❦ you strangle people with a piercing stare

[stressbaking]

It was another unexciting night in Ned's newly unexciting life. He swept up the Pie Hole and waved to Olive as she retreated upstairs, a lame smile tugging at his lips. Everyone was gone and he couldn't be more grateful. Every smile takes another piece from him; each pleasant word, each attempt at pretending it was all okay. Okay is the furthest

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[askedtobe]

Peter had only managed a marginal amount of sleep, not that he was surprised. With or without caffeine, sleep was a nightly battle, and one that he never looked forward to. Especially not when he was looking forward to the next day, which was even more of a rarity. And instead of fighting sleep because of dreams, he fought it because of how badly he wanted it so that the next day could hurry up and arrive.

And arrive it did. Eventually. The sound of his alarm welcomed the fact that he'd be getting out of his motel room soon enough. He just had to wait until the place would actually be open. Not to mention, show up too early and he'd undoubtedly look desperate -- which, he was, in his own silent way. In the middle of thinking exactly those thoughts while he was getting out of the shower, Peter was suddenly wondering why he was thinking about this like he thought through every single date he'd ever been on. Not that he thought it was a date.

Trying to get rid of his thoughts by watching some of the morning news, the minutes dragged on until he felt that he could be on his way. And once it was decided, Peter couldn't get out of his motel room fast enough. Getting dressed in his usual dark wash jeans and long-sleeved shirt, he was grabbing his jacket and out the door without a second glance.

Easily finding his way back to the Pie Hole, for some reason just the place alone made him smile. He had next to no hesitations about going inside, and it was all the more encouraging when he actually walked back in, letting go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Granted, the place was different with other people inside. Even warmer, filled the brim with the smell of comfort and baking, and the soft chatter of people talking in the background was equally as welcoming. Now, if he could just avoid getting over enthusiastically greeted by the tiny blonde woman, he'd be all set.

[stressbaking]

Ned had spent the whole morning daydreaming. It was a far cry from the usual guilt trodden way in which he went about his morning routine, and Olive had immediately taken notice of his bizarre good mood, circling him like a great white at feeding time. Carefully side-stepping all her questions, he practically danced around the small kitchen all morning, baking more pies than he ever really needed to. His giddiness made his heart skip a beat every time the doors chimed, looking for Peter's familiar form in every customer that walked in.

Finally, when he was sure he couldn't take it any longer, he spotted Peter as he was accosted by Olive. The sight made him laugh a little, playing it off like a cough as he makes his way out of the kitchen and onto the floor. "Olive, I can take it from here." Though she looked like she was about to protest, Ned fixed her with a hard look. "The table on the end hasn't gotten their pie yet."

Glad to have her clear out without any further trouble, he's free to turn all of his attention on Peter, whom he fixes with a warm smile. Belatedly, he realized he should've introduced the two, and that it might've appeared rude that he didn't. But just for once, he wants something that's just his. That no one else can take from him. Not that -- Peter was his.

"You made it," he managed as an admittedly lame greeting, taking another step forward. "Sorry about Olive, she takes her job a little too seriously sometimes."

[askedtobe]

Peter had to blink a couple times after she'd been sent away by Ned, feeling a bit like he'd been set upon by a tiny hurricane. He'd had his share of dealing with small blonde woman, but none of them quite like that before. Even Elle hadn't been as much of a force to be reckoned with. But even so, the enthusiastic greeting was quickly glossed over and forgotten about as Ned stepped forward, and Peter couldn't help but smile back.

"I think that's a understatement." Enthusiastic greeting or not, Peter was in far too good of a mood to let the woman spying from the corner even enter his focus. And considering the fact that all of his focus was on Ned, well- it would have been hard pressed for much else to enter it anyway. And it wasn't just because the other man was taller than him that made him hard to look away from. It had something to do with the fact that he'd spent his morning looking forward to this; the promise of a day spent in better spirits with someone that had admittedly captivated him. Now that he was here, he wasn't interested in letting other distractions get in the way.

But the fact that he's still smiling gives him away entirely, completely unbothered by Olive, or anything else for that matter. Today, that's all he wanted. "But hey, it's fine. Nothing like a warm welcome. And- yeah, nothing came up. Still wouldn't have missed it, though."

