The Gravity Falls Police precinct was a small, quaint building in comparison to the grandeur of other metropolitan stations. The stone base of the structure was old and worn, and much of the two floors above the first were newly constructed. The events three years prior had most of the town scramble to assemble itself together, and the police office had been no exception.
Inside the police station stood a well-dressed man with a bow-tie. Arms crossed and frowning, Omir Steindorf stood before a one-way mirror, staring into the lit holding room, where Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland stood. They paced around a small table, where a skinny, tall blonde man sat. Omir Steindorf watched them stride around the young man, uncertain to their progress.
Durland stated, his voice coming through a speaker underneath the one-sided window, "If you ain't gonna talk, we're just goin' to keep you here forever."
"You bet it. With what we're holding you for," Blubs added as he hiked up his belt on his pants, "We're just going to have you here for a long, long time."
The Warlock, Graupner Kinley, said nothing. His dark eyes glanced between each of the cops in his presence, but he said nothing. He looked tired, but unconcerned.
"Alright. Enjoy the chair," Blubs said. He nodded to Durland to open the door.
"Yeah. It'll ride up the pants a bit, won't it?" Durland chuckled as he and the sheriff left the room together. The lights remained on, and as Omir stared at the young man, the sounds of the approaching pair of policemen. "Hah! We got him on the ropes, don't we sheriff?"
"You bet we do, buddy," Blubs patted the back of Durland as they stepped over.
Omir spun to them, scowling. "This is what you call progress?" he demanded, stunning the cops with his volume.
"Well, uh, yeah?" Blubs answered as he and his partner exchanged a worried look. "I mean, he'll crack eventually."
"Look how nervous he is!" Durland pointed through the glass, and Omir glanced as well. The Warlock was looking right at them, and his eyes glowered with hate. He was clearly feeling many things, but his nerves were far from frayed.
Steindorf couldn't believe the incompetency. "He looks uncomfortable. That doesn't mean he's willing to talk!" Steindorf roared. The Sheriff and Deputy both flinched, and Omir clenched a pair of fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Have... either of you ever interrogated before?"
The two exchanged a look. "I once asked for directions in Portland," Durland answered hopefully.
Omir sighed and shook his head. This was getting nowhere, it would seem. He looked once again towards the young man in the room, and the Warlock glanced right at him, as if he could see through the mirror.
"That's weird," Blubs shivered at the blonde's actions. "He's looking straight through a mirror."
"Just a coincidence," Steindorf suggested, and turned away, adjusting his bow-tie as he did. "I expect more of an update when I return in a few days," he told them as he marched down the hallway, passing offices as he did. The Sheriff and Deputy followed, trailing the impressive gait of the CEO.
"Oh, you don't got to do that," Blubs told him, aware of the heads that were popping out from the offices, watching the three as they marched down the hallway. "We can handle this on our own-"
"Gentlemen," Steindorf growled, turning to them as he found the exit door, "I was told you would have his sources cracked by the time I arrived to check up. I am deeply disappointed in your progress. When next I return, should I not find you have made the progress I was anticipating, I will petition to have the investigation under my own personal over-sight."
"But this is police work!" Durland stated in shock.
Omir stepped up, his large height imposing to even Durland. "Then do your police work!" He whipped back and headed outside, the two cops following him. As he left the doors, the CEO looked to his right, where a large bouncy castle sat. "I find it hard to believe that you spend your efforts in this department wisely when this thing exists."
"Don't you worry about us," Blubs assured him with a worried chuckle, "We'll make sure you don't have to, uh, involve yourself."
"See to it you do," Omir scowled.
The sky above was bright blue, but a sudden clap of thunder stunned the two offices. Omir glanced skyward. He frowned, and reached inside his jacket to remove an umbrella.
"Weird," Durland muttered as clouds began to trail in from the mountains, "I thought the weather report said sunny skies."
"It did," Blubs said.
Another burst of lightning soared overhead, and thunder roared through the air. The two cops gasped as rain began to trickle, and they stepped underneath the cover of the building. Omir turned to them, his umbrella out and above him. "Always be prepared," he warned them, "For the worst. But, in a town like this, maybe it's safer to leave than stay around."
With a nervous look to one another, the cops watched Omir step into his waiting limousine. No sooner had the door closed than it drove away. The rain began to grow heavier. The two cops glanced to one another in surprise. It had been a surprise visit to begin with from the powerful corporate man, and while they weren't sure his threat of taking the investigation personally was true, he could bring a lot of unwanted attention to their town.
Another loud boom echoed from above, and the cops jumped. Blubs and Durland sighed as they looked above, the now dark grey skies shining through with orange. "Must be one of those freaky, near-instant thunder storms," Blurbs suggested.
Durland patted the Sheriff on the shoulder. "Uh... sheriff?" Durland shook as he pointed up, staring high into the clouds.
"Yeah buddy?"
Blurbs also turned his gaze skyward. He gasped, and lowered his sunglasses. The light wasn't the sun. The source of the orange light was moving too rapidly, and it began to glow brighter and brighter. People in the street before them gasped and began to point upwards too. A huge shockwave roared from the skyline, and people screamed and took cover as a wave of steam shot down from the clouds, burning in orange and red fire. From the clouds it fell towards the edge of town, leaving behind it a thick, obscuring line of white vapor.
"All dispatch! We have an unidentified falling object," Sheriff Blubs shouted into his police radio as he and the Deputy ran towards their car, tracking the falling object. "Scramble all officers to the-" the object finally vanished behind the trees with a series of loud cracks,"-the Corduroy lumber mill! Repeat, all officers to the Corduroy Lumber Mills!"
It wasn't just the cops of the town who charged towards the crash site of whatever had been in the clouds. As townsfolk and visitors alike began to drive or run towards the fallen object, trails of ash and steam began to finally fall to the earth, dampened and cooled by the strange sudden storm.
Across town, the dozen or so patrol cars who had arrived in haste barely held back the growing crowd of interested onlookers. A row of trees leading to the mill itself had been shattered and burnt horrible, only kept under check by the pouring rain. Though the wood of the split trees still burned brightly, the falling ashes through the air were the only real evidence of a large fire. Blubs and Durland, along with another six cops marched ahead, where the three Corduroy boys awaited.
"Sheriff! You won't believe it!" the oldest told them as they lead the eight officers towards the destroyed mill, with a large simmering hole in the side.
"Show us, boy, come on," Durland demanded.
The three kids nodded, and ran ahead, directing them to a split open door. Passing by the children, the cops entered and gasped. Manly Dan Corduroy stood, an axe held loosely in one hand as he stared at the object, slumped up in a corner. Small fires burnt dimly around it as the cops timidly approached, staring in shock as the thing moved and twitched.
"It's... a bird," Durland gasped.
"A burning bird," Blubs added.
Manly Dan said nothing as he stared from his impressive height at the massive creature. Nearly ten feet long and forty feet in wingspan, the animal seemed both to be a real being and... radiated fire. Low resonant squawks and chirps emanated weakly from its beak. It laid on it's back, its talons in the air. A pair of jet-black eyes stared fearfully at Manly Dan as he watched the creature from a good distance.
"A phoenix," the large, burly, ginger haired man muttered as his hard green eyes looked down on the creature.
The cops began to mutter amongst themselves, trying to figure out who, or what, to contact regarding the monstrous creature in the shattered mill. Manly Dan barely heard them. His eyes were only for the phoenix, which was only just barely protected by the thick wooden walls around it and the remaining ceiling. He had seen it with his own eyes – the devastating effects rain had on the bird. Not only that... he knew how useful birds like this were.
He was too deep in his own thoughts to even look up through the split rooftops. Hidden by the dark skies above, a pair of shadowy figures looked down upon the growing crowds. They were hooded, and looked to each other briefly, one shorter than the other. They then darted above, soaring away towards the edges of town.
"Aww nuts!" Mabel groaned as she held her hand out past the roofed protection of the porch. "So much for the boy-hunting day we had planned."
Next to Mabel, there was a thin teenager with black hair and broad glasses. "Are you sure we can't invite boys here?" Candy asked, watching Mabel shake her hand of water as she stepped back inside, leaving the porch behind.
Broad of shoulder and muscular, a tall teenager also followed Mabel. "And besides, they may like wet shirts," Grenda stated as the three teenagers stepped inside the gift shop.
