Mabel sat in the maps and local history section of the library, desperately checking over the most recent maps of Gravity Falls. She had checked every inch of the earth aboveground for Pacifica and Kathrynne, and found nothing but normal town buildings and trees. So many trees. She almost wished she had a chainsaw instead of a grappling hook because of how many trees there were. She sighed, rubbed her eyes, then stared blankly at the map in front of her once more. Aric had seemed so spooked the other day. She would admit, if questioned, that she hadn't asked the elemental about it at the time for a plethora of reasons. She was more worried about Dipperdoodle. She was more worried about Pacifica. She had been out and about for nearly twelve straight hours that day. She was still sort of scared of Aric because the guy apparently had a temper and she did not want to be on the wrong side of that any time soon.

So she sat in the library by herself, trying to figure out what she might have missed on her first few runs of Gravity Falls and the surrounding lands. She rested her head on the table, wishing that she had even a clue of whether or not to give up on the town and look somewhere else. Aric had said that the girls were close by, but the brunette had no idea. Her earring buzzed with activity, and she pressed a finger to the pink gem.

"Hello?" Her inquiry was met by some demonic sounding static. She frowned, eyebrows pulling low over her lids. Her hand dropped from the jewelry. That had been happening a lot lately, too. She scooped up the map she had been inspecting, fully meaning to put it away when something slipped between her fingers and onto the floor. She felt the map, noticing a tiny tear in the paper particles. Her hazel eyes swept the floor, finding a small slip of paper, no more than an inch long and a centimeter wide. The teen looked around, saw nobody, then scooped up the slip of paper and squinted at the jumbled writing on it's slightly bent edges.

It was a list of latitudes and longitudes. She set the map back down on the table and tugged her glittery phone out of her sweater pocket to google the coordinates. There were five points, one of which was where the Northwest mansion used to be. She unrolled the map and transferred the data from her phone to the paper with a mechanical pencil she found between the heater and the wall. The center was the town hall. Mabel flopped into her seat, then raised a hand to her ear to speak with her partner.

"Yeah?" Aric sounded even more tired than she did. Tired and almost like he was giving up.

"I think I found something."

He was silent for so long that the teen thought he died. She opened her mouth to ask if he was alright, but he interrupted her.

"What is it?" He sounded so worried and eager. Mabel shoved her bangs out of her face.

"I mean, it may not even be what we're looking for, but I found some coordinates with town hall at the epicenter. I think it's worth looking into."

"Did you already check the coordinates?"

Mabel nodded, then remembered it was a phone call type deal and he couldn't see the motion. She spoke up, "yeah, top to bottom with nothing. I had restricted access to the town hall when I went there, though. If you or Dipper could join me, that would be great." She ignored the little flutter of hope that her brother would be able to go. Aric had said it was best for her twin to stay hidden, but she missed her brother's input and enthusiasm.

"I'll ask him, but we'd need to give him a makeover or something."

Mabel's heart nearly stopped. She hadn't been expecting Aric to say that it was okay to have Dipper join them on the excursion. She beamed, "you know how good I am at makeovers."

Aric sounded like he was smiling, too, "Girl, I know. Meet me at my lair, I'll ask him if he's up for a bit of travel." The connection went dead, and she tucked the slip of paper into her pocket. Then she rolled up the map, put it back on the rack she had retrieved it from, and vacated the library. Once free from the town and it's buildings, the brunette took a step and twisted her speed ring. Within minutes, she was at the entrance to Aric's home.

She could hear the argument from the living room echoing through the knew that Aric and Dipper didn't really get along. There was something about Dipper's paranoia and general grumpiness that didn't mesh with Aric's mysterious and secretive nature. She wished they could go a few days without fighting, but the teen had a sneaking suspicion that sort of thing would require radio silence on both sides.

Once she wiggled her way into the living area, the boys had gone quiet. Dipper's neon teal gaze was focused squarely on his blanket pile, and Aric's golden eyes were focused on the ceiling. Mabel let her eyebrows raise a few centimeters towards her hairline. Dipper kept staring at the ground, but Aric managed a small wave.

"Okay, let's get it out now. What are you two fighting about this time?" She sat on a boulder that Aric had crafted into an armchair. Dipper had draped some blankets over it so that she wouldn't be sitting on straight rock. Teamwork.

Dipper started talking first, raising his voice when Aric started to correct him on a few points, "Mabel, just last week he told me that I couldn't be out in public at all, ever, and that I had to get used to looking like a monster. Now he's saying that a bit of makeup will fix it? In addition, what can I possibly do that you two aren't already doing? You've got the communicator shit going on. You've checked everywhere around town without me so far. Why would you need my help now? May as well just go with your boyfriend here and leave me at home base with nothing to do but ponder my existence and fret about your well-being just like you've been doing this whole time!"

Aric sighed, "Dipper, calm down. All I said last week was that you needed flesh tones on your skin and sunglasses to hide your eyes. Mabel specifically requested your help. Why don't you come with?"

The grey haired teen glared at the blonde, eyes flashing a dangerous shade of aquamarine, "yeah, because she hasn't requested my help before now. You probably told her it wasn't a good idea."

"I still don't think it's a good idea, I just want you two to be happy!" Aric rubbed a hand over his eyes, then let his fingers run through his hair. Dipper took a surprised step back, but his face didn't change expression. Mabel let out a low whistle. The boys looked in her direction.

"Okay, here's a simple solution: Aric, stop being an asshat; Dipper, anger management. Those are key words. Manage your anger. Remember the yoga and the breathing exercises? If you do them, it might help you control your crazy mood swings!" She clapped her hands together, then used them both to point to the mouth of the cave.

"Ready to go get a disguise?"

Dipper cast one last glare at Aric, who expertly ignored the gesture. Mabel stood up from her perch.

Her twin sighed, "Alright, let's go."

Aric followed them out of the cave and towards the town hall.