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#The Saltiest Pepper in All of Ever - Lewis Pepper
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@theforgottenpepper this is u
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Tags Part 1!
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Case: Grim Tideings
It was barely light out, the world still in overcast shades of grey, like it would be until the sun actually peeked it’s way beyond the horizon and brought with it the dazzling array of sunrise hues. But the trip required them be prepped for a long drive before the crack of dawn, to get there at a decent hour. 
Arthur tossed the last duffel in the back of the van, using a foot to nudge it more securely beneath the metal shelving on the tech side of the van. There was no need to risk some magical doodad getting inside by accident and mucking things up later on during the case, so it was best to keep their stuff as far from that shelf as possible. He wiped his hands on his pants and looked back to Vivi, standing just out the back where she’d been passing him what needed to be packed.
At her nod, Arthur brushed back his hair. “Alright. Guess you can let the big guy know we’re ready to head out.” Vivi shot him a thumbs up, before vanishing, and he hopped out in her now vacant space, leaving the doors open.Mystery came trotting down the apartment steps with a cooler handle between his jaws, and Arthur chuckled before helping get it inside the van as well; of course one of those two would want to bring some kind of snack for the road.
By the time the cooler had been skillfully shoved into a vacant space by the shelf, Vivi had returned Lewis floating right behind her as if on a tether to her bouncy gait, with a content look on his face. It faded on seeing Arthur and he felt his chest wilt, but kept the smile on his face. “Are we all set?”
“Yep!” Vivi chirped, Opening the passenger door.
“As we’ll ever be.” 
Arthur nodded at Lewis’s addition, flat and miffed in tone as he stared at him. He rocked on the balls of his feet, nervous energy needing to be expelled in some way. “Uh...hop in, I guess...? I can take the first driving shift.”
“No.” Lewis’s arms crossed, and his voice left no room for argument. “You haven’t slept. Don’t think I didn’t notice. You’re not driving. Besides. I’m dead. I don’t need to sleep.”
The way he said dead held no malice, but Arthur flinched at it regardless. He hunched in a little on himself and nodded in mute resignation, fishing the key-ring from his pocket and passing it to Lewis with a solitary jingle. 
It was accepted with an equally silent nod, and a gaze so intent Arthur was sure it was meant to pass right through him. When Lewis gestured at the back, Arthur crawled in, almost grateful to be away from the tension. He was followed by a clatter of claw tips and rustle of fur, before Lewis closed the door behind him. 
He made his way to the mattress in the back and sat there for a moment, watching Lewis slide into his place in the driver’s seat, watching as Vivi switched the radio to their favorite channel and the two of them began to hum just under their breath. He stared just a few moments longer before dropping himself onto the mattress on his face, before turning to lay on his side. 
Mystery immediately took a place in front of his face, slow enough Arthur had time to react so there would be no panic, and Arthur smiled at him, only the eye not on the pillow open. He ruffled at Mystery’s hair with his real hand. after a brief hesitation. Then the prosthetic was removed, his arm curled around Mystery’s neck, and he let out a subdued sigh into his foreshank. 
Mystery licked at his hair a moment, feeling the wet scrape of his tongue, and the way his spiky hair stuck together. He chuckled and fixed it a little, before closing his eyes.
Lewis was right. He really needed to get some rest. He’d hate to let exhaustion take away what little usefulness he might have when they got to the lake.
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He sounded so despondent that she knew he meant it, but she still couldn't let it drop just yet. "I know it's hard, Lewis. But you aren't the only one this is hard for-- we're all still adjusting to things we've learned and coming to terms with it all. And-- just because you don't want to hurt Arthur doesn't mean you can't anymore. You know how he can be-- how hard on himself he gets. It's worse than it's ever been....” 
“I know, I know.” Lewis sighed again, great shoulders heaving. “That’s why I’m trying. The only time I manage to succeed is when he’s not in front of me, but if I talk to him, I fail, and if I ignore him so I don’t hurt him with what I say, it makes things worse.
