A/N:
Code Answer: Finally, Dipper does the research
I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I had a lot of work on; and I was also kind of waiting to see if I could get more than one review for the last chapter. Please review, I miss hearing you guys XD
Dipper gritted his teeth in panic. Normally when he and Mabel were tapped by a villain they at least had the chance to find something trap-worthy first of all. The magnifying glass felt suddenly heavy in his hand. Was this something that Gideon would miss? It had looked pretty weird when he aimed it at Roxie. But now wasn't the time to think on it. Now was the time to hide before that little lunatic walks in and finds them trespassing. Oh no, Mabel had touched the hairsprays, they were doomed!
"What's the plan now, Dippy?" Roxie snapped, "Because it's going great so far!"
"What do we do?" Mabel whispered, shaking Dipper by the shoulders and then taking the magnifying glass from him, holding it to the door, "How does this thing work?" she waved it around, "Invisibility activate!"
The door handle started to turn. Dipper darted his eyes around the room, any hiding place will do right now! He shoved his sister away and pointed at the desk where there was a large cupboard fitted at the bottom, "Hide in there! Roxie you… hide!"
Before she could reply with her planned sarcasm of 'wow, I wish I'd thought of that'; Dipper had backed into the wardrobe and was pushing the glittered suits in front of him, closing the door on himself. Mabel gave a whimper of unease before acting on instinct and grabbing Roxie around the middle, lifting her up and scrambling inside the cupboard. Finally, bringing her legs up to her chin, Mabel released the small passenger on the top of her knee so that her hand was free to close the door and wrap her arms around herself to stop shaking. Roxie stood and tried to listen to what was happening outside, but it was difficult with the magnifying glass in Mabel's hand bumping against her every so often. Suddenly, the sound of the lock on the dressing room door click out of place.
Gideon stormed into the room and slammed the door behind him, "Stupid door, always jamming! Nothing ever goes right in this confounded dump!" he muttered irritably, glaring around the room, eyes resting on the cabinet, "And I told that old man not to touch my hairsprays, there's an organisation method!"
His pudgy hands reached onto the desk and started rearranging the cans so that the labels stuck outward and they were in alphabetical order. Nothing was going right around here lately. And the least thing he needed was someone coming in here and touching his stuff. Wait… Someone had touched his stuff. Now there were some rules that even his father doesn't cross. So who had? And why was there an empty trinket box laying on the desk? No, where was it! His narrowed eyes turned cold, examining the room. Suddenly, his eyes settled on the cupboard, and how the door was open ever so slightly.
"Well what have we here?"
Inside the cramped storage space, Mabel and Roxie could see through the slither of an opening at the shadow of Gideon's hand reaching closer. Mabel clamped her hand over her mouth. Why was it so difficult to close a door from the inside when the handle was on the outside? It was as if the manufacturers didn't take into account mystery solving kids who desperately needed a hiding space from psychotic previously psychic children scam-artists with vendettas against the mystery solving kids! Really, that should be taken note of when building a good desk. Hey, that could be a new hobby; building spy-friendly desks!
She shook herself. This wasn't really the time the think about that! Heck, she wouldn't even get the chance to think about it if she was caught now. Roxie had now grabbed the glass of the looking piece for support, mentally preparing herself to make a run for it if need be. Gideon was just about to grab the handle when he was interrupted by a sudden series of vibrations and the shrill, or in his opinion, delightful tine of his shows theme, Lil' Ol' Me coming from his breast pocket. The music made the boy suddenly forget what he was going and shimmy a little in the vanity of hearing his own song before answering to it with a sickly sweet voice.
"Hello?" he paused to listen to the caller and instantly his eyes narrowed and his voice turned harsh, "What is it this time?"
From the closet, Dipper acted out breathing a sigh of relief, but not daring to act on it for hear of jinxing their luck any more than it already was. Talk about saved by the bell; or in this case saved by the cheesy ego-boost. He hoped Mabel and Roxie were okay in there. Man, all the glitter in these clothes were itching like crazy! Agh, he thought while trying not to move, it's in my eyes!
"You imbecile! I practically gift wrapped them for you, how can there be difficulties?"
Dipper paused and dared to shift a little closer to the door to press his ear against the wood. What was being gift wrapped? What was going on?
Gideon continued, dimpled face twisting in anger, "I gave you one thing to do! Can't you get that right? Now what am I gonna do for the show tomorrow?" he drummed his fingers in irritation, making the wood above Mabel and Roxie's head echo, "No, don't do anything else! I'm coming down there myself. And they had better be sparkling by the time I do, I want the light to pass through without any interruptions." Another pause while his contact spoke, "No, I'll bring them back here tonight ready for the show. After you little mistake I'm not leaving them with you again!"
