He doesn't expect her to ease off that quick, and it doesn't quite convince him. But a moment's reprieve is still better than none.

"Not with me." Joel shakes his head, back to watching the trees, tracking every little rustle and snapped twig.

"She's here, though. Showed up just a litte while before you did." After months of nothing. To say he's feeling suspicious would be an understatement, even by typical Joel standards.