"I recently started following nolongerthesamewoman and was just blown away by her scary ability to channel Carol Peletier from The Walking Dead. Her threads with gunslingerdixon aintyouapeach and xnormanxreedusx are amazeballs. I keep hoping I'll get up enough courage to ask her for a thread."
Daryl kicked the flat tire on his pickup truck and let the cigarette dangle from his lip. He narrowed his eyes. He knew the spare tire was just as flat as this one. He’d been working all month to get a set of good used tires for the damn thing, but it just hadn’t held out. And now, he’d probably lose the damn job anyway. Weren’t the first time he’d been late this week. And he’d done gotten the warning. So instead of trying to get a ride, he just decided to fuck it and let the job slip through his fingers.
Not like he had anyone but himself to take care of anyways. Weren’t like he owed anyone anything. He flicked the cigarette, glancing around. It was the first time he paid attention to the fact that someone had moved in next door. That trailer had been vacant for about two weeks, and now there was a strange car parked outside.
He moved around the front of the pickup, leaning against the grill and propped his work boot up on the fender. Probably just another reject like himself, then the back door opened and his eyes about fell out of his head. He’d seen his fair share of women, but he’d never seen one as beautiful as her and she didn’t have a stitch of make-up on. Hell. He couldn’t even see any hair under the bandanna she had tied around her head as she worked hard at trying to clean the place up.
He sucked in a mouthful of smoke and beat on his own chest as he heaved and almost threw up from inhaling too much smoke. He kept his head turned, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from darting in her direction. Not like anyone like her would ever look twice at redneck trash like him. And chances are she was running from something and that something would find her and drag her ass back home.
He moved back around to his flat tire and kicked it again, taking out all his frustrations about not having anything worth a damn on the truck.
It was another typically hot summer day in Georgia. The sun streamed into the narrow trailer, broken beams through the streaked windows with the broken blinds. The wooden paneling and the dusty aged sofa had only added to the scene. A year ago Carol would have hated everything about this place. But that was before Ed had taken to hitting her. That once sunny little kitchen in the little two bedroom house they’d moved into after getting married wasn’t quite as sunny the last time she’d walked out of it.
She knew it was probably only a matter of time before Ed found her again, but she was doing everything to ensure he wouldn’t. She hadn’t even rented the place in her own name. It had hurt to swallow her pride and call her sister for help with a new place, but she was glad she had. And the new rental combined with the waitressing job she’d just been hired for would mean that she was that much closer to being able to finally having a life for herself.
She hadn’t arrived with much, just a couple of small suitcases in the back of little white Corsica. She’d had the car since she had met Ed, it was the first and last major purchase she had made. After that everything had been in his name only. She should have taken that as a hint, but she’d been beyond blind then. She closed the trash bag she’d finished filling, the place hadn’t been her standard of clean and she’d gone through more than a few cleaning supplies, and then exited the back door to set the bag out until she could put it out for pickup.
A dull thudding made her look up from where she stood and she was met with a view she could only assume was her new neighbor. She glanced around nervously, arms automatically coming up to cross in front of her. She knew she should go back inside and keep to herself, but she was tired of living that way. Even though he didn’t really look the sort that liked conversations with strangers, something in her wanted to do everything she had been forbidden over the last several years she’d been with Ed. Before she could talk herself out of it she was waving at the man. “Hi there. You my new neighbor?” She sounded less bold than she thought she would.
aintyouapeach:
Daryl’s eyes were the first to snap up toward the sound of her voice. He hadn’t expected her to be so bold and actually speak. No one usually did, but for her to be new and do it, he thought maybe she hadn’t been warned away by their mutual landlord. He took that a sign to at least try and be civil. He raised his hand to his eyes against the morning sun that was in his eyes now and gave a short nod.
He took a few steps toward her back door. “Yes, ma’am. Dixon. Daryl Dixon. Live right there…” He gestured at the trailer that was probably the worst one in the lot and gave a shrug of his shoulder. “Thought this place was gonna be empty ‘til doomsday.” He hoped that she had talked them down on the rent. The place wasn’t worth a penny more than two-fifty a month. If that.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at her and see just what was under the bandanna around her head, but what was striking him even more was the oceanic hues of her eyes. He seemed to want to drown in them and had to get a hold of himself mentally before he kept staring just a little too long.
Carol caught a much better glimpse of him as he approached. He was a man that worked with his hands, that much she could tell, but then that was the sort of neighborhood this was. He was attractive, younger than her, but perhaps not by too much, he could have just had once of those faces. She pinked slightly as a stray thought about what else he might use his hands for, crossed her mind. She mentally scolded herself and cursed the surge of hormones.
