"We are here for a temporary visit , Mr. Norman. Well I had different plans but then something happened, and I'm trying to think on what to do." Lucas says as he stretches a bit "I wanted to stay here for a few years. You know to make some money and be close to buying my parents land. I don't know where the owner of the land is but that's why I'm moving closer to it. It's to make sure if the owner isn't there I'll have a place to stay in. I'm not trying to travel a few weeks to not find what I'm look and then traveling those weeks again back to Iriage." Lucas says.
"Well I can see what you're saying, where exactly is this owner?" Norman asked, "How many more days or weeks until you get to him." Norman looks up and sees the rifle "Oh is that what I think it is." he says excitedly.
Lucas turns and sees his gun "Yeah it is, it's Diego's rifle." Lucas says as he walks and grabs the gun "Look at how much I have taken care of it. Doesn't it seem brand new, I made sure it does." Lucas then hands the rifle to Norman who inspects is "Don't worry, I never have it loaded when I'm not planing to use it. You can be at ease as it's not dangerous."
"You're right Lucas, it looks exactly as when Diego first bought it. Well more so after he died, he sure did love cleaning it." Norman says as he touches the sides, he notices that it has a few scratches. "He would be proud of you for taking care of it. This was the first thing he ever bought. He saved up a months worth to get it, it's as if Diego has put his soul in it hasn't he." Norman hands the rifle back at Lucas.
"Yeah I know, this means a lot to me as well. Honestly whenever I hold it, it feels like he is still here." Lucas says as he puts the rifle in a bag "I believe he did leave a part of himself on it, as a way to look after me even if he is dead. I can't tell you how much I wanted to show him, I believe he would be proud."
"Yeah that's true, gosh you're as obsessed as he was." Norman says which Lucas looks up at him "Don't worry it's not a bad thing at all, I'm just saying how similar you two are. To think a gun can make two people treat it as a real person is mesmerizing." Norman pays Lucas back "May I be informed on what's your relationship with that girl. She must be a good friend of yours, right Lucas?"
"Yeah that's true, Ashly is my only friend. She's very special to me and currently she needs my help." Lucas says as Ashly has gotten off the horse. She has started to stretch, "l want you to know that Ashly well… she is different than what you expect."
Ashly keeps on stretching, her left leg hurts a bit. She looks around and notices how clean the place looks. A contrast to her life in Greenside, she looks at Lucas who continues to talk to that man. "My leg is killing me, if I knew I was going to suffer this type of constant pain. I would of ran away much earlier." Ashly says as she rubs her thigh, she can still feel the pain in her stomach slightly. "How long did Lucas say we were staying? Doesn't matter now." she says.
"Mr. Norman I can't wait to see everyone else, I want to see them already." Lucas pets the horse, "May I ask where can we leave her at for the moment?" Lucas asked Norman "I want her to rest as she earned it, she is quite old and I want her to relax."
"Don't worry Lucas, there's this stable that I own. She can stay there for the time being, I can care for her." Norman says, the horse is tired and hungry. "I'll help you two move in, I remember there is this place that is unoccupied. If I talk to the owner they will definitely let you stay there, I'll make sure he does."
"Thank you Mr. Norman I appreciate your help, we are tired and that means so much. I can afford to rent and it's not like I'm short on money." Lucas says.
"What about you're parents farm? I thought you were saving to buy it all." Norman asked "Doesn't every amount count?"
"Yes it does, but it's not like we are going there that soon. I've been thinking that maybe I will just buy a small portion, enough to get what I need." Lucas says "I'll pay you all back once we leave. I won't let anyone gift me everything, I'll be fair."
It's been a few hours since they have arrived, Lucas has been speaking with Norman for most of the day. "Mr. Norman are you sure you can still work like you did years ago? I can lend you a hand, it's the least I can do since we are staying here."
"Thank you Lucas, I will appreciate your help." Norman says "I guess this will be a great excuse to keep on the conversation. Lucas I know you will be a great fit for caring for these horses."
"Yeah I think I'll be, especially with your help." Lucas says as they enter the stable, the horses are sleeping "It's a bit late and I'm glad you got us the place. It's small but there nothing more I would of wanted. I'm being honest, if you gotten us a bigger place I would of refused it."
"I can't understand what you're saying but I think I have a good guess as to why. Is it because you feel like you don't want to take advantage of the hospitality?" Norman turns to Lucas who nods "Well at least I can see you're not a selfish person." Lucas looks at Norman but stays quiet "Diego chose the right people to raise you didn't he."
"Yes he did, I do love them but. I feel like we aren't as connected as I wanted. They are amazing people but we don't have that spark within us. The one Diego had with me, the one that I'm sure you know what I'm saying." Lucas asks.
