[No, he'd never fallen in with that crowd. That had been the cause of some of his biggest fights with Tommy over the years and now it was showing up again, in the form of Tess coming back from the dead just so he could disappoint her and crush her hopes. And then shoot her.

Just keep moving. He was glad they were walking again. It helps. Not much, but it helps. Joel sighs hard at her question. She's right, after all. He would rather stick close to a dark place that he knows than venture out into a new one that's unfamiliar to him.]

Don't you think it's fucked up to put all that on a fourteen year old girl?

[God, it sounds weird coming out of his mouth. Saying this to his partner, one of the few people who knew everything he was capable of. Tess was probably gonna look at him like he'd grown an extra head for that one. It's more than just an ethical musing, though-- there's real bite to that counter-question, real anger and frustration. It was what he'd been thinking about when he'd asked Ellie if she wanted to just turn around and forget the whole thing.]

And for what? A chance for the Fireflies to screw around and try to play hero? They were so damn destroyed after just a year that one person finished them off.

[True that he was a very decent murderer when he wanted to be, but still.]