Chapter Text
I can't believe I let him get away with Vivi!
Lewis paced in his manor, the walls flickering and pulsing with his mood. He had overexerted himself. Let his rage get to him. If he hadn't blown up when Arthur pulled Vivi away, he could have easily followed them. Now, he was much weaker, and Arthur had a huge head start.
Just the thought of the blond made Lewis seethe with fury. Vivi was with Arthur. The man who killed him. He had to get her away from him, before he grew tired of her and killed her, too. He couldn't let Arthur just get away with what he'd done. He had to find them again.
"Where would they be?" Lewis asked himself with a growl of frustration. "They were obviously on a job, but where could another case of the supernatural possibly be happening around here? Think, Lewis, think."
After a few more minutes of pacing, the ghost stopped in his tracks. "I'll just have to follow the road and hope that they didn't stray from it." He decided.
A deadbeat cooed questioningly at him from its perch on his shoulder. Lewis spared it a glance and a pat. "Yeah, I'm going to leave. I'll take you guys with me, don't worry. I'll reform the manor once I find them." He told the little pink ghost. The deadbeat trilled and wiggled happily before it vanished into Lewis's locket.
The ghost silently called all of his deadbeats to his side and allowed them to hide in his anchor as well. He was grateful for them. When he first formed, he was lonely. Lonely and confused. Then, they appeared. He thought at first that he had created them with his longing for company, but he later found out that they were just lesser, formless ghosts drawn to his power.
Together, they formed a symbiotic relationship. Lewis gave them physical forms and they kept him company. They were useful, too. The little ghosts learned fast, and he taught them how to play instruments and sing. It was strange that they couldn't talk, but could sing. Lewis chose not to question it.
As nice as the Deadbeats' company was, Lewis still longed for the company of his friends. Friend, he had to remind himself. He only had one friend left, and he had to protect her from his other so-called friend.
With that thought in mind, Lewis set out. He knew that once he deconstructed the mansion, he would feel more energized. It was a good thing, too, since he wasn't feeling all that powerful when he reformed and still wasn't. He definitely felt up to finding Vivi, though. His determination restored some of his depleted energy.
As Lewis walked down the staircase of the main hall, the walls of the building became translucent and then transparent. By the time he was at the bottom, his feet hit the dirt of the now empty lot. The ghost lifted off the ground and floated toward the road where deep gouges had been cut by the van's tires when it sped away. Lewis stopped and stared down the road in the direction it had gone. Glaring at the star-speckled horizon, he gathered up some energy and shot off with a plume of pink fire flaring behind him.
Eyes narrow, Lewis sped down the road. A single thought encompassed his mind.
You can't hide. I'll find you, Arthur.
Lewis couldn't believe his luck. Only a couple hours later, he stumbled across the van parked in what appeared to be a large campsite among the trees of a forest just outside the bramble field. The lights were off and the usually loud engine was silent. They must be asleep. Perfect.
Lewis quietly glided toward the van, but he soon noticed a small light around the other side. He willed himself invisible and went to investigate. It was Arthur. He was sitting on a little patch of grass with his laptop on his crossed legs. The light from the screen made the bags under the blond's eyes look like nasty bruises and made the tear tracks on his cheeks glisten. It would be so easy. Just grab Arthur and drag him into the woods... Wait, why was Arthur crying? Lewis had to do a double take. What was he looking at?
Curiosity momentarily outweighing his murderous intent, Lewis floated closer and leaned over Arthur's shoulder. He saw a map on the computer screen, with various icons marking places. He recognized the logo for Kingsmen Mechanics, but the rest of the map was covered with little pictures of... him? Some were crossed out with Xs, but others were just his face surrounded by tiny question marks. Then there was the drawing of his ghost form with exclamation points and question marks in the spot on the map where his mansion had been located.
Lewis was confused. Was Arthur... looking for him? But that couldn't be right. Arthur killed him. He knew exactly where he was: rotting away back in that damned cave.
Then, startling Lewis out of his thoughts, Arthur spoke. "Where are you, big guy?" He whispered with a sniffle. The blond wiped at his eyes with his right hand before closing the laptop slowly.
The ghost watched as Arthur lifted the laptop off his lap and struggled to stand up with one hand. Suddenly, Lewis noticed that Arthur's left arm was gone. He jerked back, floating away from Arthur a few feet and stared, shocked. Sure enough, there was no arm attached to the blond's left shoulder. Lewis absently recalled that it was the arm that pushed him. Why was it gone? He remembered Arthur having both arms when he was chasing him through his manor. Or, maybe he didn't. Thinking back, Lewis realized that Arthur's arm was silver and shiny then. It was made of metal. A prosthetic.