“I can’t win, Vivi. I know it’s hard for him- it’s probably worse because he didn’t do what I remember, and now he has to deal with this- but I’m dead. And I went a long time thinking one thing. I know it hurts him, but I don’t know how not to right now. I’m a monster, a wraith....I don’t know how to be anything less than angry.”
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Case: Grim Tideings
The air was chilly when they arrived and opened the doors. It was chilly even compared to the AC that had been blasting inside, and Vivi shivered when she hopped out of the van. “Jeez, it’s pretty frigid. I thought the water was just gonna be cold. Glad we brought jackets!” 
Arthur had been dozing in the back, and woke up spitting out a face-full of fur. “Ack pttt- Mystery- geroff meh.” He grumbled a little, thankful when he responded with a soft woof and complied. He was sticky with sweat from being covered back in a warm, fluffy body, and he tugged at his shirt to stop it from plastering to his skin. 
A bad feeling crawled over his skin, but Arthur ignored it. Instead, he enjoyed the cool air on his skin when he hopped out, so he didn’t bother grabbing anything extra to wear. Instead, he pulled out the cooler and one of the duffel-bags, the one with some of their gear. 
“Lunch first sounds like a capital idea.” Mystery’s tail wagged as Arthur undid the cooler latches. Arthur nodded in kind.
“I-I figure food would be good. We can look at stuff on the computer first before we get started checking the area out.” 
Arthur smiled and tossed him a baggy of chicken bites. He handed Vivi a saran-wrapped sandwich and took one for himself. Vivi had made them before the trip, so of course it’d be delicious. 
Lewis was still quiet. He crossed his arms and floated a small distance from the van, to look out over the lake. He stared off with a hum, and while Arthur seemed to tense a little at how serious he looked, he said nothing of it. 
“So what exactly do we know about this case?” Arthur asked, once they’d all been settled. 
Vivi squirmed in the back, wriggling inside. She returned to sitting holding a book. “Not too much. The thing with the lake is it stays chilly all year long. Like winter cold.” She gestured outside, and Arthur nodded; snow frosted the ground in a winter blanket, despite the July weather back home. Icicles hung from the branches of the trees like stalactites, and a brisk breeze blew at long-dead branches. “No one is sure what’s causing it.”
“But it’s obviously not something natural.” Arthur finished, and she nodded in response. He brushed fingers through his hair with a sigh. “Well, that’s something to go off, I guess.”
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Vivi waited several long minutes into the drive until she was sure Arthur was asleep before she spoke. "You *could* at least attempt to sound like you care when you say things like that to him, instead of just angry. He's *trying* Lewis, you could stand to try too."
Lewis didn’t answer her for a moment, still focusing on the radio and the tune spilling out until it was over and they were thrown into silence. Vivi had her arms crossed, clearly waiting for an response of some kind, and when commercials began to sound, he turned down the volume before addressing her.
“I am trying.” He said, keeping his eyes on the road. “I wanted to make sure he slept after last night. Because he needs to rest sometime before he hurts himself. I just- things keep coming out wrong. When I talk to him. I don’t want them to, but they do. And I don’t know how to apologize for it.”
He rolled his shoulders and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “I’m not trying to make excuses. But I am. I was angry for so long, Vi. And I was wrong. I know I was. But there’s still this….”
“Rage?”
Lewis nodded in thanks at the supplied answer. “…Yes. I’m not mad at him anymore. I wouldn’t hurt him. But his face- I still haven’t figured out how to- to talk to him like he’s a friend again. But I am trying. I don’t want this to be how things are forever.”
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Vivi made a half-hearted effort to sing along-- she loved this song. Somewhere from the back of her mind a memory, foggy and uncertain, dredged itself up-- her voice and Lewis' singing together, sounding carefree. She thought maybe she remembered Arthur's voice as well, almost drowned out between them, but she wasn't sure. Either way, she didn't feel like singing anymore all of a sudden. She turned up the radio a bit more and pored resolutely over her notes for the case.
Lewis had to chuckle a little at her attempt to sing to instrumental music, but he had no complaints. When she stopped he was disappointed not to hear her voice anymore, but he was sure it perhaps had something to do with their recent tensions, so he said nothing in response, driving on and flicking off the brights when the sun began to peek it’s way out from beyond the horizon.
