TDM: Mega Throwback Edition!

[polymods]

✖ TEST DRIVE MEME

Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The island you find yourself on is a tropical paradise. The hair is heavy and humid, and a thick flowering jungle encroaches on the white sandy beach. As far as mysterious islands go, it could be a lot worse! Maybe there’s a bar with some Mai Tais set up here somewhere…

As you walk towards the jungle you become aware that something is moving in the bushes. Some sort of animal, probably - maybe your mind goes to jaguars, or monkeys. What comes running out onto the beach, though, is not remotely mammalian: it’s a dinosaur.

Just a little one - it’s about the size of a small dog, running along on its hind legs. Aww, he’s kinda cute if you ignore the sharp teeth and claws! Lucky for you it’s busy chasing something else and soon darts back into the bush unless you do something to grab its attention.

Listen closely and you’ll find that sometimes you can hear sounds that are distinctly mechanical. Whatever this place is, it at least sounds like it’s inhabited by something possessing intelligence. You could definitely go and find out. Just be careful!

Or maybe you think, hey, I’ve seen this movie, I’m staying on the beach! You could, but unless you’re good at diving for fish you might have a hard time finding food.

Notes:
1. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.

2. These prompts are a jumping off point - how they affect your character and their development is up to you.

3. The people on the island are normal humans unless otherwise indicated. The dinosaurs are animals and can be killed. I mean, good luck with that, but.

4. Have fun!

---

Ⅱ. CRETACEOUS PARK
CW: Dinosaurs! Violence, possibly against dinosaurs!
The jungle is thick and it takes a lot of effort to move through it. You’ll have to crawl under vines, climb over felled trees, and just generally pay a lot of attention to your surroundings. This is the sort of situation where having someone with you certainly makes things easier. Occasionally you will hear animals calling, and you’re bound to see some of them eventually. Maybe you’ll luck out and spot a herbivore like one of the armoured dinosaurs, just chewing on plants and not likely to attack you unless you piss it off. Maybe you spot something about your size with a decidedly less vegetarian diet and you have to decide between hiding or trying to scare it off.

Eventually in your wanderings you come across an unusual sight: a dirt road. It cuts its way through the trees and ferns, and to the south you can hear what is probably a familiar sound: engines. And shouting.

It’s getting closer.

Suddenly there are cars and motorcycles rushing down the road toward you - try not to get hit! One of the cars slows and a guy with a ragged blonde beard hangs out and tells you to get in the back. At close to the same time a truck slows and another guy tells you to climb aboard and grab a gun.

Why would you need a gun? The answer presents itself almost immediately: big daddy T-Rex is stomping its way down the road towards you.

You can escape with the first car, or pitch in and try to shoot the dinosaur with the second. Or you could try and prevent them from hurting the animal entirely, or just run off into the jungle by yourself. Better decide quickly, though. That T-Rex looks hungry.

Notes:
1. You determine your level of dino encounter! And what kind - nobody is going to get on your ass if you pick one from the Jurassic period instead of the Cretaceous. It’s a magic island for crying out loud.

---

Ⅲ. SETTLEMENT
CW: Kidnapping.
Whether you throw in with the humans or maybe stumble upon it by accident, you wind up at their encampment . It’s definitely the safest place to be - there are high walls around a series of small buildings mostly cobbled together from wood and tin. But there’s cots, and food. Outside the perimeter wall are tripwires and very basic motion sensors that will alert the settlement if any sizable animals are prowling around.

You’re informed that mostly the dinosaurs leave the camp alone - too much effort for not enough food.

While you’ll be welcomed the first night, as soon as morning rolls around it will be made abundantly clear that you’re going to be expected to pull your weight. Pitch in with the cooking or cleaning, or if you have some mechanical skill you can help fix up some of the rattling vehicles parked around.

From what you can gather, this is just one of a few different settlements on the island. Some of the others have small farms, and if you can drive you will be asked if you’d mind running over a delivery to one of these.

