Joel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aintyourdad) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
expiationlogs2023-02-15 10:07 pm
aintyourdad) wrote in expiationlogs2023-02-15 10:07 pm
001; open;
Who: Joel and YOU?!
Where: Outskirts of Aldrip
What: Joel isn't pleased to be here. He's especially not pleased that someone knows a lot about him, and has it all written on a piece of paper.
Warnings: Nothing yet, aside from Joel's general assholishness.
[ Joel approaches the town carefully. It's long, long habit - infected are dangerous, sure, but people are what you really need to watch out for. People are capable of anything.
And this town? It's way too fucking good to be true. It's just... there. Out in the open, no defenses, no lookouts, no patrols. He doesn't trust it. And he especially doesn't trust whoever left this piece of paper on him, with his personal information, and some kinda crime he's supposed to have committed. The first thing he needs to do is find somewhere reasonably safe, and the second thing? The second thing is to destroy this paper before someone else gets their hands on it.
Then he needs to find Ellie.
No one is armed. No one tries to attack him, or shouts for FEDRA, or anything. Not even on the outskirts of the town, where he'd expect people to be particularly wary. Somehow, despite the tension in his shoulders, despite the glares he shoots at everyone in his vicinity, someone gets him to some sort of... inn, or something? What the fuck.
He finds a table near the back, with his back to a wall and all exits firmly in his sight lines. Then he pulls the paper out, unrolls it, looks at it a moment. Crumples it up in his hand, then goes to rip it up. Except, he can't. A line of frustration appears on his brow as he tries to tear at it, with his hands, his teeth, he even pulls out a blade at one point and tries to cut it.
The only thing he gets out of the exercise is a paper cut. ]
What the fuck is goin' on here.
[ His voice is incredulous (and also Texan). ]
Where: Outskirts of Aldrip
What: Joel isn't pleased to be here. He's especially not pleased that someone knows a lot about him, and has it all written on a piece of paper.
Warnings: Nothing yet, aside from Joel's general assholishness.
[ Joel approaches the town carefully. It's long, long habit - infected are dangerous, sure, but people are what you really need to watch out for. People are capable of anything.
And this town? It's way too fucking good to be true. It's just... there. Out in the open, no defenses, no lookouts, no patrols. He doesn't trust it. And he especially doesn't trust whoever left this piece of paper on him, with his personal information, and some kinda crime he's supposed to have committed. The first thing he needs to do is find somewhere reasonably safe, and the second thing? The second thing is to destroy this paper before someone else gets their hands on it.
Then he needs to find Ellie.
No one is armed. No one tries to attack him, or shouts for FEDRA, or anything. Not even on the outskirts of the town, where he'd expect people to be particularly wary. Somehow, despite the tension in his shoulders, despite the glares he shoots at everyone in his vicinity, someone gets him to some sort of... inn, or something? What the fuck.
He finds a table near the back, with his back to a wall and all exits firmly in his sight lines. Then he pulls the paper out, unrolls it, looks at it a moment. Crumples it up in his hand, then goes to rip it up. Except, he can't. A line of frustration appears on his brow as he tries to tear at it, with his hands, his teeth, he even pulls out a blade at one point and tries to cut it.
The only thing he gets out of the exercise is a paper cut. ]
What the fuck is goin' on here.
[ His voice is incredulous (and also Texan). ]
no subject
You givin' that lecture to everyone you meet, or am I special?
no subject
[Which means that it's the latter and in this case, Joel is very much special. Aerith knows she can be pushy, however, and when it comes to Cloud, she can get away with it. She knows not to try emulating that with others. At least, not until she has a better understanding of who they are and how they work.
Joel is immediately an enigma.]
Did it help at all or are you just more annoyed now than you were before? I have that effect on people.
no subject
[ He's actually, genuinely confused. It's probably because, in general, Joel gives off much more of a fuck off vibe than a help me vibe. So it is genuinely baffling to him that anyone would look at him and think, ah yes, that guy, he definitely needs some guiding words. ]
no subject
[Aerith folds her hands together. Her weight shifts between her feet as if she can't keep still, almost as if she has a hard time settling down. It seems, however, just to be an idle and subconscious motion at best. Or simply juvenile antic.]
You sounded angry. I didn't want you to think you have to stop being angry. I just wanted to help lessen it. If I could. That's all.
[For all of his hostile demeanour, evidently Aerith is just not getting the memo. Or she's not at all disturbed by people who are like that. Plenty of people in Midgar, after all, are not too different. Even angry, standoffish people are still people.]
no subject
Kid, if I need your help, I'll ask for it. But if you want my advice... save the lecture. We've all just been kidnapped. It's shitty. Let people feel shitty about it for a bit.
no subject
[Which is true. At no point in time has Aerith ever even implied that. It's fine for people to be angry. Scared. Worried. Concerned. Afraid. Any number of complicated feelings that they may be experiencing in this situation.]
Me offering to help someone? That's not a lecture. But I'm very good at giving those if you want to see what a real one is like. All I did was offer to help. You could have simply said 'no, thank you,' and left it at that. You didn't. So if it makes you feel better to just throw all of that at me, then go ahead. By all means.
no subject
No, thanks.
no subject
Watching him, rooted to where she stands, she doesn't say anything for several moments, as if with gaze alone she can try to extract information she doesn't even ask for. And finally, she looses a breath.
He's a piece of work, isn't he! It's too bad that she has a thing for facing a challenge.]
The offer is always open. Lecture or otherwise. That said... You're angry. This is a bad situation. So what do you want to do about it?
[Her question is earnest, not prodding and not goading.]
no subject
Right now, I'm gonna tell you to mind your own fuckin' business.
[ And he's going to go find a drink. Surely they have booze in this place? ]
no subject
Wall Market has evidently prepared her for this. Or she just has some nerves of steel, which is also entirely feasible.]
I'm not very good at that, but I'll do my best. [Okay, now maybe she's trying to get under his skin a little. But to be fair, hasn't this been a great way of distracting him?] If you change your mind, I'll be here. Well, not right here here, but you know what I mean.
[If he thinks this is the only time she's going to try to get into his head, he has no idea who he's just come up against.]
no subject