Most of Paz's days over the past week seemed to have been spent at the Mystery Shack. Her and Bud hadn't exactly set up a salary for when she'd officially start working, but she still came over to rework the old shack into a functioning business. But even if she wasn't helping out, she was eager to be there just so she could figure out what secrets the mysterious old Journal held.
Neither Gideon nor Paz were sure if this Journal was what the Pines were looking for, but they still agreed it was safer to keep it within the walls of the Mystery Shack or physically on them at all times. And seeing as the Pines already tried to ambush Paz once when she was out on her own, it probably wasn't safe with her. For now, they had no idea who Gideon was, so it was better off in his care.
Besides, while Paz was more familiar with the oddities of Gravity Falls, Gideon seemed to have more of a knack for this codebreaking business. He was the kind of kid that thought it was cool to learn Morse code, look up words in dead languages just because they looked interesting, and read old mystery novels. This Journal was the kind of thing he could only dream of finding. They'd find out more about it in his hands.
Although Paz wasn't entirely sure why he was bringing it out with him today
"I thought this was going to be a day off!" Paz exclaimed from the backseat of Bud's old station wagon. "You got to take a breather from all this stuff- you've been at it a lot more than I have, and that's not even including the time when I'm not around."
But Gideon didn't seem to get it. "But this book holds all kinds a' special spells and secrets! This is fun for me!"
"And you need a break every now and then! Some fresh air will do you good!" Paz decided. "Besides, aren't you worried about it getting damaged with all that lake water or something?
Gideon shrugged. "It's stood the test of time already. Besides- look!" He said as he touched his finger to his tongue to get a bit of spit on it. He pressed the glob to the page. The spittle rolled off without leaving a stain or water mark.
"It's waterproof! I figure it's got all kinds a' protective spells on it already!" Gideon showed off.
"Huh, that's useful… how'd you find that out?" Paz wondered.
Gideon wasn't too comfortable with sharing the fact that it had occurred when he'd been so engulfed in reading the Journal, that be brought it with him into the bathroom. One yell from his dad and a startled fumbling of the book later, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to explain to Paz the most embarrassing way on the planet to lose all that valuable knowledge. Multiple Pine Tree air fresheners were still caked between the pages.
"Oh… you know… trial and error." Gideon mumbled.
Luckily his father was there to save him from the embarrassment. "My, this is going to be such a hoot! I haven't had a father-son fishing trip in the longest time! It was so kind of your father to invite us out, Pacifica!"
"My father?" Paz asked immediately getting concerned.
"Why yes! After how much time you've been spending over at our place, I just knew I had to call up your father to thank him and make sure he knew what a treat you've been! I wanted to introduce myself nice and proper- He said he wanted to show us a real Northwest welcome!"
"Oh no…"
"And then he insisted on having us all over on his yacht for the first day of fishing season!" Bud cheered.
Gideon grinned ear to ear at the idea of it. "Wow, Paz! You didn't tell me you were that well off!"
Pacifica smacked herself in the forehead for having it come to this. Frankly, it was her own fault for not clearing things up with both of them. But was it too much to hope for being able to last a month without telling them her entire family history? There would be no avoiding it now.
"We aren't exactly-"
"We're here!" Bud cheered cutting her off before she could explain any further.
The father and son eagerly piled out of the car, excited to be able to go on a fancy boat for the day. However, the small dock of Gravity Falls Lake could hardly handle a large boat let alone a yacht. But they hardly seemed to notice. Bud cheerfully lifted his son up on his shoulders.
"Oh, we're going out to sea! Imagine the things we'll see!" The father and son sang out as if reciting some old camp song despite the fact that the lake was nowhere near the coast line. But they seemed so… well, gleeful! It was hard for Paz to crush their spirits. But she knew her father would do a good job of that soon.
"Not sure if you should get too excited..." Paz began trying to let them down easy.
"Pacifica! What are you doing arriving in such a drab means of transportation!?" A loud and snobby voice sounded out.
Paz tried to sigh and keep her calm, but it seemed like her father was at his worst.
Preston Northewest approached strutting like he was the most important man in the room… or well, lakeside. But his wardrobe told an entirely different story. The suit he wore was old, in tatters with multiple holes torn through it. Any attempt to comb back his hair only resulted in a frayed mess. His chin was plagued by a thin beard that seemed to be more out of forgetting to shave than actually trying to grow one. His eyes looked like they were someplace else, yet he still carried himself as if he was dressed to walk down a red carpet. But really, he only looked like he just dug himself out of a centuries old coffin.
