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It's perfect, when she finds it - this hut snugly nestled in among the others, seemingly unoccupied for a fairly long period of time.

But Annie isn't going to just move in without doing the official stuff first, verifying its availability with the appropriate people before deciding to claim it as her own. Even if she doesn't get a roommate out of the bargain, she falls in love with the place almost instantly. The back windows (and the bedrooms, more importantly) face the large waterfall, creating this constant soft rushing sound that's neither too loud nor too distracting - just enough to add a sense of white noise and a steady cool breeze that filters in when the windows are open. The whole place needs a little work, but she's not going to write it off just because there's some elbow grease required. She knows a thing or two about DIY projects, and sprucing up the hut will give her something to do within these next few weeks.

It seems only fair that she should make Auggie her first houseguest, technically speaking - she hasn't quite moved all of her things over from the Compound yet, but then again, she doesn't have very many possessions to begin with. But this is as nice of a housewarming party as she's ever likely to have, and she can't think of anyone she'd rather introduce the new place to, so she's the one leading the way down the path towards the waterfall, her arm casually linked in his as she directs him up the first few steps onto the porch.

"I would've totally grabbed a bottle of champagne if there were any," she openly laments, reaching in front of him to open the door, letting him walk in ahead of her. "We can just pretend." She braces her hands on her hips, glancing around. "It still smells a little musty in here, but I opened all of the windows, so that should help."

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Auggie had known she'd be moving out of her cramped little room in the Compound eventually. It hadn't been brought up since the first day she mentioned it to him, and he knew if it took her this long to find the place, it had to be something special.

He's quiet most of the walk over, more paying attention to his surroundings than anything else to get an idea of where they're going. The quiet roar of the waterfalls in the distance gives him all the information he needs. Considering her love of the waterfall, he's not surprised at the location.

"Should've given me more of a heads up you picked something out. I would have brought a hut warming gift," he says, smiling, as he lets himself be led up into the hut. Though she's right about it being a little musty, it isn't as bad as he was expecting when the term abandoned hut was brought up. He steps away from her once the they're inside, scanning the room slowly with his cane, the green light lighting up the immediate area. It's bigger than he expects, too, if the distance from the sparse amount of objects to him is any indication. "We're by the waterfall, right?"

"I wouldn't have been able to put it down anywhere," Annie admits, still looking around the room with a quickly wrinkling nose at the amount of dust that's collected between the departure of the hut's last residents and now. She only hopes Auggie doesn't decide to sit or lean anywhere, though she knows he's been getting around a little easier with the help of his cane since it showed up a few weeks ago.

"Okay, disclaimer? There's dust everywhere, and I'm pretty sure the walls need a little work," she adds, walking over to one in question and rapping on the wood. "Some of this wood is bad, it's going to need to be replaced. But after that, and a little cleaning, this place is going to be totally livable. It's got everything - kitchen, bathroom, two rooms - although one's slightly bigger than the other, I think there was a married couple living here before. Whatever, anyway, it's perfect," she declares, beaming brightly.

He wanders a bit away from her as she speaks, taking in the area as she explains the layout of the place. He can tell before she even mentions it how dusty the place is. But what he's really thinking about is the size, and it's a pretty big hut - more than enough room for the two of them. And honestly, he'd been considering the offer since she said it, with how small the room he had to deal with now was.

"So I'd get the bigger room, right?" he asks, a slight smirk lifting as he turns toward her direction.

She turns to glance out the open window in the kitchen, the one towards the back of the hut that faces the waterfall, at least through several rows of trees. They're close enough to hear it but far enough away to not be disturbed by it, not too noticeably, and she leans over toward the sill, reaching up to brush a fingertip along the glass and frowning at the dust that comes off. It's definitely going to be a long project in the works.

Auggie speaks behind her and she turns, her expression shifting from confusion to incredulity, a smile brightening up her face. "Wait, seriously? You're calling the married bedroom? And how is that fair, exactly?" she replies, downplaying her elation as she walks over to stand in front of him, glancing up at his face with a challenging smirk.

"Because I'm taller?" Auggie offers, innocently, like it was a completely reasonable reasoning. He can hear the surprise in her voice, and he's even a little surprised himself just how easy it is to take the offer. But honestly, he knows he honestly couldn't ask for a better roommate. "I like a lot of room to breathe. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I just called it first. I haven't had a roommate in a long time, but I remember there being some kind of unwritten rule about that."

