As Ellie approached, Joel took a step back, a glance thrown towards the door leading back out to the street. This really wasn't how he wanted to be wasting time. Still, he remained tight-lipped, eyes back on the machine while Ellie inspected it, looked it over, ran her hands along the edges like it was somehow precious to her. Stupid. It was just a stupid video game machine. Junk, just like everything else was.
A small snort, a little incredulous and mostly unhelpfully stubborn, left him at Ellie's question about extension cords. "Even if we did find one, you need electricity to power those things."
Which of course... there was a chance there was a generator somewhere about, but Joel wasn't about to go hunting around for a generator just so Ellie could play a damn video game.
He gave a mildly exasperated, impatient show of his hand at the machine. "Why the hell is this thing so important to you, anyways?"
"I told you," she started, almost impatient, perhaps sensing his disinterest, "I had a friend who-- We found one just like this, but it didn't work, either. She knew everything about it. Since then, I always wanted to give it a try, but..."
But. Ellie leaned forward, sweeping the wall for any kind of extension cord and coming up short.
"Details, details," she sighed at the mention of the power. "We see generators all over the place, right? Or close enough that we could probably drag one over."
Maybe she wouldn't be able to do it on her own, but they'd been through a lot lately. If she was tenacious enough, maybe she'd be able to convince him that it would be worth it to take a mental break.
"Aren't you tired? We've been walking all day." Ellie straightened up again, hands planted on her hips as she tilted her head at the other. "Look, why don't you get some sleep, and I'll check around and see if I can get this thing running."
Then, quickly:
"Promise I'll keep watch. I mean, goes without saying."
Of course he was tired. He was exhausted to the point where his muscles ached and his bones creaked. Joel's idea of stopping for a rest, though, was only once the sun started to sink in the horizon and it became time to set up camp for the night. Or stopping to sit on a fallen log or a broken wall to chow down a stale energy bar, a drink of dirty water from his military canteen, maybe food from a rusty can if he and Ellie were lucky enough to come across stock.
Joel showed no enthusiasm at the idea of hunting around for a generator, but when Ellie suggested he go nap and leave her on her own--
"You outta your mind?" he countered brusquely. As much to say, there's no way in hell I'm leaving you to your own devices. He knew she was capable to look after herself, but the thought of something happening to her…
No. Just no.
He had a mind to tell her to quit wasting time, let's just keep moving, you don't need to play any dumb video games. He also didn't have the energy to argue with her, though. And so, with that, Joel heaved another sigh. One of those relenting, put out sighs of his before he cast a glance around the ramshackled game parlour.
"I'll see what I can find," he said, reluctant and sounding even more put out. He set his eyes back on Ellie. "We don't find anything, though, we keep movin'. We clear?"
Always. Puffing out her cheeks, Ellie began to move around the place, spotting a back door and meandering over to it. She thought to fight him on the issue, to try and get the guy to sit down, at least. Joel was a hardy guy, obviously used to a life of physical activity, but he was still pushing fifty (right?) and needed to take a breather like the rest of humanity.
Or, what was left of it.
Ellie pushed through the door into the back room, letting it flap shut behind her. There wasn't much: a desk with some old papers, a phone, two chairs, a shelf with almost nothing on it. Whistling, the girl bent down to rummage through the drawers, coming up with a pair of scissors. When she straightened, she had to admit there was no generator in the back office and headed back into the arcade.
"Find anything?" she asked, but as she did, her eyes fell on another closet on the wall opposite marked 'Utilities' in faded gold letters.
"Ah-ha..." Ellie set the scissors on the counter for Joel to stow away and moved across the room. No, it didn't matter if she got to play the game; maybe she could be naive, but she'd learned a lot about realism in the past year, especially lately. If they didn't find it, it'd be too bad, but they'd move on. ... That didn't mean she wouldn't try, though. After everything Riley had done to give her the experience...
Maybe it was better that she not get to play the real thing, so she could keep that memory as vivid as possible.
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no subject
A small snort, a little incredulous and mostly unhelpfully stubborn, left him at Ellie's question about extension cords. "Even if we did find one, you need electricity to power those things."
Which of course... there was a chance there was a generator somewhere about, but Joel wasn't about to go hunting around for a generator just so Ellie could play a damn video game.
He gave a mildly exasperated, impatient show of his hand at the machine. "Why the hell is this thing so important to you, anyways?"
no subject
But. Ellie leaned forward, sweeping the wall for any kind of extension cord and coming up short.
"Details, details," she sighed at the mention of the power. "We see generators all over the place, right? Or close enough that we could probably drag one over."
Maybe she wouldn't be able to do it on her own, but they'd been through a lot lately. If she was tenacious enough, maybe she'd be able to convince him that it would be worth it to take a mental break.
"Aren't you tired? We've been walking all day." Ellie straightened up again, hands planted on her hips as she tilted her head at the other. "Look, why don't you get some sleep, and I'll check around and see if I can get this thing running."
Then, quickly:
"Promise I'll keep watch. I mean, goes without saying."
no subject
Joel showed no enthusiasm at the idea of hunting around for a generator, but when Ellie suggested he go nap and leave her on her own--
"You outta your mind?" he countered brusquely. As much to say, there's no way in hell I'm leaving you to your own devices. He knew she was capable to look after herself, but the thought of something happening to her…
No. Just no.
He had a mind to tell her to quit wasting time, let's just keep moving, you don't need to play any dumb video games. He also didn't have the energy to argue with her, though. And so, with that, Joel heaved another sigh. One of those relenting, put out sighs of his before he cast a glance around the ramshackled game parlour.
"I'll see what I can find," he said, reluctant and sounding even more put out. He set his eyes back on Ellie. "We don't find anything, though, we keep movin'. We clear?"
no subject
Always. Puffing out her cheeks, Ellie began to move around the place, spotting a back door and meandering over to it. She thought to fight him on the issue, to try and get the guy to sit down, at least. Joel was a hardy guy, obviously used to a life of physical activity, but he was still pushing fifty (right?) and needed to take a breather like the rest of humanity.
Or, what was left of it.
Ellie pushed through the door into the back room, letting it flap shut behind her. There wasn't much: a desk with some old papers, a phone, two chairs, a shelf with almost nothing on it. Whistling, the girl bent down to rummage through the drawers, coming up with a pair of scissors. When she straightened, she had to admit there was no generator in the back office and headed back into the arcade.
"Find anything?" she asked, but as she did, her eyes fell on another closet on the wall opposite marked 'Utilities' in faded gold letters.
"Ah-ha..." Ellie set the scissors on the counter for Joel to stow away and moved across the room. No, it didn't matter if she got to play the game; maybe she could be naive, but she'd learned a lot about realism in the past year, especially lately. If they didn't find it, it'd be too bad, but they'd move on. ... That didn't mean she wouldn't try, though. After everything Riley had done to give her the experience...
Maybe it was better that she not get to play the real thing, so she could keep that memory as vivid as possible.