Adrien Laughs And Nods In Agreement.

Lucas shakes his head.

"There shouldn't be. We're all scattered about doing what we can. You looking for someone? We're having a town meeting later to check who all is missing or..."

He clears his throat, his meaning clear.

"Anyway, if you're not busy think you can help me with that?"

He tilts his to where a large tree branch is just sitting in the middle of the road. Definitely a two person job.

the air still feels damp when yasin steps out onto the road, surveying the aftermath of the previous night. he watches the townspeople already outside, helping each other clean up debris, repairing fences, patching up a town they can't even leave. it doesn't take long until someone pushes a broom into his hands, but every sweep feels pointless.

their first morning in town, his eye had caught onto a building tucked away off the main road, its sign barely readable -- county jail. it looked mostly abandoned, but yasin doesn't hesitate before dropping the broom on the ground and heading towards the building, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure nobody's watching. if the town has sheriffs, they have to have guns, and his gut tells him they're most likely kept in there.

he's not stupid enough to try anything in broad daylight, but he lingers at a distance, eyes flicking between the windows and the main entrance when a voice calls out from behind him, forcing him to pause and consider his next move. he turns around, gesturing towards the jail, "i thought i heard someone yelling for help. do you know if anyone's in there?"

Lucas looks up from the list he'd been writing out of things to do after the storm ends. If it even ends.

He shakes his head at his deputy.

"Sorry. No smokes for me. As for options, it looks pretty slim pickings right now."

He gestures over the bar to where there's notably no one working right now.

open to all. location: motel bar

A job of a deputy included a lot of risks, more than he'd ever imagined outside of Oz. But the blood stained uniform covered in heavy rain, leaving a trail of water behind him as he approached the Motel bar, was enough to showcase just how done he'd been with all the risk taking for one night. He was not fucking paid for this, or trained for this, and being outside right now? Running blind? It was nothing short of a death wish. "What we havin'?" question is directed to his right and he'll take out a pack of cigarettes now fully soaked through. "Fuck...you got a smoke? Preferably dry?"

Adrien chuckles weakly, still pushing.

"No treehouse, and if someone does figure out a way out, I'll help them build it, but I'm not the one coming up with it."

He pauses for a moment to get the truck over a small hump in the road.

"Nah, more just trying to make life here suck less, I suppose. There aren't a lot of cars that work here. This is fully electric, so I figured I'd see if I can get it working. If not then I'll strip it for parts."

He chuckles again.

"Not fate. I'm just not as bothered as some people are."

mira chuckled under her breath, the sound dry but not unkind. "impatient and dumb? well, at least you're self-aware. that's a good start." she braced herself against the car, her boots digging into the asphalt as they worked together to push it forward. her muscles protested immediately, a reminder that she'd been running on adrenaline and not much else these past few weeks. "interrupt? please." she rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching up in a smirk. "you think i had something better to do in this place? trust me, you’re doing me a favor. beats pacing around colony house trying to avoid everyone's drama or sulking." her gaze flicked over to him, studying his profile for a moment as they trudged along. "so, adrien, right? what kind of 'projects' are we talking about here? you building a treehouse for the end of the world, or are you one of those people who actually think they can science their way out of this nightmare?" she huffed a little as they hit a slight incline, her smirk deepening. "or maybe you’re just hoarding random junk to keep busy. i’ve seen a few people try that trick. spoiler alert: it doesn’t work." she adjusted her grip on the car and added, her tone light but tinged with a hint of sincerity, "and for the record, you’re not annoying. yet. but if you start talking about how this is all fate or some crap like that, i might change my mind."

where: cemetery

when: the days after the storm

whom: @hollismackenzie

Lucas shuffles among the headstones, passing names he's become familiar with but rarely think about. Any he knew were missed but free, and any he didn't know hang heavy but not unbearably so.

Only one gets any reaction out of him these days and it's an empty grave. They didn't even dig a hole. No body left so no point. Just the simple carved stone with the name that might always bring him to tears:

Carlos de Azevedo Miranda

Brother. Protector.

Lucas carries the bouquet of marigolds that Eddy so kindly makes for him. It's small but bright and one thing he can do to honor his brother still.

The keeper is standing near the headstone, so Lucas slows to a stop, watching a waiting so he doesn't interrupt the man's work.

Adrien laughs and rubs the back on his head, embarrassed by the compliments.

"I definitely try to be, at least. No point in making people feel worse than they already do living here. Even a cage as big and beautiful as this can loom too large."

He leads here onto the dance floor and turns so they're facing each other. Taking her hands in his, he tries leading her through some simple dancing steps in beat with the music.

"So, Miss Maude," he says while trying not to trip on his own two feet, "what do you do around town?"

they sure knew how to make someone feel at home. "i'd love that, actually." the words come with a soft smile, and for the first time in a while, maude feels a genuine sense of belonging. she was used to standing out, and not always in a good way—it was in the way she carried herself, shaped by years of being the sore thumb in her small, insular world. that was before her new life had begun, before she dared hope for something different. this, though—this warm welcome—was a refreshing change.

in gratitude, she takes their arm with a light touch. "are you always this nice? because, honestly, we could all benefit from your kindness around town. it’s making me feel a little guilty that we haven’t met sooner."

