The hallways were dark, and there were less lanterns lighting the way as Dipper and Pacifica traveled down further. The lanterns were starting to get replaced with sets of windows that reached down to the next hallway, and the one after that. The night sky outside was filled with tiny, glittering stars, and a perfect, glowing white moon. Dipper admired the outside while following Pacifica though the many halls of the Northwest Mansion. It started to get quieter and quieter every time they passed though another hallway. The party, which was far away from them, started to fade, and soon the two could hear nothing but the beating of their hearts and their footsteps. Dipper and Pacifica had been walking for a while now, Dipper starting to feel unsure about his idea of exploring the mansion. He never even considered if Pacifica knows her way though this place, or even if Pacifica knows the place at all. They kept on turning though different hallways for about infinity, an awkward silence remaining between them.
"Ah, here it is," Pacifica sighed, breaking the silence.
The pair reached to a set of creme colored doors with golden handles on them. Two potted ferns were settled beside the ends of the door, and Dipper noticed they were at the end of a hallway. No more hallways, he thought to himself. No more walking.
Pacifica stepped closer to the set of doors and twisted on the handles, the handles unlocking with a satisfying click. Opening them widely, a dark and empty ballroom stood before the two of them.
"Whoa," Dipper said, stepping inside the room.
The tiles of the room were a golden and butter looking color, polished nicely and echoed the sounds of Pacifica's and Dipper's heeled shoes. There were several tables, each covered with a silk white tablecloth. Each table had four wooden chairs with velvet colored cushions on top of them. On the side, a large platform housing classical instruments like flutes, clarinets, saxophones and trumpets were quietly sitting on empty seats. A conductor's stand was standing before the platform, a small baton resting on the stand with sheets of music. Another set of white doors, with a golden label saying 'Kitchen', was settled in a corner. Along the walls were long tables topped with empty bowls, cups, utensils, and serving platters. And finally, a large, crystal chandelier hanged on the ceiling, and lights reflected off the hanging crystals when Pacifica turned on the lights. Dipper had visited a few ballrooms like the one before him in his lifetime, but it seemed more royal since it was inside a mansion. The room was fairly small as well, so maybe this was the sort of ballroom for small gatherings.
"This is one of the many ballrooms in the mansion," Pacifica said. "I think there are three or around two, I suppose, but this one is my favorite. I normally celebrate my birthday or any fancy party I run in here. Some people call this ballroom the 'Pacifica Ballroom', since I use it too much."
Dipper slowly turned, inspecting every corner the ballroom had. He was intrigued by everything, from paintings of Pacifica and her family hanging on the walls, to the small orchestra and the songs that were placed on the stands. "Wow, Pacifica, this place is really cool." Dipper complimented, as he stared at the crystal chandelier. Pacifica blushed a little, placing her hands together. "Yeah, it is."
"PACIFICA NORTHWEST!"
A booming, grand voice echoed outside of the ballroom, Pacifica noticing she left the doors to the ballroom wide open. From the corner, Pacifica identified the angry silhouette of her father marching towards the room, fear staring to rush though her veins. "Oh no," Pacifica gasped, as she went over to the doors and closed them as quietly as she can. She locked the handles while she was at it, and Dipper noticed the sudden panic streaming though her. His fascinated expression quickly faded into worry. "Pacifica? Was that your-"
"Dipper! Go to the kitchen!" Pacifica ordered Dipper though a harsh whisper. She pushed and shoved the boy to the corner, where the doors of said kitchen were.
"Pacifica? Pacifica!" Dipper said, wanting to know what was going on. Pacifica ignored his protests and questions, and was focused on getting the boy into the kitchen.
Dipper got control of his body once Pacifica's grip on him started to die down, and he rushed over to the doors of the kitchen and entered though the dark room. He turned on the lights, revealing a small and clean kitchen with stoves, ovens, and many, many cabinets. Pacifica quickly went over to shut the lights of the ballroom, turning off the majestic light beams the chandelier was holding. She quickly joined Dipper in the kitchen and the kitchen doors closed behind her. Without even going to explain what was going on, Pacifica made her way to a small corner of the kitchen, hiding in a tight corner between a counter and oven. "Pacifica, what is going on?" Dipper asked, quietly walking over to her, and his heart almost broke when he saw Pacifica shield herself with fear.
"Pacifica..." Dipper started, but was quickly yanked by the girl's hand. Both of them were together in a tight space, Pacifica holding onto Dipper with her dear life, like the both of them were going to die. Dipper could tell by her grip that she was shivering, and that she was closing her eyes and trying to keep calm. "Shhhh..." Pacifica told Dipper, her voice quivering and shaky. She held more onto Dipper, her arms around his chest. "I don't want my dad to find me. I don't want my dad to find us."
Dipper stared at the girl who was hugging him, his heart starting to hammer inside of him. He didn't know what to do when a girl was sad, excluding Mabel or his female relatives, so he just sat there wondering what the heck was going on. Dipper did know about Pacifica's parents and how they have been strict about her standards, also aware of the discipline bell Pacifica's father owns and controls. Pacifica did start to rebel against the bell and her parents when she opened the grand gates for the commoners of Gravity Falls, but her parents were too caught up in the party than to get mad at their 'rebellious'daughter. It was good that Pacifica got away from her parents, but Dipper now realized they were looking for her.
Dipper started to feel more horrible when he found out Pacifica had tears rolling down her eyes, and started to grasp for air from her panic. Dipper then hesitantly wrapped his arms around Pacifica, laying his cheek on top of her head, his hands nestled behind her neck. "Pacifica, it's going to be okay, shhh," Dipper cooed, trying to calm her down. Pacifica's weeping started to quiet down a bit more, and the two held on to each other tightly. They both stayed silent, Dipper listening to the quiet cries of the girl, and Pacifica hearing the loud beating of Dipper's heart. Both started to grew the liking of each other's comfort, but were still scared of Preston Northwest barging in and finding out Pacifica hugging a commoner.
Seconds flew by, minutes, and so on- and they didn't hear anything. Preston probably walked away once he found out the ballroom was locked, probably when he noticed his daughter wouldn't be in her ballroom. A few minutes later, Pacifica started to back away from Dipper, and wiped her wet eyes with her magenta colored gloves. "Is he... gone?" she asked, nervousness escaping from her voice.
"It seems so," Dipper said, as he fully released his grip from Pacifica.
Dipper and Pacifica stood up from their corner and walked out of the kitchen, and into the dark ballroom. Pacifica opened the lights again, another set that was installed beside the kitchen doors. Lights reflected off the crystal chandelier once again, making the mood a bit more bright and safe. Pacifica's tears were long gone and dried up, but her eyes were a bit red from weeping. Dipper's unusual heart rate returned to it's usual speed, as he went up to Pacifica and started to comfort her. "Pacifica... your dad..." Dipper started. He raised a hand to rub her shoulder, but Pacifica turned around, Dipper's hand loosely and awkwardly hanging mid-air. He returned it to his body immediately.
"No, no, it's okay, Dipper." Pacifica said, unaware of Dipper's action. "This just means we have to continue exploring. I know another place to go, a place that is somewhere really safe."
Dipper nodded, and was led out of the ballroom by Pacifica.