#hellooooo!!!!

HE SHIFTS THE STRAP OF HIS PACK that is slung over his shoulder. There is an awkwardness that hangs in the air between them, heavy and thick. Joel does his best to push through it, to treat this patrol run just like any other ──── even if they'd had one another in tears the night before. “ Alrighty then, ” he utters, pausing to sniffle; the cold air of a Wyoming winter burns his nostrils. “ You all ready, kiddo? ”

Kiddo. He could still call her that, right?

It's a difficult habit to break. He calls most of the youngin’s close to him kiddo. ( Never mind that that list is small and consists only of Benji, Dina, and sometimes Jesse. ) He scratches idly at the greying hair along his jaw. Clears his throat. “ Heard Seth made you a sandwich. Honestly surprised you didn't throw it in his face. ” He would have, had he been there, Maria be damned. “ . . . he'd've deserved it, if ya ask me. ”