HAT: Inspiration and motivation are fickle things, but I managed to squeeze another chapter out. I hope that you enjoy, soon it'll pick up, I promise. For now, have a bit of patience with me.
Disclaimer: I don't anything but the plot.
Near the end of the day when Pacifica gets the text from Stanford that he's coming to pick her up, she goes to the front since she's sure that her cousin got the message. She waits for both Mabel and Stanford to show up, but she gets antsy about Mabel not showing up. Did Dan get her? Did Chester take her away? Was Carl actually one of Dan's people and trying to get Mabel killed? Should she run inside and search for her?
Before she could act on that last thought, Mabel comes out with a stony look on her face and Pacifica sighs quietly with a mixture of pure and utter relief and mild annoyance. Couldn't Mabel see that she's just trying to keep her from making a terrible decision? That Charlie was a horrible person that doesn't deserve Mabel at all? Was she still that boy crazy that she couldn't see when a guy was all wrong for her or for any girl, really?
She shakes this off when she sees Stanford pull up in the Stanley Mobile and then rushes inside and gets into the back seat behind the driver's seat.
"How was your trip to the mall?" Stanford asks as he pulls off.
"Fine," the girls say as one.
He stays silent for pretty much the rest of the drive.
When they finally return home he tells them, "Don't forget to clean your room or I'll do it for you."
And they know what comes with Stanford cleaning their room- all of their precious items will get thrown away.
"Yes Grunkle Ford/Uncle Stan," they say and rush up the stairs to get started on cleaning up.
There's already a trashcan hanging on their door- of course.
Pacifica grabs it as they enter and wordlessly begins going through the stuff on her side of the room.
"You didn't have to do that," Mabel says as she throws away some old homework she got a 83 on. "Craig's not a bad guy."
Pacifica sighs- she does not want to have this conversation right now. "Mabel, could you drop it?"
"Will you stop trying to get between me and Craig?"
"Mabel, he's a terrible person," Pacifica deadpans.
"How do you know that? You never spent time with him before or after were adopted by Grunkle Stan," Mabel insists with her hands on her hips.
"I don't have to. Ask around the school- he's bad news. He's all nice and stuff now, but when you don't give him what he wants, that's when he changes. I'm looking out for you because you're so boy crazy that you can't see what's right in front of your face."
"I can look after myself just fine!"
Pacifica pinches the bridge of her nose- she's gotta stop hanging around Stanley- and groans in frustration. "Mabel-"
The sweater clad girl shakes her head. "No, I don't wanna hear it. You and Dipper always underestimate my judge of character. I'm gonna prove to you Craig is a good guy and that we're perfect for each other."
Pacifica throws her arms up in exasperation. "Fine! But when he turns out to be a buttmunch, don't come cryin' t' me!"
She can't even be in the same room as Mabel since she won't listen to reason so she storms out. She goes straight to the place on the roof that Wendy showed her and lays there, staring up at the sky for a long time.
Why can't she see I'm just trying to look out for her? Pacifica thinks with frustration, her sapphire stare turning to a glare.
"Pssst! Pacifica!"
Said girl sits up and looks around until she spots a manotaur standing at the base of the Mystery Shack.
"Chutzpar? What're you doing here?" The bi-color haired girl asks with a small frown.
"AH!" Chutzpar jumps at her face. "Who destroyed your face?!"
Pacifica groans. "It's makeup. I'll wash it off later. Now what're you doing here? Uncle Stan told you not to come around here."
"I know, but it's important," Chutzpar insists. "Listen, I think I found something that can help you with your non-human-human problem."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but there's a spell that keeps it hidden- if we don't act fast, it'll be gone. Do you have your small magic box?" She nods. "Alright, jump down and I'll catch you."
She scoots to the edge of the roof and then jumps down into Chutzpar's arms and he catches her like she expected. She and Chutzpar became really good buddies when they were trapped in a cave waiting for help. Eventually Stanford ended up blasting through with some light cannon. Needless to say they're very close now after having so much time to bond. He even let her braid his beard which was a sign of friendship and trust among his kind (a great honor).
Chutzpar puts her on his shoulders and he ran into the forest.
With any luck, this will have some sort of key to getting Dan to leave us alone.
Chutzpar runs through the forest and makes his way to a cave near a river. This was a part of the forest she hadn't seen much of despite all of her adventures with her cousins and uncle. She takes a break to wash all the makeup from her face and then follows the Manotaur into the cave.
On the wall there are eyes of all different colors, but the strange thing is that they seem to be florescent.
Pacifica walks forward and her fingers brush against a blue pair of eyes and chills run down her spine. There's writing but none that she's ever come across before and doesn't recall seeing in her uncle's journals either.
