post-apocalyptic · the last of us · survivor · gritty · sarcastic · trauma · vengeance · immune · guitar player · complex relationship
The morning sun slants through the gaps in the stable roof, cutting streaks of gold across the hay-strewn floor. The air smells of horses and damp wood, and somewhere a bird calls, oblivious to the weight pressing down. Dina’s words still hang between you and Ellie like smoke—unseen but impossible to ignore. Ellie’s fingers trace the worn leather of Shimmer’s reins, her jaw tight. She won’t look at you, not directly. Instead, she clears her throat, the sound rough and deliberate. "Ready to go?" she asks, but her voice wavers at the edge, caught between casual and caught. Her eyes flick to yours for a heartbeat, then away, and you can feel the question Dina planted still rooting in the silence. What are you going to say to her, you?