He pushed his chair backwards and got to his feet. Out of panic, Mabel once again reacted on instinct and held the magnifying glass in act of defence. Roxie rolled her eyes, but found that she still wasn't breathing. And now she had a curved glass shoved in front of her face. Like that is really going to do anything useful. They listened carefully as the enemy stomped his feet as he left the room. The fabric walls of the tent shook as the door slammed behind him. Dipper tumbled from the wardrobe and opened the cupboard to release his twin.
"So what was that all about?" Roxie asked, slightly annoyed that she was being grabbed at again as Mabel shifted out into the open.
Dipper scratched the back of his head, "I don't know. But think about it; the show he keeps talking about, the secrecy, he wants the light to pass through something; it all adds up!"
"He must be having some really trouble with his window cleaners." Mabel shook her head and placed Roxie on the desk once more.
"Mabel…" Dipper groaned in exasperation.
She prodded him with the looking glass, "I'm kidding!"
"So this goes back to those stone things I'm guessing?" Roxie folded her arms.
"Size-altering crystals." Dipper corrected, "And yes, without a doubt."
"So what do we do?" Mabel asked.
Dipper thought for a moment, trying to fix a plan together in his head, but since the one he'd made prior had been interrupted he was completely thrown off. He needed time to figure things out. To prepare.
"We go back to the Shack and see if we can find anymore information on the crystals." And the magnifying glass, he added mentally, "Then we can find a way to counteract them in case we come across them later."
"Later?" Roxie asked.
He nodded, "You heard what he said. He'd bringing them back here and most likely leaving them. As soon as he heads home, they're ours!"
She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself, "Sooner the better…"
By the time Soos had driven them back to the Shack, Mabel was pretty sure that Dipper's head was going to pop from overworking itself. All the way home he'd been spouting out possibilities of what Gideon had planned as well as some own idea's of how to stop him and always coming to the same conclusion: he would make sense of it after looking through the journal. Mabel was also sure that Roxie's mouth was going to seal shut from how thin her lips were pressed together. She didn't get it; when she or Dipper were confused they didn't stop talking because really it had to be better saying the problem out loud to that more people can join in to help out. But Roxie just kept quiet. And she didn't look confused, more annoyed. Hmm, Mabel pondered, maybe she's irritated at the unfriendly spy-factor in furniture too.
But no, from her perch on Dipper's shoulder, Roxie was in deep thought. But she wouldn't voice her reasons, she needed them thinking that she had the same aim as them for now. And even if her main goal wasn't exactly what they had in mind, it still wasn't going to affect them. It was just something she had to do… And in some sense, Dipper was thinking the same thing. Stopping Gideon was something he had to do, and he hoped he would know how pretty soon. But as soon as they walked into the Shack, it seemed that fate didn't want his mood to improve.
"Hey doofus, hows it going?" Wendy asked playfully from behind the counter.
"Oh, uh, hey Wendy! Great, thanks, yeah uh… Hi!"
Roxie stepped back and made a jump so that she was hidden at the back of Dipper's cap. They boy tried to hide a blush at the teen, but he quickly darkened at the sight of a second teen in the room. The older boy promptly draped an arm over Wendy's shoulders and smiled wryly, "Kid."
"Robbie." Dipper replied curtly.
Mabel sensed her twins change in mood and gave him a light nudge. Wendy gave a half smile, "What's up? Not on another ghost hunt, I don't think my mind can take another blow like that again!"
"Uh, actually, it's – uh -"
Robbie cut him off with a harsh laugh, "Please! Like he'd go looking for that stuff again. Anyways, babe, I'd be there to protect you again."
Dipper felt his blood boil, "If I remember correctly, you were off cowering somewhere while I took care of the ghosts."
"Pfft, so you say. But I'm the one -"
Wendy rolled her eyes, "Cool it guys, you know I hate seeing my boys argue."
Robbie gave a light tug to pull her closer to him, all the while glaring at Dipper, "Sure thing, babe, no problem."
She glanced at her watch and sighed, "Well, my shifts over. I'll see you around."
"Yeah, I'll, uh, see you…"
The twins watched Wendy leave, Robbie practically glued to her hip and smiling smugly. As the door closed behind them, Roxie shimmied from her hiding place, she noticed Dipper had his fists clenched and had an unhealthy looking twitch in his eyes, "What's up with you, Romeo?"
He narrowed his eyes, "Nothing."
Mabel sighed and took it upon herself to explain the situation, "Robbie is Wendy's 'B.F' and Dipper's mortal enemy." She said, using her fingers for air quotes.
