Ash gave Laura's hand a gentle squeeze, reaching his other hand back to lightly rest on her head. The two men looked up when they saw Ash. The shorter one have a bright smile, but the scarred one didn't really react. If anything, he too slipped behind the man he was holding the hand of. The one in front glanced at Laura, but Ash shook his head. With that, the man pulled the other away a bit, giving Ash and Laura room as they continued down the hall.
Laura glanced back after they had passed the men, trying to get one last glance before they disappeared.
“Who… who was that?” She asked softly, flicking her gaze back up to him. She was slowly starting to relax once they were alone again, but her hold on his hand was still pretty tight.
“Do… do they live here too?”
"The man with the silver hair is Alex. He's a robot too." Ash kept close to Laura, running her hand a little with his thumb. "And the other man… That's Fun. He… He doesn't talk much, and he's always by Alex's side. The lady who owns this place, she got him out of a really bad place about a year ago. Kind of like you. And they both live here."
Laura watched him as he spoke, seeming quite invested with what he had to say. Especially about the second man. But she didn’t say anything about it, letting the information sink in.
“Mr. Alex seemed friendly…” Laura stated in a soft tone, glancing back to where they had passed them. “Did the lady that lives here build him, too? Or did someone else?”
"The lady did, yes.The lady who owns this place made all of us robots. She… Well, she was lonely." Ash smiled. "And Alex is really friendly. Once you're okay with it, you'll find that he's always willing to give hugs and play." Ash continued to lead Laura down the hall, and thankfully there wasn't anyone else up and about yet.
Laura glanced back up at him, giving him a little smile in return as they walked.
"That makes sense…" She hummed, trailing off as Mr. Ash continued talking. "Mr. Alex sounds super nice… do you think he would like me?" Laura asked softly, picking up her pace a bit to stay besides him.
Ash, in turn, slowed down a bit so it would be easier for Laura to keep up.
"I think he would absolutely love you, Ms. Laura. I'm sure he would love to officially meet you when you're ready for it." Ash brought Laura to the next room on the tour, the living room. There was… A lot of sitting room. Enough for forty people, easily.
"Mm, well I'd like to meet him, too… maybe not now, though." Laura hummed, before glancing around the room. Carefully she started pulling him along, heading to the center of the room. She had a curious expression, mentally counting how many places there were to sit.
"Can everyone fit in here?" She asked softly, loosing track.
"Most everyone, yes. We usually don't all end up in here, though. It's usually no more than a few at a time." Ash smiled gently as Laura's looked around.
"Even I'm not entirely sure how many people live here."
Laura smiled in return, before flicking her gaze back around the room.
"There must be a lot, at least… do you have a guess at how many?" Laura asked softly, turning to face him to get an answer.
Ash nodded, thinking a moment.
"Hm…" He started counting on his fingers, the number just going up and up.
"I'd say around… Thirty? Thirty two? It changes depending on who is here. Some people are in and out."
"That really is a lot…" Laura stated softly, surprised at the number.
After a couple of seconds, a look of confusion spread across her face. "Why do some people move out? Don't they like it here?" She asked softly, looking up to him with a furrowed brow.
"They do," Ash said. He sat down in one of the chairs to explain.
"But sometimes, they just need a change in scenery. They come back, though, eventually." Ash smiled gently. "Do you think you'd want to leave this place some day?"
"I don't know… I don't have anywhere else to go…" Laura replied softly, studying his face as she stood there.
"I mean- I will if I'm not allowed to be here. I don't want to stay where I'm not welcomed." She offered a little shrug. "If the lady that lives here wants me to leave, I will."
"She won't, I promise. We have an open door policy here- if someone needs a home, we'll give them one. That includes you, Ms. Laura." Ash gave Laura a gentle smile. "And I've already guaranteed you a home here. That means you can stay."
Laura smiled softly, glancing over to the chair next to him. Deciding she wanted to sit, she climbed up and sat with her legs crossed. She quickly glanced over to him, making sure it was alright.
"But still," Laura insisted, brushing her hair back out of her face. "If she can't let me stay, for any reason, I can leave. I don't want to be a burden."
Ash gave Laura a smile when she sat down, perfectly fine with it.
"We're more than able to let you stay, Laura. We have more than enough money to provide for everyone here, and she would never kick you out just because she wanted to. I promise." Ash turned a bit so he was facing Laura, giving her another smile.
"We can ask her, later, if you feel so strongly about it."
Laura nodded a little, leaning up against the back of the chair before curling up.
"If you're sure, I trust you. I really don't want to bother anyone, though." She mumbled with a shrug. The way she was responding to all of this with such a calm and mature tone, might be worrisome if you didn't know where she had come from.
"I just wanted to make sure."
"Alright." Ash gave a soft smile, leaning back against his chair. He relaxed a moment, letting the moment so.
"So, how are you doing? I know we've come across several people this morning already, and it's going to get busier from here."
Laura only shrugged once again, giving him a smile.
"Alright, I guess. As good as I can be." She hummed softly, picking at the fabric of her jeans. "I- I guess, better than I had been, is a better way to say it."
Ash was quiet a moment. "I'm glad you're able to be in a better place, then, Ms. Laura. You're a good kid, you deserve to have a good place to be."
Laura gave him a soft smile, starting to play with a strand of her own hair. "I really doubt that… but thank you for letting me stay, sir."
She glanced up to him with a gentle expression, dropping both hands in her lap.
Ash let out a soft sigh, but he kept a smile on his face.
"You're welcome." He fell silent a moment. "So, how do you feel about continuing the tour? There will be more people up and about, now, and I want to know if you want to deal with that or just get ready for the day."
Laura hesitated a moment, realizing what he had said. More people… she could get through that, right?
"I- I mean, I think I'll be alright. We're still not going to bug anyone, right?" She asked softly, starting to slide off the chair. As long as it wasn't bugging anyone, she was pretty sure she could get through the rest of the tour.
"We won't bug anyone," Ash saif. He stood slowly, giving Laura's a soft look of concern.
"But the halls can get a little… crowded. Do you promise you'll let me know if you can't handle it?" Ash offered his hand to Laura, but he would be more than willing to pick her up, which was obvious in how he was standing.
"Yes sir, I'll tell you." Laura replied softly, standing flat on her feet. When she glanced up to him she took his hand with a little smile.
"What's next, sir? Was it the hallways?" She asked lightly, keeping her smile up. She was trying to keep up a confident appearance, despite feeling nervous about the idea of the crowded hallways.
"Yes, the hallways are next. Mostly, this part of the tour will be showing you how to get around." Ash gave Laura's have a gentle squeeze, leading her out of the room. Already, there were several people out and about, some completely human looking and others with features of animals.
"Alright, sir." She nodded a bit, letting him lead her on out of the room. When they stepped out into the hall, Laura swallowed down her nervousness, keeping a tight hold on his hand. She could do this- she could get through this. It wasn't going to kill her to walk by other people.
Ash led Laura down this hall, keeping close to her.
"There are three hallways, each with several connections," Ash explained. "Bedrooms are all located in the fear left and middle haha, with the third being the living room, maintenance room, and the connection to the diner out front. Every room is labeled as well, with several bathrooms in each hall. Your room is right next to mine, in the third hall."
Laura listened to him intently, trying to take in all the information. She nodded occasionally, trying to show she was listening. It was a lot of information, but she was pretty sure she got it all.
"Alright sir," Laura nodded a bit, sticking close to him. "I think I got all of that."