Pru seems to be bonding with the group, while Daryl is still being reluctant to bond with anyone...Or at least that's what he's trying to convince himself. He gets flustered...And Andrea busts his balls when she realizes what neither Pru or Daryl seem to be aware of or willing to admit to.(I DON'T OWN THE WALKING DEAD OR ITS CHARACTERS, BECAUSE I SUCK). Have fun & let me know what you think! =)

Hunger was a great motivator. It was what had driven him to pick up hunting in the first place. In more recent days, it had caused him to do things that, before the current state of things, he may have thought twice about. Raw squirrel meat was an acquired taste and did well, in a pinch, to stave off languor and the gnawing pains of hunger. Tonight, it was motivation to be tolerant of the other members of the group, if even only until he managed to fill his gut.

As the sky grew dark with twilight and cloud cover, he found himself walking up to the farmhouse. Beneath the faint light of the single battery powered camping lantern on the porch, Glenn and Maggie sat exchanging endearments quietly. Daryl felt awkward approaching the two young lovers during such an intimate scene. He cleared his throat to announce himself, in an attempt at being courteous. The young couple looked in the direction the sound came from. Maggie smiled politely, so he nodded to them as he climbed the porch steps. The sounds of levity could be heard as he walked through the dark parlor into the dining room. The whole camp had come inside to eat their meal together and were conversing. A boisterous female laugh easily cut the rest of the talking and chuckling in half just before he rounded the corner.

He entered the room and the laughter quieted a bit as all eyes that were facing him locked on his form. Others facing away turned toward him, noticing someone had walked in. Carol shot him a small, welcoming smile as he strode to the table. They always kept a spot and a full plate for him at their dinners. He didn't understand why, especially since he didn't normally make an effort to show up. Regardless, he was thankful this evening. He passed the smaller table that Glenn, Maggie, Beth, and Jimmy normally sat at and sat down at the far end of the large table next to Dale.

Realizing all eyes were still on him after he'd settled into his seat, he looked around taking in everyone's expressions. They were all a mixture of surprise and welcoming, except for Shane, who'd gone back to shoveling instant potatoes into his mouth.

"Man's gotta eat sometime!" he defended. The annoyance in his voice was audibly forced, however, causing laughter to erupt again from most of the group. Carol rose from the table, and collected the plate they'd prepared. She laid a hand on his shoulder as she leaned to put it in front of him. The contact made him uncomfortable and caused him to shoot her a sidelong glance and shy away from her a bit. He mumbled a thank you to her, before she moved back to her spot, and he immediately began to dig into the full plate.

"So, I can really keep it?" Carl asked excitedly. Daryl looked up from his food, hoping to Hell that the kid hadn't found a dog or something else he'd have to feed and worry about making a ton of noise, attracting all sorts of unwanted attention to their quiet little oasis. He looked up to see the young boy sandwiched between his two parents. In his hands he held a shiny metal frame Daryl recognized as Pru's slingshot. He grimaced.

"Heh. Yeah, Bud. As long as it's cool with Mom and Dad." She smiled at the boy. Rick ruffled his kid's hair and Lori hugged him close to her, mouthing a silent 'thank you' in her direction.

Before he even realized he'd opened his mouth, Daryl was asking, "That a good idea? …What you gunna use anymore?"

He looked around the table. All eyes were back on him, no one used to him putting himself into conversations which didn't directly involve him. He shifted in his seat uneasily, realizing he'd interjected without thinking.

Pru took it in stride, shrugging and pursing her lips. "Sure. Why not? I bet you messed around with more dangerous gear as a kid. Less dangerous times, too. Wouldn't hurt him to know how to hunt for himself, either…Besides, I have another one. That one belonged to Mer…Kinda." She took a swig of liquor from the almost empty pint flask that sat next to her plate. He raised his eyebrows, accepting the answer and turned his face back down to his food.

"I'll teach you how to use it tomorrow afternoon. Before dinner or something, maybe." She said to Carl. He back beamed at her.

"For now, though," Lori began, "You put it away and finish up your meal. No weapons at the dinner table."

Her son rolled his eyes a tiny bit, earning a stern look from his father. The child immediately folded the wrist brace into itself and placed it into his lap. Pru grinned.

"OH!" she said suddenly as she turned to address her fellow hunter, "That reminds me. I have something to show you."