He numbly watched Arthur slowly walk around the van and climb into the back, hunched over as if the whole world weighed on his shoulders. Dread began to creep up Lewis's spine. There was something wrong here. Something he missed. Then, hope replaced his dread. Maybe... just maybe his best friend didn't kill him. Maybe something else was at play.
Lewis thought back, back to when he was alive. He ran the memories before his death over and over again in his head. There was the cave. They went because there were rumors of an evil spirit residing in it. He remembered that Arthur was really scared to go in, even more than usual. Lewis had promised to protect him from anything that jumped out at them, and Arthur reluctantly agreed to go with. Then there was a split in the path. He and Arthur went up, while Mystery and Vivi went down. Arthur became increasingly jumpy and nervous, but Lewis didn't pay much attention to it, he was too busy marveling over the amazing view from the ledge.
Then... then Arthur pushed him.
Lewis growled in frustration as he tried to remember every detail of those last moments. He remembered turning around to tell Arthur something, but his words died on his tongue when the green hand struck his chest. The hand was green. It was that realization that brought the memory into sudden clarity. Arthur's whole arm was green. Half of his face was smiling and green. Green like the mysterious fog.
Lewis groaned and grabbed the sides of his skull. He messed up. He messed up big time. How could he have been so blind? Arthur wouldn't hurt a fly, so how did Lewis become so convinced that he murdered him in cold blood? He knew that Arthur was especially sensitive to the supernatural. He should have realized that there was something in that cave. He should have realized that was what killed him, not his best friend. Now he'd caused Arthur pain with his misplaced rage. It physically hurt to think about. He could feel the crack in his anchor grow deeper.
While Lewis was mentally beating himself up, he didn't notice the van doors open until Arthur's voice came from inside.
"Alright, alright. I'll go to sleep soon, I promise! I just want to check the engine one last... t-time..."
Lewis turned around when Arthur's words trailed off into a frightened whisper. The blond was staring at Lewis, eyes wide as could be. His metal arm was back on, and it was frozen on the handle of the open van door.
Lewis realized with a start that he'd returned to visibility while he was lost in his thoughts. The two stared at each other for a whole minute until Lewis spoke.
"Arthur, wait-"
"Viviiiii! Th-That g-g-ghost is here!" Arthur shrieked. The blond mechanic scrambled back into the van and slammed the doors in Lewis's face.
The ghost's hope quickly turned into shame and guilt. Of course Arthur was scared of him. He attacked the poor guy just a few hours earlier. Lewis growled angrily at himself and slapped a hand over his face. "You're an idiot, Lewis Pepper."
The ghost floated closer to the van doors and raised his hand to knock, but the slightly muffled voices inside made him pause.
"Oh god, Vivi, the ghost is back! He's going to kill me! I knew I'd be killed by something supernatural, but I don't want it to happen right now! I'm only twenty two! I have so much life left to live! Who will take care of my hamster?!" Arthur babbled hysterically.
Then came Vivi's voice. "Arthur! Calm down! Take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong."
Lewis heard Arthur take a rattling breath before he spoke again, a little slower. "It's the ghost! The one from that haunted mansion that tried to kill me! He's right outside! H-he's come to finish the job! Oh, Vivi, what do I do?" The mechanic sounded close to tears. It made Lewis's heart hurt.
The ghost found that he was suddenly reluctant to knock. Arthur was absolutely terrified of him, and with good reason. How would he react to finding out that the friend he was so desperately searching for was both dead and the ghost that attacked him? He would be crushed! Lewis didn't want that. It was obvious that Arthur was suffering enough already. Always on the road and stuck in a wild goose chase. Lewis wanted to tell them who he was, so they wouldn't have to keep looking for him, but he also didn't want them to know that their search was in vain. He was dead.
Lewis dropped his skull against the doors of the van with a hollow thunk. He didn't know what to do. He just wanted to ease his friends' pain. Especially Arthur's. He wanted to help them so much it hurt.
The ghost mentally counted to ten before lifting his head. He just couldn't tell them. He didn't want to cause them more pain. He could apologize, however, for attacking them earlier. They obviously didn't recognize him, and he would try to keep it that way.
Lewis finally knocked on the door. "Hey, uh, could you open up, please? I promise I won't hurt you. I just want to talk." He pleaded. He tried suppressing his accent, as it would be a dead giveaway. It wasn't hard. He'd learned to talk without an accent as a young teen due to relentless bullying. He never had a reason to hide it around his friends, though. He just hoped he could keep it up.
