maskormenacelogs | open | everything I have found dear

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open | everything I have found dear

WHO: Ellie and you! (And closed sections for Joel and Wally+Joel)
WHERE: Ice cream shop and housing.
WHEN: Beginning of August.
WHAT: Various things. And stuff.
WARNINGS: Nothing too major.

HEROPA HOUSING | CLOSED TO WALLY+JOEL

[Is it a bad idea to bring someone into the lair of the grumpiest beast in Heropa? Yeah, probably, but Ellie's tired of always hanging out on neutral ground or at a place that isn't hers. Wally's been pretty cool, letting her mess around with his Netflix shit and introducing her to way too many snacks, so she eventually decides to show him the giant DVD collection that's somehow formed in the bedroom she shares with Joel. It seems only fair. This is what "normal" teenagers would do, right? Except those teenagers weren't hardened survivors who still jumped at sudden movements and sounds.

Good luck, Wally.

Before they reach her place, she stops him outside the door.]

Okay, so. My friend, Joel? He might look and sound sorta scary, but just be nice and you'll be good. [Joel could get along with people. Eventually.

Ellie doesn't give Wally much time to respond before she turns and opens the door, calling out.]

Joel? You here?

HEROPA HOUSING (sometime before or after the above) | CLOSED TO JOEL

[Today's task: clean up some of the mess that's pouring out of the side of the closet that has mostly Ellie's stuff. The other room has more of her junk, but her most-worn jeans and shirts have ended up in here, along with shoes, socks, and undergarments. There are even a few belts sticking out from under the door like snakes trying to make a break for it, which Ellie notices when she steps on the buckle of one.]

Ow! Motherfucker. I deserved that.

[She hops around on one foot until the pain subsides, then grabs an armful of t-shirts and some hangers. Yeah, she should probably hang these up instead of balling them up on the floor.]

ICE CREAM SHOP | OPEN

[One of the perks of working in an ice cream shop is the free cones. Okay, sure, maybe she was allowed one free cone a day, but who the hell cared if she had two? That is what Ellie is working on currently, hanging out behind the register and devouring a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.

It might not look like she's working, but she totally is. To be honest, she does enjoy working here, perks aside. It beats the musty clinic she was forced to do shifts in at the boarding school. Waffle cones and sprinkles beat needles and bandages any day.

... it's only a matter of time before she gets fired for all the ice cream she takes home, though.]

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[ Unlike its dairy laden cousin, lemon sorbet went down easier and didn't stick to his teeth. No one could accuse him of having a sweet tooth, but the crisp taste of citrus was a luxury from where he had come from. A pint from the local ice cream shop that was on the way back from work was a stop that wouldn't derail the minutiae of his daily schedule. A small indulgence at little cost. The bell hanging over the door didn't seem to grab the attention of the girl behind the counter and Levi paid her no mind as he grabbed a pint from the small cooler in the corner before making his way up to the register. ]

You're dripping. [ Levi intoned, carton of sorbet dropped on the counter top. Tapping the side of his mouth to indicate where a line of mint chocolate chip was running down her chin. ]

Don't worry, I can handle it. [Wally's got a lot of experience dealing with dark, brooding, angry men with like at least a foot of height and no less than sixty pounds of muscle on him. You want a zombie apocalypse? Try looking Batman in the eye after mouthing off to him.

They get inside and it's...not what Wally expected. Chairs, table. Coffee table, even. Couches, TV, a couple DVD cases on the loveseat. There's a bag there in the corner, a stray sock on the ground but it's just so pedestrian. Normal. After what Ellie had said about what her world was like, he'd kind of expected to walk into the house and see the paint peeling off the walls, the floorboards rotting and graffiti on the tables. Which is stupid. ...really stupid, now that he thinks about it.]

He's not gonna fall out of the ceiling and slit my throat, is he?

[Joel hasn't had to use his guns in Heropa yet, but that doesn't mean he doesn't regularly clean them. While Ellie has been out, he's busily set to work with pulling apart his pistol, cleaning out his hunting rifle, making sure his weapons are in good condition. Just in case.

The dining table, out of view from the front door, is covered with an old sheet and laden with gun cleaning supplies: solvent, bore brushes, cleaning patches, cleaning rods, cotton swabs. The room smells of chemicals and cleaning alcohol. He's cleaned his hunting rifle, his pistol, the revolver, the Shorty, gone over his assault rifle, cleaned out the El Diablo, and now he's onto the last one, his shotgun.

He's polishing the barrel when he hears the front door open and Ellie calling out to him. Followed by the voice of someone else. Huh. Tossing the rag onto the dining table, Joel, thinking nothing of it, keeps his shotgun clutched in his hand as he ventures out to the living room.

