Sofia ignored Dex, allowing him his time to inspect his weapons while she took over for his lack of attention. The woman jumping on the ridge surprised her and she wasn't quite sure if the action was done out of cockiness or dismissal on their part. Sure there was a threat at every corner but they didn't know that she and Dex weren't a threat to them. Her grip tightened on her  baseball bat, the worn material of the handle offering little relief from the heat the sun beamed down on the metal weapon. Her dark eyes shifted between the man and woman, not quite sure which one to keep her eye on for the time being until the woman answered them about their kill. She wanted what little meat was on the canines, which was fine with Sofia. Dex had already carried most of their supplies and in it was a lot of dried meat they had practically hoarded in case things went bad.<br/><br/>Their district, while somewhat safe, was never free from crime. The 'home' they made for themselves was switched up between several locations out of sheer paranoia. Sofia had noticed that those that tend to linger in one place were more prone to crime. Routines were easy to memorize and security was a dream from the past. When Dex had the opportunity to kill animals free from mutation, they would dine on a small amount of cooked meat and she would dry the rest. A good portion of his pack contained their rations of food. Sofia glanced down at the mutts Dex had killed and she felt her mouth water at the idea of having warm meat once more. They could eat until their bellies were fit to burst for the first time in a long time.<br/><br/>"Alright, you can have the meat but we want at least one for meat tonight. We have too much packed for us to carry more, you're welcome to our share of the rest." She motioned to their coyotes with her bat. It felt so odd to turn down any form of fresh meat and Sofia could honestly say it was the first time in her life she had done so. This wasn't a place they would stay for long periods where she could store them for later dining. The harsh reality of traveling was that each could only take what they could carry. She wasn't sure if Dex would be alright with her decision but if he wasn't, he didn't argue or give any outward indication that he didn't agree. Once again, she turned to the others, eyes widening at the realization that they were just as unsure of who was on the list as well. Perhaps only her subdivision created a list while others just decided to join?<br/><br/>"Past them...?" Sofia asked, following his gaze to where he had gestured. A deep chill ran through her body at the thought of living so close to the water. While she held a normal respectable fear for animal and plant life, she made sure to stay clear of any water sources that were deeper than just above the ankle or wider than she could hop across. Dex always was the one to bring water back to their home whether it was for cooking, bathing, or boiling to drink. She had heard horror stories growing up of the monsters that lived in the waters, unable to be seen unless by those knowing what to look for. Sofia pulled herself from her inner fears as she forced herself to focus on the group once more.<br/><br/>"We're from the compound area." She motioned in the other direction. It was common knowledge the compound was where it all began, the research facility basically being ground zero. While they couldn't go into the actual facility for long periods of time, there was an off site neighborhood that housed the families of the employees. The house they grew up in, while covered in vegetation, was their last residence they had stuck with before leaving. They didn't need to know specifics just like they were vague in their response. The admission of getting booted did cause her brow to arch. Sure they didn't expect to have the best of the best traveling with them, especially since she and Dex were more of the loners, but she wasn't sure what would force an entire town would push for someone to leave...clearly this girl had some potentially dangerous secrets.<br/><br/>Her musings were cut short when the girl dragged her kill and Dex claimed his.  It did look like they would be staying here for a bit, she sighed, watching the two walk away with their prizes. At least they had a place to hide out but the thought of being so exposed left her with a sinking feeling in her gut. Keeping on the move was smarter but she supposed waiting for others for a night wouldn't be too bad, especially if they got fresh meat. Sofia raised her hand up to hover above her face as she peered at the sun's position. They had left in the morning to be the first ones here and several hours had passed between travel and waiting. Lunch time roughly, she figured since the sun was directly on top of them. Time in numbers no longer was relevant, only how much daylight allowed for the dull human eyes to see.<br/><br/>"Well, I don't know what babies have to do with anything but I guess we shouldn't leave them alone for too long. Neither seems like people persons." She motioned towards the two that had departed, silently approving of the division between the group. The next several days, weeks, or even months would probably not allow privacy between the group members. Settling separately might help them to become a little more open to the idea of trusting each other? "I'm Sofia, by the way, and my partner is Dex." She added, bending down to gather her journal along with her pencil before stuffing it in her pack. The zipper hung on by a thread but would work for now. Backpacks weren't exactly something that grew on trees and Sofia could only once again count how lucky she was that their own survived for so long.  "Figured you'd want a name instead of 'girl' or 'boy'. " She shrugged, allowing time for him to offer his name if he desired.<br/><br/>She shoulders her pack and placed her bat between the straps while she glanced at the open field with a mixture of dry and dead grass. It would work perfectly for their fire building, she acknowledged with a nod. Sofia walked a little ways closer to the taller grass and crouched down to begin her task. Carefully she plucked the dried grass, making sure to keep her ears open for any foreign noises. Her back was to the man, showing that didn't feel threatened and, in her own odd way, it was an invitation to join her.<br/><br/>"Are you familiar with how to make a fire?" She asked knowing many people did but not everyone was good at it. There were those that had others do it for them, those were the more privileged in this crumbled society, the elite folks as they could be considered. Still their lack of knowledge was a liability should they ever be without anyone to help. Her question was not entirely innocent as she tried to gain some sort of knowledge about those that were coming with them. She worked diligently making sure to collect any dried leaves she found as a welcomed addition to her growing pile of tinder.<br/><br/>The closer they got to the woods the more they would find for sticks be the kindling and if maybe if they were lucky there were things to burn as the fuel to keep the fire going.