A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back! The story is nearing its end, but I think the next few chapters are the best. It was really difficult to figure out exactly how we wanted to end this, especially for me considering A Hero's Story is much more action than slice of life. That being said, the relationships that (somehow) developed between the characters worked so well, I thought it would be a disservice to them to do anything else. Anyway, I don't have too much to say, leave a review if you're so inclined and, as always, enjoy!

Chapter 7: Home

Ashe

Ashe had enjoyed her time at the farm, even if the events that led to her getting there sucked. Though wary, the people there had been kind and generous -more so than just about anyone she'd ever met in the Commonwealth- with their aid. Mrs. Abigail had even seemed to take special delight in Ashe's presence, giving the girl a new tie for her braid and sneaking her some sweets after Dad had cut her off for the night. In many ways, the entire community had reminded her of Tough Seed, though without the ghost of Mama or the constant oppressive knowledge Papa was always there. Always watching.

Always a threat.

Under different circumstances, Ashe would have been happy to spend more time there but she'd been gone for so long, away from the safe, quiet islet she'd come to call home that the desire to return trumped all. So, after some rest and Dad making sure Mr. Ronald, Ms. Clea, Mr. Mac, and Ms. Julie were going to be looked after, she, Dad, Nate, and Damon were off.

"I'm glad you both decided to join us," Dad said.

"I'm not going to turn down a free vacation," Nate replied. "Lord knows it's been years since I had one."

Ashe glanced over her shoulder to see Nate grinning like he was enjoying his own little private joke. Not giving it too much thought, she turned back to the small waves that were slashing against the sides of their boat. She reached out to let her fingers skim against the surface of the water, leaning further over to get a better view.

'I wonder if I could see any fish? Or maybe a whale?' She sometimes saw breaching whales out on the horizon when she went for walks along the islet coastline and had often wondered what it would look like up close. 'That would be co-'

Without warning, the boat tilted to the side. Ashe yelped as she fell forward, nearly falling over the side of the boat and into the water. She was saved at the last minute by a firm hand catching her belt, yanking her back as the boat resettled.

"Damnnit, Damon! Stop moving, you're too heavy for this thing!"

"We haven't sunk yet. And you-" the armored man turned his attention to Ashe, releasing his grip on her, "-need to stay away from the edge."

"I can swim!" Ashe grumbled, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Radiation doesn't care."

"..."

Dad laughed as Ashe refused to respond to Damon, instead turning to Rena. The pour pup looked absolutely miserable curled up on the stern of the boat. She scooted over to scratch Rena behind the ears, cooing and cuddling up to her. After a moment, the Lakeview Shepherd stretched out just enough to make room for Ashe. If nothing else, the dog was a furry little heater against the damp, chilling sea breeze.

"So you've got your own private island?" Nate asked. "How'd you manage that?"

"Oh, luck of the draw I suppose," Dad said. "It just happened to be where my house and I ended up when we arrived in this world. I can't say I dislike the seclusion though. While it can feel lonely at times, it's quiet, peaceful, and out of the way. An ideal place to relax and recover away from others."

While she knew Dad was insinuating that it would be a good, safe place for Nate and Damon to take a break, Ashe couldn't help but wonder if that had applied to her as well. In those early days, when Dad was still Mr. Kravos and Ashe could barely climb the stairs without growing tired, the quiet, stillness had been a blessing. She remembered how scared she'd been of everything; every loud sound, every sudden movement, any sort of unexpected or surprising event would make her cry, sob, or hide away in fear. Had Dad not been so patient and kind with her, had Rena not been so awesome and fluffy, and had they needed to deal with more people during those early months, Ashe wasn't sure she'd have been able to heal as she did.

"You'll like it there," she spoke up. "The island is small but there are a lot of cool places to explore, and the house has a ton of neat stuff. I like helping out in the Greenhouse most of all, even if some of the plants are still off-limits."

When both Nate and Damon gave Dad a questioning look, the old man shrugged. "I cultivate some poisonous plants for their toxins and research purposes. They're dangerous to handle, even if I have to be careful. Other than that, I have several rooms in my home containing dangerous weapons and artifacts. They're closed to just about everyone if I'm not there as well, not just Ashe."

"I'll get into the armory one day," Ashe declared, flashing her father a bright grin. "I want to see those bows you've got in there."

Dad chuckled. "Oh, I have no doubt. Yet, for now, some of those bows are taller than you. Likely heavier as well."

Damon cocked his head to the side as he looked at Ashe. "Bows?"

"Mmmhmm," Ashe nodded. "I'm learning archery! Still new at it but Dad says I've got a lot of potential. I'll show you when we get home."