Lewis could hear a muffled shuffling, then Arthur's voice. "Vivi! What are you doing?!" He shrieked.
"What? He said he promised not to hurt us!" Came Vivi's reply. She sounded closer to the door.
"Are you crazy?! He could be lying! I really don't feel like dying today!"
"Think about it, Art! A ghost wants to talk to us! When will we ever have an opportunity like this again?" Vivi insisted.
"Vivi, no-"
Lewis took a startled step backwards as the van doors swung open and he was greeted by an excited Vivi. She quickly jumped out of the vehicle and stood uncomfortably close to Lewis, grinning like a madwoman. Lewis glanced behind her, and saw Arthur peeking out at them from the driver's seat, as far away from him as he could be. Mystery sat like a guardian in front of the seat, glaring at Lewis suspiciously. The ghost wasn't able to look at Arthur long, because Vivi caught his attention once again when she suddenly smashed her fist into his skull.
Lewis made a strangled noise as his head flew off his body and landed in a patch of grass several yards away from the van. He was struck with a feeling of vertigo while he watched his body stumble toward him, hands reaching blindly.
"Woo, that felt good!" Vivi laughed, shaking her fist. "You deserved that, you jerk!"
"Vivi! Are you bonkers?! Don't make the ghost mad!" Screamed Arthur.
Lewis's body finally caught up to his head and he was gingerly lifted back to his proper place above his shoulders. He dusted a few blades of grass from his skull and dug clumps of dirt from his eye sockets, but other than that, he was unharmed.
"Okay, yeah, I deserved that." Lewis agreed as he walked slowly back to the van. He moved gingerly, trying not to provoke Vivi again. He'd almost forgotten how scary she could be when she was mad.
Vivi fixed him with a glare and folded her arms. "Yeah you did. What the heck were you doing, trying to hurt poor Arthur back there!?" She scolded, shaking her finger at him.
Lewis rubbed the back of his skull and looked down at his feet guiltily. "Y-Yeah, about that..." he looked back up, gazing over Vivi's shoulder and into the van where he could see Arthur cowering in the front seat as he watched them warily. "I came to apologize. I... uh, I thought you were someone else. You look like the guy who killed me." It wasn't a lie, really. The evil spirit or whatever it was did use Arthur to kill him. "I'm sorry for attacking you. It wasn't until you left that I realized that you weren't the man who murdered me." He said sincerely, staring Arthur in the eyes as he spoke.
Arthur looked away from the ghost's glowing gaze, but he at least looked thoughtful. Vivi, however, was absolutely ecstatic.
"Wow! You're really self-aware for a vengeful ghost! Usually they don't differentiate between people and events, and only lash out at anything and everything. Ah- that was rude, wasn't it?" Vivi caught herself and backpedaled. "What I mean to say is that you're really something! Isn't he, Artie?" She turned to address her friend, but all she could see was the back of the seat and a few tufts of his hair poking out over the top. She puffed her cheeks and put her hands on her hips. "Arthur! He's not going to hurt us! Come out, he's perfectly safe!"
Arthur shuffled around in his seat and peeked around the edge just slightly. He looked scared and not at all put at ease by Vivi's words. "I-I think I'll st-stay in here..." he squeaked.
Lewis felt his anchor turn a darker shade of blue. Arthur was so scared. He didn't know if he'd be able to make up for causing it. Vivi opened her mouth to tell Arthur to come out again, but Lewis waved a hand in front of her face to draw her attention away from the trembling blond.
"No, it's ok, i'm not offended. He doesn't have to do anything. I've scared him enough already." Lewis assured. He smiled, or tried to. He wasn't sure how successful he was with a jawless skull for a face. He must have shown his happiness enough to make Vivi brighten back up and delve right back into her questions.
"So, how are you here right now? I thought you were haunting that spooky house. Most ghosts can't leave the place they haunt." She said, eager to hear his answer.
Lewis waved his hand and formed a black plush chair to sit in, smirking internally at Vivi's awed stare. "The mansion is a construct of my power. It doesn't exist unless I want it to. I'm not bound to one place, really, so long as I have some purpose somewhere else." He explained.
Vivi was practically vibrating in excitement. "C-can you make it right now?!" She gasped. "Like, right here? I wanna see it!"
