After eagerly waiting for Sir Gabriel to exit the house, Ashley is now holding the knight in her arms with a big smile on her face. Sitting on the ground with her legs crossed, her knight is sitting comfortably in her lap with her arms wrapped around him and holding him close. Not so tight that it is uncomfortable for him, but just enough to keep him close to her. The two seem to be quite happy being so close to each other, not wanting to be anywhere else.

     Sir Gabriel did clean up nicely, even though he only washed up just enough to clean himself up. He is wearing simple clothes once again, a white shirt and tan pants along with a pair of boots. Without his armor on, he can really enjoy Ashley's sweet and loving embrace. At first he did find it to be odd for Ashley to be the one holding him. This is mainly because while growing up he had learned that it is supposed to be the man who was supposed to be holding the woman, which is difficult for him to do due to the maiden's great size. Now he is finding it go be a nice preference to be held by the loving giantess, finding it to be quite pleasant to be in Ashley's arms. He leans into her a bit, enjoying the unique comfort that he is able to experience with her. Sir Gabriel can't help but look up at the maiden who is smiling at himb returning her loving look with a smile of her own.

     This sight of Sir Gabriel being held by the woman is  very odd for his family to witness. After all, the large woman is able to hold a fully grown man in her lap as though he is a small child. Both Sir Olric and Heather can easily tell that this is how the giantess is showing her affection for their son, who does seem to be quite content there with her. They can only imagine that she has to be creative with her affectionate gestures. With her extraordinary sizeb it isn't like she can rely on traditional displays of affection. Besides, Sur Gabriel dies seem to be enjoying the maiden's love that she does have for him.

     Laura can't help but hold back some laughter, finding the sight of her brother being held to be very funny. As far as she is concerned, her brother is being treated like a child and he is just taking it without any objections. The first chance she gets she is going to be saying some embarrassing things about what she is witnessing right now.

     The family is sitting outside in some chairs, which have been brought out from the dining room along with the table, since it is the most comfortable way to sit outside with Ashley. She is unable to go inside the family's home due to gow large she isb so it is best that tge family does their best to meet her needs.

     "So Ashley," Heather begins. She is a bit curious about the giantess and she does have a question that she has been wanting to ask for a while now. "Olric has already told me how tall you are and the fact that you don't know how you got so big. Not to mention how you and Gabriel first met. But I am curious about one thing, grandchildren."

     "What?!" Ashley responds out of surprise.

     "Momma!" Sir Gabriel exclaims. "We haven't even talked about marriage yet, much less children."

     Laura has to cover her mouthb stifling her laughter. She has had this talk with her mother on numerous occassions. But the talk that have been had are more about her finding a husband so she could start a family.

     "You love her don't you?" Heather asks.

     To the knight this question was a no-brainer. He may have only just met Ashley yesterday,but knows the feelings he has for her. "Of course I do," he answers.

     "Then of course you two are going to get married, which will thwn lead to children. Now I'm not saying that you two need to have any right now. I just want to know when you two are planning on starting a family. I had my hopes of having at least one grandbaby within a year after your sister came of marital age. But with how she has driven off every suitable bachelor with her behavior, it seems like she is going to be an old maid."

     "Momma!" Laura protests. "Could you stop bringing that up, please?"

     "Is it wrong for me to want my daughter to find a husband have a family?"

     As the mother and daughter continue with their little dispute b Ashley’s mind can't help wander to the prospect of children in her future. This is something that she has considered but always thought an impossibility for her. Before meeting Sir Gabriel she had thought that no man would want to be with her due to her massive size. But can she now actually consider starting a family of her own?

     Sir Olric places his hand on his wife's shoulder, ending the dispute with her daughter. "I think we should change the subject here. Sir Gabriel and Ashley have only just met, and I am sure that marriage is in their future, like you say. But I am sure that they want to enjoy a life a bit before they settle down." Sir Olric looks up at the knight who is still in the giantess' embrace, “Am I right about that?”

     "Actually, Sir Gabriel is going to escort me around Albion," Ashley says sounding very excited about the journey. "He's already taken me to see the town of Vershire before we came here."