"Yeah I understand what you're saying." Norman then smells something "Lucas I may sound rude but I think you smell a bit." Norman says
Lucas is a bit confused and smells his clothes "That's a bit odd, I shower everyday and today we didn't do much activity. I don't think I was sweating at all." he looks back outside and Ashly is gone "Well I guess she is inside now, it's getting quite cold. Maybe we should get going, it's late and tomorrow I'll see the rest." Lucas begins to leave the stable "I'll see you tomorrow morning, wait for me." with that Lucas leaves, Norman is smiling as Lucas reminds him of the good memories from the past. He can't help but tear up a bit, those were the times where everything seemed right.
The next morning Ashly has woken up, she is laying on a bed. She feels warm and well rested, it's been a while since she felt this calm. "It's morning already, I don't like this at all. I feel too calm and relaxed, this is making me feel uneasy." Ashly says as she stays in bed, she hasn't felt an ounce of relaxation for years. She doesn't want to as the feeling of uneasiness and being alert is what she has always relied on.
Ashly gets out of bed, she walks out of the room into the living room. It's all so quiet, uneventful and slow. She looks around for a bit before walking passed the living room. Ashly enters the kitchen and searches for food. She finds a few vegetables and fruits and sighs. She doesn't know how to make any meals, she just grabs a few vegetables and sits down on the table. She bites down onto a potato and doesn't mind it being.
She begins to eat them quickly, she starts making a small mess. Lucas enters the place and sees her "Hey Ashly, you don't need to eat fast or anything. You're making a mess, this place is quite safe. There's nothing that should make you eat this fast, take your time." Lucas says as he walks to her who has already finished the vegetables. "Don't eat them raw, I bought bread for us to eat. I also have cheese, it's bad for you to eat them raw." he hands her a piece of cheese.
"Yeah well, this is how I always ate for the longest that I can remember." Ashly says as she bites the cheese "Don't you have to save on money and stuff? have you started looking for a job or something like that?" Ashly says as she eats the entire cheese.
"Well yeah kind of, I decided to work with Mr. Norman for the time being." he says as he sits down to eat. "I'll make a bit of money and I'll repay them with what's appropriate." he says as he finishes the cheese "I'll be outside, there are some people I want to reconnect with. You should come as well, try to live a bit and see what this world has to offer." he says smiling.
"No… I don't think so, I'm not going out anytime soon. I want to just rest or at least try to, it's the first time I am able to do so." she says "You know how shitty Greenside was, this is something I never thought I'd experience. I don't owe anyone money, I don't have to be forced out. Just let me take this short time as I want, there no saying I'll ever experience it again." she says knowing Lucas will let her.
"Alright Ashly if you say so." he then leaves and Ashly is alone, she smirks at how easy it was to convince him. She is glad that he is too willing to listen to her, this is what she needs. Ashly thinks that Lucas should take advantage of their kindness. They could get everything for free but he doesn't see it that way. Ashly knows that Lucas would argue that taking advantage isn't great but she will.
Outside Lucas meets with another old friend "Mrs. Erica is that you? You look so different." Lucas says as he approaches her, she turns and smiles at him.
"Lucas, I can say the same for you, where's that little boy I knew so many years ago." Erica says as she hugs him "You're as cute as I remember, what's with the sudden visit?" she says as she lets go.
"Oh I just want to see you all since I'm old enough to do so. It's also because I want to get closer to getting to my parents land." He says.
"Oh I almost forgot about that, so you think you have enough to start finding them?" Erica asked.
"Yes of course, well not really but I can get a small piece land from them. It's just that a picture is all I need, I need to get it so I could then ask the SDA for help." He says as he pulls out the map pointing to the journey he will have to take. "As you can see it's going to be a very long travel. The problem at least is that I have mostly forgotten how they looked and futher more, they might have changed as it was years ago."
"Well that sounds terrible, Lucas who is that girl and why is she with you as well?" Erica asked "Is she also helping you find your parents."
"Oh well sort of, it's just that I'm helping her more than the other way around. It's that she is being chased by awful people, she needs my help at the moment. Its a coincidence that by traveling far away she can stay safe." Lucas says "What luck I have , I get to spend more time with my friend while getting closer to finding my parents."
They laugh and Norman approaches Lucas "Hey Lucas, I asked around and Brando told me something you might want to hear." he says as Brando follows behind.
"Lucas it's nice to meet you." he shakes Lucas hand "Well there's this forest that's quite safe, it's not as uninhabitable as you might think. Trust me Lucas, I have been there multiple times and you will like it there." he hands Lucas a wooden carving of a sad face "Take it, trust me this will help you."