Where: Colony House When: Halloween Night Whom: @ludics Rae

Adrien gasps for air and drops to the floor since it's easier than standing at the moment. He weakly takes the water bottle and tries to slurp some water. It interrupts his breathing, so he stops soon after.

"Running with you was a mistake," he says between breaths. "I swear I thought I was in shape."

status: open to all. (0/3.) location: colony house.

the warmth of her forehead is slicked with sweat and decorated by strands of black hair that have fallen afoul of their usual tidiness. panting heavily, nic saunters through the colony house's front door and over to the closest available surface to sit on. limbs ache from overuse, making settling a slow process that's paired with a grunt of exertion. it's only once she's resting shaky legs that she finally looks up to make sure her workout partner has filed in behind her. in a surprising change from her regular stoic expression, nic lets her eyes soften and a smile grace her features. apparently, the way to her heart is through keeping up during a run.

"good goin'. how're you feelin'?" if she's tired, she reckons her companion's probably about ready to collapse. which is why she offers up the bottle of water she'd saved for this very moment. "here."

Rafael Silva

Photography by Jake Weary

"It was," Lucas insists. "That was probably more information than we've ever gotten. I really do appreciate it."

Lucas nods in agreement.

"I know, but sometimes even the illusion of safety is enough to help."

" ... I KNOW IT WASN'T USEFUL ." elm replies simply even after the encouragement . they move to get up with a gentle, " if i remember new stuff i'll say ." they shake their head at lucas' offer, quick to say, " it's okay . bruna gives me food at the diner . and marama's with me a lot ." a pause before she shrugs . " she's not an escort, but she kind of is ." a beat of consideration . "besides, if they wanted to take me i don't think much could stop them ."

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?"

where: colony house when: Halloween night whom: @horrorismx Erin

Adrien is flush with adrenaline and some alcohol too. He finds a quieter area of the house to catch his breath and chug some water.

He almost jumps in surprise but then grins when he finds Erin being chill.

"Hey! I was wondering if I'd see you tonight. How's the fan working out for you?"

He slumps on the couch next to her, smiling like an excited though sleepy puppy.

Lucas hums and considers the best way to explain.

"So there was a cartoon show about a teenage girl, Kim Possible, that while also being a student and cheerleader, she was a hero that went around the world and saved people. She took her best friend, Ron Stoppable, with her. So Ana is Kim, and I'm Ron."

He sighs and rubs his face

"Yeah, it's loud. I think there are some quiet rooms upstairs in the east wing if you want to get away?"

East wing is designated quiet areas. West wing rooms are for private and not quiet activities.

she didn't understand his joke, but she offers a smile anyway. "what are you supposed to be?" not that she would even know when he tells her. her knowledge was very limited.

"no, i hate this," she says, looking out at the party. "it's too loud." it was the worst day of the year in her opinion and not because of the monsters outside.

"With a lot of practice," Adrien says. Then adds, "Unfortunately."

He unconsciously matches her tapping fingers with his own on his knees.

"I know it sounds a little naive, but trust me, it's taken a lot of experience to think like that. Experience I wish I didn't have."

Catie stares at him. Free? She lets out a short, hard laugh, but it fades quickly as she considers the honesty behind what he’s saying. 'So, that’s it?' she asks. Her fingers drum against the plastic cup, her mind racing against a wall she’s only just realising might never come down.

She looks away, biting the inside of her cheek. The idea that everyone here had already gone through these thoughts, that they’d all made peace with something that to her felt like an endless cage—it’s unsettling. 'I don't know how you do that,' she mutters finally, almost to herself.

Lucas pauses. While he'd sworn to always tell the residents the truth, he'd also promised the leaders that they get information and plans first.

But telling the truth should come first.

"Yeah, most likely. Don't know when or how, but it's the first lead we've gotten of something different in the woods."

" ... OKAY ." ELM REPLIES WITH A NOD . " that's true , i guess ." there's a beat then as they study him before they add a curious, " are you going to try and find the tree ?"

"El's really cool. They're teaching me shit I didn't even know about out there."

Adrien turns his focus back to his project, though he keeps up with the conversation easily.

"Just something, Muz or Mara found. Figured I'd see if I could make it work before we stripped it for parts."

He looks up. "Anything I can help with? This is just fun stuff I can do any time."

He places the pieces on the bandana he'd found and wraps them up.

"that's good, there are some cool people here, and you picked one of the better jobs. i'm sure el has you working hard," she says with a smile. "you seem to be taking things pretty well." she liked how adrien always seemed so positive about things. it was refreshing in a place like this. they needed more people like that. "i'm okay, got a long list of things i need to work on around here but wanted to check in with you. i know it can be a lot these first few weeks." cam looks down at the walkie talkie he was messing with. "what'cha doing with that? haven't seen one of those in awhile."

Lucas returns the look and squeeze. Rae looks better than he did at the infirmary. Maybe it's the setting sun, or maybe it's just the relief after finally crying.

He chuckles. "Well, glad to know I rank above corpses as a conversationalist."

They reach the walkway up to Rae's house and they slow their steps as they approach the door. Almost like they both don't want this to end any sooner.

"Will you be okay on your own tonight? I could stay. Sleep on the couch."

“and you said it anyway,” rae half-muttered under his breath. he gave lucas a look, something between exasperation and fondness, as he squeezed his hand. then he focused back on his house in the distance.

“i guess i could use the help,” he relented. “plus it's hard to hold up a conversation with a corpse.” it would also cut the time in half, logistically speaking. he just hated asking for help...and accepting it. he'd been that way since he was a kid, even before losing his parents.