I Think About This Look Daily. The Hair. The Shirt. Him. 🤭

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 walks Rae outside. The sun is starting to set so they don't have too long to get home.

He notices Rae keeps glancing at his own hands, he takes one of Rae's in his.

"It's okay," he says. He doesn't know what Rae is seeing, but he knows he can calm the images down, even just briefly.

They hurry to the residential area.

"I'll tell Jim that I'm going to help you tomorrow," Lucas says. He did it before Kina. He wasn't good by any means, but he could follow directions. "Hopefully, we can get everything done tomorrow."

rae's breath caught in his throat at lucas' gesture, a simple kiss to the top of his head, but it was enough to send a jolt of emotion through him. he nodded, his grip on the other loosening, and walked back to the examination room.

it didn't take long before his hands were submerged in water, desperately scrubbing to wash away the visible remnants of death. but despite his best efforts, the blood seemed to cling to his skin, refusing to wash away. he scrubbed harder, fingers digging in, and still it remained. he shook his head, his eyes wild and unfocused. "it won't come off," he muttered to himself.

ready? a voice cut through, and rae glanced up, his eyes focusing on lucas' reflection in the mirror. when he looked back down, the blood was…gone.

"…ready," he echoed, turning around as he dried his hands. he threw the towel towards the counter behind him, not caring where it landed. "let's go."

"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 ."

Rafael

Adrien gives her a warm smile and even gives her a slight bow in return.

"Well you look great, Miss Maude. Taking a break or trying to psych yourself up to join the fray."

He tilts his head towards the dancing.

waiting for one of her two anchors to return, maude had not been seen at the party without her closest friends. perhaps she should have attended as an unobtrusive observer, a fly on the wall since her behavior certainly suggested as much. a natural observer, she hung back shyly, avoiding eye contact and keeping to herself rather than immersing in the festivities. it wasn’t that she lacked friendliness; rather, her anxiety was palpable in the presence of so many people gathered in one place—an inevitable hazard for the town.

“adrien?” she echoed, tentatively extending her hand for a gentle shake. “i’m maude, the scarecrow—” she said, gesturing to her costume. “i’ve been around for a little while, just six months,” she added as an explanation. “i’m the socially awkward one of the trio.” with an awkward, scarecrow-like curtsy, she inquired, “are you enjoying yourself?”

Lucas actually let's out a chuckle.

"Yeah, I imagine it is. You want help moving some of this out of the way?"

He studies the guy's face and recognizes the tired look in the lines of his face. Hard not to recognize that here.

It took Ares a moment to realize someone was talking to him. His mind had been elsewhere, more so than usual. The storm had worn him down, striking just as he’d begun to feel the faintest sense of settling into his new reality. Now, exhaustion weighed heavily on him, like the life had been drained from his body. As always, he masked it, though the dark circles beneath his eyes probably betrayed him more than he’d like to admit.

"No, no… everything’s fine, I assure you," he said, shaking off the fog. "Just taking a wellness walk to, uh, clear my head." If that’s what we’re calling it, he thought but didn’t say. Instead, he flashed the officer a polite, if not slightly forced, smile. "Though, it’s a bit tricky with all the rubble around."

Lucas is tempted to take the bottle, but he has things he needs to do today. Things he needs to be sober for.

"Yeah, not this time."

He lifts a foot to stretch while he talks.

"It helps me focus on things I need to do," he replies. "So yeah, I do it a lot. Probably more than I really need to, but it is what it is."

He let's his gaze travel over Adam's relaxed state, lying out, acting (if not feeling) careless and free. He's jealous that even if it's not 100% real, it still clearly helps the man. Is that the source of his unease with Adam?

If anything could make a man feel like shit, it was seeing another man be more of a man than himself. And going for a healthy morning jog was the epitome of fitness and health in Adams books. He doubted he'd ever become that person. "Time is just a concept, at the end of the day. 'Sides, I think I deserve a treat -- you know, after all the shit that went down." shit he had to see. Bodies he had to bury. He processed in his own way. "Guessin' that's a no to my offer?" he puts the bottle aside for now, almost uncomfortable at the fact other was standing and not sitting down beside him. "Running? That something you do a lot?"

Lucas snorts. "With you? I don't think he ever is."

He let's Adam pour him another drink, listening to the nihilistic but strangely comforting speech.

"We drink," Lucas echoes, watching him struggle to light the cigarette.

"I just can't stop imagining that I hear screams coming from out there. Which is crazy because the rain is so loud I wouldn't hear anything anyway."

"When's Jim ever happy?" up until now Adam didn't even consider the real consequences this day would have on everyone who stays alive. He was more concerned with the amount of digging he'll be forced to do first thing in the morning. Not to mention seeing dead bodies, all fucked up, did not get easier with time. In many ways, he was hoping this would never end. "New day, new rules -- this place is letting us know who's really in control. Ain't nothin' we can do about that. Except drink, so....we drink..." he pours him another, and then another one for himself and lights the poorly dried cigarette. "Day will come, 'til then we're better off in here than we would be out there..."

Lucas nods and steps up to the headstone.

His mouth twitches into a sort of smile.

"Yeah. Super quiet. Almost feels wrong."

He places the fresh bouquet down sobit rests in the middle, covering part of the "Brother. Protector" portion. He feels a few tears run down his face.

"Do you have someone here?"

He doesn't look up. He's not quiet ready to look at someone else yet.

Hollis pauses, mid-motion, holding the dried bouquet like it's something delicate. His eyes dart to Lucas, noticing the tremor in his voice. "I could stick around." Hollis offers, voice still quiet but sensing that the other might be experiencing something they might not want to be alone for. It happened often enough to feel part of the job. "It's quiet out today. The storm... I'll just...be here." He's not sure how to offer comfort in words, but, his presence lingers. A quiet, watchful stillness.

Adrien is tense while the woman scrutinizes him. He doesn't fight it. He was pretty direct, but he'd figured she'd either be impressed and let him continue or just shut the door in his face, which he probably deserved.

There's something about her that's so effortless. She's cool, calm, intuitive. Like she knows she's in control of every situation she's in.

Finally, she lets him inside, and he physically relaxes. He feels like he passed some test. The first of many.

He steps in and tries not to stare at the home, looking for things like animal skulls, runic symbols, or just a straight-up demonic effigy. Instead, he faces Raina, keeping his smile on.

"Thank you. I figured being straightforward was better than not."

He considers what he's heard and what he should tell her.

"Mainly, that you make potions and spells and read tarot cards? I haven't heard that anyone, like, hates you, but you definitely scare some people, and others respect you."

Raina blinked once, slowly, as if giving her brain time to catch up with the introduction. She leaned her shoulder against the doorframe, one hand still resting on the knob, her expression carefully neutral—but there was a flicker of amusement in her dark eyes, a smile tugging just at the corners of her mouth.

“Well,” she said, her voice smooth and warm like the lazy drift of smoke. “That’s not the worse I've been called.”

She took a moment to look him over, reading the nervous energy that bubbled just beneath his grin. New, for sure. He had that slightly bewildered air all the newcomers carried—a strange blend of hope, fear, and not-quite-processed disbelief.

Raina let the silence linger just long enough to see if he’d squirm before finally stepping back from the door and gesturing inside. “You want to come in, or are you planning to ask all your burning witch-related questions from the porch?”

The words were light, teasing, but there was a measured kindness to them, as though she was giving him room to find his footing.

She held his gaze, her smile still faint but present, and added with a touch of playful curiosity, “What exactly did you hear about me, Adrien?”