Finally. It Had Been A Long Day. Survive The Storm And Night, Get The Run Down Of The Town, Meet El,

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."

Adrien chuckles.

"Trust me, I've seen messier. My cousin Mack threw a party in the barn when Aunt Kay and Uncle Don were out of town. Looked like a tornado of bulls went through it."

If it's El's, then it's probably best he doesn't touch it without talking to them first. Instead, he starts helping Noah clean.

"I mean besides the murderous monsters that come out at night, it's not so bad here," Adrien says. "I'm meeting some cool people I never would've back home."

Noah nodded slowly when Adrien said El had sent him to check on things. That made sense. “Cool! Yeah, things are… messy.” He gestured to the mess of the garage. He had tried to pick up the mess as best he could, anyway. “But it’s getting there.”

He turned to look at the car on the lift that caught Adrien’s attention. “I’m sure that’s El. I’m not sure, though. It’s not mine, that’s all I know.” He wasn’t the most detail oriented, unless it was something he was directly in charge of.

“How are you finding it here so far?”

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."

𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐘 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐄

cobra kai season six episode one.

Lucas listens intently, making sure Elm knows he's really listening to her, giving her space to talk about anything.

He quirks an eye up. If she felt the need to mention it, then it must be something to consider important.

"What was notable about the tree?"

ELM TAKES A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT IT . " i was with bruna in the community kitchen ." elm shrugs . " we were doing chores together to keep busy during the storm ." a beat before elm admits, " i don't remember why i left . i don't remember leaving ... but i know they were there ." they wrap their fingers around their laces again and again, eyes on the motion before, " after that i woke up in the forest and walked back . my shoes were gone ." a pause before they tilt their head, meet lucas' eyes and add, " ... i remember a tree ."

Lucas laughs.

"Well, I'm glad I could keep that unique brain of yours from eating itself."

He nudges Muz with a shoulder.

"I don't know if I've got any good chat today. Too busy running around, making sure we don't fall apart here. Though I guess falling apart helps your job a bit, doesn't it?"

His tone isn't judgmental, more amused by the thought.

'Guess I’m growing roots. Whole five minutes of stillness. New record, I think.' He pauses, glancing at Lucas, the glint in his eyes settles into something quieter. 'Honestly? Got sick of my own company today. Felt like if I sat alone one more minute, my brain’d start eating itself.' He tilts his head, a grin breaking the seriousness before it can linger. 'And I know you've got good chat.'

RAFAEL SILVA — via Instagram (2024)

Task 002

Adrien lives in the colony house, so he doesn't have a set room or space necessarily. He roams around the house, enjoying the space as well as the company it allows him.

While he's impressed by what's already there, he does like to add his own touches here and there. Taking scraps from jobs at the Chop Shop that just weren't worth saving for practical use. Now, he brings them to the house to find new life as decoration or weird new purpose.

He also tends to just leave little things, particularly tools, behind as he works. Almost like a bread crumb trail of where he's been semi-recently. Sometimes, he'll even leave something behind because he'd set it down to pick up a different thing he'd left behind earlier.

He also tries to add some of his old farmhouse home to the areas of the house. He fixes or refurbishes things in the style he's familiar with, hoping it makes everything feel homey to everyone, not just him.

"With a lot of practice," Adrien says. Then adds, "Unfortunately."

He unconsciously matches her tapping fingers with his own on his knees.

"I know it sounds a little naive, but trust me, it's taken a lot of experience to think like that. Experience I wish I didn't have."

Catie stares at him. Free? She lets out a short, hard laugh, but it fades quickly as she considers the honesty behind what he’s saying. 'So, that’s it?' she asks. Her fingers drum against the plastic cup, her mind racing against a wall she’s only just realising might never come down.

She looks away, biting the inside of her cheek. The idea that everyone here had already gone through these thoughts, that they’d all made peace with something that to her felt like an endless cage—it’s unsettling. 'I don't know how you do that,' she mutters finally, almost to herself.

where: town streets | when: midday | whom: open to all

Adrien groans as he slowly pushes the car down the street towards the Chop Shop.

He'd found this while doing a scavenging run with Muz yesterday, just to see what it's like. Everyone he'd talked to was busy today, so he'd worn his tank top, jeans, and sturdy boots today, got the car into neutral, and was slowly pushing it through town.

It had been fine for the first five minutes or so, but now he's mentally kicking himself for not just being patient and waiting for people to help him.