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

[She doesn't need to ask to know that he didn't go on that cruise alone. Of course he'd gone with Sarah, maybe Tommy, too. There's a little pang of something in her chest, and she's unsure whether it's envy or jealousy or if she just feels sorry for Joel.

Probably better not to dwell on it, for both their sakes.]

What's a place you've always wanted to visit?

[Joel has to think about that question for a moment. A place he's always wanted to visit... That hasn't remotely been an option for years, and every place on earth is as ravaged with infection as America is back at home.

And Texas... Well, he's longed for home - the home he knew before the outbreak - for the past two decades. He's never quite been able to shake that homesickness. It's a place he's never been able to return to, though. For a number of reasons.]

Dunno. Don't think about it much. Ain't like there's many places to go back home.

But we're not home. You should think about it some more.

[Maybe they could take their own little trip for fun. Not a cruise, but maybe a plane or something. Anywhere would be good.]

[Joel falls silent again, and this time he stays silent for a little while as he walks slowly along the sand, thinking over Ellie's remark.

Huh, he thinks to himself. It's not that he hasn't been slowly getting used to it here but... he finds himself often forgetting that they're not home. That there are places they can go. Places that... might exist here that existed back home before the outbreak.

He glances over his shoulder at Ellie, notices that she's following his footsteps in the sand. It suddenly hits him all over again: he's going to miss her when he's out on the road doing the drops. It's weirdly going to be like Texas all over again: working long hours, not coming home until odd hours of the night, leaving Ellie to her own devices the way Sarah was. The only difference is, he'll be able to afford it without an iota of financial struggle.

He slows to a stop and turns to face Ellie.]

Tell you what: once I'm settled into this new job, once I got a routine goin' and am familiar with everythin', let's go somewhere. Like a vacation.

[So preoccupied is she with fitting her foot inside the prints left by Joel's that she all but bumps into his back when he slows.]

Yeah? [She asks, smile growing on her face. She's never been on a vacation before. She and Riley always joked about visiting the quarantine zone in Los Angeles, if it even existed, always commenting to one another how they were saving up every penny. It was never going to happen, but damn, having that little glimmer of hope helped.]

That'd be cool. Think you'll have a place in mind by then?

[It's worth suggesting it even just to see that hopeful smile grow on Ellie's face. He means it, though: a vacation would be good. It'd be nice. They damn well deserve it after the hell they've been through together. He has no idea where yet and he's going to need to do some investigating to find out where they could go and what they could go, but--]

Yeah, think I will. Think I'll make it a surprise, too.

Okay, is that going to become a trend or something? You can't make everything a surprise.

[She flicks some wet sand his way with her foot. Surprises aren't all that bad, and she really has no problem with that, but she just wants to complain.]

Sure, I can.

[Surprise gifts, surprise trips to places she's never been before, surprise... whatever that he hopes will bring a smile to her face. Kids love surprises like that, don't they? Sarah did.]

What, don't like surprises?

I do. Just... don't go out of your way or anything. [She rubs at her nose and hurries a few feet ahead of Joel, crouching down in the sand.]

Whoa... hey, look at this, Joel.

[It's a sand dollar, stuck on the wet sand. Ellie doesn't touch it, unsure if it's alive or if it'll poison her or something.]

It's got like a starfish pattern on it.

[Joel watches Ellie hurry off as she spots something in the sand. He doesn't have to go out of his way for Ellie, at all, for anything - he knows that. And a little under a year ago, the thought of going out of his way for her at all while smuggling her out of the zone filled him with a sick, uneasy dread that hit too close to home. But now... well, she's become more precious to him, more important to him, than anything.

He starts after her as she crouches down to peer at something on the sand, and he crouches down alongside her.]

Yeah, it's a sand dollar. Looks like it might be dead. [Resting a knee down on the sand, he carefully lifts it and turns it over.]

Yeah, it's dead. Live sand dollars have little bristles that move, but this little fella sure ain't moving. See that little hole there in the centre? That's its mouth. [He turns it back over, holds it out to Ellie.] Wanna hold it? They ain't poisonous, not even the live ones.

That looks nothing like a dollar. Or a dollar looks nothing like it.

[Despite her next words, she gently takes it from Joel's hand to inspect it closer.]

Gross. It's more like a round starfish then, right? They have tiny mouths in their middles.

Yeah, kinda. Think they're like some kinda sea urchin or somethin'. They're related to the starfish, anyways.

