"Laugh it up. You keep using those feminine wiles of yours and one day it's going to bite you in the ass. And... you're welcome." Arc leaned back, moving away from the woman and facing the mouth of the cave. The winds were almost completely calm then, though the darkness still held strong the air. The temperature was dropping, as it always did when the sun descended behind the horizon. There was no need for a thermometer anymore; one only had to remember two things: At night it was blistering hot, and it was ice cold at night. Without a stable atmosphere to protect the Earth from the ravages of cosmic radiation, its weather patterns have become unpredictable but for the amazing difference in temperatures.<br/><br/>"It's still attached, by some miracle, or thanks to your handy work. Somehow we've both managed to get ourselves seriously injured, and still we live." He kept his face turned to the cave entrance, bu this eyes moved to the sides, catching her in the periphery of his vision. "You know it's strange. How many years has it been since either of us was able to really laugh? Hmm? I can tell you that it's been years for me. And you, Madison, what do you think the odds are of meeting me out there in the Wilds, being stuck in the same cave at the same time under the same circumstances?" Arc never was a believer in fate, but sometimes it was hard to explain life's events in pure luck and coincidence. He still didn't believe that something brought them together for a purpose, but he was glad that, however it came to be, that he had met her. For the first time since the Fall, he actually appreciated the company of another human being.<br/><br/>Arc turned his face to her, a sad smile stretched across his lips. Sad, only because he had made a connection with someone, and that connection would soon be lost. She would return him to his home, then likely move on. He would have to move to another location. They'd never see each other again. it was a sobering and somber thought. "Thank you. Really, thank you. For being a person out here, and not an animal. Thanks for showing me that there are still people left alive."