From inside, Wendy eyed them above her magazine choice. "You guys aren't planning to go out there, are you?" Wendy asked, glancing out of the window nearby. The three sighed, and shook their head. Wendy nodded, "Good. 'Cus that's nasty out there." A loud roll of thunder confirmed Wendy's thoughts. "See? The boys won't be going anywhere."
"Not unless someone wishes all the men in town away suddenly," Mabel muttered sadly. Candy and Grenda gasped as they placed their hands to their cheeks.
"And... that's likely?" Wendy asked, raising an eyebrow as she watched the girls step past.
Mabel shook her head solemnly. "We may never know now," Mabel darkly muttered. Wendy watched them leave her sight, and got back to her usual post of doing little to nothing by the cash register. With the weather like it was, Stan was surprisingly busy, and Wendy had been assigned to specifically watch the gift shop not an hour previous. Since that storm, several of the staying families had taken up Grunkle Stans offer of tours. They, along with Stanley, now strolled around the building; unknowingly being stiffed.
The three slumped past the gift shop and entered the Living room. "Sup dork," Mabel groaned as she stepped inside.
"Nerd," Dipper retorted lazily from the chair, his feet kicked up on the arm rest. As the three girls sat in a circle. They fell to their backs, heaving depressed tones. Dipper looked up from his journal, studying them quickly. "No luck outside?" he asked.
"Still raging like a cursed storm," Mabel said.
Grenda added, "And now all the single boys out there may never be claimed by the three of us for a good evening," as she laid back, letting herself sink into the shaggy carpet.
"Oh, woe to us," Candy added, picking at her glasses.
Dipper shook his head. This was often their goal: boy hunting. "You guys know there's more to life than the boys and slightly older boys," Dipper stated as he hiked up his book again, burying his face into the pages.
"And there's more to life than the secrets of-" Mabel's words were cut off by a hasty but intent glare by Dipper.
Candy looked up to Dipper. "Is it another mystery?" Candy asked.
"Yeah. Private one though," Dipper admitted, looking to the hallway.
Grenda leaned back up to a seat quickly. "Wait, you're doing private mysteries?" Grenda asked, "I could hire you as a private eye?"
Dipper paused, and considered the offer. "It's not what I'm doing now, but I don't see why not," Dipper shrugged as he turned a page. He furrowed his brow. "Another possibility," Dipper mumbled, and wrote down something on his hidden pad on his lap.
Mabel rocked herself back up and walked over. "Anything solid on 'Operation Red-Fever'?" Mabel asked.
Dipper rolled his eyes and lifted the pad. "Sort of," he admitted, "The crystals helped. Since Soos and Zander were able to get a closer look at the thing after we changed back, we were able to confirm that it only works with humans, or at least, humanoids."
"Why is that important?" Mabel asked. Dipper opened his mouth, but Mabel shot her hand out and closed it, "Wait! I got it," she told him, "That means that whatever touches it has to be able be identified as being human.!"
"So, anything that wouldn't be human – biologically at least," Dipper added as he flipped a page, "is no longer included. Constructs, golems, elementals-"
"You thought Wendy could be an elemental?" Mabel crossed her arms and stared at Dipper with a smirk.
"You never know," he retorted.
Grenda had found the remote, and switched the television on. Dipper groaned. His eyes, and his sister's eyes, turned to Grenda and Candy, who sat together as they watched the Television. Dipper glanced to Mabel, who only shrugged. "They're bored," she told him.
"I'm working," he quietly replied.
"Well, you can go upstairs," Mabel reminded him with a nudge on his beanie, "The TV can't move."
"Ugh. Fine," Dipper grumbled, but stayed put.
"It's a news report? but I wanted the Eating Channel," Grenda whined as she leaned into a cross-legged sit.
The better local reporter took to the screen. "Gravity Falls continues its second hour of the sudden and monstrous downpour which has the local meteorologists baffled," Shandra Jimenez, adorned in a large weather cowl, struggled to keep her hair and rain from covering her face as she spoke to the camera, "According to experts here in Gravity Falls, this kind of weather is unprecedented for the week to come," the TV cut to an image of frenzied and panicked men in lab-coats, running around and screaming with their hands waving above their heads, and then back to Shandra Jimenez, "But, that's not what all the buzz is about today."
Candy tilted her head to Grenda. "Oh great, there's something else going on," Candy told her two friends, patting them lightly on the shoulder, "Maybe it's something we can gossip about!"
"Yeah!" The three ladies chanted, "Gossip! Gossip! Gossip!"
"Wait to hear what it is, first!" Dipper cried out, pointing to the TV. "For all you know, it's that the Northwests announcing something stupid and unrelated."
Mabel let her head flop backwards, to better eye her brother. "Shouldn't you be working on your mystery?" Mabel retorted. Upside-down Dipper glowered at her, but said nothing as he laid back into the seat.
The TV recording continued. "In what could be described as an almost-tragedy in town," Shandra reported, "The Corduroy Mills, well known for their supplying lumber for the town and exports abroad, was nearly destroyed today in a freak accident."
"Wow!" The three on the floor gasped and stared. Even Dipper eyed the TV over the edge of the book.
"According to reliable sources," Shandra said, just as Old Man McGucket jigged across a street behind her, excitedly running around in the rain, which he attempted to catch with his large hat, "A large creature of some sort crashed from the clouds earlier. It not only destroyed many usable lumber trees, but laid waste to a good portion of the mill itself. Unfortunately, the authorities won't let anyone, other than the Northwests and the Corduroys nearby this mysterious creature, so we have no inclination to what it may be. We'll be back as soon as a new update presents itself."
"Wow, a creature!" Mabel gasped, and looked around, "I wonder what it is?"
"Yeah, I wonder," Dipper added, scratching his head. "At the Corduroy Mills... hmm..."
"Hey guys," Wendy's voice called from the hallway as she appeared. Dipper shoved away his notepad rapidly, and looked up to her. He wore his calmest smile, a practice he had started getting used to. Wendy leaned around the corner, eyeing the room at large. "Any of you seen Yuki around?" she asked.
"No," the twins mirrored each other in tone.
Candy looked from them to Wendy. "Who?" Candy and Grenda asked.
"Uki-Dohth?" Wendy re-stated, "Wait, have you two met him yet?" Wendy asked as the two ladies exchanged looks.
Candy looked excited. "There's another male working here that's not Dipper?" Candy inquired, adjusting her glasses as she stared at Wendy.
"Yeah! Yuki!" Mabel answered energetically, "Wears a hat like Dipper, but it's from the shack? Tall? Darker skin?" Mabel asked. Grenda put a hand to her chin and scratched.
"Does sound sort of familiar," she answered.
"Maybe he's never officially been introduced to us?" Candy shrugged. Mabel gasped and stood up.
"Oh my god! You're right! I never had you three meet!" Mabel clawed at her scalp in panic. "Wendy!" she spun around, pointing to the red-head, "Have you seen Yuki!?" Wendy stared at her, a smile growing on her lips. After a few blinks, Mabel nodded, and marched over. "Right. We're looking for-"
"Oi! Who's by the counter!?" The loud voice of Grunkle Stan echoed in the hall. The side door near the forest was opened and a pair of footsteps started walking inside as the thunder from outdoors shook the walls. The voice of the stranded alien called back as he marched inside.
"I will attend in a moment-"
"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel called, "Is Yuki with you!?"
"No, I am here," Yuki answered. Appearing from the side of the doorway and grinned happily to Wendy. "I heard my name called–" Yuki spotted Candy and Grenda, who were staring right at him. Yuki gasped and had a hand shoot up to his hat and ensure it was still on his head, "Ah! Oh! Uhhh... hello!" he chuckled as the five stared at him.
"Yuki, why are you soaked?" Dipper asked, watching water fall from the man's shirt and arms.
"Did Stan not give you an Umbrella?" Wendy demanded.
Yuki chuckled but shook his head. "No, no. I enjoy the rain. And lightning won't likely strike me," Yuki informed her, "You know... the whole... uh," he glanced to Candy and Grenda staring at him, to which he leaned closer to Dipper, "Can I speak openly of my status within their presence?"
"Mabel, introduce them already," Dipper told his sister.
She nodded excitedly, and grabbed Yuki and yanked him over. "Yuki! Ahem. Uki-Dohth," Mabel announced proudly, her chest puffing out as she presented herself and her friend to her older accomplices in crime, "These are my super-awesome best-friends: Candy and Grenda!" Mabel directed Yuki to each who timidly smiled as he nodded to each. "Candy, Grenda: this is my alien friend from outer-space: Uki-Dohth, or Yuki!"
