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?"
Ash stood again, stepping out of his room and closing the door.
"Well," he started, "what would you like? I can make French toast, pancakes, waffles, toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, cereal, anything you'd like." He was still smiling softly, leading Laura towards the kitchen. There was someone else in there already, a shorter woman. She had light brown skin, and a bob cut. Bear ears were sticking out of her head.
"You make all of that?" She asked rather surprised, tucking her hair out of her face.
Laura's little smile dropped, and she came up closer to Mr. Ash at the sight of the other. Hesitantly she took his hand when they entered the kitchen. "Um… I'm alright with anything… whatever you want, sir." She told him in a soft tone, glancing up to him.
Ash looked down at Laura when she took his hand. He held her's lightly, leading her to the other side of the kitchen. It was big enough for several people to be cooking in different places, seeing as it was technically a diner. He pulled out a stool for her again. The woman glanced over, but when Ash shook his head a little she simply gave Laura a soft smile before turning back to her cooking.
"I can make a lot of things," Ash said gently. "Do you have any allergies?"
Laura barely gave the woman a smile in return, glancing over to Mr. Ash.
"No, sir. I don't think so at least." She responded in a soft tone, pulling away to go sit. When she climbed up on the stool, she started smoothing out the shirt she had on. Mostly for something to distract herself.
"I can have peanut butter, I'm not allergic to that."
"Alright then. Do pancakes sound good? Or would you like something else?" Ash stood in front of Laura, mostly blocking the woman from Laura's line of sight now. He kept close to her, holding her attention. He saw how uneasy the woman had made her.
Laura shifted her gaze off the woman, on to his face.
"Pancakes are fine. I haven't had those in a while either…" She admitted in a soft tone, her eyes flicking down to her feet. Gently she kicked back and forth, making sure not to hit him with her feet.
"Okay then, pancakes it is." He gave him a very soft smile, turning to start making the batter. From scratch, of course. He made great pancakes. He hummed softly. The woman had finished making her own food, plating it and sitting away from Ash and Laura.
Laura kept glancing over to the other woman, not meaning to stare. In all honesty, she was just curious. Though she wasn't quite ready to go try and socialize. Maybe later in the day.
"How long do pancakes take, sir?" She asked softly, turning her gaze back fully on him.
"They'll be just a few minutes to cook," Ash said. He poured the batter into a griddle, letting them cook. He looked over at Laura, seeing how she had been glancing at the woman.
"Her name is Goldie," Ash said softly. "She's a friend of mine."
Laura nodded a bit at the information given to her, dropping her gaze to her hands in her lap.
“Right, thank you sir.” Laura responded in a gentle tone. She didn’t want to bring much attention on herself, so she continued to speak in quiet tones.
“Could I have something to drink? I know you’re making food, but I can get it myself.”
"Yes, of course you can," Ash said. "You can have any of the drinks in the fridge you want, and there's water too." Ash flipped the pancakes over, giving a soft hum. Ash had his attention on her, but he wasn't being over bearing. The woman, Goldie, had finished her meal, cleaning up and leaving. Now, they were alone. Ash gave a small smile.
Laura pushed off the stool, and quietly made her way over to the counter. She dragged the stool behind her, making sure it was steady before climbing up. With the added height she could reach out for the glasses, and pulled one out for herself.
Setting it down, she climbed down and glanced over to him. "I'm really allowed to have anything in the fridge?"
"Anything at all." Ash flipped the pancakes again to make sure they were done, then divided them onto two plates. He turned the griddle of for now, making his way carefully over to Laura to make sure she didn't fall.
"There's nothing in there that you couldn't have."
Laura gave him a little smile, nodding just a bit.
"Alright, sir." She hummed a bit, pulling the fridge door open. Glancing through it, she pulled the gallon of milk out to pour herself a glass. Though it was kind of heavy. After a couple of seconds she gained her balance, pushing the gallon up on the counter. "Could… could you help?"
Ash's hands had shot out when Laura was off balance, ready to catch her if need be.
"I can, definitely," he said, very relieved Laura hadn't fallen. He picked up the milk, taking the lid off and moving to pour Laura some.
"How much would you like?" Ash asked.
"Whatever you pour, is fine." Laura responded lightly, giving him a small smile. "Thank you sir. For everything."
She started pulling the stool back, heading over to the table. She assumed they would be eating in the next few minutes, so she wanted to start heading over that way.
Ash poured out Laura her glass of milk. He put the milk away, carrying the milk over to Laura seat. He set the two plates of pancakes down, looking at Laura.
"Do you need some help with the stool?" He asked. He was grabbing the butter and syrup now, setting them down.
"No sir, I've got it." Laura responded softly, setting it up. When she let it go, she climbed up on it with a little smile. The little accomplishment was enough for her.
"Thank you, Mr. Ash." She hummed, picking up the glass and sipping from it.
"You're welcome, Ms. Laura." Ash sat down as well, beginning to eat his own pancakes quietly. He smiled a little, glad Laura seemed happy now. He was sitting by her, but she still had her space.
Laura set the glass aside, reaching for a fork to start eating. With a little smile on her face she began to break apart the food on her plate.
“Mm, it smells yummy.” She stated, starting to eat. As soon as she tasted it, her face lit up even more. “And it taste really good, too.”