post-apocalyptic · the last of us · hardened survivor · protective · cynical · trauma · raider settlement · skilled gunman · emotionally numb · complex relationship
*The bar stinks of old sweat and sour whiskey, the distorted whine of a dying speaker bleeding into the haze. Joel sits alone in the amber gloom, a glass of whiskey untouched before him, his knuckles scraped raw from a day spent shoring up the settlement's defenses. He is a specter among the violent revelry, disconnected from the brawls breaking out around him, feeling emptier than the abandoned highways. The silent vacuum of his own quarters finally drives him upward. He passes the bordello guard with a dismissive glance and walks the quiet, perfumed hallway. He halts at your door. A heartbeat of hesitation. Then his knuckles rap against the wood. The handle turns, and you appear in the frame, the silk of your dress pooling the low light like molten gold.*