The Last of Us Part II

Patrol, Pt. I

ELLIE'S P.O.V.

It's a beautiful day for a patrol as the sun sparkles on the pines. Sporadic snowflakes fall down from the sky. Dina's horse walks beside mine through the valley we are in. There are no sounds of any Infected yet, a really good sign. All we can hear is the click-clacking of the horses treading through the landscape and their strong, warm breaths that rise in the air like steam. I pull the reins towards me, causing Shimmer to stop in her tracks as I look to Dina for direction.

I bite the inside of my lip harshly. A part of me wants to talk about what happened last night. The thought has been driving me crazy since it happened last night. How her lips molded into mine so easily and the shared taste of leftover whiskey on her lips... but I know she doesn't like me that way. She was just drunk.

Don't fuck up your friendship, Ellie.

"C'mon," she smiles as she motions her head forward. "This way."

I nod, "Right behind you."

The normal quietness of the environment around us seems like torture, now. The birds are almost taunting me. There is so much I wanted to talk about with her. I could feel it beginning to build up like a giant iceberg in the depths of my stupid brain. Should I just be straightforward with Dina and tell or what's on my mind, or just forget it ever happened?

"Do you miss being with him?" I ask as I trail behind, going with the safest option.

"With Jesse?" She laughs as the horses both jump over a fallen tree trunk. "No."

Oh. Wasn't the answer I was expecting.

I add, wanting for her to elaborate, "You've been together for so long."

"Look, Jesse's great. I love his parents. They will always be family, but were just on autopilot."

I guide Shimmer over a stream that's connected to a small cascading waterfall nearby, leaving a void of silence between the two of us for a second before continuing the conversation further.

I break the silence again, "Hey, how come we never talked about this stuff?"

We pass through the woods quietly, dodging various trees and going along the trail.

"I don't know. It didn't feel..." Dina trails off and my interest piqued, waiting for her to finish that sentence. She averts, though, "You never really talked to me about Cat."

"Yeah, 'cause... there isn't much to talk about."

"Yeow."

"I just... I-I got the impression that you didn't really like her."

I don't care about her one way or the other."

"Okay," I chuckle.

"No—I think she's a talented artist! I've grown to like that tattoo of yours."

I muse at her, "That's so big of you."

"Aaand I think she wasn't right for you."

"Interesting."

"Shut up."

"Okay."

Shimmer and Japan hurdle over a gate, quietly neighing in excitement. I have no idea where Dina's taking us, given this was my first time doing the creek trails, so this was all foreign to me. Dina takes a right and disappears into the darkness of a garage area.

She says, "You can tie Shimmer up here."

Once inside, we tie up our horses next to one another's. After dismounting, I gently bring the reins over Shimmer's head, tying her to a nearby pipe and Dina peeks over Shimmer at me.