Agree, and you’ll be handed the keys to what sure looks like a 1970s era Cadillac. The mulleted gentleman who has asked this favour of you hands you a piece of paper upon which a small map is drawn, along with written directions. A note at the bottom reads, “don’t look in the tunk.” You think he means ‘trunk.’

“Package is in the trunk,” this gentleman confirms. “Don’t open it, sunlight’ll mess it all up.”

With that he sends you on your merry way. Best to take along a buddy for safety!

Partway through your journey you will come to realise that whatever is in the trunk is making a banging noise. You can ignore it and keep driving, passing the keys off to the people at the farming settlement, or you can pull over and investigate.

If you choose the second option, you’ll find that your ‘package’ is a person. Not a human one - this person has scales and huge, bulging eyes above small nostrils. They’re bound hand and foot and gagged, staring up at you with terror.

Well, jeez. Now what?

Notes:
1. If you open the trunk and discover the Crazy Frog-esque figure within you can continue on to the settlement and deliver him as promised. If you choose the former, the people at both settlements will be angry and turn on you unless you can spin a very convincing lie about your prisoner escaping.

2. If you choose to free your froggy friend, they will indicate that you should follow them through the jungle to their home.

3. If you skip the delivery mission, you can still stay at the camp. It’s very bare bones, but there’s food and cots and bathrooms at least.

---

Ⅳ. REPTILIANS
Whether it’s because you’re led there, or because you find it by accident, you find yourself in a village - the houses are smooth stone, curving elegantly under sprawling vines and beautiful blooming flowers.

Upon your arrival several humanoid lizard people emerge from their homes and watch you, silent. One of them, stooped and wizened with age, moves to stand directly in front of you. When they speak, you realise that you can’t hear them with your ears; they communicate through telepathy.

You are welcome to stay in our village if you pass our Test of Bravery.

You’re half expecting that they’ll make you fight a velociraptor or something, but no - this village elder leads you and your companion both to the center of the village where there are several large flat stones ringed around one much larger stone. You’re both instructed to sit. More of the reptilian people approach, watching you.

Tell us a story of your bravery, the elder tells you.

You’ll have to dig into your memories to find a moment where you think you acted bravely, and then you’ll have to tell everyone assembled about it. You might be tempted to embellish a little bit, or to outright lie.

But if you do…

The moment you start fudging the truth, a different memory will play out just above the large center stone like a hologram. This memory paints you much more poorly: it's one of your most cowardly moments. Definitely not what you wanted to share with a village full of people.

When either your story or your memory is finished, the village elder will look at you with their strange eyes and pronounce whether or not you’re allowed to stay.

Notes:
1. Whether or not you are allowed to stay is not based entirely on how brave you were - how you react to having to share (willingly or not) these stories also plays a part. For example, if you ran away from a fight but in the present you don’t try to justify it with bullshit reasons, you will still be invited to stay.

2. The Reptilian village is a blend of nature and advanced technology. Frankly, it’s a nicer place to stay than the human settlements. They have a lot more creature comforts, like nice deep baths and soft beds.

---

Greetings, prospective Travelers! Welcome to the POLYMYTHOS test drive meme and thank you for your interest in our game! We invite you to use this TDM to explore but one of many, many islands within the Endless Isles; use it as an opportunity to introduce and familiarize yourself with the game, form connections with other characters, and just have some fun. (Perhaps while also getting some solid samples together for your application! Apps are always open!)

Use the prompts provided below as-is or feel free to write your own set within the environment detailed in each. You're even welcome to access the network via your character's ScryWatch. While there will be some inevitable changes, TDMs may count as game canon and some islands may be revisited in the future. Be mindful of your surroundings -- you never know how you and your fellow Travelers might affect this place in the long run.

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Comments

[antifungi]

Next time let's pick something a little less dangerous to aspire to.

[ Just in case. Because the universe is definitely listening, here. A little too closely for comfort. Joel drops his arm back to his side, as she seems to find her footing again, letting go of some of that panicky edge. ]

Yeah.