"Dad…" Paz began trying to find the right words to reason with him.
"Don't tell me these two commoners are the ones you've been spending your time with. I assumed you knew how to keep better company than this!"
Gideon scratched his head confused. Paz had seemed a lot more level headed than this. She knew her father probably didn't behave exactly like her, and he did admit it did sound odd when his dad said she had something like a yacht in the family. And the man before him definitely didn't look like he did either.
"Paz, what's going on?" Gideon asked with concern in his voice. He'd been excited about the lake, but now he could see the worry in his friend's eyes. Family for her sure didn't seem to be the same kind of pleasure that it was for him.
"I should be asking the same question! I wouldn't have extended my invitation if I had known the details!" Preston exclaimed, completely ignoring the looks of confusion on the Gleeful's faces
"Maybe we should just go home then." Paz decided hoping to cut her losses. She wanted to have a fun day out on the lake with her new friend, but there'd be no doing that with her father around. She could explain things better to the Gleefuls later.
"Don't be ridiculous, Pacifica. The entire town is expecting our arrival. Probably some ribbon they want us to cut and all that. I can't afford to miss out on a public appearance!"
"That's not all we can't afford…" Paz muttered bitterly.
"What did you just say, young lady?" Preston demanded putting his hands on his hips.
"Just… do we really need to turn this into a scene? Again?"
Both Gleefuls found this hard to watch. Bud didn't like having to get in the middle of a father's parenting, but this man seemed more than a few cowboys short of a rodeo.
"Uh, maybe the girl is right. I'm sure you can settle your differences away-"
"Shut your mouth you redneck trash! You don't know anything of the complex matters of high society!"
A hush was brought to Bud as he tried to fathom how he fell under the category of redneck. He preferred to think of himself as a Southern gentleman!
Preston grabbed his daughter by the wrist, dragging her toward the main gathering of townsfolk. Paz wanted to fight back, but she could see her dad was in one of his fits. She'd have to play this through with him until he decided he had enough hanging around with the 'riff raft'.
Gideon watched sadly as his friend was dragged away. Maybe if this was some kind of monster, it would be easier. But family problems? That was something he couldn't easily get in between.
Still… he had to try. Although… when up on his dad's shoulders like this, he was pretty high up from the ground. Probably break his little neck by jumping into action.
"Uh, Pops? Can you put me down or walk us closer to the rest of the festivities?" Gideon asked nervously.
Bud snapped out of his confused stupor and nodded. "Oh… of course son!" He said eagerly running toward the rest of the townsfolk as fast as he could manage with a kid on his shoulders.
Apparently, it hadn't taken Preston long to cause another scene. But to be fair, it seem to have become commonplace among the townsfolk to make a mockery of the crazy man. He stood out in front of a half sunk, rickety little wooden boat tied up to the dock speaking with a police officer.
"Now officer, clearly something must be done about this heinous act of vandalism. My S.S. Filthy Rich is about to become a permanent resident of this lake, and you won't even consider the possibility of foul play! Do you even know how much a yacht of this caliber is worth? More than you'll ever make in your entire careers- I can assure you that much." Preston insisted.
All the bystanders began gossiping to each other questioning if he was truly serious. But the black haired mustached officer aboard his police boat seemed to keep a straight face despite the ridiculous prospect.
"Sir, if you think this is supposed to be funny then I regret to inform you that I was born with a rare disorder that makes me incapable of experiencing humor and your elaborate joke is lost on me. That rotted piece of wood you call a boat most likely fell apart from old age." The officer assured him.
His blond partner put a hand on his shoulder. "Sherriff Powers, I believe that's local town coot, Preston 'Nutso' Northwest. Either he genuinely believes all of this, or he's been playing a long and clever scam on the entire town."
"Hm… we can't arrest him for that Deputy Trigger…" Powers admitted with his arms crossed. "Do you think the ridicule of the town will discourage this behavior in the future?"
Trigger shrugged. "It is a possibility."
Taking out a loudspeaker, Sherriff Powers addressed the townsfolk "For all of you that wish to do your civic duty and promote peace and order, please laugh at the insane man to shame him into silence!"
The townsfolk didn't need much more of a reason to start pointing and laughing at the already frustrated Preston.
"You'll all be hearing from my lawyers for slander!" Preston threatened the crowd.
