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ARIA STARES AT herself in the mirror, disgust evident in her blue eyes. She's always thought of herself as fat and overweight. Even now, with her ribs showing, she can't help but still think she's fat. She disgusts herself, she doesn't look like Rosita, Maggie or Michonne—she's just Aria, nothing special about her.
Wiping away a tear that has fallen, Aria runs an hairbrush through her tangled hair, wincing every time the brush pulls harshly against it. Once done with her hair, Aria throws on the new clothes Michonne has given her; a black t-shirt, blue jeans and clean socks. Clipping on the arrow necklace Andrea had given her, Aria pulls her hair over her shoulder.
Aria walks out of the bathroom, trotting down the stairs, her feet softly padding against the ground. As she reaches the door, Aria stares down at her worn out converse before sliding them on, pulling the door open as she does so. Her eyes catch sight of a gloomy looking Daryl and she walks towards him, crouching down in front on him. "You okay?" She asks him, her head tilting to the side. Daryl meets her eyes, nodding briefly. Aria shakes her head, blowing out a breath. "You're uncomfortable. You hate being in this place—don't you?"
Daryl doesn't answer her but as his eyes lower from hers, she confirms her thoughts. "Do you want to come explore with me?" She asks him, knowing he gets awkward when he talks about feelings. "No." He utters and she nods, standing to her feet. Leaning down, she presses a kiss to his forehead before backing away. "We'll be okay." Aria walks off, her eyes staring down at the ground as she walks.
A body slams into Aria's and she spins around, her eyes wide in alarm. "I'm so sorry!" She squeaks out, raising her head to meet a male's amused face. "It's alright—i'm James." Aria nods, pursing her lips together. "Aria." She whispers before motioning behind her. "It was nice meeting you? I guess." She tells him, uttering the last part of herself. Aria spins back around, walking away from the guy. She knew he was staring at her, well, her ass to be more precise.
♚ ♛
Aria walks forward as she watches Glenn stare down a man in front of him. Usually, Glenn isn't one for violence so Aria doesn't see this escalating. "What's going on?" Aria asks James, confusion coursing through her. "Went on a dry run to teach these three. They didn't know how to do a damn thing." Aria furrows her eyebrows. Glenn, Tara and Noah are fantastic at runs, why was this one so different? She has a feeling James wasn't telling the full story and that irks her.
"You obey my orders out there." The man in front of Glenn states and Aria scoffs, her eyes rolling. Her group aren't going to be bossed around like this, this is shit. "Then we're just as as your last run crew." Aria steps forward, about to intervene. Hands wrap around her waist, a little too low for her liking. She glances back her eyes meeting James' and she pushes his hands off her hips, sending him a small glare. "Please keep your hands off of me." She utters before stepping back up, his hands once again gripping her hips, his grip lower now. Oh fuck. She thinks to herself as her breathing slightly quickens, images of the man from Woodbury flashing through her mind.
Shoving his hands off of her, Aria rushes forward to stop the fight about to happen and James reaches forward, his hands pulling her again. Tears of frustration and annoyance build in Aria's eyes. A punch is thrown and Aria is pulled out of James's grasp, Michonne clutching Aria close to her as Daryl shoves James towards the ground, landing punches on his face. "Don't you ever touch her again." He growls, his hands wrapping around James's neck. Rick runs inside the gates, rushing over towards a deadly looking Daryl. "We do not want to do this, alright?"
Aria's eyes trail down to James's face and she clenches her jaw tightly, moving out of Michonne's grasp. "Daryl—please." Aria pleads, her voice full of desperation. She doesn't want to see anyone die over her, it will cause guilt to make its way back in her body. Daryl grunts before standing up, spitting down at the sorry excuse of a man. No one puts their hands on his girl. As Daryl looks into Aria's eyes, he can see fear and a little bit of appreciation hidden in her blue orbs and that makes him even more angry. He scared her—she's frightened now.
Michonne grabs ahold of Aria's hand, squeezing it tightly. Aria's like a sister to her and anger sparked up in her when she saw that man put him hands back around Aria's waist after Aria had told him not to.
Aria stuffs her free hand in her jeans pocket, trying to stop it from trembling. "Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways as equals—understood?" Aiden, Nicholas and James walk over, Daryl glaring at their backs as they do. He's like raging bull; he just wants to get his hands on the dirty bastard.
