Daryl's eyes left James' and he looked, for the first time, legitimately uncomfortable. Talking about his own issues and the unpretty things he and Merle had both dealt with wasn't easy. Even alluding to it was hard for him. Especially to someone he'd only just met.

And hell, if what he and his people had been through the last couple years couldn't count as trauma enough to drive a person crazy, he didn't know what did.

Daryl gave a single shoulder shrug and leaned back on his heels, thumb coming up to his mouth again. Stayed quiet. It wasn't an outright yes, but it wasn't a no. And James could draw his own conclusions from there. Kid was smart.

Instead, he said, "Guess that answers my third question well enough."