Paz was trying her best to remain silent and blend in with the crowd as her father's anger grew. If he was mad now, she did not want to be alone with him when he needed something to take his frustrations out on. Luckily for her, he seemed too angry to even remember he had a daughter at the moment. He began to storm off away from the lake, with many onlookers following him in expectation for the show to continue. You couldn't buy comedy this good! Or at least, not normally in a small town like this.
Bud and Gideon watched as Paz hung her head in shame. It was hard for them to watch. Neither wanted to interfere, but it seemed too bad to leave alone. Bud picked up Gideon off his shoulders and set him down on the ground.
"Why don't you go and go give your friend a few kind words. I'll see if I can maybe talk some sense into her father." Bud suggested. He wasn't really looking forward to talking to the pretentious man, but he could tell Pacifica was a nice kid. After all the help she'd been putting in, he at least owed it to her to give it a shot.
Gideon nodded, although he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. 'Sorry your dad is off his rocker.' Or how about 'You can't pick your family, but at least you can move out in another 4-6 years'. There just weren't many friendly words out there for this kind of situation.
Gideon walked up to Pacifica who was now sitting at the end of the dock, with her feet dangling over the edge. She looked out at all the happy friends and families in their boats enjoying their day out on the water. As much as she loved all the weird things in Gravity Falls, why couldn't her father be the one thing in her life that was normal?
"Paz…" Gideon began stretching out his arm to put on her shoulder.
"Save it, Gideon. I don't need your pity." Pacifica immediately insisted. Perhaps she was being a bit harsh, but she wasn't really in the mood to deal with anyone right now. She didn't even turn around to look up at him.
Gideon sighed, understanding that feeling. But he didn't like just leaving her like this. "Well, sympathy 'aint the same as pity, is it?"
Paz shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not a thesaurus." She admitted begrudgingly.
Gideon sat down beside her and chuckled. "Well… I just mean… I know what it's like. Someone making a fool out a' your family like that? It's just as bad as getting heckled yourself."
Paz gave a light nod. It didn't exactly make her feel better, but she wasn't going to shoo Gideon away.
"You'd think I'd be used to it by now… but it still gets to me." She admitted scratching her nail into the soggy wooden post.
"I'm sure you've thought 'bout getting him help…"
Paz immediately shook her head. "No way. There isn't a shrink alive that could set his head straight. I've looked in all kinds of books and articles, and I can't even begin to find the kind of crazy he has. And while they're trying to find out what's wrong with him until they claim he's just faking it, there's no way I'd be able to stay with him after he got himself committed."
Gideon scratched the back of his head trying to think of anything he could say to make her feel better. Oh the things he took for granted, like having two parents that loved him and were relatively sane. He didn't dare ask Paz about her mom. The situation on that end probably wasn't much better if she hadn't brought it up. No wonder she'd been spending so much time with them at the Mystery Shack. Didn't look like her home life was worth coming home to.
"Well… if you ever need anything, you know me and my 'Pa are here for you." Gideon mentioned with a faint smile.
"Oh my, isn't that generous of you!" A high pitched voice cried out to the two of them. The pair had gotten so used to all the waves and ships in the background that they hardly noticed one had started pulling up to the dock now. With how large it was, it was amazing they missed it. It wasn't exactly a yacht, but it wasn't as… well, modest as all the other boats in Gravity Falls lake. It certainly looked more like it cost more than what Gideon's dad had paid for the Mystery Shack. And on the bow of the ship, sitting with her feet off the rails was Mabel Pines.
"I don't believe we were properly introduced." Mabel said swinging off the side of the boat and landing on the dock without skipping a step. "Mabel Pines- pleasure to meet you." She said holding her hand out to Gideon.
The young boy was left dumbfounded. He had been more focused on comforting Paz. Plus, didn't she claim that all of the Pines twins were the worst or something like that? Mabel seemed rather friendly to him. He reached out and shook the girl's hand leading to the oddest giddy giggle to escape her lips. With that and the glare coming from Paz, Gideon started to move his hand away but the young Pines had quite the grip on her. It took a few tugs before Gideon got his hand back.
"I'm Gideon… er, nice to meet you too." Gideon said trying to be polite.
"Darn- we missed the spectacle, didn't we?" Dipper Pines called out from above deck as he folded up an old fashion spyglass. "Your father certainly knows how to spice up an event, doesn't he?" Dipper said looking down at Pacifica with a smirk on his face.
Paz folded her arms annoyed. She really did not want to have to deal with them right now.
"So there was blood in the water, and the sharks came out to play." Paz determined.