"Wow!" the two gasped in unison, standing up to scan Yuki like a pair of sharks circling a wounded animal.
"Are all aliens in your world as cute as you?" Grenda instantly asked. Yuki's mouth fell open and he glanced to Mabel.
Mabel who chuckled. "Dang Grenda-"
"Do your people believe in artificial bodily augmentation?" Candy asked, looking at the soaking wet boy before her.
Yuki, seeming a little frazzled by the new attention, answered, "We, uh, do use prosthetic limbs for those who have been in accidents," as he leaned away from her, and nearly into Grenda, "B-b-but my people do not seek to improve ourselves unless we must."
"Wow," Grenda and Candy cooed as they stared at the still wet man, and he slowly teetered back, stepping behind Mabel. "Cool," they also muttered in unison.
"Hey, kids!" Grunkle Stan's voice roared from the gift shop, stunning the group long enough for Yuki to take several long steps away, now hiding behind Wendy, "Get in here! You have a stray who wants to see you."
"A stray?" Dipper asked to Mabel, who shrugged. Folding up his notes and stepping up from his seat, Dipper joined Mabel as the two left the room together. They could hear Wendy speaking to the girls and Yuki, who was quickly bombarded with questions. No sooner had they made it to the corner of the gift shop than Grunkle Stan passed by them, scowling.
"You have until she pays and Wendy takes her spot by the register to talk," he informed them coldly as he passed by.
"Huh?" Mabel said as they looked inside. Arms tightly crossed and looking sour and mildly wet, an athletic woman with a leather jacket and golden hair stood by the counter. Her face lightened when she saw the twins, who exclaimed and moved to her. "Master!" Mabel outcried.
"Arline!"
"Hey guys," Arline grinned to them as she patted away the water from her shoulders and tried wiping it away from her head. "Pretty rough out there, huh?"
"Yeah. The girls and I had to cancel our boy-hunt today because of it. No one's going to want to be flirty in this kind of weather," Mabel grunted, sending a disapproving glare out the window.
Arline shrugged, her optimistic smile boundless. "Well, once it's done with the thunder and lightning, there's still a good chance for fun," Arline told her, pushing aside the wetted bangs of hair from her face, "You never know – if it warms up, maybe wet clothes are what you need to give you an edge."
From the back of the living room, Grenda called out, "Hah! Called it!"
"So," Dipper chuckled and looked to the master martial artists, "What's up, Arline? Or did you just pop by to say hi?"
Mabel added, "Which is totally cool if you did."
The woman glanced past them towards the hallway, and then around, to the several figures still in the shop. There were a few tourists scanning over shirts and hats. Once Arline realized none of the visitors were looking their way, she leant in towards the twins and spoke quietly. "I've been keeping tabs on our mutual friend in the Sheriff Department," Arline told them in a hush.
"Warlock," the twins muttered in unison.
Arline grimly smirked. "Right. He's been in there for almost a week and still nothing. He doesn't talk, he doesn't ask for a lawyer, he's just sitting in that building, doing nothing," Arline told them, her look focused and serious, "But not only that, and this is the weird part; I get the feeling he's not uncomfortable there."
Mabel and Dipper looked to each other, unnerved. Mabel asked, "Why? Aren't they doing a good-cop bad cop routine?"
Arline looked a little uncomfortable as she answered, "Uh, your police force isn't what I'd like to call 'efficient'."
"Yeah," Dipper shrugged, "That's generous."
"But I think he's just biding his time," Arline told them, "He's not even using that magic of his to cause trouble or try escaping. All he's doing is sticking around and playing quiet."
The news, to Dipper, was a mixed blessing. "Great. So that means we still have time to find out who's working with him," Dipper pondered, scratching his chin. "And we don't have any inclination other than the fact he called someone in front of us to activate the spell. It could be anyone."
"Hey stray," a gruff voice had the three mildly jump and turn. Stan was walking back in the room, Wendy in tow. He barked, "Cash register jockey is here. Pay up."
"One sec," Arline rolled her eyes and looked back to the twins, "We can talk more about this later," she quietly said to them. Arline approached the counter, her voice at room volume. "How much this time? Eight Hundred? Nine Hundred?" she asked with an exhausted expression.
Stan narrowed his eyes, a corner of his mouth tilting up in a tiny, wicked smile. "Well, since Summerween season is on the horizon, let's go with a grand," Stan told her.
"A Grand!?" the twins gasped.
"Stan, dude," Wendy said as she looked between the customer and the establishment operator.
Stan looked around to Wendy and the twins, as if his choice was not entirely his to make. "This is one of the town's biggest holidays!" he explained, "One person, who doesn't buy any of my merchandise, is a liability towards my business!" Stan told her as he crossed his arms, glaring at her. "I'm not fond of losing that profit," he added to the golden-haired woman. Arline stared at him, the heat in her eyes matching Stans cold eyes. Then she whipped out her wallet, removed her card, and handed it to Wendy. Stan guffawed, "Really!?"
With venom, Arline smirked. "Really. I'm paying it."
Stan wasn't having her answer. "Okay, give me that card," Stan marched over and swiped the card from Wendy's hands. The small piece of plastic in his hand, he overlooked its surface and markings. After a quick scan, he found himself upset, perhaps unable to detect anything misleading or wrong. He said aloud, "A thousand a night, and you don't even bat an eye."
"It's worth it," Arline told him with an altogether too pleasant smile.
"You're hiding something," Stan grumbled, tapping the card in his hands, "I don't know what, but there's not a chance anyone with a reasonable mind would pay a grand a day to stay anywhere! Let alone in my motel!" He stated, catching the attention of the shopping guests in the gift shop. "What are you up to?" he demanded, peering at the younger woman.
Little to no satisfaction came to Stan from Arline's behalf. Her poker-face smirk wasn't shaken as she walked over, reached out, and gently but firmly pulled her card out from his fingers. Arline handed it back to Wendy.
"That'll cover my night," she said with a kind grin to Wendy. The red-head glanced back between her boss and Arline, and finally shrugged. A quick push against the scanner, and the payment was made. Wendy handed back the card to Arline, who nodded. "Thanks, Wendy," she said, and looked back to Stan. "I'll be in my room in case you need something," she said to Stan. "I'll talk to you guys later," she gladly said to the twins, giving them a small wave before exiting the door and marching quickly to the left, towards the motel rooms.
The tides turned for Stanley Pines. The twins spun around and glared at their Grand Uncle. It was enough for him to flinch, holding up an arm to defend himself. When the silence cut at him more than any reproachful words could, Stan demanded a pathetic, "What?"
Mabel scowled, and snapped, "What is your problem?"
"Yeah," Dipper added, "She wasn't doing anything wrong in here! You're treating her like she's an enemy! Like Gideon!"
"Listen kids, I don't know if you're going soft on people because she saved your butts," Stan told them, stepping in closer, "But I'm tellin' ya – She's hiding something! Something big. She's paid well over twenty-five grand just to stay here this past month!" Grunkle Stan told them, "And I'm loving the cash, but-"
"But what?" Dipper cut in, "You have any proof of her being suspicious!?"
Stan tapped his fingers as he listed things out. "She meets up with you guys just as a spider attacks," Stan pointed out, "you run into werewolves when she's around! When you meet up with her, that crazy Warlock guy shows up again!"
"So?" Mabel replied heatedly, "She's been protecting us!"
Stan barked, "Yeah? Where does she go during the day when she's not in her room doing that stupid meditating and training stuff?" Stan demanded of them.
Mabel quickly scoffed, but Dipper paused, blinking and looking aside towards the window. Stan wasn't wrong about that. Arline did make frequent stops in town for entire days, and she had never said what she did. Regardless of her actions, she had directly tried stopping the Warlock from the beginning, and even told the twins what her purpose had been here in the first place: stopping Graupner Kinley, the Warlock. Still... Dipper couldn't shake the feeling that Stan had implanted in his brain. He wasn't wrong to suspect.
That said, Dipper felt Arline was more help than hinderance. "She's helping us, even if she's not telling us everything," Dipper replied.
Mabel sighed and patted his back. "See? Even conspiracy crazy Dipper thinks she's cool," Mabel defended her master.
