That flicker of disappointment wasn't lost on Ray, but he didn't comment on it just yet. Ray was the kind of guy who would lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on to just about anyone who he thought needed it, but he also did have some semblance of personal boundaries and he wasn't going to ask if she was trying to hide that disappointment all together. That was going to get them both nowhere fast with a heaping side of uncomfortable and that was no good for anyone.
And just like that, that flicker was gone and Patty beamed back at him with the same cheerfulness that had been there a moment prior. Ray decided to let it go.
For him, this opportunity was one that would definitely — not possibly, not probably, not maybe — afford him the opportunity to do something important. Something that would make his life matter. For all the amazing things he thought he'd done at Palmer Tech, Rip had made it clear that Ray and his life's work had been completely unremarkable. This promised that he would be making a difference. He was going to have a hand in starting a new world, quite literally. Sex and reproduction came with that, of course, but Ray sort of saw that as a pleasant byproduct. If he knew that people were already actively engaging in sexual activity before they'd even full established a settlement, he would've been a little surprised, because it would seem more logical to him to establish the community and then expand it.
But then, he'd never been the playboy type. Ray was the fall in love type and when he did, he fell hard and he ached when that love was taken from him. He knew that this place was going to be an adjustment and he would have to put an effort forth to achieve it, but he supposed that made it a little more exciting, because he was growing a civilization and also growing himself as a person. It hadn't ever really occurred to him that he'd been the object of lust; Ray was oblivious unless he was focused on something. It would've been flattering, but he would've been surprised all the same to learn it.
"Oh, great!" Ray replied, beaming. "I'll owe you one for this," he added cheerfully. He appreciated that she was going to take him back to the camp when she must've left it for a reason, whether to explore or gather supplies and now she was taking time out of her own agenda to double back for him. That was nice. Patty was nice. Ray decided instantly that he liked her.
Her enthusiasm was contagious and Ray was grinning widely as he walked with her, eyes moving every which way to try to take in all of the surroundings seemingly at once. Her gasp took him off guard and for a split second he went into protection mode until he realized that it was excitement rather than fear. "Where?" he asked, turning to look. He was a little disappointed that he'd missed something like that. "Oh man, there really is nothing like the great outdoors, huh?"
Ray's smile matched Patty's own and he started walking again with her. "I can tell, already. Even if everyone seemed awful, how awful can anyone really be in a place like this? It's beautiful," he said. You're beautiful, he thought, but pointedly did not add. If this was an island full of beautiful, happy people, then he couldn't imagine how this project could be anything other than a success.