Gwen returned home first that evening wearing an off-white skirt suit and carrying a reporter bag that looked heavy enough to contain half the newsroom. The exhaustion on her face made it obvious that being the newest employee meant getting handed whatever assignments no one else wanted. She barely had time to set her things down before Heather came through the door in a light-blue blouse and khaki trench coat, moving with so much energy that Gwen immediately knew something had gone well.
Heather dropped her folder onto the table and announced the news before anyone could ask. "I got it. The firm called me back before I even made it home. I start as an intern next week."
Ash had already prepared the ingredients for dinner, so Gwen changed out of her work jacket, tied on an apron, and took over the kitchen. Heather spent most of the meal describing the interview, the attorneys she met, and the kind of work she might be given once she started. She was still smiling when Ash finally put down his fork and decided it was time to reveal his own news.
"Someone came by while you two were gone," he said. "I got offered a job."
Gwen and Heather both stopped eating.
Gwen frowned first. "A job? You're about to start college. You don't need to rush into some part-time position."
Heather pointed at him with her fork. "That is completely unfair. I've been running around New York doing interviews for days, and you sit at home cleaning dishes while jobs literally knock on the door?"
Ash ignored the accusation. "It's a federal agency called the Abnormal Incident Investigation Bureau. They investigate supernatural incidents. Raymond Cross, the New York Branch Director, came here personally and recruited me."
Neither woman reacted with disbelief. After everything they had seen during the road trip, a federal agency created to deal with the supernatural sounded strange but entirely plausible. Heather's excitement disappeared first, replaced by concern. "How dangerous is the job? And are we talking about the kind of government work where you disappear for three months and nobody is allowed to tell us where you went?"
Gwen immediately followed with more practical questions. "What exactly would you be doing? What authority do they have? What happens if you get hurt? Salary, insurance, benefits, everything."
Ash explained the offer as Raymond had presented it. He went over the federal employment status, special-duty allowance, hazardous-mission pay, medical coverage, pension, legal protection, and the other benefits attached to an operational position. By the time he reached the signing bonus, Heather's eyebrows had risen, while Gwen looked less impressed by the money than by the existence of formal procedures and government support.
"The onboarding course starts tomorrow," Ash continued. "It lasts one week and covers credentials, police coordination, reports, regulations, and all the bureaucratic stuff I don't know. It ends right before school starts, so the timing actually works out."
Gwen set down her glass. "You already signed?"
"Yes."
Heather stared at him. "Of course you did."
Ash smiled. "They offered good benefits."
"That wasn't praise."
Gwen remained quiet for a few moments before sighing. She clearly disliked the idea of Ash deliberately putting himself near supernatural threats, but she also understood that he had already been doing exactly that without any official support. "I still don't like how dangerous it sounds, but working with an organization that has investigators, information, and backup is better than you wandering around New York chasing internet ghost stories by yourself."
"That's how I see it," Ash replied. "We already know these things exist. Pretending otherwise won't make them disappear. At least now I'll have actual intelligence instead of spending three nights watching cats dig through garbage."
Heather nodded firmly. "Fine. I support it too, but you'd better take care of yourself. If something happens to you, Gwen will be stuck relying on me for protection."
Ash slowly looked toward her.
Heather immediately noticed the change in his expression.
"What?"
Ash raised an eyebrow. Heather's injuries had finally healed, and the challenging tone she had just used gave him an idea. "Nothing. I'm just wondering how qualified you really are to protect Gwen."
Heather narrowed her eyes.
Ash leaned back with exaggerated seriousness. "We may need to conduct some training."
An uneasy suspicion appeared on Heather's face. "What kind of training?"
"Emergency response. Staying calm under pressure. Defensive positioning. Using nearby terrain effectively."
Heather stared at him.
"And where exactly would this training happen?"
Ash pretended to consider the question carefully. "Your room would probably work. More floor space."
Heather planted both hands on her hips. "That is the worst excuse you've ever invented. You're obviously trying to lure me into bed."
Ash thought about it and nodded. "Fair. That one needed work."
Gwen, who had started clearing dishes, shook her head and carried the plates toward the kitchen.
Ash waited until Heather looked satisfied with herself before changing tactics. "Alright, you caught me. I lied."
"I knew it."
"The truth is there's a husky in my room that can do backflips."
Heather blinked.
Ash tapped her lightly on the forehead three times and walked away with his hands behind his back as though he had just delivered some profound secret. "You understand now?"
Heather stared after him. "Not even slightly."
Ash sighed dramatically. "Fine. Come to my room later and I'll show you the backflipping husky."
Heather's eyes lit with amusement.
"Okay."
From the kitchen, Gwen closed her eyes.
Apparently Heather had not been fooled at all. She simply wanted an excuse to play along.
The rest of dinner passed in a warm mixture of teasing, job talk, and questions about Ash's training. Gwen eventually finished cleaning the kitchen, Heather disappeared into her room, and the apartment gradually became quiet as midnight approached.
Much later, Gwen woke briefly and heard a door open.
Curiosity got the better of her.
She quietly opened her own door a few inches and saw Heather moving down the hallway toward Ash's room. Her dark hair was still damp from a shower, and she had changed into a simple dark-blue swimsuit clearly chosen more for teasing than swimming.
Heather glanced once toward Gwen's closed door before slipping into Ash's room.
The door shut behind her.
Gwen stared at it for several seconds.
"So much for the husky."
She returned to bed and decided whatever happened next was none of her business.
The apartment remained quiet for the rest of the night.
By morning, Heather did not appear for breakfast.
Gwen glanced toward her closed bedroom door, then looked at Ash when he entered the kitchen looking unusually energetic for someone who had supposedly gone to sleep late. She slid a cup of coffee toward him and smiled knowingly.
"Morning. I assume last night's special training was productive."
Ash accepted the coffee without the slightest embarrassment. "Very demanding course. A lot of endurance work."
Gwen gave him a flat look.
"And the husky?"
Ash took a sip.
"Outstanding performance."
Gwen rolled her eyes.
Heather remained asleep, apparently deciding that her first lesson had required significantly more recovery time than the instructor.