[center][color=#ead2b2][h3]Darlene Kate Revie[/h3][/color][/center][right][color=silver]Albuquerque, NM: Interstate 40
August 27, 2016[/color][/right]For one brief but horrible moment Darlene had thought that the boy was honking and gesturing to imply that she wasn't welcome here, especially when he ended up driving off. But not for long. Automatically she stepped back as his car came speeding towards her before skidding to a stop. So then... not entirely unwelcome. 

Once he stepped out she looked him up and down subtly, her right hand never straying from above her pistol even though she kept the smile plastered on. Taller than her, stronger than her. Probably one of the kinds of guys that some teens back at school would have fawned over, though she didn't think much about that now. Her thoughts at the moment were not of such unimportant things, her thoughts were wary as her gaze never left him.

Duncan. Despite the situation, she couldn't help but wonder what the name meant. That had always interested her...

As the teen talked on and on she looked for breaks in his speech where she could introduce herself as would be proper, but Duncan seemed like he had a lot to say-- so she would be content to listen for now. And she [i]was[/i] listening, very closely. Even as he used terms that she didn't know, Darlene didn't tune him out as perhaps some other girls might have done. This information could, [i]would[/i] prove useful sometime. She would have been frowning in concentration by now, if she hadn't been so trained in keeping an amiable expression at almost all times.

Still, her smile dropped slightly as Duncan began to tell about what he had been doing in the past year or so. 

[color=#ead2b2][i]He's so open. Too open.

He missed most of the Plague.

He didn't have to see all the people die off.[/i][/color]

Luckily he continued on his techy talk before she could dwell too much on those thoughts, and the smile returned full force once more. Once he was done though, she had to make a decision. It seemed that he was already assuming she would come by the way he was clearing some space for her... so... it would be the most practical to go with him. Accept his offer, see if she could learn anything from him, and then... then what? Stay? Leave? 

[i]Leave?[/i] When he was the first person she had seen in months? Stay nearby instead, perhaps? 

[color=#ead2b2]"Thanks for the offer."[/color] Darlene tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, glancing at his face quickly before looking away. She was nervous, though it didn't really show on the outside. But inside was a different story. Her stomach muscles were clenched as she resisted the temptation to bite her lip or cross her arms. [color=#ead2b2]"I'm Darlene Revie. A pleasure to meet you."[/color] 

Should she try and shake hands? Maybe that would be overdoing it a bit.

[color=#ead2b2]"I think I'll take you up on that offer, if it's not too much trouble. Don't worry about the car. I can find another suitable one soon, if you don't mind getting me off this interstate."[/color] Then perhaps she could come back and grab the rest of her stuff later on.

Since she had already mostly sorted out her stuff, it only took her another minute of shifting a few more things around before she had two bags of stuff ready to go. One contained mostly just food and a few other random tools and necessary items. The other one, a backpack, contained her clothes and personal items including her art supplies. 

She hesitated when Duncan offered his help, gazing at him for a few seconds before shaking her head. [color=#ead2b2]"I'm alright, but thanks."[/color] Darlene went over to the back of the car, and after glancing at Duncan again to make sure he didn't mind, opened the trunk to squeeze the first bag beside the other things he kept in there. She brought the backpack with her to the front and dumped it on the seat before going back to her broken down car to close the doors.

Then at last she got in his car. [color=#ead2b2]"Are you staying near here?"[/color] she inquired politely, straightening the plain blue shirt she wore. [color=#ead2b2]"Again, you have my thanks."[/color]