Lucas Sighs And Stands.

Adrien kept working while El was quiet, thinking that the subject was basically done. Then he looks up at them to listen intently, noting how sure they seem in their words.

"Really? You wouldn't mind a roommate?"

He'd never had a roommate that wasn't family before. That's why he'd chosen the Colony House when he first arrived. Wanting a chance to meet new people.

But he's met new people now. Maybe, he's not cut out for a big house like that?

Ellington leans against the workbench, their hands loosely resting in their pockets as they watch Adrien work. They listen quietly, noting the way his words trail off and the subtle tension in his voice. Colony House clearly isn’t sitting right with him.

“I get that,” El says, their voice low but kind. “It’s not for everyone. Too many people in one place can mess with your head after a while.”

They glance toward the door for a moment, as if weighing their next words, then look back at Adrien. “I’ve got a place on the far side of town. Whole house to myself. Quiet, no one to bother you unless you want them to.” A small smile plays on their lips. “It’s nothing fancy, but it’s solid. And it’s got space.”

They lean a little closer, their tone soft but sincere. “If you’re feeling like Colony House isn’t cutting it, you’re welcome to crash with me. No pressure—just figured I’d throw it out there. It might be nice having someone around who’s not... you know, always in each other’s business.”

Lucas let's her talk, seeing what kind of mood or topic she'll settle on.

"I'm not really in the mood for a lot of company," he says. "Just company. Plus I'm hungry."

It is hard to deal with so much loss all the time. He knows theoretically that people die all the time. But seeing it on a daily basis is a different story.

He gives her an encouraging smile when she talks about Charlie and El.

"Yeah, I checked up on El earlier. They seem to be doing okay, but I get it. If Rae or Ana got hurt like that..."

He let's the silence finish the sentence for him.

"Anyway, uh, my first day was rough. Kind of like what these new people had to deal with, I guess. My brother and I rolled in before sunrise, and we were getting chased. He managed to hold them off from me while somebody let me inside their house."

He blinks away the tears threatening to spill. Thinking about Carlos always made him cry.

"Colony house has plenty of company, if that's your vibe. I don't know, it gets little loud there for me sometimes. Don't get me wrong I like...I like the noise it's just...after last night..." she lets her words trail off there, she was certain he'd know what that meant. "Uh, I got lost in work, lots of cooking and -- onions cover up for the crying. Lost a lot of good people last night, I just...it's hard isn't it? Having to deal with loss...all the fucking time..." lighting another cigarette she'll smile at the question, almost forcing herself in an attempt to feel better, to be better company. "New people are cool. There's this girl Charlie I think...I think she and I will be good friends. El got hurt though, which...it's kind of all I can think about." a small shrug passes her shoulder. "You? You never told me what your first time was like...arriving here?"

Lucas raises his hands and takes a step back.

"Okay, fine. Is there anyone else you can think of that would take advantage of the storm to pilfer booze?"

He decides giving her the benefit of the doubt is better than strong arming his way in. Everyone is still on edge since the storm.

" LUC, YOU CAN'T JUST GO AROUND GOING THROUGH A LADY'S THINGS !" cherry replies brows raised as her jaw drops in what's mostly a show . " that's an invasion of privacy !" her brow arches as she points a finger his way . " and i'm pretty sure you read a warrant for that ."

Adrien worries he said something wrong. Do El and this Muz guy not like each other?

"They just said you'd be around the shop a lot. You, them, Noah, some other people I think?"

He shrugs but nods at Muz's descriptions.

"Trust me, I'm not a glamorous type of guy. Grew up on a farm. And nothing is really junk. It just takes the right equipment to make some stuff more useful."

He starts to pick through a nearby pile, just to see what's in it.

'El did? Chatty bastard, spreading my name round like that.' That's a joke. He's not sure how but it tumbles clumsily from his brain to tongue and twists into a hard tone he doesn't quite mean. To compensate, Muz punctuates with a loose smile. 'Tell them I want a word.' He scratches the back of his neck, letting out a dry laugh as he then considers the question. 'Scavenger?' he mutters, like he's trying out the word for the first time. 'S'Not glamorous, that’s for sure,' he says. 'More like… picking through what everyone's left behind. Sometimes you find something worth keeping. Most times, it’s just junk, like old bolts or busted pieces of metal that won’t do anyone any good. I uh, I drop a lot stuff in here, to be fair. I think we'll see each other a bit.'

