Zornitsa was extremely surprised to find the woman giving her a coat and scarf. While it was certainly welcome, she hardly wanted her to sacrifice so much for her. She almost wanted to tell her that it was fine, that she'd survive, but something felt wrong about refusing the offer, especially from the first person she had met since waking up. Actually, she hadn't yet put much thought to it, probably from her initial shock, but now, it was starting to sink in. Maybe she should consider herself lucky she hadn't run into some thug, had that been the case, she probably wouldn't be thinking about it now. Or be able to. So, she accepted the coat, briefly putting her knapsack on the ground in silence to put it on, then fumbling with her left arm to put the scarf on, only using her right arm for the final tie. She was quite frustrated with it and until she figured out how to use it properly, she wanted to keep use of it to a bare minimum.
Once she finally managed to put it all on, she picked her pack up again, and then looked up to find the woman showing her the hidden side of her face, where a scar could be found, across her clouded eye, indicating blindness. This brought a strange sort of comfort to Zornitsa, perhaps one of solidarity. "We both have our scars, huh..." she remarked quietly as the redhead spoke.
"It's fine, after everything, I think we can all be jumpy. Take the clothes. Let's not stay out here long talking. There are bad things out here, and I don't like the feeling out here right now."
Understanding she should probably be quiet based on her tone, Zornitsa simply nodded, wondering what she meant by "bad things". Perhaps they were the reason for her often feeling like she was being watched? In any case, Zornitsa readied to follow and on the order that she keep her gun out, she drew the pistol, this time with her left hand, supporting it with her prosthetic. It could do that, at least, though the cold sensation of it on her left hand was a bit unnerving. She took a moment to check the pistol, switching it to her right hand, releasing the magazine, pulling back the slide and finding no bullet in the chamber. Great, that could have gotten her killed had she attempted to fire it quickly, it was better she caught it now rather than too late. The magazine looked to be in good condition, so she loaded it and pulled back the slide and it smoothly slid back forward, looks like it was either new or well-maintained. Now she was ready, whether she liked it or not due to the lack of manual safety.
Let's see, it's chambered in .45 ACP, as is standard for the US Army after the Beretta M9 went out of service, so ten rounds per magazine... Still better than the seven of the Marines' M45 MEUSOC M1911's, but I have to wonder if it would have been better for this to be chambered in .40 S&W like some of the police models, just to get a few more rounds in the magazine... Wait, how do I know this? Zornitsa paused for a moment and wondered just how much she was recalling thanks to the simple pistol. Shaking off the thought for later, she finished up her brief checks by looking down the sights; an ever so slight green tint came from a few dots on the sight, looks like it had tritium, to let her aim in the dark. With the apparent lack of power, that would definitely be a boon.
"I'm Heloise. Pleasure to meet you Zornitsa. Pity it isn't in better circumstances. Come on. This house looks empty."
Zornitsa gave her best nod in response to the quietly spoken introduction, smiling amicably in reply. The house looked like it had been subject to a very quick exit by its inhabitants. Hopefully one that wasn't too violent, she thought as she saw the abandoned suit case on the lawn, empty either from its owner gathering what was inside, or looters doing it for them, maybe.
"The world has gone to hell."
The solemn words spoken by her companion confirmed her suspicions and Zornitsa's expression became grim. She dearly hoped she wouldn't have to use the gun to hurt someone, but it was looking more and more like that kind of situation was at present likely. Heloise knocked on the door frame, making enough noise to get any possible inhabitants' attention. No response, then again, Zornitsa had a not so small feeling there wouldn't be.
"Stay outside while I clear. No offense, but right now, I think I'm more nimble then you. Remember, shoot anything that looks wrong. That includes humans."
She definitely had no qualms with that. If there was something or someone in there, she was dead, she simply didn't have the reaction time or the strength to protect herself if something happened. Here, there was a rather sizable yard, so she'd see anyone coming and have time to react. Sitting herself down on a lawn chair and putting the pistol in her lap, she took a moment to relax, closing her eyes and taking in the air. She could smell some smoke, gunpowder, gasoline and, disturbingly, a slight smell of rotting meat and gore, along with her own scent from the soap she had used.
Includes humans, huh?She repeated to herself in silence, being reminded of the stories of death and destruction she had read in the newspaper articles. Heloise probably knew what was going on, talking to her wouldn't be a bad idea and even if here she was, trespassing in another person's house, it probably was for the best.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a sound of steps. Zornitsa quickly opened her eyes and stood up, holding her pistol in her left hand. The sound wasn't coming from behind, it probably had to be in front, in the streets. Sure enough, there was a man.
Including humans. Zornitsa thought as she lifted the pistol up and aimed in his direction. He was dressed rather well, in a good looking trench coat, with a well-packed messenger bag, but he was holding a mean looking shotgun. Still, Zornitsa had already gotten the initiative and as soon as the man noticed her, he put his shotgun on the ground. Hm, he didn't seem to be too much of a danger, he looked to be in the same sort of predicament as herself and Heloise. She decided that it would be best to let him go, mostly because she wasn't ready to kill a man, lowering her gun a bit and gesturing with her right arm to go. He wasted no time in silently picking up his gun and dashing away. Better for him, better for her.
"Come in. There's no one here. Let's go through the house first and see if we can find anything useful to us. I doubt the occupants are coming back.
Zornitsa made a wry smile at her acquaintance's sigh, it was definitely a grim thing to say. She took no time in holstering her pistol and heading into the house, making sure to close the door behind her, sliding a chair near it in front of it from the inside, so they could hear if anyone tried to follow them in. She still felt a bit paranoid about being watched, after all, the day so far had shown her that it was definitely a feeling she was getting often. Once she was in, she headed off to another corner of the house than Heloise, deciding to search through the living room. Nothing much there, just a typical living room, just now empty of anything important or valuable. The study nearby was in much the same shape, with most everything taken and an ornamental mount for a rifle empty. The only thing of note was a safe that she couldn't get into, but shaking it did indicate something inside. It frustrated her slightly that she couldn't get into it, trying numerous combinations before giving up. There were a few magazines though, and Zornitsa spent a moment flicking through them until she realized the most recent ones were from weeks ago.
"Zornitsa? Please say you are still here."
Heloise called for her and Zornitsa dropped the article on the riots of July 2109 right onto the floor, leaving it open on a page with a picture of a burning attack helicopter. Strange, she sounded a lot less firm than before. Was she... worried about her? About losing her? Zornitsa felt warmed by the notion and after making sure she hadn't forgotten anything in the room, she called her back, the best she could with her voice in its current condition. "I'm here, don't worry! Just got lost reading, I'm coming." Zornitsa closed the door behind her on her second try (the first consisted of accidentally grabbing at nothing with her right arm) and then carefully walked through the darkened hallways of the house into the living room, which was close to the kitchen. Considering they would probably be there for a while, she made sure to get comfortable on the couch as she began to speak to Heloise. "So, ah... what's been happening over the last few months? What day is it currently? Sorry, I haven't exactly been conscious until just lately, you're the first human I think I've seen since... months, really."
