Yes, and they will run you down, down 'til you fall.

[ringleadering]

who: team family! what: right after the season 7 finale aftermath. where: Alexandria. [ Unease rolled through Rick, setting all his nerves on edge and heightened his need to do something. Anything. But for the moment, he knew they needed to heal and regroup, taking it easy to plan the next course of action. They were gearing up for war and Rick knew better than to ever underestimate an enemy ever again or a possible alliance. The sting from Jadis only added to the fire burning in his veins and the resolute determination to bring all the saviors down to their knees. Those he left alive anyway because he wanted Negan's head and everyone else close to his base of daily operations. They all needed to burn and pay for their crimes. Pushing the troubling ponderings aside for the time being, Rick moved into the room where Michonne and the other injured were. He just finished rallying the troops with Maggie and left her to finish inspiring them and starting a training schedule. They needed more weapons and there were just too many unknown variables. Running a hand over his face, Rick sat down on the chair next to Michonne's bed, reaching for her hand to messily press his lips against her palm, nearly willing her with all he had to wake up. Rationally, he knew she would be okay but his mind had become a chaotic uprising of tumbling emotions and thoughts. He needed her to make sense of it all again. To soothe the inner storms into a calmer peace. ] I thought - I tried to fool myself into believin' we could make it without each other. We could keep goin', doin' what needed to be done. But I can't. I need you, Michonne. Everybody needs ya. I know you gotta rest but if you could just open your eyes a little bit and talk to me a couple minutes, I'd appreciate it. [ He hadn't even gotten his hip looked at yet. Far too concerned with everyone else. ]

Comments

/ shows up l8 with starbucks

[boonie]

[Internalizing was one of many skill sets Daryl had perfected long before skin eating corpse control was necessary. There were a few things he did well, but none of them really connected to having a healthy handle on emotions. Even if he did, there'd be no point in discussing them. Head shrinks weren't charging 200 dollars anymore, the whole world was too fucked up. Best to get on or get gone.

Rick's exactly the kind of guy that needs the reassurance, but there was no way that their plan would've been an ace in the hole. Casualties were a fact of life, and despite the dumpster double-cross Daryl knew there would be a death toll. There always was.]

I ain't the one you gotta convince.

[Daryl knew they had a shot, but now it was all politics, and making sure they were ten steps ahead of the Saviors, that meant D was fucking necessary and he wasn't sure yet whether or not that pissed him off.

Yeah, it all went down, it happened and that was shit but Daryl didn't just play possum and if anyone was gonna make this work it was them. They'd seen through some worse shit. Rick doesn't have to worry about where Daryl stands in all of this,
never did, and the look on his face just reaffirms it when he manages to pull out what Dwight left behind and with a casual look he passes it over to Rick.]

Eugene might be his bitch, and for all we know D is pulling a con- but having somebody on the inside's better than having horse shit.

[Numbers, insight, war games. It'd all be a lot easier if their collaborative efforts could go unnoticed.]

How's the kid?

[Carl had been through more than any kid his age should ever have to and he handled it like a champion. Maybe he's not the one that needs the guidance, but Rick got them this far- not trusting him wasn't an option anymore. If he needs to get some of this off his chest, better to do it now and leave it here than have it like a homing beacon in the heat of battle.]

it's completely okay!!

[ringleadering]

[ There were still countless variables to account for and go over, making things even more dire than before because one false move would topple everything. They fought for their own sense of freedoms but also for the other communities as well. Coming together did pull things into their favors but they needed more than just the drive for it. They needed the numbers and the weapons to fight because there would be a lot of death. There would be so much death and Rick wished they had another way to make all this happen but Rick knew men like Negan and they never listened to reason. He saw men and women like the man all the time before the world ended and he wore the badge with pride.

He knew how they worked and he also knew how they fell. Bullies always failed in the end with their inflated egos and overreaching prides. ]

Ain't about convincing, it's about planning. We have to take the steps now and keep moving. We've got to know where we want to go and figure out how to get there.

