Where: Edge Of The Woods | When: Day Time | Whom: Open To All

Lucas looks up from the list he'd been writing out of things to do after the storm ends. If it even ends.

He shakes his head at his deputy.

"Sorry. No smokes for me. As for options, it looks pretty slim pickings right now."

He gestures over the bar to where there's notably no one working right now.

open to all. location: motel bar

A job of a deputy included a lot of risks, more than he'd ever imagined outside of Oz. But the blood stained uniform covered in heavy rain, leaving a trail of water behind him as he approached the Motel bar, was enough to showcase just how done he'd been with all the risk taking for one night. He was not fucking paid for this, or trained for this, and being outside right now? Running blind? It was nothing short of a death wish. "What we havin'?" question is directed to his right and he'll take out a pack of cigarettes now fully soaked through. "Fuck...you got a smoke? Preferably dry?"

where: Chop Shop Mechanics when: the days after the storm open starter

Adrien opens the garage door for Chop Shop Mechanics. It's technically his first day, but he figured it's better to take some initiative. Especially after the storm.

He jumps when he sees someone standing on the other side of the now open garage door.

"Shit! Sorry. Wasn't expecting someone there."

He wipes his hands on his jeans, putting on a smile.

"Hi, I'm Adrien. New in town."

Lucas enters, seeing Rae covering a body. The brief look Lucas gets tells him it's not Kina. Which probably means Rae already did her.

"Hope I didn't interrupt," Lucas says gently, shutting the door behind him. "I just had to check in on you."

He steps closer, placing a hand on Rae's back between his shoulder blades. A touch he hasn't done often since they broke it off years ago. It's too intimate for friends after what they tried to be.

But this moment? This moment requires intimacy.

"How are you?"

he should’ve been working, another victim waited for him on the table. instead he sat on the stool & stared blankly at the autopsy notes before him. the knock at the door caught him off guard, the voice less so.

he contemplated telling luc to leave him alone, but knew well enough that he wouldn’t listen. “come in,” rae emotionlessly called back as he got up to cover the occupant of the table — a stranger this time.

Lucas sighs. He'd gotten held up at the station, but he can only blame himself.

"I know, I just... maybe some company isn't a bad idea?"

He pulls a chair up and slumps into it with a huff.

"How was your day? Liking any of the new people?"

open to all. community kitchen.

She staid behind after dinner, wrapping up the dishes, sorting the rations. The place was getting dark and it won't be long before sun set into another night. Another living nightmare. -- Bruna smoked her joint, not bothering to air out the small room in the back as she settled into a cozy chair made out of old leather car seat and cracked open a book. "No food, dinner was wrapped an hour ago -- you should get home it'll get dark soon." she doesn't look up, and her tone is as monotone as it can get. "You could stay here and keep me company if you want but, I am not in my 'fun' mood today so I'd advise against it."

Adrien chuckles but also leans back so he's not aggressively in Charlie's face.

"I guess I just... I don't know." Adrien focuses back on taking the phone apart. "It's just easier to look on the bright side during the day. I mean, I always wanted to leave my home, but also the economy out there sucks. So I guess this place is an okay middle ground? At least for the time being."

He also found quiet empty rooms in the colony house to cry in at night but he's not going to admit that to a potential new friend yet.

"yeah, i'm pretty sure half the town is in love with them which is totally valid. they're great," she said with a chuckle. to his excitement, charlie's eyes widen in surprise for a second before settling back to easy going. "yeah, totally, anything to make it through the nights," she smiled. "you seem to be taking all of this really well, i need to know your secret."

— Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

Adrien shrugs it off.

"You're probably the least scariest thing I've seen in the past 24 hours."

He steps aside and let's the woman — Erin — in.

"So how can I help you, Miss Erin? I'm not fully trained in where everything is yet, but I do know how to fix things."

He moves to a desk and tries to look all official, even with his ear-to-ear grin.

seeing someone she doesn't immediately recognize sets her on edge. maybe because of the storm, or because it just spells newcomer - neither of which she's particularly thrilled about. more people meant more people to potentially loose to them. so her face isn't exactly one of cheer when he answers the door for her; instead, its probably the exact opposite, stuck in some kind of look of sympathy and pained. "sorry for scaring you," her voice is quiet, as it is most often, and remains sympathetic to his plight. she was plenty scared her first days here too... doesn't like to think of it. "i'm erin."

Lucas is out for a morning run. It's one thing that he actually likes about this place: a decent running trail and scenery. And just after sunrise is the perfect time to start, and just let the day warm up with him.

He's going steady and managing not to gasp for air when he finds Adam lying by the lake. He pauses to take him in.

"Kinda early to be drinking, don't you think?" Hhe asks walking over to the deputy.

He doesn't know what to make of the man. He seems like a decent guy, but something in Lucas's gut tells him to be wary of the man. Which is a hard thing to feel in this town.

open to all location: near the lake

He's done his best, burying the bodies, checking in on people, making sure everyone new had settled in. And now, well, even in the real world cops got a day off, didn't they? So he woke up early, just as the dawn had cleared the night sky he walked down to the lake with nothing but a towel, a bottle of cheap wine he found in an abandoned new car, and a lollypop he looted of a very unfortunate priest he had to dig six feet for. It was a fair exchange for his efforts, he thought. As the sun got warmer and his shades painted the tall grass a nice golden colour, he began to somewhat relax -- alcohol calming his nerves as he tried to process everything that went down. It's then he noticed someone walking through the run down pathway. "The water's still cold." he points out. "I got somethin' to make it warmer though..." lifting up the bottle, it's the only invitation he could offer.

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.