Tess

After the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak, Tess became a smuggler in the Boston quarantine zone, living in Area 4. While there, she met Joel. The two became partners; Joel serving as the muscle while she was the brains in their operations. The two became close, Tess even affectionately calling him "Texas" and the two flirted with each other during their missions, heavily relying upon each other in the post-pandemic world. With Tess having various contacts in the Boston underworld and a no-holds-barred approach, she and Joel earned a ruthless reputation, to the point where their fellow survivors (including Ronnie) within the QZ did not attempt to cross them.