[ For the first time in a while, honestly. Dinosaur attacks and stiflingly humid, maze-like jungles aside. ​]

You good to keep goin'? [ It's more a prompting than a question, but they can't exactly afford to linger. Where there's one of those things, there's bound to be more - this place never stops poking and prodding and testing them.

But he's thinking they'd better save that conversation for a little later-on, too. ]

[puntificates]

I'm good... yeah -- I'm good. We should go.

[ she gets that now isn't really the time nor the place to stand around and have conversations about mind-bending trips to other dimensions or whatever; the sound of distant, unsettling noises is a reminder that they aren't alone out here by a long shot.

but man, she has to admit she feels a lot better about all this now she found Joel. ]

You know where we're going to, exactly? [ Ellie's watching him hopefully with an expression that suggests that she has absolutely zero clue where they are or which direction will take them somewhere helpful right about now. ]

[antifungi]

[ Good enough. He nods, gesturing ahead of them as he starts moving down the road again. It's not a great lead, maybe, but it's something. Better than wandering the woods for the rest of the day. ]

No. [ He'd like to reassure her of different, but there's no point in lying. Not when it could put both of them in further danger, if the people here are as friendly as the wildlife. Speaking of.

As he walks, Joel reaches for his belt, freeing the holstered hunting knife there from the loop holding it on. He offers it out to her handle first, holster and all. ]

Here. [ It's not her switchblade, but— ] Better than nothing, if we run into trouble again.

[puntificates]

[ she isn't really worried; how many times had their way ahead been blocked or obstructed and they'd had to play it by ear? sure, they had an end destination in mind, but taking things as they came was sorta the way things have been since they left Boston together what feels like a lifetime ago.

and she seems fine to simply set off at his side, letting him take the lead in the familiar way; Ellie's scoping out the jungle with some wonder in her eyes despite the near-death encounter of the dino variety, swatting at some bug that landed on her arm with a curse under her breath (asshole mosquito, do NOT bite her).

but Joel's getting her attention as he hands over the blade and accessories, looking between the 'gifts' and him in gratitude. ]

Oh, hey... thanks. It feels real weird to be without ol' faithful. [ she wonders where her switchblade is -- where all her things are, actually.

and it's right about now she's looking at Joel as she fastens the holster around her waist. ]

Where did you get all this stuff, anyway? [ because all she's found so far is jungle, jungle, and a side of jungle to go with her jungle. ]

[antifungi]

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

[ Though the presence of very real dinosaurs might help his case a little, here. As they pass beneath a tall tree with thick, sprawling branches, small, almost birdlike lizards stir, rustling leaves as a few take flight, gliding through the canopy. Joel tilts his head back, watching as they go for a fleeting moment. At least these ones are unconcerned with human interlopers.

That habitual frown has sunk in deeper when he turns back to her. ]

I've been here a while.

[puntificates]

--whoa.

[ it's uttered distractedly as Ellie watches the airborne creatures take flight, footsteps momentarily slowing as she follows their path above. aside from the whole dangerous, hot as balls part... this is... awesome. awesome. it's like she's gone back in time -- way back in time.

but Ellie is drawn back to reality by the deep furrow of Joel's brow, and his response is more than a little confusing. ]

In the jungle? What, you find a camp or something?

[ she has no idea. ]

[antifungi]

This isn't my first island.

[ Not by a mile. He's been through it just enough times to know the drill, by now - or at least to think he does.

His expression remains level, pinched with displeasure as he regards her, shaking his head. Not on Ellie's count, of course; he's grateful she's here if she's anywhere, but. If he'd really been missing as long as he knows he has, she wouldn't be so at ease, with him. Not after everything they've been through.

Which means she really has no idea. ]

I've been stuck at this Traveling bullshit for months.

