open to all!

[shittybirthday]

Characters: Joel and open!
Date: Mid-April through to... whenever??
Location: All sectors.
Situation: Joel has arrived in Keeliai and is searching for Ellie.
Warnings/Rating: PG. Will edit to a higher rating if necessary!

If you want to do anything specific with Joel, feel free to hit me up at spongebong!

Joel has been wandering lost through the city for what feels like hours.

Ellie. That's all he can think about amid the mess of bewilderment racing through his mind about where he is: Ellie. Finding Ellie. From the moment he woke up in that damn tub of water, groggy and feeling like he'd been heavily drugged and finding himself staring up at a severe looking man staring right back down at him, Ellie is all he's been able to think about. His immediate thought had been that he'd been kidnapped and that Ellie had been-- Shit, he didn't want to think about what had happened to Ellie, what they'd done to her. He just wanted to find her.

And so, with the stagnant taste of water from the tunnel still in his mouth, in his throat, with the mental image of frantically applying compressions to Ellie's chest while she lay lifeless on the wet, water-logged ground, as his strength slowly began to return to him and the heavy fog began lifting from his mind, he started to fight. He weren't gonna listen to any bullshit about some great evil or some asshole called Malicant. He needed to find Ellie, god damn it.

Where is she? The girl? he'd managed to demand, his voice weak and croaky as he was lifted out of the water. When none of the strange people around him were willing to answer his questions, he began wrestling against them with all his might. He threw clumsy punches, tried grabbing them and slamming them into the wall, tried throwing them to the ground to stamp as hard as he could on their faces. Where is she? WHERE IS SHE? All to no avail: he'd been too damn weak to do much more than grope and grab and listlessly shove at anyone who tried to come near him. He was easily overpowered. Soon, he was shoved outside, left to fend for himself with no answers to any of his questions.

And now, here he is: navigating his way through a bewildering maze of streets and crowds. He's dressed in ratty jeans and a dirty, threadbare blue denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up his muscular forearms; his skin is weathered and nicked with scars, scabs and bruises. On his left wrist is a wristwatch, the glass face cracked, the hour and minute hands frozen in time. Strapped to his back is a dirty brown backpack, laden with various weapons: a bow, six arrows, a metal pipe with scissor blades crudely affixed to the end of it with duct tape, a shotgun, a hunting rifle, a flamethrower and a military torch clipped to his backpack shoulder strap. His face is tired, world-weary, the wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead deep and heavy-set. His dark hair is greying and there are flecks of grey in his dark beard. Not a shred of mirth can be seen in his expression; but there's a look of something resembling barely contained worry, if not panic, in his hard eyes.

It's the first time in twenty years that he's seen or been in urban civilisation. Civilisation, that is, that isn't overrun by martial law, isn't secured into quarantine zones, isn't surrounded by militia, by the constant threat of Hunters, by decayed ruin and despair. By Infected.

He doesn't trust any of it. As he walks through the streets, he keeps glancing over his shoulder in paranoia. It's all too much. Too overwhelming. Too much noise, too many smells, too much stimulation. He's grown so used to the dead, dank silence of a world torn apart by chaos and sickness and terror that a thriving civilisation is completely foreign to him now; much less a civilisation as strange and almost otherworldly as this. Sudden noises make him tense; sudden movements make him defensive; people approaching him or getting in way makes him itch to whip out his pistol from where it's tucked in his waistband and aim it point-blank at their faces.

Comments

[akito]

"It's easier if you just toss me up!" And more fun. Though Akito doesn't have upper-body strength to write home about, his legs are more than capable of making up for it. With a little toss from this guy he should be able to flip onto the roof no issue, like a gymnast off a spring board.

He starts running, mentally timing it so that he can hop onto the man's waiting hands without a misstep. As soon as he feels his foot hit flesh he's more than ready for his boost.

