The place was a mess, its normal status, and Michael had been given all of an hour to make it look livable. Sadly all that meant was his dirty clothes were correctly located near his hamper. He had tried to explain this to Ashley as they walked up the stairs to his loft apartment. "Really the whole thing is location. I work in the archives department as you know and its warehouse is only a few blocks from here. Since the professor and the university joint own the property they said they would like someone to live close by. I volunteered since my other job has me in this part of the city at night. Easier commute." When Michael opened the door his dog Boon was already running to the front door and wagging his nub of a tail. 

"Shoot I forgot to tell you about Boon!" Michael said quickly. "This is Boon. I've had him for a for awhile now. He was abandoned around here awhile ago and I sort of backdoor cared for him till I had the money to house him permanently. He isn't much of a guard dog though. More a host dog really. The way he defends the home front is with a barrage of licks. You aren't allergic are you?" Michael stood up after petting Boon and then looked back at Ashley He saw a visible uncomfortable woman standing where Ashley used to be. "It's nice to come home to a friend." He said with some amount of sympathy. "You will get to like him I promise." He then walked deeper into the apartment. "The empty walls are a work in progress. Professor said I could do whatever I want with the place so I have been working towards making rooms. Nothing fancy. Just wouldn't mind seeing the toilet from the kitchen." 

The two reached the kitchen which was stocked, but minimally so. The fridge was full sized and when he opened it Michael beamed with pride at the fact that it was a fridge stocked by someone who knows how to cook. "I'll have to go to the store to get a few things now that I have a guest, but other than that you should look forward to a full cooked meal." The rest of the tour took a few minutes as Michael cleaned while he talked and walked. By the time it was over there was a few tarps up around the bathroom and bedrooms so that a little bit of privacy was allowed. Still Michael made a mental note to put a few extra hours into working on the place over the next few days. "I guess we should get you settled..." He said cheerfully. 

After a few more hours of cleaning and a walk with Boon later Michael settled down and started to get some school work done. He became focused and really started to get things done until his stomach started to growl. He glanced around the floor and didn't see Ashley until he called out to her about making dinner. A nearly silent grunt seemed to be all he got. He took this as an agreement. He cooked for a few and ended up with a well rounded lemon chicken meal for the two of them. They ate while Michael started to grade papers. Ever so often he would toss a bit of food to Boon who would inhale the piece entirely. He looked at the clock and saw that it was time for most of the world to get to bed. Thankfully he wasn't one of them.

The minutes continued on their march to the past until the weight of the time started to play with the light outside. From experience Michael could always tell when it went from late to really late and it had to do with the different type of darkness that settled in. He stole a glance over towards Ashley and began to think about the situation as a whole again. Now that he wasn't in a hospital or traveling he found the whole thing entirely weird, strange, and above all bizarre. For the first time the conversation seemed to start with her saying something. 

"You seem more awake at night." She said slightly out of the blue.

Michael looked up from his chair where he had been learning back with his feet against the desk. A stack of papers that had been graded was now finally taller than the ungraded stack. Looking back he saw her moving about and still definitely aware. Looked at her again before finally replying. "You, too." He then leaned forward in his chair and had all four legs on the ground. His own two supporting his weight as he stood up. "You a night owl as well?"