The armored man didn't respond, just giving a low hum, before turning back to Dad. "I can row."

Dad pulled at the oars again. "No, no, no need. You're my guest, after all, and should be relaxing. Besides, we're almost there."

When the sight of the Manor broke through the fog, Ashe released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. 'I'm home.'

"Ah, here we are," Dad said, rowing over to the small dock. "Damon, could you hold onto that pillar there while I hop out and get us secured."

The armored man did as asked, holding them in place as Dad pulled some ropes tight. When the boat stopped shaking, Rena leaped up onto the dock without hesitation and bolted for the thicket of trees, not bothering to look back in their directions.

"What's going on there?" Nate asked, heaving himself out of the boat.

"Rena has never been one for sea travel, even though she loves swimming. I believe she can smell that something is wrong with water here, however. I've never seen her so much as chase the surf."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best."

Nate offered his hand to Ashe, helping her up out of the boat. As she climbed out, the top of Ashe's boot caught on the wood. She stumbled and nearly crashed into the man's legs, only to be caught and righted.

"Thank you, Mr. Nate," she said, trying not to be too embarrassed.

The man grinned and gave her a little wink. "Watch your step. Don't want to end up with a broken leg on your first day back home, do you?"

"Dad would just heal me if that happened."

"Oh, don't be so sure," Dad called over his shoulder, already heading towards the Manor. "There is much that can go wrong with healing magic, someday it may not work. One should never rely on it too greatly."

Ashe blinked, she hadn't heard that before. Dad had been telling her more and more about magic recently, though he still hadn't let her try any of it.

Ashe had asked to try, several times actually, but Dad had always refused. For one, even if Ashe had the potential to learn magic at all, Dad wasn't sure it would work here. The enchantments he had on the manor still worked and Dad himself could still perform magic because he himself was from a world where it existed. But Ashe was from a world where magic didn't exist, as far as she knew. Therefore, she had nothing, no internal 'spark' to tap into or draw from.

Nate rubbed the side of his head where the new pink scar was. "I'm really glad that I didn't know that earlier."

"Understandable," Dad laughed. He turned to Damon, still seated in the boat. "Do you need assistance getting out?"

Before the armored man could answer, Nate cut in. "Answer carefully, Damon. I'm not fishing you out of the water."

"Huh?" Ashe asked.

"The armor may be useful in a fight but makes him sink like a rock," Nate explained, flashing his friend a teasing grin.

Damon didn't say anything in return but the way he seemed to stare at Nate through his visor gave Ashe the impression he was biting back a reply. Instead, the armored man silently hauled himself up onto the dock, which groaned and bent so heavily under Damon's weight that Dad quickly pulled her onto solid ground with Nate following close behind.

"Not a fan of boats," Damon admitted once he joined them. "Small ones, at least."

"Well put those worries behind you, my friend," Dad declared theatrically, leading the way to the manor. "For the next few days, all you need to do is relax."

When the sight of the manor broke through the foggy tree line, Nate let out a low whistle. "This is your house?"

"One of them. My favorite, as it just so happens."

"You have more than one? Wow, I need to get into the Dragonborn business if it pays this well."

"A high-risk life can reap great rewards," Dad said as he fiddled with the locked front door.

"You have towers."

"That I do." When the tumblers of the lock slid into place, Dad flung the door enough. "Come on, I think you'll find my home quite comfortable."

Perhaps it was foolish but Ashe could help but feel a bright bloom of pride at surprised looks when the two men took in the main hall of the manor. Nate whistled again, admiring all the trophy heads, tapestry, paintings, shields, wall sconces, and other decorations. As Nate and Damon started poking around the hall, Ashe saw Dad make for the fireplace to get the place warmed up. Deciding to get to the role of co-host, she scampered over to the barrel of water that never seemed to get any emptier. She filled up three glasses, balancing them on a small tray.

"Here you go," she said, offering one to Nate. When he hesitated, she quickly added, "Don't worry, it's safe to drink."

Then she turned to Damon. "The water barrel is over there, you can get some or fill up whenever you want."

The armored man nodded.

"So, now that we're here I suppose we should start with some refreshments to tide us over while I throw a proper meal together. Ashe, would you join me?"

With a grin, the girl scampered to her adoptive father's side. She missed cooking with Dad, not only had Ashe learned a lot, it had been one of the first ways she truly bonded with him. She'd grown comfortable in the manor's kitchen, learning to properly measure ingredients, knead bread dough, and tell when something was fully cooked by smell alone.

"Anything we can help with?" Nate called out.

"Just relax and focus on developing a healthy appetite."

"You're happy."

Ashe looked up from where she was arranging apple splices, cubes of cheese and ham, bread rolls, and honey nut treats on a big plate. "Huh?"

