Completely straight-faced I responded, "Maybe."
She gasped indignantly in outrage and I burst out laughing. Calming my mirth at her expense I peeked to see if I was in trouble. Strangely I was not.
She was softly smiling. She reclaimed my hand and we started out walking again. I was very curious as to her unexpected reaction to me making fun of her. The Maria I had known would have gotten mad and hit me most likely.
Seeming to read my mind she said, "I love your laugh."
"What is it that you love so much about it?"
"It's warm and rich with emotion. Your laugh makes me trust you."
I smiled and squeezed her hand gently.
We went on a little farther before I asked, "Now I have a question for you."
She looked up with interest.
"What kind of stuff do you like to do? Hobbies? Pastimes?"
She simply shrugged, but I pressed her, "Oh no you don't! Out with it. Give me something."
She kept whatever it was stubbornly unsaid within her.
I stopped walking and pulled her to a stop, "Don't make me tie you up and tickle it out of you."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh wouldn't I?" I countered with an arched eyebrow.
She stared mutely silent back at me and so I dropped her pack and started to reach for her before she hurriedly said, "I like to dance!"
My eyebrows perked up at that revealed knowledge, "Anything else?"
"I like to read too."
I nodded, "Good to know Maria. Good to know."
We started out again and it wasn't long before she asked, "What do you like to do Elon?"
"I like to read too. I have a bit of a green thumb, when it comes to gardening and believe it or not I do like the fighting that my job entails. I like making good things come to be in people's lives, especially things that lead to their everlasting salvation. It helps me keep going and doing the things that I do."
There was something else I was going to enjoy, but I kept it to myself. There was no need to embarrass her further by bringing up how much I was looking forward to being intimate with her.
Maria gasped, as we rounded the corner and the expansive villa came into view.
"I know where we are! This is Flint's home! He's in danger?"
"Yes, very much so." I responded grimly, as I remembered the emotion of my vision of the future.
"But the Agency is closed down! Flint's retired. The world owes him a debt of gratitude and it was made very clear that all of the Agency's surviving agents were to be considered untouchable by both governments and underworld criminal entities alike. It was one of the last things that I helped Chantry set up. All former agents have immunity and if the immunity is broken silent watchdog measures are brought into action that are quite severe. Chantry was very specific and detailed in his preparations. He wanted his agents safe and made it so that they would be!"