Weirdly this is probably the calmest Merle could be in this situation. He's always taken a certain malicious joy in setting people off-balance; these days he's just better about not being a total prick of it. All it took was the apocalypse to make him sort of almost capable of being a team player.
Sometimes.
"Wouldja feel better if I told you he files his teeth sharp and wears thongs made'f human skin?"
She gives him an unimpressed glare, her expression flat and annoyed. She wants to say something like, 'I'm not a little kid', except she's suddenly reminded of a scene in that David Bowie movie Luke liked, and it makes her want to bang her head into the window. This is all such a pointless, stupid, messy way to die. At least nobody in her family's alive to see it.
She keeps driving. "It'd make me feel better if you said something actually useful," she grumbles, "but then you'd probably be lying. How far are we?"
Might as well get her gruesome murder over with. Prepare for the worst, hope they don't take your gun.
"Been tellin you plenty," he counters, just as dry as ever. Jesus Christ, he's been more honest by accident in the past hour than in a typical week, just because it's annoying her. She's a terrible influence.
She groans and rolls her eyes, right on time. Far be it from a teenager to hold back signs of annoyance and aggravation. Bit it's better than wondering all the different ways she's going to die by this goon's friend's hands. Whatever's waiting for her... at this point, she just wants to meet it full on. Die with her fists up. It's how everybody else has so far. It's almost fitting.
"The anticipation of being brutally murdered by strangers is just killing me."
"We got a town. People, families. Mouths to feed. There ain't time for fancy murders."
Is he kidding? Not kidding? Who knows. He figures it won't make much of a difference. Joan seems like one of those people who's gonna be unsatisfied with anything she's told.
At this point, she'd have to be a real fucking idiot not to know she's being toyed with. Knowing that should nullify her frustration. He wants her to be frustrated, so that should negate any annoyance she feels. But life just doesn't work that way. She tries to keep from grinding her teeth.
"You talk like I wanna end up in some little-- town." Some little place. Some little suburb. "Fuck those places."
"Can't make it with people, either," she snaps back too quickly for it to be anything but the truth. Her truth, anyway. "Good people're all dead. Rather be alone than..." She shakes her head. She's not going to talk about... whatever she feels edging up under her skin. Not with this prick.
Well, it's not like Merle can really claim he's the good people. Most of Woodbury... she's not gonna buy anything he says, though, so he doesn't bother. Time will tell; she'll meet them and she'll make up her mind, he figures.
And because she's not wrong, and he's kind of a prick, he doesn't bother answering her question. They've already driven past the right turnoff, but like hell was he gonna make it easy. They'll drop the car off, lose any biters, and hike back.
"Turn off here," he says abruptly, a few minutes later.
So she does without an argument. There's nothing to argue. She's still got her gun. For now, she's living large.
The car wheezes onto a frontage road, and she keeps an eye out for any signs advertising a place called Woodbury. She thinks she saw some, now that he's mentioned it, but she can't recall where. "What is this, the best kept secret in Georgia?" You suck at giving directions.
If she's trying to get a rise out of him, she'll have to make do with another shit-eating grin.
"Park anywhere you like, sugar, we're walkin'."
And if she behaves, he won't have to shoot her. He's trying to be polite and not even threaten to shoot her. He figures that's gonna last about eight seconds.
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what_wings_dare2014-10-20 06:48 pm
no subject
Weirdly this is probably the calmest Merle could be in this situation. He's always taken a certain malicious joy in setting people off-balance; these days he's just better about not being a total prick of it. All it took was the apocalypse to make him sort of almost capable of being a team player.
Sometimes.
"Wouldja feel better if I told you he files his teeth sharp and wears thongs made'f human skin?"
no subject
She keeps driving. "It'd make me feel better if you said something actually useful," she grumbles, "but then you'd probably be lying. How far are we?"
Might as well get her gruesome murder over with. Prepare for the worst, hope they don't take your gun.
no subject
"Thought you weren't in a hurry?"
no subject
"The anticipation of being brutally murdered by strangers is just killing me."
no subject
Is he kidding? Not kidding? Who knows. He figures it won't make much of a difference. Joan seems like one of those people who's gonna be unsatisfied with anything she's told.
"You're not gonna do better, princess."
no subject
"You talk like I wanna end up in some little-- town." Some little place. Some little suburb. "Fuck those places."
no subject
"Things ain't like they used to be." He shrugs. "Can't make it the same on your own."
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"How close is it?"
no subject
And because she's not wrong, and he's kind of a prick, he doesn't bother answering her question. They've already driven past the right turnoff, but like hell was he gonna make it easy. They'll drop the car off, lose any biters, and hike back.
"Turn off here," he says abruptly, a few minutes later.
no subject
The car wheezes onto a frontage road, and she keeps an eye out for any signs advertising a place called Woodbury. She thinks she saw some, now that he's mentioned it, but she can't recall where. "What is this, the best kept secret in Georgia?" You suck at giving directions.
no subject
"Park anywhere you like, sugar, we're walkin'."
And if she behaves, he won't have to shoot her. He's trying to be polite and not even threaten to shoot her. He figures that's gonna last about eight seconds.