what_wings_dare | I'll bake a cake with pink frosting. Would they like that?

Leaving the bag out of reach, that's a rookie mistake. But maybe, he figured, they ain't used to living people being the problem. He's not worrying much. Whoever it is, he's still pretty sure he's got the upper hand.

And it feels a little higher still when he sees that familiar face.

"Well, shit!" Despite crowing in evidently pleasant surprise, he still doesn't move his gun. "Had to get outta your tower after all, princess?"

It'd be a lot less fun if she didn't look so goddamn annoyed. Thanks, Joan, this made his day.

She's gonna get murdered by knifearm. Christ. It feels so stupid, like a plot point in one of her brothers' dumb movies. And then Knifearm gutted that stupid bitch like a fish. And she'll deserve it, as far as she's concerned. If he just kills her, she's lucky.

But fear is expensive and anger is cheap. She feels it filling her veins, building slowly, waiting for an opportunity.

Big talk for somebody lying on their back on the ground while some asshole grins at her. She sits up slowly, staring him straight, as defiant as she can muster. "Cut the smalltalk," she says. "What do you want?"

"Maybe I'm lookin for the smalltalk."

The chances of him cutting out the patronizing son of a bitch act are slim to none; it's kind of his thing. Truth is he doesn't really know what to do with her. For all his big talk before, the Woodbury folks can be a bit picky... Real question is whether she can pull her weight.

If she can, and maybe she can-- dumb mistake aside-- then maybe he's here to be the best goddamn friend she ever head. That, or he's gonna put a blade through her eye socket. One way or the other, no pressure.

"I been friendlier than anyone else you're gonna meet out here." Not untrue, that. "You catchin' some sleep under there?"

"Keep looking." This has always been her fucking problem. See someone bigger than you? Pick a fight. Stare down a guy twice your weight with a gun pointed on you, what do you do? Growl at him. Great fucking plan, Joan.

But if she's going to die today, it's not going to be after a polite apology.

She's aware, on some level, that this is a test. That she shouldn't be goaded into giving herself away. But twice he's bested her, and her pride is wounded; she wants to prove her worth, even though she knows its useless. No one like him will ever find her useful.

Even if you were born in prison, you'd miss home eventually. "I was seeing if I could fix it, genius."

She'd be a lot less interesting to him if she just rolled over, got all meek. An easier sell for the town, maybe, but not as useful in the long run. As it is, she's got that cornered animal look in her eye, her teeth bared, and it's all he can do not to laugh. He's not holding back on her account, either. It's just not the right move, not yet, to push that far.

He hasn't budged an inch, which isn't bad or good, really. He's not letting up the threat of that heavy-barreled gun, but he's not coming after her. Not even making a move to take her bag. Merle Dixon: the ultimate gentleman of the apocalypse.

And he still doesn't let up on that easy drawl, just raises his eyebrows.

"Can you?"

Time to shine, princess.

The cornered animal act is getting strenuous. She's used to the person cornering her attacking by now. Nobody in her family is particularly subtle, much less patient. Why hasn't he struck her yet? What does he want?

Joan has the very real feeling that she's being played. She's going to lose, she knows, but damn her if she doesn't go down swinging.

"Yeah," she says, finally. She gets up slowly, never taking her eyes off him. "I could. Just need my bag."

The bag on the hood of the car, which, admittedly, does have the supplies she needs in there. Joan was never much for quick thinking where lies are concerned. But more importantly, it has the only gun she's got left.

It's pretty clear she's getting more frustrated by the minute, which is fine. You learn a lot about a person like this, seeing them at the end of their rope. She's not wrong about this being a test, a game. He's just not sure what winning would look like for her.

He glances at the bag, lazily debating giving it to her just to see what happens. Why wouldn't she take the tools down in the first place? What else is in there?

"Say you do. Where're you gonna drive it?"

"Away from you," is her first, immediate, unthinking answer. It's a testament to how scared she is that there isn't an insult on the end of that. Away from your ugly ass. She can almost hear herself say it.

But the thing is, that doesn't seem to work on this guy. Goading people on, that always worked on Dad and Matt, but it doesn't do shit here. It occurs to her, fucking idiot, that she ought to stop working off instinct. This asshole refuses to be riled.

What does he want? If he wanted to hurt her, he could have done it by now. She really, really hopes he doesn't want to drag it out. If she were smart, she should interrogate him back. Turn it around on him.

But like always, she opens her mouth and insults fall out. "I don't got shit here, so I'm leaving," she says, still scowling. "You want my social security number too?"

She doesn't know when to shut that mouth of hers. Time was it would've pissed him off enough to leave her here, at best, leave her here dead if he thought there was a chance of her coming after. Maybe he's getting soft in his old age. Maybe it's just, it's been a while since he had anyone around dumb enough to mouth off like that. Who knows.

