The crowd had seen Preston's beeline towards the cliffs, had heard his ranting, and knew all too well what it was likely to mean. It struck a common chord with all of them.
"Well, shucks. I ain't so sure if it's fair to leave Pacifica to Preston." Bud mumbled, rubbing his chin.
"I think it's ourrrrr duuuuty to get up theeeere!" Toby agreed.
Tyler stammered up a protest nervously, the diminutive little man rather disliking the idea of a riot on the railroad. What would the inspectors say? What would the mayor of Portland say? What would Blubs and Durland say? He coughed into his hand. "I- I don't know if I can condone this. If - if you got police clearance, I-"
"We don't even know where the Sheriff is!" Bud snorted. "We can't just wait around for the cops all the time, Tyler!"
"This is the new world order, Mr. Maaayor!" Toby said, grabbing Cutebiker by the shoulders and beckoning towards a distant nothing. "We need to fight frrrreeee of the shackles of bureaucracy and fight for common freedoms!"
".. What?"
"I read it on a video game box!"
"Now, correct me if I'm not barking up the wrong tree, but surely we should be reckoning on the input of Susan?" Bud interjected. "I was under the impression she'd gone taken the kid under her wing."
The small group of townspeople exchanged nods of determination. It was clear; if Preston was going to try and take back control, they were pretty sure it was their job to remove it from under his feet - and to try and help the little family they had grown to love so much. And that had scammed them out of thousands of dollars.
It was a natural decision. The Pines were the town's heroes - that was one thing. But since the days of Weirdmageddon and the loss of the Society of the Blind Eye, Gravity Falls had gained a very different relationship with its wealthy masters.
The Big Business Scandal still stung. Preston's behaviour towards his daughter still stung. 2012's Northwest Fest still stung.
The once reverential treatment they offered the family had dropped off fiercely, replaced with a genuine, desperate hope to protect the Northwest's daughter - their friend, the town's adopted sweetheart, their smiling, friendly ear over coffee and pie - from having to suffer at the grip of the modern Robber Baron and his mistress.
And the town's very own Matriarch, Susan Wentworth, was the one who truly needed to be involved. After all, the rest of Pacifica's family were kinda - y'know - up there.
They stormed towards Greasy's diner excitedly, while Tyler couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. "Gerron Street…" He mumbled to himself, desperately clutching his temples.
He was sure it was on the tip of his tongue. Curtains? Curving? Something. He knew that it was something. Something to do with the Pines…
Meanwhile, a typically oblivious Susan was dancing to herself as she cleaned the counters at the Diner, having just indulged the cake cabinet with her usual brand of percussive maintenance.
She smiled and adjusted the little picture of Pacifica that she kept alongside the till whenever the bright-eyed deputy manager wasn't on shift. Susan had always been the mothering sort; as bonkers as she was, there was no doubting her nature or her genuine compassion for the people in her life - especially the young waitress who had joined the diner's very small workforce. She was like the daughter she'd never had. Only richer.
It had been a quiet day in Greasy's; the Corduroy brothers and their father were there, as were that regular group of delinquents (save Wendy) who tended to take advantage of the refills.
She whistled contently to whatever kitschy out-of-copyright nonsense had turned up on the Jukebox's shuffle list, when Bud, Toby and a gaggle of others arrived - all embarrassingly breathless from the brisk walk to the diner.
"Heeeey. Where's the fiiiire?" She smiled, already in the process of preparing coffee for everyone.
Bud took his hat off, almost mournfully. "Well uh - That's kinda the problem, there."
"Pacifica could be in trrrrrooooouble!" Toby added.
She put down the coffee jug with a thud and twisted her lip. "Brenda, take over."
"You've got it, dearie!" said a geriatric waitress in a mobility scooter. "Mind your feet, kids! Brenda is in town and she's wearin' snow tyres!"
Susan slipped out from behind the counter, wiping her hands on her apron. She grabbed her handbag and wordlessly picked up a cast-iron skillet, holding it as if it was a flick knife. If Pacifica was in danger ger, she wasn't going to stand for it. HerI
"You don't understand." Bud said. "Preston Northwest is going to-"
"Preston Northwest?" Susan paused and picked up a far larger skillet. "Say no more."
"Don't you even want to know what we're doing?"
"If Pacifica's in trouble, that's all I need to know."
"It could be daaaaangerous!" Toby chirped.
Manly Dan looked to Kevin and twisted his lip before bellowing towards the gathering. "IS MABEL UP THERE?"
"She most certaaaaainly is!" The homely journalist warbled.
Dan poured six pancakes and a quart of syrup into his mouth as he stood up. "THEN LET'S GO, KEVIN. THERE'S A TIME IN EVERY MAN'S LIFE WHEN YOU GOTTA RISK IT ALL FOR LOVE!"
Kevin blinked. "Even though I'm only 13-"
"I WAS TWELVE WHEN I MET YOUR MOTHER. THE BRIGHTEST DAY OF MY LIFE, SAVE FOR EVERY SINGLE TIME ONE OF YOU UTTER BUNDLES OF JOY CAME INTO THE PICTURE!" Dan bellowed, thumping the table. "YOU SHOULD DO ANYTHING FOR THAT KIND OF HAPPINESS, KEVIN! NOW GET MOVING!"
The Townspeople all clasped their hands and smiled at the loving, supportive father and his children. Apparently now being so used to Dan's characteristic bellows that they didn't offset the endearing nature of his dedication to his sons.
"Does this meeeeaaaaan you wish to get invooooolved!?" Toby said, clutching Dan's arm.
"TOUCH ME AGAIN AND I'LL THROW YOU INTO THE SUN."
"Many people have triiiied and faaaailed!"
"WE'RE IN. BUT IF THINGS GET DIRTY, YOU LEAVE IT TO US. THIS TOWN IS MY LIFE!" The outsized lumberjack roared. "I WILL PROTECT IT WITH EVERY KILO OF HAIR ON MY BODY!"
"That's a lot of kilos." Kevin confided to Susan. "He means business."
"Oh snap." Tad piped in. "Let us get ready to rumble!"
Robbie, Tambry, Nate, Lee and Thompson all nodded to eachother and stood up, too. As did an elderly woman in the corner - though it would later transpire that she was just looking for the bathroom.