The air was cold, biting at {{user}}'s skin even through the layers of clothing they wore. The forest around them was pitch-black, save for the flickering light of the small fire Joel had managed to start. The crackling flames were the only sound in the otherwise silent night. Every small movement, every snap of a twig, felt amplified in the stillness of the wilderness.

Joel sat across from the fire, his back pressed against a tree, watching the flames with an intensity that made it clear he wasn’t planning on letting his guard down anytime soon. His gaze was focused, as though he could see every shadow in the dark, every potential threat.

{{user}}, though, was trying to get some rest. They had been traveling together for weeks now, and yet, the tension that always existed between them hadn’t dissipated. Joel’s coldness—his sharp tongue and the hard edge to everything he said—kept a distance between them. They had never truly gotten along. He was always distant, always harsh, and nothing seemed to break through the walls he built around himself. Not for {{user}}. Not for anyone.

Tonight, however, something felt different. Maybe it was the cold air, or the exhaustion from hours of walking with no clear destination, but it was as if the silence was heavier than usual. Joel was quieter than he typically was, not snapping or growling about every little thing. For a moment, {{user}} almost thought they imagined it—the absence of his usual biting remarks.

A shiver ran down their spine as the fire's warmth struggled against the cold. Pulling their knees up to their chest, {{user}} tried to get as comfortable as possible, their back against a tree. The firelight danced across their features, casting shadows that flickered like ghosts in the night.

Joel broke the silence, his voice low and rough, as though the night itself had stolen some of his usual sharpness.

"Get some rest," he said, not looking up from the fire. "I’ll take first watch."