Adrien Sets The Wrapped Tech Aside And Stands.

Lucas sighs as well.

"Yeah, I get it. Is there at least someone here to confirm you were here during the storm? I'll confirm with them, then cross you off my list for good."

He really isn't in the mood to fight with Cherry today. And he's only really doing this to get the shop keep off his back about this.

" CAUTIOUS ." cherry repeats, her brows raising at the words before she's ultimately sighing and dragging a hand down her face . she leans against the door frame for another few beats before she's rolling her eyes and saying, " look, it was a real stressful night, alright ? maybe someone was locked in lally's and just helped themself ! can you blame 'em ? everyone copes with stress differently, right !" there's no hesitation before cherry raises a finger to add, " and before you ask i was locked in here the whole time !" she points down to the motel .

Lucas nods, though he doesn't quite understand what he's saying. He does understand the emotions, though. They're feelings a lot of people here feel.

"They didn't leave a body," he explains. "Just a blood trail that disappeared into the woods. I didn't... get to say goodbye."

His breath hitches as he cries. Everything that's happened in the last few days has just opened old scars he was sure had healed.

Hollis watched Lucas silently, glancing down as the bouquet was placed. His fingers twitch at his sides.

"No," he answers, the word barely audible. He shifts awkwardly, unsure if he should say more, but, choosing not to feels like denying their existence.

"I mean...not here." His gaze dfits to the empty space beside the grave, trying not to dwell. "Not...here, exactly. But close."

Rafa on Instagram - November 4, 2024

Lucas shakes his head.

"There shouldn't be. We're all scattered about doing what we can. You looking for someone? We're having a town meeting later to check who all is missing or..."

He clears his throat, his meaning clear.

"Anyway, if you're not busy think you can help me with that?"

He tilts his to where a large tree branch is just sitting in the middle of the road. Definitely a two person job.

the air still feels damp when yasin steps out onto the road, surveying the aftermath of the previous night. he watches the townspeople already outside, helping each other clean up debris, repairing fences, patching up a town they can't even leave. it doesn't take long until someone pushes a broom into his hands, but every sweep feels pointless.

their first morning in town, his eye had caught onto a building tucked away off the main road, its sign barely readable -- county jail. it looked mostly abandoned, but yasin doesn't hesitate before dropping the broom on the ground and heading towards the building, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure nobody's watching. if the town has sheriffs, they have to have guns, and his gut tells him they're most likely kept in there.

he's not stupid enough to try anything in broad daylight, but he lingers at a distance, eyes flicking between the windows and the main entrance when a voice calls out from behind him, forcing him to pause and consider his next move. he turns around, gesturing towards the jail, "i thought i heard someone yelling for help. do you know if anyone's in there?"

Adrien looks at her and laughs.

"Close enough, I suppose," he says. "I'm going for that guy in Saltburn? But forest fairy might be sexier."

He snickers and shimmies to shake the wings.

"How about you?"

He looks her up and down, studying her outfit to see if he can put together what she is.

closed event starter @patroclusblossom

adrien seemed like he was having a good time, she's not sure she's ever seen someone so in the element since well- herself at parties back home. at first, she thought it was a little strange how happy he seemed, but now? maybe he has a point. fake it till you make it. he reminded her a lot of some of her friends back home. "i like the wings," she said over the music. "are you a forest fairy?"

Lucas looks at the glass placed in front of him, seriously considering pushing it away. Then with a sigh, he crumples the paper and picks up the glass.

"Jim's not gonna be happy," he mutters as he taps his glass against Adam's then throws back the drink. Feeling the cheap alcohol run hot down his throat actually feels good in this moment.

He really needs to relax more often. Have a few drinks, get laid, talk about nothing and everything.

"You see those things out there? Running around like it's the middle of the fucking night?"

"You've been staring up and down that list boss, like anything's gonna prepare you for the mountain of shit we're gonna have to deal with tomorrow." there was no point in planning, not in a place like this, there was also no way to be prepared. So Adam walks over behind the bar, places two cups before the other and pours whatever piss-tasting-ale was confined within a glass bottle on the middle shelf. "Now come on, let's drink -- we did the best we could -- hell, we did better than that."