"Carol P-" she stopped abruptly, correcting herself. "Carol McKay, pleasure to meet you." She wasn’t going to voluntarily attach herself to Ed any longer, she was already connected enough without keeping his name as well. "Oh, well I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s not doomsday in there. But it’s in the process of being tamed back to being fit for polite society." She smiled and tilted her head towards the door, wide open along with the windows as she aired the trailer out. She’d certainly used enough cleaning supplies to suffocate otherwise.
"Anyway, it’s just me moving in, and I’m new in town, so I imagine it will be pretty quiet over here," She hoped he wasn’t the sort of neighbor that was likely to be constant disruptive noise, something she could already tell wasn’t the case for the one on the other side of her.
aintyouapeach:
Daryl knew that if Merle had been there, he’d have already claimed dibs on her. A selfish part of him was glad that his no good brother was locked up. Served him right, didn’t it? He never could control himself and always ended up there for one reason or another. He gave a slight shrug. “Ain’t gonna hear nothin’ outta this side of ya.” He used his head to indicate his own trailer. “‘Casionally work on a car here and there, but I ain’t a party-er.”
That couldn’t be said that it would stay the same when Merle got out in a few months, but he’d cross that bridge when it came to it. “Wouldn’t go ‘round answerin’ the door ‘round here late at night. Ain’t no tellin’ which of them jackasses it might be. And they’ll be drunk. But if they give you any trouble, you lemme know, okay?”
He didn’t want her being afraid of the trash that lived in the other trailers, but he didn’t want her to think she could be overly friendly and them not take it as their right to invite themselves over. Especially if they got wind that she was living there alone. And that wouldn’t take long for anyone to figure out.
Carol smiled at him and nodded, glad that he seemed to be the friendly sort. Well, friendlier than she might have assumed based on the look of the neighborhood. ”Me neither,” she said unnecessarily. Though she had been the sort to have fun with friends once in awhile, she wasn’t much for drinking and carrying on like a lot of folks these days, especially not now that things had changed for her. Not like she had those sorts of friends anymore anyway. She’d left it all behind when she’d walked out of her marriage.
She frowned a bit and glanced over her shoulder to the trailer in the lot to the other side. It wasn’t that she hadn’t already thought about it, because she had. But someone else giving voice to her concerns seemed to make a difference, make it more real somehow. “Is that really likely to be a problem?” she asked with concern.
His offer drew out another smile from her. She couldn’t help but feel like the offer was more genuine than any other she’d had from anyone lately. “I’ll do that, and thank you. Makes me feel a little better to at least know someone else in the neighborhood.”
aintyouapeach:
Daryl leaned against the rickety chain link fence that separated each trailer’s property line from the one next to it. It wasn’t much in the way of privacy, but it did give way to actually feeling like he owned something. Even if it wasn’t rightfully his but the landlord that lived in the nicest trailer on the place. He lifted the red rag from his back pocket and wiped it across his forehead. It was already burning hot outside and it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. He glanced up at the sky before returning her gaze.
"Yes, ma’am. Those dickheads…" His cheeks burned red with shame. He hadn’t meant to use that sort of language with her present, but you couldn’t really teach an old dog new tricks. "They’ll take advantage if you give ‘em cause to. So keep them doors locked. They think if it ain’t nailed down or shut, they got a right to do as they pleased."
Truth was, that was the reason the former tenant had moved out. She’d been a young thing. Barely eighteen with a two year old. He’d done his best to keep the others in line, but in the end, she’d packed up in the middle of the night, leaving half her shit behind and never looked back.
He stuffed the rag back into his pocket and met her eyes. “Old man Davis said if it happened ‘gain, he’d kick ‘em off the lot.” But he doubted that. They were dickheads alright, but they were honest ones. They paid their rent on time, and had always kept their place looking as nice as could be expected.
If Carol had had other options that alone might have made up her mind in backing out of renting the place. But she knew that in her situation if it wasn’t a shitty neighborhood here, it would just be another one in another place.
"I’ll do that, thank you." Carol nodded and gave him a smile, trying not to show concern on her face.
She had to remind herself that this was a temporary stop for her. She wasn’t looking to make this her lifestyle for the long haul. She’d work a job, squirrel away what she could, and hopefully it would be enough to trade up. Though somewhere in the back of her mind there was a little voice reminding her that she was already at a disadvantage for that. Once it became obvious that she was pregnant she had her doubts about what her employment status might be. Either way this was the best she was going to do without Ed, and it was just going to have to do for now.
Besides, elsewhere she wouldn’t likely have a neighbor that was nice and would warn her nor offer to keep an eye out. At least not one that didn’t seem to outright be trying to take advantage. Not that she was going to complain if he was. He was rather nice to look at, and he wouldn’t be looking to take advantage for long if that was his goal anyway.