Lewis nodded and stood from his chair as it disappeared in a flare of pink fire. He turned to the large campsite clearing and raised his arms to begin forming the manor, but was interrupted by Arthur's indignant squawk. Lewis looked back into the van and was shocked to see Vivi trying to pull Arthur out of his hiding place. Mystery was barking angrily at her on the floor.
"Come on, Art! He's gonna bring back that cool mansion! It has beds! Real beds!" She told him excitedly.
Arthur held onto the car seat for dear life, eyes wide and terrified. "N-no! I'm fine with the van! No spooky mansions, please!"
"But Arthur, I want to sleep in a real bed!" She pleaded, tugging harder.
"Hey!" Lewis gasped, jumping into the vehicle.
Startled, the girl let go of Arthur, who stumbled and fell onto the floor of the van between Lewis and Vivi, practically at the ghost's feet. The blond mechanic looked up and froze at the sight of an annoyed specter standing above him. Mystery scrambled to Arthur's side and growled quietly up at the ghost.
Lewis pinned Vivi with a stern stare, arms crossed. "If he doesn't feel comfortable with me bringing back the mansion, then I won't do it. You shouldn't pressure him into doing something he's scared to do. The supernatural may seem fun and exciting to you, but he's obviously wary of it, remember?" He said firmly.
Vivi blushed in embarrassment. "S-Sorry Arthur. I forget how scary the supernatural is to you sometimes. I just get so excited." She said sheepishly.
Lewis nodded gratefully to her before looking down at Arthur. The blond was staring up at him with a shocked and thoughtful expression. Mystery had stopped growling, and instead watched Lewis suspiciously. Arthur flinched a little when the ghost lowered his hand down to him, but eventually accepted the help and got to his feet with Lewis's aid. Arthur stared at the ghost in front of him for a minute. Even with a skull for a face, he looked apologetic and sincere.
Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath before focusing back onto those eerie glowing sockets. "Alright. Let's see that mansion again." He said confidently. In the next moment, however, he seemed to deflate. "Ah, there won't be any more moving suits of armor or scary paintings or trapdoors, right?" He squeaked.
Lewis laughed. It was a light, happy sound. He nodded to the nervous man. "Of course not. Again, I'm sorry about all of that. Let me make it up to you!" The ghost led the two humans out of the van and told them to stand back while he constructed his manor.
Lewis suddenly felt excited. He knew that he was a particularly powerful ghost, and he wanted to impress his friends. So, with much more flare than needed, Lewis built the huge construct bit by bit before their eyes. Purple and pink flames lit up the night sky as the building grew higher and more extravagant than his last.
When Lewis was done, he felt weak. He couldn't stay floating, and instead landed on the ground heavily. Even then, he could barely stand and swayed on his feet. A hand met his shoulder and he looked over to see Vivi smiling up at him.
"I think you overdid it. We don't need a place that big, and you look a little worse for wear." She told him gently.
Lewis nodded jerkily and raised his shaking arms again. Once he got rid of a floor or two, he felt much better. The building was still huge, much too big for just three people and a dog, but Lewis wanted only the best for his friends. He needed to make up for what he put them through.
"Okay then, I'll give you a tour." Lewis told them, grinning internally.
Lewis had his deadbeats prepare two rooms for his friends while he showed them around. Much to the ghost's relief, Arthur seemed to relax the longer he was in the house. No paintings moved, neither did the suits of armor. The building was brighter than it was when he was in it last. Burning purple lamps hung from the walls instead of flickering candles, and the layout was easy to remember, unlike the maze it was before.
Feeling accomplished, some of Lewis's depleted energy seemed to restore itself and he finished off the tour with a spring in his step. They ended up on the upper floor, in a hallway that started near the staircase in the main hall. There were four doors, two on each side of the hall.
Lewis opened one of them on the left wall. Inside was a large bedroom. There was a huge, plush-looking canopy bed with dark purple velvet curtains by a tall bay window, a dark desk that sat next to a large bookcase full of colorful books, a wide dresser on one side of the bed, and a lamp upon a night table on the other side.
Grinning internally, Lewis addressed his guests. "These are your rooms! The doors across the hall are the bathrooms. Take your pick and get settled. I'll be happy to accommodate you for the night." He told them politely.
If I do this right, maybe they'll let me travel with them. Lewis thought. He didn't want to go back to being alone. He'd forgotten how great it was to be with his friends, and now that he knew what it was like again, he didn't think he could go back to what he had before.
Lewis made a noise like he was clearing his throat to break the awkward silence that formed between them. "So... I guess I'll leave you to it then. If you need anything, just find a Deadbeat and tell it to get me. They won't be hard to find, the little guys roam everywhere. I told them to not go into your rooms, though, so don't worry."
