Hall 17

54 : Art

Pepper looked down at the book, quietly gesturing to herself. It felt a bit awkward, and would definitely look weird as well if you didn't know what she was doing. But somehow, a lot of the hotel knew already. Maybe more people passed by her on the boat than she thought. No one had bothered her about the seemingly random signals she made so far, so that was her best guess.

"Pepper?" Lightbulb asked, though it wasn't much of a question. Oh right, she was there as well. She'd been practicing alongside Pepper, but neither of them had spoken the entire time. "I think you're supposed to leave your hand out for a moment on that one."

Pepper thought about it for a moment before repeating the last sign she had done, making sure to hold it for a little longer. "Yeah, like that!" She nodded, taking the advice as she continued to practice. Even if Lightbulb was a bit odd at times, she was good company when it was needed.

And in this case, it definitely felt needed. Sign language was more complicated than Pepper had anticipated. Actually, it was more or less that it was more simplified, but so much so it started getting complicated again. Either way, the extra help was, well, helpful. Plus, it helped Pepper ground herself and not get distracted.

Her thoughts wouldn't shut up, and the way Salt seemed to constantly be looking at her didn't help in the slightest. It's not like she wasn't thinking about Soap either, so the grounding Lightbulb brought was probably the only way Pepper was getting any practice in.

The library was quiet, but she barely noticed as she looked through the book. For once in the last however long ago this whole ordeal started, she felt calm. Even if there was another object sitting right beside her, she somehow had a sense of privacy.

That feeling of serenity was put to a pause as the door opened. Both the women looked up without a word, looking to see who it was. Paintbrush stood in the doorway, looking a bit surprised.

"Wasn't expecting to find you here of all places." They said to themselves, walking over to them both. The door closed itself behind them.

"Oh, hi Painty!" Lightbulb beamed as she waved to them, inclining Pepper to do the same ( albeit extremely awkwardly ). Paintbrush sat down next to them both, almost ignoring the book that laid in Pepper's lap.

"It's been a while since we've actually talked, huh?" They said, almost in a comedic tone.

Lightbulb nodded, her smile becoming more melancholy. "I guess so. I have a lot to catch up on, don't I?"

"Yep." They glanced over to the book, viewing the pictures for just a moment. "I was going to ask if you wanted to do something, but it seems like you're already busy."

Pepper shook her head, moving aside a couple inches or so. She hoped at least one of the two would get the message as she looked back down at the book, continuing to silently sign to herself.

"Are you sure Pepper? I'm sure it can wait for a moment if you want." Lightbulb asked. Pepper shook her head, already set.

"...Well then, I thought of an art project we could try." Paintbrush said, standing back up as Lightbulb did the same. She looked a bit uncomfortable, but nodded along regardless.

"Like what?"

"...Alright, there's no good way to put this, so I'm just going to lay it straight on." They said, half to themselves and half to Lightbulb. "You know what a prosthetic is, right? This might sound weird, but do you want to try to make one? For your, uh, head."

Lightbulb paused for a moment, blinking. "I thought it was going to be something a lot different. But yeah, I'd love that!" She cheered, smiling up towards Paintbrush. They smiled back, but theirs was more one of relief.