vaccination | contact ☣ ❝Am I ever getting boobs or what?❞

[Not worth arguing. Ellie sighs and collects her pile of books in her backpack--carefully scooting her handgun aside--and waits on one of the benches inside the library's entrance. She's come to love air conditioned buildings. Once she gets Joel's text, she hefts her backpack onto her shoulders and heads outside.

He can probably see her looking around for him. Outside is pretty vague.]

[Down by the curb in front of the library, Joel is leaning against the passenger side door of an old 1957 red Chevrolet, his arms crossed over his chest. He's not grinning or even smirking but he is looking pretty pleased with himself.

He hasn't said a word to Ellie, or anyone, about the $100K. And while he could have easily bought something flash and fancy and brand new, he decided to go for something that didn't look like he'd suspiciously landed a sudden large sum of money. He ain't stupid.

Besides. This thing is a classic. More to the point, he's got the money to fix it up.]

Over here, kiddo.

[When Ellie's eyes settle on Joel, it takes them a moment to focus on the car. It's just not a thing she would expect to see. Her steps are slow as she approaches, hands on the straps of her bag and jaw slack.]

... no way. No fucking way...

[He's beginning to smirk now, just the corners of his lips lifting at Ellie's expression and reaction.]

Surprise.

What--when the hell did this happen? [She drops her backpack on the curb near Joel, completely bypassing him to inspect the car. Sure, it's sort of battle-worn, but Ellie can tell it could be something really cool one day. Also, it's red. Good choice.]

Wow.

[Dropping his arms from his chest, he pushes away from the car and stands tall, watching Ellie move in to inspect the car.]

Just picked it up. Needs a lotta work done to it but it still runs pretty good. And even better, she's all ours.

[Grasping the passenger door handle, he pulls it open and steps back.]

Grab your bag and hop on in.

So I'm guessing this means you and Jesse talked?

[She's all smiles as she grabs her bag and climbs into the car, checking out the inside. Sure, Jesse's was shiny and flashy, but this has its own charm, too.

Plus, she's always wanted to work on a car.]

[Joel doesn't answer Ellie at first. He waits until she's climbed in, shuts the door after her (it groans a little on its hinges) and walks around the front of the car to climb into the driver side. His door, too, groans a little as he slams it shut.]

Yeah. We talked.

[He's got a couple of things to say to Ellie about that, actually, but the lecture can wait. He's also not about to go into details just yet about how that whole meeting went down. Lucky as hell though they both are to be alive after all the shit they've gone through, it not often he and Ellie run into good fortune and he wants to make the most of it.

The bench seat of the Chevy is a deep red that's faded with age and cracked in places where it's dried out and been in direct sunlight. There's a musty smell of age in the car, too - nowhere near as bad as the old smells that permeate the cars back home, but still pretty distinguishable. Joel puts the key in the ignition and turns it. It roars to life, loud and low, probably due to a small hole in the muffler.

He looks over at Ellie.]

Where d'you wanna go?

[Oh, Ellie knows that tone. He's not particularly pleased, but seeing as the first thing he did was buy this little project car instead of yell at her, Ellie's sure he's not pissed. So, as she sits on the creaky seat, able to feel the cracked covering scratch at her legs through her jeans, she gives him a smile. See? Can't be mad if Ellie hooked you up with a job that let you get this thing.

For a moment, sitting in the car feels familiar. It's old and smelly just like everything at home, but when she looks out the window, it's definitely not home. The streets aren't blocked by junk, no corpses cooking in the sun, no rusty debris all over the place. Weird sense of nostalgia, that.]

I'm glad he talked to you. [Hopefully Jesse isn't too scared to talk to Ellie, now.]

Umm... I don't know. Where should I wanna go? [Joel gets another smile. She really has no clue.]

[Joel is just going to let all comments about Jesse slide right about now. He'll address the matter of Jesse a little later. Right now, he just wants to enjoy this. Enjoy the freedom of actually being able to take Ellie somewhere without it being because he's gotta get her to the Fireflies.

He taps his thumb on the top of the steering wheel as he stares out the windscreen in thought at Ellie's question, while the car rumbles in neutral, waiting to take off. Where should Ellie want to go? Where would be a place to take her that she's never been before?

It comes to him, then. He puts the car in gear.]

I know just the place.

[The car has a hovering function but Joel hasn't quite mastered the whole driving a hovering car just yet. So, with a push of gas and a louder rumble of the engine, he pulls the car out of the curb and onto the street.]

How come you're at school, anyways? School is the last place I thought I'd find you.

Is it another surprise? [Probably, seeing as he didn't announce their destination. Ellie's alright with that. She rolls down the window on her side to feel the breeze on her face. The humidity here is insane compared to Boston.]

Ah, I just wanted to look at some books. There's a city library, but I like the one at school better. [Definitely nothing to do with there being kids her age there. It can't be, because she very rarely ever talks to them outside the network.]

Sure, why not.

[Sure, it can be a surprise. In fact, he knows it'll be a surprise. He's sure of it. He turns the stiff steering wheel and guides the car around the corner into the traffic.