"Won't find shit on your own, neither. 'Specially if you're this friendly to everyone."

Maybe he's the only one getting star treatment, who knows. Might be by default. She seems like she hasn't seen much of anyone else.

"Don't mean there ain't places to go."

Joan, champion of putting her foot in it, keeps going for gold. "Only thing I'll find with you is a puncture wound."

It's more grumbled than the defiant snarl of before. She's at the bottom of this particular hole, and he still hasn't struck. The anxiety of her situation gnaws at her, but it's become a low hum at the back of her mind. She wants to get this over with. If he's going to hit her, he ought to hurry up. She knows what to do when that happens. It's this nagging, gloating thing he's doing that's driving her nuts. That's what's making her feel like a real idiot.

Maybe that's the point.

"Don't tell me you're gonna try and spin fairyland to me again. Come on. What to do you want?"

Christ, maybe he oughta leave her here; she's the kind who's gonna bite the hand that feeds her and spit it out to boot. He's not soft-hearted enough to worry, exactly, about what the hell made her that way, but curious enough to half-wonder. That's just the way of things. Sometimes you get dealt a shit hand, you just live with it.

He gives her a long, measuring look.

"What d'you think I want?"

Cause Merle, he hasn't got a clue what she's fighting for at this point. He wonders if she does.

Joan knows what she thinks he wants, but she's at least not stupid enough to say it. In the off chance she's luckier than she feels today, she doesn't want to give him any ideas. When pressed, she likes to think she's not a terrible judge of character, she just prefers to fight people than to read them. Seems more honest. She finds the directness refreshing.

And really, how good can a seventeen-year-old be at any one thing?

"I think you wanna see me sweat," is the first sensible thing she can think of to say. It's the first thing that doesn't sound like the description on the back of a direct-to-video slasher film.

She looks back at the bag still sitting on the hood of the car. If only she could get to it. If only she could turn this around. Christ, why hasn't he shot her yet? Why is he giving her so much time? Why is he asking her questions? Jesus, is he playing mind games with her?

Knifearm is smarter than he looks, and that's fucking terrifying.

"Is this some kind of fucking test?"

"Every god damned thing now's a test."

Jesus, where the fuck has she been? The way she acts it seems like she hasn't been with a group, which he'd normally think means she's a real badass, but mostly he's guessing she's just not an idiot, and is really goddamn lucky. She rattles too easy, runs her mouth too much.

"Fairyland don't need no one who can't pull their weight, Princess. I wanna know if talkin' to you instead of takin' your shit and gettin back on my way's a waste of time."

He can guess what she guesses he wants, and that's not worth dignifying with a threat. This is, really, a simple transaction, and he's soft hearted enough that it'd be a shame to kill her. (She's a kid. She's a dumb goddamn kid and she's lasted this long but if she's gonna keep lasting she needs more than luck.) Maybe, though, he just likes pissing her off, because he smiles again, sly and fake-friendly.

"So, you gonna give me a lift or not?"

This isn't a test, she realizes with a sick feeling growing in her stomach. This was a series of tests, and she failed them all. He was probably hoping she'd pass, or something. He's smarter than he looks-- which isn't saying much, but still-- and she got fucking played.

This is good news, in that if he wanted to really do horrible shit to her, he would have by now. And it's bad news, because she still has no idea what he actually wants. She's still failing his tests.

Some part of her, the same part that still stupidly regrets her father's death, wants to pass them. She does her best to snuff that out and move forward. He doesn't want to kill her or make her wish she was dead. He wants something else. She needs to see if it's something she can give, and what she can get for it.

Whatever he wants or doesn't want, he's not going to let her walk away.

She lets out a shaky breath, and runs her hands over her face. Just do it, you stupid fuck. "This kinda car's real bad for off-road driving 'cause the undercarriage is weak," she says, finally. This is something she knows. She'd rather stick to it. Christ, anything for something she can succeed at. "The cooling system got ripped off and the car overheated. That's why I was under there."

She points to her bag. "There's tubing and a ketchup bottle full of coolant in my bag. I can fix it."

The smile doesn't fade from his lips, but it never really reached his eyes. His gaze is still steady and scrutinizing. He's not cold, just pragmatic. And he means it-- really-- if he's got to leave her here to move on, he'll do it and not look back.

It's a long moment before he moves at all, his posture easing up a little bit. Enough that his aim wavers, though he's still plenty ready if he's got to shoot. Leaning over, he hooks the straps of her bag onto what's left of his arm, careful not to cut them.

"I'm gonna give you your kit, long as you tell me you're not dumb enough to try nothin."

Because unless she's a total idiot, there's gonna be a knife in there, too, at the very least. He's not really trusting her-- wouldn't turn his back on her-- but he'd rather avoid going through the trouble of picking through her stuff if he can avoid it. And if she does-- well, he's not worried. Not for himself.

And if she agrees, better or worse, he'll hand it over for her to take.

