[ Instinctively his expression seems to brighten the moment Natalia greets him with her smile. A familiar face that gives him a surge of energy, completely depleting any physical exhaustion he may have felt earlier. ]

Gotcha~ Here, lemme have it. [ He's indicating the shovel, to which he takes from her hands the second he's allowed to. He places his foot on the step, pushing down into the stubborn dirt. ] I meant to get here a earlier, since I saw you earlier, [ At least he wants to think it was her!? ] but I got pulled around here and there. Sorry about that.