     "I hope that the townsfolk were nice and welcoming to you," Heather says, following the conversation's new lead.

     "Not exactly," Sir Gabriel points out. He remembers how the people of Vershire had armed themselves, ready to defend their town from the threat that they had perceived the giant maiden to be. "Ashley's presence can cause some unease, since they don't really know her. So I make sure that with each town she visits that I inform them that she is a kind and gentle soul."

     "I can imagine that it does take some convincing," Sir Olric comments. He looks up at Ashley, seeing her smiling face. He will admit that if he had only taken a quick glance at herb even he would draw his blade for the town's defense.

     "It does, but it is well worth the effort to see the look on Ashley's face as she is finally able to walk around each town. Taking in new sights that she had been denied due to her unique stature."

     "It has been great," Ashley adds. "I used to visit a couple of towns with my parents when I was growing up, but I did tend to draw a lot of attention as I was getting bigger with each passing year.It isn't often that a child becomes so much bigger than their parents even before they reach their teenage years.”

     "I bet," Laura mutters under her breath.

     "What was that, young lady?" Heather asks, hearing her daughter but not quite making out the comment she had just made.

     "Nothing, Ma'am," Laura answers quickly.

     "There is one thing I have been curious about," Ashley says. She looks down at Sir Gabriel for a moment before turning her attention back to his family. "I know that you did adopt Gabriel into your family, he has told me about how he lost his birth parents at such a young age. I am just wondering why he isn't using your last name though."

     "Simple," Sir Olric starts to answer. "I remember when did want to take on the family name Darrold, but I thought it would be better if he kept his family's last name."

     "Why is that?"

     Gabriel looks up at Ashley, answering the question that was meant for Sir Olric. "It's because it is a good way to remember my actual birth parents."

     "Well, I think it is nice that you kept your actual last name."

     "Speaking of families," Gabriel begins as he starts to realize something. "You have met mine, but I realized I know nothing about yours."

     "What is there to tell? I am an only child to my mother and father. There really isn't much more to tell."

    "So who are your parents?" Sir Olric asks. "I have done my fair share of traveling throughout Albion, perhaps I have met them already."

    "My parents' names?" Ashley asks. There is a hint of nervousness as she says this. She pauses for a moment  as if to remember what their names are, but her eyes are darting back and forth like she is nervous to say. "Adam and Emma Evans."

     "Evans..." Sir Olric is mulling over the family name in his head. "Don't think I have ever met a family with that surname before."

     "Well, that's because..." Ashley pauses for a moment, trying to think of a reason why Sir Olric has never met her parents.

     "Sir Olric," Sir Gabriel says, interrupting Ashley's thought process. "You probably have met them at least once in your travels. Surely you can't remember every single person that you have met before."

     "You're probably right," Sir Olric agrees. "Can't remember everyone I have met, just the most interesting ones I suppose. Like that one fellow who is making payments on a tattoo he recieved.”

     Ashley lets out a sigh of relief, feeling grateful that Sir Gabriel had spoken up when he did, saving her from needing to come up with an explanation.

     "Gabriel, I have a question for you and Ashley," Laura says, breaking her silence towards the couple. "So, do you enjoy being treated like a kid?"

     "What?!" Sir Gabriel responds, his face turning a bit red from the nature of the question. "It's just that... I mean she..." He stutters and stammers, trying to think of a good way to word his answer. He stops when he feels Ashley push him closer to her. Instead of fighting this, he leans in closer to her, finding a comfort in this.

      "Laura," Ashley begins, looking down at the knight's older sibling. "This is just how I show my affection towards your brother. Under normal circumstances I would be Athe one leaning into him with his arms wrapped around me, but that is just not possible for someone like me. So instead, I am the one who is holding him. He enjoys the affection I show him and that is what matters."

     "Honestly Laura, when are you going to stop treating your brother like this?" Heather sounds like she is lecturing her daughter, tired of the young woman's behaviour. "If I had known that you would still be treating your brother like this, I never would have agreed to letting you pick on him freely during the whole Poking the Bear training that he went through."

