Ash listened to all she had to say, and it was clear that he was concentrating on it... hard. And he also seemed to be memorizing what she was telling him, as well.

"Hmmm, I see, I see." he said.

"Good to know." he told her.

"And... well... yeah, I do." he then said, answering her question about him having someone in mind for bringing up adopting Desiree with. "Kinda." he went on.

"You could say that." he said further.

"They're gonna need to make some serious changes in their life, but I think they really want to adopt her."

Ash bit his lip a little, and then nodded.

"Yeah." he said.

"Thanks for trusting my judgement." he told her.

"I need to go talk to Dani about something." he then said further.

"Tell Desiree she can keep my tablet for now, just so she has a way to communicate beyond sign language." he informed the medic further.

"That cool?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's true." Ash admitted.

"I should probably go and tell-" he went on, before pausing suddenly, and looking at Emma.

"How did...?" he started to ask her, but then sighed.

"You always know." he said.

With that, he took his leave and made his way back to Desiree.

I'll be right back. he sent her.

Need to speak with my boss about something.

Back in a little while. Ash then sent.

Send me a message if you want or need me for anything. he added.

With that, he left the med wing, making his way up to Dani's office, where he knocked on the door and announced himself.

When he was beckoned in, he opened the door, stepped through it, and closed it behind him.

"Hey." he greeted Dani.

"Can I ask a favour?" he asked her.

Ash was silent when he heard that.

"...look, I'm sorry about that." he apologized.

"I've already said that a million times." he told her. "It didn't happen as I wanted it to, obviously." he mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"But... uh... well... yeah, can I have some time off from going on hunts?" he asked.

"I need to find a new place to live." he told her.

"A bigger place."

"Area isn't a huge deal." Ash told her.

"I mean, I can get to the guild from anywhere, but I like the area I live in now." he went on.

"I guess one that's not too busy. A more calm area." he said with a shrug.

"Really, I'm looking for something with at least 2 bedrooms." he then informed her. "If there's more than 2, then that's okay, but I need 2, at least." he stressed.

"So, yeah, I won't be available to go out on hunts, but I can still do paperwork and stuff."

"Roommates?" Ash asked.

"Hmmm." he mumbled.

"I'm not... entirely opposed to roommates, but it depends on who they are." he told her.

"But I'll need 2 bedrooms." he then said.

"See, that's the key. There's going to need to be 2 bedrooms for me to use." he repeated.

"Other than that... I don't see why not."

"Well, mostly so I can focus more of my attention on moving." Ash responded.

"I'd like to get into a new place ASAP." he told her.

"Like... and I mean that, literally." he said. "I cannot stress that. If you were to come to me and say there was a place ready for me to move into tomorrow, I'd do it." he continued.

"Beyond that, I have some personal things to do." he then said further.

"As in, my personal life, outside the guild. I need to... evaluate and reorganize some priorities, one could say."

"Thanks." Ash responded.

"I'll let you know when I get things sorted out and can go back to hunts." he told her.

He didn't want anyone to know he was considering what he was considering. He didn't want anyone knowing until things were set, and it was for sure.

"For now, I'm outta here." he said.

"Thanks, Cass." he finished, before heading out of her office.

Time passed, and after only about 3 minutes or so, her phone chimed, indicating she had a text. She could guess who it was from, and what it pertained to.

Sure enough, it was about the one she had sent earlier.

Rowena Fyrane? Yes, I am. she received in the response.

Why? the following text asked.