Explain It Like I'm Tree

Road Trip

In the moment between dreams relinquishing their hold on him and full consciousness, Arthur reveled in the luxurious fullness of a good night's sleep. He hugged his pillow tighter, a silly grin on his face. No nightmares. So good. Could just lie here...

No. Couldn't just lie there. Today they were set to hit the road for the new Finch case, their first once since Lewis' death. Thus the first sour note in the comfortable feeling; Lewis wasn't invited. Arthur had to tell him that before they left today. He kicked the covers off and rolled onto his back, scowling at the garage rafters.

He tried to make himself be grateful that Vivi hadn't immediately banished Lewis after their conversation last night. He reminded himself that she was still thinking things through and wasn't ready for a road trip that included Lewis.

Arthur was, though. He was so ready for a full group road trip. Why couldn't she just...

Sighing, he slung his feet out of bed and shuffled over to the bookcase, grabbing a clean set of clothes. Probably should shower. Going to be in close quarters with Vivi for a while. He snorted. Though it's probably more for Mystery than Vivi. Dog's nose and all. I haven't heard him complain, but... He raised his arm and sniffed. Phew. Yeah, he's just being polite. Shower time.

He left his prosthetic on the desk and shuffled down the hall, heading for the bathroom. He paused at the kitchen. No sign of Lewis today, but there were two plates of hash browns on the kitchen island. Under each was an envelope, one labelled "Vivi" and one labelled "Arthur". Arthur draped his clothes over the back of a barstool and picked up his envelope. It wasn't sealed, so it was easier to pry the piece of paper out one-handed. There was a faint smell of smoke on the envelope and the paper crackled as he pulled it out.

Arthur. Overheard the end of the conversation last night. Don't worry about it. Have fun on the roadtrip. Just be sure to give me all the details when you get back and take some photos so I can put together a good blog post for the group. If the case goes well, it'll be a boost to our portfolio. Please don't look for me, I don't want company today. I need to think. I'll see you when you get back. Watch Vivi's back for me. She could stand to catch a little caution from you. —Lewis

Relief—he didn't have to break it to Lewis—and worry. What was Lewis stewing over? Likely it was something in connection with the conversation he'd overheard. Arthur wished they could have had that talk somewhere else, but Vivi hadn't left him much choice.

It didn't sit right. None of it did. But what could he do?

.......................................

What could he do? He had to get most of a day's driving in to reach the factory Mothman specified. Lewis didn't think gliding down the roads, trailing a streak of fire, was the best idea. It was great for intimidating a target, not so great for getting from point A to point B covertly. He couldn't take the van since the Mystery Skulls needed it to get to their next case. He was not about to touch Vivi's car, even if she wasn't using it today.

He could just will a car into existence, but creating an entire mansion had cost him... a whole lot of something. Ectoplasm? Spiritual energy? Essence? Vivi would have had the right words for it. Whatever it was, he'd slipped into a sort of numb, limbo-like state after he failed to eliminate Arthur that first time. No telling how long he'd stayed like that and he wasn't eager to repeat the experiment. Possessing a truck, however, had been far easier.

Now that he wasn't driven by murderous rage, he wasn't sure how he felt about stealing a car from someone on the street. In fact, he felt pretty bad about the truck he'd stolen. Its pieces now rested in Kingsmen Mechanics junkyard, and the trucker he'd stolen it from might be out a job. He sighed, flicking his fingers to dismiss the thought. Nothing he could do for the trucker now. Lewis might be able to get the truck's wrecked cab moving and use that to meet Mothman, but it was still too far and too open between their house and Kingsmen Mechanics.