Joel shifts his weight from his left foot to his right while glancing in the direction of the Earth sector. He's weighing it up in his head: the kid could be a damn burden to have tag along. On the other hand, the kid seems to know the area, and a damn sight better than Joel does.

"Alright, look," he finally answers after a few moments of silent contemplation, "I'll make a deal with you." He looks back down to the kid. "You can tag along. Show me the way through the back alleys, and I'll make sure no one jumps you. But you gotta find your own way back. I ain't gonna be your babysitter. Got it?"