[ He hadn't been sneaking; she'd heard him approach. She saw him, too, big, plaid (sometimes denim) man as he is. Ellie doesn't answer when she hears his voice, so it isn't immediately clear whether or not she made out the words. Instead, she tosses another rock... though, the effects of his distraction are evident in the way the stone sputters once on the surface before sinking, a stark difference from her other throws. ]
Nobody's playing hide and seek. [ Maybe those kids are in the town. It isn't fair to be so sharp and critical of them, but her stubborn nature and general unease dictate it. Ellie wrinkles her nose and lets another rock fly, but this one is worse than the last as her composure unravels a little.
'Hide and seek' takes her back, all at once, as if Joel had suddenly struck her across the face. It returns her to a room where the heat's rising and a shaky, excited voice calls out for her to give up the ghost.
"There you are, Ellie." Her hands tremble in real time, but she quickly stiffens them up into tight fists. ]
I thought we agreed that I'm fine out here. [ She says, because she has to speak up, to hear the sound of her own voice over the jarring memory. ]
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Nobody's playing hide and seek. [ Maybe those kids are in the town. It isn't fair to be so sharp and critical of them, but her stubborn nature and general unease dictate it. Ellie wrinkles her nose and lets another rock fly, but this one is worse than the last as her composure unravels a little.
'Hide and seek' takes her back, all at once, as if Joel had suddenly struck her across the face. It returns her to a room where the heat's rising and a shaky, excited voice calls out for her to give up the ghost.
"There you are, Ellie." Her hands tremble in real time, but she quickly stiffens them up into tight fists. ]
I thought we agreed that I'm fine out here. [ She says, because she has to speak up, to hear the sound of her own voice over the jarring memory. ]