Lucas Nods, Though He Doesn't Quite Understand What He's Saying. He Does Understand The Emotions, Though.

Adrien's sitting in one of the communal rooms, messing with an old walkie-talkie he found in one of Muz's scavenger piles. It looks military grade. Well, from a couple of decades ago. He figured it could be a fun challenge. Though it's probably useless without another one.

He looks up and smiles up at Cameron.

"Hey! Yeah, I'm doing great. I started at the Chop Shop, met some pretty cool people, and I think I've got the lay of the town. How are you?"

closed starter @patroclusblossom where: in colony house

cameron liked to make it a habit to keep checking in with the new comers, just to make sure they were settling in okay and not totally freaking out. not that she would blame them. so when she sees adrien around the house, she decides to stop and see how he was doing. he always seemed so happy but she was sure that was just a front. "hey adrien, how's it going?" she asks with a smile. "settling in okay?"

Adrien nods in understanding as he smiles at Muz.

"Well, if it's any consolation, you're not bringing me down."

He leans over to nudge Muz with his shoulder and a snicker.

"You'd have to be a major asshole to bring me down."

His head, this brain, this place. All things impossible to dodge. 'You're spot on, you know. Nowhere to dodge stuff here.’ He gives a wry smile. ‘Just-‘ he hesitates for a second then falls into a breath of a sigh as he looks out on the water, back at Adrien. ‘Crap. All kinds of crap.’ Muz makes a vague gesture to his head. ‘Don’t wanna bring anyone down. More than they are, anyway.’

Adrien is so fucking confused. He's pretty sure he's never seen this town anywhere near the hiking trail.

Now it's pouring rain and... what the fuck are those in the trees?

He immediately runs when the guy calls, slipping into the house. Literally. Slipping onto his ass on the hardwood floor. It hurts but at least he's inside.

"Ow."

He looks up at the man.

"What's going on? Where am I? What are those things?"

Then he notices the small girl peaking out from a door frame.

"Oh hi," he says, putting on a smile and waving. "I hope I didn't scare you. Didn't mean to."

location: kang household open: 0/3

it all happened so quickly. one moment, daehyun and his daughter were simply enjoying time out on the porch before the rain began to pour. it wasn't unusual to get rain every so often, but this storm in particular was very unnerving. the dark clouds that had rolled in had daehyun rising to his feet--and then he saw t h e m in the tree line. with color drained from his face and the lunch he had eaten only a short while ago churning in his stomach, the teacher snatched three-year old bella up in his arms without a second thought. " get inside! " he yelled out, directed mostly at the person passing by on the worn sidewalk. " come on! " he called again as he carried the toddler inside, looking back out from the open door to ensure the other was close behind. if they didn't get up on the front porch in a few moments, daehyun already knew he'd be locking the door without them inside. thankfully, it was but a second or two later that he was able to shut the door securely behind the other, latching the lock and ensuring the amulet was securely attached to the wall beside the doorframe.

"That's awesome. Glad to hear my new boss is also a good person."

He snickers. Then his head snaps up.

"Really? I'm there too! We totally need to hang out or something after dark."

"yeah, i guess when everything is so scares and random, gotta make use of everything," charlie said with a shrug as she looked around the shop. she was still trying to take everything in around here, it was interesting how everyone did their part and it all seemed to work, at least for the most part. "that sounds like them," she said with a smile. "they kinda saved me on my first night here and let me crash in their house." that night was still a blur but she was glad it was el that let them in. "you can say that again, this place is fucking crazy. still trying to wrap my head around it all." she's not sure if she ever will. "i'm up at colony house, what about you?"

where: infirmary

when: after kina's autopsy

whom: @ludics Rae

Lucas takes a deep breath as he walks toward the morgue. It's been a long day, and he'd honestly love nothing more than to just head home, take a shower, and go to bed. As much as he wants to make sure everyone is safe, secure, and taken care of, he definitely needs time to himself.

Except there's one more person he needs to check up on. One he needs to handle personally.

He pauses outside the door, bracing himself for anything he might see, then knocks on the door.

"Rae?" he calls through. "It's Luc."

He waits, letting Rae set the pace though he's not taking "go away" as an answer that's for damn sure.

Adrien shakes his head with laughter. He'd had some drinks earlier, but he could've sworn he wasn't that drunk.

