a brand new stray

[worn_wings]

Who: Daryl Dixon + open
Broadcast: Not intentionally but maybe you'll get lucky channel surfing sometime?
Action: The Tourist, assorted planets thereafter
When: 5/5 and onward

1. tourist arrival

He doesn't get his bearings at all. Everything when he wakes up is shining and unfamiliar and the only comforting thing is it's definitely not the Sanctuary, as surely as it's not any of their familiar settlements. He gets his back up against the wall, and then he's somewhere else.

The burst of confetti and music just suffices to confuse the hell out of him, so he ignores the chocolate pudding and ducks back against the wall, dead silent and kind of panicked and doing his best not to show it.

Left to his own devices, eventually he'll slink off into the rest of the ship-- looking for anything he can use as a weapon and watching for threats.


2. planetside in the yadrolla system

It's been literally years since he saw a functioning city, and the first time he touches down on one of the more populous planets, it's totally overwhelming.

The upshot of this is he'll be a little friendlier to Fleeters, because at least if someone's vaguely familiar they're closer to being a known, safe quantity. Mostly he stays to the side-streets, watching like it's all new.

Eventually he manages to get a lift to one of the wilder worlds-- not because he wants to sight-see, though incidentally he might end up spectating some of the outdoor events-- but because it's better than being stuck on the ship. Feels too much like a trap-- nowhere to run.

Later in the month he'll take up fishing and hunting-- there may be food on the ship but he's not sure how far he trusts it. Besides, he's good at this, there's some comfort in grounding yourself.


3. choose your own adventure

[ want something different? We'll make it work! ]

Comments

[worn_wings]

[ It's impressive, and he hums thoughtfully acknowledging that. A gym and a bar and all that in a spaceship, it sounds like the kinda bullshit T.V. show he only ever saw on in the middle of the night and never followed. Decent distraction if you're drunk, anyway. ]

Rather be on the ground, [ he murmurs, but then gets distracted by the menu. Even the goddamn concept is weird. He discounts everything with ingredients he's never heard of, then a few whose themed sauces are too annoying, and settles on something that sounds extravagant but still edible. ]

Least there's lots to eat.

[ And no one murdering you if you don't give them seventy percent of it. Or if they feel like it. ]

[postocular]

There's always plenty to eat when you get to the planets. In between is kind of a toss-up depending on what you want.

[ Carl hands the vendor a handful of credits, taking their food and holding Daryl's out to him. He moves away from the stand and toward one of the areas that's less congested with people so they can actually sit and eat. ]

It's kinda nice.. not having to worry about where everything is coming from. [ Not having to fight for it is also a plus. Nobody has to worry about losing their home or about starving. ]

[worn_wings]

[ Yeah, food is amazing. Daryl can't argue with that. He doesn't even wait to pull out a fry and pop it in his mouth as they walk. ]

Just kinda hard to believe.

[ To believe, and to trust. The latter is a little easier because he trusts Carl not to steer him wrong. ]

Seems like you like it here.

[ Which is understandable... though Daryl's not sure he can get there himself, not when being cooped up on spaceships is so unpleasant, not when he's as consumed with wanting Negan brought to justice. ]

[postocular]

[ Hey, Carl can't even be mad, because he's basically doing the same thing. ]

It takes a while for it to sink in that this isn't some dream.

[ He thinks about it and offers a shrug. It's a complicated answer, but there are things he enjoys about the fleet, and others that he misses from home. ]

It's not a bad place, and the people are all supportive.

[worn_wings]

[ That gets an agreeable grunt. So far everyone's been pretty nice... too nice, really, for him to be comfortable with it. Generosity's hard to trust.

But anything else he might say kind of falls by the wayside, too complex to be voiced yet. And besides, they got food. They've got better things to do than talk.]

[postocular]

[ The companionable silence is nice as they eat. He doesn't feel like he has to talk with Daryl, and that's something he hasn't really felt in a while. It's a nice change.

He seems more mellow since the last time he saw Daryl, and that's nice, too. He still worries, though. He doesn't know how long Daryl's even been here, so as he's finishing up the last of his fries, Carl digs through his bags and pulls out a spare knife. It's not anything impressive, but since giving his own to Loki on the abandoned planet, it's nice to have a backup in case someone needs it. He sets it wordlessly next to Daryl's leg. ]

[worn_wings]

[ It's the kind of gesture that means everything for people like them. Daryl honestly just can't be comfortable when unarmed, not here and now. ]

They got me on security.

[ So he's good, though he'll take it-- he just doesn't want Carl stuck without something himself. ]

[postocular]

[ Carl's been in the fleet for two years and still sleeps with a knife on his bedside table. Even though he feels safe enough with his crew, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to shake the need to be ready in the moment. He nods at Daryl's confirmation, glancing at him. ]

Take it until you don't need it. I have a spare.

[worn_wings]

[ As far as he's concerned it's a good habit, not one worth breaking. He can't imagine ever getting over it. The safer things seem, the less inclined he is to trust them. So he nods his thanks, picks up the blade.

They'll get by. They always manage, so far. ]

[postocular]

[ They've weathered worse, and they'll continue to take on whatever comes at them. They'll do it together, now that their small family is starting to grow a little bigger. He gives Daryl a nudge with his elbow just because. ]