Mabel rolled her eyes. "Don't be like that dearie. We were just concerned, that's all." Mabel claimed. Although Paz doubted her intentions were pure. After all, she was still batting her eyes at Gideon. There was no way anything good could come out of that.
Dipper climbed down to the side of his ship and examined what had once been the senior Northwest's boat which was now mostly driftwood floating above the water. "There does seem to be something more than the usual wear and tear on the boat the loon was putting up a fuss about… see the markings? This vessel was capsized. And I'm guessing by something large."
Gideon hadn't even thought about the boat Preston was making a fuss about in the first place. It was clear enough that he wasn't right in the head, and with old age being more of a logical cause of destruction, Ockam's razor swung in that direction. But now that Dipper brought attention to it, there did seem to be signs that the boat was tampered with. And he did enjoy himself a good mystery.
"He's right…" Gideon confirmed leaning over the side of the dock to look at the boat. "Maybe your pops wasn't completely wrong!" He wasn't sure how much better it would make her feel, but a sign that her dad wasn't completely off his rocker had to be a good sign.
"Maybe…" Paz said turning her attention more to the boat.
Just then, the dock began to creak and one of the planks under Gideon's feet snapped. Paz was next to Gideon, yet even she didn't seem to react as fast as Mabel did, catching the boy by the arm right as he was about to dive head first into the lake.
Mabel smiled sweetly at Gideon as she pulled him back over the planks. "Watch your step, sweetie."
Gideon gulped at the idea of almost having taken a swim. He really had not been looking forward to being soaking wet all day. "Thanks! Mabel, was it? You sure have good reflexes on you!" He admitted impressed.
Everything about their behavior seemed fishy to Paz. Were they just putting on a show for Gideon who didn't have evidence of what kind of monsters they were yet? She turned back to Dipper who seemed to be fiddling with his bolo tie. She didn't know why, but this all felt planned somehow. They were magicians. Some kind of misdirection or sleight of hand seemed to be in play. But what were they playing at?
Dipper extended his spyglass to get a better look at the ship without leaving his boat. "It looks almost as if a huge bite was taken out of it… some sort of sea monster perhaps?" He said with a playful grin. "Or it could just be someone that wants it to look like the work of a fantastical creature. The case of the screwball's sunken ship… or perhaps the crackpot's capsized craft? What sounds catchier?"
Mabel rolled her eyes at her brother's obsession with these kind of mystery novels. "Either way, we'd be happy to help you get to the bottom of this mystery. But your culprit is most likely already off the shore. It doesn't seem like your vessel is looking too seaworthy." Mabel pointed waving at the broken ship. "My brother and I would be happy to give you two passage aboard the Stan O' War."
Dipper wasn't sure how he felt about spending the afternoon with the Northwest girl, but he couldn't deny the possibilities. "Well, I doubt it's as fun as fishing or wandering aimlessly in the lake, but an old fashioned mystery seems to be a satisfactory way to spend the afternoon."
Gideon had to admit, it did sound like fun. Whether it meant monster hunting or hunting down some culprit, they were offering him a fun afternoon. But Paz made it clear that the Pines weren't to be trusted. All of them. But while Dipper seemed like a jerk, at least Mabel was trying to be friendly.
"Thank ya for your kind offer and all… but maybe now isn't the best time… what do you think, Paz?" Gideon asked. He especially didn't want to go off on an adventure she was uncomfortable with after she had been feeling so low.
Paz scratched the back of her head. It did seem perfect… it would certainly help get her mind off things with her father. And Gideon already looked excited. But it was still hard to trust that they could be alone in the water with the Pines and nothing would go wrong.
"Yo, are we getting more people aboard?" An eager voice asked from behind the vessel's steering wheel. Of course, someone over the age of 18 had to be driving this boat. Soos already drove the twins all around town. It seemed the same was true on the water.
"That's perfect! The more the merrier!" Soos cheered. "Oh man, Mr. Pines is going to be so jealous he didn't come out for this party at sea!"
Dipper really wished Soos hadn't mentioned Stan. He was just starting to get over that let down. He leaned his head over the ship trying to hide his disappointment, but really it just looked more like he was about to throw up. "There you have it, we have the extra room." He grumbled.
Stan rarely missed a fishing day. The man had to be physically incapacitated or incarcerated to pass up a chance. And as much as Dipper would claim to hate the long string of bad jokes, it just didn't feel like summer without their usual trip across the lake on the first day of fishing season. But he'd been busier ever since the Gleefuls moved in. Meaning the Telepathy Twins would just have to find new distractions to keep them occupied.
