Adrien Tags:

"Nice to meet you," Adrien says with a smile and shaking Noah's hand. "El sent me over to check on things for them."

Adam shrugs and giggles.

"I guess it could be worse. Could definitely be better but could be worse."

Adrien walks in and looks around. There's a car already up on the lift. He walks up and studies what's going on under.

"This your project or El's?"

"Easy there!" Noah smiled, raising his hands in a 'no harm done' gesture. "Didn't mean to give you a heart attack."

He eyed the newcomer for a moment , giving him a friendly smile. "Noah Adler. Mechanic. Well -" He shrugged his shoulders. "I fix things, anyway." He stepped forward, offering a handshake, a big of oil still smudged on his hand from earlier.

"So you're new in town... I don't know whether to say welcome or apologise," he laughed. He hadn't been here long himself, so who was he really to say anyway. "Welcome, I guess." he tipped an imaginary hat.

— Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

Lucas laughs.

"Well, I'm glad I could keep that unique brain of yours from eating itself."

He nudges Muz with a shoulder.

"I don't know if I've got any good chat today. Too busy running around, making sure we don't fall apart here. Though I guess falling apart helps your job a bit, doesn't it?"

His tone isn't judgmental, more amused by the thought.

'Guess I’m growing roots. Whole five minutes of stillness. New record, I think.' He pauses, glancing at Lucas, the glint in his eyes settles into something quieter. 'Honestly? Got sick of my own company today. Felt like if I sat alone one more minute, my brain’d start eating itself.' He tilts his head, a grin breaking the seriousness before it can linger. 'And I know you've got good chat.'

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 ?"

Lucas notices the trembling and how calm Rae is trying to make his voice. It must be really bad.

"You want help? I can help move this body and then walk you home."

He steps to Rae's side so he can look at his face. A mask of calm that makes Lucas even more concerned. How bad was it?

rae shook his head, unable to speak at first until he felt luc’s hand on his back. the touch made him release a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and, as much as he hated to admit it, brought him comfort. why did he need comfort? he was fine, had seen bodies in the same state as hers countless times. this wasn’t any different.

“no, no, i’m due for a break. this one i just have to uh…put back with the rest.” one after the other, they all looked the same, faces he didn’t recognize…except for kina’s. why did they seem to always leave the face?

“i’m fine,” he insisted, despite the obvious tremble in his hands. “just tired.”

Lucas purses his lips but nods.

"I get it, though I don't really understand it. I like some quiet."

Some people would say he likes it too much, but that's not important.

"So anything you want to share? It's been a minute since we caught up."

a twitch of her lips , followed by the twisting of her nose , josephine turned to the basket of cleaning supplies on the counter , setting down the beer she had been handed in favor of rearranging the plastic bottles and cut towels she used for her daily tasks . " that i can agree with , " she nodded , a reluctance in finding more common ground , meticulously twisting each of the sprayers nozel's from ON to OFF .

in the silence , josephine find's her eyes returning over her shoulder in his direction , noticing the invitation to have a seat . to relax . to stay a while .

dread coiled in her stomach , and she swallowed hard ; it'd be rude not to accept his offer , just as it would have been to turn down the beverage . with slow and weighted steps , josephine moved into the living room , using the cuff of her zip-up to twist off the cap of the beer she had returned to her grasp ; a hiss sounding from the carbonation as she sank her weight into the worn furniture .

" as good as one can be , " she replied simply , lifting pointed shoulders into a shrug . " the motel is . . . fine . sometimes it's noisy but . . . i often prefer noise to silence . somehow it feels safer . " knowing the people around me are alive , she added on in her thoughts .

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?"

Lucas let's out a small wet laugh.

"That's actually really comforting."

He wipes his face and stands up straight. He turns to face the man.

"I'm Lucas," he says, holding out a hand. "One of the sheriff's. You're Hollis right?"

The mention of the blood trail sends a chill down Hollis' spine, but he tries not to let it show. Instead, he steps a little closer, careful not to get too close, but enough to feel present. "I'm sorry," he murmurs.

"I don't think...you ever really get to say goodbye. Not in a way that feels right, anyway." His gaze drifts back to the grave. "But...maybe that means they're still here, with you. Somehow."

It wasn't exactly comforting, but, it was the only thing he could think to offer. The same uncertain, fragile connection that he clung to himself.

RAFAEL SILVA at the Epic Cons Chicago 2 convention - September 15, 2024