Lucas Watches Them For A Quiet Moment Then Nods.

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 ."

Lucas watches Muz as he thinks, smiling. He rarely gets to see the man so still.

Then he sighs.

"Yeah, that's something we're trying to figure out. Unfortunately, I don't have any answers right now, but I hope it's enough to know we're trying."

He puts a hand on Muz's shoulder and squeezes.

"Don't let it wear you down, Muz. I don't have your skills. Can't scavenge you."

Muz laughs softly, shaking his head as he stares at the gravel underfoot. 'Guess I owe you one now, huh? Better start scrounging.'

He takes a moment, letting the sunlight soak into his own skin, the warmth grounding him even as his thoughts wander. 'Alright. I’m wondering what’s gonna happen if another storm rolls in. Wondering if we’re built to handle it, or if we’re just... reacting. Like survival instincts only get you so far before they just wear you down.'

Adrien was chugging down some water when he'd stepped up next to the guy. Adrien's seen a lot of new faces, but even then, this guy looks even newer than himself.

"As far as I know," he replies. "Though, to be honest, I haven't really tried to leave."

He rubs the back of his neck. It's not that he wants to be trapped in town. It's more that even with the flesh eating monsters outside, he doesn't feel the urgent need to get out of town.

location: colony house

This was Gabriel's first full day in this town which happened to fall on Halloween. He had put bits and pieces together of where he was and it was no where close to New York City where he was trying to go. Someone also filled him in that it's impossible to try to leave so he was stuck. The house was having a big party to celebrate the holiday and even though he wasn't in the mood to dance yet, he stood by the side having a drink. ''Was the one who told me when I got here last night right..that there's really no way out of here? Not even a bus?

RAFAEL SILVA — Instagram (2024)

Lucas shuts the book so Cherry can't read his notes.

"Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts then? It would've been between 10:30–11."

Honestly, Lucas does have bigger fish to fry, but it's his job to help everyone feel safe. If someone is burglarizing other people, that will just make a bad situation worse.

He's not sure if Cherry is the actual culprit. She just has the most priors involving theft, and they did accuse her, so he has to be thorough.

CHERRY SIGHS AS SHE LEANS A HIP AGAINST THE DOORFRAME . her expression scrunches with it . " i mean, yeah, you prolly definitely got bigger fish to fry than me ." charlie would imagine so at least but what the hell does she know about being a cop ? all she's sure about is that someone will probably try to rope her into helping in some way today, and as reluctant as she usually was she knew she'd probably give in for at least a little bit . after all, they all got royally fucked by the storm . so when lucas shoots her an unimpressed look her expression only twists . " who the fuck said that ?" she moves as if to peer at his notebook . " i was workin' yesterday morning !"

— My cherry blossom, say you'll stay though the autumn. Ah, it's more courageous to overcome —

a dependant muse blog run by cayeman for fromoblitushq

muses:

– adrien ritchie: biography / visuals / threads / moods / tags

– lucas miranda: biography / visuals / threads / moods / tags

wanted connections

plots

Adrien gives a dramatic sigh, like he's so put upon by the lack of candy.

"Fine," he says, sounding like a petulant teenager. "So long as there's at least one good-looking guy I can drool over, that should be enough."

He snickers.

Then he listens closely to El's explanation. His mind wonders what causes people to come over? What is the deciding factor? Who is deciding?

He nods in agreement. "That's all we can really ask for now, isn't it?"

He gives El a small smile. Then it turns mischievous.

"Besides, if I wanted glamorous, I'd be asking for a different job. You've got grease on your face, you know?"

El’s mouth curves into a smirk, their usual mix of dry humor and good-natured sarcasm creeping in.

"Eye candy, huh? You got some high standards already. I’ll see what I can do—though if you’re lookin’ for real candy, you’re probably outta luck unless you’re into stale peppermints."

They adjust their position slightly, wincing but masking it quickly with a chuckle. "As for how I got here, uh - I was on my way home from a work trip and the rest is history as for how I got this thing... long story, but let’s just say I tried to play hero and ultimately became the victim." El taps their leg lightly, the gesture casual despite the damage. "Didn’t really walk away from it—more like crawled, kicked a few times, and cursed until someone dragged me outta there."

Their gaze shifts, catching Adrien’s briefly with a flicker of warmth. "You know, kid, the Chop Shop ain’t glamorous, but it’s honest work. Keep your hands busy, and your head’ll catch up eventually." They shrug. "It’s not a bad place to land, all things considered."

He's nursing a barely healed sprained ankle, his town is basically in shambles, his ex/friend is going through an emotional collapse and trying to hide it, his friends are struggling to lead this town of scared people, and all Lucas wants to do is curl up onto his bed and cry. So...

"As good as can be expected," he says, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible. "Lots of things to do and people to help. How about you? How's the non-dead side of the infirmary?"

"right," carrying out the syllables a little too long, erin sent lucas a grin and tightened her grip on the rather large branch. on three, she pulled and kept pulling until it was back out of the way where it needed to be. dropping it onto the rather large pile of branches and debris from the storm, she sighed and wiped her hands on her worn jeans. "how are you holding up?" she normally wasn't one to make conversation but it seemed right to ask him now that he had helped her.

Lucas slumps into the chair, a frustrated growl escaping him.

"Fuck, Becca! I can't just... fuck!"

He puts his face in his hands and tries not to cry from his frustration. So many people could be out there; Jim, Ana, Rae, even people who don't know about the creatures. Newcomers wander in all the time. Not in as big as a group as recently but still.

"Will it at least be okay in the morning? If the storm let's up by then, I have to be able to help."

she knows he's eager to leave and lets him stand, holding her hands out for support. but as quickly as he stood, he's back in the seat again. "well, that proves it. a sprain like that- if not properly healed- will weaken your ankle, forever." becca didn't like having to be dramatic with patients, but sometimes people just don't want to accept the severity without it.

"a job you can't do right now, and if you try to push through it, you won't be able to do it right ever again." she almost wants to push him over and make sure he stays seated for good, but keeps her hands out anyway when it looks like he wants to try again. "just sit your ass down, lucas. don't be an idiot."

Lucas quietly snorts.

"I'd prefer less existential conversation. I can save that until night time."

He puts his coffee cup down, then stretches out long from the bench, legs out, ass barely hanging on the edge, and head back with his hands laced behind it.

"Nothing like it," he echoes. "So what made you actually sit somewhere longer than five minutes?"

'Got your back, man. Ten minutes to sundown I'll give you a poke in the rib.' Muz leans back, crossing his arms and shoots Lucas a lazy grin. 'Just enough time to get into some deep, existential conversation going before the monsters come out, yeah?' There's a certain comfort in this—the quiet, Lucas’s half-asleep presence next to him, and understanding between them that they didn’t have to say too much, just something. 'Nothing like a power nap with a sunset alarm.'