《 ★ Adrien Ritchie ★ 》 - Blog Posts

"I mean, you haven't been dragged off by the sheriff's, so I'd say you're killing it."

He snickers, then his face turns to a determined grin.

"Oh, you're so on."

He walks over and prepares his side. He's only done this once or twice, and he's pretty sure he lost. Though the amount he and his opponents threw up, maybe they all lost.

"So is it like this every year?"

El barely has time to process the flash of movement before Adrien’s arms are wrapped around them in a warm, enthusiastic hug. They blink, momentarily surprised, but then a broad smile takes over their face as they settle into the embrace, giving Adrien a firm squeeze in return.

“Oh yeah?” El chuckles, a playful glint in their eyes as they pull back slightly, taking in Adrien's costume with a look of approval. “Guess I made it hard to track down the towns newest cowboy, huh?” They give their cowboy hat a small tilt, a grin tugging at the corner of their lips. “Good to see you too, Adrien.”

El slaps Adrien lightly on the back, nodding toward the game of beer pong. “Whoever loses has to repair what people break tonight” Ellington challenges him with a grin.

Adrien sighs.

"Oh, the bathtub scene. Honestly, it's probably the tamer thing he does in the movie."

He studies her over again, then points to the hair tie in her hair.

"If you took that out, you could pass for Casual Raven from Teen Titans."

Then he looks around to look at the dance floor.

"Wanna dance? I was just about to jump back in for a bit."

"ooh okay, yeah i can see it!" charlie said with a laugh. "never watched it. i heard about the bathtub scene and decided it was best to stay away from it." her roommate loved it but it didn't sound like something charlie would like. "oh, i'm not dressed up," she looks down at her outfit of barrowed colony house clothes. it wasn't what she would normally wear to a party, but she had to make due. "i wasn't really sure what the vibe was but now i wish i did."

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?”

Adrien laughs and nods in agreement.

"Your ass definitely looks good and you're rocking it."

He even salutes her before bursting into giggles.

"Yeah, it seems like it's hard to cobble together even basic costumes. I'm honestly surprised they even bother with the dress up part."

THE DESCRIPTION HAS CHERRY STARING FOR A BEAT OR TWO . " wow . okay ." cherry has to shake her head as if to clear it, her hands on her hips as she squints at him in disbelief . " the fuck ?" but before they can get further into it cherry is waving a hand dismissively as she says, " you know what ? the bullshit hollywood is doin' doesn't matter, i am a fuckin' soldier, thank you for askin' ." cherry gestures to her camo shorts with a pleased nod . " mostly because it was quick and easy and my ass looks good in these shorts ." she shrugs before adding, " i wanted to be a hooters girl but i couldn't find a lotta orange to be honest ."

where: colony house when: Halloween night whom: @rampents Catie

Adrien stumbles out of a bathroom, shaking his hands to finish drying them. He's having way too much fun for what everyone seems to think Oblitus should be.

He's about to head back to the dance floor when he notices someone chilling on the floor, not really paying attention to her surroundings.

Not one to let someone stay alone for too long, Adrien runs then slides on his knees, stopping right in front of her.

"Hey, there, I'm Adrien. Want some company?"

where: colony house when: Halloween night whom: @rampents Muz

Adrien jumps in time with the music, practically screaming out the lyrics. He's part of a small group that is just rocking it to the song. He's staying on the edge because of his wings, but he's grinning like he's in the middle of it all.

They calm down for a bridge in the song, and Adrien looks around. He stops when he sees Muz nearby and waves him over.

Adrien hums, his smile turning to a pout as he realizes that yes, he's also going to miss movies, especially new ones.

But he shakes it off.

"I mean, it's fine. Rich guy takes poor guy to his mansion for the summer, poor guy schemes to get the family's money, people end up dying. Poor guy eats a girl out while she's on her period and slurps up cummy water from rich guy's bath. I personally would've preferred more guy-on-guy action, but it's not bad."

He gets his water and chugs half of it down.

"So, what are you supposed to be?"

He looks Cherry up and down, trying to figure it out.

ANOTHER BLINK . she's shaking her head even as her smile doesn't waver, amused as she brings her drink back to her lips to say, " i've got no idea what you're talkin' about to be honest ." she says brightly before she's gesturing to him with her drink . " but hey, sounds fun !" she shrugs before she admits, " kinda fuckin' miss the movies to be fair ." she brings her drink to her lips again, not even wincing at the taste of the moonshine but welcoming the burn of it down her throat before she's licking her lips and adding, " it any good ? like, what happens ?"

