Maybe Not Today, Not Tomorrow But I Am Gonna Achieve It, Cause I Am A Consistent Hard-worker

Adrien stops pushing and looks up to see someone talking to him from a working car. One of the few in town. He recognizes him but can't remember his name.

"I mean if you're not busy," Adrien replies. "I'm just taking it to the Chop Shop to see what I can do with it."

Adrien smiles then takes a second to roll his shoulders, giving his body a short break.

Gabriel was driving to his shift at the diner when he spotted someone literally pushing their car down the road, obviously broken down. He didn't want to be late but then again he was a nice guy if someone needed help. He pulled over and rolled down the passenger window. ''Hey man, want some help? There must be something better than that.''

Adrien winces when he actually looks at their leg. It's in bad shape, for sure.

Adrien pulls a chair closer to the bad and goes back to smiling.

"Glad I can help. So, most of my practical experience is on farm vehicles. Tractors and that stuff. I do know about regular cars. And I'm pretty good with little tech, too."

He blushes in embarrassment.

"I'm one of those weird guys that literally takes shit apart to figure out how they work. My aunt got mad when I did it to her favorite radio a month after I moved in."

He looks at El's hands they look about as calloused as his if not more.

"I uh, we were on a hiking trip, and I fell behind. That's how I ended up here."

He shrugs. Sure, he's freaked out and kinda missing his family, but it's not a huge deal right now.

El propped themselves up on the bed, wincing slightly at the pain radiating from their injured leg, but their curiosity was piqued by the newcomer’s arrival. They didn’t recognize Adrien, but the fresh energy was a welcome distraction from the haze of their recent attack.

“Hey there,” El said, their voice carrying a hint of enthusiasm despite the setting. “I’m El, and I’m your mentor for the Chop Shop. Heard you’ve got some mechanical skills from a little birdy? That’s great! Honestly, I could use the help right now.”

They couldn’t help but feel a spark of excitement at the prospect of teaching someone new, even if they were still recovering. El gestured for Adrien to take a seat, trying to mask their own discomfort. “So, what’s your background? How’d you end up here?” There was an eagerness in El’s tone, a genuine desire to connect and guide Adrien through the chaos that was their new reality.

They flashed a reassuring smile, hoping to instill a sense of camaraderie amid the uncertainty of their situation.

Lucas sighs and stands.

"Didn't mean any disrespect, Montana. Just had a lot of new people recently. Can't let them go off on their own."

He turns and nods in a greeting to her.

"It's my job to always be on edge," he says. "Trying to make it so you guys don't have to be. So what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I see someone's not even bothering to look up anymore, huh Luc? -- Now what the hell would I be doin' all the way out there anyway?" she did it before, secretly, he didn't need to know that though. As far as everyone was concerned, she was just a poor shot and a squeamish lil repair gremlin. "Hey don't take this the wrong way man, but why you always so on edge?"

Adrien is immediately interested in the little she'd said. He walks further into the room.

"You know, I was thinking we could probably make some decent windmills to generate power," he says, looking down at the book she was reading. "It's pretty windy here, and it'd be more reliable than solar power."

"It's cool," she said looking at the source from inside the notebook from where she was sitting on the floor. "I'm just trying to figure out new power source, but with limited- " she said before glancing up to see who was speaking to her before closing the book. "Do you need something?"

relatable

where: chop shop when: day time whom: @hcartcorruptcd El

Adrien is hunched over the engine of the truck, trying to gauge what all is salvageable and what could be modified to be salvageable.

They'd had a few cars brought in from the junk yard after the leaders and sheriff's department got everything useful for the community. Now they're stripping what they think can be useful.

"For a truck from the '80s," he calls out, "it's in pretty good condition. Almost a shame to tear it up."

He climbs out with some valves, carrying them over to the piles they'd started to keep things vaguely organized. Then he glances over to El.

Lucas keeps his expression neutral, trying not to let his initial disappointment show through.

But then he's interested again.

"What do you mean by that?"

" THAT WASN'T WHAT I MEANT ." the words are distracted . elm twirls the laces tight enough around their finger to make the tip go a bit cold with lack of blood . lucas presses the record button and elm takes little notice of it until the question is address to her . there is a blink as they glance between lucas and the recorder for a moment before leaning hesitantly into the recorder to say the same thing they've told everyone since they've been back . " i don't remember ." a pause before they shrug and add, " ... i don't think they want me to ."

Adrien sits quietly, reminiscing on the few memories he still has of his parents. One such from the day they'd died. They'd spent the day attempting to fish in a river similar to this one. Since Adriennwas 10, he was obviously terrible at it, and he'd had his parents clutching their sides in laughter from his attempts. It had been on the way back when it had happened.

Adrien looks up and smiles when he sees it's Muz talking.

"Oh hey," he greets though it's not a peppy or bright as he usually is. "El made me take the day off, and I wasn't feeling up for hanging at the colony house. Not having much luck on the getting-a-boyfriend front and everyone else was busy, so... yeah, getting lost felt like a good way to pass the time."

He looks back toward the horizon and swings his leg, his big toe skimming the surface of the cool, clear water.

"What about you? What brings you to getting lost territory?"

river banks, adrien. @patroclusblossom

He's found himself on more walks than ever since arriving in Oblitus. The river banks became a quick favourite. Muz leans against dock, watching the ripples of the river. The sun threatens to start its slow descent but he sees Adrien sitting near the edge, one leg hanging over the side, staring out at the horizon like he had all the time in the world. The usual energy that Adrien carried seemed to be gone today, replaced by something quieter.

He pushes off the post and steps down the dock, boots making soft thuds as he moves closer to where Adrien sits. 'Not a bad place for getting lost,' Muz says, his voice breaking the silence. 'What’s got you out here?'

Lucas rubs his eyes.

"Good morning to you too, Muz. For your information, no. How about you?"

He nods to Muz's matching bags under his eyes. Then he sips his coffee.

open, town square

Muz squints up at the washed-out sky, the sun barely breaking through a layer of gray clouds, casting a pale light over the town square. The place looks almost normal in the daytime, like the night hadn’t clawed at it. He watches a few people drift while he leans against a bench, idly tracing a crack in the wood with his thumb, his gaze darting on occasion, wary glances.

A face crosses his line of sight, and Muz straightens, raising a hand in a lazy wave. ‘Hey,’ he calls out, his voice cutting through the quiet. ‘Get any sleep last night?’ He nods to the shadows under their eyes, a half-smile tugging at his mouth.

Rafa via Instagram Stories (August 5, 2024)