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"Feel free to speak your mind here, Ashlea," Doc replied, "for a few days anyway, you will have the quiet time to find your answers....to lean on me as you need to."
"If you must know, I'm not very happy out there," he says pointing into space, "that is why I had a home on Canaria and this cabin, a place to think. I've always been happy planet side so I spend much of my time there. Of course, being alone doesn't help but then, you understand that."
"Tell me, how did someone who grew up as you did and as pretty as you are end up a rogue? I just wouldn't picture you as one. Something tells me that if I help as I've offered, the Rogues won't need to live such a harsh life."
"We'll discuss Foster later," he continued, "for now, I'm more interested in you. Would you care for a drink before we get too far into things?
"There is nothing worse then being alone... But I don't understand why you are. You seemed to have a lot of friends in those pictures." She smiles and shook her head "The woman in the other photos is quite pretty, you both looked happy." She still couldn't understand why he had given up that life.
"I grew up planet side. I've always preferred to be planet side... Everything is just more relaxed and, well, free." She shrugs slightly, she hadn't spoken about her past for such a long time it sounded unreal to her. "My father wanted me to be a lawyer. I started, and I did try but I ended up changing course of study. Long story short, he didn't so much like this and I had no choice but to leave."
She felt she needed to explain why. "By the time he finished spinning stories, Anyone that mattered was convinced I was just some horrible person. I had no where to go and the Rogues were the only people to invite me in. If he finds me again, chances are I will end up in prison for the rest of my life - even before being tried as a Rogue."
She nodded at his offer of another drink "Is there anything I can do to help?"
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He listened as she spoke as he handed her a drink in the midst of her story. He sat and listened. In a small way, it sounded familiar as he and his own father were very different. He was intrigued about her choice to be a lawyer, he even nodded his respect about her change of study. When she said it, he simply said before she continued, "I wouldn't have judged you for that."
"You are his loss," he replied to it all, "all too often parents try to shape their offspring to be what they want, not caring what the child wants." He shook his head, "It's just wrong. My father got of me what he wanted...at least a little. He wanted me to be a professional so he sent me to dental school. I learned the piano at his request but I refused to join the military. It just wasn't my thing and he was an officer."
He sighed and continued, "He changed when he went to war. Mom was very sick and I didn't support the cause of the war and when his side surrendered, he was angry. Mom died shortly thereafter and off to school I went. We were different men were my father and I but we seldom spoke much after I started on my own but he never, ever judged me for it."
He looked at her, "rest assured, no one will hurt you while you're with me and I do mean no one and you're right, there is nothing worse than being alone."
He took a swig of his drink and smiled, "You wish to help. If you like, please do although I'm curious as to what you know."
"War does that to people. It's not their fault, the whole situation is never any good." She wished she had known her Mother. Her father had told her she had died when she was young, Ashlea didn't believe that. She knew that if she did meet her mother, chances are it would be just someone else to reject her.
She smiled, she knew what he was saying was true, "I know no one will hurt me while I'm with you. Honestly, its about the only place I've felt safe."
Ashlea shrugs slightly "A lot of it I have picked up from living with the Rogues. However, I feel a lot of it won't really be of any use. Medical is not my area of expertise, even though I have had to patch people up before. Negotiation is something they think I am good at, hence why I was told to come and talk to you." She takes a sip of her drink before continuing "Business, that's a given. Arts, however is rather useless. I spend more time doing that as a hobby. At least, I use to. I know more then what people give me credit for, but in the grand scheme of things, It really isn't much."
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"We share something in common," replied Doc, "negotiation. I sort found out I wasn't bad at it by accident and somehow got looked to by not just the acolytes of TAZ but many other Zoners as well. But, after years of doing it, I don't mind stepping away. Granted, I'll do it if asked but for the most part, I had my time doing it."
"I believe we, you, me and the Rogues will work well together in time," he continued, "it sometimes takes me longer than I'd like to achieve some of my goals but I usually find a way."
