Tess wouldn't lie to him. Even if Joel is trying to wrap his head around the fact that she's alive, he knows she wouldn't lie to him. And yet--
Ellie lives here? That don't make any sense. He'd been with her only hours ago in that tunnel. They'd been talking about - Christ, they'd been talking about teaching her to swim once all that shit was over and done with, and then--
No, that don't make any sense. Even if there's an undeniable surge of relief at hearing that Ellie's fine, that don't make any god damn sense.
Joel is taking a few paces towards Tess, about to angrily argue that very point when she pulls her collar aside. He stops in his tracks. He stares at the spot where the bloodied, gnarled bite had been, then cuts his eyes up to Tess' face, an unreadable expression on his own. And when she mentions remembering it, remembering all of it… He looks away with a hard swallow. Yeah, something he sure doesn't want to be reminded of.
And he could argue that that doesn't make any sense, either, that there's no infection, that this place is some kind… what, purgatory? Was he killed when he was knocked unconscious? Did whoever those assholes were - Hunters, perhaps? Fireflies? - stand over his unconscious body and shoot him point-blank in the face?
A hand comes up and wipes slowly over his face, rubs down with an anxious contemplation over his beard before he's making a lunge for the drink. He swipes it up, vaguely aware that his hand is shaking slightly, takes a sip, and the searing burn that immediately lights a fire in his mouth, down his throat - it's strangely grounding.
"So, does that mean…?" He sets the glass back down on the counter and looks back to Tess. "What about Ellie? This mean Ellie's no longer infected neither?"
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Ellie lives here? That don't make any sense. He'd been with her only hours ago in that tunnel. They'd been talking about - Christ, they'd been talking about teaching her to swim once all that shit was over and done with, and then--
No, that don't make any sense. Even if there's an undeniable surge of relief at hearing that Ellie's fine, that don't make any god damn sense.
Joel is taking a few paces towards Tess, about to angrily argue that very point when she pulls her collar aside. He stops in his tracks. He stares at the spot where the bloodied, gnarled bite had been, then cuts his eyes up to Tess' face, an unreadable expression on his own. And when she mentions remembering it, remembering all of it… He looks away with a hard swallow. Yeah, something he sure doesn't want to be reminded of.
And he could argue that that doesn't make any sense, either, that there's no infection, that this place is some kind… what, purgatory? Was he killed when he was knocked unconscious? Did whoever those assholes were - Hunters, perhaps? Fireflies? - stand over his unconscious body and shoot him point-blank in the face?
A hand comes up and wipes slowly over his face, rubs down with an anxious contemplation over his beard before he's making a lunge for the drink. He swipes it up, vaguely aware that his hand is shaking slightly, takes a sip, and the searing burn that immediately lights a fire in his mouth, down his throat - it's strangely grounding.
"So, does that mean…?" He sets the glass back down on the counter and looks back to Tess. "What about Ellie? This mean Ellie's no longer infected neither?"