Well. Shit.

[thesamurai]

Who: Michonne + 2 closed starters (for Regina Mills and Rick Grimes) and 2 very open starters!
Where: Open sections = beach and bar. Two best things that start with a B.
When: Around the month of December
Rating: PG-13 to start? Yeah, sure.
Summary: Michonne gets the 411 from Regina, confronts Rick, then takes to the beach and drinks at the bar. Typical.
The Story:

☠ Closed to Regina Mills

[ Things really have a way of fucking up at the exact wrong time, and how is it that after a couple years of being here and being alone, two people Michonne loves are suddenly here at the same time, one right after the other? She knows what she's about, she knows where she stands, knows what she isn't going to do (leave Andrea), but it's still a situation. One she's been avoiding. She hasn't even faced Rick because what's the point? He doesn't even know her which should make it easier, but instead she sent a text to Regina asking to meet in a tea room.

It's definitely not tea in the (hypothetical) cups, but she doesn't want to talk about all of this and possibly (maybe?) upset Andrea, and she doesn't want to go to the bar where Rick might be or intrude in Regina's space when she knows her kid is around, so. Tea room. And nothing too hard this time, just a pack of Stella to split between them. ]

Wonderland has the shittiest sense of humor I've ever seen.

☠ Closed to Rick Grimes, post talk with Regina.

[ Well. She can't avoid this forever. Or maybe she could - until Rick got sent home and returned and the situation was even more comically complicated when he came back again. If he came back again. If he ever left at all. After this long with no one showing up and staying longer than a week or two, now it seems like people are sticking and she's remembering, telling herself, she asked for this. For the people from home to stay.

Michonne actually can't decide if him not knowing who she is, is good or if it's making her feel like she's been punched in the gut. It doesn't matter either way, and right now maybe it's good. He doesn't know what's coming. He doesn't even know about Lori, if his initial message is any indication.

Outside of his door once she finds it, she knocks, katana wisely left at home for now, and when he answers, she tries to smile but it comes out a little wobbly. He never looked this unweathered, not once from the moment she met him. And now his hair is more gray in places back home but not in Wonderland because he hasn't lost and lost and lost. She knows she's been looking at him too long so she clears her throat. ]

You don't know me, but. Wonderland's a weird place that brings people from the future, people from the past, even dead people. I'm someone you'll meet. Eventually.

[ This isn't awkward at all. ]

☠ Open; beach

[ Michonne can be found on the beach doing one of two things: running or standing and staring at the water. Sometimes she comes to a dead stop when she's running and finds herself looking out at the water, squinting like maybe she can see something on the horizon, but of course she can't. When she's running and sees someone she knows, she'll veer toward them just to chat, but otherwise, she'll go past unless someone calls out to her.

At some point she winds up sitting, taking off her shoes and digging her toes into the sand, resisting the urge to talk to ghosts. ]

☠ Open; bar

[ The bar is a good place, a safe space, full of her apocalypse family most nights. So, that's where she is now (now that the fear of an awkward run-in has gone away), sitting at the bar and still not going for the hard stuff, just sipping beer. The nicer Stella was for Regina, now Michonne's drinking whatever's on tap. It's development, she's not dealing with this issue at least by getting totally shit faced! ]

Comments

[atanycost]

[ He's still trying to figure out where to place this woman on his timeline of events, only he's finding that hard to do since he doesn't really know her. But, he does know one thing about her. ]

You know Carl, don't you?

[ And the news that she knows Andrea, who is also around somewhere comes as a surprise. ]

Wait, Andrea's alive?

[thesamurai]

I know you and Carl. And Maggie, and Glenn, and Daryl, and Carol.

[ There are names left out of that - Lori, T-Dog, Herschel, Beth - but she doesn't know if he'll notice.

Looking down for a moment, Michonne swallows, clearing her throat. ]

I said Andrea was here.

[ She looks back up at Rick, wondering if he'll read between the lines. She's here. She's alive here. ]

She did make it off the farm. I found her. In the woods. Saved her life.

[ For a while, anyway. ]

[atanycost]

[ As she says those names, he mentally ticks them off, noting the ones she doesn't mention. He raises an eyebrow at her, wondering at the absence of some of the names of his people. ]

How'd we meet? I figure we must've ran into you at some point on the way.

[ There's a brief pause. ]

You mentioned knowing Carl, but not Lori. There a reason for that?

[ He doesn't really want to know, either, but it's his wife. He has to ask. He has to know about all of them, eventually. ]

So Andrea didn't make it.

[ Of course he's not happy saying that, because if it were up to him, everyone would live. But they thought she'd died, so it's not 100% shocking. If she's alive here, though, that counts for something. ]

But she made it off the farm.

[ He feels strange about being relieved about that, even though he's sad to realize she didn't make it in the end. That's another person who goes on the list of the lost, that he wishes he could've saved. ]

[thesamurai]

Can I come in?

[ Or they can keep having this conversation in the hallway but she'd rather not. ]

I'll answer anything you want to know. Maybe I shouldn't. I probably shouldn't. But there's too much, even if you don't know me, to stand out in a hall and tell you anything.

[ Here's hoping he's always appreciated her telling what it's going to be rather than going back and forth. ]

[atanycost]

[ Her question brings him up short. It's not really surprising that he'd be distracted by trying to account for the names of his people, but now he realizes how this looks. Conversations shouldn't be held in hallways, or at least, with one of them in the hallway and the other standing in the doorway. ]

Uh, yeah, come in. Sorry.

