endure & survive.

The Corbomite Maneuver (TLOU AU)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
It was a tried and tested method for ignoring the gnawing hunger of his belly which kept him from falling asleep. A way of distracting himself so his mind didn’t dwell of what he didn’t have. His father had taught him. Part of the essential learning for any survivor, he’d said, was to train your mind to focus on things other than physical discomfort. Stiles’ dad’s trick was to recite the names of all the friends he’d loved and lost which always struck Stiles as being morbid. But he understood. It wasn’t the subject matter that was important; it was the activity of remembering.
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Had the world not been the way it was, Stiles probably wouldn’t have been one for poetry, but after finding a book of collected poems in a long since abandoned house, he’d found he liked the rhythm of how they read. The poems conjured images of a life he’d never know and sparked awe as well as melancholia. Night after night, whenever he was able, he read the poems over and over, committing them to memory just in case he ever lost the book. Now, he called to mind one of the verses, silently reciting it to himself to keep from thinking about his stomach.
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Her footsteps were unmistakable and Stiles held his breath, mentally preparing himself to fend off an attack. But none came; instead she spoke to him almost kindly and he cracked open his eyes to look up at her before opening them fully and pushing to sit up. Food. She was sharing her food with him - why? Gaze flicking between the woman and her offering, he was hesitant in case it was a trap, but need overruled caution and he pulled the small meal towards him.

“Thank you,” he breathed, surprisingly emotional over the gesture, which was ridiculous and he inwardly chastised himself for it. Biting experimentally into one of the beans, he groaned loudly at the burst of flavour on his tongue and then it was gone. Another followed then a third before he forced himself to pause and take a breath.

“I’m Stiles."

_{A small smile curled at her lips as he thanked her for the food. Eyes shifted to the debris-littered floor as he consumed the beans, her shoulders slouching lightly before he spoke once more. A name. Ellie glanced up under dark lashes, lips parted to speak.}

_{❝ Ellie.❞}

_{It was not the first thing that came to mind - sharing names, yet it provided some sort of comfort for the young woman. In the world she survived in -battered and crushed by an infection she was immune to - most she collided with either wanted to steal or jam a knife into her throat out of fear. Sometimes, most times, there was little time to learn about strangers, even something as simple as a name. Perhaps she could take advantage of the situation she was in, even if only for a little while.}

_{She pushed herself up from where she crouched, legs stiff from the position she had been in. A few strides towards the chair and Ellie scooped up the remaining food she saved for herself. She returned back to the same spot next to him, this time settling on the floor with her legs crossed in front. It took her seconds before she began to eat again. She tore off some more meat and popped it between her teeth.}

❝ _So_{, you got a group?}❞

tuusvirvespertilio; the corbomite maneuver; [ sorry this took forever! ];