"You look happy," Dad repeated. "Is it just because we're finally home or...?"

He trailed off, returning to his own task: slicing potatoes and onions for what he called hearty garlic corn and clam chowder. Dad liked doing that, bringing up something while also letting Ashe choose whether or not she wanted to talk about it. Dad rarely pushed her on anything which, in turn, made her realize that the rare occasions where he did force an issue were truly serious. It was one of the many little habits that let Ashe grow comfortable to open up to the man who'd become her Dad.

She hummed, popping a treat into her mouth and letting her legs swing down from where she was perched on the counter. Ashe rolled the sweet around in her mouth, giving her a moment to mull over a response.

"I hate how we met Nate and Damon but I'm glad we did," she said eventually. "They're... neat, Damon especially. I know I was really scared of him at first but I feel like, after what we talked about, we're more alike than I thought."

Dad cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, letting her continue. Ashe swallowed hard, "Damon is... Damon is me. I mean, not really. He's been through a lot worse than me but-"

"Comparing pain like that will get you nowhere, sweetheart," Dad said, his voice gentle yet firm. "Pain is pain. The sources of your and Damon's may be different, but neither is more valid than the other. Don't undermine your hurts to prop his; it only serves to harm you and I doubt he'd appreciate it either."

.

.

.

"Yeah, I know," Ashe replied, ducking her head. She sighed, "I guess what I'm saying is that I got lucky. Lucky in a way he didn't."

"Oh?" Now, Dad sounded genuinely confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"You found me," she said. "I found you. And now I get to have a future. One I want to make the best of."

Ashe had rarely seen her father look so happy, so bashful, than he did now. The tips of his ears were even burning bright red! With a smile, he reached over and smoothed the bangs out of her face.

"You're growing up, Ashe. Every day I wake up and go to bed amazed at how much you've changed since we met. And I cannot wait to see how much further you'll go in the world."

The girl swallowed hard, tears itching in her eyes. "I just want to make you proud."

"You already have, sweetheart. You already have."

Unable to stop herself, Ashe launched herself forward and hugged Dad tight. Wrapping her arms around the old man's neck, she let herself hang there for a moment as Dad supported her.

"Silly girl," he chucked. "You almost made me spill the chowder sauce."

"Don't care," she whispered back, her voice muffled against her father's shoulder. "I'm just so glad to be back home with you. To be safe again."

Dad held her close, letting her bask in the warm comfort of his embrace, before patting her back and finally pulling away.

"Alright, why don't you drop this-" he tapped the edge of her serving tray "-off with our guests then go take a bath while I finish up here. Then, after lunch, I have some other tasks for you."

"What about Scales? I know we stocked him up on food before we left but he'll be running low by now, Ashe asked, the image of the juvenile deathclaw popping into her mind. These repeated trips of theirs can't be good for the development of Scales' temperament. He was finally softening to them but being left alone and hungry could undo all their progress.

That earned her another grin. "The first of your tasks. Now, shoo! I have chowder to make."

Grabbing her tray, Ashe stuck out her tongue in a teasing way. 'It's really good to be home.'

"Here you go," she said, holding the selection of snacks out to Nate. By this point, she knew better than to offer them to Damon. While she hoped he'd eat something soon, pushing it wouldn't get her anywhere. Later on, she'd show him some private rooms and quiet alcoves where Damon would hopefully feel comfortable taking off his helmet. "Dad says that lunch will take a while to finish cooking, so these will hopefully tide you over until there."

"Oh, thanks," Nate said, popping an apple slice in her mouth.

"If you want something else, just let me know."

"Nah, no need," the man said quickly. He took the tray from Ashe's hand, putting it down on the small end table next to the couch. "Don't you want to rest, kid? You've been running around just like the rest of us."

"Oh, Dad told me to go take a bath and change clothes," she replied. Then a thought dawned on her, Ashe had been able to scrub down at the farm and, despite loving a good, hot bath, she honestly wasn't feeling that grubby. Not like the others must be. "Unless... you want to take a bath first? I can get you clean clothes if you do."

Nate cocked an eyebrow, "But you-"

"I'm good for now," Ashe said with a shrug. "It's not like the bath is going anywhere, and I have some other things that I want to get done."

"I mean, I suppose..." Nate started before trailing off. He stared at Damon, a strange look crossing his face. "When was the last time you took a shower?"

"My armor has systems built-in that keep me clean."

"That isn't an answer."

Damon shifted ever so slightly. Unlike Nate, he hadn't sat down yet.

'Maybe he's worried about breaking the couch?' Ashe wondered, amusing herself with the mental image of Damon sitting down only to have the chair crushed flat as a pancake underneath him. 'He is pretty heavy.'