He comes to a stop at the doorway, peering at the kid warily. Shotgun in hand. He sure wasn't expecting company. He turns his attention on Ellie.]

Who's this?

[Fuuuuuuuuuuck--]

Um. Joel, this is Wally. Wally, this is Joel... [Who is, apparently, doing some cleaning. Impeccable timing. She plasters a pleasant smile on her face. Keep cool. Joel's calmer when he has his security blanket in his hand.]

I mentioned Wally, right? He showed me that Netflix thingy. I was just thinking that he could check out our super awesome DVD collection, too.

[She'll just be sure to stand between Wally and Joel. Just in case.]

[SNAP goes Wally's eyes right to the shotgun. People don't use shotguns for hunting. Or sport.]

Uh, hi. Pretty much just what she said. [Sure, he's seen plenty of guns in his line of work and he's not too worried about getting shot, but like...the guy is just kind of carrying it around like it's a loaf of bread. If people carried loaves of bread like that.]

You mighta mentioned it.

[Ellie definitely mentioned Wally to him before. Wally is a name that's pretty hard to forget. Joel is just not terribly pleased she's brought this kid to their place, and so is deliberately being aloof.

Thing is, Joel knows Ellie needs friends her own age. He knows it's not something he can put a stop to. At least the kid isn't Jesse. Anyone is better than Jesse when it comes to Ellie, as far as Joel is concerned. Then again, he'll also reserve judgement because for all he knows, this Wally kid could be a real pain in his ass.

He looks at Wally.]

So, you're the kid who's been introducing Ellie to all that junk food.

[She totally did. Ellie knows exactly what Joel is doing--not too long ago, he treated her like that, too. Like she wasn't worth his time. And she knows he's going to be suspicious and weird, because that's just how he is with new people, no matter their age.

Sorry, Wally.]

Ha, yeah. This guy might be skinny as hell, but holy shit can he eat. And you think I eat a lot, Joel. He can eat like ten times the amount I do.

[Today's task for Joel, or one of them at least: clear out the mugs and cups and glasses that have been piling up in their bedroom.

Some of them are mugs Joel has used, with dregs of few days old coffee floating at the bottom of the mugs, but a lot of them are Ellie's. Damn, she's a messy kid.

Not that Joel cares about that overly much. If anything, mess is something Joel generally doesn't care about. He hasn't cared about it for years. He's lived in a shitty as hell world with debris and mould and decay everywhere he turned, and fighting to stay alive while the world was falling apart around him has long since taught him to completely rethink his priorities.

But still. Ellie is a real messy kid. He can't really fault her for it - it's not like she's ever had anyone teach her how to be neat. That doesn't stop him from getting annoyed, though, when he trips over one of her shoes or finds himself almost landing on his ass when he slips on a comic she's left lying around.

Or, in this case, stumbles over her backpack left sitting in the middle of the hallway.]

Sonofa-- Ellie!

[The mugs he's clutching in both hands by the handles clink together as he manages to right himself. He throws a look down at the bag and presses his lips together into a thin, aggravated line. Goddamn it, Ellie. With a sigh, he continues to the kitchen, sets the mugs down amongst the clutter of other dishes and are waiting to be washed, and heads back over to her backpack.

He stoops down and snatches it up. It's unzipped; the front flap flops open, and a note shoved haphazardly in the bag catches his eye. He's not one for snooping through Ellie's things but he pulls the note out to give it a quick read - it's probably nothing important, anyway. It's an old piece of paper, tattered, grimy, like it's been through the wars--

I'm going to share a secret with you. I'm not a big fan of kids and I hate babies--

Well, that grabs his attention. With a frown, he continues reading the letter, backpack now hanging from his hand at his side.

You're not even a day old, and holding you is the most incredible thing I've done in my life...

Marlene will look after you. There's no one in this world I trust more than her. When the time comes she'll tell you all about me...

Forever... Your loving mother...

By the time he's finished reading it, there's a very sudden, cold ache of something equal parts hollow and uneasy gripping in his chest. He mutters absently under his breath:]

Jesus--

Edited 2014-08-02 07:33 (UTC)

[Uh oh. She's in trouble now. Considering that Ellie doesn't immediately hear footsteps towards the bedroom, she contemplates just going about her business and pretending she didn't hear that bellow, but the silence is concerning. There's usually something after he swears like that.

Poking her head out of the bedroom, she spots him holding her backpack. Oh. That's where that went.

And then, very suddenly, she realizes what he's doing. He's reading something. A very familiar, stained letter that she's read hundreds of times. She knows it by heart but could stare at the bleeding and faded letters forever. It makes her blood run cold to see it in his hand and, before she can even process a thought, she's rushing towards him to snatch it away.]

Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing? Gimme that!

[She doesn't talk to Joel like that. Not anymore, at least, but in this moment she's reverted to the new kid in school that scrapped tooth and nail to keep her few possessions.

