“Well, I guess I may as well just say it,” Ashley said, uncrossing her legs and sitting up slightly straighter. “I’m here to respectfully request a transfer.” Once the words were out, she pursed her lips and then exhaled through her nose, like a weight was beginning to be lifted off of her shoulders but could come back to smash her at any moment.
Aaron was stunned. That was the last thing he’d been expecting to hear. Well, one of the last things anyway. “You want a transfer?” he repeated, still staring at her. “To another area?”
“Yes,” Ashley said with a firm nod that indicated she’d given this a lot of thought. “I know that everyone wants to be here, in KC, and I don’t blame them. It’s a great team to be a part of. I’ve learned so much already in just the past few months, and I know that I’m a better Hunter from having been here. Cadence and Aurora have been great to watch and learn from. There are also a lot of Guardians that I’ve been able to pick up tips and techniques from. It’s been a fabulous experience.” As she continued to speak, he thought he saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “But… I just don’t think this is the place for me. Anymore.”
He held her eyes for a few moments, not sure what to say, and realizing he was tinkering with a notepad, causing everything on his desk to be shifted out of place, he pulled his hand away and folded them. “Well, Ash, I have to say I’m really surprised to hear that. Do you mind if I ask how you came to this decision?”
She swallowed hard, like she wasn’t sure if she could start to breathe again or not. Having it out there was one thing; knowing what he was going to say in return was likely a whole other beast. “I just feel like I could be more useful in another area, one where there aren’t as many strong Hunters,” she reasoned, her face perfectly straight, though he did notice she had a tell. When she wasn’t being completely honest, her right eyelid twitched slightly, as it was doing now. “I feel that other people should have an opportunity to learn from the best, as I have, and I know there are a lot of great recruits coming up through the ranks now.” Seemingly satisfied with that answer, she gave him a small smile and then dropped her eyes again.
Aaron studied her for a long moment, choosing his words carefully. Cadence wasn’t there to defend herself, and the last thing he wanted to do was throw the woman he loved under the bus, but… something told him all of this had to revolve around her. “Ashley, I understand that Cadence hasn’t exactly been… welcoming. If the two of you are having problems, perhaps it would be for the best if all three of us sat down together and tried to work through them.”
The blonde was shaking her head before he even finished the sentence. “No, it really doesn’t have anything to do with Cadence at all, I swear,” she said. “It doesn’t.”
A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Are you sure? I know the two of you had lunch today. She said it was fine, but that usually tells me something happened she doesn’t want to talk about.”
“It was fine,” Ashley confirmed. “Really—this isn’t about Cadence. This is about me. Seeking growth opportunities. For myself.”
“Well, if that’s really the case, Ashley, I have to say, I think this is the best place for you. Obviously, you show a tremendous amount of potential. You’re the top Hunter in your class. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have kept you here, and we certainly wouldn’t have you out in the field on some of our most difficult hunts. That being said, you do have more that you can learn. From Cadence and Aurora. Even Meagan.”
Nodding, Ashley said, “No, I agree. And I do want to keep learning. Just… not here.”
Aaron ran his hand through his hair and studied her again in silence. She was still sitting in the same rigid position she’d been in when she first sat down, and even though her face had relaxed slightly, it was evident something was bothering her. But if not Cadence—then what? “Why did you want to talk to me and not Cadence, then, if this has nothing to do with her?”
Her eyes enlarged slightly, as if she hadn’t been prepared for that question. “I, uh, thought you’d be more understanding than she would be.” That wasn’t a lie. He could tell she was being perfectly honest with him then. “I think you and I have always gotten along fairly well, and I thought maybe, assuming Cadence does have to approve every Hunter who transfers, talking to you about it first would make it easier, especially if I needed you to speak to her on my behalf.”
“You do realize that everything you just said makes it sound like you recognize there are some issues between the two of you, don’t you?” he asked, keeping his voice as gentle and unemotional as possible.
Ashley tipped her chin down and inhaled through her nose. “I know the two of us have issues, but that’s not my reason for asking for a transfer. I wanted to be friends with Cadence; I thought I could be. I’ve been trying for so long. But after we had lunch today, I realized we can’t be friends.” She looked up now, meeting his eyes. “She told me we couldn’t be.”
Aaron raised both eyebrows and stared at Ashley in disbelief, wondering what in the world Cadence could’ve said for Ashley to think that—and if she had used those exact words, what his fiancée might’ve been thinking. He didn’t get a chance to ask before she continued, though.
“And she’s right. We can’t be. Because, no matter how much I’m impressed with her, how much I like her as a person, or how much she comes to like me—once she gets to know me—there will always be something between us.”
“What’s that?” he asked, crinkling his forehead. He had absolutely no idea what she was getting at, and something told him she expected he would’ve come to the correct conclusion by now.