"...Before I ended up here."

"That was months ago!"

"I've gone longer."

"Ew," Ashe cringed. She shot Damon a sharp look. "Okay, new plan. You have to take a bath first!"

Damon cocked his head at her and, though she had no proof, Ashe would swear he was smirking at her from behind his visor. "And you plan to force me?"

"Well, I'm not going to let you near me until you clean up," she snapped back.

Nate laughed, "Well, there you have it, Damon. Quite the ultimatum, what will you choose?"

"..."

"I can't believe you managed that," Nate said. "Who'd have thought that Damon would have met his match not only in an old magic dragon-man but also a little girl?"

Ashe giggled, "I think he was more surprised than anything. I don't think Mr. Damon has ever had a kid tell him he's gross before."

"No, probably not," Nate agreed. He held up the bucket full of meat scraps she'd given him, "This is a lot of meat. Why do we need this again?"

"You'll see," Ashe said. "It's a surprise."

As soon as her feet had hit the ground of her home, Ashe felt lighter. It was like an anchor had been untied from around her neck. Perhaps that made sense... The Commonwealth had not been kind to Ashe whereas their little islet, a place she was once sure she'd die on, held nothing but good luck and happy memories. Here, she'd explored every inch of the island alongside Dad and Rena. Here, there was always fresh food and clean water. Here, she always had comfort and shelter. Here, she was safe.

Spotting a low, brick fence ahead of them, Ashe skipped ahead and climbed up so she was standing on the low platform. 'Just like the balance beams in the training field.'

Nate watched on in amusement as Ashe put her arms out the sides, keeping pace with her as she walked the length of the wall. When a gust of wind briefly caused her to wobble, the man stepped forward as if to grab her. But Ashe quickly readjusted her footing, righting herself, and held up her hand to stop him.

"I got it," she said.

The man smiled at her, "Yeah, I see that. Did Kravos teach you that?"

"A little bit, it's part of my archery training. Dad says that I won't always be able to get a perfect stance for firing a shot, so I need to practice being able to balance on ledges and shoot while moving around," Ashe explained. "Dad set up a bunch of balance beams for me to practice with. I fell a lot at first, but I'm getting better. The beams are skinner now, and higher off the ground. I'm still annoyed by how long it's taking to get good though."

"These things take time," Nate said. "Even natural talent needs to be cultivated and honed. That's why the military spends so much time teaching you to handle weapons and fight when you first join. I went through it, I'm sure Kravos went through it, and I don't even want to think about the kind of training Damon had to go through."

'Me neither,' Ashe mentally agreed.

Dad was a strict teacher, but his lessons were always fair and taught with care. He never pushed Ashe harder than he knew she could handle. After all, Dad was trying to help build Ashe into something better, something stronger, not tear her to pieces. Ashe doubted Damon could say the same.

Reaching the end of the wall, Ashe confidently leaped off and landed in a crouch like a cat before springing back up. She threw her arms up, "Tada!"

"Nice!" Nate laughed. "I bet you couldn't do that a month ago."

"Nope. I want to try cartwheels sometime soon, but Dad says I have to wait for that. He doesn't want me accidentally breaking my neck when he isn't there." Ashe pointed towards the corner at the end of the house. "C'mon, we're here! You can finally meet him!"

"Who?"

She reached up to grab Nate's shirt sleeve, tugging him along. "You'll see!"

"Please tell me you guys don't have a dragon or something living in your backyard," Nate said as they rounded the corner. "That is- Oh, huh... That's new."

Scales stared back at them from the confines of his pen. Bigger now than ever, easily half-a-foot taller than Ashe, with his horns, spikes, and claws finally coming in properly, Scales was starting to look genuinely scary. Dad had mentioned more than once that he needed to reinforce and raise the walls of Scales' pen, lest they risk him breaking out and running amok. Part of Ashe thought she should be more worried about that possibility but she'd grown attached to Scales since starting to care for him. The juvenile deathclaw had grown passive in his captivity and was intelligent enough to investigate the various toys Dad tossed into the enclosure for him to play with. While she wasn't about to climb inside the pen to cuddle with Scales, Ashe was no longer afraid of him either.

"This is Scales," she said.

Ashe hopped up on the box that Dad kept propped up against the wall so she could see and beckoned Nate closer. "It's okay, he's cool. You don't need to be afraid."

The man broke out of his confusion to give Ashe an amused look. "I'm not scared, kid. Just surprised. Not many people out there keep baby deathclaws as pets."

"Yeah, Dad killed his mom a while back and felt bad so he decided to tame Scales." Ashe shrugged, "Apparently it isn't the first time he's done something like this. I guess he likes his strays."

