ringleadering | ic contact.

Neither of us are going anywhere. Got to find a way to make something work.

I found it's best to go right for the throat. That was a game to you. That wasn't anything real.

You misunderstand me, Rick. It wasn't a game. It's never a game. Sure, it may look that way to you, but I bet you have one of those boxes for Judith with the block shapes that slot into it, too. It only looks like a game to her, right? You know as well as I do that little box is a learning tool. A logic problem.

See, now you're just trying to rile me up to distract from the fact you didn't say anything.

[ ~~And he will keep doing that for as long as it works.~~ ]

You've been doing this since the beginning, right? So tell me. Do you have any rules? Who gets to join the Rick and Carl Club?

[ Rick's a dad, Negan, you've met your match on not letting things go. ]

Not exactly from the beginning, no. Generally, people who don't threaten our lives every five minutes. Least not in a serious way. Did you lose her during all this? Lucille the person, I mean, not the bat.

[ There's a long delay in response to that, because Negan does not want to talk about it, doesn't want to talk about her. Of course it's in the fact that he doesn't answer the question that he in fact does. Some sort of bullshit would have been more convincing, maybe some spiel about a beloved dog or something.

Instead he gives dodging the question another try. ]

But you do have rules. A code. These days you need to have a code.

[ The fact he kept trying in the first place probably said something he didn't want to even think about. But they were balancing a dangerous act and perhaps he could learn something about Negan to tip things in their favor. To change how the dynamics currently were to place Alexandria as the sole hub in charge. ]

Course we do. We ask others their numbers, see how they react to things. But I've been shown something. People? They can surprise you. We've all got losses but that doesn't mean we got to be this.

[ Be careful, Rick. You might acknowledge Negan as a person. That would suck.

Unsurprisingly, he can guess what 'numbers' means. It's funny to him, how people get stuck on things like that. Well, not haha funny. What's the point in knowing how many walkers, or people someone's killed? The circumstances matter more than the number. ]

People can surprise you. That, my man, is something we can both agree on. The surprises aren't always good. Sometimes the people that are left are only alive cause there was someone weaker, slower, or stupider than them around to fall behind. That sound familiar to you?

[ Even worse, he might start to care.

The state of the world turned people into other things than just walkers. There were those who survived and those who didn't but there were always varying levels of how the former made it happen. The lengths they went to and Rick knew he had done some terrible things but for good and unavoidable reasons. ]

Yeah, it does. We've all had to do things to get to this point or we've been real lucky. But right now we've got the chance to build something. To be better than what we've done. There could be a network. We don't have to all be enemies here. Asking numbers is important. Knowing the first one you've encountered. Was it your wife?

Edited (i know english good) 2017-04-10 20:00 (UTC)

[ And then there were the kind of people who locked their flock outside and listened to them die... Negan may have done some shitty things, but at least he's always been fair in his application of those rules. The hardest decisions had to be made swiftly, or the circumstances stewed. People would start to think there was preferential treatment to be had, that they could slip the noose.

No, the best way to make sure someone didn't put a step out of line was to show them what happened if they did. Most of the time people got to be real careful after that about where they were putting their feet. But Rick's familiar with that too. He has to be. Murder. Theft of stores. Hiding weapons. They're the kinds of things that favor the individual over the group, and they have to be dealt with.

Either way, there's another pause. He's answering these questions without saying a damn word. ]

I'm not queuing up to become your next pet, Rick. Now I'll give you, you've been on the receiving end of some really fucking terrible shit from my folks, but when it comes right down to it you've killed more of us than we have of you. With a rocket launcher one time, remember? Now that upsets me. It'd upset you too.

You've never once asked me how we can do this better. How we can build something. Now me, I've already built something. It works. The communities the Saviors watch over get protected, and we get a little something back.

Tell me. Are your people starving? Do you see people at Hilltop starving? Getting their faces ripped off? No. So where exactly is my model falling down? Tell me. I'd like to know.

[ Disbelief filled Rick's face but he didn't know why he felt too surprised given how differently they viewed things. Rick believed in looking out for his own people and staying in their own lane, while Negan seemed to prefer taking over all the lanes. Rick only stepped outside of his when something or someone threatened those he cared about.

He created a community filled with FAMILY and they had much deeper bonds that he witnessed from any of the other groups.

This time around, he took a little longer to respond. The supposed information about Lucille giving him a pause as well. ]

Didn't say anything about being a pet, Negan. I was referring to being apart of a network; a barter system of give and take. Not just take like the Saviors have been doing. Times are getting rougher and the Saviors do not offer anything real back. They only take from all the communities and how all of you take it is part of the problem. It's through intimidation and you can only back people against a wall for so long before they push back. You're seeing that now. You saw that then.