[stressbaking]

The words warmed Ned more than he cared to admit, feeling for once like he was an important part of someone's day. It really did make poor Olive only that much easier to ignore. Tugging on his cardigan idly, Ned was uncharacteristically happy to abandon the pie shop in search of adventure. Structured adventure of which he had detailed out the itinerary in his head, but adventure all the same.

"I did warn you," he started, glancing away. His own cheer was threatening to split him in two without the other man's to contend with. "There isn't much of anything in Papen County." Besides murder and intrigue and a man who could raise the dead. Giving one last wave to Digby and Olive, Ned made his way for the door, holding it open for Peter amiably.

He noted that despite the man's words last night, he didn't look like he had gotten a wink of sleep. He didn't think now would be a prudent time to bring it up however, and so files it away in case it were to come up somehow. He surprised himself with his own worry for Peter's well-being, but it was nice to care for a change. More than nice.

"My car was stolen not too long ago, I hope you don't mind walking." It was a nice day for walking at least, the ground finally beginning to thaw from last years harsh winter. Ned couldn't be sure, but he thought he might like Spring most of all. It brought life, like he did.

[askedtobe]

"Believe me, the last thing I could possibly mind is walking. Sorry about your car, though." Slipping outside, Peter took another quiet breath of fresh air, trying not to let his good mood radiate too irritatingly much. But it was a wasted effort, as good moods came so few and far between that Peter didn't want to trample it. Instead he wanted to hold it close, potentially allow for more good days to grow from it.

Allowing himself a few moments to glance around, he knew there wasn't much to look at just yet, but he was still invested in soaking up his surroundings. Not to mention, places had a habit of looking entirely different at night than they did during the day. But even then, his attention only seems capable of landing back onto Ned.

And the pleasant weather only bolsters his mood. Enduring another unpleasant winter back in New York on top of everything else that was going on hadn't helped anything, and he was grateful for the change that went along with a new place. Even though the wind held a slight chill, it signaled something new, just like his own arrival.

Opening his mouth to remind Ned that there was something in Papen County, and his name was Ned the piemaker, he cleared his throat instead, thinking that that might be taken just a little oddly. Instead he shakes his thoughts and lets them settle once again, seeing if he can come up with something a little more reasonable. "Where to first?" Glancing sideways and up to Ned, somehow the action makes him feel somewhat younger, though that might just be the good mood talking.

[stressbaking]

He tries not to be irritated, not at Peter, but at one Charles Charles. Even after his second death, the car hadn't been recovered. "It was only a car," Ned settled on, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked alongside the shorter man.

While he was sure there are things about the small city that are endearing, or even beautiful, nothing was truly worthy of the way they captivated Peter's attention, least of all him. Though he had to look down to meet Peter's gaze, the other man made him feel small, and he found himself fidgeting already.

"There's a storefront here that everyone l-loves. It's kind of a silly thing but it's on the way." Ned inclined his head toward a surprisingly large shopping mall up the road ahead. Now that he was out of the Pie Hole, he didn't feel stifled, but alive again himself, free to move about in ways he hadn't considered in a long time.

[askedtobe]

Briefly, Peter considered saying more, but one glance over towards Ned told him to keep his trap shut. The point seemed finalized enough by Ned's statement, so he gave a nod of agreement, content to store the subject away for reference.

"You were the one who said silly was a requirement," Even though his grin was slowly dissipating, his tone was light; one might even go so far as to say teasing. He was still glancing around every now and then, chewing on the inside of his lip as he took in everything that he could. Having no idea when he might be leaving had rendered Peter a little more of a sight-seer than he might have previously been, but Peter was silently cataloguing the differences. Picking apart pro's and con's; and every second was spent seeing where the benefit might lay if he chose to stay. Though, he still believed he was going to be going home sooner or later.

Eventually, he focused his attention up ahead on the shopping mall. Everything here seemed to be simple pleasures, the complete opposite of how things were back home. "And not everything needs to be a giant tourist trap to be interesting." New York itself was enough of a tourist trap, and Peter found himself craving the simpler things, because silly or not, somehow that made them mean more.