'We're more alike than you'd think, buddy,' Ashe thought, staring at Scales. Who, in turn, had grown bored of his visitors and was smacking around a feeder ball that Dad had made him.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ashe saw Nate approach until he was next to her. He held out the bucket, "...I take it this is for him."

"Oh, yes," she said, perking up. She pulled out a chunk of chicken, "He's gotta be hungry, we only set him up with so much food before we left. I thought you might like feeding him with me."

After a moment of silence, Ashe hurriedly added, "You don't have to though. You can go back inside and relax if you'd like. This won't take long."

"No no, I'm happy to help," Nate said quickly. "I'm just surprised you asked me to come with you instead of Damon."

'Oh, is that it?' Ashe tossed her chunk of chicken into the pen, watching as it hit the ground left of Scales. "I like you a lot, Mr. Nate. You're nice."

"Aw, I like you too," the man said, following her lead by chucking his piece of meat into the pen. "You're a good kid."

"Thanks, I'm glad people think so."

The two lapsed into silence for a moment, watching the way Scales pounced on the chicken chunks and devoured them in seconds before looking up at them, silently asking for more. Ashe was happy to oblige. This time, Scales was able to catch the meat in his clawed hands.

"Ha, he's never done that before!"

"How long have you had him?" Nate asked.

"About six months, I guess. I'll have to ask dad to be sure."

"Hmmm," Nate tossed another piece of chicken to Scales. "And how long have you been here?"

'He's asking that on purpose,' Ashe realized.

Under most circumstances, she'd be angry with someone fishing for information on her life with Dad. But Nate was kind and, despite not knowing her for very long, he cared. When he looked at her, his eyes were still usually sad. Sometimes though, Ashe would say or do something that made Nate smile and laugh. Then his eyes would look so sad, at least not for a while. She trusted him; if he was asking questions like that, it was because Nate was worried, not because he had bad intentions.

"It'll be a year next month," she said, deciding to go along with it for now. "Dad says we'll have a special dinner on the anniversary of the day we met to celebrate."

"That makes sense, it's a big deal. Like a second birthday."

Ashe shrugged. "I guess, I think it is better though. I don't even remember when my birthday is but I'll always remember meeting Dad for the first time."

"...Do you know how old you are?"

"Huh, I know I turned nine because I left Tough Seed, so I might be ten by now. I can't be sure though." Ashe shrugged again, "I guess it doesn't really matter in the end. Like I said, it isn't important."

Nate was quiet for a long moment before speaking up again. "I'm sure it would be important to your father."

"No, Papa didn't c- Oh, you mean Dad." Ashe felt her face burning as she ducked to avoid the questioning look Nate gave her.

The silence between them returned, only this time it was far less comfortable. Even the repetitive motions of throwing chicken to Scales did little to soothe the tension in the air. It was only when Ashe's fingers hit the bottom of the bucket did she finally burst the bubble of silence, unable to let it go on any longer.

"I don't think of him much anymore," she said. "Papa, I mean. I used to think about him a lot. Well, worry is more like it. I used to have nightmares where he'd show up and drag me back. Or that I'd wake up and be back in Tough Seed with him."

Ashe paused, biting at her bottom lip. "Not anymore though. I still have nightmares, just not about him."

Nate nodded slowly, letting go of a deep breath. "I get it. I understand that all too well."

"Was your papa a Bad Man too?" Ashe asked before she could stop herself. When Nate gave her a small smirk, she immediately backpaddled. "Sorry! Sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Yeah, he was."

Ashe swallowed hard, "Oh."

That could have been the end of it. Nate could have said nothing else on the matter and that would have been fine. She didn't like talking about how she grew up, so why would Nate?

But it didn't end there. The man closed his eyes and released a deep sigh. "My old man was a... he was a piece of work, especially when drunk."

Nate must have seen the look that crossed Ashe's face because he let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "You too, huh? It was bad, so bad that I eventually ran away to join the army just to get away from it."

'Did things get better after that?' Ashe wondered. Somehow, she doubted it. At least, she doubted they got better and stayed better.

"I didn't run away," she said, even though he didn't ask. "Papa threw me out. I guess he didn't want to take care of me anymore."

She shrugged and pretended not to notice the anger that flashed over Nate's face.

"Where did you say you were from again?"

"Tough Seed Farming Community, it's about two weeks south of Beaver Creek Lanes," she said. Then, after a moment, added, "At least for me. You have longer legs, so it probably takes you less time to get there than it did for me to get here."

That made Nate's lips twitch upward into a brief smile. "And your old man? What was his name?"

