[h1][color=ed1c24][center]Astrid Ashbourne[/center][/color][/h1]

Sitting there cross-legged, Astrid watched Kennedy go to work. The only movement she made was her eyes as Kennedy moved back and forth and nodding her head when she said thank you. As the dog dug into the food set on the ground, Astrid's mood lifted slightly. It was nice to see something that could be happy so easily. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough to remove the permanent frown etched in her face. The cling of bullets snapped her attention away from the feeding animal to the table next to Kennedy. A small pile of bullets sat there. An offering. A thank you.

She stared at them for a minute. They were .22 bullets, perfect for her rifle. Lord know she could use them. She only had 17 left. 17 shots, 17 dead. That was what she kept telling herself. However, as much as she could use the bullets, she wouldn't take them from this girl. Astrid wasn't one to rely on others, even before the apocalypse. She would figure out something when she ran out. Maybe she'd take up archery. 

Turning away Astrid stood from the bed and moved to the stairs. Standing at the base she looked back hesitantly at Kennedy. It was a struggle for her to trust someone in her home. But if she didn't go up and kick off the boat for the night, they'd both be dead before it was over. Turning away with a small sigh she stepped quietly and quickly up the stairs. It took her a short time to get off the dock. She had gotten good at it after so long. She remembered before when she had never even stepped foot on a boat. Thank god for manuals.

When she was done and had set anchor up out at sea she moved back into the cabin. At the bottom of the stairs she glanced around to see what had changed. She had only let the girl out of her site a few minutes, but a lot could happen in that time. Seeing that nothing bad had happened she flicked the switch for the light and sat down, once again cross legged, in her bed facing Kennedy. It didn't take long for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, so she watched her waiting for her to fall asleep. There was no way she would fall asleep first. Not in the presence of a stranger.

[@The Kraken]