Where: Colony House | When: Utp | Whom: @rcmpcrt Marley

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.

Task 002

Adrien lives in the colony house, so he doesn't have a set room or space necessarily. He roams around the house, enjoying the space as well as the company it allows him.

While he's impressed by what's already there, he does like to add his own touches here and there. Taking scraps from jobs at the Chop Shop that just weren't worth saving for practical use. Now, he brings them to the house to find new life as decoration or weird new purpose.

He also tends to just leave little things, particularly tools, behind as he works. Almost like a bread crumb trail of where he's been semi-recently. Sometimes, he'll even leave something behind because he'd set it down to pick up a different thing he'd left behind earlier.

He also tries to add some of his old farmhouse home to the areas of the house. He fixes or refurbishes things in the style he's familiar with, hoping it makes everything feel homey to everyone, not just him.

Adrien giggles.

"Okay. That's not too old. I guess i wouldn't mind that."

And then he sighs. "You'd think, but I haven't found anyone. It's so disappointing."

He looks at her with wide eyes. "Well, if you live here, you have to help me out. Be my wing-girl."

" OH NO, YOU'RE DEFINITELY NOT ALONE ." cherry's face scrunches up at that thought as she shakes her head . " every two steps you can probably find someone less than straight around here . it's real nice . would kinda be really fun if it weren't for, you know . the motherfuckers trying to eat us ." cherry shrugs before she's brightening, tilting her head with a hum to say, " like, mid thirties, kinda ?" cherry's brows furrow before she's moving to give adrien a playful smack in the side . " what're ya talkin' about then ? colony house is like, the hub for free love ! you should be able to find some cute guy here for sure ." cherry blinks and remembers the question, quickly adds, " oh, and i'm at colony ."

"I can tell," Lucas stage whispers back.

He finally turns around.

"Alright, don't get in trouble. Have a good day."

HER BROW ARCHES AT THE WORDS . she watches him perform the act with her hip leaned against the doorframe and her arms crossed over her chest before saying, " i'll let you in on a secret, luc ." she shakes her head even as she leans in to almost lightly stage whisper, " i was never a fuckin' scout ."

Lucas is tempted to take the bottle, but he has things he needs to do today. Things he needs to be sober for.

"Yeah, not this time."

He lifts a foot to stretch while he talks.

"It helps me focus on things I need to do," he replies. "So yeah, I do it a lot. Probably more than I really need to, but it is what it is."

He let's his gaze travel over Adam's relaxed state, lying out, acting (if not feeling) careless and free. He's jealous that even if it's not 100% real, it still clearly helps the man. Is that the source of his unease with Adam?

If anything could make a man feel like shit, it was seeing another man be more of a man than himself. And going for a healthy morning jog was the epitome of fitness and health in Adams books. He doubted he'd ever become that person. "Time is just a concept, at the end of the day. 'Sides, I think I deserve a treat -- you know, after all the shit that went down." shit he had to see. Bodies he had to bury. He processed in his own way. "Guessin' that's a no to my offer?" he puts the bottle aside for now, almost uncomfortable at the fact other was standing and not sitting down beside him. "Running? That something you do a lot?"

@hcartcorruptcd

Lucas barges into Anastasia's office and slams down the now broken phone on her desk.

"I'm going to hunt every single one of those monsters down and beat them into jam with my bare hands."

He clenches his jaw and paces around the office. He's trying not to cry even though he can feel the sting of tears in his eyes.

"Those motherfuckers," he mutters. "Sadistic motherfuckers."

@patroclusblossom (lucas)

You're sitting in the sheriff's station like you do most days, you sure do take your job seriously. It feels like any other day, just make it through and survive, that's what you've been doing for seven years now. Only something is different today; the phone rings. It's been sitting on the desk since before you came here but has never once rang, yet today it is. Do you answer it? Are you hearing things and just hoping that it would finally ring and give some sign of an outside world? If you answer the phone, you hear a voice you thought you would never hear again. "Hey Lu," the voice that sounds suspiciously like your brother says. But your brother has been dead for seven years, it was impossible. Yet it sounds just like him. "Miss me?" He asks through the phone. "You're doing a good job of watching everyone, making sure they're safe. Why couldn't you do that for me? Why couldn't you protect me?" Then the line goes silent. No matter how hard you try, you can't make the voice come back. What just happened? Was that really your brother? Or are you finally starting to lose it?

plots

The Storm

Halloween

Lucas listens intently, making sure Elm knows he's really listening to her, giving her space to talk about anything.

He quirks an eye up. If she felt the need to mention it, then it must be something to consider important.

"What was notable about the tree?"

ELM TAKES A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT IT . " i was with bruna in the community kitchen ." elm shrugs . " we were doing chores together to keep busy during the storm ." a beat before elm admits, " i don't remember why i left . i don't remember leaving ... but i know they were there ." they wrap their fingers around their laces again and again, eyes on the motion before, " after that i woke up in the forest and walked back . my shoes were gone ." a pause before they tilt their head, meet lucas' eyes and add, " ... i remember a tree ."

I think about this look daily. The hair. The shirt. Him. 🤭

Lucas had just sat down to catch his breath, and now Adam is begging him to be a distraction.

"Okay," he says, quickly thinking so Adam doesn't start a fight. "You wanna dance or play some beer pong or something?"

open to all. colony house party.

Adam was neither high nor drunk enough to process the conversation in his right ear, so he nodded politely, sipping on cheap booze and scooting away inch by inch trying not to be noticed. As. a last resort he turned to the person to his left, adamant not to lose his hard-earned seat at the couch (secured by arriving entirely too early) and pleased. "Please talk about something, anything at fucking all before I knock this dude out --"