𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 | Daryl Dixon

15 | SAFE IN YOUR EYES

Tori sat on the ground, her back against the base of a tree trunk, and her knee propped up. The guitar in her arms felt like such a familiar thing, yet at the same time, so strange. Dale had found the instrument on the highway, and decided to pick it up, thinking maybe Glenn or Tori would like it. She did, although it felt a little weird, as it had been a little while since she'd played.

Not that she was exactly focussed though. For the past couple of hours, she'd been looking out toward the tree line, far down the green farmlands and fields. The morning had blended into the afternoon without her even realising, as she'd wrapped herself up in chores and tasks to distract herself from the worry in the back of her mind, but it was always there.

A couple of the fresher scabs on her arms had been irritated by her nails when she had sat in her tent earlier on, picking worriedly at her skin just as an outlet to release her crawling nerves. She hadn't intended to hurt herself – for the past couple of days, she'd actually done pretty well in fighting against the urges when they sprung up. But pain was always her go-to distraction for the negative feelings in her head.

She'd spent some time sitting with Carl, who was feeling much more awake now. She'd done more chores around the small campsite they'd built, making it look a bit tidier and more orderly. She'd spent more time talking to Hershel, trying to learn from him as much as she could. But despite all the work she'd done, she couldn't stop looking out at the distant outline of the trees, hoping to see a familiar face returning, unharmed.

"Hey, Victoria," Dale called as he approached.

Glancing up at him, she smiled softly, "Hey."

"You've been sat out here for a little while, thought I'd come over. How you liking that guitar?"

"It's a nice one," she replied as he sat down beside her. "Just don't ask me to play anything other than 'Hey There, Delilah'. Apparently, that's the only one I remember the whole way through off the top of my head."

Dale chuckled, "Fair enough. Guess there's more pressing matters at hand anyways. You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tori nodded, her eyes drifting down the field once again.

Dale looked at her for a moment, tilting his head as he followed her gaze across the field. "He'll be back, you know."

"What?" Tori's eyes snapped to him.

"Daryl."

Tori shrugged a shoulder, acting unbothered. "I know he will."

Dale smiled subtly, shaking his head. "I know you do. But I also see that you're worried about him."

"I am not worried about Daryl, okay?" Tori forced a smile, as if trying to fool herself more than Dale. "He knows what he's doing out there. He said it himself; he works fine alone. Doesn't need me out there to hold his hand."

"Maybe not," Dale pondered. "But being out there is dangerous for anybody, even the toughest of men. Daryl is no different."

"Hey, I offered to go with him this morning, he said he was fine," Tori held her hands up. "Who was I to argue?"

"Who you are, is a person who's clearly worried about him being by himself, even if you claim you're not," Dale replied, and Tori looked down at her hand in her lap, picking at her nails. "You've been keeping busy all day, but when I sit up on the RV on watch for hours on end, I see a lot. And today, I've seen you, constantly looking down the fields and the road."

Quirking an eyebrow, Tori joked, "You know, when you're on watch, you're supposed to look out for walkers, not me."

Dale smiled and rolled his eyes. "I watch out for everyone. That includes you, okay?" His eyes scanned around the camp, and he paused when he looked at Lori, who sat close to the campfire with Rick. "You'd be surprised what you learn by keeping out of the way."