"That is not a fair argument. I can't help genetics," Annie replies, reaching out to nudge him in the side with a few fingertips. But she can deal. Both rooms are still pretty spacious, both facing in the direction of the waterfall, and there's probably only a difference of a few square feet between them, given the shared bathroom. "Okay. But you're going to be right next door, so if you start making too much noise I going to use my right as roommate to bang on the wall and tell you to knock it off," she says, smiling wide enough to make her cheeks hurt.

"It's a completely fair argument," Auggie counters, even seeing fit to sound mock-insulted. But she folds and agrees to his request, which is good, because he probably would've given in if she was really insistent about it. He can tell both rooms are bigger than what he's been dealing with the last couple of months, it's hard to be picky. He rolls his eyes a little, good-naturedly, at the suggestion she might actually need to do that. "I can say the same to you. No wild parties, either. Unless I'm invited."

"Please. How do I know it's not going to be you who's spear-heading the wild parties around here?" Annie counters, shaking her head slowly, as if she's already labeled him as the rowdy roommate. She knows he's going to be respectful, though, and while this is definitely a big step they're taking, she hopes it's for the better in the long run. Besides, she can't think of anyone else she'd rather do this with. "Which reminds me, we'll have to have one of those eventually. We've got a great space out back to have a hutwarming or something. Maybe a barbecue? We've got a free, naturally occurring pool to boot."

"I'm a saint," he declares, running a finger along what he guesses is part of the kitchen she's mentioned. He flicks the dust that comes away with the touch. It's about as bad as she'd described it. "Once we clean this place up. I'm going to assume there isn't much to show off right now except the nice view."

Annie can only wince as he manages to sweep up another line of dust from the kitchen counter, moving to intercept and standing between him and the mess, inserting herself into the small space and pressing along his side as she steers him toward the bedrooms so he can check them out for himself. "That's why we're going to make this place feel more like home," she explains, her hand resting lightly on his. "We'll totally class it up."

He gets the hint and lets her lead him again, making a note of where the kitchen is in comparison to the room he's taken into. The layout seems simple enough, which is another plus.

"As long as we agree not to go too overboard," he says, smirking. He'd be happy with just a cleaned up place, honestly. He's pretty sure she means more than that, which he doesn't mind - to an extent.

"And since when have I ever gone overboard?" Annie asks, faking some incredulity on her part as she walks him past the room she'll be taking in favor of his, the larger one on the end. She stops between the two doorways, hovering in front of him in the hallway.

"The bathroom's right here, in between the two - but it's a shared, admittedly, so there's doors in each room leading into it. I apologize in advance for singing in the shower," she adds, chuckling quietly.

"I just want to make sure you remember you're living with a guy," he replies, diplomatically, and leaves it at that. Auggie uses his hand to get an idea of how big a bathroom they're talking - small, he notes, but more than enough for it's purpose. He grins a little as he rejoins her a few moments later. "You only have to apologize if you're really off-key."

"Whatever, you don't count," Annie teases lightly, leaning in the doorway of the room she'll be claiming for herself, her arms loosely crossed.

"And I guess I'll let you be the judge of that. You're more musically inclined, you'll be able to point out where I go flat," she tells him, rising up on tiptoe in excitement. "So? What do you think?"

"All I ask is you at least try to keep your girl influence out of my room," he jokes, making a face for good measure. He has no doubt they'll come to some kind of medium easily enough, so he's not actually worried.

Auggie can't quite hide his smile at how excited she actually sounds, though. After pausing a moment, as though he was thinking about it, he answers, "You picked a good place, Walker. I promise I'll try to not make you regret offering me a room."

"Okay, but I am not tolerating messes," she replies, struggling to keep a straight face of her own as she considers her own clutter. It's a good thing Danielle hadn't seen her room back home for the most part, or she'd have been kicked out from the mess alone - usually after trying to find something clean to wear for work in the morning.

"You better not," she murmurs, her tone more fond than stern, and lightly pokes him in the stomach with her index finger.

"Yeah, see, the one thing you don't need to worry about from someone blind? Messes," he points out with a chuckle, rubbing the spot she'd just poked him like he'd been wounded by it. "I like knowing where my stuff is."

