Will you show me how to use it?

an assortment of dialogue prompts

”I know,“ he answered near-automatically, eyes cast down at the remains of a monster. Since he was little, he'd always looked to his sisters and Kenny for guidance. It took him a while to realize that not even they, who'd taught him everything he knew, had all the answers, but he still trusted their opinions more than anyone else's.

Not a day went by that Sarah didn’t wish that their circumstances were better, especially for AJ. Although there was little she could do, the fact that he had to grow up in a world like this saddened her. She remembered a time when she was in his position, asking questions that not even the best of them could give a solid answer to. It was safe to say that what AJ was asking now had caught her off guard - although perhaps it shouldn’t have. The young adult couldn’t stop the feeling of remorse that coursed through her as she momentarily took pause. 

          “I wish I knew, buddy,” was her sympathetic answer. Lying to him was entirely out of the question; her brother was smarter than that. “I hope so, someday.” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked behind them. The only other walkers (or monsters, as AJ called them) were a good distance away, but that didn’t stop the fact that Clem and Kenny would start to worry if the other half of their family failed to show back up soon. 

          In the days since Troy of all people had stepped foot in Richmond with his injury, Sarah had remained relatively distant and somewhat more withdrawn than she already was. It had seemed that up until this point Troy had been doing much of the same, so the fact that she was surprised when he called her over was a slight understatement. She hesitated for a few short moments before slowly and carefully putting away the brush she’d been using to groom Shadowfax, giving her a small pet on the nose as she shuffled over to the man. He was only one out of quite a few people she stood a good distance from when speaking to them; she could never be too CAREFUL, after all.

          “Yeah? Um, what is it, Troy?”

Ugh. This was uncomfortable - and when things were uncomfortable, Troy tended to get angry, as was his default emotion. 

But… the truth was that he probably wouldn’t be alive if this community hadn’t taken mercy on him, and then if he hadn’t been patched up - which… unfortunately, put him in Sarah’s debt. And Troy hated owing a favor and not being able to repay it; from past experience, that only spelled trouble. Bill was pretty vocal about all that, about not giving something without asking for something in return - hence, Troy’s little “favors” with the particularly hot prisoners. The give-and-take system just worked. 

Regardless. Troy needed to know the little shit’s game, what Sarah or David or anyone in particular expected from him. So far, they’d left him to recover on his own, not allowing him a gun in the community (yet?) but keeping him safe inside fortified walls. There had to be an ulterior motive at play here, and maybe he could squeeze the truth out of Sarah.

When said brat hesitantly approached him, he tried to wipe the instinctive glare from his face. 

          Of course he was angry; that in itself wasn’t a surprise. But out of everything he could have said, acknowledgement was the last thing Sarah would have expected. For a short period she wondered if she’d heard him correctly, or if it was just wishful thinking before he tried to yell at her or give her some kind of order. 

          “Yeah… I did.” Cautious though they were, the words managed to flow through (albeit prematurely). Sarah gave him a short nod, curious as to where this was going. She remembered the strained conversation that had taken place while she was doing so, the dreaded panic attack she’d had right in front of him. The latter had apparently been severe enough to warrant being given a couple of unplanned days off from training to recuperate. She could feel her stomach turn at the very thought of it as the embarrassment came rearing its ugly head back. 

          Nevertheless, there was another feeling within her that shouldn’t have felt so strange. Despite all the times he’d threatened her, teased and taunted and called her names, she didn’t regret helping him. Not one bit. There were times when even people who weren’t so good deserved mercy, and she felt herself swallow a lump in her throat when the fleeting thought of wanting to teach this to AJ before he was so CRUELLY snatched away decided to pass through. 

The girl’s earnestness brought a smile of his own. He wouldn’t have been able to keep up the grumpy demeanor anyway, not when she was so willing to help out with nothing in return. ”I didn’t take you for a medic. You seem a bit young for it.” He paused, hoping it didn’t come off like he underestimated her capabilities. “I don’t mean nothin’ by it— I’m sure Lingard appreciates the extra pair of hands. After the dust settled here, he probably had an assload of patients.“

A shake of his head came to her inquiry. “As far as I know, it’s been dead as a doornail. If somethin’ had happened, I figure I probably wouldn’t be the only one standing here.“ For good measure, he turned back towards the entrance and outside the gates, finding it just as unremarkably still as it had been prior.

”So… really, right now, I guess if you felt like staring out at nothing for awhile, that’s about all the work I can offer you. Though, all things considered, that’s probably a good thing. I know I, personally have had enough action for awhile.“

          “Yeah, me too.” He wasn’t alone there, and Sarah was sure that there were many others who could attest to his words as well. This time, she couldn’t hold back the brief, yet unwelcome wave of sadness that washed over her. Along with the joys she found herself being able to experience again - having Clementine back being the greatest - came the painful memories that had transpired from behind these walls. It didn’t help that they tended to reappear during times she didn’t want to dwell on them, especially in front of someone she hadn’t spoken to many times.