[shittybirthday]

Well, okay. Okay, the kid's running at him and so Joel just braces himself. The moment the kid's foot is in his hands, Joel pushes him up as hard as he can with a grunt. And damn, if that kid ain't nimble.

He pushes away from the wall, throws an uneasy glance around him at the crowds, makes himself focus back on the kid. He turns and looks up at the roof. "You alright up there?"

[akito]

His landing is satisfactory, though he nearly loses his footing. The shoes he wears aren't meant for climbing around on rooftops despite how comfortable they are, and Akito makes a mental note to look for some with better treads. He makes sure to say a quick 'yes' - just loud enough to be heard by the man, but not loud enough to draw attention to himself - in answer to the question.

Finding a good stance for balance on the awkward slope, he stands up as tall as he dares (not sure if it's exactly legal to climb around on rooftops here), looking around for a familiar sight and-

Ah. There.

He quickly flips back off of the roof, tucking and rolling into a practiced landing. It jars his knees and scuffs up his arms, but it was fun and he's used to these kinds of injuries anyway.

"It's about ten minutes in that direction, if you walk fast." Akito points in the direction he speaks of. "Longer if you cut through the alleyways to avoid the crowds, but pretty direct!"

[shittybirthday]

"Whoa, kid," Joel gruffly exclaims as the kid comes barrelling off the roof like a gymnast. He goes to help the kid up from the ground - and sees that he seems fine, the way the kid picks himself back up like doing flips off rooftops is what he does all the time.

Joel just gives a vague nod of acknowledgement that the kid's alright, takes a step back. Well, alright, then. That's one way to get off a roof.

He glances in the direction the kid points him to. Cutting through alleyways, it is. Might take longer but it'll be a hell of a lot safer, he's sure of it.

Another vague nod; one of thanks this time. "Appreciate it."

[akito]

"Um..." The Earth sector is the best place to pick up clothes, which is what he was out searching for in the first place. There's only so long a person can live off of a few pairs of shirts and two pairs of pants, after all. But he's very aware that the Earth sector has gangs in it and that his appearance makes him a seemingly easy target - especially if he were to cut through the alleyways.

Scuffing a foot on the ground, posture switching from the confidant gymnast that just threw himself off of a roof to one of a shy, nervous kid. "Would it be okay if I went with you? It's a good sector to pick up clothes, but there's, um... There's some gang activity."

Just look at him, Joel. He's so tiny and helpless, if you ignore the streak of gymnastics. And you are so big and intimidating. And armed.

Not to say that Akito isn't, but his version of 'armed' is a knife that he can use to slice someone's arteries - not stab and cause much damage.

[shittybirthday]

Gang activity? Well, that's nothing new to Joel. A little gang activity is nothing to Joel, compared to what he's seen and done.

He really doesn't want a kid tagging along with him, though. A kid that wants to look for clothes, no less. Joel ain't got time standing around clothes shopping.

But then, the size of the kid, how easily the kid would probably be hurt by gangs...

"Can't you find some other place to pick up clothes?"

[akito]

"Not of good enough quality." He gestures to the holes in the knees of his leggings and the tears in the elbows of his oversized shirt. Admittedly he shouldn't have wasted money on cheap clothes, but he didn't have the juulan to spare for it. "I'm good at one versus one and running away, but if I run into more than one..."

Trailing off, Akito presses a hand to his thigh. The feel of the knife's outline against his palm calms in him - he still has a weapon in case of emergency. He imagines this man can understand the disadvantage he would be in if he ran into a gang on his own.

"But if it's not okay! I can just take the crowded route, ne?" He makes sure to be chipper when he says this because while he would rather take the less crowded route with company, he won't be crushed if he can't.

Well. If he's not careful enough he might literally be crushed, given his size. But at least he won't feel heartbroken about it.

"It's not too dangerous, but I was warned to be careful in the Earth and Fire sectors especially. So be careful, mister Stranger!"

[shittybirthday]

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?"