Christ. Damn goddamn weird driving in traffic again. He pulls up behind a car waiting at a red light and glances over at Ellie.]

Thought I'd find you at the Youth Centre. They don't have books and stuff there?

[She splits her attention between the sidewalks with people and the road. Traffic signals. She knows what the colors mean ("red light, green light" was still a game played by children after the end of the world), but watching all the cars obey is mesmerizing. That being the case, she almost misses what Joel says.]

Huh? Oh, yeah. They've got plenty of stuff. It just gets really busy there.

[Really busy and there's more of an expectation to interact with other people there. Jesse is fun and easy to talk to, but Ellie's pretty sure the point is to hang out with people her age.]

[Joel notices how distracted Ellie is. He keeps glancing across at her, watching the way she gazes out the window like a curious child laying her eyes on a strange spectacle. It sure feels kinda nerve-wracking for him, too, truth be told - he hasn't in any way forgotten how to drive, but driving in traffic after twenty years of nothing but rusted out cars littering the roads back home and hardly another soul to share the road with, it's pretty damn strange.

Still. It's also kinda like muscle memory. Like riding a bicycle. Just hop straight back on and it comes back to you pretty quickly.]

Y'know, this was what drivin' to work was like for me every day before the outbreak. Sittin' at traffic lights, waitin' in traffic jams.

[But back to the Youth Centre. The light turns green and Joel returns his attention to driving as the car in front of him pulls off.]

So, what actually goes on there? At the Youth Centre?

[When he mentions that this is how it was for him before, Ellie lets out a low whistle. She's already a little antsy, certain she could walk faster than these lights take to change. She wants to ask more about his commute and traffic, but then he asks about the Youth Centre, and what actually goes on there. A funny way to word it.]

Uh, the usual stuff, I guess? There's arts and crafts, games, stuff to watch and places to hang out. I usually end up playing ball with Jesse, or whatever he suggests. [She shrugs.] It's just a place to kill time.

[Which is why she doesn't go as much as she once did, now that Joel is here.]

[Joel winds his window down - he's going to have to get air conditioning fitted in this car - and wipes away gathering beads of sweat from his forehead before propping his arm to rest on the door as he drives.

The usual stuff, huh? Arts and crafts and games? Joel just thinks that over for a moment or two as he indicates and turns into another street.]

And what about Jesse? What's he get up to there?

Edited 2014-06-25 07:54 (UTC)

He just makes sure no one is beating the crap out of anyone else, I guess. [Ellie watches a car park on the side of the street with mild interest, eyes constantly flicking back to check the road.]

That right?

[Now, why the hell does that amuse Joel? That lanky, scrawny little kid pretending to have a tough guy attitude, trying to stop people from beating each other up? He just lets out a faint snort at the mere thought of it. God help him if there are any real tough kids at that Youth Centre. Like Ellie. Who could easily scare the shit out Jesse if she really wanted to.

But that's not what Joel is concerned about.]

That all he does?

I don't really know what he does. He... supervises stuff? Looks like a fun job, anyway, getting to hang out and play all day.

[But no, that's not all he does. Joel knows that now, too.]

If you're asking if his other job gets mixed up with stuff at the Youth Centre, I think everyone is too busy painting and playing soccer to get involved.

[Joel has more than worked out by now that Ellie knows the kind of thing Jesse is involved in. That doesn't bother Joel so much.

What does bother him is, though...]

He ever try slipping anythin' to you?

[Joel is pretty sure he believed Jesse when the kid said he never gets kids involved. Ever. But it doesn't hurt to ask Ellie herself. Joel is pretty sure Ellie would tell him if Jesse ever tried to coax her into using drugs.

Hey, Ellie is his kid. He's just looking out for her.]

No. He didn't even want to tell me about it. I had to pretty much pry it out of him when I was asking where he got his money from.

[Making drugs.]

I don't really get what exactly he does. You gonna let me in the loop, Joel?

[Well, alright then. Joel can deal with that. Good. Means Jesse was definitely telling the truth, then.]

I asked him that myself, 'bout what exactly it is he does. He said it was none of my business.

[Or, well, he asked where the hell Jesse was getting fifty pounds of meth from a week and Jesse had said it was none of his business, but Joel has had some time to think about it since that conversation, and he's pretty sure he's figured it out.

He pulls up at another red light and he glances over at Ellie.]

Listen, if he - or anyone - ever tries to slip you stuff or tries to talk you into takin' anything, you let me know. Got it?

[Ellie meets his gaze.]

You think he would?

[Drugs = bad, she's got that much. Doesn't matter what it is, she supposes, but it's not like she accepts much for anyone.]

[The light turns green and Joel looks away from Ellie and shifts the car into gear to pull off. No, he doesn't think Jesse would even dare, not after their last encounter. Still.]

He'd be mighty stupid to try.

... is this where I ask how the whole "hey, wanna work for me?" conversation went?

[Joel got money, obviously, but his curiosity about Jesse says a lot.]

action!

:D

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