How you see things aren't how it is. Either you're seeing what you want to see or you are betting on all of us being stupid. You took all our guns and have wiped us out. Your people sent walkers on Hilltop and would have killed all of them. What happened at the Kingdom. The list goes on.

You've got a choice facing you and the Saviors. You can decide to change and join us as a network or you can continue with this. If you continue down this path, you're gonna lose. Groups have tried to come against us before and they have all failed. All of you will die. I can promise you that.

You were a cop, right? So you know. Not everyone in this world is cut out to fight the shit that goes on out there. Now if you people want to make babies and grow vegetables than that is up to you. That was never what I was good at. I am good at knocking heads together and enforcing the community rules. But you tell me, Rick. Were there cutbacks at the police department? Pay freezes? Did you have to fight tooth and nail to earn your pension? Nobody values protection when they feel safe. They start thinking they don't need you. Hilltop needed a little reminder of what they had the privilege to be protected from. That's the simple truth.

You've met other groups, so you know; the men who've survived this thing are like animals. Hell, all we ever think about is sex. But do any of my mine touch you and yours? No. Did we mow you all down when you started blowing us away? No. If you feel intimidated, it's because I want you to feel that way. Because even now you still think that this is an even fight. A winning streak has to end sooner or later, Rick. You can't get cocky off the back of a thing like that.

Tell me. How exactly do you see this thing working? You imagining me tilling the earth and teaching your kid how to throw a baseball? Because I don't think either of us think that's a thing that's gonna happen, now, do we?

Sheriff Deputy. You know far more about my life than I know of yours. What were you before all this? Had to be something that gave you a margin of control over others. You didn't lose any kids, then. What we want to do is build something without being ransacked of everything we've got. You say things like you actually help anybody but yourself. You protect only so they can give you what you want. Otherwise, you wouldn't bother.

[ He didn't want to consider it really but in some ways Negan reminded Rick far too much of Shane. It made him wonder what kind of man Negan happened to be before the world going to shit made him into this. ]

It ain't cocky. It's determination. You threatened my kids and you can't come back from that.

I can't imagine you'd have the patience for planting and Carl would only throw the baseball at your face if we're being honest. I see it working by everyone pitching in with something. You've got those outposts and they could be neutral zones and trading posts. One could be a clinic. Every month, the leaders of each community could arrive at the trading post and barter things between one another. Each community could have something to specialize in and offer. We'd all be getting something and no one would be bullied or taken overly advantage of.

If you want to fight shit then your people could be a guard force and train others who might want it. I've got plenty of people who didn't know anything but can fight now. People wanna learn if they've got something good to fight for. If they feel apart of something and not just forced into it.

That's why it ain't a fair fight for you. The loyalty we have is something you'll never have.

[ Whatever. He could be terrible about this but he's going to let Rick talk his plan through, because Rick's the one who has the power to tear it most apart. It isn't that he doesn't like the idea. It sounds great, except for him, mostly. The Kingdom, the Hilltop, and Alexandria - as well as potentially other groups he'd pissed off here and there - would rip him to pieces at the first opportunity, and he was plenty wary of that.

But there were other reasons he didn't think it would work. Because it doesn't. Because it hasn't. ]

Let's say you put this thing together. Let's say you get what you want, and these different groups start networking, rebuilding. Who's rules are they going to follow? When a horde breaks out one of the traps we set and comes crashing down on the people here, who punishes Hilltop when they refuse to risk their people on defending the rest of you? When someone from the Kingdom takes that little daughter of yours out back and hurts her, maybe kills her, what's gonna stop them going to war with you over the way you handle it?

How many times have you seen this stuff break down, Rick? My way may not be perfect, but it works. I have order, and damn right I have loyalty, people who would take a bullet for me, who have, I figure. Negan isn't a name, it's an idea.

But in case you're wondering, it is my name. Now ask yourself. Your people. Have they ever turned on you? Have they ever broken your rules? Say, killed someone they weren't ordered to? Are you really capable of leading this brave new civilization of yours? Your kid's already lost an eye. The higher you raise your head the bigger the sword hanging over his gets.

All the communities together would create a charter and those who break the stipulations would be banished. Each community would give two representatives to sit on a council and they'd work out the judgements and hear the grievances together, putting everything to a vote. Mixing the old world with the new world. We'd put laws into place for people to follow.

Funny you say that when people are already turning against you. If your way worked so well you wouldn't have this mutiny facing you now.

Sure people have messed up. We've made bad calls but we come together when it counts most. I have been. Till you and your people came into this. Carl was my fault. I admit that. That's on me but I won't be making that mistake again.

It's tighter control but making it look like more freedom. Setting up check points, setting boundary lines and those going against what's put in place are sent out beyond those to fend for themselves.

So, we should leave you in charge and bleed all of us dry? Worry about our people dying every few days?

