"Those guys were hella sketch," Pacifica said as soon as they left the tent. Melody had to leave right away in order to get home on time now that it was dark out. Pacifica had told her that she would walk Gideon home, not liking the idea of him walking alone in this monster infested town. But more than living wax sculptures and gnomes, the thing that disturbed her the most were the Pines Twins. She was relieved they were gaining more and more distance from the tent. "I'm not surprised Granny Carla doesn't trust them."
"You had to be a little impressed," Gideon nudged her with his elbow. "I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot with the Pines', you know after we broke into the Mystery Museum and then destroyed all the wax figures. But I don't think they were too upset, plus Dipper gave us free tickets."
Pacifica glanced around before speaking, as if she was afraid the Pines twins would pop up around any corner. "You remember what I told you about that night in the Mystery Museum, right?" she whispered as they walked further and further away from the tent. She was way too serious about this. He didn't like it when Paz was so focused on all her conspiracy theories, she wasn't nearly as fun. "When I ran into Dipper he was able to control my actions. I don't know how, but it was like he was in my head telling me what to do."
"Well he is a hypnotist, maybe he was just hypnotizing you. Oooooooh," Gideon suggested dramatically, making ghost sounds as he finished his sentence. He managed to get a breath of easy laughter and a soft smile.
Paz ruffled the mop of white hair on the top of his head, shoving him off to the side. Gideon giggled to himself as her reached up to readjust his bright Aqua green cap, only to discover that he wasn't wearing it.
"My hat!" Gideon cried out in alarm, his hands rapidly searching the top of his head. He looked up at the blonde beside him with big shining eyes. "I left it in the tent."
Pacifica looked down at the puppy face he was giving her and met his pleading look with a dry one. She skewered her mouth and rolled her eyes in exasperation. Without a moment of hesitation, she turned on her heel and started walking back to the Tent of Telepathy, her cousin running up behind her to catch up with her. She desperately wanted to avoid the place like the plague, but Gideon would throw a fit if they didn't get it back right away.
"Since when do you even take off your hat?" she asked as they walked through the thinning parking lot. Some of the patrons were still milling about the outside of the tent. Some discussing with each other the events that they had witnessed. Others waiting to catch a glimpse of the Pines twins. Most going off to their cars, heading home now that it was night time.
Gideon snuck into the tent through the front entrance, though the guard who had been there before the show started was gone now. Still, Gideon tiptoed into the tent and ducked behind a pillar when he entered, scanning the room from his hiding spot like a secret agent on a mission. Paz followed his lead and hid behind another pillar, suspiciously staring out at the now empty tent. The two made eye contact for a moment and the look of over the top seriousness on the others face made them both burst into a series of barely stifled giggles. Neither of them could spot the twins or Stan Pines in the theatre, so they left their hiding spot and went back to their seats from before and searched the area. Within the plush blue velvet seats, Gideon couldn't see any trace of his bright Aqua hat. Nor was it anywhere on the floor. Pacifica started to search the seats behind them.
"I don't understand," Gideon said as he stood up on one of the seats to get a better view. Nothing. "I left it here."
"Oh I'm sorry," a cheerful voice chimed from the stage. Gideon whipped around to see who it was and was stunned to find Mabel Pines standing right in the centre of the stage. He hadn't even heard her come in. "Were you looking for this?"
Mabel was still dressed in her costume from the performance, the aquamarine blazer was in crisp condition even after all the acrobatics she had just done. The strange sea green jewel sitting upon her black lace headband glowed like a neon sign, drawing Gideon's attention like a flame draws a moth's. Her hand was outstretched, and dangling from her fingers was Gideon's bright Aqua green cap.
"My hat!" Gideon exclaimed when he saw her holding it out to him. He immediately raced out from between the pews and ran up to the stage. He wasn't sure how to get up on the platform since he didn't see a staircase or anything nearby, so he simply stood in front of the first row of seats. Mabel extended the hat towards him with a curtsy, so that he could actually reach her with the current height difference between them. Gideon grasped the hat gratefully. Shoving it back onto his head, he offered her a large toothy grin. "Thanks for finding it!"
Mabel gave him a sweet smile in return and her sea green eyes seemed to glitter under the spotlight of the stage. Gideon couldn't help but notice how pretty she was up close, even more so than the illustrious look she had during the show. With her thick chestnut hair and seemingly flawless skin, she looked just like an angel.
"Aww," Mabel cooed as soon as the description popped into his head. She beamed at him and her dark eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. "That is so sweet of you to think that."
Gideon's eyes would have popped out of his head if they had gotten any wider. His mouth dropped open in shock as he reeled backwards. "H-how did you know what I was thinkin'?"
Mabel let out a giggle that sounded more like tinkling bells than an actual human sound. "You're in the Tent of Telepathy, Gideon," she said, motioning to the theatre around them. "Reading minds is one of my many talents."
Gideon stared up at her in awe. He couldn't deny that she was stunning. But he could see a danger in the centre of her unnaturally bright eyes; a sharpness in the corner of her smile. Looking at Mabel Pines was equal parts enrapturing and terrifying.
"Speaking of talents," Mabel continued, bringing her hand up to touch her cheek thoughtfully. "I love the hat you designed. It's so hard to find boys that appreciate the sparkly things in life."
Gideon reached up to touch the hat she complimented, rainbow coloured rhinestones spelled out his name in a nice cursive script on the front. He smiled up at Mabel, shaking off his previous nervousness, convincing himself that Paz's paranoia was getting to him.
"Yeah, I bedazzle all my hats," Gideon replied joyfully. It was nice to find someone who liked sparkly things as much as he did. Mabel seemed like a kindred spirit, with her love of sparkles and dramatic flare. Sure the whole telepathy thing was a bit creepy, but overall Mabel seemed really nice. He shook off all previous reservations. "Lots of people think they're dumb."
