Ashleigh hadn't even realised she'd forgotten to respond to Higgs comment. If she'd been entirely herself, she'd probably have teased him about minding his manners, or pointed out that the lighter she was the easier she was to lift. Nonetheless, it was certainly true that she was more interested in talking about him. 'Okay, I think' was better than Higgs not doing okay - though Ashleigh wasn't convinced he'd tell her if that was the case. "Oh." She was slightly surprised that he'd been at his parents', especially if they weren't there. She wondered what had urged him to get away from the new home he shared with Marcus, but she didn't ask. She didn't need to know.
Instead, she focused on his comment about the sea, nodding seriously. "I think 'sea air' was helpful because it got people away from all the smoke of the old factories," she said. Obviously, that hadn't been as much of a problem for wizards, and was unlikely to be a reason Higgs needed to leave the house he shared with Marcus, but Ashleigh was still in favour of the idea. "Places of natural beauty are very relaxing," she said. "And exercise has lots of benefits. You could walk on the beach. Does your nan have a dog?" She couldn't imagine anyone related to Higgs not having a dog. She did make a face when he mentioned tea, but as far as she knew Higgs wasn't suffering from anything chemical, so the caffeine wasn't something he needed to avoid.
She guided Higgs into the cafe, which was as quiet as she had hoped, and then chose a table before pulling out all her various pots of food and bits of cutlery. "There's a counter round the corner if you want to buy tea," she informed him. "Or if you don't like salmon. I've got water, as well as coffee, and chocolate granola bars for after."