[ He could feel the tension rising higher and the frustrating pulling at him. But he didn't and wouldn't give up. ]

Which one of us are you trying to convince? Man, are you trying to get approval from me? That is hella messed up, you know that?

I'm not bleeding anyone dry, Rick. I'm not pushing anyone beyond their means. You mentioned the Kingdom, Hilltop. They don't rebel, and I don't ask too much of them. We support our own fair share of dead weight, but we do it respectfully. Like, for example, when food is short, the people who need the most energy get it. Now that isn't to say that nobody else eats, but resources are distributed where they're best used.

That girl you had on your stores, for example. Now. You weren't feeding her the same as yourself, out on all your messy adventures hunting for supplies for us, were you? I mean that? Is bad leadership. You mismanage resources like that and down the line you got yourself a famine on your hands.

"Tighter control that looks more like freedom." Man. I think under that gruff dead eyed exterior you might even be a bigger asshole than I am, and that's saying something.

Was giving you an opportunity; a chance for negotiation but I see now that won't work. What I told ya is going to happen whether you and your people are apart of it or not. We are going to create a trading network. The others are rebelling and this is only the beginning.

From what I've been told on how you handle your group, there are plenty of people getting more than their fair share and all the others suffer for it. You want to talk about bad leadership.

We're creating a new future and maybe some of your people might be apart of it. We'll take in anyone who wants the refuge.

Rick.

Look, it's not that I don't respect you. You've come this far after all. The way I hear it you've been kicking ass the whole way as well. That takes some doing, and I know. Hell. You kept your kid alive. One piece--eh, well who cares about that. Alive has gotta be good enough.

But you can't negotiate with someone from a position of maybe. Especially since you would have to try a whole hell of a lot harder than this to make me think you held all the cards. You think a dog negotiates with his bitch? No. If he wants a fuck he gets a fuck. And sure, she might turn around and bite him, but that's why he's got teeth too. He's bigger, stronger. He'll rip her fucking throat out if he feels like it--but he doesn't, because he's got his next fuck on the mind.

I'm not going to rip your throat out, Rick. But boy, I am going to fuck you, whether or not you try and bite me back. That's just nature.

You can think what you want but I meant what I said. I meant all of what I said. All of you are already dead. Each one of you will fall at our feet. We've got alliances against you and I'm sure there's other groups you've screwed over. We'll find them and pull them in too. We'll get to your people. The ones who aren't happy bout your leadership skills. One by one you'll lose everything you've built.

You so sure we don't already got people on the inside? That there aren't already those who are against you? You talked about me being cocky but I'd look in the mirror, Negan. This is your last chance to stop this. This is the very last chance I'm giving you the opportunity to prevent what's gonna happen.

Might not be now or tomorrow or even next week. But one of these days, you're gonna be the one on your knees.

If you thought I was scared of that, do you think I'd be where I am? You're right. Bubbles always burst, and you. Just how many times have you done the bursting, Rick? How many communities have you busted in and torn up because you don't like the way they're doing things? You ask people their numbers, but what about you? How many people has your morality gotten killed?

If it's like you say, if I end up on my knees, I ain't gonna mourn it. My ticket got punched a long time ago. Same day as yours, I bet.

Some things are unavoidable, like this I suppose. What about yours? How many brains have you bashed in? Who started it all? It's choices. We've all made some we can't take back. Some of us don't get another chance to make it right.

No, mine did a long time ago and I'm still here. I'll still be here until my people are safe. Can promise you that.

I've never made a choice I wasn't square with, never killed anyone on purpose without having a good reason. That goes for your folks too. Like you say, we all make choices. If you ain't happy with the choices you make, then you ain't gonna be happy, and there's no point living your life at other people's expense just to be an unhappy son of a bitch every damn day you're living it.

Nobody's died for me who wasn't happy to step in front of that bullet. Because I keep my people safe. Because when someone kills a bunch of them I make it fair.

Guess that makes us more similar than you'd like. And guarantees only one of our ways is gonna work. But then I don't envy whichever group survives, do you? This kind of shit circles the drain. You get done with one fight, you're only going to have to fight to keep what's yours all over again. And more people die for no reason. Humanity's not coming back until there's so few of us left that we can stay the fuck away from each other.

That was the reasoning for the negotiating. To stop this before it gets too out of hand. To make a way that benefits everyone more and not just a group. Your group. Everyone's got to pull their weight and we got to come together more than to be divided. Like you said, it's going to keep being more fights.

What do you suggest, then? Give me something to work with.

Also, I don't regret keeping my people alive. What we've had to do. We're still standing. We're still breathing.

What do I suggest? You mean other than you making a square effort to get back into line? Giving me Daryl back?

Neither of those things are happening. You're not getting Daryl back.

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