Emotional Connection

friends

Ashley really didn't know what it was with her dad, but ever since he'd got home from the rescue, he'd been working more than ever, taking nightshift on, working upwards of twelve hours before taking a break to sleep. She really tried not to mind, but it left her alone more often than not, especially at night which wasn't something she was fond of, and it left her feeling more isolated than ever from everyone.
Of course, she had Pete and Charlie and Kali, but it was different. Her dad understood her, she thought, the way she wasn't really able to keep contact with people, how he was basically her whole life.

But recently it felt as though he was shutting her down more than he was with her.

Pete had noticed her change in mood - really who hadn't, apart from her dad - and tried to provide her with some level of comfort as much as he could, but it had a limited effect.

Lately, she'd been getting less and less sleep, and though she could survive on short naps, for the most part, it felt worse to be in the house alone at night, so she took to wandering the sanctuary. Sometimes she'd just sit at the top of the ridge watching everyone working down in the pits, snowflakes falling in her hair before melting away. It certainly didn't help that she was only just recovered from pneumonia, but what no one knew couldn't hurt.
Well, that's what she thought until one night Charlie came running to her excitedly, talking way too quickly about baby dragons.

She looked up at him, confused. "Stop, breathe, slow down, start again." Ashley-Rae raised an eyebrow, "then maybe I'll understand what you're trying to say."

He grinned, pulling her to her feet, "the egg is hatching!"

Ashley blinked, a smile forming on her face, "really?"

He nodded, dragging her over to his house, and she followed, laughing at his excitement; it was infectious, she wondered if this was how everyone felt when he got like this. They rushed to one of his back rooms where there were so many incubators it made her wonder if he was the only one who cared for orphaned eggs in the sanctuary before her eyes landed on the egg she'd given him a month and a half ago for his birthday. There were already several cracks in it, with the dragon still doing its best to escape its egg.

They watched, sat on the floor of the small room, as the tiny* dragon shook the last of the eggshell off, stumbling about the incubator, calling out. Charlie was shaking with excitement, reaching in, picking up the dragoon in his hands and placing it down on his lap, watching with awe.

"What're you going to name them? Is it a boy or a girl?" Ashley spoke softly with a smile on her face.

"Um..." Charlie thought for a bit, "by the size I'd say a girl. How about Mila?"

She nodded, still smiling, "that's cute."

"Feeding time! You're welcome to stay." Charlie looked up at her, letting Mila rest on his shoulders before pulling Ashley to her feet.
Ashley considered, and he must have seen the hesitation in her eyes, because he followed up with, "or you can go back to the ridge until your shift starts again."

"How do you know about that?" She frowned, taking a seat in his living room.

Charlie shrugged, "when I can't sleep I do the same. But clearly, I sleep a lot more often than you do."

Ashley stayed quiet.

"Anything on your mind?" He sat opposite her, putting a ceramic dish down on the table along with Mila. "That's usually why I can't sleep."

Shaking her head, she leaned back in the chair. "No, my dad just works a lot. I've never really slept somewhere by myself before unless he was seriously injured or something of the like. It feels... wrong, being in the house by myself, so I guess I just take to walking if I'm up to it."

Charlie nodded slowly, "it took me a while to get used to being here by myself. Grew up with six other siblings, so things were never quiet at home."

Ashley nodded. "I don't know. It feels sort of empty, lonely, without him."

"It can do. I- well, if you ever need to sleep and can't without company, you're always welcome here. I've got a spare room that's always made up, you're welcome to use it if you want."

She paused, her brain trying to process the information. "I-" Taking a deep breath, she tried again, "I don't want to intrude. Besides, you don't have to help me every time I stumble a little."

Charlie laughed a little, "I know I don't have to, but I want to."

"Why?"

His heart broke a little, as she looked genuinely confused. "Because we're friends, Ash. That's what friends do."