Adrien smiles at El.

"Exactly. It's kinda beautiful to think about it like that. Tragic, but beautiful."

He moves back to the engine.

"So, you've been doing this as long as you've been here? Working in the shop?"

Ellington leans against the truck frame, wiping a bit of grease onto their already stained jeans as they watch Adrien pull out the valves. There’s a gleam of appreciation in their eyes as they examine the truck—it’s a solid piece of machinery, the kind that’s endured decades without much fuss.

“Yeah, it does feel a little wrong to rip her apart,” Ellington replies, giving the truck a gentle pat. “I mean, they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore, right? Sturdy, reliable… might’ve had a few more years left in her.” They shift, gesturing to the growing piles of parts. “But hey, every bit we pull is something that keeps this town running a little longer. Bet these valves can patch up at least two or three motors around town.”

There’s a sense of pride in their voice, and they flash Adrien a quick grin. “Besides, something about finding new life for the old stuff? Kinda feels like we’re doing right by her, even if she won’t be on the road again.”

Adrien nods, sitting down and starting to carefully pull the phone apart.

"Anything is useful, just gotta figure out what use it's for."

His tongue sticks out as he manages to pry the phone open without making more cracks.

"Yeah. They basically run the place. They're really cool. You met them?"

He glances up and smiles at Charlie.

"I'm settling fine. Really crazy. Like I'm honestly surprised I'm even here crazy. How about you? Where'd they put you up at?"

charlie shrugged, it was weird because two days ago, her phone was her whole life and now she was stuck in a place where it was basically useless. at least to her, if they could use it for something else, then more power to them. she had no clue how things worked around here. "yeah, no problem. i just figured it could be useful in some way. i mean, who knows?"

she looked around the shop, taking everything in. this place was still so new and confusing, she wondered how this other new guy was taking it. he seemed so chipper but maybe he was just better at holding things together than she was. "el works here?" she asked, looking back at him. she thought back to how el talked about helping people and it being their duty. this made sense considering what they talked about their old life.

"how are you settling in?" she dares to ask, mostly just killing time before she has to be alone with her thoughts again. "crazy first night, huh?"

Lucas watches as Ana just sort of droops. Like a flower in need of watering.

"I think about it all the time," he admits. "And it keeps me up at night."

He stands and pulls her into a tight hug.

"We can't give up," he whispers. "It's not just us here. We all had lives out there. There are kids here who deserve to see what they're missing out there."

He feels some tears escape his eyes and drop into her hair.

"We hold the line," he echoes. "Not because we'll go back to normal, but because who will if we don't?"

Anastasia's expression flickers—something between a smirk and exhaustion—but she doesn’t push Lucas the way she usually might. Not tonight. Her arms wrap loosely around herself, fingers drumming against her forearm, a small habit she’s never been able to shake.

“Yeah, well... that’s the thing about rules.” Her voice is soft, tinged with bitterness. “They don’t mean a damn thing when the monsters come.”

She leans her hip against the edge of the counter, mirroring his stance but with a subtle slump in her shoulders that wasn’t there before. Her sharpness—her usual armor—feels dulled tonight, like a blade used one too many times without being sharpened.

“You ever think about that?” she asks, glancing up at him, her gaze unusually heavy. “How we keep pretending we know what we’re doing—like if we just hold the line long enough, things will go back to normal. But what if they don’t, Lucas? What if... this is it?”

There’s no venom in her words, only an eerie quiet that settles between them like dust after a long fight. “I used to believe we’d get out of this,” she admits, more to herself than to him. “But now...” She trails off, rubbing a hand over her face, trying to push away the weight pressing on her chest.

where: colony house when: Halloween night whom: @horrorismx Erin

Adrien is flush with adrenaline and some alcohol too. He finds a quieter area of the house to catch his breath and chug some water.

He almost jumps in surprise but then grins when he finds Erin being chill.

"Hey! I was wondering if I'd see you tonight. How's the fan working out for you?"

He slumps on the couch next to her, smiling like an excited though sleepy puppy.

He's nursing a barely healed sprained ankle, his town is basically in shambles, his ex/friend is going through an emotional collapse and trying to hide it, his friends are struggling to lead this town of scared people, and all Lucas wants to do is curl up onto his bed and cry. So...

"As good as can be expected," he says, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible. "Lots of things to do and people to help. How about you? How's the non-dead side of the infirmary?"

"right," carrying out the syllables a little too long, erin sent lucas a grin and tightened her grip on the rather large branch. on three, she pulled and kept pulling until it was back out of the way where it needed to be. dropping it onto the rather large pile of branches and debris from the storm, she sighed and wiped her hands on her worn jeans. "how are you holding up?" she normally wasn't one to make conversation but it seemed right to ask him now that he had helped her.