That letter is hers and he has no right to even touch it, let alone read it.

Ironic considering what else is in that backpack of hers.]

[Oops, a customer. Ellie's all ready to act like a good little worker when she sees that it's Levi--like he'd give a crap. So, she just grins and wipes at her mouth with her sleeve.

(Store uniform was an annoying bright polo, but she still wore a long sleeved shirt beneath it.)

There. All fixed.]

Hey. What's up?

[The way Ellie comes rushing at him like that, talking to him like that, like he's nothing more than a stranger invading her privacy - it takes him by complete surprise. Shit, he's thinking, shit, shit. Thoughts of Sarah, and of Marlene, and of what happened in Salt Lake City, they're whirling through his head at the same time, and all Joel can do is let Ellie snatch the letter from him as he takes a step back from her, his gaze averted and his expression unreadable.

Christ. Jesus Christ. What does he do here? Avoid it, that's what. Completely shut it down. He sure as hell doesn't want to be thinking about Marlene, or about those damn Fireflies, especially not now. Especially after reading what he just read.

He steels himself. Collects himself into something impassive and closed off.]

Tripped over your damn backpack.

[A low and gruff tone. And just like that, he tosses Ellie's backpack down on the floor by her feet and turns away from her at the same time, tense and dismissive.]

And this just so happened to fall into your hand when you caught yourself? [She gestures to the note, then inspects it, knowing every crease and stain and tear. It's alright. Three people had ever touched that note--her mother, Marlene, and herself. And now, Joel.

It's stupid. The anger seems to simmer down once she sees Joel react, just as much as she is, in his own way. Ellie takes a breath to calm herself, exhaling slowly.

Stupid. Stupid that she feels bad for yelling at him when she has every right to, backpack on the floor or not.]

How much did you read?

[He says nothing at first. He's surveying the dishes that need to be washed, though he's not really thinking at all about that.

You're not even a day old, and holding you is the most incredible thing I've done in my life... I know you'll turn out to be the woman you're meant to be.

His moves his right hand over his watch, thumb brushing over the cracked glass.

And Marlene. Fucking Marlene. Promising to look after Ellie, Ellie's mother trusting her completely. And then she was just going to treat Ellie like she was nothing more than a lab rat for her little goddamn cause that would probably have started a whole new goddamn war had they managed to engineer a vaccine.]

Didn't think it was important.

[And that's the honest truth when he'd pulled the note out of her bag. But then he chances a glance at her. The tense, guilty look on his face says everything: he read all of it.]

[Another sigh. Ellie's eyes are on some spot on the floor before she glances up at him and sees that expression--there go any leftover urges to stomp away and slam the bedroom door. Instead, she sighs and picks up her backpack, putting the note back where it belongs and putting the bag on a nearby chair. Nice and safe.

Infuriating as seeing him with that note was, she knows he's no snoop. Joel values his own privacy too much to start fucking with hers.]

Marlene gave me that, when I first met her. My knife, too. They were both my mom's. She held onto them for thirteen years, until she had the chance to give 'em to me.

[A hand fiddles with the hem of her sleeve as she looks at Joel again.]

Sorry for leaving my shit out.

[Sorry for yelling.]

[Wally usually takes things at face value and reacts accordingly, and it's pretty clear this guy is giving off some strong "I don't want you here" vibes. Normally Wally would react by asserting his dominance in some way, or by leaving considering it's not his house and he was raised with at least some manners.

But he kind of likes Ellie. She's cool. And it's abundantly clear that she really likes and respects this Joel guy, so Wally's going to give it his best shot and try to get along with him.] It's a gift. If you'd like a refresher course on Bagel Bites and why every household needs them, I'd be happy to help you out.

[Joel looks away again, quickly, at Ellie's mention of Marlene. If only she knew what the hell Marlene was going to do her... Actually, fuck. No. Better she knows nothing. He'd rather her know nothing than lie to her again, though he would lie to her all over again if it meant protecting Ellie.

His shoulders sag in a kind of defeat at her apology, though, and he slowly leans his backside against the edge of the kitchen counter and looks down as he crosses his arms over his chest. It seems like he's not going to say anything at first, like he's simply waiting for Ellie to leave him alone. But then he sighs. He's not angry with her. It's not her fault. He didn't mean to read that letter.]

Gonna break my neck one of these days, trippin' over your stuff.

[It's alright, kiddo.]

[Likewise, Ellie rests her arms on the back of the chair her backpack rests on. She stares down at it, not needing to look at Joel to read between the lines. Knowing Joel means learning how to pick up on what he really means, sometimes, when he says things. They're alright.]

