A Play At Being Human: Part One

If this is the next world, I hope it's good to you guys

If this is the next world, I hope it's good to you guys – Jesus, 6x10

"Rick," Jesus greeted the newcomers as they walked towards them as he helped Collette hang the wet sheets on a clothesline. Collette glanced uncertainly at Jesus, taking in Rick's intimidating stature – clenched jaw, head titled to the side, hand gripping his holster. Jesus glanced back at her and gave her a reassuring smile, wiping his hands on his trousers and walking forward to meet the approaching group.

"Gregory won't deal," Rick announced, stopping.

"Shit," Jesus muttered. "Let me talk to Gregory? Sometimes he needs the extra push, phrase it like it was his idea in the first place." When Rick nodded, Jesus began to walk away. He called back as he went, "Why don't you guys let Collette show you around? I'll catch up in a bit."

"Hmmm," Collette hummed noncommittally, drying her hands with her apron and walking around the damp linen.

"Where's Harlan?" Maggie asked, holding onto her husband's hand. "Doctor Carson?"

Collette gave her a genuine smile as she pointed to one of the first trailers behind her. "Red flowers. No need to knock; I am told he iz expecting you."

As the couple walked away, she took a moment to survey the group. They were tense, but not outwardly hostile. They watched her with the same curious eyes they watched the rest of the community; however, Rick's were keener, picking up the smallest interaction between her and Jesus. She took a step forward and waved to the open community, "Shall we?"

"Where'd you get the walls from?" Rick asked, pointing to the looming walls a head of them as they walked back towards the center of the colony.

"Zer was a materials yard nearby for a power company." As a woman passed, she and Collette exchange friendly smiles and waves. "Like Shelly, a lot of people came from your FEMA camps. Ze trailers came with zem."

"How did people find out about this place?" Michonne asked.

"Barrington House," she pronounced carefully around her accent, slightly mimicking the Americans with a forced 'H' and pointed to the mansion they had just come from. "Ze family zat owned it gave it to ze state in ze zirties. Ze state zen turned it into a-a, oh – comment tu dis...living 'istory museum? Yes?" She turned to the group for confirmation and received lazy nods from some, even a grunt from the bowman.

She continued, turning back to the community, "Primary schools for 80 kilometers would come 'ere for school trips. Ze estate was runnin' a long time before ze modern world was built around it. Paul zinks people came 'ere because zey figured it would keep running after ze modern world broke down." She paused, pointing up to the glass dome on top of the mansion. "Zose windows up zere let us see great distances in every direction. It is perfect for security."

The group spent the next hour wandering around, commenting on the workers and the buildings until they had circled back to the gate. While Daryl, Abraham and Michonne wandered off to the blacksmith's forge to watch him and his apprentice work on repairing chipped spears, Maggie and Glenn stopped at the sheep enclosure to reach over the wooden fence to pet some of them.

Rick joined Collette where she stood on the other side of the pen. He leaned back against one of the poles, his back to the animals, arms crossed over his chest as he carefully studied the community and its people. He could tell Collette was doing the same with his people, only her curiosity was more contained than the rest of the community member's unapologetic staring.

"What don't you want us know?"

"Quoi?" She turned her face to him slightly yet kept her eyes on his people. Glenn pulled Maggie away from the pen when Abraham hollered at them to join in watching the blacksmith forge a new spear.