and when he dreams; open

[aintyourdad]

Who| Joel and You?!?!
What| Ellie is dead. Joel is very, very upset. And out for blood.
Where| Sixth floor mostly - but he's on the move so he can be anywhere in the upper floors.
When| First half of week 4
Warnings/Notes| Very possibly violence, definitely swearing, fantasizing about brutally murdering people, and mentions of the gruesome death of children.

Ding.

He almost didn't hear it, keeping away from the elevator banks as he was. Even in this state, even lost in the memories, both recent and more distant, the blood soaked into his clothes and the bandages on his hands -- he knew better than to approach the elevators without caution.

Ding.

His thought wasn't to get supplies. His thought was to find whoever else might've been stupid enough to follow the sound, poke their head out to see. He had a crowbar, and he wanted nothing more than to smash someone's head in with it, watch the blood and brains splatter everywhere, know that he was getting rid of someone who would've wanted to hurt Ellie, hurt Sarah, hurt his baby girl.

But Ellie was gone. Sarah was gone. The soldier was dead. Aunamee... He didn't know where Aunamee was.

Ding.

The elevator doors were open. No one else was around. Joel crouched behind a display case, ears open for sounds nearby. Nothing. Nothing but the canister that sat in the elevator. Fine. If someone wanted to kill him, they were welcome to. Joel shot forward, grabbing it and dashing back for cover.

It wasn't until he ducked into the restroom that he finally got a good look at it - saw that it had his name on it, saw that it had a note attached. For him.

I'm alright. Still here. I'll see you on the other side. -Ellie

Bandaged hands shaking, he sank to the floor, a choked sob echoing off the walls.

-----

[ooc: feel free to intercept him on his way to/from the elevator, in the restroom, or write up your own starter for Joel to stumble upon!]

Comments

[acroodawakening]

Sobbing was not the kind of thing that screamed "I'm about to murder someone." Sobbing meant sadness or relief or being overwhelmed or all of the above.

That and the fact the voice sounded almost familiar was enough for Guy to investigate the source of the sob, cautiously pushing the door to the restrooms.

"Someone sounds sad in here so I'm here to be nice," he babbled, "don't kill me and I won't kill you."

[designatedfreak]

She was halfway between the fifth and sixth floors when the sprinklers turned on. The sharp pain didn't register, but the sudden expansion of gas across the stairs did and suddenly Max found herself racing to the sixth floor and diving through the gates. She let out a heavy breath as she tumbled into a nude wax figure. Now that she was still Max could feel the pain as her skin froze.

Quickly she tore off her pack so that she could grab the first aid kit. Thin fingers unzipped the top of her pajamas, uncaring that someone could ambush her, and hoping the small drops that had gone down her back hadn't left her skin in too burned. So far she'd made it relatively uninjured despite the small scuffles she'd been in, but she knew a tiny burn could quickly hinder her ability to protect herself and her allies. There was no reaching any burns on her back, but she did cover what she could in antiseptic cream. Already she thought she could feel a small blister or two forming on her back. She was beginning to hate this world.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"You didn't know."

She was here. Quiet, hiding, waiting. She had lost track of Aunamee but that didn't mean she wasn't looking, wasn't hiding and waiting. He would be running, and eventually, she would find him. But now she needed to bide her time. More importantly, she wanted help.

And this was exactly the guy she needed.

"How much time do you need before you get up and we look." Her tone was curt, quiet. She wasn't in an arena mood now: she was n a hunting for a perp mode.

[tis_allgood]

The echoed sobs drew Cuthbert's attention easily. But while he might normally come right in with the intent to kill whoever was making themselves such a target, he froze when he saw just exactly who it was.

He hadn't seen much of this particular tribute, but he already reminded Bert of people he knew from home. Which just made the tears hard to handle.

"Sai, calm down or you'll be killed like this."

Bert took the chance and knelt down beside Joel to try and comfort him.

Vague enough time frame I have no idea.