Um. [But she doesn't know if he even wants to hear about this shit, yet here she goes anyway. Might as well since he read the damn thing.] I always thought I was pretty lucky, you know? Like, even before the whole... getting bitten and not turning thing. [Whether that's luck can be debated, though. Ellie's had that debate with herself too many times to count.] She had enough time to do one last thing, and that was writing me a letter. Obviously I don't remember her, but when I read that letter, I hear this voice and--it's dumb.

[She smiles to herself, awkward, and rubs at her nose. Sentimental grossness.]

[Joel almost - almost - tells her to stop when she continues talking. He doesn't want to hear anything more about fucking Marlene--

--but then he realises it's not Marlene Ellie is talking about. He hesitates in his urge to shut her down and just continues staring down, glancing a few times at his broken watch, as Ellie talks about her mother.

He's frankly still trying to process the fact that he'd just read a letter from Ellie's mom. If anything, he gets it. The fact that Ellie's mother was thinking that much about Ellie, to the point where she put aside all else to write her that letter... Yeah, he gets that. Over the years, he's had many internal struggles with himself, wrestling with survivor guilt, wishing he knew why it was her that died and not someone else. Or him.]

It's not dumb.

[He can still remember Sarah's voice; he can still hear it in his head if he thinks real hard.]

[She smiles, briefly, glad for that fact that he at least will humor her. Even that means something to her. Ellie's mouth opens, to maybe say something more about her mother, or maybe Marlene, but she stops herself.]

... were your parents around when everything happened?

[Old as he is, he was twenty years younger when the world went to shit.]

[The question is unexpected; it surprises him, and it shows in the way he glances quickly at Ellie. He then lowers his gaze and after a brief pause, he shakes his head with a small shrug as he shifts his weight against the kitchen counter, crossing one foot over the other.]

No idea what happened to my parents. We weren't on good terms.

[There's a joke in there about how he had been on bad terms with Tommy at one point, too, but Ellie refrains. She also refrains from asking more about his parents, because she can sense that line in the sand approaching--she might be able to get a little more out of him, but that's so far in the past that he won't see the point in talking about it, she figures.

So, she looks down at her backpack.]

Sounds rough.

[Her hand reaches down to fiddle with a zipper.]

[Another shrug, this time a one-shouldered one.]

It don't matter now. Hasn't mattered for a long time.

[He says it like he never thinks about them. He does, sometimes. He hasn't really considered them family for years but he can't help but wonder, sometimes, what happened to them, if they got bit or if they were gunned down. He doubts very much that they're still alive, though. But like he said, it doesn't matter.]

[And there it is.]

Yeah.

[Her fingers still on the zipper, and she goes quiet for a few moments. Maybe she's got a problem, with the stash of items in her backpack. Riley's pendant. Sam's robot. Her broken walkman.

And a picture of Joel and Sarah that Maria had shown her and then left out where it was easily slipped into her jacket. Joel hadn't wanted it, she'd said, and then she told Ellie about how Sarah had died in the beginning. That Joel had been a father, and that he took care of a girl only a little younger than Ellie herself. The details were vague--either because Tommy didn't divulge too much on how his neice died, or because Maria wanted to spare Ellie, or maybe because someone cared about Joel's privacy. But it had changed the way Ellie viewed Joel. That was the day when he suddenly made sense.

Ah, fuck it. Now's a good of a time as any to get that damn thing out of her backpack and into the hands of its proper owner.]

I, uh. I've got something of yours.

[Yeah. And with another, quietly deep sigh, Joel is ready to put all of this behind them now. Pretend he didn't read the letter, as much he knows deep down that it's going to niggle away at him in the back of his mind for a long time coming. Move on from this conversation. Put the past behind them again where it belongs.

He uncrosses his feet and pushes away from the counter, arms dropping from where they're crossed over his chest. Guess he'll finish these damn dishes. About to take a striding step over to the sink, he stops short at Ellie saying she's got something of his. He looks over at her with a curious frown starting to press between his eyebrows.]

[She meant to give it to him long ago, but between nearly being dumped onto Tommy and the entirety of winter, there was never a good moment. Ellie spent a lot of time in that basement watching over Joel, occasionally looking at that photograph, trying to reconcile the smiling man in the picture with the one hanging onto life by a thread on the floor, the one she'd gotten to know. It didn't click.

She could understand why he didn't want that photo, but he should have it. He should have a photograph of his daughter.

Ellie opens her backpack and pulls out the photo, so carefully preserved between her joke books. She doesn't look at it before walking over to Joel, stepping out from behind the chair, and holding it out for him to take.]

I saw this at Tommy's, and... I took it. [Sticky fingers.] I meant to give it to you earlier, but--stuff just kept coming up. So... here. It's yours.

[Please don't be mad.]

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open | everything I have found dear

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HEROPA HOUSING - Ellie, Joel, Wally

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thread the second! (closed to ellie)

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