[puntificates]

[ Joel isn't fucking with her.

and that's probably the most sobering part of all of this. he's serious; it's in his eyes, in his posture, in the tension in his shoulders and the way he habitually. he subconsciously knits at his brow in a specific way when he isn't just irritated, but genuinely irked. Joel isn't fucking with her. ]

We were just--

[ she cuts herself off. maybe if they weren't currently standing in the middle of dino jungle, narrowly having managed to escape an up close and personal encounter with a real dinosaur, it might be harder to swallow. but so little of this makes sense, so... what's a bit of time shenanigans thrown in with the rest of this? ]

...If I think about this any harder, my head is gonna pop. So you know what...? I'm taking your word for it.

[ which opens up an entirely different can of worms, but also -- a can of worms that's focused on Joel instead of... the rest of this. if he's been at this for months... man, what the hell has he seen? she can't even imagine.

so, naturally... the only way to deal with all this is by saying something incredibly heartfelt that expresses how glad she is they managed to find each other, now. ]

You know what the craziest part of this story is? Not the dinosaurs which are still awesome, or the lost time, or the creepy guy who monologued a whole lot on the weird ass boat. Craziest part, hands down? That you got this far without me. [ Ellie shakes her head and scuffs the toe of her shoe into the dirt, skittering a few rocks down the path ahead of her. ] Who's been feeding you suuuper hilarious jokes to keep you going? Geez, and now I don't have my book or anything either.

[ nailed it. ]

[antifungi]

[ He can't pretend not to be a little relieved when she doesn't jump to interrogate him, though there's ample opportunity in his vague explanation. He'll tell her all about it, if she asks, but he can't make it make sense. Especially not now, when Ellie seems to have no knowledge of him disappearing at all. (Though that he can't decide whether to be grateful for or not, as much as it skews his sense of everything else. Not that it matters much, in the end. She's safe; that's what's important.)

In that regard, he does appreciate her flippant response. Even if he shows it with a sigh and a shake of his head, as he turns back to the road (frown decidedly lessened). ]

Uh-huh. That's definitely it.

[ Although he's not been entirely without uninvited cheer foisted upon him, this whole time, either. But he'll let her think she's saving him from the endless mundanity of magic-island hopping singlehandedly.

There's a break in the thick wall of jungle up ahead, after a fair bit of walking, and when he reaches it first, Joel comes up to a short stop again. That tension is short-lived, this time, though, and he motions for Ellie to join him. ]

Hey. Come and get a look at this.

[ Where the trees thin out around a wider spot in the road, a handful of dinosaurs appear to be grazing as they pass through. Not the type liable to try and eat them, either, from the looks of it. ]

[puntificates]

[ enjoy the reprieve from an impromptu game of 20 questions; it isn't going to last very long -- but Ellie has a good lot to chew on for now, and it can wait until they're not in the middle of the dinosaur-infested jungles. probably. suppose it depends on how impatient she gets and how long it takes to get to safety, honestly. a girl gets bored, alright?

Ellie keeps absentmindedly fidgeting with the scrywatch at her wrist (it's disconcerting and weird) as they walk, but their surroundings are a pretty amazing distraction from everything considering; she trusts Joel to be keeping his wits about him because... well, he's Joel. it leaves her some freedom to admire her surreal, completely out-of-this-world (literally?) circumstances and give it the attention it deserves. how often does one get to take a genuine step back in time, to walk among the dinosaurs? from the occasional rustling in the brush revealing small creatures she can't even identify to the sounds all around them -- it's all... incredible.

the only thing cooler than this would be a trip to space.

and speaking of, she's spaced out quite a bit considering she almost walks right into Joel's back when he comes to a halt, stopping herself just short of colliding into him. but Ellie's eagerly coming around to his side where he's directed, and her eyes go wide -- face lighting up with awe. ]

Holy shit.

[ holy SHIT, Joel! ]

Are you seeing this right now?! This is... this is crazy, look how big those suckers are!