She takes several pictures of every inch and Chutzpar stays near her the entire time. She feels safer with the Manotaur there- his constant presence assures her that she isn't alone and that she's safe. As she goes through her pictures to make sure she got everything she feels a chill run down her spine and she turns to look at the entrance, but there's no one there.
It must be in my head, she thinks.
"C'mon, Chutzpar, let's go get this to Uncle Stan," she says while holding her phone tightly in her hand.
"Climb atop my back hair."
Once Pacifica's securely on his shoulders he takes off back towards the Mystery Shack, but Pacifica can't shake the chill.
Stanford actually cracked a genuine smile upon seeing the pictures and demanded Pacifica have them printed out so that he could look at them properly and decipher them.
In the middle of the printing process he frowns. "What is it, Pep?"
"Nothing," she lies.
"Statistically that's improbable seeing as I know you very well and your eyebrows aren't relaxed... now either you can tell me or I can find your diary-"
"I hid it someplace else," Pacifica cuts in.
"I put a tracking device on it," Stanford says with a smirk.
Pacifica groans and slams her head on the table. "You suck!"
"Yes, yes, now out with it," the stoic man says.
Pacifica looks away from him and asks in a quiet voice, "Why can't I just be a normal kid? With normal problems?"
When Stanford doesn't speak up she takes this as her sign to continue speaking.
She licks her lips apprehensively.
She's never really dumped all of her problems on someone else. Usually one of many if she does at all. To dump all of her problems on another human being would be like baring a part of her soul. It would leave her feeling practically naked. On top of that, she has no idea how this man will react. Despite his stoic and indifferent attitude, he's just as overprotective as his abrasive twin and who knows what he'll do.
Stanford- as expected- goes about as if this isn't a big deal and continues manning the printing station, patiently waiting for her to continue and voice her problems.
"Well, out of all my problems, the most recent one's the one that's most- the most normal," Pacifica corrects herself when he looks ready to do so- she needs to stop picking up McGucket's speaking habits. "Mabel and I got in a fight... she got mad about me trying to get her away from this guy who's a total douche bag. She's just too boy crazy to see that him for what he's worth and I don't wanna see her get hurt, but she won't let me help her."
"Sometimes people need to learn the hard way," Stanford shrugs.
"You know how Mabel is! She's too sweet and innocent- she can't handle that kinda heartbreak," Pacifica insists.
Stanford fixes her with a steady gaze. "She's much stronger than you think just like you're much stronger than others think. Just be there for her after it all goes downhill."
She nods slowly. "Alright..."
"You have other problems besides this one... I take it school's not getting any better and neither is the situation with... the expers beastia."
Pacifica nods slowly and hugs her knees to her chest. "It's all too much... I just don't wanna deal with this anymore."
"Too bad, life's not fair."
She glares up at him. "Aren't you supposed to try and make me feel better?"
"And lie to you? Give you falls hope? While- yes- these things do pass and things get easier, life will continue to be hard."
"Then what's the point of even trying?" She grumbles with her shoulders slumped in defeat.
He flicks her forehead and asks, "What would you tell me if I asked you that?"
"What?! Uncle Stan, I'm not good at giving advice! I can barely make it through my own problems!"
"If I were about to give up on life and starve myself, what would you say to change my mind?" Stanford says.
"I-I don't know!"
"Yes you do. If I were about to kill myself right now, what would you say to prevent that from happening?"
That thought- of him trying to kill himself- was terrifying. He's so strong and she doesn't like the thought at all.
"Why would you even want to do that?"
"Because life's hard. I'm no good to anybody," he says.
"You're family- we stick together through thick and thin," Pacifica insists. "You're so smart and you know a lot about all of the creatures here- it's really useful!"
"And that's what you should remember. You're important to us- Stan, Fiddleford, and the twins and that little friend of yours you made- Travis. We're all willing to help you so don't be afraid to ask for our help for more than just homework."
Pacifica grows quiet and stares down at the ground.
"204-20," Stanford says while ruffling her hair. "Now let's focus on one problem first- Dan. This may be what we're looking for- it may have a weakness."
"How're you gonna learn it if no one's ever translated this stuff before?" Pacifica asks, a bit relieved at the subject change.
"The same way I always do," he replies.
"And how's that?"
"I use random letters until it makes sense," he replies while smirking at her.
She groans. "This is gonna take forever."
HAT: It took a while, but I finally squeezed out another chapter. I've got plenty planned after this, but we're finally I think past the halfway mark to this being done as far as everything I've plotted beforehand. All we gotta do is- ACK!
Soos: Dude, you almost gave away the rest of the plot!
HAT: Oh, yeah. Thanks for saving me, Soos.
Soos: No problem. Want me to do the thing?
HAT: Yes, please!~
Soos: Dudes, you should review this chapter.