"You as knowledgeable about the town as you are the neighbors?"
aintyouapeach:
He tilted his head again, glancing at the dirt lane in which a car was roaring passed. He grimaced. “Fuckin’ jackass. Probably late for work ‘gain.” He rolled his eyes and leaned back and forward, gripping the fence railing before returning his attention to her and what she was saying.
"Lived here my whole life." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Needin’ help? Want a beer? I can go grab us two cold ones and you can pick my brain." He had no idea what about her made him run his mouth so. It was as if he was doing anything and everything in order to keep he talking to him.
He thumbed at his door. “Just give me a sec, ‘kay?” He didn’t even give her time to decline his offer before he took his rickety steps two at a time and disappeared inside to his fridge.
He returned a minute later with a pack of smokes poked into his pocket and two beers between his fingers as he headed for the gate to her side of the fence. “May I?”
Carol watched as he disappeared quicker than she could answer. But she wasn’t against the idea of company. She wasn’t really looking forward to getting back to sitting alone with only her thoughts.
When he came back into view she smiled and nodded. “Sure,” she said as she flipped the rusty latch on the gate and pulled it open, dragging it across too tall grass and gravel. She left the gate open, bounded up her steps to the weathered porch and opened the screen door. The heavy scent of lemon cleaner with a hint of bleach hung in the air.
"Make yourself comfortable." She caught sight of the clock on her way through the door, it wasn’t late, but it was later than she thought it was. "I don’t really have any specific questions I guess. But if you’re willing to endure some random ones I’ll make us some lunch. You haven’t eaten already have you?"
It struck her suddenly that this was exactly what she had wanted when she walked out that door with a couple of suitcases and determination to have a better life. Well maybe not this exact scene, but something similar. The ability to chat with someone without consequence. To be able to make a friend and have them in her house.
Not sure if anyone follows me on this or not any more, but I think I'm going to finally put Carol to rest. It's been months and I'm behind on the series itself, so I'm not really sure what to do at the moment.
SO HERE'S THE DEAL: I'm going on hiatus here, until the next season of the Walking Dead premieres. I love Tumblr, I love you all, but I'm having trouble finding enough time to run this blog properly, and so I'm taking an official hiatus.
BUT: if you still want to roleplay with me/Maggie during that time, I would really love to roleplay via email, so if we had a thread going on that you want to continue, or even if you just want to drop me a line, you can contact me at: [email protected]
{I'm open to all pairings, all interactions, and NSFW}
AND: I'm coming back - that much is a hundred percent certain. So, I will definitely see you again in a month or two, and I hope you all have a fantastic time, you lovelies.
(If I tag you in this, it's just because I specifically remember we had something big going on, but feel free to ignore this post :))
Send me a ✐ and my character will write yours… a "morning after" letter
Daryl,
Neither of us have ever been very good with words I think. Either saying them or hearing them. The silences between us are usually enough, but I need you to know, and I fear that if I don't write it down I'll somehow mess it up or you'll stop me from saying what you think you shouldn't be hearing.
I love you more than I ever thought I'd be able to love another person again. Last night doesn't have a thing to do with it. I'd have loved you even if it had never happened, or if we'd never even progressed beyond being comfortable with the silence we so often share, and the secrets we don't have to speak of to know about one another.
And if you wake up and don't know what to say to me, or don't want to say anything, I want you to know that that's alright, you don't have to say anything at all until you're ready, no matter when that might be. I don't want you and I to break or lose what we do have because either of us thought the other one expected too much or wanted too many changes too fast. Or because we made assumptions about anything. The only thing I want is for you to know that what I want is peace and happiness for the both of us.
"I don't give a damn about you," Daryl snarled, eyes dark with anger and confusion.
Carol choked back a sob and clenched her fists. She knew that he was acting out, that it was just part of the tough exterior that he wore to protect himself but that didn't make it sting any less, and it didn't make her any less angry right back at him. She drew in a shaky breath and tried not to let the misery show through. The words were far too reminiscent of things she spend too many years listening to. She'd be damned if she was going it sit there and take it from anyone ever again."Nobody asked you to Daryl. So if you wanna throw away everything we've built over all these months that's your choice. But don't you dare speak to me like that."
Send me a ★ and I will generate a number for what my muse will say to yours.
SEXUAL TENSION VERSION (can be nsfw, better used with ships)
5.
It wasn’t one of their worst arguments. It had started out as nothing more than a bit of irritated snapping at each other, without too much real venom in it, but, though Maggie wasn’t going to admit it, maybe she’d said a bit too much and let her temper and her tongue run away with her. And, knowing this, she said something that, admittedly, was not exactly helpful.