[ sure, she's seen recreations in textbooks and in the occasional comic book or movie, but this? this is up close and personal. with dinosaurs.

this is so fucking cool and she might never stop smiling. ]

[antifungi]

Yeah, I'm seein' it.

[ Joel hushes her, holding up a hand as she starts to wind up again, but it's not like he didn't see that coming. The excitement's not entirely one-sided, either. At least these guys he's pretty sure don't pose them much threat. (If the movies were right, that is. And if they manage not to disturb them too much.) ]

Keep it down. You don't wanna cause a stampede, do you?

[ His chiding is almost amused, though, as one of the dinos lifts its massive head and regards them for a moment, a half-chewed leaf easily the length of his arm hanging from its mouth. They look about as dangerous as a herd of cattle - cattle roughly the size of moving trucks, albeit - but that's still pretty damn dangerous, if they're not cautious.

That wary dino stare drifts back to the foliage, the threat that two humans pose apparently judged irrelevant, and another of the dinosaurs lifts up onto its back legs to shake the lower hanging branches of a nearby tree as it strips leaves and twigs from them, chewing idly. ]

[puntificates]

[ containing her elation might be a tall order, but Ellie is trying her best to heed Joel's request; she doesn't want to scare them off (as if they'd be scared? look at them; they're humongous). her eyes are practically glimmering as she marvels at the slow, lumbering creatures managing to somehow seem graceful despite their size, tearing leafy goodness from the tall branches.

she and Joel might as well not exist; pretty sure these things realize they could whip their tails once and take the squishy humans out quick as that. ]

You can't deny this is fucking awesome.

[ but she says this notably quieter than the rest; even if the dino's don't seem easily spooked, she rather not test her luck. this doesn't need to become a lion king scenario with a real tragic stampede and all that... no, she thinks running away from one dinosaur was more than enough excitement for now. ]

No one's gonna believe this. I mean, I don't know if I believe this.

[ and though it's hard, she's tearing her gaze away from the creatures to look at Joel beside her as if trying to gauge what he's thinking from his expression. here it is already, what he said biting him in the butt; it's not his first island, right? has he been through wild shit like this a dozen times? is this... normal? if he's managed to swallow this pill considering his naturally skeptical and untrusting temperament, maybe it'll make it easier to go down for her in the long run. ]

[antifungi]

[ He's not going to deny it, even if those probably aren't the words he'd use. Awe-inspiring is closer to the mark; none of those dusty old replicas in vault-ceilinged museums did these things justice. Not even the movies, really. Some things you don't expect you'll live to see, and some you know you won't, and just where shit like this falls on that spectrum he's still trying to figure out - but it's definitely something, all right.

It's not the boredom of something rote and lacking entirely in novelty, business-as-usual, that he meets her eye with; of all the wild things he's seen (and unwillingly been put through), there's plenty more left out there to bewilder and horrify - and, yeah, maybe on this one occasion, impress. ]

I suppose we can stick around a while. Just until it sinks in.

[ She's gonna need time, either way. Not just here, but with all this. Joel wouldn't say he swallowed that pill so much as had it forced down his throat - more than once - before he finally had no other choice than to accept it. He can't protect her from that, the weird and not entirely pleasant roller coaster of all of reality shifting on its axis, falling firmly out of whack. But he's not gonna push. He has the luxury of not needing to. Even here - there's no FEDRA, no Fireflies, no Infected. Just the jungle, and the threat of maybe having to camp a few nights before they find some greater sign of civilization. Everything else they can take as it comes, like always.

He'll just have to adopt the same attitude of the coming interrogation, which she seems to be practically vibrating with the urge to kick off, now. Ah, well. It was a peaceful few minutes while it lasted. Which is about as much as they usually get.