[akito]

Learning the area is what Akito's been working on since his arrival a few weeks ago, and while he doesn't know as much as he would like, he knows enough to get by with relative ease. He knows the main landmarks, which gives him a good deal to work with. Still, without Agito with him he gets anxious much too easily and even though he doesn't exactly trust this guy, he trusts his instincts enough when they tell him this guy won't hurt him. At least not without cause.

So, mentally promising himself not to give the man any cause to hurt him, Akito shakes off his surprise at the agreement and nods. "If I end up being a burden I won't be mad if you leave me behind. Just... If I do something that makes you want to hurt me, can you go for the upper body instead of my knees?"

Given the kind of weapons the man carries, Akito is more than aware of what type of fighting style he might use. Anything to incapacitate and keep from being chased. He's seen it enough times when he was with SWAT.

[shittybirthday]

Why would he want to hurt--?

Well, okay, if this kid tries to pull anything on him, Joel won't think twice about saving his own skin. Not that Joel likes doing anything to hurt kids. Hurting kids is one thing he's never been comfortable doing, not even when he was fighting on the other side as a ruthless Hunter.

He gives the kid a terse look, then gives a single frustrated shake of his head with his hand levelled at him to make sure the kid is clear with his instructions. "Just - stay close, alright? Don't go wanderin' off or gettin' lost, 'cause I ain't gonna come and find you."

And with that, he takes a step back, gestures in the direction of Earth sector as the kid had pointed out to him. "Lead the way."

[akito]

Humming his acquiesce, Akito does one last quick check to make sure he has everything before hurrying past the man and doing exactly that - leading the way. Keeping the position of the sun in mind so that they can stay more or less in the direction they need to be going, Akito uses the basic knowledge he has of the layout of the district to find the alleyways they need to cut through.

He keeps moving fast, though not so fast that he'll tire himself out. Just fast enough that his short legs don't slow down his temporary intimidator.

"I'm Gazelle," he supplies eventually, while waiting for the traffic on a main road to abate enough so they can plow through to the next alley.

[shittybirthday]

Jesus Christ, what the hell is this place, Joel is thinking once he's fallen into step behind the kid. The people here look weird. The place looks weird. The smells are weird. Joel can't help eyeing everything with wary suspicion as he walks through the district, his skin prickling with unease at how unsafe he feels and his nerve-endings on edge and hyper-vigilant to any sudden noises or movements.

He comes to a stop next to the kid to wait for traffic - traffic, actual traffic - and watches with blank consternation as the traffic and the people move by in a flurry of activity. The kid speaking to him cuts into his thoughts; he looks down quickly at him, his brows coming together in a vague frown.

"Gazelle?" he echoes. "As in, an antelope?"

[akito]

"Mmhm," he hums, gaze following the traffic; searching for an opening. Spotting one, Akito plows forward. Weaving in and out of obstacles, he trusts that Joel will be able to follow without issue considering his size. Once safely in the next alleyway, Akito continues:

"Gazelle as in an antelope."

It suited the real Gazelle more than him, but he's grown fond of his alias. If he could be like a gazelle he would be that much closer to being like a bird.

[shittybirthday]

Joel keeps up without any trouble, though he glances over his shoulder in paranoia a couple of times until he finds himself being led into an alleyway. Less crowded here. Good. Even if the alleyway itself is claustrophobic with how tight it is, it's better than being in a swarm of people.

The old bricks on either side of the wall and the alleyway itself smells of mildew and damp cement. Reminds him of the streets back in the zone.

"That a nickname or somethin'?"

[akito]

They're making good speed, and Akito estimates they should make it to the Earth district in another couple of minutes, give or take. The alleyways are narrow, but it feels safer than the busy streets do.

"It was my mother's name," he answers vaguely. Technically that means it used to be his name as well, in a way, which is why he doesn't feel so guilty using it. "And we should be there in a few minutes, as long as we don't run into trouble."