In the meantime, Nora was on her own journey. She had been searching for Sheriff Woody for what felt like hours. With such a large facility, it was easy to get lost.
Unfortunately for Lenora Molly Brannigan, she had not yet thought to acquaint her eidetic memory with every nook and cranny of this place just yet. Life (as miniscule as it seemed) continued to get in the way.
"You're distracted," Michonne had said before she took her leave with Daryl, "it's only a matter of time before the Governor shows up and you're playing little schoolgirl fantasies in your head."
The ebony-skinned woman's cryptic wake-up call stuck in her head to the point where Nora could hardly keep concentration on the task at hand. It seemed that whatever small collections of undead assholes she ran into were slain without her even realizing. But lucky for her, her senses were sharp enough for her to go on auto-pilot for a short time while she sorted out her thoughts.
"Bloody stupid blighter." She muttered under her breath after casting down another foe. "T'inks I'm some kinda lovesick bint. Please." She scoffed, shaking her head as she rounded another lost corner. Left, right, left, left, right, left... when in doubt, know your way out, right? "At least I'm smart enough ta pay attention where I'm bloody well walkin'-OOMF!"
Much to Nora's despair, she had rammed right into the decaying back of yet another undead bastard. She thought fast, swinging her sword and lopping off the head with the grace of... well, something graceful.
Only to find several more just behind him.
After the shock faded, a sadistic grin formed upon her face.
"Finally, some real action." She murmured happily before she lunged into action. Her sword took the weight happily and one of her sais came out to play; jealous of her katana getting all the action.
A loud, masculine cry caught her attention as she had noticed Rick coming in to join the action. By the time they had cleared all the undead out of the area, Nora had found herself finally taking notice to his broken nature.
"Oy... Rick." She had reached out at first; intent on showing his broken heart some comfort.
All to no avail, it seemed. By the time her fingers brushed his shoulder, she was thrust up against the wall with an elbow crushing her throat. Nora thought quickly, knocking her knee into Rick's gut and turning the arm from her throat around his back with surprising strength.
Once she had wrestled him to the ground, she decided that perhaps... a heart-to-heart was in order.
"Let me go!" Rick shouted, trying his best to struggle against Nora's firm grip. She applied strength to the pressure points, forcing him to cry out in pain. "Leave me be!"
"T'do what, lad? Get yerself killed when yer baby girl is waitin' fer ya t'get back?!" He went silent. "Let me tell ya'a little secret, Sheriff Woody: not only does this group need you... your newborn baby needs you. I might not be much for th'motivational pep talks, but dis is somet'in' ya need ta hear."
"Nora! Nora... let me go!" Rick gasped out, trying to struggle further. Nora only applied more pressure, making him cry out.
"I'd be a bit more polite to an Irishwoman who's got yer arm 'bout ready ta snap off, so shut it!" She shouted back. "Now, lookit 'ere. I got no time fer games, so dis is 'ow it's gonna go. I'm gonna release ya, but only if ya promise not to attack me. PTSD might be a bitch, but doona' let it overpower yer judgement, lad." She heard Rick inhale sharply from the pain. "Ya ready?"
"Just lemme go, dammit! She's gone! Y'hear?! GONE!" He pushed and prodded more, trying his best to get out of her vice grip.
No dice. Nora held him captive, even as he crashed her tailbone into a wall after shoving her backwards with all his strength. Nora only catapulted her knee into the back of his to get him to crumble to the ground. She released his paining arm and wrapped her own around him in a very firm hug, signifying that he wasn't going anywhere unless he wanted to carry her with him.
"I 'ear ya fine, lad, it's you who's not hearin' ME." He stopped his struggles slowly as Nora held him close in a daughter-like hug. "Pa... yer baby girl is waitin' fer ya. D'ye not ken how important dat is? How Lori wouldn't want ya t'forget dat? Now come. Please." She begged, sniffling back her own emotions on Lori's behalf. She heard sobs wrack Rick's body and she held him in her comforting embrace as she sat there crying with him for what felt like decades.
Soon, the both of them had recovered and were on their way outside when they were confronted by Michonne.
"Daryl's been taken, Irish." The dark woman had said. Nora could only stare in awe at the beloved crossbow and other artifacts belonging to Daryl that he would be helpless without. "Gov's got him." She announced after a long, bated silence. Michonne seemed to be gripping Dixon's items like she was ready to crush them.
Nora only felt... fire. She saw red; rage and vengeance. She saw the desire for justice and... blood.
She wanted blood.
The Gov had drawn the last straw and now it was her turn. He went after somebody she cared about; somebody who was just like her. Somebody who had... understood her and made her feel more whole than she'd ever felt.
Someone she'd given her first kiss to.
"I'm going after him, Rick! Doona wanna 'ear 'nother word about it!" Nora snapped viciously at the Sheriff as she headed for one of the regular cars, her weapons at the ready.
"Nora, y'can't just go in there without backup! We need a plan!"
"No!" She turned to him, wagging her forefinger in his face. "I've made plans before. I've spend days and weeks making plans that never worked wit' dis man! He buried be alive, y't'ink Daryl won't share th'same fate, if not worse?!"
"Nora-"
"Fuck off, Pa. See ya in a few hours. If I'm not back by nightfall... well... just wait longer." She snapped as she sped off into the distance.