She's struck, suddenly, by how compelled she feels to show some sign of affection towards him, of gratitude - a hug, even, just to be able to express herself more than mere words. But the longer she looks at him, the more it feels like it'd be somewhat awkward timing, and Annie pushes aside the urge with a soft clearing of her throat.

"Good. Then I guess we can move everything over and start in on cleaning," she suggests, taking a few steps backward down the hall and averting her gaze to look at some of the things that might need cleaning or replacing right away.

"How bad are the walls?" he wonders, trying to get an idea of exactly how much work they'd have to put into this. He certainly wasn't going to just let her do all the hard work. "There's builders on the island, right? Might be worth asking their help. Or at least where they get the supplies from."

"What, do you think it might not be something we're cut out for?" she asks, frowning as she takes in the sight of the walls in question.

"I can look into talking to some of the guys on the building crew, though. It might be a good idea to find out what the level of structural damage is - you know, what we're looking at in terms of how big a fixer-upper this place is."

"No, I'm sure we could," he replies, honestly. He knows better than to think otherwise when it's clear her mind is set on working on it themselves. "Though I do think it'd be easier if we could at least swipe some supplies and see if they have any suggestions. As much as I'd love to be able to listen to you try to chop down trees."

"I almost want to ask if you're just worried about me getting hurt, but I think you just want to avoid getting a hammer accidentally swung at you," Annie replies, shaking her head slowly.

"No faith in my abilities whatsoever, Auggie? I see how it is. Fine, fine, we'll get some outside help. And I promise not to tackle any project that's larger than I can handle, okay?"

"I do have a healthy sense of self-preservation, but I promise it mostly comes from making sure you don't get hurt," he replies, rolling his eyes, though he's still smiling. He knows she wouldn't do anything stupid, that isn't why he brought it up. Jokingly, he adds, "I mean, if you get hurt, who is going to be the one that has to help you out until you heal up whatever you ended up breaking? Me."

That he absolutely would help her out in that case - whether it was an injury that was her fault or not - isn't the point here.

"And you don't need to promise. I'll be around helping you, so I'd notice if you were," he points out. And if anything even approaching a lot crops up, he'd probably do it for her. He's blind, sure, but he knows he can manage a good deal of the stuff that probably needs to be done.

"Besides, I can look at it this way," Annie muses out loud, walking back into the middle of the living room and silently bemoaning the lack of seating. She'll have to do something about that, maybe commission someone to make a few chairs in exchange for - well, whatever she can offer that isn't monetary, since none of that matters here. It certainly makes the issue of payment an interesting one.

"The benefit of getting the crew to do it for me is getting to look at a bunch of hot, sweaty guys working all day," she replies, her tone too soft and innocent for the way her mouth dips into a smirk, slight and knowing.

Auggie snorts at that, rolling his eyes. He doesn't buy the innocent tone for a second, not that he thinks she expected he would.

"Wow, Annie. I never pegged you for male objectification," he replies, dryly, sounding mock-disappointed as he turns his head toward her voice. "Well, for your sake, I hope they're all attractive."

She can't even make an attempt to hide the laugh in her voice at this point, the sound that she tries to stifle by covering her mouth with the back of her hand, avoiding getting dust on her face.

"Come on, I'm totally single now," she says, pulling her hand down from her face once she's recovered. "If anything, it is my right - no, my privilege - to openly ogle. Preferably out on the front porch, with a drink in my hand and those big sunglasses I can lower down my nose when I want to get a closer look."

"I didn't say I was judging you," he replies, innocent sounding himself now. "Though giving me a heads up when you plan on using your privilege would be appreciated. Sweaty guys just don't do anything for me."

"What about some sweaty girls?" Annie suggests, swaying back and forth slightly with a quickly broadening grin on her lips.

"I bet we could totally find you some of those."

"I appreciate the offer, but I usually prefer the non-sweaty variety," he replies, lifting a brow. Not that he didn't like a girl who wasn't afraid to get a little dirty sometimes, but the general sentiment remained true. Wandering a bit again, mostly to get an idea of the space he'd be living, he adds, "And I can find plenty of those, especially on this island."

He didn't need to be able to see to know the level of attractiveness this place held.

