Last order of business - Town morale
"In a world not overrun by chaos, that's a great theory. We don't have that comfort anymore. But I wish you luck in you endeavors." She was a lot like he used to be. It scared him in part, for her, because Rick had to learn the hard way. Several times. He was still learning.
He hadn't given up on his humanity yet. It was fully intact, without any room or time to be taken advantage of or for a fool. That wasn't an option and it wasn't going to happen, but Rick still had his code and his morals.
"Until then you keep your guard up, Ms. Knope." He nodded to her encouraging smile, maybe not cracking his own, but his face wasn't stone cold.