There's a fallen tree alongside the road (moved there, from the looks of it), mossy and soft but not too much yet that it won't serve as a decent spot to rest, for a little while. Joel takes a seat on the narrower end, still watching the dinosaurs with some edge of caution - though it's a one-sided thing, now, entirely. ]

[puntificates]

[ oh. they're sitting? they're sitting, now, which is as much signal to Ellie that Joel has accepted his fate and realized what was coming without her having to say it. she's been training him well.

so she accepts this invitation before he can take it back, coming to sit on the log a little ways apart from him and just... stares at him, awkwardly, for a few heavy seconds. real awkwardly. these seconds sure are passing mighty slow, aren't they? yup. but, c'mon -- even for a chatterbox like Ellie, figuring out where to start with all this is a thing.

her mouth opens, once. closes. she tries again and decides to go for it this time. ]

Okay. ...Okay. [ deep breath; she settles her palms down on the mossy log's surface, leaning her weight forward a bit as her brow furrows in consternation. ] Let's start from the beginning, 'cause there's something I don't get right off the bat. We were together this morning, right?

[ how is it remotely possible that he's been here for months? ]

[antifungi]

[ Even Joel has to (occasionally) admit when he's beat. And Ellie at this level of excitement? She's never gonna let it go, if he doesn't at least make an effort, here.

He's slouched over, elbows on his knees, as he settles in to wait for her to make up her mind on where to start. He can feel that stare on him, uncomfortable yet adamant, but he chooses to watch the dinosaurs moving slowly through the trees beyond them rather than meet it. At least not until she finally decides where to start, and he shakes his head. ]

No. I was on that boat, this morning. Got on at the last island, just like the one before that. And before that.

[ And before that. But she doesn't need the whole play-by-play to see what he's getting at, surely. ]

[puntificates]

[ she had a feeling he was going to say something like that. shit.

she gets it, even if she isn't sure what it means. how can he be two places at once? guess it says time doesn't work the same wherever the hell they are; that seems about right considering they've been dropped among fuckin' dinosaurs, actually.

but instead of looking at the dinos, Ellie's eyes are settled on Joel. ]

You've really been gone for months?

[ she knows how it goes. when something's bothering him or he doesn't want to talk about it... he won't, so she's giving him open invitation to tell her as much or a little as he's going to. he could be dismissive and she'll accept it; he's earned that. but he has to know she really wants him to give her something, this time. ]

[antifungi]

Uh-huh.

[ It's the most he wants to give her, on that point. Delving any deeper threatens to unearth months of backed up feelings he'd rather just bury, now, in the certainty that none of it matters anymore. There's safety in that; it's easy, familiar.

But she deserves more than that, doesn't she? Hasn't she earned it?

Maybe there's a way to say something definitive without actually having to say it, though. ]

Here, I, uh— [ He starts to shrug out of his pack, swinging it around to sit between his feet. ] I got you somethin', actually, last place we were stuck.

[ Prepping for the inevitable wasn't the only thing he did with two months trapped in a giant shopping mall, though it probably looks that way at a glance. His bag is packed as meticulously as ever, canteens and water bottles, dried foods that'll keep and carry light, arrows for the bow strapped to the outside. The only difference is all of it's new, mostly unopened, packaged as if it came off a shelf yesterday, rather than sitting on one for two decades or more. And underneath the jacket he's packed for himself (obviously not a necessity, here), there's a small cache of things that couldn't be more clearly not for him.

A change of clothes, primarily. Sneakers included, which he offers out to her. ]

I figured you'd be pretty pissed if I went and forgot about you.

[ While shopping, specifically. Because surely he doesn't mean to say that he's spent most of his time here choking down various versions of the same fear - where she is, how safe she is, what the hell she thinks happened to him, whether or not she's even still alive. ]

joel 🥺

[puntificates]

[ Ellie's watching as Joel plants the pack between his boots, the light of a quiet curiosity in her eyes; she patiently waits for him to fish out whatever he's talking about, though. no need to rush. she's not impatient or anything...

just looking at the pack - looking at him, the quality and cleanliness of his clothing, the way his boots aren't worn from hundreds upon hundreds of miles of travel and years of age, the way the supplies he's milling through look pristine compared to the usual - is more proof he's been here on his lonesome. she's sure as hell never seen any of this before, and she definitely hasn't seen the set of clothes... new clothes... and sneakers that come out from under the jacket.

