of his way, she had a little bit of bounce in her step. She stood there, rocking back and forth. "What are we going to make?"