Adrien looks at her and laughs.

"Close enough, I suppose," he says. "I'm going for that guy in Saltburn? But forest fairy might be sexier."

He snickers and shimmies to shake the wings.

"How about you?"

He looks her up and down, studying her outfit to see if he can put together what she is.

closed event starter @patroclusblossom

adrien seemed like he was having a good time, she's not sure she's ever seen someone so in the element since well- herself at parties back home. at first, she thought it was a little strange how happy he seemed, but now? maybe he has a point. fake it till you make it. he reminded her a lot of some of her friends back home. "i like the wings," she said over the music. "are you a forest fairy?"

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?

Adrien giggles.

"Maybe. You ever heard of Saltburn?"

He can't really know if Cherry has been here as long as him or way longer. He can accept that not everyone is going to understand, so making up what he is is alright.

"It's a movie, and there's a hot guy that wears angel wings for a party. Figures I could make a version of it for tonight."

SHE HAS TO BLINK IN SURPRISE AT THE INTRODUCTION, thrown off for just a minute before she's smiling back in amusement . " hi, adrien !" the greeting is slightly more enthusiastic considering the amount of liquor she's consumed in the small amount of time she's been here but that's neither here nor there . she leans in to offer him her hand to shake . " i'm cherry !" she blinks at him then, looking him over in amusement before she pokes at one of his wings . " you're a — what ? an angel ?"

where: colony house when: Halloween night, early evening whom: open

Adrien dances in the middle of the designated dance floor, probably having the best night of his life. The music plays from records or CD that are constantly rotating. Not a lot of recent music, but it still is fun to dance to.

His "wings" force a small circle around him, which does bum him out a bit, but he takes it in stride, keeping his dancing small but still fun.

That doesn't stop him from accidentally bumping into someone, though. He whirls around to face them.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry."

where: colony house when: Halloween Night whom: @purgatored Cherry

Adrien stumbles up to what he assumes is the bar for the evening. He hasn't had a drop of liquor yet, having too much fun just being at a party.

He asks for water, then turns to someone else standing here.

"Hey," he greets, smile wide and excited. "I'm Adrien. Who are you?"

where: colony house when: Halloween night whom: @fromsaudades Maude

Adrien sits on a staircase and watches the dancing room through the arch. He'd needed a quick breather and to wipe the sweat from his face. He understands why they can't just open a window but fuck! It's hard not to just step outside real fast to cool off.

He notices someone kind of standing off to the side, watching the dancing as well. He stands and walks over.

"Hey, I'm Adrien. I don't think we've properly met yet."

He holds out a hand and smiles.

where: colony house when: Halloween night whom: @hcartcorruptcd El

Adrien moves through the house, taking a break from dancing to find people he knows.

He's spotted and chatted with a few but there's one in particular...

There they are.

He grins and runs up to El. He throws his arms around them in a huge hug.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," he says excitedly.

Adrien tried for Jacob Elordi in Saltburn, but he used his skill to make a harness in the Chop Shop and then attach some branches on it for the wings.

Happy Halloween, Oblitus!

Don't open the doors.

plots

The Storm

Halloween

Adrien sets the wrapped tech aside and stands.

"I mean, I'm not an expert, but I know how to handle them. I'm sure it's easy."

He wipes his hands on his jeans and follows Cam.

"Where to first?" he asks with a grin.

"that's good, stick by them and you'll be set in this place." el was always the best at getting new comers settled in. she understood why they would rather work in the shop than be a welcomer but they were the great at it.

"well, you never know, you could get it working and if we find the other one, it could be useful around here." she liked adrien's attitude, he always seemed to look in the bright side of things. they needed people like that around here. "how good are you with a hammer and saw? want to help me board up a couple windows? a couple cracked in the storm and i gotta get them patched up."

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."

"El's really cool. They're teaching me shit I didn't even know about out there."

Adrien turns his focus back to his project, though he keeps up with the conversation easily.

"Just something, Muz or Mara found. Figured I'd see if I could make it work before we stripped it for parts."

He looks up. "Anything I can help with? This is just fun stuff I can do any time."

He places the pieces on the bandana he'd found and wraps them up.

