Franka watched as Hackett strolled back to her, and noticed the soldier stopped at a distance she herself was comfortable with. Of all the group, she was the only one who had ever done that, and whatever Hackett's reasons might be, she appreciated it. This was instantly reflected in her posture. She had been alert when the soldier had moved, ready to react instantly, take a few steps back herself, but now, she change to a far more relaxed watchfulness, relieved her attention could focus on their surroundings, without being forced to keep an eye on the people nearby, too.<br/><br/>"It's a big house. Only my people know of it, and how to get inside. It'll be empty. It's got electricity, water. You can have lights on without them being seen from the outside. The walls are high, thick, solid. Security cams scan the entire surroundings once you activate them, so, you'll get alerted if anything's wrong, and can make sure it's safe to leave. From the outer wall, you can take stinkers down without getting near them, they'd not even see you. The inner wall's the same, stands a good hundred metres from the first. Then comes the fence, a stretch of garden, then the house, door and windows protected by thick metal plates etc.. Safest place for miles around, and pure luxury - well, for the likes of me."<br/><br/>She grinned. For that short moment, one could imagine the girl she might once have been, the woman she might have become under different circumstances, someone who liked to laugh, grin, crack jokes, a little cheeky, maybe. It didn't last long, that echo of the past, her face was serious and she her usual watchful self when she continued answering questions. "It belongs to one of my people - used to be their family home. They had pulled up the outer wall before the outbreak hit here, but they went to the evacuation centre, all but one got killed there, that one came back, found the house safe, lived there, later met my people, joined them, offered their place as our safe house. We added the inner wall, the fence, the metal plates and stuff."<br/><br/>She looked back at Hackett, weighing her words about trust. Franka did not look surprised or hurt, and answered in her usual manner. "If you don't kill me, you've got to trust me. Not blindly, but some. Else, you'd need to watch me 24/7, no matter what. Damn impractical. But... If you're killed, they'll send a new team, then another, and another, each time with more soldiers. Hellish trouble. Even without that, your stuff simply isn't worth risking to try to take it by force. Unless you harm my people, there's nothing to fear. I'd rather see you get what you want and leave, double quick. So, I help."<br/><br/>She fell silent to listen, look around for anything suspicious. When she gazed at Hackett again, her face was as open and calm as before, but she was dead serious. "But - imagine what that house means for us. Don't risk its security, make it inhabitable, steal or break things. Don't harm my people, don't endanger their survival, and we're fine, it's all I want, all I ask of you. However, if you forced me to, I'd choose the least of my people over the best of you - and over anything you might offer me. Whether I'll be someone's ally, neutral, or their enemy, depends on how they treat my people."