Irresistible Danger

An Enlightening Conversation

Unsure where to start the conversation, you went with stating the obvious.

"You're sure out late," you observed.

"Amber was being her usual Amber self earlier, so I decided to come out here and think. I actually come out here often when I can't sleep. It's peaceful."

You had to agree with Maria about the spot being peaceful since you had shared the same idea of coming out here to think.

"She really puts you through the ringer, doesn't she?" you asked.

Amber was Negan's fourth wife. She looked to be in her early to mid-20s with pixie-short blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a tendency to be a bit of a bully. Apparently Amber wasn't too happy when Maria joined them as wife number five, since it meant she was no longer the "newest" wife, and therefore got a little less attention than before. Ironic, since you heard she had been caught fucking her pre-apocalypse boyfriend, Mark, a few months ago, which resulted in half of Mark's face looking just like Dwight's: disfigured and burnt to a crisp from a hot iron.

You really didn't understand why both Sherry and Amber would go against Negan's rules, and then on top of that allow their exes to take a hot iron to the face while they skipped away unscathed. At least Sherry had the decency to be polite in passing; from what you had seen of Amber, she was a bit of a brat. Almost like an older, slightly more mature, slightly less hair-twirling Trixie. That coupled with the fact that you had always liked Maria meant that you weren't Amber's biggest fan.

You and Maria hadn't been super close when part of your previous group, but you had formed a closer bond out in the woods when walkers had dwindled your number down to just you, Maria, and one other group member named Tim. Unfortunately, a week after arriving at the compound, Tim was bitten by a walker during his first supply run with Negan's men. You had honestly never liked him much; he had been way too quick to make innuendos and "accidentally" brush his hand over your ass or tit whenever possible. Not that that meant he deserved to die, but still; you weren't exactly mourning him.

Maria had been a soothing ally during that time out in the forest. More than once she had calmed you down when you wanted nothing more than to punch Tim in the nose for his sexual comments. You and Maria had looked out for one another and made sure not to leave the other alone with Tim. Since arriving at the compound, you didn't see Maria too often, but still tried to hang out and catch up with her about once a week. You had definitely been avoiding her in the four days since running into her in Negan's doorway, which was unfair since Maria had always been nothing but kind.

She was one of the calmest and most laid-back individuals you had ever met, to the point where sometimes she came off, in your opinion, as a bit submissive. However, you couldn't deny that part of you looked up to her in a way and admired her ability to stay poised in most situations. She had never let Tim or anyone else get the best of her, and even when confronted by Amber, you were certain she was the first one to apologize or leave the conflict without allowing herself to become angry or upset. Perhaps you should start coming outside at night more often. If this was what helped keep Maria so relaxed, it might be worth a shot. And the fact that she had appeared shocked and not so calm and collected when seeing you at Negan's door told you that a conversation about it was inevitable.

"She tries, but it's not worth the effort to argue or let her know that her comments get to me. It's easier to just ignore her and walk away," Maria assured.

Almost forgetting that you had been talking about Amber, there was a long pause before you answered, "Still, don't let her bully you. Maybe if you decked her once, she'd lay off."

You could just make out the curve of a smile on Maria's face at your comment.

"While the mental image of that is lovely, I doubt Negan would appreciate any inter-wife violence."