Stan rolled his eyes and grumbled as he turned away. "You two do remember what happened last time we met people who tried helping us, but didn't say everything?" Stan asked as he left. "Three years ago?" he turned once to them, deliberately staring at them with an angry glare. Stan marched away, heated from their exchange. Mabel scowled.
Dipper turned away, crossing his arms as he thought. A pair of young kids stared at him. "What are you looking at?!" Dipper demanded of them, and the shrunk away, heading for the door. When they were alone, with exception to Wendy (who pursed her lips, saying nothing) Dipper sighed and turned back to his sister. "Mabel, he's got a point."
"A stupid point," she replied.
"She already kind of held back important information from us," Dipper quietly reminded her, stepping closer, "What's the promise that she's not now?"
"That we trust her and she trusts us," Mabel reminded him.
"Mabel," Dipper said, and his sister grunted and reluctantly nodded.
"Okay, okay. It is a little weird that she's still here," Mabel started, but Dipper took off.
"She knew about the Warlock thing but never told us about it, knew he was going to be at the convention from a 'dream'? That sounds familiar, and really bad," Dipper pointed out, "And she's able to pay off tons of money like it's nothing? A thousand dollars a day – that's not something people can just do!"
"And I'd be lying if I said that my master could actually pay that," Mabel admitted with a sigh, "She's living nice but... not that nice."
From the counter, a voice asked, "You guys just consider talking to her about it?" The twins slowly turned and looked to the speaker, Wendy. After a moment of staring, Wendy seemed to have noticed their prolonged looks. "What?" she recoiled a little at their stares, "Is that really such a bad idea?"
Dipper felt steam building in his brain. "I – uh –" Dipper's head nearly ruptured as he struggled to comprehend the hypocrisy of her saying that. Wendy, of all people, suggesting to the twins to 'just ask' about such things felt like a slap to the face. She held secrets from them, from everyone, but thought it would be a good idea for the twins to try 'just talking' to Arline?
Still, maybe Wendy had a point. Dipper gently put his hands together, and said, "Maybe when, you know, we know more."
Wendy nodded and looked towards the counter. With an easy grab, she pulled over a magazine and flipped it open. Reading 'Inevitable Confrontations and How to Delay Them' seemed to be on her mind, and she flipped a page. Dipper blinked as he scanned the cover again.
"What is that magazine even about?" he asked.
Before Wendy could answer, there was a knock on the side door. The twins turned at the same time, seeing the shadowed outlines of two figures. It was odd for anyone in the motel to knock; most just casually stepped in. If guests weren't certain about entering then they would announce themselves to the interior. Dipper sighed. They could be the kids he had just scared off. He stepped over to the door and slid it open.
"You can come in..." he gasped, "Wait..."
Two figures in dark grey-blue hoodies stood before him. The shorter one had a cap atop it's head, and Dipper instantly recognized it. His hat.
The hat he gave to Jessandra.
"Hi Dipper," a soaking wet young girl with cornsilk hair falling past her hoodie said. Mabel inside gasped and within a few moments crashed next to Dipper.
"Jess!?" she demanded, and then looked to the figure next to her. The two outside peeked out from their hoodies and Mabel yelled. "Jace!" she laughed as she jumped at the older teen. Jace yelled as well and caught her, holding her in his arms as they spun around for a moment.
"Mabel!" Jace placed her back down as he laughed, and he looked to Dipper, "And you!" he declared, and quickly wrapped his arms around Dipper in a quick hug. "It's been too long!"
"A month!" Mabel answered as Dipper was too stunned from the hug to reacted. "Just – wow! How's your arm handling?" Mabel pointed to his arm as Jace stepped back.
"Much better. Healed up nicely after stopping by," Jace rolled his eyes, and then looked back at the twins, "You guys look great! And not cold and wet!" he laughed as he wrung his hood backwards, squeezing water onto the wooden floor.
"Yeah, can we come in?" Jess asked, looking up to Dipper and Mabel hopefully.
"Sure," Dipper said, stepping back inside, letting the two follow.
"Ah, warmer. Much better," Jace sighed as he whipped his hands to the floor, splattering water around him.
"Agh – dude," Jess punched his hip angrily as she was splashed in the eye.
"Ow! Dang, chill," Jace grumbled while stepping away from her.
Mabel started shaking Dipper, staring at their new friends come back to visit. Jace was, as always, a very attractive and aloof man with feminine tendencies who preferred the intimate company of men to women. His sister was a twiggy teen, a few years younger than Jace, with all the brains for herself and her brother. Jess, as she brushed water from her cap, looked around, a small smile on her face as she analyzed everything in the shop.
"It's still the same," she said as she turned towards the counter, where Wendy had just lowered her magazine, "Oh! Wendy, hi!"
"I was wondering what got Mabel in such a tiff," Wendy snickered as she waved at the two siblings. "Welcome back to town."
"Thanks," Jace smiled back at her, and then looked to the twins, "We were kind of hoping there wouldn't be a storm when we did come by."
"Yeah, tell us about it," Mabel agreed as she walked over, giving her friend a pat on the shoulder, which sprinkled water around, "I was hoping we could finally get you that tour of town. But the storm like this? Not a good idea."
"Well, uh," Jess said, and Dipper noticed her staring intently at him, "Not exactly what we mean."
"Huh?" Mabel asked.
The siblings exchanged only the smallest of glances, and looked to Dipper and Mabel. There was a muted urgency between the two. It was the same kind of energy the twins remembered them having when they tried holding their secret of being harpies away. This time, though, the twins and the harpy siblings were in on the secrecy together.
"What's going on?" Dipper inquired quietly.
"Our mission was to get the..." Jace blinked and whipped his head towards Wendy, who was staring towards the four.
"Don't worry about me man," Wendy told them, "I'm on the same page with them."
With a moment to stew on her comment, Dipper nodded, "Yeah, she's cool."
Jace registered Dipper's permission, and continued, "Well, you guys remember about the Phoenix, right?" Jace continued.
The twins nodded, and Jess scowled. "Everything just went rotten at the last second!" she stomped her foot and clawed at her hoodie. "Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong!"
"Whoa, whoa," Dipper stepped closer, looking to her as she breathed rapidly, "What's going on guys? What happened?"
"First, uh," Jace spoke, a shiver in his words, "Do you think we could get some dry towels? We're kind of soaked here."
"Shoot! Of course," Mabel said, but as she stepped away, she spun back and grasped the two, "Follow me! I'll getcha somewhere nice and warm and get clean towels!"
"As gracious a host as I remember," Jace smirked as he let himself be dragged by Mabel. Jess pulled herself away from her brother, mumbling quietly as she followed the two.
"I can walk," Jess pouted as her brother and Mabel stumbled forward, not hearing her protest.
"Mabel just wants to help," Dipper told her as he patted her shoulder, "Don't worry about it."
"I'm not worried – I'm – uh," Jess stumbled for words, glancing between Dipper's eyes and the hand he placed on her shoulder.
"After you," Dipper sighed, and Jess ducked her head forward and marched after her brother and Mabel. Once he was alone with Wendy, Dipper sighed and shook his head. "She's still thinking it," he said quietly.
"Young love dies hard, doesn't it?" Wendy patted his shoulder, surprising him that she had approached. She was behind him, and he hadn't heard her approach? When his wide eyes found her, she chuckled and looked back. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing," Dipper lied, "Just... you aren't going to watch the counter?"
"Nah," Wendy dismissed, "Stan can deal with it," Wendy said and pushed past him, "I'm a little more interested in what's going on with your friends."
"Right," Dipper nodded and followed after her, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks as he swallowed the feelings of betrayal. There she was, doing it again; acting so normal and completely casual when Dipper knew there was something she was hiding. Following her into the hallway and turning back into the living room gave him a moment to sort out his thoughts. He prepared himself for the story to come from the harpies.
Inside the living room, the eyes had changed from Yuki, whom Candy and Grenda had been bombarding with questions, to the siblings. As Mabel tossed a large blanket off the sofa chair onto Jace, she offered the seat to them.
"Sit down, get warm, and then drop the word," Mabel told the siblings. Jace quickly spun the blanket around him and squeezed himself tightly. Only a few moments passed before he tossed it all to Jess, who caught it roughly and stumbled back- the momentum and weight of the mostly dry blanket toppling her over.
