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Lucas nods.

"We'll probably also put it up to the whole community, but we'll need to discuss things first."

He walks with Elm to the door, holding it open for them.

"I suppose I know what you'd say at that town meeting."

ELM CONSIDERS LUCAS' OFFER FOR A BEAT BEFORE THEY NOD . they straighten as they move towards the door with a low, " so you guys will vote ?"

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"I mean, there aren't many good men out there, so it's not your fault for only finding the bad ones."

He snickers. Then the song changes and he cheers.

"I love this song. Come dance with me."

He grabs Cherry's hand and tugs on her.

THE QUESTION TAKES CHERRY ABACK FOR A MOMENT . her face scrunches a bit at the thought as she says, " usually pretty shit . at least by my track record ." there's a beat before she adds the disclaimer , " at least when it comes to men ." she shrugs then . " when it comes to everyone else it's pretty okay ."

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Adrien chuckles weakly, still pushing.

"No treehouse, and if someone does figure out a way out, I'll help them build it, but I'm not the one coming up with it."

He pauses for a moment to get the truck over a small hump in the road.

"Nah, more just trying to make life here suck less, I suppose. There aren't a lot of cars that work here. This is fully electric, so I figured I'd see if I can get it working. If not then I'll strip it for parts."

He chuckles again.

"Not fate. I'm just not as bothered as some people are."

mira chuckled under her breath, the sound dry but not unkind. "impatient and dumb? well, at least you're self-aware. that's a good start." she braced herself against the car, her boots digging into the asphalt as they worked together to push it forward. her muscles protested immediately, a reminder that she'd been running on adrenaline and not much else these past few weeks. "interrupt? please." she rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching up in a smirk. "you think i had something better to do in this place? trust me, you’re doing me a favor. beats pacing around colony house trying to avoid everyone's drama or sulking." her gaze flicked over to him, studying his profile for a moment as they trudged along. "so, adrien, right? what kind of 'projects' are we talking about here? you building a treehouse for the end of the world, or are you one of those people who actually think they can science their way out of this nightmare?" she huffed a little as they hit a slight incline, her smirk deepening. "or maybe you’re just hoarding random junk to keep busy. i’ve seen a few people try that trick. spoiler alert: it doesn’t work." she adjusted her grip on the car and added, her tone light but tinged with a hint of sincerity, "and for the record, you’re not annoying. yet. but if you start talking about how this is all fate or some crap like that, i might change my mind."

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@fromcamadams

Lucas barges into Cameron's office, breathing heavy like an enraged bull.

"You'll never believe what those motherfucking monsters just pulled on me," he says, voice quivering with rage that's he's trying to contain. He drops the remains of the rotary phone onto Cam's desk.

"They think they can get away with this shit any longer? Well, I'm this close to just barging into those woods, guns blazing."

He paces the room, not wanting his anger to be directed at her.

@patroclusblossom (lucas)

You're sitting in the sheriff's station like you do most days, you sure do take your job seriously. It feels like any other day, just make it through and survive, that's what you've been doing for seven years now. Only something is different today; the phone rings. It's been sitting on the desk since before you came here but has never once rang, yet today it is. Do you answer it? Are you hearing things and just hoping that it would finally ring and give some sign of an outside world? If you answer the phone, you hear a voice you thought you would never hear again. "Hey Lu," the voice that sounds suspiciously like your brother says. But your brother has been dead for seven years, it was impossible. Yet it sounds just like him. "Miss me?" He asks through the phone. "You're doing a good job of watching everyone, making sure they're safe. Why couldn't you do that for me? Why couldn't you protect me?" Then the line goes silent. No matter how hard you try, you can't make the voice come back. What just happened? Was that really your brother? Or are you finally starting to lose it?

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Adrien nods in understanding as he smiles at Muz.

"Well, if it's any consolation, you're not bringing me down."

He leans over to nudge Muz with his shoulder and a snicker.

"You'd have to be a major asshole to bring me down."

