Curate, connect, and discover
i know the general consensus is that Ellie has SOME sort of abandonment issues which honestly I subscribe to that idea but it would be so much sadder if she was previously affiliated with people that she knew and trusted and was separated from them after her arrest
It's a one-off short detail (that I am overanalyzing) but in the beginning cutscene in CG where she mentions "her contacts" (aka people she knows) knowing the location of the toppat train
Which probably ??? Implies she was in alignment with a group / gang of sorts that she frequently worked with . Either way it's very consistent with her character that she likes to work with others - she likes to be a part of something .
in TR she's very quick to suggest the Toppat Clan will take she and Henry in as fugitives and in TT , suggests to Charles to ring them up whenever theres another mission to complete , even going "right , Henry ? " almost as if hoping that they all remain tightly knit in the future .
She works best when she has people behind her and when she's able to give support . Henry leaving her behind was probably more of a gut-punch than she was letting on