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

[thesamurai]

[ He has the right impression of her, Michonne's not a big talker. More like an 'I'm going to communicate with various degrees of eye expressionism' type. But some days words do pour out of her more than others. And usually to people in the age range of Carl, she's noticed.

But, Dustin's words give her some food for thought, and she watches him try to skip a rock. She never learned how to do that, so she settles for the satisfying 'plunk' as well before speaking again. And probably not saying what he expects, looking at him with an impressed side-eye. ]

What do you know about D&D?

[ Yes, Michonne is a super nerd. ]

[chocolatepudding]

[ Dustin freezes, all of the grace and elegance--or rather, what little grace and elegance he's ever had--completely out the proverbial window.

He'd picked up another rock and had been about to throw it when she'd said the words that made him seize up. He drops the rock, but his arm is still midthrow. ]

Holy shit. Are you--I mean, you're--holy shit.

[ The only adult that plays d&d was their science teacher, man. ]

[thesamurai]

I've been playing D&D since before you were born. Probably. Who knows with how complicated time is here, but the point is I definitely play. And I'm into comic books.

[ She was a nerd before the apocalypse; not quite a closet nerd, but not quite the convention going type with a full-time career and a baby. ]

I played a lot more when I was your age. It's probably been a good fifteen years since the last time.

[chocolatepudding]

[ When Dustin straightens, it's with Serious Determination. He reaches out, like he wants to touch Michonne, and decides he'd better not, that's too creepy.

What he does, however, is whisper in absolute awe: ]

You could be our dungeon master.

[thesamurai]

[ Oh no, this is adorable. And really, she wasn't going to do this because she didn't want to inadvertently freak him out, but she's ninety-nine percent sure now that she won't. So, from her opposite side, she pulls her katana up, holding it in her hand, studying it like she just found it. ]

I could be. You have a group?

[chocolatepudding]

I don't know. [ His words are rushed and quick and the lisp is far more pronounceable as he talks, wanting to get all of it out in one fell swoop: ]

I mean, I think there might be another group, but I haven't asked if I could join 'cause that's already something they're doing, but maybe we could have two groups, or we could ask together? We should ask together instead of make a new one, and wow, lady, you're really cool.

[ That last bit is definitely aimed at the katana. ]

[thesamurai]

[ Why is she enjoying impressing this kid so much, honestly? A part of it's just that he's not a grown person in a kid's body who's already been surrounded by death so much that it means nothing to blow a walker's head off anymore. Dustin's a kid and she never thought she'd be good at this.

She never got the chance to find out. ]

Michonne. That's my name. And I'll tell you what. You figure out who the people are who have a group, and we'll send a joint message. We can invite them, and get a good idea of who else might interested.

[chocolatepudding]

I'm Dustin. [ He grins, showing those missing teeth, explaining the very slight lisp, and extends a hand. Hey, he has to be formal for his maybe-future-DM. ] The best bard you'll ever meet. That's a guarantee.

I'm gonna warn you, I have a lot of experience. It's gonna take a lot to stump me.

[ Just.. just let him tallk himself up for a bit. ]

[thesamurai]

I always like a challenge, Dustin.

[ She reaches out to shake his hand and turns it into a little handshake thing, full on with a fist bump at the end. ]

Wouldn't be worth it if you couldn't give me a run for my money. Everyone has different strategies. I hope you teach me something I didn't know before.