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ARIA STANDS NEAR THE back of the group, next to Maggie. The two girls have been speaking and they've both connected, making them friends. Aria eyes the crimson red blood on Daryl's knuckles and fingers, her lips pursing. "The boy there's got a gang, 30 men." Aria blows out a breath, her arms crossing over her chest. If they past through here, there group is dead. They only have a few men and only about two girls who know how to expertly shoot a gun.
"They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends." That's what you have to watch out for in this world. Fake people. They act like they will protect you at all costs but the second they have the chance, a knife is in your back. "They roll through here, our boys are dead. And our women's they're gonna—they're gonna wish they were." Daryl's eyes linger on Aria for a few seconds as she stares at the ground, her mind racing with thoughts.
Just the thought of it happening makes anger boil up in Aria. People can be so dangerous. Not only do you have to watch out for the dead walking, you have to watch out for people too. Aria walks after Daryl, quickly grabbing a water bottle on her way. "Sit." Aria demands Daryl, motioning towards a small stump near the stones. Daryl stares at her blankly before sitting down, his crossbow set beside him.
Aria crouches down in front of him, unscrewing the bottle. "So you just beat him up?" She asks, pouring some of the water on his hand, some blood washing away. Running her soft fingers over his rough knuckles, Aria meets his eyes, her eyebrows raising slightly. "He deserves everything coming his way." Daryl grunts, shrugging his shoulders. Aria chuckles, softly rubbing the blood off of his hand, breaking eye contact. Standing to her feet, she drop his hand, screwing the lid back on the bottle and plopping down beside him, against the stone.
"It's disgusting to think about what they do to women. I honestly don't know what I'd do if they came here." Aria utters, her gaze set on a tree in the distance. Anger boils up in Daryl as he thinks about what the men would do to Aria and the others. "They won't do nothin'. I'll make sure of that." As Daryl admits he would protect her, both of their cheeks begin to turn red. Neither of them has been cared for like the way they care for each other and that's frightening to them both.
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Aria traces the angel wings on the back of Daryl's vest, the texture of the fabric soothing her in an odd way. Footsteps walk up behind her and glanced back, spotting Dale walking towards the two. She hears Daryl scoff as he messes around with his arrows, setting them in his crossbow. "The whole point of me coming up here is to get away from you people." Aria looks up at him, her mouth falling open in a joking way. "I'm offended and hurt." She utters quietly, causing Daryl to send her a pointed look. She pouts, looking back over at the vest.
"Gonna take more than that." Dale replies, throwing a stick behind her. He stands beside her, patting her head before turning his attention back towards Daryl. "Carol send you?" Daryl asks, studying his arrows. Aria averts her attention over to Daryl, his composure peeking her interest. She loves the way he holds himself, even if he can be a real jerk sometimes. He hides behind a strong exterior, only breaking through when he connects with people, such as Aria and Carol. He knows he can trust the two women and they know they can trust him.
Aria can handle his anger without getting upset about it like she usually does because she knows he's not mad at her. He's frustrated. He's frustrated at the world, the people, everything. She tries not to take anything he says personally because she knows he's just trying to push her away from him, but it won't work. The vest under her fingertips is pulled away and she snaps out of her daze, her eyebrows raised.
"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" Aria sits there, confused at what she missed. She mentally slaps herself for zoning out, she always does that when she gets bored. "Nope." Daryl replies, popping the p. Aria raises to her feet, stretching her arms above her head. As she does that, her shirt rises, exposing the cool air. Quickly pulling her shirt down, she blows out a breath, looking down at the ground. She's self conscious of her stomach, that's where most of her scars are. The others are on her thighs, hidden underneath her jeans.
"Then why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life, if it really doesn't matter one way or the other?" Aria scratches her cheek, her eyes darting between the two men as Dale tries to convince Daryl to join his side. "Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch." Daryl mutters, fixing the collar of the long sleeve shirt. "Your opinion makes a difference." Aria breathes out, beginning to get bored again. Sending a small look towards Daryl, Aria walks away from the two men, heading back towards the farm.
Dale rushes up behind Aria, a determined look on his face. Letting out a low sigh, Aria stops in her tracks, facing Dale. "You're a sweet and kind girl. You don't want that kid to die, do you?" Dale asks, looking the female straight into the eye. Aria bites her lip, debating a few things in her mind. She's not sure if she wants him to die or not, all she is sure about is if his group gets back here, this group is in trouble. "Dale, I don't know. If his group gets back here, we're gonna be deep in shit. I don't want that for this group."
"So you just want them to kill the kid even though he may never do anything?" Aria shakes her head, disbelief all over her features. "I never said I wanted them to kill him. I don't know what I want. We don't if this kid is going to be safe or not. He could hurt us for all we know! It's better safe than sorry, Dale." Dale runs a hand over his face, frustration seeping through. Aria can see where he is coming from but the thought of what they can do powers over that.
"Out of the whole group, I thought you'd be the one to side with me." Aria frowns, taking a deep breath. She closes her eyes before opening them, a hand running over her face. "I'm not siding with anyone. Yes, its wrong that they're going to kill him but this is the world now, we can't change that." The world is full of death, like she said. Two people can't change that, it's impossible. Nobody has to love this world, they just have to deal with it. "But—you don't have to change your morals just because the world is gone." Dale adds and Aria nods, her blue eyes softening.
"I haven't changed my morals. They're still the same. I'm not choosing a side because I don't want to be the cause of someone's death or the cause of this group getting harmed." Aria breathes out, her words coming out as clear as water. "I see what you're doing and I admire that, Dale." Beginning to walk away, Dale stops her in her tracks.
"You and Daryl—if anything is blossoming between y'all. Go for it. You never know what could happen." Aria sends Dale a smile, her eyes glistening. Nodding her head slowly, she walks away from him, his words repeating in her mind.
