A/N:
Code Answer: Magnifying Glass Sees All
Roxie shook her self awake in confusion as she didn't feel the usual mixture of hat and sweater fabric beneath her. Instead she felt something smooth and warm. Her eyes opened and she instantly felt both embarrassment and anger at the recognition of where she was. She face-palmed and pushed herself up; did she seriously fall asleep in Dipper's hand? And after getting so worked up too… She didn't normally get upset, there was no point in it because it didn't get anything done or help in anyway. She guessed that because it was something alien to her, it must have really tired her out. But she was infuriated with herself for appearing so weak and falling to sleep right there probably halfway through a conversation. You know what, she thought, I don't care, I've got nothing to prove to them so if they don't bring it up neither will I.
She shuffled over the sleeping boys fingers and slid down the pillow and onto the main sheets of the bed, using the crease down the side of the mattress to shimmy down to the floor. Part of her wanted to find a way back up to the desk and get more sleep, but a larger part was telling her to go out and explore. After all, she'd been in this place for two nights and the only place she'd seen was the attic bedroom was the kitchen table. This was called the Mystery Shack after all; a tourist trap, and with or without her family, she was still a tourist. So why not take a look around while everyone's asleep and then be back in time for the big plan unveiling for Gideon.
It seemed pretty quiet out in the hallway, but even Roxie understood that the stairs were not going to be on her side. Slumping her shoulders, she refused to give in so easily. Remembering the last time she'd attempted to get out of this place a smirk started to appear on her face at the sight of the gap in the wall. Within a matter of minutes, she was flicking away a leftover leaf from her front at the bottom of the drainpipe. That, she could put up with; what she didn't like was the sudden realisation that now she had to find a way onto the decking and back into the building to actually see the attractions.
"This is a great start to the day." She huffed, kind of wishing that she'd just gone back to sleep.
She made a run and jump, managing to grab the top of the first step and kicking her legs to hoist herself up. Panting for breath, her foot slipped at the last minute and she dropped back onto the ground. She flexed her fingers and prepared for another try.
"Need a hand there, squirt-dudette?"
"I can manage." She snapped, taking a leap and just grabbing the top of the step again.
Suddenly, Roxie froze in mid-climb. That wasn't a voice she knew. It was low with a twang that she couldn't place. With the utmost caution, she turned her head and looked up at her observer. It was a he for starters, and tall even for her perspective. And a little on the larger side with the question mark on his green shirt stretched slightly. Under his cap, the guy wore a quizzical expression with just the slightest hint of overbite at his mouth. In honesty, he didn't look threatening despite his size, but he was unknown to Roxie and that was enough. She found herself dropping down again and flattening herself against the step, sending shudders of pain in her wounds. The man picked up on her unease and simply nodded at her while raising a hand in greeting.
"Sup."
Dipper awoke and found himself empty handed which in honesty didn't bother him that much. In fact he was pleased that Roxie had the sense to go back onto the desk in the night. That is, he would be pleased, if Roxie was actually on the desk. He sat up and scanned the room, she couldn't have gone that far, right? While his sister slept, Dipper swiftly got dressed before casually tossing a pillow at her head to wake her up. Mabel grumbled and swatted it away, sitting up and opening one eye lazily.
"What, did the invisible wizard come back?"
"No, but the tiny terror has gone missing again." he retorted.
"Relax brother, I've got a simple way to fix this. Marco!" Mabel called, cupping her hands around her mouth to increase her already natural volume.
Dipper arched an eyebrow, "Mabel, I really doubt that's gonna -"
"Polo!"
The twins turned their heads to the doorway, Mabel giving Dipper a quick smug nod firstly. But in a split second, both expressions turned to confusion. Although they were sure that it was Roxie who'd replied to the gaming call, it was Soos who stood before them. Mabel gave a gleeful wave which contrasted greatly to Dipper's suppressed look of anxiousness. Now he liked Soos and he had really dug them out of a lot of trouble in the past, but he was still uneasy about people knowing of Roxie's existence. Even if it was a friend.
"Hey Soos!" Mabel announced.
"Sup, Hambone?" Soos replied.
Dipper darted his eyes around the room; Roxie was playing a dangerous game here, "Hey, man, uh… You're here early."
"Yeah, Mr. Pines wanted me to look around the stock room before he opened up. Already done." He shrugged, "It is definitely a stock room."
"I knew it!" Mabel grinned.
"So uh, what brings you here?" Dipper asked casually. Where was she? She'd be the first to complain if she was found out, and knowing his luck it would be him getting the blame.
Soos had a sudden look of realisation, "Oh yeah, I found your friend."
He bowed his head slightly and revealed a very sly, if slightly wary, looking Roxie holding on tight to the top of his cap. She shifted forward so that she was sitting on the stiff brim up front. "Morning!" she smirked.
"But… You…" Dipper stuttered.
"I wanted to take a look around." She shot defensively, "Soos' been showing me around."
"I kinda figured she'd have something to do with you two." The adult explain knowingly, "Most weird stuff does."
"I'll try not to take offense to that…" Roxie arched an eyebrow.