"Henry Rydinger." Ashe gave a little giggle. "You know, it is weird. It's been so long, that I almost forgot his name. He has red hair like me though, I'll always remember that."

"I'd make a ginger joke, but I'm not sure if you'd get it. Plus, it's probably not appropriate," Nate said. He peeked inside the bucket and shook it, "Looks like we're out. Time to head back in?"

"Yeah, I guess. See you later, Scales!" She waved goodbye to the juvenile deathclaw, who let out a garbled call in response. Ashe couldn't be sure he understood her words and was responding in turn, but she liked to think that was the case.

And yet, as Ashe stared at Nate's back as the man started back towards the front of the house, a thought occurred to her. She reached out, grabbing his sticky hand with her own, much smaller one.

"Mr. Nate, can I ask you something?"

He gave her a confused look. "Sure? What's up?"

She bit her lip, the courage she had just a moment ago already fleeing. "Why do you think... Why do you think that they did that? Your papa and mine, I mean."

.

.

.

"I wish I could answer that, Ashe," Nate said quietly. "I'm sure there are a lot of answers I could give. I know my old man had been through some hard things in his life, maybe the same is true for your father too, but that's no excuse. Lots of people suffer and don't take their pain out on others like that. At the end of the day, I think they did it because it made them feel good. They liked it."

'It made them feel good.'

Ashe mulled the answer over in her mind. She thought back to the Bad Men who'd made up the people that'd taken her before... both times. There were probably Bad Men who did Bad Things simply for profit and felt nothing from it, neither guilt nor glee. But that hadn't been the case for those men; they liked the fear and pain they caused, she'd seen it in their eyes.

"I'm never going to be like them," she whispered, a promise both to herself and Nate.

That earned her a smile. "Don't worry. You couldn't be that scummy if you tried."

He reached out to pat Ashe on the head, only to pull his hand back at the last minute. "We should both get cleaned up before anything else, raw chicken juice and all that. Damon should be finishing up by now... if he bothered actually bathing at all."

Ashe wrinkled her nose. "Do you think he just sat there in the washroom? Like, instead of getting clean he's just waiting for one of us to come back?"

"I don't know but, honestly, I find that idea just as hilarious as if you successfully bullied him into taking a bath," the man replied with a chuckle. Then, after a moment, added, "Kravos won't be mad about us bathing before you, will he?"

"Nah, not if I tell him it was my idea," she said. "In the entire time I've lived with him, Dad has only ever gotten angry with me once. I deserved it though."

"Oh really?"

There was a twinge of worry in Nate's voice now, just enough for Ashe to quickly add, "Yeah, I was messing around and almost fell into Scales' pen. We just got him and he was still really mean, so he could have killed me if Dad didn't pull me back."

"Hmmm, anger born from worry then?"

Ashe nodded. "And, even then, he never yelled, let alone..."

She trailed, letting the unspoken linger between the two of them.

Nate smiled down at her, "He's a good man. I'm glad you found him."

"And I'm glad he found me."

A couple of hours later, after lunch had been eaten and the remaining occupancy of the home had been properly bathed, Ashe found herself sneaking out of the house once more. Well, she wasn't technically sneaking out. After all, no one told her she couldn't leave! It was just that Dad has heavily implied that she should go up to her bedroom for some 'quiet time.' And, for the record, Ashe had gone up to her room... but only to get her bow and quiver.

'Quiet time sounds nice but I need to train,' Ashe thought to herself as she tried to latch the door as quietly as she could behind her. 'The better I get, the less Dad has to worry about me getting hurt.'

"Woof!"

Without warning, Rena's massive furry head pushed its way through the gap in the door. When she saw Ashe, the Lakeview Shepard let out a happy bark.

"Shhhh! Shhhhhhhhh!" Ashe hissed. All her protest earned her was a slobbery lick across the face. "Ugh! Fine, you can come but you have to be quiet! Okay, girl?"

Rena pushed the rest of herself through the door gap, seeming to understand in the way she always did. The dog nuzzled Ashe warmly, bouncing up and down in front of her before taking off into the woods.

"Alright, you want to run?" Ashe asked, mostly to herself. She checked that her quiver of practice arrows was properly secured and tucked her bow around her torso. "Let's run, girl!"

She took off, pumping her legs as fast as they'd go. The distance between the house's front door and Ashe's training field wasn't particularly great but as Ashe ran, her heart pumping and her braid flailing out behind her like a fiery tail.

When she broke through the tree line into the small clearing that'd become her 'home away from home' since Dad had set up for her training, Ashe skidded to a stop. The quick sprint had the girl already breathing hard; hard enough that Ashe closed her eyes and took a moment to calm herself.

'In 'n' out, just like Dad taught you.'

