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[focusrighthere]

[Immediately after he woke up, he began to panic. This was the wrong place to be. He was alone and some piece of shit took his watch -- his watch, Jesus Christ, why? It was broken, it wasn't worth anything to anyone but him. He swears under his breath and envisions a slow death for the party responsible while he moves through the giant castle like an angry shadow.

Normally he knows how not to be seen, but with the confusing events clouding over his judgment he's moving a bit too fast. It's huge in here. He's nowhere near Tommy's camp anymore, that's for sure. What he needs to do is push forward and search every area for Ellie, just keep searching until he finds the little girl he's lost somewhere along the way. Again.

If you are unfortunate enough to bump into Joel first, he's got a backpack full of weapons and explosives and a hell of a lot of snap judgments to make about anyone he might run into. It might not look like the start of a friendly encounter.

But he has no idea to expect magic from anyone or anything. You're all normal, fallible civilians, right?]

Comments

[focusrighthere]

[It's working. He's confident that he might have the upper hand here, as well-stocked as he is, and it's helping that the guy doesn't seem to be itching for a fight. After reading his body language, Joel relaxes an iota.

An iota, mind you.]

I found the person I was looking for. [A fact that is also helping with the whole slowly relaxing thing. But, about his watch:] But I'm missing something that belonged to me.

[rightchoices]

[ The castle tends to take things from people. Lee will perhaps not launch into that immediately, and instead tips his head curiously and vaguely at Joel. ]

What'd you lose?

[ And, well - it's just a hunch, but he's not the first person that Lee has met moving harried and defensive through the walls of Paradisa this month, looking for someone. So he'll try: ]

And your name isn't Joel, is it?

[focusrighthere]

[Instead of answering right away, he looks down and unconsciously rubs at the spot on his wrist. Losing that watch felt like looking a chunk of his soul. If he ever found out who did it, he would kill them.

Before he can think of the right words for the right answer, the stranger surprises him by knowing his name. He lifts his head up and peers at Lee, curiously.]

Yeah, it is. [Oh. He twigs onto the most likely explanation.] I'm gonna guess you've talked with Ellie.

[rightchoices]

Yeah, you got it. [ But Lee is relaxing visibly, then; he seems a little relieved, if anything at all. ] Glad you're here. She seemed pretty set on finding you when I ran into her before.

[focusrighthere]

Hm...

[Joel forces himself into relaxing more too. Those instincts from his first life are still somewhere, buried deep inside now. He just has to pull 'em out and dust 'em off.

That doesn't mean he's gonna let anyone get the jump on him, but it does mean he's gotta remember how to talk to people who don't know what infected are.]

Me too. [He thinks on it and decides to swing a truce. One of Ellie's friends and that goes a long way. Joel holds his hand out for a shake, a bit of a contrast to the man who was looking to shoot your head off perhaps not two minutes ago.] What's your name? You already know mine.

[rightchoices]

[ Lee isn't sure that he'd call himself Ellie's friend -- not yet, at least, because he knows that the word has a lot more weight than a lot of people like to give it. But he leans in, swinging his hand out to grab and shake Joel's in return. ]

Lee Everett. [ It's nice -- the habit of being able to share his last name without worrying about people recognizing it. ] Heard some pretty terrible shit's going down for you guys.

[focusrighthere]

[Joel's not much for first impressions, but he thinks he likes this guy. Lee Everett. He actually can't remember the last time he shook hands with someone in a normal way, just a friendly introduction instead of some seedy business deal.

It felt alright. He leans back and sniffs out a sound that is partway amused.]

You heard right, Lee. Are you one of the fellas dealing with those 'walker' things?

[rightchoices]

Yeah. I'm definitely one of those. [ He smiles, but it's a tight, humorless expression; there's nothing really happy or fun to be had from talking about home and the bullshit they're facing there, but he wasn't exactly shy about the subject. ]

Completely foreign concept to most folks here. Don't know if I'm grateful to meet other people who get it or sad that there are other places going through similar shit.

[focusrighthere]

[Lee's expressions, and the way he talks, all ping completely familiar for Joel. He's used to dry humor without mirth and an overall weathered acceptance of one too many grim realities. Needless to say, he believes in Walkers.

Not that he's happy to have all this faith in another creature wrecking so much havoc in another world, but he does. Joel shoots Lee a similar sort of half-smile back; sympathetic, understanding and entirely fed up. Sour.]

That's one to go back and forth on, I'm sure. How long have you been dealin' with your outbreak?

[rightchoices]

Couple of months.

[ Lee pauses after he says that, though, brow furrowing as if he himself can't really believe what he's saying. ]

.. Christ. Can't believe everything went to hell that fast. What about you? Your girl made it seem like it'd been longer.

[focusrighthere]

[So it was just starting up for them. Joel gives him an uneasy expression. He should probably hold his tongue about how things only go more to shit the longer it all goes on, but that truth can probably be read on his face alone.]

Hn, about twenty years now.

[rightchoices]

[ And, if anything? His expression is sincerely and utterly relieved. Said something for the tenacity of human spirit, right? Or maybe that was just a nice way to call people stubborn. ] Can't believe we hold out that long. Nice to know.

[focusrighthere]

Honestly, I'm not sure we were meant to.

[Kinda blunt, but he's not sure how else to put it.]

The things people will do to each other to hold out that long will give you nightmares.

[rightchoices]

Christ. Tell me about it.

[ Lee skims his hand over his head, giving a low and exasperated sigh. ]</small Ran into a group of cannibals not three months after this shit started going down. Can't imagine what things might look like twenty years out.