"..." he was silent as he regarded her scars, and the black that covered half her skin.

Normally he would avert his eyes from her, out of respect and modesty, but her body looked like it was a testament to Vanessa Encrae's cruelty and ruthlessness. It was an absolute shame to see her in such a state.

Thankfully, he'd managed to get her clothing washed, but it was still in the process of drying, so he grabbed a large robe that would cover her, and handed it over.

"Here." he said.

"So you don't get cold or whatever." he told her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Ash shook his head.

"Bother? Not so much." he replied.

"The black over the one half of your body, as well as the many scars, show that Vanessa is a cruel, cruel person, and it is a shame you had to endure that." he commented. "But that's not a YOU thing. It's a HER thing." he stressed.

"And if I were to wager a guess, she didn't have you wearing clothing, because she didn't see you as a person." he went on. "You were a thing. An experiment. A resource." he continued.

"But you're a PERSON. An INDIVIDUAL. You deserve respect and dignity." he reasoned.

"And I intend to give you those, at the very least."

Ash immediately wanted to launch into a passionate exclamation about how wrong she was... but he decided, just before he opened his mouth, that perhaps that wasn't such a good idea.

Instead, he stepped forward, closing the distance behind her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know." he said.

"I was starting to feel the same way when I was there." he revealed. "If I hadn't had the help in escaping... odds are VERY good I'd be saying the same things YOU are right now." he went on.

"But... but I found out that that's not true. You and I are both people. We're individuals. And... well... look, I..." he started to say further, before pausing.

"I don't know about YOU, but there are people out there that wonder if I am a human, or not. Because of what Vanessa did to me." he admitted. "But even then, I am finding my way. I found my place in this world. My REAL place. NOT what Vanessa decided for me." he went on.

"You can do it, too, Hazel." he said.

"I'll help."

"Well, you are now out of her control." he stated. "And I'll do everything I can to make sure it STAYS that way." he assured her.

"And it's going to be an adjustment. This is a new life for you, and it's all right that you don't know what to do." he went on.

"I didn't, either." he said.

"But you're not alone. That's the big thing." he continued.

"You're not alone in this world, and never will be. Not any longer."

Ash didn't like being reminded about his past. Or being reminded that his brother was still there. But he wasn't about to blame Hazel for that. Besides, he couldn't run from his memories forever.

So he just sighed quietly.

"I'm a Hunter." he said.

"A Bounty Hunter." he clarified, knowing that Mana Hunters were a thing.

"I work for a guild, and go out to do... various things. Gather info, take down ferocious beasts, stop gangs or rogues, pretty much anything." he explained to her. "Get paid nicely for it, too." he continued.

"Because I'm damn good at what I do." he chuckled.

Ash was absolutely shocked to hear that... but looking around, he had to admit that it didn't look good for him.

"N-no, I swear. I get paid well, and I do really good work. I'm one of the top hunters at my guild!" he exclaimed.

"I just... well... okay, I live so far beneath my means, it's embarrassing." he sighed. "Others have been saying I need to get a bigger place, but... in reality, all I ever really do here is sleep and eat. And sometimes I don't even eat here." he went on.

"I guess I just figured that there was no point in putting out more money for a place that I wouldn't be spending a lot of time in, anyway." he then said, before pausing again.

"...and also, admittedly, this was the best place I could afford when I was starting out. Never occurred to me to upgrade. Just got used to this place." he admitted further.

"Plus, this place seemed like a palace when compared to the cell that she had me and my brother crammed in." he then added.

Ash had to admit, he hadn't considered that. He silently followed her to the balcony, and stepped out onto it with her.

"Hazel..." he said.

"The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable." he told her.

"I will immediately find us a better place. A bigger place. One that isn't as cramped as that cursed lab." he went on.

"...do you WANT to sleep out on this balcony?" he then asked. "It's not the biggest in the world, but one could comfortably lay down out here, fit a cot onto it, throw a tent on it or something." he continued.

"Would sleeping out here give you a better rest than inside?"

Ash shook his head.

"Nope." he said.

"Hazel, I know this is going to be a tough adjustment for you... but I care about your wellbeing. Your safety. Your comfort." he told her. "I refuse to act like Vanessa, or treat you in any way that SHE did." he went on.

"I know that you might feel guilty about that, but... I mean... I hope you'll get used to this treatment." he then said.

"I'll make a temporary set-up so that you're sheltered out there, and you won't feel like you're in the lab." he promised.

As soon as Ash had heard that name... he froze up. And his mind took him to his past. Where he'd gone through horrific DNA recombining... his cries of pain, so high-pitched. He'd been called 'Squeaker' by those that had worked there.

It was their cruel way of dehumanising him... making him feel worthless... having a joke at his pain. He almost found himself crying again, much like he'd done so many times in the past, before he shook himself back to reality.

"Ah, um, y-yes." he said, his voice cracking a little.

"You're... you're welcome." he told her.

"Although, it occurs to me that I have never told you my name, nor would you have ever heard it." he went on. "Or, you heard it so little it just never stuck." he reasoned.

"My name is Ash." he said. "You can call me that."

Ash immediately felt a rush of anger through him, and he wanted to lash out at her for calling him that, as horrific ideas of why he'd be called that raced through his mind... but again, he forced himself to calm down.

This wasn't Hazel's fault. This was all she knew.

She outright said it.

So he took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then exhaled.

"Lindsay." he responded. "His name is Lindsay."