He continued eating, unaware she'd been talking to him. He'd been half starved, so he didn't stop himself from funneling all his attention into getting the much needed sustenance into him. He was also eager to get back to his tent for some shut eye, as it was his intention to wake with the sun for a hunt.

Dale smiled and nudged him gently with his elbow as he poked at his own meal aimlessly. Daryl

turned to him, scowling. His mouth was terribly full as he realized everyone around the table was looking at him expectantly, again.

"Wha?" he mumbled as he wiped at his mouth with his bare arm. She laughed in response to his oblivion.

"I have something to show you."

He scrutinized her smiling face for a second and cleared his throat. "Uhm. Okay?"

"Tomorrow." She said.

"What?" he said internally. He didn't appreciate her vagueness. It made him feel awkward. He was very cut and dry. Deliberate. He didn't understand why she couldn't just tell him right now. He played it off, though, nodding and shifting in his seat again. He looked past Pru to Andrea who was making a poor attempt at hiding a smirk behind her hand. He shot her a glare and she wiped the smile from her mouth just as Pru turned to the woman at her right. Andrea waved her off, pretending as if she was choking a bit.

Pru reached for her flask and took another long pull from it. The conversation, led by Herschel's change in subject, became livelier again. Daryl sat in silence as the other members of the table discussed various things that needed to be taken care of come morning. Daryl sat back, enjoying his meal, not offering up his time for anything. He looked forward to tomorrow morning's hunt and didn't feel like playing Mr. Fixit. After a few more minutes of conversation the group began to disperse, slowly. Lori had told Carl to go wash up for bed, and she, Carol, and Maggie gathered up the dishes and leftovers. Pru went to stand, to offer a hand, but she staggered a bit, giggling. Andrea steadied her, grabbing her arm.

"Whoa there!" the tattooed woman giggled, exaggerating her stumble by waving her other arm.

"You good?" Shane asked absently.

"Oh yeah," she snorted, "Real good." Shane rolled his eyes. Lori took her plate from her and made an attempt at getting her to either sit back down or go out to the RV to get to bed. He watched as Pru shrugged and stumbled for the door.

She was already half way to the door, back to them, when Dale began to get up to usher her safely to the old motorhome.

"SID'DOWN DALE! I got it!" she yelled behind her without even glancing. She waved one of her guns over her head. Dale, firmly put in his place by her clairvoyance, sat back down looking exasperated.

"AT LEAST TAKE THE BED TONIGHT!" he shouted back. Daryl turned, watching her wobble her way through the threshold. Without looking, she waved the gun over her head again, defiantly and exited the house. After hearing the door slam behind her, the group left at the table, sans the hunter, began to snicker.

"She's a pistol." Rick laughed.

Daryl looked to the door and figured he'd make his getaway while they were distracted, so he could make sure her drunk ass would make it to the RV unscathed. He half lied to himself, too, also reasoning that he wouldn't get roped into chores tomorrow if he'd made a hasty retreat. He reached for his crossbow and made his way out the door and onto the porch. It was completely dark now and it had started to drizzle, bringing a damp chill to the evening air that was as unfamiliar to the exposed skin on his bare arms as it was familiar.

His eyes strained to find Pru's form among the darkness. When he located her, he watched as she tottered along for a second before he heard the door swing open behind him. He turned to see Andrea stroll out, the corner of her lip quirked upwards and arms crossed over her chest. He grunted.

"Rainin' now." He drawled. She came to stand next to him and she stared out towards where he'd been staring, knowing smile still on her face.

"What're you so happy about?" he asked curtly. She shook her head.

"She'll be okay."

"I ain't concerned." He lied and turned his gaze off to the opposite edge of the field to look at nothing.

"Yeah. You lie for shit." She breezed. He turned to her glaring. "Oh, calm down," she chided softly, "I'm messing with you."

He grunted again, rolling his eyes, and made his way down the porch steps. He caught himself looking towards the RV again when he finally heard its door snap shut.

"Daryl." Andrea called to him from the porch, lowering her voice so the other survivors inside the house wouldn't hear. He stopped, turning back to look at the blonde, squinting his eyes a bit more than his usual expression to shield them from the tiny drops of rain.

"…She's gunna 'show you something' tomorrow." She teased, her smile puckish.

"Fuck off, lady!" he barked and stormed off.

He made it back to his tent in record time and kicked off his wet boots so as not to track mud into his nest of blankets and clothes. He heaved a heavy sigh as he sat down. This is what he got for going up to the house, dammit. He lay down and stared at his tent's ceiling. "What the fuck."