"So, uh," Jace stated, as the entirety of the room stared at him, a total of six pairs of eyes on him, "I'm Jace," he waved to Candy, Grenda, and Yuki, "Hiya. This is my little sister-" he went to indicate the thirteen-year-old on the floor.
Jess threw the blanket back into his face, and his words were muffled. "I'm Jessandra. Hello," she waved curtly to them.
"Greetings," Yuki waved his hand once above his head, getting over the impending height of Grenda, "I am Uki-Dohth."
"I'm Grenda!"
"My name is Candy."
"Nice name," Jace pointed to Candy with a wink. Candy instantly blushed and put her hands to her mouth. Grenda grinned and patted her friend's back in approval.
Mabel gave Jace a devilish grin. "Don't flirt with my friends too much," Mabel told Jace, flicking the back of his head, "You'll get their hopes up."
"Flirting? Oh c'mon," he protested to his friend, turning to her, "I was just complimenting her name."
"Anyway," Dipper pushed into the room past the others, "There was something important you wanted to tell us." The siblings once again froze up, looking to Dipper and Mabel. The room awaited the words of these newcomers.
Jace made a chuckle, though was clearly not amused. He looked to the twins, and quietly mentioned, "We were thinking something a little more, well, private?"
"Oh, this is a secret thing, isn't it?" Candy asked to Mabel, who shrugged.
"Don't know. Still figuring that part out," Mabel pointedly said, giving Jace an look.
"Dipper," Jess said quietly, walking towards him, "Can we trust these people?"
"Absolutely," Dipper nodded, "They're the extended mystery crew, honestly."
"Seeing weird stuff is what we do," Candy added.
"Or we are the weirdos! Ha! Yeah!" Grenda flexed, displaying her impressive build.
"I... I'm not so sure," Jess murmured quietly.
Dipper sighed, and looked to Yuki. "Yuki," he called, drawing the attention of the third employee of the building, "I think you and these two have something in common."
"What?" Yuki gasped and looked to the hoodie wearing twins. In the highly advanced and trained mind of Uki-Dohth, clues piled up quickly and he gasped when he came to a conclusion. He stepped past Candy, Grenda and Wendy, and faced Jace and Jess. With a quick breath, as if about to dive into a cold pond, Yuki reached up and pulled away his beanie. Candy, Grenda and the siblings gasped as the leaf-like extensions flopped out like green dyed hair. Yuki hummed as he gave his hair a gentle rub.
"He's got leaves! In his hair!" Grenda stated.
"They are not exactly leaves," Yuki established, "But they are capable of photosynthesis."
"Then... he's not human?" Jace asked as he stood up from his chair, giving the dark curly hair a closer inspection.
"No," Yuki said, "I am Xabvri. To you, an extraterrestrial from another planet."
"He's an Alien!?" Jess gasped, and she looked to Dipper, "No wonder you guys didn't care that we're harpies!"
"Harpies?!" Candy and Grenda gasped, pushing past Yuki, who stumbled away.
"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag," Jace sighed and removed the hoodie as water flew into the air, "Might as well let the bird out of the cage."
"That pun was horrible," Jess grumbled as she too lowered her hood.
"Feathers," Candy and Grenda gasped, staring at the colorful array of feathers on Jace's face and on his ears. The bright arrangements shone gently in the light as he brushed them softly, showing off more of his attractiveness. Jess sighed and patted her more standard bright brown feathers, draining them of water.
Wendy shook her head, though smiled. "Once again, this is why Soos and I were excited to have you stick around over the summer," Wendy pointed out, "You guys make awesome friends."
Dipper nodded. He glanced to Wendy, and then did a double take. His mind exploded with an opportunity as he glanced to Wendy.
"Yeah. So," Dipper looked around, "No one else has anything they might want to share with us all?" he asked around, and glanced to Wendy, who was half way through shrugging when they made eye-contact, "Something they've been hiding?" Dipper asked.
Wendy's eyes focused onto him. He would not drop his gaze. This was a chance, a real opportunity for her to let out whatever it was she was hiding from them all. With an alien and a pair of harpies in the room, whatever else she had to add wouldn't be as strange in comparison. Surely, nothing could be bird-people and aliens. Yet, Dipper's frustrations grew and intensified as her lips sealed tightly and she looked away, checking her nails.
"Okay," Dipper said, trying to contain his anger as he felt his jaw tighten, "Well... Jess? Jace? Got something you were going to tell us? And remember," he glanced back to Wendy, who was staring very avidly at her nails, "We're all honest here. We're here to help you out."
"Well, I, uh," Jess looked around, her red cheeks deepening in color. Dipper cleared his mind of his resentment towards Wendy and stared to her. His look seemed to calm and clear her doubts, for Jess resolved herself and stood at her tallest.
"Dipper and Mabel met us a month ago," Jess started, "When we passed through town and were shot down by a crazy hunter."
"Who's a werewolf now, by the way," Mabel pointed out.
Jace and Jess stared at her, their eyes wide. Jess continued, "Gross. Okay, and since then, we've continued on our way. We had a mission you see," she explained while patting her fist against her palm in a steady beat, "To catch, and retrieve, a run-away phoenix."
"Wait, that phoenix that flew over the shack like last month?" Wendy asked, pushing herself towards the group, standing next to Yuki.
"Yup," Jace nodded, "The same. Something got into its head and made it fly south to this town, and then it just kept flying to find warmer climates."
"Phoenix prosper in dry, hot places," Jess explained, "They feed off of things that burn easily. They love to eat dry wood and embers. So, Baja California is where we finally caught up with it. Taking it back wasn't too hard. Canada is going to be warmer, so it won't freak out on the way back."
"Or, so we thought," Jace added with a grumble.
"What happened?" Mabel asked, but Dipper was already on the answer.
"The storm did, didn't it?" he asked. Jess merely nodded slowly and solemnly. "That's the creature, the phoenix," Dipper announced, "The one that crashed by town."
"The one by my dad's mill," Wendy added quietly.
Jess sighed and continued. "We were half way over the town when the thunderstorm just... came out of nowhere," she said while scratching her head and the feathers on her ears.
"Thunderstorms can come really quickly around here," Candy admitted with a shrug, "Faster in Gravity Falls than normal."
"No, this isn't any normal thunderstorm," Jess shook her head.
"A bold claim," Yuki crossed his arms and curled his lip as he thought, "But what evidence can suggest this, aside from personal experience? Are you a meteorologist?" Jace blinked and stared at Yuki. Yuki noticed to stare, and quickly added, "Oh, uh, an individual who studies weather patterns."
Jace's mind caught up. "Ah. No, but the Phoenix is," he stated, "Jess isn't kidding when this isn't a normal thunderstorm."
"You see, because Phoenix's are elements of fire and air," Jess explained, "They are in tune with heat and wind. They're great at predicting weather, especially storms that are coming. We got around three storms all the way through California without getting a drop of water on us," she admitted proudly. Then she looked to her brother. "Then we got here."
"Before we knew it," Jace dramatized the story, using his hands as a make-shift storm fronts, "The Phoenix shrieked and dived into town. Clouds just came out of no-where, not even a hint that we had a storm to dodge!"
"We tried to get to cover with the Phoenix quickly," Jess admitted, her voice heavy, "But... the rain started too quickly. The phoenix just couldn't handle it. It fell... and we had to abandon it."
"What?" Dipper gasped, "Why?"
"It landed in the mill, duh?" Mabel answered for the siblings, "They can't be seen. Like, imagine two flying people just landed next to a burning bird. The police would round them up just as quick as lightning."
"But why is it important to get it back?" Grenda asked, scratching her shoulder, "I mean, if it's your family pet or whatever-"
"We're it's guardian," Jess proclaimed defiantly.
"Yeah, sort of the job description to not let it get hurt or too far," Jace added.
"Not only that," Jess added, "Phoenixes are dangerous."
"Because they will set fire to everything nearby?" Candy clarified.
Jace frowned, conceptualizing what to say. Jess beat him to the punch, and further explained, "Well, sorta. I mean, fire is bad and dangerous, but here's the thing – what Phoenix leave when they die are more valuable than... gold!" The room's already quiet atmosphere was further drained of sound. The listening crowd held their breath, waiting for Jess's information. "Phoenix ashes, when warm and dry, have extremely powerful healing properties. Sprinkle a little in water and drink quickly – boom. Instantly cured of all ailments."
"Heck, if you pour a whole handful of purified ashes into a dead bodies mouth," Jace added, "There's a chance they'll revive and live again."