"Mabel!" Dipper warned, really not wanting to get into it.
"What? He is! Just like he's also a jerk-face."
His shoulders slumped, making Roxie sway uneasily. For a second, she caught sight of his expression; dejected and a little miffed, "Oh come on, Dippy, don't make a big deal out of it, you'll get your shot."
Half expecting a sarcastic shot, he blinked, "Huh?"
In fact, Roxie had planned on sarcasm, but even though it would have been all to easy to poke fun at the jealous and love-struck boy, it was all the more fun moving onto a new target. The older boy, Robbie or whatever his name was, he seemed so conceited it was laughable! And the way he'd treated that chick like an accessory, she was surprised he hadn't used handcuffs or something to chain them together!
"Trust me, you've got nothing to worry about with that dork."
Never hearing anyone call Robbie a dork before, Dipper's interest tweaked, "Really?"
"Sure, if the older guy who already has the girl is still trying to scare off a twelve-year-old; then clearly he's too insecure to be in a relationship for long. You'll get your shot."
Slightly deflated by the reminder that Robbie was in fact older and did have Wendy, Dipper still gave a light smile at the prospect of the relationship going nowhere, "Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Remembering the first time they'd exchanged gratitude back when he saved her from falling, he smirked, "I won't."
Dipper flicked the pages of the journal in frustration. Time had passed considerably since he'd started his research and yet he'd found nothing. There was no mention of the magnifying glass and every creature he looked at bared no resemblance to Roxie. And putting the two together of why there was a misty aura around her when viewed through the glass may as well had been something he dreamed up for all the answers he was getting. He'd looked at fairies, but they were scaly creatures that fed off the dreams of children; brownies, but they were meant to be helpful and sweet so that counted Roxie out right away; Sprites were mostly associated with elements like water and fire and Imps were… Dipper hesitated and backtracked.
Imps: These humanoid creatures take many forms after much breeding with other creatures like Fairies, Sprites and Brownies; often inheriting wings, scaled skin, gills and pointed features. Much like Fairies and Sprites, these creatures are known for their free spirit and mischievous nature and are often referred to as having been spawned from demons. They are normally pretty harmless and are extremely difficult to find, they do not like human company and will only attack when threatened. If in danger the Imp will attack and make up for their small size with wit and trickery. Weakness: Imps can be trapped inside objects using the correct ritual; they are also known to having a strange reaction to overexposure to iron. I shall elaborate on these findings later…
Dipper flicked through the pages rapidly, "Come on! Elaborate, elaborate!"
But there were no elaborations. He wondered if the author of the book had actually put this theory to the test. The idea made him shudder, but even he couldn't cover his own slight curiosity. So did this mean that Roxie was an Imp? That explained the stumps on her back. They could either be leftover wings like he first suspected; or maybe they were some tricked out gills that were just weirdly placed. As far as he could tell there weren't any scales and her ears seemed pretty human. But it did explain her size too. But why did she claim to be human? And why was she so interested in finding the gems if she had never seen them before? Was that the 'mischievous' part of her nature? It didn't quite make sense…
"You can cross that off your list right now."
Dipper grunted in surprise and snapped the book shut, turning to see a sceptical looking Roxie next to him on the desk in the attic bedroom, "I, uh, thought you were with Mabel?"
"I was. But she's making cupcakes and I'd rather not fall into the mixture for a third time thanks." To prove a point she flicked some cream from her hair, "Can I see the book?"
"It's kind of personal." He shrugged apologetically, "But you know, if you just let me take a closer look I might -"
"You mean with that magnifying glass you found?"
He cringed, "You know about that?"
"Mabel was waving it around like a lightsaber back there, it was kind of hard not to my reflection in it. And before you ask, I don't know why I look like a black and white sketch in it either." She glanced at the book in his hands and scoffed, "But I do know that I'm not an Imp, how lame can you get?"
"Well, it wouldn't be the strangest thing I've seen around here." Dipper reasoned, "But you never know, it might give you some answers too if you let me examine -."
"I'm not a test subject, Dipper; you can go fill the blank pages of your book with some other specimen." Roxie shot back.
"Calm down, I never said that!" he rolled his eyes, "Please, just to cross out the theory?"
She huffed, having learnt that his persistence wasn't going to wear off any time soon, "If I say yes then will you get off my back?"
His eyes lit up, "Theoretically, yes."
Liking the possibility of shutting him up, she sarcastically spread her arms, "Then examine away, Doc…"
SRMG: HSV RH MLG ZM RNK
A/N:
Don't forget to review please! I kind of need ideas for there this is going, lol, I mean I have an idea, but not big ones… XD