Upon hearing her own name, Ash immediately pulled out her dagger and took a defensive stance. It was mostly out of instinct and shock, entirely based on the fact that this man that she had never met before in her whole life somehow knew exactly who she was. He was free to go on all day about how he was here to help her, but she didn't recall sending for any help. Her father knew what she was up to despite her sneaking out of Durgan. Could she really be blamed for using the more expeditious way of leaving the fortress? Even if there was some reason in which he would send someone to find her, he would have used one of his own men, and Ash knew them all. Besides, based on everything she had witnessed so far, as well as the vibes that the man was presently putting off, what guarantee was there that anyone in the fortress was still alive? She expelled such thoughts as soon as they appeared in her head. If an air of negative thoughts were to consume her, then there was truly no way she would survive whatever was lurking within the fortress.

Ash hadn't relaxed her body quite yet. She obviously had a considerable amount of combative training for someone of her age. It had been one of the few things in her life that she had truly been serious about, much more than the usual things that were often relegated to ladies of her standing. A constant annoyance to her father to be sure, but it was just another facet of her character that he was forced to become accustomed to. That was partially why she was certain that she'd be able to get at least one strike in if the man attacked her, possibly fatal. Beyond that, she'd be a fool to speculate, especially given how chaotic combat could be. It was to be avoided at almost all costs, to be sure. If the deal was to come with the man willingly and ignore whatever was happening at Durgan, then it was fairly clear what Ash's answer to that question would be. She'd be more than willing to fight to avoid that outcome, and she wagered that was an outcome neither party necessarily wanted.

Her eyes narrowed. The only smart way for her to proceed was to hear the man out. That was akin to torture for her, considering that she was never really known for her patience. Hopefully that wouldn't require a silvertongue of her own either. She was blunt to a fault and more than likely to insult the man and his ancestors than rely on her charisma to convince him to do much of anything. If it was true that he had come all this way just for her, then it appeared that she had at least that in her favor to play against him. Moreover, it wouldn't surprise her at all if he was pitying her. Of course, that made her blood boil, but that could also be harnessed as an advantage. She'd have to let the man speak to place things in a clearer focus, and then she would have the liberty to take things in whatever direction seemed the most sensible. She let out a sigh and allowed her body to relax, placing her dagger back into its sheathe. Her eyes and gaze didn't change at all, still as dangerous and piercing as before. Ash would have to gamble and see how things would go.

"Speak and I will listen." Not like she had much of a choice. It had crossed her mind to just make a run for it and lose him in the tunnels. She probably could pull it off; there was almost no one else alive that knew the fortress as well as her. Still, she had come to the conclusion that she really didn't want him chasing after her when she had no idea of what to expect within the fortress itself. "Just try to give me the abridged version."