"Nonsense," Mabel stated, waving his reply off with her hand. "They're adorable. And they match your cute little face perfectly."
Gideon's face went beet red. Before he could stammer out a thank you, Pacifica decided to clomp down the stairs and stand protectively between him and the magician girl. As soon as his cousin slid in front of him, Mabel's eyes went from being as soft and sweet as cotton candy to being as sharp and deadly as knives. Paz crossed her arms over her chest and met the sharp gaze with a look that was colder than ice.
"Well, thanks for giving him the hat back, Mabel," Pacifica said, being as civil as her distrustful nature would allow. "We have to be getting home now. My Grandma would be pissed if I kept the little cuz out any later than this."
Gideon felt her warm hand wrap itself tightly around his wrist. She started pulling him away from the stage and towards the closest isle to them.
"Are you sure you can't stay a little longer?" Mabel asked as Paz marched up down the isle that led towards the exit. "I'd love to know how you're enjoying your summer back in Gravity Falls, Miss Northwest."
Pacifica's steps faltered, but she didn't stop walking. Even as Mabel continued to speak to her.
"After spending months at that stuffy all girls boarding school, it must be nice to come back home. Even though you aren't stuck in the mansion anymore. Mommy finally gave you some running room after fourteen years of oppression. I bet that's a relief." Gideon could practically hear the grin in Mabel's voice as she spoke. This time, Pacifica did stop walking. She turned back to Mabel with a narrowed gaze, tucking Gideon back behind her. The girl on the stage smiled an innocent smile. "It would be great to have a proper chat with you."
Pacifica didn't ask how Mabel knew all that stuff about her. Instead she gave Mabel a courteous smile that left her eyes cold and hard.
"Maybe another time," she replied, her voice sharp and unfriendly as she turned away and continued towards the door.
Gideon offered Mabel a final wave of farewell as he got dragged away, hopefully being pleasant enough to make up for Paz's rude exit. Just as they managed to make it halfway towards the opening in the tent, someone stepped in front of them from the corner of their vision. Gideon hadn't even seen any trace of Dipper Pines in the room until he had appeared right in front of them. The boy had the same bored yet slightly annoyed expression he had when Gideon first saw him in the Mystery Museum. There was no evidence that nearly twenty minutes ago, the boy had a mysterious smirk on his face and had addressed a crowd of screaming fans with such reverence.
Pacifica went stiff as a plank when her blue violet eyes met his sea green ones. Her grip on Gideon's wrist tightened and she pulled him so that he was directly behind her and mostly out of Dipper's sight. Though Dipper wasn't even acknowledging him. His eyes were trained solely on Pacifica.
"Did you enjoy the show," he asked curtly. He seemed to glide closer and closer to Pacifica until he wash mere inches away from her.
Pacifica leaned away from him in order to get some distance between them, but she wouldn't step back. Though she was clearly creeped out beyond all reason, Paz didn't let her discomfort show in her voice.
"Yes," she lied through her teeth. Gideon would know, he had to listen to her complain about how tacky the show was the whole time they were watching it. "Thank you for the tickets."
The slight smile Dipper gave her made Gideon's knees shake. There was some sort of shadow in that smile. A shadow that seemed to stretch and curl to the corners of his eyes. He didn't say anything in response to Pacifica's gratitude, and just stood before her, staring. He was much more unsettling to be around than Mabel.
Pacifica started to side step around him, keeping Gideon firmly behind her. "We really should get going," she stated again. "It's a bit late."
"Stay where you are."
Pacifica froze like a statue, and was unable to tear her eyes away from the cruel gaze of the magician that had ordered her to stay. Gideon could tell by the way her hand was shaking that she was terrified.
"I was hoping to ask you some questions," Dipper stated, tilting his head to the side like a lizard. He took a step closer to her, now being way to near for comfort. The ends of his cape fluttered behind him as he moved forward. This time Pacifica didn't move an inch.
Before the magician could say another word, Mabel came up beside him and leaned on his shoulder.
"Don't be rude bro bro," Mabel sighed in exasperation. "If the lady wishes to leave then the chivalrous thing to do is to let her go."
Mabel grabbed a hold of Pacifica's chin and simultaneously nudged her brother off to the side. She forced Pacifica to look over at her and offered her an apologetic grin.
"I'm sorry about Dipstick," she said. Gideon rose an eyebrow at the nickname she used. She let go of Paz's chin and waved her off with a dismissive hand. "You're free to leave Pacifica."
Without a moment of deliberation, Paz continued on her path to the exit. She didn't loosen her grip as she continued to drag him as far away from the Pines twins as she could get. Gideon was now completely ready to escape this tent and the creepiness within it, and he eagerly looked at the opening.
"Bye Gideon!" he heard Mabel call out cheerily from behind him. Pacifica didn't stop pulling him and instead picked up her pace.
"Don't you dare look back," she hissed as quietly as possible as they got closer and closer to the exit of the tent.
Gideon disobeyed her order and looked over his shoulder.
They were still standing side by side in the isle, watching closely as the two cousins left. As he stared back at them, the twins gave Gideon sparkling white smiles, that might have been charming were it not for the sharp edges and the cold viper eyes.
He turned away from the sight quickly, ignoring the shiver that crawled up his spine.
Xxx
For those of you who don't know Mabel and Dipper have different powers. They still have their amulets but Bill gave them their own physical powers when they first dealt with him. Dipper has the ability to control minds and Mabel has the ability to read them. Though they can read/control the mind of anyone they make eye contact with Mabel is still abel to read a persons mind after they look away from her. It is only when she stops looking at them that she can no longer read them. Dipper loses his ability to control a person as soon as either he or they look away. The twins cannot use their powers on each other.
