Sloane's silence didn't go unnoticed, but he allowed it to stretch, giving her whatever time she needed to muster up a reply. He'd found it was counterproductive to force things with Sloane, even if they were only exchanging pleasantries. She'd come out with whatever was bothering her in her own time, or she wouldn't. Ned was untroubled either way. He didn't need to be up-to-date on the latest gossip and teenage woes in order to still enjoy a friend's company.

"I fancied a walk and happened upon Splash," He stated with a fond smile at the little cat. "Though, I suspect it was the other way around. I decided to let her lead the way, and this is where we ended up." He reached out to give the cat a few scratches on her head before casually turning the question around on Sloane. "What are you doing out here? Hiding from school work?" The second question was spoken in a teasing manner, though, he wouldn't be surprised if there was some truth to it.