Ash froze when she said that.

"H-hey!" he exclaimed.

"That'd be weird!" he told her.

"And I don't... I don't like guys that way!" he then insisted, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing.

"Hmph!" he snorted.

"Don't pick on me like that!"

The person there had their face buried behind a newspaper... and then both Ash and Rylie heard a couple of 'sst'-like sounds.

"...." the man was silent and disconcertingly still for a moment, before they heard him sigh.

"Yeah, yeah." he said.

"Rylie and Ashley?" he asked.

"Okay then." he mumbled, putting the newspaper down.

"You have an appointment with Azazel?" he asked.

"Ah, he DID mention something about that." he remembered.

"Your intent with Azazel?" he then asked her.

He narrowed his eyes when Rylie said that.

"Yeah. I noticed that." he said flatly.

"I can tell you're both... different." he told them.

"Especially YOU." he then said to Ash, eyeing him with a gaze that almost seemed to see within him.

"...." Ash was silent, before just stepping behind Rylie.

It was clear he was a tad uncomfortable with it.

The man took the note and looked at it.

"Hm." he mumbled, before Azazel came through the other door.

"Jake, Jake, it's okay." he said.

"I could sense Rylie here, she's all right. She's a friend. As is Ashley." he assured him.

Jake just sighed, and handed Rylie back the note.

"Guess you're good to go." he told her.

"I'd unlock the door to let you in, but... as you said, you already took care of that." he added with a facetious smile.

"Yeah..." Ash agreed, taken with the place.

"Heh." Azazel chuckled.

"It is." he agreed.

"It's where we can be... well... us." he continued.

"And we do work that the public doesn't know about, nor SHOULD know about." he went on.

"Essentially, we make sure the boogeyman doesn't hurt anyone, and that people continue to think he's not real."

Ash shook his head.

"No..." he admitted.

Azazel just smirked.

"So you just crossed the ocean and headed inland with no real plan, other than finding me?" he asked.

"Well... y-yeah..." Ash muttered.

"I'm flattered." Azazel replied.

"But yes, let's sit and chat." he agreed.

"I think I just might be able to help you out with a place to stay." he added with a warm smile.

Azazel just sighed again.

"Inns? No, no, no." he said.

"I know a place where you can stay, and not hide who you are." he told them.

"No worries about being discovered. No worries about someone finding you. You can be yourself." he assured them.

"Really?" Ash asked, as they went into a room and sat down in some chairs.

"Yep." Azazel smiled.

"Where?" Ash asked, not quite getting it just yet.

"Why... here. Of course." Azazel told him.

"He doesn't judge." Azazel responded.

"I'm sure he'd be more than happy to accommodate you." he continued.

"I mean, you'd have to talk to him directly, of course." he then added.

"But yeah, should be fine." he said.

"This place is like home to those who are here." he told them.

"...home..." Ash mumbled.

He'd never had a real home before.

Ash just looked away some.

"It's... it's fine..." he said.

"But do you want a place where you can go to every night?" Azazel asked. "A place where you know you'll be welcomed? A place where it'll be consistent, and you'll know it's a place just for you?" he asked further.

"....." Ash was silent for a moment.

"...it'd be nice..." he admitted.

"But being with Rylie is awesome, too." he added.

Ash bit his lip slightly.

"I..." he stammered, before Azazel placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay to be independent." he said.

"You're old enough to strike it out on your own." he went on.

Ash just nodded.

"...will I lose touch with you, Rylie?" he asked the woman.