Ash shook his head.

"It wasn't so much not knowing our names." he said.

"It's just that... well... those labels remind me of bad times, obviously." he told her. "Hearing them just briefly brought me back to some horrid places in my mind." he lamented.

"But it wasn't your fault. You had no other thing to call us." he shrugged.

"And now you know our names. So it's not a problem at all." he assured her with a small smile.

"Yeah..." Ash replied.

It then came to his attention that she had not looked at him once during the conversation. At all. And when he asked about it, she didn't answer. So, again, he just dropped it, figuring it was something to do with Vanessa's influence.

He wondered what it specifically was, though...

---

Ash was silent on the other end for a moment, wondering who this was.

"I... yeah." he said.

"Yeah, this is AJ." he confirmed.

"Who's THIS?" he asked.

"Ah, really?" Ash asked.

"A basement apartment, huh? Sounds all right." he said.

"...how big, though?" he then asked. "I have a... roommate." he said, tripping on how to describe Hazel.

"Is there room for two people?" he asked her.

"And where are you located?"

"Oh! Canada, huh?" Ash asked.

"All right, sure." he said. "I have no issues living in Canada." he told her.

'...and maybe a new continent is just what Hazel needs...' he then thought.

"Sure, gimme the coordinates." he went on.

"Also, got a time that's better for you?" he asked.

"What time should I show up... your time zone?" he asked further.

"Noon tomorrow, London Ontario, cafe in the plaza." Ash parroted back.

"Cool." he said.

"I'll be there." he told her, before pausing and thinking about it. He wondered if he should bring Hazel with him... perhaps not. Not the first time, anyway. Would she want to travel like this? What if she did?

"I'll call you back when I know if it'll just be me, or if the both of us will be coming." he continued.

"Want to see if she even WANTS to travel more than she needs to."

"I don't?" Ash asked. "All right then." he said.

"I shall see you at noon tomorrow, then." he told her.

With that, they ended their conversation and he hung up the phone, before sighing and looking around.

"Hazel? Hey, Hazel!" he called out.

"Where are you?" he asked, wondering if she was on the balcony again or not.

He made his way over towards her and opened the door slightly, poking his head out.

"Hey." he said to her.

"Going to see someone about a bigger place." he said. "Tomorrow at noon, in London, Ontario. So that time zone. Yeah, Canada." he revealed.

"You want to come with?" he asked.

"Or would you prefer to not travel too much, or whatever?" he asked further.

"Bottom line, you wanna stay here or go with me?"

Ash nodded in response.

"All right." he said.

"As you said... only one way to find out." he mumbled, before pausing slightly and thinking about it.

"Hmmm..." he mumbled, looking at her. Specifically, her black side, and her eyes. Or he would be looking at them, were she actually looking BACK at him.

"We can explain away your skin with an accident." he said. "But we'll needed tinted lens to cover your eyes." he told her.

"Or we can use a glamour. I know of some people that can do that at the guild."

"N-no, that's not..." Ash stammered, before sighing heavily.

"I just don't want people to hassle you." he said.

"If you can blend in, that's great." he told her. "But I'm just thinking for your own safety and wellbeing." he assured her.

"Regardless, we'll he headed out tomorrow, meeting the landlady at a cafe." he went on.

"Her name's Harmony."

Ash paused when he heard that.

"...hm." he mumbled.

"I see." he said flatly.

"Surely just a coincidence." he told her. "Can't be anything but." he insisted.

He then thought about it for a moment, and looked at her.

"How do you know Rowena Fyrane's middle name, anyway?" he asked.