     "Wait, Poking the Bear?" Ashley can just picture Sir Gabriel sneaking up on a bear that is asleep, only to poke it with a really long stick. "Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

     Sir Olric chuckles a bit, having a good idea of what must be going through Ashley's mind. "No, no. It's not like that. You see, Poking the Bear is just name of a training regimen, if you will, that Sir Gabriel here went through. It was to help keep his temper under control."

     "Temper?" Ashley asks. She just can't picture Sir Gabriel having a temper. The time that she has been with him she has known him to be honorable and just. Not to mention very sweet from how he has been acting towards her.

     "Aye, he does. Though it only shows whenever he witnesses a woman being disrespected."

     "Wait..." Ashley remembers seeing the state of that one husband back in Oakvale, the one who threw his wife out of his home and into the road. "I have seen it before. Back in town when a man had thrown his wife out of his house. I personally didn't like how Gabriel handled it."

     "What did you do to him, boy?" Sir Olric asks.

     "Well, I broke his nose, then told him what I would do if he ever mistreated his wife again..." It is clear that Sir Gabriel does regret his actions, feeling that he did not need to go as far as he did. "It took everything in me not to go any farther than that."

     "He is still alive, so that is all that matters. As long as you don't draw your blade or deliver any serious wounds while in such a state of mind."

     "So how did this Poking the Bear training work, exactly?" Ashley is quite curious about what Sir Gabriel had gone through. "And why did Laura have to go through it too?"

     "First of all, Laura didn't go through the training," Sir Olric corrects, "She was just a part of it, big difference. You see, it was her job to annoy Sir Gabriel here in an effort to get a rise out of him. All Sir Gabriel had to do was not react to her no matter what she did. This lasted for about six monthes before he finally got his temper under control."

     Laura starts to laugh a bit now. "Remember when I tied that horse to his bed, then made it take off so that the headboard broke off? The look on his face when he woke up as his bed was collapsing underneath him."

     "Yes," Heather responds, giving her daughter a look of disapproval. "Not only did we have to buy Gabriel a new bed, but we also had to search for the neighbor's horse because you decided to 'borrow' it in the middle of the night."

     "And that wasn't the even the worst thing she did to me," Sir Gabriel adds in. He shudders a bit, remembering how a bucket landed on him the moment he opened his bedroom door, the foul contents it contained spilling all over him and leaving him soaked.

     "Well," Heather says, desperately wanting to change the subject, "I know it is a bit early, but I think that I need to start thinking about dinner. Gabriel, I already know that I will be making you." She then turns her attention over to Ashley, "I just wish I knew what to prepare for you, Dearie. I will admit that feeding you may be a bit of a challenge, but it is one that I will more than welcome."

      "You don't have to go through so much trouble for me," Ashley responds. "I can always head back into town and buy some apples for myself. I won't mind."

     "Nonsense," Heather argues. "You do need a proper meal. I just need to think of what I can prepare you." She thinks for a moment, going over inside her head what ingredients she has to work with. It isn't just what she has on hand that has to consider, but how much of what she has on hand as well. She knows that Ashley must be able to eat a decent amount of food, given her large stature. "I got it! Are you fine with a nice stew?"

     "That sounds delicious." She isn't lying, the lunch that Sir Olric was barely suffient enough for her, even though it was enough to feel a large family several times over, so the idea of any home cooked meal sounds very appealing to her.

      "Though I guess I need to go into town and get a considerable amount of beef from the butcher," Heather says to herself.

     "Why not Bessie?" Sir Olric suggests. "She is no longer giving milk, so I don't see why not. Unless the young maiden has any objections about fresh meat."

     "I don't mind," Ashley answers.

     "Very well," Heather says, even though she doesn't sound too keen about the idea. It isn't that she doesn't want to use the cow fow for meat, more so all the effort that is required for it. "Just get Gabriel to help you."

     "Nonsense," Sir Olric says, starting to smile. "I can do it myself. After all, the cow is the only animal on this earth that one can hunt with a hammer." Sir Olric laughs at his own bad joke while his wife merely just shakes her head. Both Sir Gabriel and Laura roll their eyes while letting out a low groan, having heard this joke too many times for their liking.

