Adrien Laughs With Him.

plots

The Storm

Halloween

Adrien giggles.

"Maybe. You ever heard of Saltburn?"

He can't really know if Cherry has been here as long as him or way longer. He can accept that not everyone is going to understand, so making up what he is is alright.

"It's a movie, and there's a hot guy that wears angel wings for a party. Figures I could make a version of it for tonight."

SHE HAS TO BLINK IN SURPRISE AT THE INTRODUCTION, thrown off for just a minute before she's smiling back in amusement . " hi, adrien !" the greeting is slightly more enthusiastic considering the amount of liquor she's consumed in the small amount of time she's been here but that's neither here nor there . she leans in to offer him her hand to shake . " i'm cherry !" she blinks at him then, looking him over in amusement before she pokes at one of his wings . " you're a — what ? an angel ?"

Tanner Buchanan photographed by The Emma Experience, 2020

where: chop shop when: day time whom: @hcartcorruptcd El

Adrien is hunched over the engine of the truck, trying to gauge what all is salvageable and what could be modified to be salvageable.

They'd had a few cars brought in from the junk yard after the leaders and sheriff's department got everything useful for the community. Now they're stripping what they think can be useful.

"For a truck from the '80s," he calls out, "it's in pretty good condition. Almost a shame to tear it up."

He climbs out with some valves, carrying them over to the piles they'd started to keep things vaguely organized. Then he glances over to El.

Adrien perks up even more. There's a little shop here? His fingers already twitch, wanting to get work done inside.

"So when it comes to these talismans I've heard about, they only work if there's like an unbroken 'barrier?' So no open windows or doors?"

He's noticed some temporary solutions already up, but he's also noticed a lot of residents give those wary looks. As if they're expecting something to jump through them.

"hey, that's better than a lot of these kids around here," cam said with a laugh before opening the front door of colony house. "come on, i'll show you my little make-shift shop." really it was just a shed on the side of the house where she keeps her personal stash of tools so that no one in the house can steal them. god know everything else in this house goes missing and stashed away.

Finally. It had been a long day. Survive the storm and night, get the run down of the town, meet El, see the Chop Shop, and now, finally, being shown where he's going to be living. It's a cool place. Big, a little fancy, and it's buzzing with energy even with quiet somber air. So different from his aunt and uncle's place.

Cameron showed him his room and where the supplies he might need are kept. Then he's let loose to wander and see what he can find.

He finds a common room with some couches and chairs. And books he steps in to see what kind of books might still be here, but then he freezes because someone else is already in here.

Adrien blinks because there's no way this guy is real.

Adrien's seen cute guys back home. But this guy? He's handsome, beautiful.

Adrien licks his lips. Then, he realizes the guy is looking at him. Talking to him.

"Oh. No, not mine. I don't have much that's mine anymore. Just my mini-tool kit. No books. Uncle Don didn't let us bring books on our family hikes. So it's fine if you read that."

He's feeling breathless under the guy's gaze.

"Hi, I'm... I didn't mean to stare. I just... well, you're..."

He shuts his mouth and swallows hard. Get yourself together, he tells himself.

He steps forward, wiping the sweat from his hand, then holds it out to the guy.

"Adrien. I'm new."

@patroclusblossom

LOCATION: colony house

The storm passed. Some were hurt, and a few went missing. Less died than he expected, but the gruesome sight was enough to send many into somber silence.

Sangjoon had finally settled into the Colony House thanks to Cameron and was clearing out a spot to sit. There was a book in his way and after a moment of deliberation, he picked it up. He wasn't completely sure what the rules were regarding property in this house and wondered if he was going to upset someone just by flipping a few pages. Still, after all the horror, it felt nice to read.

Escape for a moment to a safer world.

What pulled him back to the bleak present was a pair of eyes. Sangjoon, having lived the way he did, was always hyperaware of any attention on him.

Fortunately, the gaze did not seem unfriendly.

"Is this book yours?" Were you looking at this, or looking at me? "I should have not touched it without permission, sorry."

Mary Oliver, from a poem titled "Six Recognitions of the Lord," featured in Devotions: Poems

Lucas sighs and rubs his face.

"Yeah, it's freaking us all out. But trust me, all the signs point to it being the monsters. Somehow, Em just got caught outside too late, and there's very little we can do now besides grieve her and put her to rest."

He leans forward as if he's going to rest a hand on her knee or arm but doesn't.

"You don't need to worry too much. Just follow the rules, and we'll all be safe."

a flicker of a smile , like that of a flashing bulb , graced her porcelain features as she sank into the chair he had invited her to occupy . jo pressed the lip of the beer bottle to her own , rolling it so the amber glass clicked against her teeth . the smell of the ale infiltrated her nostrils , hoppy and aromatic , and she wrinkled her nose in response . she then nodded as he found her answer agreeable , wondering if she'd be invited to take her leave. . . until he was producing another question , her cheeks rouging as she dragged canines along the lower pillow of her lips .

" not really , " she exhaled , lowering the bottom from her mouth to rest its cool glass against the warmth bleeding from her face down her neck. her gaze found the bend of her knees , the hand not cradling the beverage picking at one of the tears in her jeans , twisting the frayed denim around the pad until it puckered from the pressure. not wanting to talk about herself , knowing there wouldn't be much of interest there , jo found something else to bring up instead . " sad what happened to that emerson girl , " josephine offered quietly , frowning . " i know death is commonplace in. . . this place , but , something about hers felt — " she lifted her eyes to the ceiling , as if the word she wanted would be imprinted upon it .

" odd . "

TANNER BUCHANAN in COBRA KAI