"Oh, really," Annie murmurs, crossing her arms over her chest as she stops to stand directly in front of him, scrutinizing his expression with narrowing eyes and slightly pursed lips, her own face of thought as she tried to decipher any deeper meaning behind his words.

"So, what's the story? Tell me. Any potentials out there yet?" she asks. Frankly, she'll be surprised if he hasn't hit it off with someone by now.

He stops moving when she stands in front him, the light rumble of his cane giving him fair indication of her presence if he hadn't heard her coming to begin with. He laughs, practically feeling the kind of look she's shooting him.

"There's been one or two," he answers, vaguely, purposely not even trying to sate her curiosity. "I can ask you the same question, especially after that speed dating night."

He knows the thing with Ben is still an issue to her, but it doesn't mean she might not have at least hit it off a little with someone. And despite the teasing tone, he does find himself honestly just a little curious.

"I don't know," Annie admits, slipping into honesty far earlier than she expects to. She'd anticipated at least another playful remark, but she finds herself sighing, shrugging one shoulder and quickly clarifying her initial noncommittal answer.

"I mean, everyone I met was really very nice, on the whole," she adds. "I just - I guess a part of me was waiting for that spark, you know? That moment, the way it happened with Ben, where you just look at someone and - " She glances up, her eyes finding his face, and there's this knot in her stomach that she dutifully goes on to ignore before she can finish.

"You just know," she murmurs, quickly averting her gaze. "Maybe I'm just being silly."

"And you didn't feel that that night with anyone," Auggie assumes, understanding, his tone a little more serious so she knew he honestly wasn't making fun of her. He didn't exactly believe he had to wait for the spark to have a good time with someone, but he knows what it's like to click with someone like that. Still, there's a moment where he feels an odd twist of disappointment following what she said, one that he isn't expecting at all (because what does he have to be disappointed about?). He doesn't think much about it beyond the initial realization it's there, shrugging it off before it can really even form. He offers her a slight grin once he does, adding, "Well, look on the bright side. That was what, less than ten people? On an island with hundreds and growing."

"I don't know. Maybe I did, and I'm still just so messed-up that I didn't even recognize it because I'm caught up in my own issues," Annie replies, absently scuffing the toe of her sneaker over the hardwood floor, pushing a thin layer of dust around in creating a random shape and pattern before she finally just wipes it away with her foot.

"Maybe I'm just not ready to get back into the whole dating game yet," she finally adds, and then her mouth starts to curve upward with the beginnings of a smile. "Or maybe I should just take your approach and find a hot grad student willing to drive me home tonight."

"Yeah, I definitely miss having that excuse to use here," he says, sighing for effect. though he knows she's likely not going to take his route. She doesn't really strike him as the type to be casual about it. Still, in case it does happen one day, he mentions, offhandedly, "I can take a hint when to give you some privacy once everything's moved in."

It's something they probably ought to breach eventually anyway, if they're going to really do this roommate thing.

"Privacy? Oh, you mean - " Annie starts, breaking off with a laugh and a shake of her head, glancing down and tucking hair behind her ear.

"No, I don't think that's going to be - I mean, if I did, obviously I would let you know in advance if I was planning on bringing someone back, but I don't think that's going to be an issue, really, not - not for a while, at least." She sighs, giving her thoughts a moment to settle.

"I think I just need to focus on me a little while longer. Just me, and not complicate that with anything else."

"For future reference, I meant," he says, not needing her to explain to him anything about that part of her life. There's a reason why it wasn't a subject brought up often, if ever, back home, and why he chooses to change the subject after making what he said clear. Scuffing a little at the fine layer of dust under their feet himself, he points out. "Not that this place is in any condition to invite people over. Except me, apparently. Which begs the question - you really couldn't have waited until you washed everything down before showing it off? Or was hoping to enlist my help your plan all along?"

He's grinning as he asks, a pretty good indication he obviously doesn't mind if that's the case. Even if he wasn't living here, he'd probably still help her out. It's not like he's got some full schedule on the island to worry about - hell, the break in monotony, even if it's just cleaning and working on fixing the place up, is pretty welcome.

"Well, we're just going to make it look a little more presentable. Come on. You're saying a guy who looks the way he does with his shirt off can't push around a broom?" Annie counters, her own grin slowly growing as she decides to take a break from the musty and dusty, stepping out onto the porch for a breath of fresher air and waiting for him to follow.

