crossed paths | the last of us

𝔁𝓲𝓲 ; 𝓽𝓵𝓸𝓾, 𝓬𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓼

- 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 -

A TOUR OF JACKSON WAS THE LAST THING NOOR NEEDED, but Ellie seemed quite eager to get a look around and even though Joel looked the same as always, he had some curiousity in him as well.
The five of them walked together, mostly having to slow down so Noor could keep up, but she had to admit that the place was nice.

And it worked. It actually worked.

Places like Jackson seemed like folktales nowadays and even if someone claimed to have seen or been in one, Noor found it hard to believe. After the Outbreak, it seemed impossible to restore civilization to the way it was before. Mostly due to the virus, but also because of the way humans grew accustomed to hunting and killing in order to survive. People claimed they'd be able to go back to their old lives just like that, however that was far from it. When someone gets used to hostile living, domesticating themselves again was a long journey that might never end.

As they turned a different corner, they encountered the ranches and a herd of sheep flew by them just at their feet. Ellie wasted no seconds in teasing Joel, making sheep noises his way as he simply ignored her.

"So, are you like, in charge?" Ellie asked, her arm out as Noor held onto her and walked together.

"No one person's in charge," Maria stated, "I'm on the council; democratically elected, serving three hundred people, including children. Everyone pitches in, we rotate patrol, food prep, repairs, hunting, harvesting."

Noor seemed to like the sound of what Maria was saying. A quiet town like Jackson reminded her of the small town she grew up in Europe and she hoped her parents would finally be able to rest here. It wasn't fast paced, people actually seemed to get along and everyone did their job without someone's boss yelling down their neck.
It was peaceful, and she also liked the animals running around.

"Everything you see in our town, greenhouses, livestock... All shared. Collective ownership." Tommy added.

Noor raised a brow, "So... Communism, basically?"

"Yeah, thought so, too." Joel added, nodding at Noor.

Tommy shook his head, "Nah, no, it ain't like that."

"It is that, literally," Maria said, her face seeming as if it beamed up when Noor joined in with her conclusion, "This is a commune. We're communists."

As Ellie carefully handed Noor to Joel after seeing something that caught her eye, Tommy halted to a stop and looked like he was rethinking his entire life decisions that led him to becoming a communist. And neither Joel or Noor were able to contain a chuckle that left their lips at Tommy's distraught expression. Joel could feel a laugh brewing in his stomach, but someone had to stick to the grumpy old man persona.

"No way!" Ellie exclaimed, running over to the horses.

Joel felt Noor slightly tug at his arm, urging him to pick up his pace so she could see the horses. He wasn't aware of her liking of horses, so it came as a surprise, but he secretly enjoyed it. Especially when he saw the corners on her lips curl up at the sight of the youngest horse.
Joel didn't get lucky to see Noor happy, didn't get to see her laughing or smiling genuinely. A lot of the times, she forced it in order to calm Ellie, keep her sane for as long as she could, and even though Joel was grateful for it, he hated himself for subconsciously placing that burden on her.

"That's our newest one. Just a few months old. You wanna pet her?" Maria suggested as Ellie made her way to the young horse.

"Yeah, what's her name?"