Twisting toward the sound of her voice, Mathias drops his hands from his pack and offers Veronica a smile in return. He's faintly embarrassed by his supplies, but there's no amount of embarrassment enough to make him leave them behind. Maybe in another few months, but not yet. It's still too soon.

"Yeah," he agrees, gesturing behind him at the Compound. "It's just trees and flowers, but I have to see them for myself to really believe that." His smile grows just slightly before he adds, "And there are dinosaurs."