"I appreciate the thought, but you don't know the first thing about me," Joel points out, as gently as he can, while still implying and you won't, either. Joel doesn't do friends, and hasn't for a very long time. In his world, too many people to care about is as much a liability as an asset. He's long ago shut down most of those emotions, learned to keep them confined to a very few people at any given time.

"Anyway, thanks. I need to go find Ellie - she's probably makin' a scene," he mutters with a vague shrug, turning to go.