"that's good, there are some cool people here, and you picked one of the better jobs. i'm sure el has you working hard," she says with a smile. "you seem to be taking things pretty well." she liked how adrien always seemed so positive about things. it was refreshing in a place like this. they needed more people like that. "i'm okay, got a long list of things i need to work on around here but wanted to check in with you. i know it can be a lot these first few weeks." cam looks down at the walkie talkie he was messing with. "what'cha doing with that? haven't seen one of those in awhile."

Adrien's sitting in one of the communal rooms, messing with an old walkie-talkie he found in one of Muz's scavenger piles. It looks military grade. Well, from a couple of decades ago. He figured it could be a fun challenge. Though it's probably useless without another one.

He looks up and smiles up at Cameron.

"Hey! Yeah, I'm doing great. I started at the Chop Shop, met some pretty cool people, and I think I've got the lay of the town. How are you?"

closed starter @patroclusblossom where: in colony house

cameron liked to make it a habit to keep checking in with the new comers, just to make sure they were settling in okay and not totally freaking out. not that she would blame them. so when she sees adrien around the house, she decides to stop and see how he was doing. he always seemed so happy but she was sure that was just a front. "hey adrien, how's it going?" she asks with a smile. "settling in okay?"

"Oh yeah. The tractors, the irrigation system, the heating, the A/C, the oven, the TV."

He straightens up, holding a metal panel. He examines it, wondering what it could be used for.

"I also worked at a T-Mobile store for a summer, so I learned a lot about cell phones, tablets, and smart watches."

He purses his lips, then shrugs and drops the panel back into the pile. He looks over at Muz and smiles again.

So the quote on quote joke didn't seem to land. Muz narrowly avoids disappointment, thinking he had been making good attempts at friendliness there. 'A farm?' he asks, tone a little more enthusiastic. He watches Adrien fiddle through that pile. 'You worked on the tractors and that there?'

This is going well. At least, Adrien thinks it is. She hasn't indicated she doesn't like him, so that's a start.

"Tea sounds great, thanks."

He sits across from her, wiping the nervous sweat from his hands on his jeans.

He'd never really had any tea before, but when in Rome or however that goes.

"No, I know. I figured we wouldn't be here at all if you could."

He wiggles in his seat, trying how to best explain what he's thinking.

"So I grew up in a small town with small-minded people. I guess I'm just hoping to learn new things. Even if they're unusual or other people don't like it."

"Straightforward works," she finally says, her voice soft but firm, carrying that smooth cadence that makes everything sound deliberate. "Better than playing games, anyway. I can work with honest."

She crosses her arms loosely, tilting her head as he talks about the rumors circulating around her—potions, tarot cards, and all the rest. The mention of fear doesn’t seem to surprise her, nor does the suggestion that others respect her. Raina knows how stories travel, how reputations morph in this strange town.

"Ah, the usual, then," she says lightly, with a shrug that makes it seem like she’s heard it all before. "People love to be afraid of what they don’t understand. And if that fear keeps them at a respectful distance..." She lets the thought hang, the smile curling just a little sharper. "Well, I won’t lose any sleep over it."

Her smile turns playful but knowing, as if she’s fully aware of how strange and intimidating this place must feel to him but finds some quiet humor in watching him navigate it. When she turns back to him, there’s an ease in her gaze—not an invitation exactly, but not a dismissal either.

"Tea?" she offers, as if that’s the most natural thing to ask after such a conversation bringing the kettle to her table with two mugs. Raina motions for him to take a seat, "What do you need a witch for? I can't wave my hands and you'll be free, if that's what you think."

"That's awesome. Glad to hear my new boss is also a good person."

He snickers. Then his head snaps up.

"Really? I'm there too! We totally need to hang out or something after dark."

"yeah, i guess when everything is so scares and random, gotta make use of everything," charlie said with a shrug as she looked around the shop. she was still trying to take everything in around here, it was interesting how everyone did their part and it all seemed to work, at least for the most part. "that sounds like them," she said with a smile. "they kinda saved me on my first night here and let me crash in their house." that night was still a blur but she was glad it was el that let them in. "you can say that again, this place is fucking crazy. still trying to wrap my head around it all." she's not sure if she ever will. "i'm up at colony house, what about you?"

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?”

"Wow, ten years?" Adrien doesn't even look up from his work as he continues talking. "I thought not really leaving my hometown for that long was bad. But this place?"