[undercoverprincess]

She can't stay in the elevator shaft forever. Cindy obviously knew that, and had planned her forays into the rest of the museum carefully. She went to get food and water, check out the situations on the different floor, and then see what she could grab in the way of weapons. Not that there were many left, all things considered; everyone was smart and got what they wanted right off the bat. Which is exactly what she had done, but it made sense to double check.

And then it was right back to the elevator. Except the third floor was toast, and that meant she had to figure out new ways for her to get where she wanted, and get what she wanted.

Why Cindy was out this time? On the search for food, while keeping an eye out for anyone who might be around. You had to be careful, and with the weeks going on, the group was dwindling down. Turning the corner, she thought she saw something(someone) out of the corner of her eye, and she flattened herself against the wall, knives out and ready.

[swill]

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Oh, he could feel himself just wanting to dissolve into nothing like he had been wanting for days, could hardly convince himself to breathe because it was a simple thing asked of him, and it'd be a quick thing. He could feel his stomach doing backflips, and it was a rare thing. If he wasn't so sure he disliked the man like it was the most natural thing in the world, he might just quip about being in love. The fella was built enough. But no. And who ever thought Hawkeye was absolutely useless, well-- well, damn them. Because he wasn't just exhausted, he was also very tired. And he still moved, still worked. Last he figured, he was also still in his right mind, whether that ever classified as sane was no worry of his. He'd seen Joel already. Maybe Joel had seen him- the thought making him want to turn away before the mission even starts. He had slept once, and that was all he bothered to remember about how much time had passed, his only gauge seeing as his bruises felt as fresh and numb as when they'd been given. Hawkeye admitted to himself then that he was a sissy, was beyond delicate and unfit for the abuse. He stepped forward and didn't even wave hello.

Saying how do you do seemed stupid even to him, so he stands taller despite wanting to lean and asks, "Would you recognize Ellie's handwriting?" Which he supposes is out of the blue, and he gets that saying a dead girl's name isn't right, but what part of this was? A yes or no question, and a hopeful one at that. What more could he give? He was as powerless here as the rest of them and it wasn't his fault if nobody understood. However, far from being callous and ill-intended, the question fell from his mouth with a respected weight. Hawkeye figured outright sympathy wasn't something Joel wanted from him.

[polyturtle]

Don hadn't exactly been looking for anyone. In fact, He'd been quietly making his way up the stairs when he heard the sobbing. Quickly steeling himself for a feint or trap, he quietly made his way towards the source.

And found himself looking at a man he hadn't seen before. Very quietly, he found himself inching closer, his hand ready to get to his weapon, just in case the encounter turned hostile after all.

[privilegecheck]

Night had finally rolled around again, the announcements confirming what Kankri already knew - had already seen. Signless was among the dead for this Arena.

Venus kept trying to fuss over him, but for once he didn't want any of it. He didn't want to sit still long enough to think. This was hard enough already. So he promised her he'd stay safe and out of sight and went on a walk.

He was among the eerie statues of the dead on the top floor when he noticed his bare feet through the skylight's illumination. Still encrusted with that dried-up blood. His stomach roiled, and he wanted to puke, but he forced himself to swallow the bile because there just wasn't enough food to waste now.

He ducked into the restroom with the intent of washing the blood off when he heard the sobbing. Cautiously he eased the door shut with hardly a sound, then peeked around the stalls. At least it was someone he recognized, even if that only made him relax the most minute bit. It took him a few moments to dredge up the name.

"Joel, isn't it?" His voice sounded so hoarse and tired, he made a face hearing himself.

[celebrityskinned]

Venus doesn't go into the men's bathroom by accident, in some haze of obliviousness. She goes in with conscious intent. She goes in with an angry stalk that seems out of place with the stitched gash slicing across her face and the swollen leg she has to force herself to put weight on.

And she has no sympathy in her eyes when she stands in the doorway, glaring at Joel, one hand resting on the frame, chin tilted up with disdain that comes from rage barely contained.

"Nice job blowing it, Joel."