Despite the improper nature of many of Ash's comments, Miles' father didn't seem to mind the boy's presumptuous mouth. On the contrary, Mr. Hawkins appeared to enjoy the way Ash suggested and teased; it was unusual for Ash to see that from one of his friends' parents. Typically, adults would either scold him for being out of line, or they would stifle their laughter and frown, as if their amusement had been a mistake that needed remedying. They would still chastise, though halfheartedly, and Ash found this attitude to be even more disappointing than the one coming from stuffy, uptight adults who wished to dictate their children's every thought and word. At least the former, if exceptionally dull, was honest. The latter was merely a boring display of moral conformism, something Ash had absolutely no desire to partake in. Miles' father still snickered at his comments and stopped himself in the middle of his chuckling, but he did not tell Ash off for making the provocative statements, and for that Ash was charmed.<br/><br/>The older man's response about where he had received the Minotaur statue was frustratingly vague and violently piqued his interest, but he was there for Miles, not for stories about Greece, little people, and . . . chicken mutilation? A tale for another visit, and Ash made a mental note to inquire at a later date about what precisely went on that night. He had a feeling he'd be making a number of visits back to the Hawkins residence. To visit Miles, of course.<br/><br/>"Oh, I think you're being a little too harsh on the boy," Ash laughed, surprised by the man's flippant words. He was taken aback by Casper's seemingly negative attitude toward his son, but his sentiments didn't come off as cruel or hateful. Frustrated was more likely. Overall, Ash found his friend Miles to be a rather happy person, if a little dim or cantankerous at times. He doubted the boy would be able to maintain his rather carefree demeanor if things were overly tense at home. Ash wondered if maybe whatever had caused Miles' injuries were the source for Casper's irritation, but he didn't feel the need to pry about all that. Any information he craved he was sure he'd be able to get from Miles, and thought Mr. Hawkins seemed to be enjoying their small interactions now, Ash had no reason to believe he'd be tolerate of nosiness. He did, however, feel the need to state one more quick opinion before following Casper into his son's bedroom.<br/><br/>"Miles looks like you, perhaps a less refined version. Give him a few years to grow up and get some hair on his chest, and maybe he'll develop into a handsome, desirable man, not unlike yourself." Ash grinned somewhat sheepish, an unusual look for him, as he had unintentionally made his last comment perhaps more flirtatious than originally intended. It was supposed to simply be complimentary, but it was impossible to know how others would take things. Ash shrugged it off. It wasn't as if he was lying; Casper<i>was </i>a good looking man, more so than one would have expected after taking a quick glance in Miles' direction.<br/><br/>Ash got a swift look at Miles' various injuries as the young man roused himself from his sleep, his eyebrow raising curiously, though his jaw was closed tight. Miles looked as if he had been run over by a truck, or gotten into a pretty bad fight with a couple of vicious blokes who weren't too fond of Miles' face. Bruises and small cuts were all over the boy's skin, but his head was wrapped, and his arm in a sling, and perhaps there were even more injuries hiding underneath his blankets.<i>What the bloody hell happened to you? </i>he thought, exhaling slowly when Miles addressed him, a smile on his broken face.<br/><br/>"Whoa, slow down there, you idiot," Ash laughed, coming to the side of Miles' bed and kneeling down, letting his heavy book bag drop to the floor with a thud. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but you look fucking horrendous. I mean beyond terrible. Without a doubt, the worst I have ever seen you. Here I was, thinking you couldn't get any uglier, and man did you prove me wrong. Oy, that's a first, innit?"<br/><br/>Though Ash was shocked by his friend's injuries, he held his composure well. He had never been one to easily reveal his inner emotions, unless they centered around contempt or irritation, and he didn't want Miles to know how much concern he instantly felt for the boy's physical state. It probably wouldn't make Miles feel good, and it wouldn't make Ash feel good to dwell on it. But Miles seemed like he was in a good mood despite the pain he must have been in, so Ash figured it was best to get right down to business and squash all the stupid rumors that had sprouted from their classmates' vapid mouths.<br/><br/>"Damn, mate, what happened to you? There are people at school saying you're dead or have some flesh eating disease and the like. Obviously that isn't true, but holy hell. I didn't expect you to look like you got yourself into fisticuffs with a bull elephant. Hafta admit, I was a tad bit worried about you."