When her breath evened out, Ashe opened her eyes to take in the small training field. Judging by the fallen branches and leaves scattered about the clearing, along with one of the hanging targets now tangled in its tree limbs, the earlier storm had blown through here too. Brushing her hand against one of her balance beams revealed that the wood was still damp and kinda slimy.

'I should probably avoid those for now,' she thought. 'At least for now.'

"Well, it's a little messy but I can still work with this," she told Rena, her hands on her hips.

"Woof!"

"You're going to want to stand back," she told the dog. "I don't want to hurt you by accident."

Rena gave her what Ashe would swear was a dubious look. Perhaps that made sense. After all, Rena had fought alongside Dad and many others for years. She knew how to take care of herself, probably better than Ashe could. Still, the dog decided to humor Ashe and trotted over to the edge of the clearing before making herself comfortable in a pile of leaves.

That taken care of, Ashe looked around the clearing once more so she could select her first target -one of the hanging ones. This one was hanging from a branch in the tallest of the nearby trees and she'd never been able to hit it, let alone get a bullseye.

'Today is the day,' she decided. 'I'm not leaving until I can hit the target.'

"First step, I assume the shooting position," Ashe muttered to herself. She adjusted herself so that she was standing at a right angle to the target, letting her back foot slightly forward with her feet shoulder-width apart. Then, after a moment, shook her body out to get rid of some of the tension.

"Okay, now it is time to shoot." She pulled an arrow from the quiver, double-checking that it was in good shape. "Nock at the nocking point... And draaawwwww."

Ashe loved the burn in her muscles that came from drawing a bow, the way she could feel the tension in her arm and shoulder. By the end of some practice sessions, mostly when she just started learning, Ashe was so sore that she could barely pick up her fork at dinner time. When it got that bad, Dad always made her rest a few days before letting her practice again. It hadn't happened much recently though and, since she started learning archery, Ashe felt herself becoming stronger; it was to the point that she put effort into strengthening her other arm, so she wasn't all lopsided.

Narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips, Ashe took aim, inhaled, and... released!

The arrow shot through the air towards the target. As much as she wanted to, Ashe fought the urge to drop her stance as she watched it go.

'Don't forget the follow through,' she reminded herself. 'Soon enough, I'll be able to go fast. Not yet, I need to be steady and deliberate.'

Her arrow flew up and up and up and... right past the target, cutting through the trees and into oblivion.

"Damn it!" she hissed, resisting the urge to stop her foot like a little kid. Behind her, Rena leaped to her feet and took off into the trees with a loud bark. A moment later, she returned with the arrow clutched in her mouth, which she promptly dropped at Ashe's feet. "I don't want your pity."

"Woof!"

"Yeah, yeah. Get out of here," Ashe grumbled. At her words, Rena licked her across the face again before returning to her nest of leaves, leaving Ashe to draw another arrow and take her stance once more. "Okay, this time for sure."

Once more, she nocked her arrow and drew her bow. And, once more, she missed her target.

And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And-

"This is where you practice archery, huh?"

"Eeeek!"

The sudden voice behind her had Ashe shrieking with fright and spinning around so quickly that she fell back on her butt.

"Impressive," Damon said, his head cocked to the side as he looked down at her in a way that made Ashe sure he was amused.

'How can someone so big and heavy be so quiet? It's not fair,' Ashe scowled, getting back to her feet and brushing the dirt off her clothes. She glared up at the giant man, "You scared me! What if I accidentally shot you?"

"I think I would have been fine."

'Jerk,' Ashe huffed. Then a thought popped into her head. "Uh, Dad didn't send you to look for me, did he?"

"No. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Ashe quickly said. "So why are you out here then?"

"Scoping the area out."

"For what?"

Damon didn't seem to have an exact answer to that. Instead, he changed the topic. "It is quiet here. Peaceful."

"I know right?" Ashe nodded. "That's why I love it here."

She hadn't always. When Ashe had first arrived here by accident in the dinky little boat, she'd hated it! The island had been cold and dark and she hadn't had any place to be safe from the wind and rain. Until Dad had arrived and found her, Ashe had been sure the little island would be her grave.

Instead, it had been the cradle for her new life.

"So you snuck out to practice?" Damon asked.

Ashe nodded. "I've missed a few days and need to catch up."

Damon nodded too. Then, after a moment of silence, asked, "Can you show me?"

She gave him a surprised look. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, but you don't have to."

"No no, I'm just surprised you'd want to watch me," she explained. "I mean, you're really good at shooting things..."

"I've never shot a bow and arrow before. I'm curious."