her eyes flick up to his for a second - as if to ask if they're for her, though it's obvious they are - before she reaches out to take them. it's not like it's the first time he's saved something for her; they've dug out resources for each other all the time because it would be stupid not to; it was a part of surviving. still, Joel's been pretty good at keeping an eye out for Savage Starlight editions - and those aren't exactly counted among essentials. that's not the reason why this feels... special. different.

if he's spent months here, he could've done whatever. Ellie wasn't around; there was no Salt Lake to get to, no Fireflies, no Infected, no overgrown world, no obligations to anyone to think about. those were Home things and he wasn't home. and while it might seem like a very small thing in the grand scheme, he went and got clothes for her - which means he wasn't just thinking about getting through this himself, surviving himself. he was thinking about how he'd see her again, and surviving together. maybe it even means he wants to.

...she fiddles with one of the laces of the sneakers absently. ]

These are so clean it's almost... weird.

[ it'd be real easy to make a stupid joke about how she's insulted he'd even insinuate she's forgettable; you know, to lighten the mood. or maybe she could quip about how he'd only forget because he's old. like the dinosaurs.

but it doesn't come, and instead - she's just looking at a pair of shoes sitting on top of these clothes in her lap with a little smile. thanks, Joel. ]

he's doing His Best

[antifungi]

[ Maybe a few months ago - a few months back home, anyway - he wouldn't have bothered. Wouldn't have thought of it, even. He'd still have wondered where she was or what happened to her, sure, but a part of him might've been relieved, too, to not have to wear that burden around, anymore.

It's been a while, though, since he's thought of her like that, just an unnecessarily complicated job he was somehow unlucky enough to end up saddled with. Now it's more relief that she's here, and all the rest of those Home things are somewhere else, for a little while.

He watches her toy with the laces on her sneakers for a moment, expecting the obvious comeback or some teasing jab, at least. When none comes, though, he lets that silence unspool a little longer, not exactly awkward or uncomfortable, even if he does eventually break it with the scoff of clearing his throat. But if she's not going to kill the tension with some kind of humor, looks like it's unfortunately on him. ]

Well, there was a little more to it, but I can always save the rest for next Christmas. [ If just a pair of shoes has got her so overwhelmed. ​]

making ellie happy but they're both too Awkward to acknowledge it 🤫

[puntificates]

[ to his credit, she really likes shoes.

but Ellie's play-punching his arm, seemingly recovered from this bout of Feelings (gross, gross, she knows he's allergic); sometimes a girl just likes realizing the guy who trekked cross country with her gives a shit, y'know? after how shitty this past winter was, even the small wins are enough to put some serious wind in her sails. ]

As if. You have to get me something real good for Christmas. Like... a puppy? [ a completely reasonable request. ] Or maybe you could tame one of these dinosaurs. I could be convinced to accept that as good enough, if you catch me in the right mood.

[ but despite ribbing on him, she's looking at him expectantly (because there's more, right?), while also already leaning over to change the generic, not-great-for-jungle-exploring shoes she ease given for her brand new pair of sneaks.

yeah, guess she's easy to please. ]

neither of them even knows the meaning of the word tbh

[antifungi]

[ He lets out a huff of breath as he leans away from her punch (as if there's some kind of force behind it), and digs back into his pack. ]

The dinosaur's tempting. At least if we got you one big enough to ride, I wouldn't have to listen to you complain about your sore feet every half mile.

[ Totally worth domesticating a parasaur.

But even Joel knows you can't get a kid just clothes for a gift. Even one who's never had any but the sorry old hand-me-downs and scrounged up leftovers the military saw fit to hand out. It isn't much, of course (shopping like some goddamn civilized human being was overwhelming enough at times, let alone trying to navigate, say, the young adult section of a fully stocked bookstore on what amounts to another planet). But at least she won't have to lament the loss of her terrible jokes for too long.