     Ashley is the only one laughing, finding the joke to be quite humorous. Everyone is looking at her, a bit surprised that someone has actually found the old knight's joke to be funny for once. After a moment of her laughter, she cuts herself short the moment she starts to snort. The maiden's face turns red as she covers her mouth with her hand, knowing that what she did is not considered to be very ladylike at all. "Sorry about that," she apologizes, lowering her hand so that she can have both of her arms around Sir Gabriel.

     Laura starts to laugh at what Ashley has just done. "Man, you really picked a winner here. She walks around barefoot and she snorts? She's not very ladylike, is she?"

     Sir Gabriel looks up at Ashley, seeing how ashamed she looks from just that one little action. "It's okay," he tells her, hoping to comfort her. "To be honest, I find it cute when you laugh like that."

     "You really find it cute?" Ashley asks, sounding a bit confused. "But it isn't very ladylike."

     "You don't need to worry about that. I find it cute, that is all that should matter. So I really hope that I can hear you laugh like that more often."

     Ashley can't help but smile. She never did care for the way she laughed just because of how she starts to snort when she does so. Yet, Sir Gabriel has just told her that he finds it cute. She looks down at her knight, appeciating him a bit more. "If you give me plenty of reasons to, I will be sure to laugh as often as you want then."

    "Hey Papa," Laura calls out just as her father is walking away. "Did they ever catch that Ghost Bandit?"

     "Wait, Ghost Bandit?" Sir Gabriel is a bit curious about this bandit, knowing that it is just a name as opposed to a literal ghost. "What is this about a bandit?"

     "Aye," Sir Olric answers. "He's been a bit a nuisance over the past several months. He robs nobles who are coming along the road and then runs off with whatever he can steal from them."

     "If his jobs have been that simple, why hasn't anyone caught him yet?"

    "Plenty have tried and failed. After he robs some poor noble, he makes a run straight for the old forest. Once he starts to run through the trees he seems to disapper like a ghost, hence his name."

     Sir Gabriel thinks for a moment. The woods that are nearby can be very tricky to navigate. It isn't too uncommon for someone to enter those woods and find themselves getting lost very easily, or even getting completely turned around and exiting the very way that they went in at. But if this Ghost Bandit is constantly running into those woods, it can only mean that they not only know the area thoroughly, but that he must be hiding out in there after he successfully robs someone.

     "I think I may have a good chance of bringing this Ghost Bandit in," Sir Gabriel says confidently.

     "Got your eye on that reward that is being offered, don't you?"

     The mention of a reward does catch Sir Gabriel's interest. He is not a greedy man, but he is aware that he can't go around performing jobs for free. Besides, he has Ashley to think about and support now. He can only imagine just how costly her needs could be. "How much are they offering to reward the person that brings him in?"

     "The nobles are in a real uproar about it, so they have all pooled their coin together in order to offer twenty thousand gold for his capture."

     "Twenty thousand?" Sir Gabriel will admit that the reward will be nice, especially a sum that is that large. He could really use to money to help pay for Ashley's needs as they are traveling. Plus, it would be nice to be able to afford some of her wants.

     "You think you can do it?" Laura asks. "What makes you think that you can catch the Ghost Bandit? I've heard that everyone who has tried to bring him in has had no success whatsoever."

      "That may be true," Sir Gabriel responds still sounding quite confident, "but I intend to catch him by finding where he has been hiding out at."

     "A sound idea boy," Sir Olric agrees. "But the problem is that no one has been able to locate him in those blasted woods."

     Sir Gabriel looks up at Ashley smiling at her. "I think I may have some help that no one else has. That is, if you want to help me, Ashley."

     Ashley looks down at Sur Gabriel, not entirely sure how she will be able to help him locate this Ghost Bandit. She can only imagine that he believes her great size could help him out some how, even though she can't see it herself. She smiles at him, tightening her embrace on the knight just enough to give him a hug. “Why if course I will help you.”