          A quick focus on the blooming trees and a couple of breaths helped bring her mind back to relative ease. She chose to shift her mind over to Tripp’s earlier statement, instead, offering an appreciative (and somewhat amused) glance in response to his choice of wording. “We did get really busy after…um, you know.” She reached up to fumble with a coat button before it snapped shut again. “I don’t think I did as much, but I’m not supposed to anyway since I’m still learning. Sometimes it’s a lot, though.” 

          In the days since Troy of all people had stepped foot in Richmond with his injury, Sarah had remained relatively distant and somewhat more withdrawn than she already was. It had seemed that up until this point Troy had been doing much of the same, so the fact that she was surprised when he called her over was a slight understatement. She hesitated for a few short moments before slowly and carefully putting away the brush she’d been using to groom Shadowfax, giving her a small pet on the nose as she shuffled over to the man. He was only one out of quite a few people she stood a good distance from when speaking to them; she could never be too CAREFUL, after all.

For a moment she wondered if she’d overstepped her boundaries by trying to comfort her, but the lack of resistance told her it was likely what she needed. That, and just… somebody who understood. She saw those same eyes in herself, after everything had happened; that must’ve been why it wasn’t something she gave much thought.

Lilly was only silent while she gathered herself, understanding. She didn’t want her to feel ashamed of what she was feeling, given that she’d been in that same position. And once she turned to her with sorrowful eyes, a twinge of sympathetic pain returned, along with a contemplative glance downwards. Because, truthfully? There wasn’t an easy answer.

“It’s not easy,” she started, trying to keep her voice even. ”The beginning’s the hardest part. Even harder if you don’t have people to help you through it.“ Speaking from experience— after that night on that farm, her trust in everyone else had vanished. But the difference was that this girl had people who would look out for her.

          It’s not easy. Those few words were enough to make her heart race just a little bit. Some few and far between memories began to race through her mind, from running past an insurmountable number of trees to hiding in an unfamiliar room without any recurrence as to how she’d gotten there. The feelings of terror and loneliness, and then some. As much as Sarah loathed to recollect these thoughts, she understood what Lilly meant by how hard the beginning was. She could sense an unmistakable something in the older woman’s voice that told her she wasn’t alone in these experiences.

          The teen was unable to stop the hitched breath that followed when silence reigned once more. In her mind she could next see Clementine knelt down in front of her, similar words about her father being spoken. “I’m sure your father wouldn’t, either” and “He would still want that” inwardly repeated themselves over and over. A shaky hand reached up to remove her glasses, wiping away tears that were dangerously close to falling. The shame of not following their advice sooner was met with a nod and a quiet, “Yeah…” 

          She placed her glasses back on and fiddled with a coat button. The fact that she was cold was becoming harder to ignore. She sniffled, waiting for the lump in her throat to dissipate before she could speak again. “He kept me safe,” she said after what felt like a copious amount of time. “He… he kept me safe and he looked after me and…” 

For worried onlookers

“You don’t look so hot…”

“Are you okay?”

“You need rest.”

“You can’t train, not in that state.”

“Business is over until further notice, your health is more important.”

“Go rest, this isn’t up for debate.”

*my character catches yours mid-stumble* “Whoa, you alright there?”

“You look like a zombie. When was the last time you had proper sleep?”

“You’re shaking. This is really affecting you, at least take a nap.”

“I’m picking you up and taking you to bed, too bad.”

“A small break won’t be good enough, you need actual rest.”

“You shouldn’t of over-exerted yourself.”

“I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”

“You could hardly stand!”

“Don’t think I won’t make you go to bed. Try me.”

“Looks like I caught you at a bad time.”

“You’re so stubborn, quit squirming I’m trying to help!”

“Your hands are shaking. You need to stop.”

“You don’t get enough sleep, do you?”

“You’re practically nodding off.”

“Hey, you just passed out. Are you okay?”

“We can nap together, ok? We’ll be nap buddies.”

“I’m crawling under the covers with you, alright? Just rest.”

“You burned your energy out in the snow, you’re shivering badly.”

“This hot weather is affecting you more than you think, you look like you’re gonna pass out.”

For the affected

“I’ll be alright, I just need a small break.”

“You’re overthinking things, I’m fine.”

“You’re too worried, I’m totally okay.”

“Don’t touch me, I don’t need your help.”

“I said I’m fine, let it be.”

“I didn’t think it’d be this cold, my body hurts all over…”

“I might have been in the sun for too long…”

“I’ll get shut-eye when I finish this paper.”

“I’ll rest when I finally get results.”

“I don’t need rest, I could keep training with no problem.”

“I can’t sleep, I’m too anxious.”

“I don’t like when it’s still and quiet, and I’m alone with my own thoughts.”

*you catch my character mid-stumble* “I-I’m alright, I just need to sit a moment…”

“Could you… sleep with me?”

“I could hardly move… maybe I did push myself too hard…”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll sleep in a bit…”

“I’m okay, really…”

“I’m not a kid, I don’t need you hovering over me.”

“Maybe I’m a little tired…”

“You’re the last person I’d want to see me like this.”

“You’re right, I’ll finish what I’m doing later.”

“Okay. I’ll go to bed, thanks for the concern.”