Vivi and Arthur nodded, the former excitedly while the latter did so nervously. Lewis turned to walk away, but Vivi stopped him. "Wait! I have so many questions! If I dump water on you, will your hair go out? If I were to break that lamp, would you feel it? If-"
Arthur came to Lewis's rescue and grabbed Vivi's hand. "Uh, Viv, let's leave the ghost alone. It's late, and I'm tired. You can ask him questions in the morning." The blond practically begged. He kept throwing Lewis wary glances, as if he was worried about how he'd react.
Arthur was clearly uncomfortable with him around. Lewis rocked back on his heels and clapped his hands. "Well... I guess I'll just... I-I'm gonna go." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and turned away.
Lewis internally berated himself as he floated away. Why were things so awkward? He knew why, but he still didn't like it. He longed for the closeness they once shared. It really hurt to see Arthur so scared of him. It hurt even worse to think about why he was so scared of him in the first place.
Maybe he should tell them who he was. Maybe that would be for the best, after all. Better to get the shock over with so they can begin mending their friendship. Lewis perked up just slightly. Maybe that would work.
The ghost turned and walked back down the hall, practically running. He skidded to a stop outside one of the doors and raised his hand to knock, but, like back at the van, the voices inside the room made him stop. It was Vivi and Arthur. They were both in the room, talking. Well, more like arguing.
"Vivi, we can't stay here! We have to get back on the road!" Arthur was saying.
Vivi responded quickly and angrily. "But think about how much we could learn from this ghost! He's heckin' powerful and probably ancient! He must know so much about the supernatural. Besides, we aren't going anywhere! You never tell me why we're traveling all over tarnation, anyway!"
Arthur sounded close to tears when he practically shouted back at her. "Easy for you to say, he seems to like you! He tried to kill me! I'm not going to trust him! We need to get back to our search. We need to find Lewis!" Arthur's words suddenly choked off and his voice became frantic. "W-Wait, no! I didn't mean to say his name, Vivi don't black out!"
Lewis heard a heavy thud that sounded like a body hitting the hardwood floor. Mystery barked in alarm and he heard Arthur curse. Worried, Lewis opened the door and rushed into the room without knocking.
He saw Arthur on the floor with Vivi's head resting in his lap. Mystery was next to him, licking Vivi's cheek. The girl was motionless, except for the steady rise and fall of her chest. She looked like she was asleep, but Lewis knew better.
"What happened?" He demanded.
Arthur let out a shriek of surprise and fear at the sudden appearance of the ghost. Even as his whole body trembled, he still unconsciously hunched over Vivi's body protectively. Same old selfless Arthur. Lewis would have smiled if he wasn't so worried, or had a face.
"I-I didn't hurt her! I p-p-promise!" The blond gasped, eyes wide and wild.
Lewis tried to make himself look more unimposing, but he didn't know if he was successful. Arthur's body shook as the ghost approached slowly and kneeled down next to him. Lewis reached out a hand and felt Vivi's forehead, but the motion was useless as he couldn't feel warmth or cold very well anymore. He hummed thoughtfully and gently opened one of Vivi's eyes. They were glowing magenta. He gasped and pulled his hand away quickly.
"What? What is it?!" Arthur asked frantically, his fear of the ghost forgotten in his worry for his friend.
"That's magic. She's under a spell." Lewis murmured, outwardly calm. Inside, however, he was confused and frantic. Even as he gently lifted Vivi and put her in the bed with Mystery watching over her, his thoughts were going a mile a minute. That was his magic. He would recognize the color anywhere. That didn't make sense, though. He never cast any spells on Vivi. Unless...
"Was it something you said that caused this fainting spell?" He asked Arthur when he returned to the blond's side on the floor.
Arthur looked tired. So tired. "Yeah. There used to be four of us. Me, Vivi, Mystery... and Lewis, my best friend. He was this big guy with purple hair. Sweetest man around. He and Vivi were the cutest couple... but then we went on an investigation to a haunted cave and... something happened." Arthur grabbed his metal arm with his flesh one and stared down at it with glazed eyes. "I don't remember what; the doctors said I'm suppressing the memories due to trauma. All I remember is going into the cave, then waking up in the hospital down an arm, and a friend." Arthur began to tremble again, but not in fear. "Lewis was gone, my arm was gone, my memories of what happened to him were gone. So were Vivi's, but worse. She... she doesn't remember anything about Lewis. It's like he doesn't exist to her. She doesn't see him in pictures or anything! If I mention him, she'll either go all silent and absent, or she'll faint." Arthur's shaky voice lowered into a whisper. "I try not to say Lewis's name... but it hurts. I don't want to forget him, too..."