He let's out a stream of air in sympathy. He strips off the covering so he can get to more of the wiring.

"I mean, I've got the important bits: monsters that eat people, can't leave town, stay indoors once the sun sets. It's all very Twilight Zone. I guess I'm curious what all you guys do in the meantime? Gardening, scavenging, cooking, healing, that's all good, but that's survival, not living."

she'd forgotten how newcomers could be; so eager to learn and ask questions. its one of the reasons why she never took up a leadership position with the council; erin didn't think that she could keep herself impartial if she got too close to every newcomer. a lot of people didn't make it, she didn't want to sign up for the pain fest it would be when they inevitably died. she hoped that he wouldn't though, that he would somehow break the cycle. she stalls for time, looking around the shop and tinkering with things in the office here and there. "ten years," she replies easily enough, but if you were to know her then you'd notice strain in her voice as she says it. clearing her throat, she continues. "what do you want to know?" better to figure out what he already knows and then go from there.

Adrien worries he said something wrong. Do El and this Muz guy not like each other?

"They just said you'd be around the shop a lot. You, them, Noah, some other people I think?"

He shrugs but nods at Muz's descriptions.

"Trust me, I'm not a glamorous type of guy. Grew up on a farm. And nothing is really junk. It just takes the right equipment to make some stuff more useful."

He starts to pick through a nearby pile, just to see what's in it.

'El did? Chatty bastard, spreading my name round like that.' That's a joke. He's not sure how but it tumbles clumsily from his brain to tongue and twists into a hard tone he doesn't quite mean. To compensate, Muz punctuates with a loose smile. 'Tell them I want a word.' He scratches the back of his neck, letting out a dry laugh as he then considers the question. 'Scavenger?' he mutters, like he's trying out the word for the first time. 'S'Not glamorous, that’s for sure,' he says. 'More like… picking through what everyone's left behind. Sometimes you find something worth keeping. Most times, it’s just junk, like old bolts or busted pieces of metal that won’t do anyone any good. I uh, I drop a lot stuff in here, to be fair. I think we'll see each other a bit.'

Adrien's smile twitches but stays in place. Honestly, he'd rather save the crying for at night when people are less likely to hear him.

The silence is awkward, but Adrien doesn't break it. If he's learned anything from the past few days is everyone here has their idiosyncrasies and just let them be themselves until they come back.

Adrien shakes his hand.

"Thanks. Muz? El mentioned you. You're one of the scavengers, right? What's that like?"

He walks further into the shop, looking around, eyes wide in excitement.

'New?' Muz asks. 'Bit smiley for new...You're working in here?' There was a beat of silence as Muz held Adrien’s gaze, letting his standoffish response to a simple introduction settle. Then, as if shrugging off a heavy thought, he jerks his head toward the row of beat-up cars and sighed, 'Well, you’re here now.' He gives Adrien a half-smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. 'Welcome shop, kid.' He moves forward a few steps, hand out. 'Muz.'

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?”

where: raina's house when: midday whom: @hcartcorruptcd Raina

Adrien double checks the house number he'd written on his hand. That's the one. He thinks... it's kind of smudged, but he's sure it's right.

He squares his shoulders and marches up to the house. It's midday, so he has plenty of time to introduce himself before he has to hurry back to the colony house.

He takes a deep breath and then knocks on the door in what he hopes is a confident (though not threatening) type of way.

Soon, the door opens and he grins at the woman.

"Hi. I'm Adrien. I hear you're a witch."

Adrien sees the frayed cord and immediately jumps up excited.

"Oh, that's easy. Give me like twenty minutes. Take a seat."

He takes the fan from her, setting it on the desk, and then immediately begins to rummage for the tools he needs. He hums quietly until he has everything in his hands. Settling in at the desk, he starts to work.

"So how long you been here? What can you tell me about it?"

His gaze stays focused on the wires as he asks the questions.

a nostalgic sort of smile curls her lips up and she's reminded of something that she'd rather not be - the innocence of her son - before she shoves the thoughts away with a fierce push. "i have a fan that won't work anymore." she explains, holding the tiny electrical fan up. "it plugs into the wall but the chord recently has frayed..." she shows him the end that is obviously frayed. "sucker has been with me the entirety of my ten years here and i need it to last a few more, especially because i use it in the summer at the infirmary for people with heat sickness." looking hopeful, she sets the fan down in front of him. "think you can work some magic?"