Yaugur System Mingle

[padadin]

Who: EVERYONE
Broadcast: If you want!
Action: Of course
When: 6/23 to 8/5.

[Welcome to the Yaugur System, where everyone will want to join the most important activity here:



KITE FLYING!

...what do you mean, there's something more important to do? Oh yeah, the mist. Sure, have fun with your despair hallucinations, I guess.]

Comments

[postocular]

[ Carl trails behind Daryl, trusting that he'll know where to go. He goes into the bar and gives it a once-over. It smells stale, but they've been worse places. He doesn't want to push his shit on anyone, but his family cares. There will be time to deal with it later, he's not going anywhere. Until then, he'll just do what he always does- shoulder it and keep going.

He finds them a booth off to one side. There aren't a lot of people, which is good. ]

We don't really talk about stuff, anyway.

[worn_wings]

We don't,

[ he agrees, when he comes to join Carl at the booth, having grabbed them a couple of beers-- whatever's cheap, he doesn't really care and figures Carl hasn't had enough to have any preference. ]

Don't mean we can't. Back home-- [ he pauses, hesitant not because it's touchy but because... well, they don't talk, Lord knows he doesn't talk, so talking about talking is some kind of torture in an uncharted territory. ] We got time, here. Room. Just sayin' if you wanna, we can.

[ And if not, then they just drink in silence. At least Daryl's good at doing that. ]

[postocular]

[ He hasn't had any, in fact, so he can't really have much of an opinion o n the matter. He holds the glass in his hands for as few drawn out moments, staring into the foaming surface before pulling it close to take a drink. Carl winces, but powers through the bitter taste. ]

There's not really time to talk about anything back home. [ He looks up at Daryl, serious. ]

What's the last think you remember from home?

[worn_wings]

[ Could be worse, they could be drinking moonshine. Except, the memory of the last serious conversation he had over moonshine is still too sharp, he wouldn't even try it. Alien beer is a safer substitute. ]

Took all those guns from the fisherwomen, [ he offers up. Really, what he remembers is the fact that Dwight is in Alexandria and not dead, but even thinking about that asshole pisses him off too much, he doesn't want to say it. Probably that's enough for Carl's question. ]

[postocular]

[ Carl nods, taking another drink. Further than he was thinking, but still not the last thing he remembered, himself. The guns only helped them so much, Alexandria needed the people that would never get involved against Negan. He didn't blame them, at this point.

Things are only just starting.. They haven't gone against Negan, against the garbage people.. Haven't seen Sasha, or knew about how Eugene betrayed them in self-preservation. It's too much. ]

Okay.

[worn_wings]

[ Under normal circumstances, Daryl tries pretty hard to live in the present. Anything else is distraction, just asking for trouble.

It's strange, though, the possibility of not guessing but knowing. He's never asked, doesn't really want to ask. Doesn't want to know if there's nothing he can do to fix things.

He just waits, drinks his beer. ]

[postocular]

All of it is meaningless if the fighting doesn't stop.

[ If they all fight until someone is dead, it's never going to end. The picturesque dream he had wouldn't happen and they couldn't start over. Carl looks into what's left of his beer instead of at Daryl. ]

[worn_wings]

[ That's not the kind of thing he can disagree with, just... He can't see it. Can't imagine there's any other way, because there's never been any other way.

If there ever was, before what happened, it's too late now. ]

Could be right, [ he says finally, carefully. It's not like he thinks the path they're on is the right one-- just the only one, now. ]

[postocular]

[ It's a hard situation to navigate, but they're really running out of options, and he's done about all he could do. After a few, long moments, he drags his eye up to look at Daryl. ]

Can't really say, anymore. Hope it turns out okay, whatever happens.

[worn_wings]

[ His reaction is slight, just a little twitch of tension, tightening at his jaw. He meets Carl's look but can't come up with any good response. Any response at all, really.

Things are fucked, and gonna get worse. He knew that coming into the conversation. ]

All of us'd be better off here.

[ Some more than others. But the thing is, kidnapping or not, occasional outbreaks of the undead nothwithstanding, at least they got a chance here. ]

[postocular]

Yeah.. Can't argue that. [ Of course they're better off in the fleet- where there is not much of the fighting and provisions aren't rationed. No one has to fight for anything, and it's really nice not wondering when you'll eat again.

Carl takes another healthy drink of his beer, scrunching his nose. It's definitely an acquired taste.. ]

Enid was here for a while.. and my dad. Everybody left, eventually.

[worn_wings]

[ He shrugs a shoulder. ]

'S true anywhere.

[ Life being finite. More finite for them than most, maybe. Definitely too fucking finite for Carl, who deserves a hell of a lot better. That's all he can think, since the station. He can't wrap his head around what happened, but he can't put it out of mind, either.

At least he gets this. ]

[postocular]

[ Polishing off what he's got in his glass, Carl settles back and takes a deep breath. Now without some distraction, he'll pretty much have to face what comes next. ]

Will you keep an eye on Siddiq for me? When you go back, anyway.

[worn_wings]

[ He doesn't quite manage not to wince. Doesn't matter if he doesn't quite know what he's agreeing to. Whatever it is, it's the right thing.

He nods, not trusting his voice, and then downs the rest of his own drink. ]

[postocular]

He was all alone, and it's not safe. Dad scared him off at first.

[ Carl offers a miserable smile. ]

I went back out to look for him when it happened. Just to give him food and water, at least.

[worn_wings]

[ Doesn't it just fucking figure, it'd be kindness that gets you killed in the end. ]

Jesus, [ he murmurs. ]

[postocular]

It wasn't his fault. It just happened. [ He shrugs. ] He was out there killing walkers on his own, Daryl. He told me that his mom believed that by killing them, you free their souls?

I don't know if I believe it, but either way..didn't want him out on his own. So I brought him back to Alexandria with me.

[worn_wings]

[ New people are... well, he's willing to trust Carl's judgment. He just is. Not so long ago he thought-- recruiting, finding folks, it was the way to go. Now? It's not safe, trusting unknown quantities.

He just hums, thoughtful. ]

[postocular]

[ He knows, they can't trust many, but really, the guy was just scavenging for food, and he'd been unarmed. It could have been a trap, but Carl has to have faith that there are still good people around. ]

He's a doctor. [ Offhandedly. ]

[worn_wings]

[ Maybe someday he'll be less blinded by rage, by the ugly memory of betrayal, by his time in the pit and how close he came (too close, though not close at all,) to giving up and giving in.

Not today, but he's not gonna argue. ]

You know that before you went?

[ Probably not. He's just faintly curious. Wants to hear it. ]

[postocular]

No.

[ Of course he didn't, he's always been a take-action kid who thinks with his heart. ]

[worn_wings]

[ That's what he figured, yeah. Daryl doesn't answer, just half-smiles, shallow and wry. Carl's always been a good kid. What's gonna get them in the end is, they keep losing the best of them. ]

[postocular]

[ Hey, at least they gained another good one this time, right? Someone who can help Maggie with her pregnancy. Carl knows he made the right choice. With all the lives he's taken, maybe this helps make up for it. ]

[worn_wings]

[ Somehow that doesn't seem like a fair trade, not by a long shot.

He can't even start thinking about what this means for them, for Rick. ]

You want another?

[ he nods at the empty glass. ]

[postocular]

[ Carl offers a shrug. ]

Not like it's going to destroy my liver.

[ His dad has Judith and Michonne, he'll be okay. It'll hurt for a while, but he'll be okay. ]