So that was it. Lewis vaguely remembered seeing Vivi on a lower ledge as he fell. She must've seen him die, and he made her forget. Magic cast on the brink of death was powerful, even to someone who didn't or couldn't use magic when they were perfectly healthy. Lewis didn't even know how he could break the spell, even though he cast it. Or maybe... Lewis looked down at his anchor. It was cracked badly, and glowed a dull blue. Maybe if he showed Vivi the picture inside the locket like he had planned, she would remember... Lewis shook himself mentally. Making her remember something so awful as his death? He just couldn't do that to her.
Arthur sniffled, bringing the ghost out of his thoughts. Lewis realized with a start that he was crying. Arthur choked out a bitter laugh, the hand holding his metal arm gripped tighter until his knuckles were white. "It figures that it was magic that made Vivi forget. The doctors couldn't explain how she didn't see him in pictures, yet I still could. Is the spell on me too? Is that why I can't remember what happened to Lewis? Is there a way to break it?" He turned teary eyes up at the ghost sitting next to him. Lewis wanted to cry as well. Arthur looked so lost. He was in so much pain because of this fruitless search for him. He just wanted to tell Arthur that his best friend was here, right beside him.
Lewis was silent for a moment before he tried to speak, but Arthur cut him off again. He hunched his shoulders and looked away from the skeletal ghost. "Look at me, dumping all of my emotional baggage on you. You probably don't want to hear this crap." Arthur said bitterly. He moved to get up, but Lewis quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him back to the floor. Arthur tensed, and turned startled eyes to meet glowing magenta ones.
Lewis knew immediately that he overstepped a line. Arthur looked uncomfortable and scared, so Lewis quickly let go of him. "S-sorry." He mumbled.
Arthur looked away, still nervous. It seemed whatever moment they shared was gone, and Lewis cursed at himself. He shouldn't have touched Arthur. He almost forgot that the blond had no idea who he was and so far most of his interactions with him weren't all that positive. With a sigh, Lewis stood up. "I can't tell you how to break Vivi's spell, but I can tell you without a doubt that you aren't under it. What you have is exactly what the doctors said. Losing an arm is traumatic, so it's no wonder you're suppressing that memory. Maybe one day you'll remember." Lewis hoped that day wasn't coming any time soon.
Arthur still looked tired and sad, but his tears were dried and he seemed a little better. His now puffy red eyes didn't do much good for the dark bags under them, though. It looked as if Arthur hadn't slept for weeks. Lewis realized that he probably wasn't far from the truth. He remembered that Arthur always complained about how sleeping in the van hurt his back, so they would get a motel room as often as they could. Now, though, Arthur was so desperate to find him that he probably didn't bother paying for a room, or bother sleeping at all.
Lewis sighed and held out a hand for Arthur to take. The blond didn't hesitate as long as he did before, but he still flinched a little when Lewis gripped his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Now, you are going to bed." The ghost's glare stopped Arthur's protest. "Vivi will be fine. I'll have a few Deadbeats watch her. You, however, look more dead than I do. You're going to go into that room, and you're going to sleep." Lewis said sternly, practically herding Arthur out of the room and into the one next to it, while the mechanic kept giving him weird looks.
Lewis left as Arthur looked around and shut the door behind him. Once he was out of sight, he slumped against the wall and made a sound like a deep sigh despite possessing no lungs. This is going to be harder than I thought. He groaned. If he wasn't careful, Arthur would figure out who he was. He couldn't act as if Arthur was his best friend. He do anything that he used to that was recognizable. Arthur was a genius. It wouldn't take long for him to figure it all out, Lewis knew that. He just hoped he could postpone that revelation until he was properly prepared for the mayhem that was sure to follow.
After commanding a passing Deadbeat to keep an eye on Vivi, Lewis sank intangibly through the floor. He descended past the kitchen on the ground level, and into the basement where his coffin stood like a monolith at the back of the chamber. Lewis felt drained and weary, having spent too much energy so soon after reforming. He slowly floated over to the coffin and phased into it without bothering to open the lid. Once inside, Lewis retreated into his anchor. It was as close to sleeping as he could get, and he recovered energy much faster in this state.
As Lewis' awareness fell away into near nothingness, he vowed to do his best to help his friends. Starting as soon as they woke.