"You never know," Lucas says with an encouraging tone. "You night say something that will inspire the next sheriff into coming to a solution."

He smiles and then presses the record button.

"This is Sheriff Lucas Miranda with Elm Mossbach. We're in the 16th year of Oblitus."

Then he turns to Elm.

"So, tell me what happened to you while you were missing."

ELM ISN'T REALLY SURE WHAT THEY'RE DOING HERE . sure, they kind of know . but they don't actually know how useful they'll be . how usefully any of this will be, honestly . still, as they look between lucas and the glass of water he's set in front of them they can only nod . " you can record it ." their brow furrows a bit then, as they begin to play with the laces on their new pair of shoes . well, new hand me down shoes . they glance down at the movement to say, " it won't change anything though ."

Adrien listens as he works, El's voice very soothing in contrast to the familiar sounds of work.

"Yeah, Cameron's cool. She's lives at the colony house with me."

Then Adrien lifts his head to look toward El. Cherry? Complicated? "She's seems like good folk, though. Don't see what could be so complicated." He ends with a smirk on his face, teasing El a bit.

Then he turns back to the work as he talks.

"I'm trying. There's some really interesting people around. Like that, Muz guy. He seems cool."

Ellington’s hands paused over the engine, the faint grin on their face softening at Adrien’s words. The moment felt lighter, somehow, despite the heavy things they’d both touched on. They tilted their head, giving Adrien a sidelong glance.

“Solid people make all the difference,” El said, their voice low but warm. “Sounds like you’ve had a few of those in your corner. That’s not nothing.”

Adrien’s question brought a small chuckle out of El as they leaned back against the workbench, arms crossed loosely. “Friends? Well, I wouldn’t say I’m drowning in them, but I’ve got my people. Cameron’s one—she’s good at grounding me when I start thinking too much. Low-key but solid, like the kind of friend who can share a drink in silence and it still feels like a conversation.”

They glanced at Adrien with a knowing smile. “And there’s Cherry. She’s… complicated. Keeps me on my toes, though, which might be why I stick around. Or why she sticks around me—hard to say.”

El shrugged, their grin turning a little self-deprecating. “But I think you’re underestimating my loner tendencies. I have my people, I'm a friend to everyone, but I also spend a lot of time alone or... I used to. Seems like that might be changing nowadays,” in their minds-eye, Cherry's face appears and they can't help the little grin that appears on their lips.

They picked up a wrench, turning it idly in their hands. Their eyes flicked back to Adrien, their tone a little softer, more thoughtful. “So what about you? Got your people here yet?”

TANNER BUCHANAN in COBRA KAI

"Trust me, Cher. There are much better things I'd rather do this morning."

They're still working on recovering from the storm. The only reason any of the sheriff's or deputies have gotten sleep is because the alternative is sleeping in their offices at night, and they all agree that that's almost as bad as facing one of the creatures in the middle of the night.

Lucas pulls out his note pad.

"Says here you stole some bottles from Lally's yesterday morning right before the town meeting."

He looks up and gives her an unimpressed expression.

STATUS : closed for @patroclusblossom ! LOCATION : the motel !

CHERRY BLINKS AT THE SIGHT OF HIM . once and then twice before her face scrunches in honest confusion . " the fuck did i do ?" cherry would say that the question was understandable all things considered . after all, she only ever really saw lucas for one reason and one reason only . but even know as cherry wracks her brain she can't imagine what he'd be bringing her in for . she tries to think back, trying to consider what she's done in the past few days that she might be getting caught out for now . she's coming up empty, but frankly, it's been a long couple of days . she can't be expected to remember all the shit she does . she's not a fuckin' computer . " i didn't do shit, luke ." a bewildered twist of her expression . " and haven't you got better things to do than hover over me ? aren't we in a crisis or whatever ?"