[stressbaking]

"I wasn't very fond of the man who stole it. Or more accurately, he wasn't very fond of me." Ned knew he didn't have to elaborate but it felt strange to let it hang there.

As they rounded the corner, a large fountain came into view. It almost seemed strange to see it going, as used to Ned was to it being frozen. He gave a wan smile for the woman who had died there and carried on to the window display.

"Silly is a very necessary thing to have. At least every other day." Ned sounded quite serious as he looked over the Spring scene. Model mannequins dressed in high end beachwear and all the dizzying colors of the city surround. The window's dark past unbeknownst to Peter, made for quite a silly scene indeed. It made Ned's lips twitch into an almost-smile as he carefully studied each detail of the new design.

"When they put a new one up, this block is flooded with people," he explained with a vague gesture, hand immediately seeking the refuge of his pocket once more. "Papen County takes window shopping very seriously."

[askedtobe]

But now that Ned's brought it up once again, Peter couldn't keep from continuing it. It would have been even odder to let it end on that note. "Not that surprising. He can't have liked you too much if he stole your car." Glancing over at Ned again, he lifted an eyebrow, offering up an apologetic look.

The ridiculous window display was enough to distract him from searching the other man's features too hard, though. Even if Peter was used to walking down big city shopping malls and ignoring all of them as he went by, it did seem almost extraordinary here. Flamboyant for a small county, but that was undoubtedly the appeal. Things that seemed out of place were always looked at all the more intensely.

"Seriously?" Nose practically pressed to the glass, Peter is however, faintly amused by the idea of that many people being dragged in just because of a window display. Only after which, he's realized, it's done nearly the same exact thing to him.

Taking a step back, he tries to dampen his lopsided smile. "Guess so. I don't think people even take it that seriously back in New York, except for around Christmastime." Shaking his head, Peter literally tries to brush aside childhood memories, his pleasant mood too good to let go of so soon. Instead, he lets his gaze skid over the overly colourful scene before him. "This'll take care of at least some of the silliness i've missed out on."

[stressbaking]

Car finally forgotten, Ned turned to Peter and offered a smile. He didn't think Ned silly, or at least, not in a bad way. This wasn't the disaster he was sure it would be when he'd run through it the night before. Not many people found Ned endearing or charming so much as awkward and strange. And while he once was able to hold his own at least in somewhat of a social competence, it seemed he was out of practice.

"The designer takes his window very seriously too." He gestured to Danny's signature this time. "It's almost like making pie. It's something everyone can enjoy. Only pie is delicious and this is free, so maybe they're even." Ned wasn't sure what that meant, though it had made sense when he had started speaking, he was almost sure.

He tried to come up with something a little more relevant. "New York seems like it would be too busy for window-shopping. For most of anything, really." At least, that's how it had been depicted to Ned on TV. He was glad to have Peter to tell him what was fact and what was fiction. If Ned knew what he was and wasn't missing, he would never have to leave Papen. Not that he had intended to in the first place.

[askedtobe]

It could be said that Peter had a fairly skewed method when it came to judging peoples characters. The last person he'd made what could be called a connection with, had been his brother's murderer. Which made everyone else seem endearing and far easier to cope with in comparison. But even though that held true, Ned already seemed to be everything the people he once knew weren't. He was relaxing, comforting in an unspoken sort of way, and Peter kept finding himself wanting to stay in the shadow of it, just until he felt vaguely normal again. He couldn't even dock the other man for being awkward when he himself fell into the same category.

"And it's something to be proud of." Following Ned's gesturing for a moment, his gaze eventually ends up landing back up onto the taller man. "You just don't get to eat his kind of artwork."

But he shrugged as the topic of his home city once again fell onto his shoulders. "You get used to it. If you don't, you leave." Once again scanning the display in front of him, simply for a distraction, Peter made sure to sound casual. "And anyway, you don't want to spend any time in a New York that isn't busy. Just ends up feeling like a ghost town." And with that, he whipped out a half-hearted smile, turning back to Ned. Maybe if he snuck in seemingly monotonous facts about his past, he could keep himself from feeling like a complete liar. If only it kept his insides from aching at the same time.