"Oh... Yeah, I guess you wouldn't need one," Ashe said, glancing at Damon's gun. She looked down at her own little practice bow before back up at the armored man's massive bulk. "You're too big to use this one but I'm sure Dad has some bigger ones in the armory. He'd probably let you borrow one to try out if you asked."

"...Perhaps. For now, I'll just watch."

"Okay then," Ashe said, watching out of the corner of her eye as Damon stepped back towards the tree line. Amusingly, Rena took this as an opportunity to 'sneak' closer to the man until she was so close to Damon that she was nearly pressed up against him. Damon didn't react, but he also didn't step away either; seemingly content to let the dog stay where she was.

Pushing that out of her mind the best she could, Ashe nocked another arrow and took aim. She fought the urge to squirm; shooting in front of someone who wasn't Dad was weird, almost uncomfortable. She didn't think Damon would make fun of her for missing the target again, but she also didn't want to fail in front of someone so good at fighting.

Dad was different though. He was always different.

'C'mon, Ashe, you can do this,' she told herself. "Stance, nock, aim, and... release!"

Another shot.

Another failure.

"Argh!" she snarled. "Missed again!"

"Can you hit other targets?" Damon asked.

Ashe scoffed and, without a word, shot an arrow into the dead center of one of the nearby ground targets. "I can hit every other target here. I don't always get a bullseye, but I can hit them! It's just that one that still gives me trouble!"

Damon gave a small, nearly indiscernible nod. He looked up at the target and, after a moment, "...Aim a meter high and to the right."

"Huh?"

"Aim high and to the right of the target." Seeing the confused look on Ashe's face, the massive armored man added, "Trust me."

'Okayyyyy. Why not?'

Once more, Ashe took a proper stance and nocked her bow, drawing the string back in a smooth motion. Her shoulder and arm protested, the muscles burning in pain; she probably only had one or two more shots in her today. Wanting to make it count, she was careful when aiming, lining it based on Damon's advice so it was like she was shooting a foot to the right of the target.

'Stance, nock, aim, and... release!'

Thwip!

Ashe gasped as her arrow grazed the side of the straw, tearing and cutting away at the painted, compact straw. It still wasn't a hit, but it was the closest she'd ever gotten. If she adjusted her aim just a little more...

"Close," Damon noted.

Not wanting to hesitate or get distracted, Ash quickly aimed another arrow. She breathed through the pain. "Last one of the day."

"Don't miss then", the armored giant said as he crouched behind her. "A little more to the right, relax, don't force it to hit the target. Let your aim do the work."

Ashe closed her eyes for a moment, drawing in another deep breath. She let Damon's calm words wash over her and allowed herself to mentally picture her arrow flying through the air to impale the elusive target. When she opened her eyes again, she aimed her arrow. Ready to take her final shot of the night.

"...Fire!'

.

.

.

Thwump!

"I did it!" Ashe explained, nearly dropping her bow in her excitement. She spun around to face Damon, repeating, "I did it!"

The man nodded, "You did."

It still wasn't a bullseye. She didn't care though because, high above in the trees, her arrow was finally impaled in the target!

'I did it!'

"It was the wind and distance," Damon continued. "It was throwing your aim off. You need to factor that in when taking a shot.."

"The wind... Yeah, Dad has talked about that before," Ashe said to herself, nodding. She beamed up at Damon. "Thank you."

Another nod. It was only now that Ashe noticed how late it was. The sun had started to dip in the sky, staining it orange and pink. "We should probably head back inside. Dinner will be soon."

"Woof!" Rena barked, seeming to agree. She bound off once more, crashing through the underbrush and leaving the two behind.

The silence lasted only a moment before Damon spoke up again. "How long have you been learning?"

"Uhhhh, about a month. Maybe six weeks." Ashe tucked the bow around her torso and held up her hands to show Damon the new calluses that were still developing on her hands. Most were still half-blisters, but they were undeniable proof that Ashe was getting stronger. "Getting better every day."

"I'm sure." The man stood, towering over her once again. "What will you do when you're good enough to hurt someone."

Ashe paused. She'd considered the question plenty of times since first picking up the bow. "...Whatever I have to, I guess."

Damon was quiet but, for a brief moment, Ashe thought he was about to say something when Rena crashed through the brush. Once more, the dog had an arrow in her mouth.

'Right,' Ashe thought. 'I can't leave those behind.'

Apparently not feeling the need to add anything, Damon turned around and took a couple of steps toward the house. Ashe rushed forward, grabbing the man's hand. He stopped his tracks, seemingly startled by the sudden contact. When Ashe tugged at his hand, Damon leaned down ever so slightly.

"What?"

"Can you help me pick up the arrows?"

From behind the golden visor, Damon chuckled softly.