Adrien Sees The Frayed Cord And Immediately Jumps Up Excited.

Lucas nods, then stops the tape recorder.

"That was good," he says gently, patting the arm of her chair instead of her actual arm. "Thank you, really, Elm. I appreciate it."

He stands and cleans up his stuff.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" he asks, now out of sheriff mode and in community mode. "Bring your meals to you? Give you escorts anywhere?"

ELM SHAKES THEIR HEAD THEN . " no ." there's a beat before they shift in their seat and shrug . the lace is wrapped tight around their finger again . " that's all i remember. when i woke up the tree was gone and i was laying in the forest ." their brows twitch together a bit . " it took me a while to get back ."

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."

Lucas actually pouts and slumps deeper into this seat. He feels like a reprimanded child, and he deserves it, but he doesn't have to like it.

But he doesn't have to make Becca suffer with him.

"I don't suppose you're also a meteorologist and can explain this storm at all?"

finally, he's convinced. becca sighs in relief, knowing that it was difficult for lucas to ignore his sense of duty. it wouldn't have been much longer before she tied him to a table if he had continued the argument. she tries to give a reassuring smile, but remains stern when she speaks. "you'll have to."

she returns to her own seat, watching as he struggles with the gravity of his situation and comes to accept it. "when the storm is done, the first place you're going is to the infirmary. you need a real treatment and whatever they say, is what you're going to do. until then, stay off it." and if he's lucky, they might even have crutches available.

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 chuckles.

"It's not that big of a deal. I just really want someone that I know I can talk to. Can be close to like that. We can be vulnerable with each other in a way that friends can't."

He shrugs and looks at Muz.

"What are you dodging, huh? Not much room in town to dodge things."

'Been one of those days. Sometimes the noise at Colony House just gets to me, yeah? Needed a break.' He watches Adrien for a moment, catching the way his leg swings and his gaze seems distant. 'Guess we’re both out here avoiding it all today, huh?' His lips quirk into a small smile without quite reaching his eyes. 'Not that I blame you. The whole “getting-a-boyfriend” thing sounds like a hell of a lot more stress than anything I’m dodging.'

Lucas slumps into the chair, a frustrated growl escaping him.

"Fuck, Becca! I can't just... fuck!"

He puts his face in his hands and tries not to cry from his frustration. So many people could be out there; Jim, Ana, Rae, even people who don't know about the creatures. Newcomers wander in all the time. Not in as big as a group as recently but still.

"Will it at least be okay in the morning? If the storm let's up by then, I have to be able to help."

she knows he's eager to leave and lets him stand, holding her hands out for support. but as quickly as he stood, he's back in the seat again. "well, that proves it. a sprain like that- if not properly healed- will weaken your ankle, forever." becca didn't like having to be dramatic with patients, but sometimes people just don't want to accept the severity without it.

"a job you can't do right now, and if you try to push through it, you won't be able to do it right ever again." she almost wants to push him over and make sure he stays seated for good, but keeps her hands out anyway when it looks like he wants to try again. "just sit your ass down, lucas. don't be an idiot."

Lucas looks to see Marama studying him curiously.

He chuckles. "A little yeah. This was the biggest sized shirt I could find to fit the costume. I think Ana's happy I'm showing off more than she is. Or she's jealous. I couldn't really tell."

He shrugs and sips his drink.

"You having fun tonight?"

closed event starter @patroclusblossom

marama didn't understand the concept of dressing up for halloween, maybe because she was only seven when she came here and has never been able to watch tv or movies like everyone else so she never understood the references, but it also just seemed odd to her. some people dressed up for these things, with outfits they make themselves. she never did. "why is your stomach showing?" she asks lucas with a confused look. "are you warm?"

Lucas takes a deep breath before he starts talking.

"I mean, I was running around town, seeing what needed repairs, checking that people were okay and not trapped anywhere. Not to mention wrangling the deputies to do their jobs."

Lucas smiles. A lot of people say they're glad he's here, but it feels a little different — a bit better — coming from Bruna.

"He was a better hunter than me," he says. "And he was way funnier. Got him more dates in high school than I did, though coming out of the closet did change my odds slightly."

He chuckles.

"And he may have been younger, but he showed me how to be a good son to our parents. He seemed to always know what to do and helped me when I didn't."

He wipes some tears away and looks back to Bruna.

"What about your sister. What was she like?"

"We did miss you at dinner, now that you mention it. Had your hands full today, huh?" she gets up on her feet, preparing to makeshift a sandwich. "Tell me about it. Your day. It's what normal people do, right? Out in the real world. I forget sometimes how simple things used to be -- how we took such things for granted. Or, well, I did anyway..." she was often uncomfortable with silence when in company, so questions came almost naturally, as did the thoughts and loud observations. "Rae and Ana will be alright...don't even let your head go there. We have just enough worry in us for things that are real to also venture into those that aren't." it's something she learnt the hard way, even if she did worry daily about all the things that could possibly go wrong. She tried not to voice them -- for the most part. "I lost my sister too. In here. I'm sorry that happened to you -- but, in a weird fucked up way, I'm glad you're here. We're all better off with you around." words of comfort came almost natural to her these days, it's like nothing regarding loss was even surprising anymore. "What was he like? Your brother?"

Rafael Silva

Photography by Jake Weary