Her hideout, but first...

Eric took a look out the window and saw that the sun was going down already. They had some time to get to wherever it was they were going but he wanted to figure something out first.

"You said you don't trust people with guns...does that mean you don't have one?" He looked at her and raised his eyebrows a little.

"Huh? No. Where would I have gotten a gun from?" She looked over at his pile of weapons and finally got curious enough to ask. "Where did you get yours anyways?"

"I'll explain once we are in a safer place. For now, though. I want you to do something for me." he picked up the pistol, making her flinch slightly, before unloading the magazine and popping the bullet out of the chamber. He showed her that it was empty before racking the slide and letting it settle back into place so it looked like it might be loaded. He turned it around and handed it to her grip first. "There is nothing in there that will hurt either of us. But I want you to hold this and look like you have a weapon in case we get separated and someone comes at you. Use it to keep them at a distance and call out. I will be there to back you up as soon as I can.

She carefully grabbed the hunk of metal and held it like it would explode in her hand. She carefully moved her finger to the trigger and lifted it up, pointing it at the wall across the room from them and looked down the sights. She couldn't help but feel powerful and dangerous with it in her hands. She even smirked a little bit, thinking about what she would say if someone came up to her. Then she came back to reality when she saw him stand up.

"Here. Make it look at least a little more convincing. Bring your other hand up and wrap it around the first one. If you were going to shoot, having one hand on it could cause a lot more bad than good." He stepped behind her and gently lifted her free hand up to the grip of the pistol and showed her how much more stable it was. Then he stepped in front of her. "And try not to blush too much. It ruins the look." He smiled at her before gathering up the rest of his gear. She shook her head, trying to bring herself back to reality after her imagination took her places she didn't even want to think about right now. He picked up his rifle and turned back to her. "Alright. We should be safe but just in case, stay close and don't be too loud."

She crossed her arms and looked at him. "I know. I know a lot more than you seem to think I do. I've been living here alone for a little while now. I'm not a damsel in distress." She couldn't stop her blood from boiling a little bit at his actions despite how kind he seemed to be. Instantly, she felt regret though when she saw his shoulders sink and his face soften.

"You...you're right. Here I was going into 'leader' and 'protector' mode when you probably know this area a thousand times better than me." His words almost sounded sarcastic but his eyes and body language were genuine. "Would you please take the lead and show me the way to where you are living?"

She felt like she could punch him...no, slap him...no, hug him...no,- She cut off her train of thought by dropping her arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

They stood there staring at each other for a few minutes until she laughed a little and nodded towards the door. "I'll let you take the lead 'captain.' I'll give directions while we walk."