"What?!" the group gasped.
"Phoenix ashes can revive the dead?" Wendy asked, her jaw dropped.
"We've never seen it happen," Jess admitted with a warning look to her brother, likely a scolding glance to have him quiet down, "But it's true. If people, normal people, figure this out, they'll kill the last phoenix we know of."
Yuki stood up a tad taller, alert. "This is the last one?" Yuki asked.
"As far as we know," Jace nodded. "My family's line has always cared for them, and this is the last one we know of. Once this one bites the... well, ashes," he cringed at his own pun, "the species goes extinct."
"So, the authorities have your bird of flame?" Yuki inquired. The siblings nodded, causing the alien to squint, "And if I would surmise the expectation you have for Dipper and Mabel, it would be that you intend to ask for help in retrieving the bird?" Another two nods were given to Yuki.
"We're not just trying to protect the bird," Jace stated, pushing himself from the chair and directly addressing his listeners as he walked around, "This is about protecting people who are willing to hurt others to get to it. Last time we came around here, a hunter shot me down so I would lead him to it. Now a whole town knows about it. When they discover the rumors about the phoenix–"
"They could begin fighting over it," Dipper finalized.
"Man, so much for a chill rainy day," Wendy sighed, leaning against the wall as she looked to the ceiling. "This is heavy stuff."
"Yeah, which part?" Mabel asked her, "The crazy part about the storm suddenly showing up only when they pass through town, the crazy part about the phoenix reviving dead people, or the crazy part where folks are going to go nuts over it?"
"I'll take 'D', all the above," Wendy answered.
Yuki eyed Wendy's response. "I... do not understand."
"An expression," Mabel stated, and the alien nodded.
Dipper frowned as he thought. Leaning against the TV cabinet, his mind reeled at the possibilities that would happen should he not take action. Assuming the storm was just a freak of nature, and would come to pass, if the phoenix was captured against its will, the entire wooden-built town could be incinerated. If they were able to capture the phoenix, they could put it into danger, and losing a species like that didn't sit right with Dipper. It did, after all, save the shack once from the earth elemental golems. He owed it one. Dipper looked over to his sister who had just did the same. Their eye contact was the final signature of their silent contract.
"We're in," Dipper announced suddenly after a few moments of silence.
"Really?!" Jess gasped.
"Of course, we are!" Mabel blew a raspberry, "We're not the kind of fools who turn away friends."
"Told ya!" Jace grinned as he wrapped an arm around Mabel's neck, leaning on her shoulder, "They're just like us. Not going to turn us away to help out!"
"How about you guys?" Dipper asked, eying the four listeners by the door. "Jace and Jess are our friends, and this could be dangerous."
"When is it ever not dangerous?" Wendy pointed out with a smirk.
"Indeed. I too shall help," Yuki stated, "As I am most interested in this species of exotic fauna."
"Such big words," Grenda swooned with Candy.
"He's intellectual and cute," the thin girl admitted with a shy grin.
"And you two?" Mabel asked, shaking her friends from their stupor with her question.
"I think we should help," Candy nodded.
"Heck, what else are we going to do today?" Grenda chuckled, "At least now we're not just going to be dreaming about adventures with pretty boys," she said, and glanced to Yuki, who noticed and gulped, "But we'll have active participation!"
"Okay then," Dipper called around, "I guess we should get ready to head out. I get the feeling that even if I reminded the entire town that Mabel and I regularly deal with odd stuff like this, they'll not give up the phoenix so easily," he thought aloud. "So," he called, "saddle up."
"Pfft, you suck at sounding dramatic," Mabel scolded him, "It's like this," she turned and cupped her hands and shouted over the group, "Let's saddle up, soldiers!"
Behind the entryway for the living room, a head poked around. "Who's doing what where?" Stan asked. Soos' head popped in from the other side.
Dipper grumbled, "And that's what I was trying to avoid," Dipper nudged his sister's side angrily.
"We're going to go out and rescue a phoenix from the clutches of the town!" Mabel declared.
"Oh. Huh. Sounds dangerous," Stan said as he glared at them, "And uh... you're going with everyone here?" The twins nodded. "Well, I know I said I'd go with you... so if you get into trouble, you come back- no ifs, ands, or buts! Otherwise, good hunting. Soos!" Stan shouted, shocking the handyman into falling entirely into sight. "Come help me give out this tour."
Soos stood back up quickly, zipping to Stan's side. "Wait, you mean it?" Soos asked, stars in his eyes.
Stan picked at his ear as he said, "Yeah. And Yuki," he pointed to the alien, "Go handle the cash register."
"But I was going to assist Mabel and Dipper-"
"They've got their personal army assembled. You need to work here and earn your keep. Now get behind that counter and stiff people!" Stan ordered, and vanished with Soos.
Yuki, crestfallen, looked to the others. "Well... I suppose I will await your return," and passed into the hallway from sight.
"Darn!" Candy and Grenda both snapped their fingers and stomped their feet.
"Uh, I could substitute for Yuki," Wendy suggested, "Let him go into town."
"Whaaa?" Mabel gasped, "But you sounded really into this."
"I am!" she declared, "I totally am dude. But, you know Yuki – he's all about getting into the 'human culture'," Wendy explained. "And, you know, I'm always in town."
"Really?" Dipper asked, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Wendy.
She noticed his doubtful response. "Yeah, dude. Anyway, that way we can have the super-strength alien out there and I'll just do my lazy thing here," she stated easily, a hand sticking into her pants pocket.
Dipper's stare would not drop as he watched Wendy. No, she was lying, wasn't she? Dipper was certain of it- thinking back to the many times he and Mabel had gone into town and asked for help, Wendy had almost never come. And the one-time Dipper did remember Wendy coming into town, she stayed along the borders of Gravity Falls, in the woods. Granted, her reasoning at the time was stopping a wild werewolf Mabel from running rampant. Now, with Dipper recalling the various other times, it added up. Wendy didn't want to go into town for some reason.
"No Wendy," Dipper grinned, feeling a firm strength in conviction as he looked to her, "We need your help more than Yuki's. This isn't going to be a fight with people – we're going to need to talk our way out of stuff and sneak around more. That's more your sort of thing, at least compared to Yuki."
"Uh-"
"C'mon Wendy," Dipper said to her, pleading with her in a stern voice, "We're just going into town, grabbing a burning bird, and bringing it back for Jace and Jess. Nothing too crazy, right?" he asked, deceptively playful in tone. Dipper's hardened eyes stared at her, watching her reaction to his insistence. The redhead seemed to have a master poker-face though: Dipper found himself internally cursing as she just shrugged and nodded.
"Sure," Wendy agreed, "I'll let Yuki get some first-hand experience at the cash register," she said with a smile.
"So how are we getting there?" Mabel asked.
Dipper finally peeled his gaze off Wendy and he thought. "My car can only hold five-"
Grenda blurted out, "I have my mom's van!"
Jace excitedly turned to her, asking, "The big love machine out front?" Grenda proudly nodded, and Jace swooned. "Fantastic. The world needs more sixties inspired class."
"So why don't we take both?" Dipper suggested, "That way when we finally get the bird, we can stuff it into the van, and you two," Dipper looked to Jace and Jess, "Can watch it inside the van? Mabel, Wendy, and I will be in my car."
"Not a bad plan," Jess nodded.
"Okay then," Dipper announced, "Now let's actually head out."
The room became a buzz of movement and activity as all seven started heading towards the hallway. Grabbing jackets, lifting hoodies, slipping on boots, and preparing for the nasty weather outside took up the time they had before they all found themselves gathering in the shop, checking each other over. Yuki watched them and constantly reminded them of their needs.
As he fixed his shoes and stood up, Dipper again let his sight linger on Wendy. She was settling her boots on her feet, adjusting them for better fit and comfort. He barely shook his head and contained a growl. She had the chance, two big chances to let them know what she's hiding, and yet she still held it back. What could possibly be so important to not let the twins know, to let Dipper know? Did she really think so little of him?
"Dipper?"
Dipper was startled. He looked over to the small girl next to him. Jess was watching him, her brow furrowed.
"Hey," he said, catching breath, "What is it?"
Jess took a step closer to him. Dipper felt a warning heat rise in his neck. Now was not the time for emotional confessions. Yet, she quietly said, "So, is there something, uh, going on between you and Wendy?" she asked quietly, glancing to the tall redhead.