[ Did he ever wish they still had Abe and Sasha; both were so good at the tactical approaches and where to take things forward.

Taking what Daryl held out, Rick looked down at it to study for a moment. Did it mean Dwight still had other plans in mind? ]

Don't think Eugene is fully on their side. He's just scared and doin' what he can to survive. Might be betrayed now but we can get him back. He's braver than he thinks he is. [ He didn't want to give up on anyone, especially with how precarious things were at the moment. ] If Dwight can get us numbers from the inside, cripple Negan that way, it might do somethin'.

[ He handed Daryl the piece back. ] You're alright with includin' him?

[ The talk of Carl pulled a deep sigh and then a wince from him. ] He's still alive. It was - really close this time. Thought I was gonna lose Carl and lost Michonne all at the same time. [ He let out another sigh, running his hands along his jeans. ] We have to get to the outposts. Might need you to run a team.

[boonie]

[For a guy that almost watched his kid die, he's got a good head on his shoulders. Daryl doesn't even want to consider what might have happened if Ezekiel hadn't made it down when he did. Seeing all this renewed vigor in the guy is enough to slap a smile on his face, it ain't much, and it only lasts for a second but it's there all the same. People were gonna have to believe in him if they were gonna pull this off.]

I know that much, but you've got a lot of people who've got more fear for Negan than drive for retribution. Not everybody's like... us.

[Most people weren't built for the fight like their group. The lucky folk who haven't lost people to other people or managed to make it out of Terminus or walk away from The Governor. Most people hadn't wound up parked at the goddamn CDC. They'd lived enough for everyone involved.]

'Course I wanna take the mother fucker out, but Eugene being on their side- scared or not, makes him their first hostage in a crisis situation.

[Living life day to day on dog food and torture, witnessing things from the fence line, Negan didn't play. Everyone got a similar deal but when the chips were down all bets were off. Negan only cared about himself long-term. That they could damn well count on.]

I ain't alright and I sure as shit don't trust him, but I think he's stepped away from the crusade.

[His old lady, probably dead now, but losing someone that close to you- the only person you really had, it did things to a man. They'd all seen it, lived it, first hand. Dwight wasn't a threat anymore because when push came to shove Daryl honestly didn't think he had much will to live. That didn't mean that he wouldn't kick his fucking teeth in for what he was responsible for. Some shit you just didn't come back from. It'd take a lot more than carvings and compromises for him to really be on his side.]

That kid's tougher than you, me, and Carol put together. He's gonna outlive all of us.

[No guarantee on that, but Daryl could dream. Apocalypse or not, the children were still the future. If any of them wanted to survive long term they'd do well to remember that.]

You already know I'm on board. [Daryl casts an investigative look at Carol and Michonne. Rick was old school, chivalrous, and the little things mattered to him. More integrity than any man he'd ever met.] They're not gonna want bit parts.

[ringleadering]

[ While Rick still felt rattled to his bone, he refused to allow for it to show, his training for the force allowing for him to appear calmer and more in charge. Things he needed to be for others to fall in line and believe in the cause they were setting forth. So many groups were disgruntled but they needed to give them the will to fight, which meant having a strong, tough as nails leader. Rick felt less tough as nails than in the past but he knew how to impose an image. He knew how to appear what others needed to see and take in. All marks of a very skilled Sheriff's Deputy. ]

We just got to show him he's one man. If we get some of his Savior's against 'im, it'll really help. They fear more his image and what he's put out there but once that starts crumblin'. Once they start seein' him as just a man. [ Rick shook his head, reminded briefly of the past. ] Same thing happened with the Governor. Men like that always fail. They don't have real connections with anybody. [ The ones Negan surrounded himself with would turn on him the second they smelled blood in the water. ]

We got to find a way to get him out of there. We're gonna need him for what's comin'. He can make bullets Rosita said. He's one of us. We aren't gonna leave him with those people. [ The amount of people he felt responsible for and attached to would only lead to more heartache. But he couldn't move past it or stop it all the same. ]

[ He nodded, reaching out to squeeze Daryl's shoulder. ] We'll talk more 'bout it later, alright? After all this is over, you can do whatever you want with him. For now, we need 'im. He might be able to get us numbers.

