"For the first few days, probably." Ash admitted.

"But not for very long." he said.

"I'll immerse myself in some hunts to distract myself." he then said with a small shrug.

"Speaking of, got anything for me?" he asked.

"Something to really sink my teeth into?"

Ash opened the folder, looked at the contents, and smirked.

"Heh, niiiiiiice." he said.

"Been a while since I tangled with one'a THESE." he commented.

"...the fact that the trees in the surrounding being destroyed concerns me, though." he then said.

"They're usually not destructive to a forest environment."

".....noted." Ash responded.

"Alive. The mother AND the young." he said.

"Now... as for the other people..." he went on, trailing off a bit.

"Any limitations on THEM?" he asked.

"You know... if they happen to get in my way... or endanger the mother or children..." he went on, pausing, and then sighing.

"Are they acceptable collateral damage?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

Ash responded by cracking his knuckles.

"Excellent." he said.

"I'm going to stop by the medical wing to see how Desiree's doing." he told her.

"Then I'm gone to get this done." he said further.

"Thanks." he then said to her, finishing his drink and standing up.

"See ya when I get back."

Ash just gave her a thumbs-up, before leaving her office.

He made his way through the hallways, until entering the med wing. He looked around, scanning the area, before stepping further in and narrowing his eyes.

"Hello?" he called out in a whisper.

"Emma?" he asked.

"...hm." he then muttered, as he continued to look.

He wanted to find either Emma or Desiree.

Ash was silent, and ran his tongue across his gums for a moment.

"Mm." he mumbled.

"Indeed. I will." he told her. "I was warned about how delicate the situation is." he said.

"So how IS Desiree doing?" he asked.

"I know Vyn got some really good hits in on her, but it didn't look like it was anything TOO serious." he continued, before pausing another moment.

"On that vein, how IS Vyn as well?" he asked.

"Desiree caught her off guard once or twice." he commented, recalling the match.

"Been a very long time since we've been treated to a test match like THAT."

".....mm." Ash muttered.

"I see." he said.

"Well... uh... hm. Her being Desiree's mentor should be... interesting, to say the least." he mumbled.

"At any rate, if Desiree's conscious, I'm going to tell her I'm off for a bit." he told Emma.

"Otherwise... yeah, I should be going before things get worse at the site." he reasoned with a sigh.

"Sometimes I really hate people, Emma." he then admitted to her quietly.

Ash waved back, and sat down in the chair beside her bed.

'...wonder how she picks up on people being around...?' he thought, before shaking his head. Now wasn't the time. Time was something that was precious right now.

I'm gonna be disappearing for about a week. At most. he sent her.

Seems I need to go and relocate some animals. he told her, truncated the hunt details immensely, but it got the point across.

Two things, though. One, you've got papers to sign with Dani. Two, Vyn's gonna be your mentor. he then sent her, before pausing a moment... so she could respond.

Dani and I are confident that your learning under Vyn will be very beneficial, and we have complete trust in her. Ash sent in response, deciding to address her concerns first.

She's very level-headed, and one of the best hunters we have. What happened earlier... and what's happening right now... is a rare fluke. he assured her further.

And yeah. Mom and Lindsay are in charge while I'm gone. At least, while you're home. he then sent.

Here? Vyn's in charge... with obvious deferral to Dani. he continued.

Also, I signed all that needed to be signed. All that's left is what YOU need to do. he finished.

Ash just smirked.

"It was Vyn." he said.

"It was expected, to be honest." he told her.

"Trust me, you passed with flying colours." he assured her.

"At any rate, I need to head out and get my hunt done." he then said, before leaning in and giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"Love you." he told her.