[Leaving Ellie to examine the dead sand dollar, Joel pushes himself up and goes wading ankle-deep into the water, stooping over to peer around for other sand dollars. He spots one a few moments later; it's much darker than the one Ellie is holding. He lifts it up from the water and takes it back to Ellie, crouching down next to her again. He turns the creature upside down for Ellie to see its underside.]

This little guy here is alive. See them bristles, how they're movin' about?

[She hardly notices he's gone. It's too easy to get lost staring down at the tiny little dead thing in her hand. It's only when Joel comes back that she shifts her focus, dropping the dead sand dollar back onto the sand.]

God, that's so weird. Like who the fuck invented this thing? [She laughs and holds her hand out to take it from Joel.] They were so drunk.

Heh. Yeah. Guess it is kinda weird.

[He places the creature on her hand to let her get a closer look at it. Resting his forearm on his knee, he glances at Ellie and studies her profile as she examines the sand dollar. It occurs to him all over again how much he's going to miss her those few days he's going to have to be away while on the job.

He turns his attention down to his hand, twiddling his fingers and thumb together idly to brush sand off his fingertips.]

You, uh... You gonna be okay with me bein' gone a few days a week?

[Ellie pokes at the thing with her opposite hand, watching it's little... feeler thingies react. It's pretty awesome. Could these go in an fish tank? Could they have a fish tank? Right before she's about to ask, Joel beats her to a question first.]

Yeah. [That reply was a little too quick. After an inhale, she replies again, more sure.] Yeah. Just a few days, right? I was fine before.

[Except she missed him every day, and she doubts that will change when he's off making deliveries. She'll be okay, because there's no other option if she can't go with him.]

Yeah. Just a few days. And like we discussed, you can call me whenever you like. Don't matter what time of day it is.

[Yeah, just a few days. Except... Jesus, that's going to seem like a lifetime to him. Being separated from her for just a few hours can be bad enough.

He sighs quietly to himself, watching the way Ellie handles the sand dollar.]

I'll be makin' good money, though. We'll be able to move into our own place before you know it.

I know. And I will, don't worry. [Don't worry, she says, because it sounds like he needs the reassurance just as much as she does. Or maybe even a little more.]

Don't miss me too much. [She snorts, amused at her own teasing, then sets the sand dollar back down on the sand.]

[Don't miss her too much? Joel doesn't answer that. How can he without giving away just how much he's going to miss her like crazy? Dusting his hands free from the sand, he pushes himself up to stand.]

That reminds me: I'll show you how to send messages, yeah?

[Thanks, Joel. Ellie was just kidding, anyway. He'll be fine without her for a few days. His own little vacation.

She sighs as she stands up. Either in disappointment or at the effort.]

Oh! Right, texting.

[He wipes his hands on his jeans, then motions a little further up the shore from the water where the sand isn't as wet. They can go and sit down there. And without a word, he leads the way, trudging over the sand, until he reaches a spot where the sand is still slightly damp but so dry that it'll be hot like it is further up on the beach.

With a grunt, he crouches down and eases himself down onto his backside, squinting up at Ellie against the glare of the sun on the water. He pats the spot next to him.]

C'mere, kiddo.

[It's instinctual to follow Joel, so she does. She plops down next to him with little regard for her own backside, unlike him, the sand absorbing enough of the fall for her to not regret it.]

Alright. Lay it on me, Joel. How's this madness work?

Got your device on you?

[He's digging his hand into his own pocket to get his own device out.]

[She leans to the side to get hers out of her pocket, purposely and obnoxiously leaning against him and invading his personal space.]

Sure do.

[Letting out a quiet grunt of amusement as he pulls his device out of his pocket, Joel nudges Ellie with his elbow as she leans against him. Not that he minds. Would have been a different story a number of months ago but these days, Ellie gets away with invading his personal space like that.

No one else does, though. Anyone else would be shoved away quick and fast - and depending on how much of a threat Joel perceived them to be, he'd possibly draw his pistol on them, too.

But he kinda likes it when Ellie does things like this. Kind of reminds him of Sarah.]

Hey, watch it, you.

I'm not doin' anything.

[Ellie doesn't play around with anyone else like this. Jesse is probably the closest in terms of playfulness, but there are still moments when Ellie has her doubts and paranoia tells her to not have so much fun. If she doesn't let herself like someone a lot, then it won't hurt as much when they inevitably die or disappear.

Not nice things to think about, so she doesn't.]

Did you text a lot before?

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