*

( his footsteps eventually recede. gauging ellie in an almost tentative calm, if not for the downcasted eyebrows in his puzzled wake. ) ... always been here. ( there's a question in his voice, like an unsaid surety. like he is supposed to feel like the displaced one, not +

( concern crosses over his features — instinctual in the way that calloused hands move quickly to cast aside the instrument. the moment is broken of its picturesque imagery. joel bolts out of his perch, gazing at the unmistakable tear-stricken cheeks. )