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"You aren't--" She couldn't finish the sentence. She *didn't* think of him as a monster, and she knew Arthur didn't either; but despite really meaning it the reassurance still somehow felt hollow, the words leaving an ashy taste in her mouth. Between that and all the questions piled up in the back of her throat that she couldn't bring herself to ask, she felt half sick. "Sorry," she said instead, voice tired even to her own ears. "I don't mean to scold."
“It’s fine. If you hadn’t in the beginning, we might never have made it this far.” He chuckled a little, but it was as hollow as he was. “I’m still working on it. I need you. You help ground me. I know it’s hard….but I can’t get away with things. It won’t help fix things. You make sure I don’t.” He offered, before falling quiet once more, and focusing on the road ahead. After a moment, he heard the radio turn back up, and instead of silence soft orchestral rock filtered through the air.
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Tag Masterpost
All of the tags in frequent use on this blog! Links to be added to each tag later!
~Character Tags~
#She's Blue (da ba dee da ba die). Vivi Yukino OR #Vivi
#It is a Mystery. Mystery Yukino OR #Mystery
#The Saltiest Pepper in All of Ever. Lewis Pepper OR #Lewis
#I'm just a Placeholder Really. Arthur Kingsmen OR #Arthur
#Green Eyed Monstarm. Reverb OR #Reverb
#Fite Me Old Man. Lance Kingsmen OR #Lance
#Mischief on Wheels. Galahad OR #Galaham
#Peck of Peppers. Cayenne Belle and Paprika Pepper OR #Peppergirls
#Sugar and Spice. Mr. And Mrs. Pepper OR #Pepperparents
#The Rancid Vibe Detector. Duet OR #Duet
#Top Ten Anime Betrayals. Chloe OR #Chloe
~Art Tags~
#Doodle
#my original art
#my original stuff
#my original writing
~Ship Tags~
#A True Work of Art. ArthurxArthur
#He's so Warm . . . Lewthur
#She's so Bright. Vithur
~Icon Tags~
#Artsy Icon
#Bina Icon
#Ectoimp Icon
#Heilos Icon
#Purpah Icon
#Ren Icon
#Self Icon
#Vid Icon
 ~General Tags~
#???
#A Reminder of
#About Arthur
#About Tristan
#Arthur Speaks
#Arthur’s Aesthetic
#Arthur's Thoughts
#Beep Beep Motherfathers. Vehicles
#Case Stuff
#Cursed (Affectionate)
#Fae Sighting
#Fuck it's Queue I Hate the Most
#He Blinded Me with SCIENCE. Informational Posts
#Honey You Got a Big Storm Coming. Lightning Rain and Storms
#I Always Thought I was Bad and Now I'm Sure That It's True. Shipping
#I want this Recipe to Meet My Mouth. Food
#I WANT TO PET IT. Animals
#I Would Do That Though
#Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep. Sad Thoughts
#Life Advice
#Meme Me Up Scotty
#Music for the Headphones. Playlist Songs
#Nature is FUCKING Metal. Nature
#PARKOUR
#Project Inspiration. Technology and Crafted Works
#Puns!
#Rad Architecture and Cool Places. Locations
#Seeking Arms and Armor? Weapons and Armor
#SPAAAACE. Outer Space
#Steel Wrapped in Silk. Confessing Thoughts
#The Foundation Worth Everything. Friendshipping
#Tristan Rambles
~Basic Tags~
#answering things
#ask meme
#ask meme answers
#Comic
#commission
#cRaCK
#CW
#dash commentary
#end RP
#Event
#fix later
#Gif
#Gracias for the Tag!
#headcanon
#ic
#Important
#long post
#M!A
#Me Being Dumb or Mushy
#mobile
#mobilefriendly
#Music
#musings
#Negative
#not safe for tumblr
#nsft
#ooc
#open post
#PAFK Arthur
#picrew
#Positive
#Promo!!
#PSA
#rad friend art
#rping
#signal boost
#Something for Moi?
#Tag Meme Thingy
#tbd
#Update
#Video
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