"What happened to not wanting to be seen?" Dipper challenged, his twin rolling his eyes.
"It wasn't part of the plan but things happen and I was starting to get cabin fever in this room." Roxie folded her arms and rolled her eyes, "Can't blame a girl for trying. I can't always rely on you gigantors to bail me out all the time so I went out alone. You've got some strange stuff down there."
"Are you still believing that you're the normal one around here?" Dipper asked, hands on hips at her refusal to see the blatant truth that it was her that was odd in this picture; but kind of glad to see her witty nature returning after last night.
She narrowed her eyes, "It's my coping mechanism, Dippy, let me have this one…"
Mabel shoved her brother playfully, "Yeah, I let you think that I'm the side-sick around here."
Soos tilted his head, "Dude, you're name's Dippy? And here I've been calling you Dipper all this time!"
Dipper sighed, so we're back to Dippy now are we? Great… "But- Wait, who keeps saying I'm the side-kick?" He demanded before turning to the largest and smallest of the company, "And for the last time, it's Dipper."
The girls exchanged smug glances; the smaller clapped her hands together, "Either way; what's the plan for sneaking into Grady's sideshow?"
"Gideon." Mabel corrected, tipping the cap so that Roxie could scoot over onto her hand instead and returning the headgear to its owner.
"You say creep, I say weirdo." Roxie shrugged, "Do we have a plan or are we winging it?"
"Huh, wining it has never really worked out for us in the past." Dipper scratched his neck sheepishly.
"But it is fun sometimes in a last resort." Mabel added with a grin.
Soos chuckled, "Ah like that one time…" she paused as he reminisced to himself.
Roxie decided that she liked this guy. He was a little docile it seemed but was just all around likable. In fact she couldn't believe her luck that it was him who'd found her instead of this 'Grunkle' she'd heard about. But still, time was running out and although she figured that Gideon was not her personal enemy, she still didn't like the sound of him and wanted to get out and actually do something. She caught Dipper's eye and made a movement with her hands to urge him on. He seemed to get the message and was kind of grateful for it too.
"Okay, by the look of the flyer, we've only got until tomorrow night before the 'show' as Gideon puts it." He started, using his fingers for air-quotes, "So that really doesn't give us much time."
"Dun-dun-dunn!" Mabel sounded for dramatic effect.
Soos snapped from his daze and folded his arms expectantly, "In need of an ally with a get-away vehicle?"
Dipper smiled gratefully, "As always, Soos, as always."
In the end, they chose to park a block down the road from the Tent of Telepathy to be on the safe side. On the way, Roxie was slightly thrown off by how little Soos questioned the situation. Granted Mabel and Dipper had explained themselves pretty clearly, and from the sound of it Soos had been involved with some of the other weird stuff around here; but it was still unusual. Yet, she kind of liked it. At least he was just going with it instead of accusing her of being some form of wild creature. And by the looks of things like her, Soos didn't want to be left out of an adventure. But although she wouldn't admit it, Roxie had another reason for getting into the Tent. And it had a lot to do with those mysterious crystals she'd heard so much about. She was just thankful no one had mentioned her sudden eagerness to cooperate.
"So you all know the plan, right?" Dipper asked as they were removing their seatbelts.
"Sneak in, look around, maybe grab some stuff and get out." Roxie replied deadpan from the dashboard, "You seriously spent half the night coming up with that?"
Mabel smirked and held out her hand to be the source of transport for the little friend, "Nah you wait, this'll just be the basic draft."
Almost deaf to his twins comment, Dipper started fishing in his pocket, pulling out an elaborately folded piece of paper, "Well if you're asking for more detail, I've got a step guide here…"
Soos arched an eyebrow, "Hey, dude, you're right!" he looked at Mabel, "You're like psychic or something."
As Mabel grinned, Roxie looked sceptical, "More like Dippy's predictable."
Dipper flashed her a warning look before turning to Soos, "Thanks, man; if we're not back in fifteen minutes -"
"Do the responsible adult thing and call the police or Mr. Pines." Soos nodded in understanding.
"Uh, actually I was gonna say come in after us."
"Either way works fine." Mabel added passively.
Soos gave a thumbs up, "You got it, dudes."
They snuck their way through the partially wooded area that led to the infamous Tent. Roxie had to admit that this place looked a lot more flashy and inviting than the Shack, but it didn't have the natural charm and came across as intimidating. Kind of fitting really… Dipper felt a shudder. He hated this place and if he could get away right now then he would without a second glance. But it needed to be done. The crystals go missing and now Gideon's got something planned; it was all too coincidental. It was in everyone's best interests if they could get in there and put a stop to whatever was going on in there. Everyone may not believe anything he said, but that didn't mean they needed to be put in danger just so he could be proved right.
The group ducked behind the back of the tent and listened out for any signs of life. It has hard to press their ears against a fabric wall and everything just sounded muffled. Mabel thought it kind of sounded like the fuzzy noise when you're adjusting the radio; either that or the sound you get when you muffle pillows over your head. She noticed Roxie trying to get her attention and point to the base of the wall.
"Let me take a look."
