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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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"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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