"I don't know, but I'll still accept the help. And same to you, ya? I can totally talk you up to some pretty girl. Or big buff girl. Whatever your preference is."

He giggles.

" OH, DAMN ." cherry nods with sympathy at his sigh, moving to pat him on the shoulder in a way that's at least intended to be comforting . it's only half awkward with her tipsiness . " well, maybe your guy will get stuck here tomorrow ? love works in mysterious ways ." cherry's expression twists as he continue, her brows furrowing . " what ? no, i'm not here, i'm at the motel . what gave you that idea ?" cherry's head tilts in her confusion even as she reaches behind her for her cup of jungle juice to waggle her brows mischievously . " i could still do the wing woman thing though ."

Tanner Buchanan photographed by The Emma Experience, 2020

Adrien Ritchie

| Tanner Buchanan & he/him | Welcome to the crossroads, ADRIEN RITCHIE. Another lost soul that stumbled across a fallen tree in their path. They appear to be 22 years old, but it’s hard to tell. The town bares no resemblance to KANAB, UT, are you sure we can trust them? Seeing as they ended up here because, HE GOT LOST ON A CAMPING/HIKING TRIP. They definitely weren’t looking to end up here. Now they’ll have to rely on being UPBEAT AND HELPFUL to survive. Hopefully their AIRHEAD TENDANCIES doesn’t get in the way of that. I guess if we’re going to pass the time tonight, might as well request MEET ME IN AMSTERDAM by RINI. Oh, and one more thing, your new role here will be LEVEL 1 MECHANIC. We’ll be sending out welcoming party over to the COLONY HOUSE. Welcome to Oblitus, the only thing you have to remember, when the sun sets– don’t open the door. (caye, 27, he/him, PST) – no triggers

- how did they find the tree that led them here? what were they doing?

Adrien had been on a camping trip with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, something he really didn't like doing. He'd fallen behind a lot so he didn't see anyone he was with.

He came on the tree and was confused because he'd been on this trail a dozen times before and never came across this. Even a cursory glance showed him that this tree had been like that for years.

Then he saw the murder of crows and tried to get away following a different trail.

- describe your character’s first day/night in town? 

At first, Adrien was just relieved to be among people. Maybe they would shelter him until he could get in contact with his uncle. But then the people explain where he is and a strange mix of fear and excitement settles over him. It's not that he hated living with his uncle and cousins. He just felt there wasn't room for him.

He was led to the Township Hall. Everyone seemed caring and Adrien was eager to stay safe. A place he could step away from family and still lead a simple life? Sounds more like paradise than purgatory.

He gets set up in the colony house and offers to do mechanical work since that's one set of skills he'd thank his family for.

He spent the rest of the day meeting as many people as he could and went to bed, maybe not happily, but better than he had in a long time. He slept through the night, unaware of the danger that lurked outside which (who knows?) might be even more dangerous.

Basic Information

NAME: Adrien Ritchie

BIRTHDAY: July 23

AGE: 22

HOMETOWN: Kanab, Utah

BIRTHPLACE: Boise, Idaho

ORIENTATION: gay

Appearance

HEIGHT: 5' 10"

EYES: Brown

HAIR: Brunette

BUILD: average muscular

RACE/ETHNICITY: white

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: calloused hands, random scars from farm work

Personality & Behavior

HOBBIES: Party dancing (not very good at it), mechanics and engineering, soccer

LIKES: pop, classical, and country music, classic trucks

DISLIKES: metal music, rude people, camping

QUIRKS: likes to learn how machines work, will hum various parts of songs not always the melody, stares into space and dissociates if not actively conversing or working

STRENGTHS: mechanical work, making friends, cleaning room

WEAKNESSES: taking criticism (constructive or otherwise), reading a room, watching movies

Biography

(cw: parental death)

Adrien was born in Boise, ID and is an only child. When he was 10 his parents died in an accident and he was sent to live with his aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins in Kanab, UT. While they took him in with love, there was never a real strong connection between him and them. He did his chores in the house and on the farm, went to school, participated in family gatherings. He was a happy child and on the surface, it seemed like everything was great, and while he made many friends, he rarely made significant relationships, scared that they'll be taken away without warning just like his parents.

