".......yeah." Ash replied.

"She found me in my suspended hibernation pod." he told her.

"Showed me this world, and filled me in on how it's gone to hell in a handbasket." he continued. "Which included the things that prowl about out there." he added.

"Right, so who are you?" he asked.

"And how do you recognize me?" he asked further.

"Are you Emi?"

"....I see." Ash replied.

"Well... hello then, Jazz." he greeted her.

"Regardless, I was sent here, so... here I am." he said. He then looked around, taking in his surroundings, and sighed deeply.

"...this is nostalgic." he said.

"It's sad to see it like this, but... it's amazing that this place is still standing, and in such good condition, given the circumstances." he commented further.

"So this is a safe place, eh?" he asked.

"Heh." Ash chuckled.

"Nice." he said.

"Glad to hear there's still an Argento in charge here." he commented.

"Cass was the best thing that happened to the guild. She brought it up from the ditch that her father had put it in, and made it rise to the top." he went on.

"...good times." he finished, sounding a bit wistful.

"Guess I should try and find Emi..." he then mumbled.

"I remember where the head office is." Ash replied.

"I've been there so many times in the past." he sighed.

'Wonder what happened to MY office...?' he then thought, making a mental note to check on it later.

"Anyway, I'll head there now." he told her.

"See ya, I guess." he finished, before they parted ways.

As he walked, he saw people gesture slightly towards him, whisper to others, some shot him glares, while others seemed to deliberately ignore him.

He expected it, as Vic had warned him, and he just sighed quietly.

"Uh-huh..." he mumbled, before stopping at the closed door to the head office.

"...hello?" he called in, knocking on the door.

"Ah..." Ash stammered, stunned for a moment by the discord between her appearance and her sounds. He was silent for another moment, before shaking his head a little.

"Right." he said.

"I was... told to come here by... Jazz." he told her, recalling the earlier female's name.

"She told me a 'Mina' would be here." he commented. "And that she would tell me how to find the one called 'Emi'." he said further.

'Wow...' he then thought, taking in his new surroundings.

'Loooootta stuff here. But... it looks like everything has a place, and it's in it.' he thought further, thinking that his brother would be simultaneously amazed and horrified by the place. Amazed at the organization, horrified at how much of a mess it deceptively looked like.

Ash was silent in response, before sighing.

"That's a fair question." he said.

"I'm... Ashley. Ashley Joseph Fyrane." he told her. "Usually called 'Ash'." he said further.

"And... known as 'AJ' here at the guild." he continued.

"I dunno which direction that sways your decision, but... yeah." he mumbled.

"If you want, I can prove it, too." he added.

Ash just shrugged.

"Sure, that works." he said.

"So... she technically lives here, but stays away from here." he then commented.

"And she's told me not to mention her or my brother." he went on.

"Are we Fyranes not liked here?" he asked her.

"Or is it something else?"

Ash snatched the key at it was thrown to him.

"Uhhhh.... right." he said.

"That sounds... nothing like what I'm used to." he commented.

"Anyway, guess I'm going to dorm 541." he then said further.

"...mind if I check something along the way?" he asked.

"My... well, my former office." he said.

"I want to see what it's become. Or, can you tell me, at least?" he asked her, before giving her the location of where his office had been.

Ash was silent for a moment, as the info came back to him.

"....oh, yeah." he muttered.

"Forgot that renovation happened..." he said, covering his tracks a bit. Or at least, trying to. He was acting casual and embarrassed about it, so he hoped that would do it.

"Guess Sydney's still right. I can be an idiot." he lamented with a sigh.

"Anyway, thanks for the key." he told her.

"If I'm not in the room, I'll probably be in the sparring area." he finished, figuring that info would probably be useful for her, if she needed to find him for whatever reason.

Ash raised an eyebrow when she said that.

"Oh?" he asked.

"Anything I can do to help?" he asked her.

"I've done a lot at this guild. Grunt work, dirty work, paperwork..." he listed off, before pausing.

"...and I'm known to overstep my boundaries..." he mumbled.

"If you want me to just get outta your hair, I'll do so."