Wish he didn't have to be. [ His heart clenched in his chest at the mere thought of Carl but he had the means to survive in their new world. Carl knew what needed to be done and Rick didn't worry about him being able to keep moving forward but the mental state concerned him far more. ] But after all this fightin' things will be better.

[ Following Daryl's gaze, Rick nodded his head, resolute. ] I know. I've got other things in mind for them. We've got to work fast and efficiently. We are lackin' numbers and weapons. We've got to find a way to make up for it. [ He let out a slow breath. ] We've got to do whatever it takes. Even if it's not what we like.

[boonie]

[Rick's not wrong, Negan is just a man, and the only thing that makes him a threat is the numbers underneath him. Infect one person with a conscience and the rest were sure to follow. He might not trust Dwight, but right now he was the best asset they had. It doesn't keep him from casting a long look in Rick's direction, because no matter what they were bound to lose people, and not everyone was willing to put their life on the line. Eugene wasn't exactly easy to reach right now and Rosita was still running around with a death wish.]

I don't think you'll have a problem with The Kingdom. [It's Hilltop he's worried about, and their down on his knees bitch of a leader, Jesus might be on their side but most of their people weren't what anyone'd consider fighters. Kingdom had all the right resources, but by comparison, Hilltop was impoverished, and they still didn't have a doctor.]

Someone should canvas down by that ocean tribe. We lost Heath, probably- but I have a feelin' The Saviors know where they're hiding. Now they're not armed, but they're still able bodies.

[Daryl played at an every man for himself attitude, but old habits died hard. He wasn't about to leave a bunch of women like sitting ducks. Especially when they're responsible for not having a way to defend themselves.]

I know it ain't exactly a priority, but somethin' to think about. We still have to put the dead to rest. [They lost some people, just to the fighting between the Saviors and the rest on Alexandria grounds.] and Sasha. [Who wasn't dead so much as gone to him. She made her choice, but she was still family.]

[ringleadering]

[ More than anything else, they needed to ruin the mystery surrounding Negan and wreck the belief he could make anything come to pass. He had far more numbers than Rick would have liked but he knew a majority of them were probably sour over their lot. From what Carl had said, people looked miserable and the first chance they had they would revolt. They just needed to know they could and someone else would take them in and treat them better.

Being a tyrant sure gave power but it also allowed room for uprisings and take overs. They needed to count on it. ]

The Kingdom has been training people for awhile. Morgan said most of 'em can handle their own even the younger ones. It's Hilltop I'm more concerned 'bout. We might have to deal with Gregory. He's too much of a loose canon for what we need goin' forward.

[ He didn't like the train of thought but some things were a necessary evil and he knew he often had to be the one to carry out such things.

Oceanside made a fresh wave of guilt pour over him, fittingly enough. He nodded his head, knowing they needed to do some quick thinking and moving there. ]

We can look for Heath and offer the residents of Oceanside to come to one of the three zones - The Kingdom, Alexandria or Hilltop. [ He didn't really want to make Hilltop an option at the moment until they secured it more but he didn't want to risk alienating them either. ]

Trainin' those from Hilltop needs to happen. We don't want them to be the first casualties just because they don't know how to handle a weapon.

[ Sasha. He would never stop seeing her eyes anytime he closed his at night, adding her to mingle in with the rest of the horrors playing throughout his night time hours. Sometimes during the day given how things were going and how tired he felt. He couldn't even remember the last time he slept. ] We'll handle burying the dead first then fix up the walls and the rest of the town. We'll need to go on runs and stock up before the Saviors block our ways from gettin' round to try and make us desperate to go back under their thumb.