[ It's not a smooth response. Lori was always better at handling things like this. ]

You have to now that you've already said things.

[ Wait, that sounds wrong. ]

I mean, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but- I want to know.

[ So he steps back from the doorway so she can come in. His room doesn't have much in it except for some chairs, but it's a work in progress. Sort of. ]

[thesamurai]

[ Well, she's not surprised by the lack of furniture, but she goes in and sits down on one. If only this could be some way to warn him and he remembers: kill the Governor on sight. She should have. She fucked up and didn't, and if she had...]

We met because I brought you baby formula. You have a baby girl. Lori...

[ Michonne takes a deep breath and let it out. ]

She had an emergency c-section.

[ She'll spare him what gory details she knows, and that Carl shot her. If he can't figure out from the evasiveness that Lori died, then she'll be more blunt, but she doesn't want to be. ]

[atanycost]

[ Rick can't help but go slack-jawed when he hears Michonne say they met when she brought him baby formula. ]

Then Lori had the baby?

[ For just a second, he smiles, because this is easily the best news he's had since coming here, but then - ]

...She didn't make it, did she?

[ He's not sure what's led him to that conclusion, if it's Michonne's tone of voice or his own mind jumping to the worst possible thing. Of course, he knows it was always a risk, but he hoped that maybe the universe wouldn't be so cruel. ]

[thesamurai]

Your baby girl's name is Judith. I think Carl picked it.

[ Wow, is she avoiding answering his question? Yes. But then she nods, clearing her throat. ]

I'm sorry. You're strong, though. You and Carl. Stronger than you know right now.

[atanycost]

Judith...

[ At first, he thinks it's an odd name to pick, but then he remembers something from a long time ago. ]

One of Carl's teachers from awhile back was named Judith, I think.

[ Lori would remember for sure, but the faint recollection is all Rick's got to go on. Talking about Carl's teacher is a strange way of processing what he's just learned, but when it comes down to either breaking down entirely or trying to hold it together, he's going to opt for the latter option. ]

As far as you know, Judith's okay, right?

[ A baby surviving in their world is kind of a miracle, and combining that with the fact that he and Carl are on their own without Lori, he guesses they both needed a lot of help to keep things going. ]

[thesamurai]

[ She almost reaches out to touch his face, the move instinctual, but Michonne catches herself and instead smiles at him, chin shaking minutely. ]

She's perfect. She's walking, saying words now.

[ That should give him an idea of how much time separates the two of them. But more importantly, how long he's survived. Him and Carl both. ]

She's crazy about Carl, and I think he's figured having a baby sister isn't so bad, by now. You've done a good job, Rick. They're safe.

[ Maybe with that reassurance, she can relax something in him. There's so much shit he doesn't know, and she doesn't know if she has the strength to break it all down to him. If she can give him this, the happiness, maybe it'll be enough for now. ]

[atanycost]

[ Rick's just smiling widely now. He still feels a stab of grief knowing that Lori died, but there's also life to consider now, the life of his baby girl who he's never met. ]

I can't believe we have a daughter.

[ The smile drops off just a bit as a thought occurs to him about who the baby's father is, but then, why ruin a perfectly good moment like this with things that he can't know are true? ]

I know I'll meet her someday, but knowing about her now makes me wish I knew her already.

[ He chuckles a bit when he pictures Carl with his little sister. ]

Thanks for telling me.

[ It does relax him, knowing his kids are safe. If only he could have saved Lori too, but one thing he knows is that no one is guaranteed everything they want, including safety and the lives of their loved ones. ]

So, Michonne, what about you?

[ He wants to know more about this person who's been kind enough to fill him in on key things. ]

I just think it's a little off, you knowing so much about me, but me knowing nothing about you. I guess I don't have the right to know anything, but-

[ Just because they met back home where everything is basically in dire straits doesn't mean they need to know each other here. He doesn't want to force her into anything. ]

You know my kids, so I want to get to know you too.

[thesamurai]

[ It's only fair, she figures, and she leans against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. ]

You can ask me anything you want, Rick. It's only off because Wonderland has a shitty sense of humor. You were here before. You and Carl. But not for long. That was a while ago now, over a year.

[ She's been here all that time, waiting, and hoping, and now she's got her wish and there again, there's that Wonderland brand humor. ]

So. What do you want to know?

[ She has no idea how they did this before. Bonded over ghosts, really. Bonded while saving each other, and here, they don't have that, the threats have vanished, but she's trying to cling to at least knowing him again. ]

[atanycost]

Well, I'm here now, and not that it means much, but I'm not going anywhere.

[ As much as that's in his power, which he realizes now isn't saying anything. ]

What did you do before the world went bad?

[ He figures they might form some kind of common ground, by at least learning each other's backstories. She probably knows his by now, so he just wants to get on the same page. ]

[thesamurai]

Lawyer. And a damn good one, too.

[ She moves to sit in one of the chairs, wishing they had booze; something to distract them both. Or maybe just her. ]

I was in Atlanta when everything happened.

[ She's never told him about Andre. Only Carl knows and she hasn't had any reason to think Rick knows. Not even Andrea knows about Michonne's son. Three people know about Andre: Regina, Jo, and Simon. Everyone else who knew in Wonderland is gone. ]

I usually carry a katana. Quieter than a gun. And I'm good at it.

[ Guns...not so much. ]