She nods, real slow. If she doesn't think, oh, he's just some other prick like her dad and Matt, he's easier to read. That, she thinks, was her blind spot. She's usually better at this, usually better at avoiding situations where it feels like the floor dropped out from under her and her next stupid mistake will be her last.

She doesn't know what makes this guy tick, but if he's anything like most living humans left on the face of the Earth, she guesses he likes feeling right and being cooperated with.

"I won't try nothing," she says, real careful, "unless you do."

She holds out her hand to take the bag, taking it nice and slow like you would in front of a wild animal.

"Get to it, Princess."

He doesn't shift much as she loops it over the end of the blade. This girl, she's not stupid, he thinks-- she's said some stupid shit, but who doesn't?-- but he's got her on edge, and if she thinks he's making a move she might spook. So he just lets her take it, get whatever she needs, the gun still in his good hand in case she changes her mind on not being an idiot.

She takes three things out of the bag, slowly, carefully. The first two are obvious-- the tubing (repurposed from some rich dead guy's fish tank) and the ketchup bottle. The third is her last gun, with its three remaining bullets. She takes it out real slow, picturing in her head that she's doing it, again, for some wild animal you didn't wanna get mauled by. She doesn't hold it right, doesn't try to hide it either. Not even putting her finger on the trigger, she holds it awkward until she can fit it into her belt. Never should have put it down to begin with. Fucking stupid, but she likes to think she's lived through the mistake well enough not to make it again.

Only then does she crouch down to crawl under the car and get to work.

"My name's Joan," she says, and there's still that strained note of contention in her voice. 'Princess' is annoying, but it's definitely one of the nicer nicknames she's ever been saddled with. "You sure ain't Prince Charming."

That could have been nastier, she thinks, mentally patting herself on the back. Could've been real goddamn mean with that comment, and she wasn't. Good job, maybe you won't get dumped in a ditch today.

The gun doesn't surprise him a bit. Can't blame a girl on her own for protecting herself. Or anyone, for that matter. He can even approve of how she deals with it-- doesn't try to keep it out of sight, doesn't try to get the upper hand. Now, he knows that ain't her being friendly-- but she's bright enough to know it's time to quit fighting, at least a while. It's a good move, and so he doesn't insist on taking it from her.

"Merle Dixon. And I been a perfect gentleman," he argues, though he's not really arguing, just being a pain in the ass. Once she's settled back down there, he finally takes his eyes off her a minute-- just to sweep the area, make sure there's nothing they need to watch out for, though she's still got her rattling trap to give her a warning.

"You learn to do this after everything?"

Making conversation probably isn't helpful. He doesn't give a fuck.

Isn't Merle a girl's name? Don't say it, don't fucking say it. She bites her lip, and is grateful she's under the car where he can't see her do it. For some reason, it feels like a weakness. No, she's sure it'd be taken like one.

It's with that newfound freedom that she rolls her eyes at the word gentleman. "That's a word for it." Careful, now. But if she just rolls over and acts like the good little girl who never fights back, it's spitting on everything she's lived for up until now. She decides she has to walk the line between getting killed and feeling like she's dead anyway.

"My daddy was a mechanic," she says instead. She doesn't mind the conversation, it's better than how Matt used to kick her legs. "One of my brothers, too. He mostly taught me."

Fortunately, kicking at her legs is an impulse he can avoid pretty easily.

"Good skill."

Especially now, the way things are. If she can get this hunk of garbage going it'll make up for the time he's wasting watching her knees bump the metal and more.

"Where you from?"

Why is he asking? Why does he care? But if he's like her, maybe he wants to know because it's harder to leave people dead in ditches if you know more about them. Here's hoping, anyway.

"Right outside Louisville. You?"

The two of them have the same problem-- they're no good at shutting their goddamn mouths when they oughta. He's talking because he wants to talk, and idle chat's easy enough.

"Up north a while. In the mountains. Headed for Atlanta when things went tits-up."

"Hills? Huh." She wants to ask about it. Should she? This doesn't feel like some other extended test, though. She's fixing a car, presumably for him, maybe he'll even leave her alone after. Presumably he's the kind of asshole who can't ask nicely. Asking where he grew up should be safe, so long as she can stand to hear another 'I'm so tough to make it out alive' story. At least this one will be new.

"And what're the hills of Georgia like? I been sticking to the roads, mostly. Flat as fuckall." Just driving around seeing signs for Atlanta, and knowing if it was anything like Nashville to stay the fuck away. No point in asking about that place.

"You ain't missin' much."

By now it's all about the same, anyway. The cities are full of the dead. The woods are full of the dead. The roads are full of dead cars full of dead drivers, whole goddamn world's dead, outside Woodbury and the occasional asshole smart enough or lucky enough to survive.

"All the same now." He barks a laugh, sharp and humorless.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject