Rafael

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."

One day you’ll laugh so much that you’ll forget you have scars. Benjamín Griss

Lucas tilts his head in acknowledgment. It is a lot of work to do. He's glad to hear people want to help, though. There's plenty of people out in the world who wouldn't even consider it.

"Nothing really yet," he answers. "We're still going through potential problems, though it's hard to see what were people taking advantage versus monsters that slipped through cracks."

And there's the other side. People who don't care about everyone else. No matter the circumstances. It pisses him off.

"Anything I need to have the deputies disperse? I'm sure you three are gonna be up to your ears in problem solving meetings."

cameron looks up from the lists she was working on when lucas walks in. a smile forms on her lips, only slightly forced. the storm really wiped them out and the repairs alone were going to take more resources than they had. after years of this place feeling almost normal, it seemed like they were leaving that behind them now. "all i hear is that means we have a lot of work to do," she tries to joke but the stress comes through in her voice. running a hand through her hair, she looks at the folders, flipping one of the covers open. "i have some people from colony house volunteering to help with repairs so i'll make sure they know what is the most important to work on." thank god some of them actually seem to care. "any problems on your end of things? i was worried that storm was going to have people acting out and end up in a cell."

Lucas considers this. He's been in a lot of the woods around town but hasn't come across a tree like that. Of course, that's not at all surprising. Still, it has him thinking.

"Okay," he says, focusing back on Elm. "That's good. Was there anything else?"

He gives her a small smile.

ELM CONSIDERS THE QUESTION FOR A MOMENT BEFORE SHRUGGING . " it's the only thing i remember ." elm wonders if that's enough to make it notable . there's another beat of thought where their head tilts before they're adding a, " there was a moon over it ." their brows furrow a bit . " it was full and ..." a thoughtful pause before elm is making a round gesture with their hands . " the tree was by itself . in a circle, like this ."

"Well, unfortunately, I'm the sheriff, so yeah, I'm a cop."

He lowers his hands and gestures around his waist, where it's very clear he doesn't even have a holster. Hopefully, that lets her trust him more.

"I don't like carrying a gun around town unless I have to."

He steps closer, even stuffing his hand in his pockets to seem more casual.

"I understand that you need to be in control of yourself, and me dragging you away would do the opposite of that. So I'm just going to say this: if you want to risk your life against those monsters, we can't stop you. We can't protect people who don't want our protection. I just hope you decide that our protection is good enough for you as the others have."

— A scoff escapes her lips before she can stop it , her scowl only furthering at the words of the other . “ what're you , a cop ? ” she asks with a scrunch of her nose , tapping some ash from her smoke while disdain drips from her every word . “ being cautious is one thing , threatening people with physical restraint so they conform to your so - called safety standards , that's another thing entirely . very authoritarian of you all , i must say . ” there is something comforting , almost nostalgic , about being a smartass with authority ; a sense of warm familiarity , in a town that is entirely unknown to her .

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 ?"

Tanner Buchanan | Behind The Blinds (2021)

Adrien hugs back, happily squeezing the girl. Then Adrien's smile drops slightly when he takes in her words.

"What? That's not right. It's your birthday. You should be hearing that all night."

Adrien giggles and shakes his hair after the ruffling.

"Thanks, and same to you, okay? You need anything, let me know. I'm gonna be working at the Chop Shop with El, so I'm good at that kind of stuff."

Adrien shrugs and chugs some more water.

"I'm 22. You?"

CHERRY HAS TO BLINK AT THE WORDS, ALMOST CAUGHT OFF GUARD . it only takes a beat for her to soften, probably a mix of the alcohol and the whole night that makes her pull the guy who's practically a stranger into a tight hug . " aww, adrien . thank you ." her heart contracts a little as she gives him a little squeeze, pulling back to pat him on the head . " y'know you're the only one to say that all night ?" she can't help but shake her head with a sniff . she ruffles his hair . " you're a good kid . you needa favour from me, you got it, okay ?" a pause for a second as she blinks and looks at him up and down in new light . " wait, how old are you actually ?"

RAFAEL SILVA as CARLOS REYES 9-1-1: LONE STAR (2020-)

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?"