Dipper blinked. His head and heart calmed. Dipper also glanced to Wendy, feeling that old heat in his neck rising. "Not exactly," he told her, "Why do you ask?"
"You keep staring at her," Jess stated, a small pink blossom in her cheeks, "I was wondering if, uh, you were trying to ask her out or something."
Dipper swallowed as lightly as he could, not wanting to display the discomfort in his throat as he looked to the younger girl before him. He had been wondering if this topic would be rearing its head once again; with Jess's untold feelings for him. Only now she seemed aware of the possibility that Wendy may have more of a spot in Dipper's mind than her. Dipper had thought feelings were complicated before. He wasn't even sure how to safely maneuver between his own concoction of emotions for Wendy, and being delicate for Jess.
After a pause for thought, Dipper offered, "It's complicated."
"Tell me about it," she grumbled. Dipper turned and looked right at her, and she gasped. "I-I mean, you know, I bet it is." He snickered as Jess brushed her hair and looked away. There was at least once person who, while they once held a secret, Dipper felt he could let in with a secret.
Dipper leaned in closer to Jess. "What's going on," Dipper started, catching Jess's attention, "is Wendy has been holding something from me and Mabel."
Her eyes widened. "Another secret?" Jess asked.
"Something big enough to hide from us the entire summer. Jess," Dipper stepped in closer, frowning, "This is a girl who I've fought alongside against monsters and demons, saved each other's life, and had always been friends," Dipper smiled, remembering those times now like happy experiences rather than the traumatic chances of death they had been. "If she's been holding something from me and Mabel... it's big."
Jess stared at him, her bright blue eyes shimmering as she looked between his own two brown eyes. Dipper let her get her moment to think, but she didn't look away. Instead, her mouth slowly opened. A wash of comprehension seemed to wash over her. Dipper watched as she looked sour, and turn away. Her eyes held a newfound darkness as she glanced at Wendy.
"It's not cool for close friends to hold secrets from one another," she whispered, "Especially when you've known each for that long."
"Yeah," Dipper nodded firmly. He glanced back to Wendy, and nearly was shocked. The redhead had glanced right at him. The moment their eyes met, she looked away, talking to Mabel.
"So, we ready to go?" Wendy asked loudly to the enigmatic twin.
"You betcha boots we're ready to go!" Mabel said.
Dipper patted Jess's shoulder. She seemed to sway for a moment as he passed by, taking the center of the crowd. "So, here's the plan," Dipper called around, "We're going to go to these mills. Wendy, you, me and Mabel will go straight for the crash site. Jace and Jess, take Candy and Grenda around and try to sneak out with the bird while we cause a distraction."
"Wait, I thought you wanted me sneaking in?" Wendy asked quickly.
Dipper glanced over and nodded. "Okay. Jess, you can come with us and Wendy will help you three out," Dipper pointed to Candy, Grenda and Jace. "Wendy, you can take point and lead them out of sight. If you find the bird, don't get caught."
Wendy chuckled and shook her head. "No problem."
"Okay. Into-"
"The mystery mobiles!" Mabel bellowed and charged out the doors in a flash. Thunder and a flash of lightning shook the ground, prompting Mabel to jump back in a second later. "You know, whenever it's convenient for everyone to go at the same time. So, I don't have to go out alone."
Rushing into the cars and avoiding the rain as much as possible, the old van and Dipper's car were soon occupied. To Dipper's growing frustration, Mabel had taken a back seat, prompting Wendy to sit next to him in the front. Clutching the keys and twisting the car to ignite the engines, Dipper could have sworn he felt a static between them. There was no longer a pleasant aura, but a thorny feeling of distance. Yet Dipper swallowed away the itching in his mind. This feeling was better than the nice-ness from before. This fitted with how he currently felt towards Wendy. It felt just.
The two vehicles turned and rushed down the soaking gravel road out of forest and down the street. The windshield wipers flipped back and forth as they threw the water out of view. Dipper stared at the coming road signs, illuminated by the car light.
"You'll want to make a right coming up," Wendy suddenly injected.
Dipper glanced to her and frowned. "But the parking for your dad's mill isn't-"
"Trust me, dude," Wendy asked. Dipper heard more than her normal joking tone in those words. She meant it now. Biting down on his teeth, he made the turn signal and turned down the street. It was a back-forest dirt path, muddy and jumpy, and Dipper suddenly regretted listening to Wendy.
"You sure about this?" Dipper heatedly asked his car bounced around roughly.
"One hundred percent," Wendy replied, "See! Look!" she pointed excitedly ahead. From the woods surroundings them, a light broke through the brush, and Dipper slowed the car down. They were overlooking the mills atop a hill.
"Ohh, tactical advantage!" Mabel proclaimed, and patted Wendy's shoulder, "Nice one!"
"Thanks dude," Wendy shrugged, "You know, growing up around here sort of helped with knowing how to sneak around," Wendy said as she grinned and crossed her arms.
Dipper closed his eyes, fighting the tempting feeling to scoff at her. Instead, he turned the car off and pushed open the door.
"Dipper," Mabel stated, catching him half way through the door opening, "Thank Wendy."
"...good job," Dipper said curtly over his shoulder as he stepped out.
Those in the van behind them had made their way out, holding hands above their head as they sought to avoid the heavier drops of tree-rain. The group gathered at the top of the forested hill, overlooking the well-lit and destroyed building below. Logs were lined up around it in an orderly fashion, giving opportune hiding space for the stealth group.
"Okay. Wendy, take the lead. Find out where the Phoenix is and try sneaking it out. We'll go draw the cop's attention," he reminded them. He looked back, to the wet faces of his friends, and said before walking down, "Be careful."
"Follow me," Wendy said, "Try to keep low to the ground."
As the stealth crew slinked off into the shadows to their right, Dipper eyed his sister and Jess, who wrapped her large hoodie around her tightly. He nodded, and turned. His first dramatic step was less than impressive, as he slipped and landed half on his leg with a sickening squelch. Mabel snickered, and Jess stumbled ahead, trying to help Dipper back up.
"Ugh," he groaned, "Thanks Jess."
"No problem," she said with a wide grin.
"Dipper, you look like you had an accident in your pants!" Mabel laughed as she pointed to him.
Dipper's face heated up and he went scarlet. "Shut up!" he barked at her as she passed him, holding her stomach as she laughed.
The chance to push her down passed, Dipper made do scooping away chunks of mud off himself and tossing it aside. Jess stayed behind him, pointing out where he had missed any of the cold wet mud. Dipper wasn't entirely certain her intent was purely noble, as it gave her a clear view of his rear. If it meant he could remove more of the mud from him, the better.
"Wow, there's a lot more people here than I saw," Mabel said as they emerged from the woods back into the rain.
"Yeah, no kidding," Dipper nodded along with her.
The crowds around them were thick and bustling. Umbrellas and soaked newspapers were held above people as they clamored around the mill, barely held back by the line of cops, desperately trying to restrain the crowds from pushing in to see whatever had fallen into the mill. Lights had been set up around the mill by the workers and the cops alike. While night had not come, the afternoon light barely shone through the dark grey clouds, plunging the town into near darkness.
"So, what do we do to start drawing attention?" Jess asked.
"We could reveal we have a harpy with us?" Mabel suggested.
"No!" Dipper and Jess both gasped and turned on her. Mabel rolled her eyes.
"They'd take her away then as well," Dipper hissed at her.
"It was a joke, jeesh kiddos," Mabel said, "Why not just do this?" and without a second thought, she stepped into the crowd and started passing by others. Dipper and Jess quickly caught up as they shoved bodies out of the way. Then Mabel ducked under a cop quickly and started for the main building entrance. Dipper and Jess did the same, and quickly a pair of police officers spotted them.
"Hey!" they shouted, running over with their hands outstretched, "You don't have permission to be here!"
"Excuse me," Mabel turned on him, her balled up fists on her hips, "You're speaking to part one of two of the Mystery Twin duo," she proclaimed. "It's our job to investigate and find wonky-doodly stuff and discover what's going on behind it."
"Y-yeah!" Dipper added in, "If there's a strange creature in here, we have rights by nature of our position," Dipper made up quickly, "To go in and investigate."
Jess added, "And I'm the understudy!" and Dipper held out a hand for her to high-five, which she did.