The one meaningful connecting he made with his uncle is honing his mechanical skills. Adrien's dad had started teaching him having noticed he liked taking things apart to figure them out. His uncle helped him continue to learn those skills. His uncle though was never good with talking so that connection could only go so far.

Scared to lose the tenuous relationships he had, after he graduated, he stayed there, continuing his life. He didn't do a lot of things for himself except in his room: listening to music, taking apart broken machines to see if he could fix them. He'd go out with friends if they were in town and invited him but his social life wasn't full or fulfilling.

The camping trip that brought him to Oblitus was an unwanted family activity, but he did it because the alternative was hurt his relationship with said family. They did the same hike and camping trip every year so Adrien was very familiar with the trail and wasn't scared when he fell behind. He'd don't that before and his family wouldn't worry.

But then he came upon the fallen and was pulled out of his wandering thoughts and put on edge. This was wrong.

After he settles in town he finds that many people's stories of how they came to Oblitus are similar to his: the tree, the crows, the trail.

For the first time in his life, he feels like he might have a chance to make genuine strong connections. If he does his part and help everyone around him, he can lessen the chance of ever losing the people around him. Right?

Adrien waits for the little girl to leave. God he really hope he didn't scare her anymore than she might've already been.

His false smile drops and he looks back at the guy, staring up in shock as he answers the questions.

"What the fuck? Are you serious? Is that door gonna hold?"

He looks at the door. It does look solid, but this place just feels... off. Maybe those things have super strength and could blast the door off with a light tap?

with  the  door  locked, the  talisman  still  secured  on  the  wall,  and  bella  out  of  his  arms  to  roam  freely,  daehyun  could  finally  turn  to  inspect  the  newcomer  who  had  scrambled  in.  the  questions  weren't  anything  new--he  had  answered  them  a  hundred  times. taking  in  a  deep  breath,  he  moved  to  the  other,  offering  a  hand  out.  "  those  things  want  to--do  some  really  awful  stuff,  so  it's  best  you're  not  outside  right  now--or  at  night.  "  it  was  as  gentle  as  he  could  be  in the moment ,  as  his  adrenaline  was  still  racing.  and  when  bella  seemed  to  make  herself  known  once  more,  daehyun's  attention  quickly  turned  to  the  girl.  "  hey  princess  ,  head  upstairs  and  see  if  grandpa's  awake,  okay?  "  there  was  no  objection  from  the  toddler,  who  scurried  to  the  stairs  and  ventured  up  at  her  father's  instructions.  now,  with  tender  ears  upstairs,  daehyun  felt  he  could  finally  speak  freely.  "  we're  all  stuck  here.  don't  know  why--don't  know  how.  and  those  things  outside?  they've  killed  a  lot  of  us.  "

Lucas takes a seat on the couch and sips his beer. He considers the question and how to respond.

"I guess there's hardly ever a simple way to do things here. For as small as the community is, there's a lot to consider."

He gestures to a chair across from him for her to sit. Sunset is still a few hours away, so there's no rush to get her home.

"How have you been? Everyone at the motel treating you alright?"

He's a bit protective over Jo since he was the one who saved her from getting killed by the creatures. A good deed someone had done for him that he now passed on and maybe will have to do again.

lucas seemed to move as if through water , possessing a fluidity she herself had never known . any stiffness that may , or may not , be holding his muscles captive was not obvious to the naked eye , and jo felt a pang of unease resonate in her chest as something resembling jealousy burned through her . if only it were that simple — merely existing in a space and not fearing how much of it you took up .

what she knew of men was very little , her two years in oblitus doing hardly anything to further educate her . what she did know was in PURGATORY , all were equal . he and her both , collectively , hung in the balance . at least that was one thing they had in common .

her lungs trembled , exhaling a quivering breath . " right , " josephine then offered as a response , half-attempting to work a smile on her face but her muscles seeming to have lost all knowledge of the expression . thick brows furrowed deeper at the beer he extended to her , lips rolling into a line , the leftward corner twitching as if she were about to scowl . then , tentatively , she reached out and accepted it — though she made no move to drink from the ambered glass .

" what do you mean by that ?? " her curiosity inquired , steering her tongue before she could stop it . " — always something to do but. . . never a way to do them . there's a way to do everything , is there not ?? "