The time that had been spent with Nora the day before had been an intense one. Not in any negative way, but rather intense in the sense that Daryl had never experienced such an interaction with another person before. It had been the first time in Daryl's life that he had reached out to someone and willingly shown his vulnerability; to have sought the actual need of human comfort. He wasn't sure why it had come to that. Perhaps all these years of keeping to himself had finally caught up with him. After all, Rick wasn't the only person in the group that carried a giant bolder.

Daryl had given up on the idea, for now, of seeking Merle out. He understood why Andrea had struggled to tell him about it. If Daryl had been told of his brother's whereabouts a year prior, he would have definitely gone out in a heartbeat to search for him, with nothing to stop him…but now was different. He sighed softly to himself as he eyed each of the group members from his spot at one of the tables in the Cafeteria. They were all sitting and enjoying lunch together, sharing stories and laughter. This had become more than a group to Daryl. They had all been through so much. They were his family and despite whatever hardships he and Merle may have gone through together, nothing could ever replace the feeling he gained when he was with these people. Daryl was no idiot, he knew that things wouldn't and couldn't go the way he hoped if he and Merle were to come into contact with one another. Merle wasn't the type to let grudges go or to change who he was for the mercy of others. Nothing would end well. It couldn't.

"Hey Daryl." Carl called out to the Hunter as he approached him. This shook the Hunter out of his train of thought as he gazed upon the young Grimes. "Wanna go target practice? I could try n' shoot your crossbow!"

The Redneck glanced at the kid like he was crazy for a moment before he responded, "Ya ain't big enough t' handle this weapon, kid."

Carl frowned. "Sure I am! I can handle it!" He assured the Redneck.

Daryl silently collected his weapon off of the table and extended it to the boy, who eagerly reached for it. Carl nearly dropped it, having not expected it to weigh as much as it did. "It's so heavy! How'd'ya carry this thing all the time!?" Carl gave the Redneck a surprised expression, as if he expected him to turn into superman for accomplishing such a task.

A soft grin formed upon the Redneck's lips, slightly amused. "Ya get used t' it."

Rick clapped a hand down on Carl's shoulder. "Don't think you're quite suited to carry a weapon like that yet, son." He grinned. "Why don't ya go on ahead and give that back t' Daryl, I need to borrow him for abit."

Carl looked to his father curiously. "Where ya goin? I wanna go!"

"Not this time, son. But I promise ya, next time. Ok?"

Carl frowned but handed the crossbow back over to Daryl, who took it and strapped it over his shoulder before getting to his feet. "What're we up t'?" He questioned, just as curious as Carl had been.

"Just need t' discuss somethin' with ya." Rick responded as he began to make his way to the door, expecting the Hunter to follow.

Rick led Daryl to the outter perimeter of the Yard and began scoping around the outside surroundings. "What'd'ya think about the whole Woodbury incident?"

Daryl paused to think as he lowered his head to stare at the dirt. After a moment he returned his gaze upon the Sheriff again. "Thinkin' they might try n' find 'em. Take 'em down...Don't seem like the type'a folks t' just let 'em go free."

A frown formed upon the Sheriff's lips as he moved his hands upon his hips. He licked his bottom lip and averted his eyes. "That's what I was thinkin'..." His eyes moved along the fences and a soft sigh slipped past him. "This place is secure against walkers...but it ain't secure enough to keep other humans from invading. If someone wanted in bad enough, they could accomplish it easy...And I don't want that for any of us. Based on what Nora told us, I don't think they'll see to reason, or bargaining...these people like control; power."

Daryl nodded his head in agreement. "They wouldn't like the idea'a lettin' us be our own." He shook his head. "Just the kinda place for Merle..." The Redneck mumbled to himself, outloud.

This caused a questioning brow to raise on the Sheriff's face. "Merle..?"

Having realized what he had done, Daryl's expression went stony as he nodded his head. Rick waited patiently for the Hunter to respond. "...Andrea told me she saw Merle there." Just saying it seemed to cause pain to the Redneck that was hard to explain. He nibbled at the inside of his bottom lip and then turned to meet Rick's gaze. "Said he was'a right-hand man t' the Govenor man..." He scoffed lightly, "Ain't no surprise there...Merle endin' up with the wrong folks ain't nothin' new."

Rick seemed flabbergasted by this news, his eyes slightly wide in shock and his mouth ajar. "Merle? He's alive?!" He raised a hand to wipe at his mouth and shook his head before returning his hand to his hip. "I'm sorry, Daryl..." He spoke quietly, guilt creeping its way in his eyes again.

The Hunter shrugged his shoulders. "I ain't worried 'bout it, so neither should you." He glanced across the open field towards some distant walkers. "Merle lasted this long on'is own...Ain't no sense in worryin' 'bout him. We got more important things here..." This was Daryl's way of expressing his attachment to the group. There was a small silence that fell between the two before the sounds of faint laughter filled the air. The two turned their attention behind them where they could see Carl playing around with Michonne and Lenora. Soft grins parted both of their lips as they watched. Lori, Beth, Maggie, Glenn, and Jose were also seen in the Yard watching.