His head, this brain, this place. All things impossible to dodge. 'You're spot on, you know. Nowhere to dodge stuff here.’ He gives a wry smile. ‘Just-‘ he hesitates for a second then falls into a breath of a sigh as he looks out on the water, back at Adrien. ‘Crap. All kinds of crap.’ Muz makes a vague gesture to his head. ‘Don’t wanna bring anyone down. More than they are, anyway.’

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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?"

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Adrien laughs and pats Cherry back.

"Sounds fair. And thanks. So what's your type anyway?"

CHERRY'S EXPRESSION SCRUNCHES THE LONGER ADRIEN GOES ON . she tries to nod as she makes a mental list, but she has to blink as adrien groans . " what ? no !" cherry moves to put a hand on adrien's shoulder then, giving it a squeeze as she says, " you like what you like, okay ? nothin' cringe about that ." cherry nods decisively . " and if you want a nice, patient guy who looks like he gives good hugs i can look around for that for you ." a beat before she pats his shoulder to add a light, " m'not cuddling any of them to test that out though ." her grin is cheeky . " that's gonna be all you, okay ?"

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Lucas gives them a small smile.

"Neither do I. And I'd bet my stetson Stassi and Cam won't either. But it's still something to consider."

He cleans up the desk then looks back at them.

"Want me to walk you home?"

ELM CONSIDERS LUCAS FOR A LONG MOMENT THEN . their dark eyes bore into him until they're simply uttering an even, " ... i don't think that's a good idea ."

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Adrien hums, looking over the sketch.

"Yeah, it would be hard without a water screw. Though depending on the materials we can find, I could probably jerry-rig one?"

He immediately starts going through his mental catalogue of scraps already at the Chop Shop. There's not a lot that could work right now. Though maybe they can find more?

"Of course, we'd still need a safe place to put it that the monsters wouldn't get to."

"That's a really good idea," she said opening her note book and started writing those down. "I was thinking- and I could be wrong with the area, if we dig deep enough, we might hit water. Wouldn't recommend drinking it, but it could be used as a current to be a back up generator. Sadly that would require a waterscrew in my head, and a tank- so if you have a better idea I'm always ears," she said showing him the sketch.

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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.''

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Adrien kept working while El was quiet, thinking that the subject was basically done. Then he looks up at them to listen intently, noting how sure they seem in their words.

"Really? You wouldn't mind a roommate?"

He'd never had a roommate that wasn't family before. That's why he'd chosen the Colony House when he first arrived. Wanting a chance to meet new people.

But he's met new people now. Maybe, he's not cut out for a big house like that?

Ellington leans against the workbench, their hands loosely resting in their pockets as they watch Adrien work. They listen quietly, noting the way his words trail off and the subtle tension in his voice. Colony House clearly isn’t sitting right with him.

“I get that,” El says, their voice low but kind. “It’s not for everyone. Too many people in one place can mess with your head after a while.”

They glance toward the door for a moment, as if weighing their next words, then look back at Adrien. “I’ve got a place on the far side of town. Whole house to myself. Quiet, no one to bother you unless you want them to.” A small smile plays on their lips. “It’s nothing fancy, but it’s solid. And it’s got space.”

They lean a little closer, their tone soft but sincere. “If you’re feeling like Colony House isn’t cutting it, you’re welcome to crash with me. No pressure—just figured I’d throw it out there. It might be nice having someone around who’s not... you know, always in each other’s business.”

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@hcartcorruptcd

Lucas barges into Anastasia's office and slams down the now broken phone on her desk.

"I'm going to hunt every single one of those monsters down and beat them into jam with my bare hands."

He clenches his jaw and paces around the office. He's trying not to cry even though he can feel the sting of tears in his eyes.

"Those motherfuckers," he mutters. "Sadistic motherfuckers."

@patroclusblossom (lucas)

You're sitting in the sheriff's station like you do most days, you sure do take your job seriously. It feels like any other day, just make it through and survive, that's what you've been doing for seven years now. Only something is different today; the phone rings. It's been sitting on the desk since before you came here but has never once rang, yet today it is. Do you answer it? Are you hearing things and just hoping that it would finally ring and give some sign of an outside world? If you answer the phone, you hear a voice you thought you would never hear again. "Hey Lu," the voice that sounds suspiciously like your brother says. But your brother has been dead for seven years, it was impossible. Yet it sounds just like him. "Miss me?" He asks through the phone. "You're doing a good job of watching everyone, making sure they're safe. Why couldn't you do that for me? Why couldn't you protect me?" Then the line goes silent. No matter how hard you try, you can't make the voice come back. What just happened? Was that really your brother? Or are you finally starting to lose it?

