Silent waters - Zack

"Dawh you don´t like me? That´s really heartbreaking! And I just was about to tell you while getting you something I can feed you with." She replied, pretending to start sobbing though actually pouting.

Zack shook his head. He wasn't moved by her fake tears. He could tell those from real tears. "I thought you were the one who didn't like me!" Zack joked. "We're both in trouble if we can't tell that sort of stuff apart!"

Astrid just waved at him. "Pfffft nah I think we will get along. Don´t you think so?"

"Sure. Sure!" Zack agreed. He smiled at her. He was pretty sure they would get along. They had so far.

"See! That´s what I wanted to hear." She said with a grin while she gave him a few pats on the shoulder. "Well then ... in for a swim?"

"Might have to sit that one out." Zack said. "Feathers weigh me down in the water." He could swim though. It was just harder to get through with the weight of feathers soaked by ocean water. He had to do it once, on a mission, a straight up dive into the water, head first because if he did feet first, his wings would have parachuted up to prevent the fall.

"Daaaawh." She replied pouting. "Well anything you wanna do now that we sucessfully ended the introduction part?" She said smirking. After all she wasn´t in the mood to go right on with reading her book now anyways.

"How about ice cream later? My treat." Zack offered. "Or we could walk across the boardwalk?" He smiled at her cutely. He had a million other suggestions if she shot him down.

She chuckled. "How about both then? Very nice offers by the way."

"Oh adventure." Zack said. He got to his feet, offering Astrid his hand. "Let's clean up your stuff and go, go, go!" He didn't even mind if she made him carry all of her stuff. He was having fun. But considering that he had fun all the time he wouldn't have minded anyways.

Taking his hand Astrid let him help her getting up with no hesitation. As he mentioned her stuff covered in sand though she sighed. She didn´t even wanted to know where it all went in. Oh the showers ahead of her definitely would be fun. However grabbing her book and towel she turned her back on Zack and made a few steps away from him to wave the towel and punch some sand out of her book before it seemed to be enough for her. Making the few steps back she also grabbed her water bottle and now eventually was ready to leave the beach. "Okay I´m ready." She replied with a smile.

Zack offered his arm to her. A smirk lined his lips as he watched her clean up the mess she had made when he first joined her. It was still amusing to think he had been sent to collect her soul or something. "Any time you are!" he chirped.

"Oh thank you. What a real gentleman you are." Astrid replied as she took his arm with a smirk on her lips. She had to chuckle a little though that this wasn´t even the first time she got offered an arm by a very nice and handsome young male since she came to this island which didn´t even happened a long time ago.

"I have my honor." Zack said. "It's more than I can say about other guys around women." Zack flirted but he had a line and a code. He backed off if someone was uncomfortable. He kept his flirting on the playful side and more joking than anything. It was his way of breaking the ice, not of making the woman he was talking to feel objectified.

"Mhm I see." Astrid replied nodding. "Well how far is it though by the way?"

"Not far, I promise," Zack said. He gestured to the steps not too far away from where they are and the wooden platform, raised above the ocean waters. "Right up there. Think you can last that long?" He smiled down at her.

"Pfffft oh my dear Zack I´m shocked you think of me as if I would want to get away from you as fast as possible!" She replied tightening her grip around him carefully just to show him that she definitely did like his company. "Of course I can! If it was for me I could walk with you forever." She told him smirking while giving him a playful wink.

"And if you couldn't keep up, I could always carry you," Zack responded with a wink of his own. He carefully led her up the steps towards the boardwalk. He could already hear the happy commotion that came from usual beach goers.

"Daaaawh you better watch out if you continue like that! Can´t promise you not to cuddle-attack you all the time otherwise." She replied with a chuckle following his lead and totally ignoring the others. They had fun so why give a thought about the others since they weren´t even doin something bad anyways?

"Oh, cuddling, I'm so scared," Zack said, feigning fear. He lifted his wing and raised it so that it was wrapped around her but not quite touching her since it was very warm out. It would at least protect her from getting a sunburn. "Really I'm shaking in my boots."

Astrid sighed as she rolled her eyes before grabbing him for a quick one armed cuddle. "Hey I did warn you!" She replied with a teasing smirk.

Zack chuckled. If he had been in a bit of a better position he might have cuddled back but with the two of them walking and his wing around her, he couldn't quite turn the way he would have liked. "Yes, you did." he confirmed.

"See, I stand to my word." She replied once she had backed off again and took his arm while raising a finger of her more or less free hand in the air.

"Seems like I'm not the only honorable person around here then," Zack mused. His old mentor would have laughed at him for preaching on honor and respect since when Zack first joined the military he was a little snot with no respect for anyone. He didn't care who got hurt, he didn't even want to be a hero. He fought because he had fun doing it.

"Oh well what can I say, guess I also can suprise every now and then." She replied giving him a wink.