Paz did admit, she felt safer with Soos around. But did the twins really just want company along with them? It was hard to imagine them as normal kids that just wanted friends to hang out with. Gideon certainly seemed to be willing to give her a chance. Should she give them one too?
…After the gnomes incident? Absolutely not. But she was curious as to what they were playing at. As long as she made sure that she wasn't alone with the two and Soos was around, a trip on the water should be interesting!
"I guess a few hours out on the water could be fun…" Paz admitted.
Gideon grinned ear to ear. The fancy boat trip was back on! Albeit on a less fancy boat than he imagined… and now without his dad too. "Wait, my pops is going to get worried about where I ran off to."
Paz sighed and shook her head. "He went off to talk to my dad, didn't he? He'll certainly still be dealing with him for a couple of hours."
Gideon frowned wondering if his dad bit off more than he could chew. "Still… probably should leave him a note or something." Gideon admitted. Although the only paper he had was in the Journal, and he highly doubted Paz wanted him taking that out around the Pines Twins. "Er, do either of you two have anything I could write on?"
Mabel smiled at Gideon. That gleeful little grin of his was so cute. "Oh, I may have a scrap or two on me." She said pulling out a folded piece of paper from her sleeve and handing it to Gideon.
Gideon nodded, taking the paper. Although it already seemed to have writing on it. 'Do you like me' with the boxes 'Yes, Definitely, and Absolutely!' with hearts drawn all over it. The boxes were blank though. Huh, maybe she had something left over from passing notes in school or something. Gideon shrugged and flipped over the paper, taking a pen from his pocket and writing up a simple note for his dad.
'Paz and I found a ride with some locals and are headed out to sea for a bit. Will hopefully be back soon. –Gideon'
Mabel frowned that Gideon hadn't seemed to have gotten the obvious message, but that innocence made him all the sweeter. This would be a pleasant afternoon.
Soos had been tying the boat up to the dock for their new passengers, but was distracted when he noticed Gideon was leaving a note for his dad.
"Ah, I can do you one better, dog!" Soos said reaching out from the boat, almost falling in the water as he grabbed the pen and paper. After scribbling a few numbers, he passed the pen and paper back to Gideon. "Boom! I've got one of those fancy phones that work out in the middle of dead zones. Perfect for these kind of situations where people go out into the middle of nowhere with little chance of rescue once the signal goes dead! Your dad can reach us when we go out where no man has probably gone often!"
Gideon smiled at the man's thoughtfulness. It made him feel a lot better about just leaving his dad with a note. "Thanks!"
"You're welcome G-dog!" Soos exclaimed.
Dipper observed as Gideon used one of the splinters on a pole to pin his note on the dock. It was a long shot, but the wheels in his head were already turning. The location where the Gleeful boy had been staying all summer, the way his jacket sagged like there was a heavy object in it… were they really this lucky?
"Funny… you have a pen with you, but no paper? You don't have any sort of notepad or say… summer reading that you're taking notes on to go with it?" Dipper mused
Gideon flinched, worried about what he was getting at. "Er, well… you know, lots of people carry a pen for when they have to… you know. Write stuff." There was nothing weird about having a pen on him, right?
Dipper grinned at how easy it seemed to get the boy off balance. This probably wouldn't be too difficult at all. "Of course…"
Dipper watched behind him as Gideon carefully tried to get on the boat without falling in the water again while Pacifica seemed to be fighting back any last minute reservations. Mabel seemed more than happy to assist her newest crush. Perhaps he should give the Northwest girl a little 'welcome aboard' as well.
"Feeling a bit too scared to shove off? You're free to stay on the shore while we give Gleeful here a warm 'Gravity Falls' welcome. I wonder, how much of this place have you really begun to show him so far?" Dipper asked.
But there was no way Paz was having Gideon go off on his own with them. There was no way she was going to take her friend being threatened like that lightly. She answered Dipper by literally hopping on board.
"Oh he's starting to see the kind of weird things around here. I figure it's only a matter of time before he gets a good look at the worst kind of monsters Gravity Falls has to offer." Paz said glaring at Dipper.
Dipper only smirked. Her adversity would make this all the more fun.
"Well then… why don't we give him the grand tour?"
I ishp nh htrci lvp ebhd. G'lm eovy bx fn tp lvpg hrnc ovj tlgbpj gs jf cyy impae byoth.
Author's Note: Sorry about that delay! Holiday got me off schedule! But I liked playing around with the more Gravity Falls-esc humor in this chapter while getting a few good character moments in. Hope you enjoyed it!