As Mabel started to lower her down, Dipper arched an eyebrow, "And if someone's there?"
"Then I'll give you time to pick me up before we make a run for it." She shot back.
Mabel beamed, "Awesome-sauce."
Roxie smirked and continued to lift the fabric wall of the tent and ducked under. Inside the air was heavily perfumed with a mixture of hairspray and sickly cologne. This must be backstage. The room was large even by her standards. But she had to admit, it was one heck of a dressing room. To the left was a door that she presumed led out to the stage, shelves and cabinets dotted around the room. A large desk with a colossal mirror rimmed with light bulbs stood centre-right and was littered with bottles of product. If Roxie didn't know any better, she would have thought that it had belonged to a finicky actress or something.
"All clear." She explained, taking a few steps ahead to avoid the scrambling twins as they pushed themselves into the room, "This guy really takes his appearance seriously doesn't he?"
"No." Mabel shook her head, "He takes it ridiculously."
"Can't argue there." Dipper nodded, taking in the room with determination, "Now lets search this place before someone shows up."
Roxie arched an eyebrow, "You guys are a bad influence; before I met you, the worst thing I ever did was steal a cookie one time. Now look, breaking an entering with a getaway car parked out front."
"Morals are a powerful thing." Mabel nodded in understanding, putting on her most sincere face. Not that it lasted long, "Not as much as the Power of Mabel but that's another thing."
Dipper opened a draw in the desk and searched through it, "What about with friends in school or something?"
"Home-schooled."
"Convenient."
"Boring!" Mabel argued.
"Well they didn't have a place for me in Creature-Feature-Education-Station." She shot back sarcastically, "Now if you want to find your jewellery so bad then keep looking, Dippy, if you want to complete that classy outfit."
Dipper shot her a glare, making Mabel snicker. It had never occurred to her to turn the size-altering gems could be used as jewellery, it was a temping idea but if it was ever a really sunny day then that could end in disaster. But they'd be so pretty with her glitter-rainbow sweater! No, no, it would be a bad idea. A bad… very sparkly… but bad idea. Maybe that's what made Gideon's so shiny and rock solid? It kind of made sense. And if that was the case, then that just made him all the more evil… and weirdly sparkly for a boy.
While Roxie took up the unfortunate and dusty job of searching under desks and cabinets, the twins were searching through all the nooks and crannies of everything above ankle level. All they found were more hair products, some costumes and other cheap looking gimmicks for the stage. There really wasn't anything of value here. They were starting to worry that it had been a waste of trip. There just had to be something here! The Tent was only small, there was literally only enough room for the stage area and this dressing room. Where was Gideon hiding the crystals! If they weren't around here, then where the heck were they? The 'show' as he called it was tomorrow. They didn't have much time left at all.
Roxie was getting anxious, if they couldn't find those gems then her plans were going down the drain, "Are you sure that Gideon has those things?"
"Who else would have them?" Dipper asked.
"When it comes to collecting weirdo conspiracy stuffs, he's worse than Dipper."
"Pretty much. Wait-Hey!" he snapped, pausing his searching through a trinket box he found in a cabinet. His fingers brushed against something smooth, "Hey…"
He pulled it out and held it up to the light. It looked like a simple magnifying glass with a bronze handle and a golden strip around the glass. He held it up to his eye and scanned the room curiously. It didn't alter the depth perception in any way, it didn't even magnify his own hand when he waved it before him.
"What'd you find?" Mabel asked. Upon seeing it she felt the need to add an appropriate nickname, "…Sherlock Dipps!"
"Let's take a look." Roxie asked, giving Mabel the indication to lift her up onto the dresser surface at the base of the mirror.
Dipper shrugged, "Just some magnifying glass." He held it up to his eye once more and looked at her; instantly he blinked in shock, "Or not…"
Where the rest of the room looked pretty normal, Roxie however, didn't. As she stood there, she remained unaware of the grey aura that surrounded her. It looked like a fog was latching itself to her limbs and body, snaking around her. Dipper arched an eyebrow in confusion and manoeuvred his view towards his sister. She waved excitable, but there was no outline around her. It was just Mabel. Moving back to Roxie, he clarified that this misty glow was solely focussed on her. She folded her arms quizzically.
"What?"
Not sure how to describe it, Dipper tilted his head, "Uh…"
"Shhh!" Mabel clamped her hand over her brothers' mouth, "I hear something."
Everyone fell silent as they heard approaching footsteps and a very angered southern accent, "I told you I wanted my suit in a pastel baby blue! Not baby blue pastel! They're two different things, old man!"
"Gideon!" Mabel whispered, hopping from foot to foot in nervousness.
There weren't many places to hide in here. And the only places worth hiding were inside the closet or in one of the cabinets, and those were places where someone was likely to look. There wasn't time to make a run for it. The group gritted their teeth in panic. The door handle started to turn. Great, Roxie thought, what now?
URMZOOB, WRKKVI WLVH GSV IVHVZIXS
A/N:
I figured Soos is always a good character to have around, I just hope I wrote him in character XD So what's going to happen next and what's up with the magnifying glass? Lets wait and see!