{It's alright, Scotty.}

Avery woke up and peeked out of the bedroom door.

((I guess we're waiting for Metamorphosis then...))

{I guess.}

"Hello, I was wondering, if possible I could stay the night?" Jon asked with a hopeful expression on his face.

Naomi blinked and bit her lip. She didn't like having to turn away people who really seemed to be in need, but at the same time she really didn't know this kid. "Um, normally I wouldn't mind but..." she paused and her head tilted to the side slightly as if she were listening to something, then she smiled a little and opened the door wider. "Come on in. You can put your things in the front room here."

Avery poked his head out from the bedroom, watching Jon with wide eyes.

"Thank you! Phew, I thought you'd turn me down; most people don't like a dirty stranger in their house."

He took off his shoes and went inside.

Naomi just smiled and closed the door behind Jon. "I have a feeling that you're not too terrible." she touched the leaf of a plant which had poked itself through a tiny crack in the window frame. "I'm Naomi, by the way. And the little boy hiding in the bedroom is Avery."

Jon smiled.

"Well, I wouldn't say im not terrible, but..." He laughed and smiled warmly. "I'm Jon."

He walked in and took in everything about the place; the smells, the look, the furniture. "It's very nice."

Avery gave Jon a little wave, then disappeared back into the room to sleep some more.

"It's nice to meet you, Jon." Naomi picked up the carrots she'd been cleaning. "I was just starting to work on some dinner, are you hungry?"

"I suppose so. Do you need some help with that?" Jon offered. He learned to cook from his grandmother when he was a child, and was quite good at it.

"If you'd like to, that would be wonderful." Naomi told him, "Just wash your hands in that bucket over there and I can show you what I'd like you to do."

Jon did what she asked. "So, what do you need? Cut up vegetables, or season, or...?"

"Do you know how to knead bread?" Naomi asked, glancing at him as she carefully, almost gently, sliced the carrots.

"Actually, yes." Jon set about kneading the bread in silence.

Naomi smiled slightly and continued with cleaning other vegatables. "So, why couldn't you have just found an inn, Jon?" she asked quietly, "Why come here?"

Jon smiled. "Well, there are a handful of reasons. One, The food at these inns is very bad. Two, many of them are far away, and third; for some very strange reason, I always have bad luck in inns. Some kind of *accident* happens everytime. My room burns down, something breaks, and I end up paying for it. Well, what can I say. I'd rather sleep in the woods than in an inn" He smiled and continued to work with the dough.

Avery made his way out of the room and into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

Naomi nodded. "I can understand that." she looked over at Avery, smiling, "Hey there, sweetie, this is Jon, he's going to be staying here overnight."

Avery smiled at Jon. "Hi Jon."

Jon looked at the child with a grin.

"Hello there, nice to meet you."

"Are you hungry for some dinner, Avery?" Naomi asked, dumping the sliced carrots into a pot.

"I'm Avery," Avery told Jon. He nodded to Naomi, but kept watching Jon.

Jon didnt know how to continue. He just kept kneading his bread in silence.

"Here, Jon." Naomi put a bread pan in front of him. "You can put the dough in here and then put it in the oven over there in the corner." she looked at Avery. "Is Ivy still sleeping?"

Avery nodded again.

Jon nodded, then asked "Ivy?".

"My daughter," Naomi smiled and handed Avery a cup of water. "Here, can you set the table, sweetie?"

Avery smiled at Naomi. "Yeah," he told her, going off to set the table.

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