[patroclusblossom]

Adrien hears the voice, though not the words. He stops and straightens up, squinting at the person.

"What? No, not a death wish. Just impatient and dumb."

He smiles and starts pushing as well.

"Yeah, I've seen you around. Sorry, I have introduced myself yet. Been busy with some projects. And with your help, this should be a breeze."

They carefully make their way down the street.

"Hope I didn't interrupt anything," he grunts as they push. "I appreciate the help but don't want to be annoying."

mira squinted against the midday sun as she ambled down the street, her arms crossed loosely over her chest. the oppressive quiet of this town was something she still couldn’t get used to, the eerie kind that made the sound of her boots on cracked asphalt seem too loud. she kicked at a small rock, watching it skid ahead, when the groan of effort caught her attention. up ahead, a guy — shirt sleeveless, face strained, clearly regretting his life choices — was trying to push a car. alone, at that. the sight almost made her laugh, but there was something about the sheer stubbornness in his posture that struck a chord. she recognized him, vaguely. one of the colony house faces she’d seen in passing. she considered walking by, minding her own business. but who was she kidding? mira wasn’t wired that way. even in this hellhole of a town, she couldn’t resist stepping in where she wasn’t needed. “hey!” she called out, picking up her pace. “you planning on pushing that thing all the way to the chop shop, or are you just working on your biceps for the apocalypse?” stopping a few feet away, she tilted her head, sizing him up with a smirk. “let me guess. nobody wanted to play mechanic’s assistant today, so you decided to be a one-man pit crew?” she rolled her shoulders, stepping closer. “looks like you’ve got a death wish or, i don’t know, something to prove.” without waiting for an invitation, she moved to the back of the car and placed her hands on the trunk, glancing over at him. “well? don’t just stand there. i’m not doing all the work.” she shot him a wry grin, her tone teasing but warm. “i’m mira, by the way. colony house, same as you. figured i’d introduce myself now, just in case you collapse halfway and i have to try carrying you back.”

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Lucas actually looks up to who he's talking to. He vaguely recognizes the face as someone semi-new. Seeing a child helps. Larry? Lauren?

Lucas stands. "Sorry. We just encourage people not to get too close to the woods. Sheriff Lucas Miranda."

He steps forward, offering his hand.

He glances over and smiles toward the kid playing.

Reaching out toward a plant, Lainn delicately brushed the tips of his fingers on his outstretched left hand against the stem, before moving it to glide along the leaves. Frowning a bit, he remembered what his classes told him about the type of tree in front of him. Before he plucks a leaf right off and moves to stand in on the quick succession of moves.

Glancing over, he could see his son, playing and brought the leaf up to his nose, sniffing it before absently twisting it between his fingers and turning to move away a bit, spotting someone a moment or so later. He quirked an eyebrow at the other's assumption that he was looking to hunt, taking note of it, he gave a nod of his head.

Lainn turned his head, keeping Tali in his view, who remained close to him still before saying, “Well, I don't really hunt.” Holding his hands out, he gives a lazy shrug at this, before continuing to toy with the leaf in his hands and going on, “Do you?” Lainn inquired before turning his head back away from the stranger, listening to Tali come closer as he explained the type of plant he was now holding. Lainn gave a nod of his head, commenting gently toward his son, “That's correct. It's a pretty cool find, Tali.”

As Tali grinned at Lainn's words, before he moved a little ways away once more, to look at more of the plants in the immediate area. Lainn looked toward the stranger again, then around the wooded area before them, “It's pretty, this place. This type of biome is great for all kinds of discovery. There's probably loads of strange bugs here.” Lainn commented offhandedly. He had always found swampland and the like to be almost mystical.

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