Small villages were usually the best places to lay low in since there were some that had been less developed and were more cut off from the outside world.
They received far less information about the outside world so there were less chances for them to know about anything that may have happened in other locations unless it was so big that it was broadcasted across the whole area and reached their local news stations or television channels.
A lot of people could move to more secluded locations in order to start a new life and to evade those that were looking for them.
Ash had done just that and had chosen to do what many others would but it was a temporary stop for her.
It was a location of low importance to her after she had achieved her main goal but it provided a place where she had to worry less about anyone that could of been pursuing her.
Such small villages and communities were usually more open with each other.
They knew everyone else in the village, had some kind of relationship with each person and just about everyone knew way too much about each other.
There were few secrets between them and there were few that lived there that were not a part of their small group.
If someone fell out with them or was not accepted into the community then they would be gossiped about and excluded.
If they had any strange behaviours or were more reclusive then the community would begin to reject them even more.
Ash had tried to contribute a little in her own way by letting others use her training equipment that were outside so that they could find that she was not a bad person and was not going to cause any friction within the village.
She may not have been highly sociable or had tried to integrate with the community but she was not rude in any way so there was no large reason for others to have anything against her.
Unfortunately it was not enough to stop people from gossiping and forming their own views on her behind her back.
Rumours had spread out which had formed from information being shared about her paying in cash for the rent and what her age.
Some had been overly exaggerated while others may have been quite accurate.
It was enough to let some people believe it and to start to look at her more unfavourably.
A lone girl who looked like they had yet to finish their final year of school or had yet to enter college and work had enough money had arrived at their village.
She did not speak often and there were no visitors that came to see her so it was unknown if she had any relatives or friends.
Ash had been renting one place where she had been living but the source of the money was left for the villagers to make guesses about her.
Some believed that it was from some kind of criminal activity like Ash had done something bad in order to earn it or she had stolen it.
Others guessed that she was a child of a rich family that had been sent away to recuperate, to experience a simpler life or was being punished in some way.
Few had guessed that the money could have been obtained due to her relatives passing away or there being some kind of accident that had resulted in her being paid enough to be able to afford the rent and support herself.
It earned her some pity, curiosity and vigilance from all kinds of people in the village but it was often done behind her back so she was not aware of it.
She was not sociable enough or had been outside enough to be exposed to such things and it was left to develop that way as time passed.
Ash did not pay too much attention to how many were playing near her home and using her training equipment so she did not notice that there had been a steady decrease in those using them.
If the parents did not like the idea of their children going near her home due to their rumours and suspicions then they would not allow them to go there again even if nothing had happened.
Their children would be denied of something fun and would either come to accept it or would go against their parents wishes.
The private lives of the villagers would affect those around them and it was inevitable that they would one day be drawn to Ash who was the source of their discontent.
Many were gathered outside of the home and two people among them had been behaving more emotionally than the others.
One was a man that had a rough beard and was physically fit, he raised his arm and hit the door several times like he wanted to knock the door off the hinges.
The other was a woman that had dropped to her knees and was crying with a face full of worry and fear.
The villagers were busy comforting the woman while some had ran forward to grab the man to pull him back before he did any real damage to himself or the door.
There was a little blood on his fists due to him not being careful and he kept struggling to reach the door. "Let me go. Let me go!"
"Come out!"
"Show yourself!"
"I know it is you!"
The woman was being helped up by others but had weakly stumbled into their supportive arms. "Where is he.. where.."
One was gaining the sympathy of the crowd while the other required more physical assistance in order to prevent further harm or damages to them both.
There was something going on and the village needed to act in a way that would solve the problem.
The approach of the man would only hinder their progress and efforts even if he did not realise it at the time so they needed to get him out of the way in order to take the necessary steps.
The door opened and Ash stepped outside with a cap lowered over the top of her head. "What is it?"
The person that had more contact with Ash had taken a step forward and coughed. "I need a little of your time. Something has happened and you will be needed to help us out to clear some things up."
The person in front of her was the one who had provided Ash with a place to live and had been the one to let some information leak which had evolved into the present situation.