The cops looked to one another. "There's no strange creature inside," the second cop said, adjusting his hat with a twitch of his hands, "Just a, uh... weather balloon."
"Oh c'mon!" Dipper groaned, "A weather balloon? Seriously? That's the worst one! You could have made up almost anything else, and I may have congratulated you on trying!"
"It's a phoenix," Jess told the two tall cops, "Now let us in to get a peek."
"I'm going to say this one more time," the first cope of the two said, his voice stiffening, "You need to-"
"Officers," a new voice called from behind the cops, as a pair of hands reached out, pushing them aside, "They're with me. It's okay." Arrived was a tall, handsome man with emerald-like eyes.
"Zander?!" the twins gasped.
"Omigod!" Jess gasped as she clasped both her hands to her face.
Zander Maximillion stood between them, his trademark smile presented as he winked to the three. To many, getting cold and wet was unpleasant. He might as well be standing at the beach, ready for a swim. "Gentlemen, they're good kids. Let them in with me."
"Well, can't argue with a celebrity," the first cop shrugged, "In you go. Don't start any trouble, you hear?" he pointedly said at the three as they marched in with Zander.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up," Zander told them as he turned to speak to them at the door of the building. His eyes met Jess, and he grinned as he outstretched a hand. "Hi!" he said to her, "Zander Maximi-"
"I know who you are, oh my god, oh my god!" Jess gasped as she gingerly took his hand and shook it.
"A friend of yours?" Zander asked the twins, and he looked to her carefully, "I'm going to guess, if you know the twins, you're not human."
"I... uh," Jess glanced to Dipper and Mabel, who both nodded. She pulled away half of her hoodie, showing her feathers.
"Woah!" Zander gasped and looked closer. "A harpy!"
"Great guess," she said with a beaming smile, "My brother and I were guarding the Phoenix when it crashed here. Dipper and Mabel's friends are going to help us get it back."
Zander's face dropped as he listened to the story. It was easily the first time Mabel and Dipper had seen such a reaction to the man. Always upbeat and positive, this reaction scared them as he glanced behind himself to the door and then back to them. He looked saddened by this news.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that," Zander stated as he looked to Jess with sad, tired eyes.
"What is it?" Mabel asked, "It's not... dead, is it?" Mabel asked as Jess's eyes widened, listening very intently to Zander.
Another voice answered. "No," said a bleach blonde teenager as she stepped out and next to Zander, "But if we don't stop my parents, that may change soon."
"Pacifica!" Mabel out cried, and hugged the teenager quickly.
"Ack! Mabel! You're getting my dress soaked!" Pacifica protested until finally Mabel let go. "And there it goes; wrinkles. Got to get it pressed again."
"We can deal with your dress later, Pacifica," Dipper reminded her harshly.
She glanced up from her dress and grinned. "Tough guy act again? You must be having a bad day," she said with a look to Mabel. Then her eyes met Jess, who was scowling at her. "Who're you?"
Jess adjusted her stance, trying to gain height. "I'm Jess. I'm Dipper's friend."
"Whatever," Pacifica dismissed. She looked back to Zander, "It's gone. They beat us here."
"Damn," Zander swore quietly, putting a hand to his face.
"Who beat you here?" Dipper asked.
"Who's gone? The Phoenix?" Mabel asked.
"Where to?" Jess asked.
"One second!" Pacifica snapped. "God you guys, it isn't like me and Zander are trying to fix this whole thing."
"Pacifica, relax," Zander put a gentle hand to her shoulder.
Miraculously, her raised shoulders dropped as she sighed and nodded. "Half an hour ago, during my practice," Pacifica said, indicating to Zander, "My dad called me and told me to get home. He said something about how the family was going to soon own the rarest species of animal on the planet," Pacifica explained. "Then Zander told me that something crashed into the Corduroy mills, and that it may have been alive. Look, my parents have money, so they can get away with a lot, but I heard what it was-"
"The phoenix," Jess interjected.
"Yes, I know," Pacifica heatedly said.
"But it landed here, in the Corduroy's place!" Mabel exclaimed, "Shouldn't it belong to Manly Dan then?"
"If not, technically the local government?" Dipper added.
Zander laughed as he rubbed his neck. "Let's try to imagine that the Phoenix doesn't belong to anyone."
"Yeah," Jess nodded, her eyes shining in appreciation, "It's a free spirit. It goes where it wants to. You just need to persuade it to want something, if you want to get it to do anything."
"You sound like you know what you're talking about," Pacifica pointed out, eyeing the smaller girl.
Jess smirked and nodded. "My brother and I guarded it, along with my family, for years," she explained.
"Great job so far," Pacifica sighed as she looked around at the splintered wooden shards on the ground. Jess scowled as she glared at Pacifica.
"So, then what happened?" Dipper demanded, "You made it sound like the phoenix wasn't here."
"It isn't," Pacifica turned to him quickly, "My parents came here and took it away!"
"They're allowed to!?" Mabel proclaimed.
"Apparently," Zander sighed darkly, "If you are the only family to have an exotic hunting license in Gravity Falls, it gives you 'dibs' to anything that might otherwise go to scientists or zoos."
"That's not fair!" Jess cried out.
"I know that!" Pacifica called to her, "I'm not particularly fond of my mom and dad, in case you didn't know."
"Well, I didn't," Jess pouted.
"So, they took it to your manor?" Dipper demanded, reaching for Pacifica's arms. She nodded and Dipper growled. That building was not a place he enjoyed thinking back to. Several dates had taken place in those walls with the blond girl before him, and each time he had to deal with the hateful stares of both Northwest elders as they judged every single thing he did with their daughter. Not only that, the frightening memory of death by turning into wood lingered at that place.
Once again, an entity that dealt with flame was at the Northwest's place.
"Okay. Pacifica," Dipper said to her, "We need your help. We're trying to get the phoenix out of here before people begin to act crazy about it," he said. "Jess here and her brother – if we can get it back to them and make the bird strong again, we should be able to make it strong enough to have them all fly out of here together."
"Oh, Pacifica," Zander added, glancing to her, "This sounds like a good idea. Manly Dan already is running around the crowd, shouting about how they should storm your parent's place. They want the bird back."
"It's already started?!" Dipper gasped.
"Crazy spreads quickly," Mabel noted.
"Yes, it does," Zander said, looking to the crowds of restless people. "Look, I'll stay behind and try to level them out. Pacifica-"
Pacifica was on board already, "I'll get them to my place and get the phoenix back to them."
"You- really?" Dipper asked, grinning.
"I'm not a jerk, Dipper," Pacifica told him. When he stared at her for a moment, she self-consciously added, "All the time. I'm critical about stuff, okay? But I don't like that my parents can just claim something as rare as this. It's wrong. I'm going to get it to you," she said to Jess, "And your brother."
"Th-thank you," Jess said with a half-smile.
"Get going you four," Zander said, as noise from the crowd behind them grew, "I'll meet you guys afterwards by the Mystery Manor."
"Let's go," Pacifica said, moving towards the crowd. Dipper held her arm quickly, stalling the blonde. "What?" she demanded.
"Not yet. We have a group sneaking around here – we need to get everyone updated, then we go."
"Ugh. Fine," Pacifica said, and looked at the three before her, "Lead on."
A lot happened in this chapter. Any questions? XD
And if you thought THIS chapter was long, wait until part two- the dramatic conclusion. So, a lot of you got the prediction right for this first part of the chapter, or at least an inkling of what's coming. Any predictions to what is going to happen in the conclusion next week?
So I've been getting a lot of fan-art since my request for some a few episodes ago. And, frankly, I'M SO STOKED. You guys are kicking ASS out there with your work. I wish I had your talents at art- whether by hand or computer, because then I'd be doodling this all day and desperately trying to animate this. But then again, that's why I have the wonderful talents of you artists out there. So. Freakin'. Cool.
Also- a shout out to my boy theEquestrianIdiot2.0, who included Jace and Jess in his most recent posting of his story of one-shots and short stories called 'Click'. Him and I have worked really closely on many of the chapters included, and it's an honor to have my OC's involved somewhere other than this story.
Now, if you'll excuse me, (EZB slips on a large and thick vest, attached to a long rope which dangles out of his window and into the sky) I have a plane to catch. (EZB is suddenly yanked forward and crashes through the wall. His anguish doesn't stop there- rather than being lifted up and out, he continues to fly through more and more buildings, crashing each time through walls and rooms with sickening thuds.)