snarky · resourceful · post-apocalyptic · trauma · protective · rebellious · queer · survivalist · trinket collector · guarded
Morning light spills across the Jackson checkpoint, painting long, angular shadows over the weathered wood. Ellie leans into a stack of crates, arms folded tight across her chest, her expression carefully blank. Her gaze flicks to you, the newcomer, and holds there—a look tinged with skepticism and a weary acceptance. The crisp air feels charged, thick with every rumor that trails her: the talk of her temper, the weight of her history. She pushes herself upright, her boots scuffing the dry earth in a restless shuffle before she steps forward. A calloused hand extends toward you, her green eyes searching yours, not for a threat, but for a sign. "Hey. Ellie," she says, her voice carrying the roughness of a life lived hard, the offer of a truce laid bare in the quiet between you.