Kaira's breath caught. Jade certainly did not look old enough to have spent over ten years at the Hoover Dam. She had, however, learned that appearances could be deceiving. Jade might simply look younger than she actually was.
Her longevity here paid testament to the fact that the resistance was firmly rooted. Kaira couldn't help but wonder what it had been like when first formed, and how far it had come since. One day, when she felt comfortable enough around these new people, she would ask.
"I rarely traveled alone," Kaira explained, clasping her hands behind her back and keeping a neutral stance. She did not view anyone here as a threat, but she was still perched on the balls of her feet, ready to bolt in an instant should the need arise. Another hard earned lesson right there, complete with its own scars and stories. "It is not prudent, deep in the wastes, to be by yourself. People band together."
Sometimes.
Her head tilted at the mention of surgery. "You are a nurse?" she asked, eying the woman's tattoos and wondering where she'd gotten them done. Had they been pre-disaster, or was there a tattoo artist bumbling around with actual talent? She filed away a mental note to ask; more questions, always piling up, never satisfied.
"I plan to scavenge and return before dark. I discovered a building earlier with a sealed room. I could not bring everything back at once, and I wish to return before anyone else discovers it. You may come, if you wish?"