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.

Lucas chuckles but does intentionally flex his stomach since he knows Rae is looking.

"It's one night i don't have to be sheriff," he says. "Might as well make the most of it. Show these kids we've still got it."

He leans against the wall, facing Rae and looking him up and down. He's not surprised to see the basic doctor get up, but he can't complain. Rae looks really good in it.

"So how have you been? I haven't been able to check up on you."

Being sheriff after a disaster really keeps him busy.

rae's costume, or his lack thereof, spoke volumes about his attitude towards the party. he stood there, his white lab coat hanging loosely over plain scrubs. the coat, usually a symbol of professionalism, carrying an air of nonchalance. it was clear that rae had taken the simplest route to participate.

his posture betrayed a certain weariness as he leaned against the wall, a weight that alcohol could temporarily lift. he glanced down at his cup, ruminating until he heard that familiar voice.

"hey," he greeted, perking up almost instantly. "you look… different," he observed, his gaze roaming over lucas' shirt, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "in a good way."

Adrien gives a dramatic sigh, like he's so put upon by the lack of candy.

"Fine," he says, sounding like a petulant teenager. "So long as there's at least one good-looking guy I can drool over, that should be enough."

He snickers.

Then he listens closely to El's explanation. His mind wonders what causes people to come over? What is the deciding factor? Who is deciding?

He nods in agreement. "That's all we can really ask for now, isn't it?"

He gives El a small smile. Then it turns mischievous.

"Besides, if I wanted glamorous, I'd be asking for a different job. You've got grease on your face, you know?"

El’s mouth curves into a smirk, their usual mix of dry humor and good-natured sarcasm creeping in.

"Eye candy, huh? You got some high standards already. I’ll see what I can do—though if you’re lookin’ for real candy, you’re probably outta luck unless you’re into stale peppermints."

They adjust their position slightly, wincing but masking it quickly with a chuckle. "As for how I got here, uh - I was on my way home from a work trip and the rest is history as for how I got this thing... long story, but let’s just say I tried to play hero and ultimately became the victim." El taps their leg lightly, the gesture casual despite the damage. "Didn’t really walk away from it—more like crawled, kicked a few times, and cursed until someone dragged me outta there."

Their gaze shifts, catching Adrien’s briefly with a flicker of warmth. "You know, kid, the Chop Shop ain’t glamorous, but it’s honest work. Keep your hands busy, and your head’ll catch up eventually." They shrug. "It’s not a bad place to land, all things considered."

Lucas considers this. He's been in a lot of the woods around town but hasn't come across a tree like that. Of course, that's not at all surprising. Still, it has him thinking.

"Okay," he says, focusing back on Elm. "That's good. Was there anything else?"

He gives her a small smile.

ELM CONSIDERS THE QUESTION FOR A MOMENT BEFORE SHRUGGING . " it's the only thing i remember ." elm wonders if that's enough to make it notable . there's another beat of thought where their head tilts before they're adding a, " there was a moon over it ." their brows furrow a bit . " it was full and ..." a thoughtful pause before elm is making a round gesture with their hands . " the tree was by itself . in a circle, like this ."

Rafael Silva appears on Good Day LA

Adrien sighs.

"Oh, the bathtub scene. Honestly, it's probably the tamer thing he does in the movie."

He studies her over again, then points to the hair tie in her hair.

"If you took that out, you could pass for Casual Raven from Teen Titans."

Then he looks around to look at the dance floor.

"Wanna dance? I was just about to jump back in for a bit."

"ooh okay, yeah i can see it!" charlie said with a laugh. "never watched it. i heard about the bathtub scene and decided it was best to stay away from it." her roommate loved it but it didn't sound like something charlie would like. "oh, i'm not dressed up," she looks down at her outfit of barrowed colony house clothes. it wasn't what she would normally wear to a party, but she had to make due. "i wasn't really sure what the vibe was but now i wish i did."