[stressbaking]

Ned wasn't sure what that meant or if he should ask, so he started walking again in silence, flashing a half-hearted smile of his own. Peter reminded him a little of Randy Man, if he were far less strange and had no interest in Olive. Both of which appealed to the pie maker. Though, in hindsight, what likened him most to the taxidermist was that he liked Ned, not something most people do, in such a clearly sincere way.

"Have you ever seen it that way?" he asked a bit suddenly, wobbling on his feet as though he forgot a step somewhere along the way. It was always difficult for him, asking personal questions. Not that his inquiry seemed all that personal on the surface.

He was even more suddenly reminded of Chuck, asking him if he wanted to know everything about her. While at first he had been hesitant, he had admitted the next day that he did, in fact, want to know everything. He found it strange and terrifying that the same held true for Peter.

[askedtobe]

Following along after Ned the instant he begins to walk again, the question almost makes him stop in his tracks. He really should have known far better then to offer up vague pieces of his memory if he didn't want them to be questioned, it was his own fault, and now there wasn't anything he can do about it. Especially since the last thing he wanted to do was tell an outright lie, not anymore.

It was supposed to make it easier that Ned was a stranger. That's what everyone said, wasn't it? That it was easier to talk to people you hardly knew than it was to divulge your secrets to someone who cared. But what if there was no one left who cared in the first place -- it hardly made any difference whatsoever. Still, at one point in his life, Peter had told a cab driver that he believed he was meant to be something special, that he believed in destiny. Now, if he was in the same position, he wouldn't have even said a word. And he hated it.

Instead of staring at his feet while he walked, he forced himself to glance back up. Just looking at Ned, Peter couldn't lie, nor could he scoot the topic under the rug and talk about how nice the weather was. "Once." Is what he finally settles on, for at least the start. "It didn't feel like home way before that, but it definitely sealed the deal."

[stressbaking]

Hearing Peter's hesitation was enough for Ned, not wanting to make his new friend uncomfortable in any way. This was supposed to be a day of self-proclaimed silliness and adventure. He would just have to come up with a suitable subject change, or at least shift the focus off of Peter, which seemed to be the source to most of the man's discomfort.

Since, indeed, switching to the weather seemed cheap, Ned decided opening up a little wouldn't kill him. And if he could put Peter at ease by sharing, then he was two for two. "I felt that way, about Coeur d'Coeurs. I just didn't get nearly as far as you did." Because unlike Peter, Ned needed to keep his hometown within arm's reach, unable to let go of even the simplest things. Though nothing about his childhood memories were simple in the least.

[askedtobe]

At the other man's own admission, Peter shifts his gaze onto him once again, face falling back into almost casual curiosity. Anybody would have been able to see that they were both hesitant about sharing their pasts, and Peter was so much so that he could tell it was a challenge for Ned as well.

"Nothing wrong with that. You've got the same problem I do." While it wasn't easy to tell the truth, especially when it had to do with himself, somehow it was much easier to do when someone else was doing it right along with him. "I still.. always go back." Looking up at Ned to offer some kind of attempted understanding, Peter couldn't entirely keep the uneasiness out of his tone. Not because he was worried about returning, but because he didn't know if he could anymore.

Which was why, he told himself once again, that he should be making the most of this. The here and now, not the possibilities of the future. "So now where're we going?"

[stressbaking]

Quick to nod, Ned was happy his plan had worked. If it meant giving a little of himself, he still couldn't mind too much. "I do too," he agreed aloud, glancing at a street sign as they passed. Even the cars that drove by seemed almost out of date, but in perfect condition like the small city itself. As if Peter had traveled back in time instead of across state lines. But at the question, he refocused on their itinerary, determined to give Peter an accurate depiction of the place he called home.

"The Papen County Historical Society." He tried for a smile as he glanced over, though it didn't quite stick. "You can learn more than you ever wanted to about here without even seeing it for yourself. Like one-stop shopping." It made sense to Ned at least, back to watching the sidewalk as it disappeared beneath his feet.