Ashley froze when he heard that.

"Wh-what...?" he stammered, backing up.

"So... so it's mind control." he said.

"It's... mani... maninip... manip..." he stuttered further, before shaking his head.

"It's like that dark elf." he stated.

"Lindsay, snap out of it!" he then pleaded to his brother.

Lindsay just nodded in response, as Ashley approached the choker.

"This... is this a trick?" he asked, before shaking his head.

"Why do I ask." he grumbled, before, seemingly by instinct... or maybe sheer curiosity... grabbing the choker.

And, much like Lindsay, he went through something VERY similar. To the point where Lindsay had to coax/force the choker out of his hands, and set it back on the counter, as Ashley staggered back.

"Wh.... what...? That..." he stammered.

"For real?" he asked Anya.

"..." Ashley was silent again as he looked at the packs.

"...I see." he said.

"Thank you." he told her, before going to a chair and sitting down in it.

"I want to stay here." Lindsay told him. "But I don't want to be separated from my brother even more." he went on. "So... so when you're ready, we'll both go." he told him further.

"Yeah... when I'm ready." Ashley confirmed.

"When I feel 100% certain I am ready to go, we'll go." he stated.

"When do you think that'll be?" Lindsay inquired.

"...probably not for... a VERY long time..." Ashley mumbled.

Ashley was silent, before just nodded.

"Yeah... yeah, sure..." he said.

"So what should we do with the packs?" Lindsay asked.

"I have no idea." Ashley admitted.

"Though if there's food in them, take it out before it spoils." he then suggested... which told Lindsay and Anya that, at the very VERY least, he was in no absolute hurry to leave any longer.

Ashley nodded in response, before pausing.

"Oh... moving my head hurts..." he mumbled.

"Ashley... are you all right?" Lindsay then asked. "You seemed... off... when we were arguing in the water." he told him. "And it's not like you to have slipped so easily." he went on.

"..." Ashley was silent for a moment, before looking away.

"I'm fine..." he answered quietly.

"I do!" Lindsay responded enthusiastically.

"I do, as well." Ashley said.

"...and yes, that does smell really good." he admitted again, getting to his feet, and making his way towards where Anya was, with Lindsay helping him a little. Once they were there, he looked at her.

"I didn't know you had bear meat here." he commented.

"It goes bad surprisingly quickly.

The boys looked at their portions, and then looked at her.

"Good for me!" Lindsay said.

"I like mine as well." Ashley confirmed.

Anya could tell that Ashley was still hiding something though, but Lindsay was oblivious to it. Right now, anyway. However, he also seemed like he wanted to say something, but was holding back.

"Sorry about slipping." he apologised.

"It's okay. You're all right now, and it wasn't your fault." Lindsay insisted.

Ashley paused for a moment, and then nodded very slowly. Deliberately.

"Yeah..." he said.

Lindsay then yawned. Rather loudly.

"I could fall asleep right away." he said, causing Ashley to smile a little.

"Yeah, been a bit since we had a real comfy bed." he admitted.

"Maybe turning in early wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"This is more than enough." Lindsay told her. "The fact that they're actual rooms, with actual beds, and actual pillows, and actual-" he started to say further, before Ashley interrupted.

"I think she gets it." he said.

"Oh. Right." Lindsay responded.

"I think I'm going to just go to bed, then." he told them. "I am feeling very full and tired." he commented.

"Where do YOU sleep?" Ashley asked Anya.

Ashley looked like he was convinced of that, but Anya knew Lindsay was intelligent. He would be smart enough to pick up on perhaps the little holes in her logic... but thankfully, it seemed like he was too tired to think about it too much, and he took it at face value.

"Makes sense." he said. "Good night." he told them.

"Sleep well." Anya replied with a smile and a light chuckle.

"Night." Ashley told him, as his brother disappeared into the room, shutting the door behind him. Ashley then looked to be thinking about something, as though he were confused.

"...why does this place even HAVE bedrooms then?" he asked. "If you don't sleep... why even have a room that even IS a bedroom?" he asked her. "Why not make it something else?"