The woods seemed especially dreary as Dipper trudged through the endless pines. Armed with a hammer, a handful of mismatched nails, and tacky signs, the boy continued his task of desecrating the natural environment with tourist bait. While Mabel relished the idea of a summer away from home, Dipper couldn't imagine a fate worse than being stuck in a boring, second rate town in the boonies.
With a diligent tap tap tap, another gaudy sign sentenced the tree to its fate. Grumbling as he moved to the next tree, he readied the hammer to continue the monotonous task.
*swing-*
TWHING!
"Huh?!" The cry of metal crashing against metal swam through the air. Suspicions aroused, Dipper gave the tree an experimental tap tap tap to test his hypothesis. His experiment yielded the same results, but this time around, he noticed a slight echo coming from the tree.
After some trial and error, Dipper managed to find a console of sorts hidden within the fake tree. Curious as ever, he fidgeted with the various switches, not expecting the startled cry of a goat behind him. Jumping slightly, he spun around just in time to see what had startled the fleeing farm animal, awestruck as he discovered the beginnings of a great mystery…
(THE AUTHOR STILL DOESN'T HAVE CAPS LOCK OR A LINEBREAK)
"How 'bout Sparkles?"
"Huh?"
"Tip Top!"
"Wha-?"
"Wait! How about Princess Wafflecorn!"
"Uh, isn't that longer than just "Hat Kid?""
Mabel sighed as she walked her friend though the forest. Yeah, she wanted to give her buddy slash coworker an awesome nickname, but all her best ideas came in the spur of the moment! Like that time she got banned from the petting zoo, or the time she put clothes on a cat! But seeing as they were going to be hanging out together all summer, this nickname had to be absolutely perfect, only the best for her friends.
She looked over to said friend, who was now happily skipping through the undergrowth. They were getting close to Dipper, but seeing as he was a ways into the forest, they had decided to try and come up with a nickname for Hat Kid. Despite the enthusiasm of the two, Mabel's short attention span made finding a nickname exponentially more difficult. Alas, this was the cost of genius.
Maybe they can come up with something after they find Dipper?
(I HAVE A POLL FOR AHITF ON MY PROFILE)
Hat Kid was excited to meet their new friend's twin. Mabel has managed to easily climb her Friendship Meter, although she wasn't sure if it would stay that way. To be honest, she was rather scared. Every time she thought that someone was a friend, they seem to turn against her the moment they learn about the power of the time pieces. They wanted to trust them, but for now, she'll just have to keep that can of worms closed. ("Do worms even come in cans?")
On the topic of this mysterious twin, they seem to have finally found the boy. He looked a whole lot like Mabel, except for the fact that he was a boy anyways. His unruly chestnut hair was barely contained under a worn out baseball cap, ("Oh! I should make one of those!") but because she was standing behind him, she couldn't see his face. In terms of clothing, Hat Kid could make out a plain shirt under that puffy vest, which looked way too hot to be wearing now.
Mabel nudged her, shaking her from her observation. The two shared a look, mischief shimmering playfully in their eyes. Stifling their giggles, Mabel raised her hand, counting down with her fingers. Amidst her excitement, Hat Kid didn't pick up whatever the boy was muttering about. Probably not too important, seeing as Mabel was continuing with their plan.
The two crept up to the log, approaching the oblivious boy as much as they dared. Hat Kid took a deep breath before they shouted alongside their new friend.
All the hard work was worth it in the end. The hatted boy jumped several feet in the air, a tattered journal falling from their lap. The little alien doubled over in laughter, much to the boy's chagrin and confusion.
Attempting to hide the journal behind his back, the boy was tripping over his words like an overworked Express Owl. "M-Mabel! Uh, h-how long were you listening?" Despite his anger, he wasn't intimidating in the slightest.
Hat Kid's giggle fit eventually caught their attention. Casting an unamused glance in the girl's direction, he changed the subject of his sibling quarrel. "Better question; who is this? We've barely been here for a day and you managed to find the town's weirdo." Town weirdo?! Hat Kid has been called many things, things like looser, fool, even a peck neck, but weirdo? That hurt.
"Hey!" With the most indignant tone she could muster, Hat Kid continued her retort. "You're talking to a super interstellar adventurer! The one and only Hat Kid!" She embellished the last part with a little spin. The boy was not impressed.
"Case in point…"
Mabel, who had all but been forgotten, cleared her throat to get the two's attention. "Dipper, I would like you to meet our new coworker, and my recently appointed partner in shenanigans! Dipper, meet Hat Kid! Hat Kid, Dipper." Her brother sweat nervously at the proclamation.
"Coworker…?" Dipper sighed in exasperation. "Of course. I knew he was immoral, but this is a new low."
Hat Kid was confused, but a little monocle caught her eye.
"Hey! What's that book about?" She had walked behind Dipper, the mildewed journal catching her eye. Shocked, he reflexively held the book out of reach, but the shiny foil decal mesmerized Mabel, who reached towards the shiny object like a moth drawn to a flame.
"Woah woah woah!" He backed up, trying to hold the book out of reach. "Okay! I'll tell you two, but you have to wait until we get back to the Shack." Cradling the book to his chest, he gave the girls a chance to calm down before starting to walk towards the tourist trap.
Hat Kid beamed. "Dipper seems so cool! I bet he has lots of friends like you do Mabel!" As she skipped away, Mabel was unsure how she would break the news to the little girl.
(A LINE BREAK TO TRANSITION INTO A GRUNKLE STAN INTERLUDE)
Another bus of gullible idiots entertained, another hour of getting those walking wallets to hemorrhage cold hard cash into his pockets. The next group wouldn't be here for at least an hour, so the conman determined that he earned a well deserved break. Grabbing a can of cool Pitt Cola, he moved to his office to lounge before his next performance.
When someone has lived a life like that of Stanley Pines, you learn to expect a lot. However, even he wasn't prepared for some shadowy creature searching through his files. The two remained in the standoff for what seemed like an eternity.
"Uh… You aren't a cop, are you?" The creature asked, the fur around its neck bristling with anxiety. "Cause I have seventy loopholes at my disposal if you try to pursue legal action."
This was going to be an interesting break.
AN: Hey! Sorry for the short update, I wanted to set up something before I wrap up the events of the first episode, hence the appearance of everyone's favorite ghost lawyer at the end. Unfortunately, he won't be coming back for a while, and most of the writing from this point onward will be from Hat Kid's perspective. Sorry Snatcher fans…
In addition, I'm trying to figure out how to describe the events without it just being a retelling of Gravity Falls with Hat Kid third wheeling. Feel free to ask me any questions, and once again, thanks to DeathlyJazzHands55 for helping me bring this back.
Thanks for reading
- Danner