There's a fresh book of surely unforgettably awful puns on top of the small bundle he hands her, a tin of fancy-looking colored pencils (at least by Joel's estimation) beneath it. He probably should've gotten her a new journal to go along with them, thinking on it now, but he'd been thinking then the only way he'd see her again was figuring out how to get back home. Not just running into her out of the blue here. ]

Think this'll do in the meantime?

if he keeps Doing His Best that might change at this rate 😌 ; 1/2

[puntificates]

[ she makes a decidedly indignant scoffing sound at his quip - listen here, mister, it isn't every half mile. ...it's at least three quarters.

but he saves himself the trouble by rifling through his pack to produce what's far better than some clothes (though admittedly, new clothes that haven't been passed through God knows how many hands are pretty novel a gift). the pun book comes out, and Joel might not have to look at her to feel the way she's staring at him. ]

...No fucking way. Joel?!

[ she's yanking it right out of his hands as if to secure it in her possession before he can think better of it, hugging it to her chest possessively and shooting him a look of faux scandalization. ] Seriously?? I see how it is. You give me sooo much shit about my jokes, and then you deliver me your own undoing? I knew it, you totally loved the puns the whole time.

2/2

[puntificates]

[ at least she has the grace(??? questionable) to take the tin of colored pencils with less, uh. violent eagerness, though no less appreciation. the pun book is still cradled to her chest with her other arm as she turns the tin over with her free hand, and it's clear he did a Good Job. ]

Geez... ah, man. [ there's an earnest smile as she taps the tin against her leg. ] Wish I had my journal for these bad boys... they're-- awesome.

[ and there's some gratitude in order for the gift of stuff, for sure. naturally, just coming out and saying 'thanks' like normal people do is like, not even on the table, so: ]

Hey. How do plants tell someone 'thanks'?

[ wait for it... ]

Thank shallot.

[antifungi]

[ Yeah, he's not even going to acknowledge those wild accusations, where would she ever get the idea he enjoyed those jokes? Surely not from his increasing indifference bordering on tolerance bordering on eventual acceptance of his fate. No, this is purely an Ellie Thing, and he is only indulging it because he might never have seen her again. A moment of weakness he's clearly going to come to regret. Soon, probably, from the way she's clutching that book and the ways yet they have to walk.

Still, though, despite his immediate reaction - a roll of his eyes and another put-upon groan of a sigh - he wouldn't do different. ]

...Well, if you hate it that much, I might still have the receipt somewhere.

[ He tugs his bag shut again, slipping it back over his shoulders, regarding her with something probably a little softer than mere tolerance, but which he has no intention of acknowledging, either.

Her joking thanks is plenty, as far as genuine efforts go, and Joel simply nods, gesturing to the pair of shoes she's traded out and her full hands. ]

Come on, pack it in and let's get a move on.

[puntificates]

Yeah, over my dead body.

[ it's mumbled more to herself than to him - he can take this pun book from her corpse if he wants it, just try her - as she finishes tying the laces of her new shoes, wiggling her toes in them experimentally. they fit well, will last her quite a while - though she can't help but lament they're destined to get dirty fast. you win some, you lose some.

she sees Joel's already itching to get on the move again, and Ellie's nodding once in acknowledgment before unzipping her pack and carefully settling her haul inside; the tin is tucked into a pouch where it won't rattle or make noise with motion. old habits die hard. ]

You're gonna tell me about what happened, right?

[ she's on her feet, adjusting the sit of the bag over her shoulder and fixing him with the familiar look that says she's Ready when he is. ]

You went somewhere with a bunch of stuff, went on a crazy shopping spree, and...

[ where's the rest of his island-hopping adventures? he said he'd been at it for months before, so she's sure there's more to tell. he didn't think she'd be so distracted by Shiny New Things she'd forget the rest, did he? that would be real tragic. ]