If anything, this will give her a project, something to do when she's not teaching or taking classes, and at the end of the day, she can pop open a beer at the Hub and put her feet up to her good work. "I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to miss not being able to go out into the field," she adds, as she overhears him approaching.

"Well, we're co-owners now. I'm obligated to clean it up," he says, like that's honestly the only reason why he'd be helping her out. He can hear her footsteps moving away, and he follows them with little effort, using his cane only because he isn't entirely sure of the layout just yet. He comes to a stop standing next to her.

"You and me both," he admits, He's never been one to not be busy - pushing himself is something he's done since he was a kid. Not having that kind of purpose here is something he doubts he'll ever get used to. "Well, I miss being the back-up, anyway. This place isn't quite as exciting as home used to be."

"You say that now, but if I catch you putting your feet up while I'm sweating my ass off, we will have words," Annie replies, resting her hands against the porch railing as he joins her outside, a faint smile quirking up the corners of her lips.

"Maybe between this, and school, and whatever else - I'll finally start to feel a little less of the cabin fever vibe," she adds. "Or island fever, more accurately." She nudges his hip with hers. "And you were pretty good back-up to have."

"So I'm not allowed to sit on the porch with a drink like you were just imagining yourself doing? Or is that only allowed when the builders are around?" he asks, mock-disappointed, though he drops the act quickly with a laugh. "No, I promise, no slacking. I don't want to be kicked out before I even move my stuff in."

He smiles at her admission, hoping that he eventually finds even more to do himself here. Classes, the sparring with Eden he does, and this at least gives him things to be occupied with. He nudges her back and asks, "Were? Still am. There just hasn't been any reason to use the skill recently."

"How about this: we'll both do a fair amount of sweating, and then we can enjoy our ice-cold drinks together after the work is done for the day. Sound fair?" Annie asks, looking over at the sad state of the chairs resting on the front porch. "Yeah, we're definitely going to have to commission someone to make us some new furniture, or I'll be embarrassed to show anyone this place."

She grins at the returned nudge, her hand cupping underneath his elbow before she links her arm through his, curling fingers against his bicep. "Watch, you've said that now and there will be a reason for you to use it soon, knowing this place."

"Deal," he replies. Even before Annie mentioned the furniture, he'd already guessed how bad off anything actually left in the home probably was. If the dust is any indication, he's doubting there's been anyone taking care of things for a while. It makes him wonder if the beds'll even be usable. Something to check out later, he guesses.

Auggie chuckles quietly at the thought that maybe he'd just jinxed them. "Would it be horrible if I said I wouldn't mind if that happened? Nothing too bad. Just....interesting."

"I'd only say you were mildly horrible for admitting that," Annie replies, her tone just barely tinged with teasing as she releases a sigh - more of a deep breath, a relaxed sound, settling in to look out at their view and partly wishing, however selfishly, that he could somehow be able to see it with her.

"Given where we are, I'm guessing it's not going to take very long for your wish to be fulfilled. Just give it time," she quietly says, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Good thing it'll stay between us, right? Wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea about me," he replies, letting out a quiet laugh. Glancing toward her when he feels her head, he nearly puts an arm around her shoulder but thinks better of it at the last minute. Instead, he exhales much like she did, admittedly still surprised a little himself that he actually thinks this might work out. It's Annie, after all - they've always gotten along well, and isn't that really half the battle when it comes to roommates?

Of course, he'd mucked up things a little the first time she'd brought the idea up, and the thought compelled him to add, "I don't know about you, but I'm already looking forward to living in a place that isn't practically a box."

"We'll see how long it stays that way," Annie murmurs, almost as an absent thought when really she couldn't be more deliberate in her teasing. She gives his arm one more brief squeeze and then moves to extricate herself, slipping away from his side and heading towards the porch steps, but not before waiting for him to follow so she can lead him down.

"Why don't we come back tomorrow morning and tackle everything then? 'Cause right now, I'm thinking it's closer to the hour where we should have a beer to celebrate this monumental day in our friendship."

"You know, you read my mind," he chuckles, following her a moment later, his hand lightly clasping her elbow as they make their way down the stairs. He doesn't actually need her to lead him, but it's a habit at this point he sees no reason to break. "To the Hub, then?"

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