"I manage." If things get truly desperate, Ned knows he'll have to start eating meat. It will be complicated, and probably not all that pretty at first, but he'll get by. He'll have to. He's just hoping to put off that day for as long as humanly possible.

It takes him by surprise, her just coming out and saying she likes him like that. He really isn't accustomed to that sort of open, even careless friendliness. It'd be one thing if she wanted something from him. He's used to manipulation in friendliness' clothing. But that doesn't seem like what's going on, so Ned half-laughs, head falling forward.

"Uh, same." He hesitates a moment, then says, "Look if you ever want... I mean I know it's not the same and all, but there's an ocean, and if you ever feel like going for a swim..." he trails off again, letting his offer be implicit. Ned hasn't gone into the water much in his time here: there are tales of giant squid, and it never seemed all that safe to go on his own. But if there was someone else there...