He then looked around for a minute as the breeze blew by them both, "If you like it here, I can make it so that you can frequent this place even when I'm not present. You know, when you need some time. With a Zoner tagged Hawk, no one will know it's you."
He then took her hand to help her up as he smiled, motioning with his head down a short path where there was a stable not far away, "I'd like to introduce you to two of my good friends."
"Well, I don't want to take what you enjoy doing away from you." She smiles before shrugging slightly "We have all the time in the world, and no one expects it will be something that can be finished overnight. The one thing about the Rogues is most of us are realists."
She bit her lip as he mentioned the Zoner tagged Hawk "I can't afford anything like that. As it is, my ship should be grounded." To make light of this, she grins slightly "And anyway, I'd never want to leave!"
She took his help up and noticed the stable for the first time. "Oh?" She looked slightly concerned for a moment, before realizing he would likely be talking about his horses. "Sure. I'd love to meet them."
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He opened the stable doors and escorted her in. It smelled of wood, hay and horse dander but hey, that's what stables smell like. Inside, each animal had it's own stall adjacent to each other. One had a mouthful of hay, the other made a whinny when they arrived. Doc just smiled and approached the animal, extending his hand to it.
"George ol' boy, it's just me and a friend," he said as he began to stroke it's nose. Still, the horse bobbed it's head a time or two before he managed to go over and stroke the nose of the other. Finally, he turned to Ashlea with a chuckle and a smile, "I'd like to introduce you to my two good friends, George and Gracie."
Gracie was busy eating so Doc opened the door to George's stable, inviting Ashlea in. He handed Ashlea a brush and instructed her to just "brush him and you'll make a friend."
Doc meanwhile patted his face and looked him over for ticks.
"I brought them back here from Canaria," he explained as he worked, "I sold my others but these two are my favorites and best trained."
In an open stable nearby was all the riding gear. Saddles, bags, rifle holsters, blankets and so forth. In it were also shoeing tools.
Doc just turned to Ashlea, "You're so going to love riding."
Ashlea smiled, she had a horse when she was growing up, so she knew a bit about them. She seemed completely at ease, chatting away to the horse as she brushed him. "They are beautiful..." She nodded, seeming to be slightly distracted as he explained selling the others. "You are a lucky man to have these two in your life" She stopped brushing George and giggled as he nickered and nudged her in protest to this.
"It's been a while since I've done anything like this.... You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit, well, yeah." She wasn't sure what she was trying to say, but felt she needed to apologize for it. She looked across at Doc, her excitement was obvious "Can we go riding? I... If you don't mind, I would really quite like to."
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"If you can wait until morning, that's the plan," he answered, "I need to get some of the gear ready tonight."
He snickered as he watched George nosing her, "He likes you. You tend to him, I'll take care of Gracie."
It was obvious that Gracie was the more docile of the two, at least, in the stable but they spent a good while grooming, feeding and just keeping them company. Doc also took a moment to observe Ashlea with George. He smiled as he saw her enjoyment and happiness. He quietly admired her beauty as well but kept it to himself as he tried to keep his professionalism.
"Listen, I need to cut some wood which shouldn't take too long so if you want, I'm sure these two are in good hands with you here," he stated as he grabbed an axe by the door. With a smile, he made his way back towards the house, axe in hand.
He had some loose logs around. Standing them up on a stump, he split them with one swing. Getting hot as he worked, he removed his shirt. With wood splitting and heat, a swim was no doubt not far behind.
"I'll finish up here and meet you out there." She watched him leave before carrying on working with the horses. Eventually she stepped out of the pen and latched the door shut behind her, making sure the other was closed properly as well. She made her way to where Doc was, and got there just as he was finishing splitting the last log. Noticing he was shirtless, she smiled and refrained from saying what she was thinking - realizing it would be inappropriate considering the circumstances.
After she realized she was just standing there, she shook her head and dropped her gaze, "I've closed up the stables, waters changed and what not, they are both happy... Would you like some help with anything here?"