Gravity Falls: If I Can See You Smile
A Gravity Falls/Owl House Shared Universe Story
Universe: Post-canon Gravity Falls, Swooning Over Stans, pre-time skip Owl House series finale
Inspirations: Swooning Over Stans Dating Sim, Sailor Moon, Attack of the Clones, the ballets of Tchaikovsky, The Owl House and Gravity Falls, Gaelic and Greek mythology and folklore
Pairings: Ford Pines/Elizabeth Connor (OC), Dipper/Pacifica, Eda/Raine, others TBD
Rating T: implied peril, "boy's club" mentality in government positions, snogging, childbirth, trauma
Chapter 9: Hunting the Harpy
(Cecilia- Simon y Garfunkel)
Because the night had gotten away from them, Ford proposed he and Liz go stargazing the next night. Liz liked this idea a lot. She wondered if her darling Ford was going to talk about his past. She had caught the references Stan had made about Fiddleford's unrequited feelings for her fiancée, and then all the angst about his toxic, one-sided relationship with Bill Cipher, whoever that was. Something about that name felt familiar, and when she forced herself to remember, all she got for her troubles were a migraine, and Ford's anxiety level jumping up another notch. "Don't force your memories, Elizabeth," he would admonish her. This led to their first real argument as a couple. Liz knew his worrying came from a good place, but she was certain she could handle it on her own.
They came to a compromise with Liz's pursuits of her memories, but she was still somewhat irked by what she saw as "overprotective" behavior to spend the night in the basement. Mabel was frantic, were Liz and Ford breaking up? Both adults assured her they were still together, but Liz wanted a little bit of space right now. Sleeping apart was bittersweet, and by breakfast the following morning, things were back to normal. Ford gave Liz a gentle kiss good morning, and she returned the sentiment. "What are you two doing today," Dipper asked his aunt and uncle. "Well, Dipper, we are going to look for the harpy. A creature from Greco-Roman mythology showing up here in Oregon is really something unusual. I'd like to know more," Ford told him. Liz nodded in agreement, that didn't make a lot of sense. Mabel was spending the day with Grenda and Candy, Grenda's pet lizard having laid eggs that were due to hatch any day now. Dipper and Soos were giving tours, while Stan had been shanghaied into helping his fellow Order of the Holy Mackerel members do some general repairs to the lodge.
Once the dishes were cleared away, Liz went looking for a pair of blue jeans and a loose blouse. She put her cell phone into a pocket (they were cargo jeans), and a small water bottle. She joined Ford in the kitchen. "We're going to be driving out to where Stan and the kids were last night. That's going to be our best bet." He squeezed her hand gently.
(Totoro theme)
It was a quiet drive out to the site, and Liz suddenly felt anxious, and she couldn't pinpoint why she felt this way. Ford was with her, so she could take some comfort from that. However, the uneasiness seemed to arise from some repressed memory, maybe the harpy had attacked her family? Maybe it was the possibility of finding out answers to her past, answers she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Ford read the ambivalence crossing her pretty face, "We don't have to look for answers if you're not ready. Let's focus on the harpy." Elizabeth smiled gratefully, the anxiety lessening with each passing mile. Ford released an internal sigh, he was pleased to see Elizabeth relax. The repressed memories needed to be addressed sooner rather than later, and hopefully nothing would trigger a physical response like the day of the outdoor market.
Reaching the spot was easy enough to do. The remains of the campfire were there, scattered remains of yarn, and glitter, what remained of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers were strewn about. Liz knelt down and began to suss out what had happened while everyone had been out her last night. Sitting on a log, she could make out faint footprints of some bipedal avian. She called out to Ford, who pulled out a tape measure and a TI-83 calculator.
"Let's see, the distance between the back and front talons is roughly 18.5 inches, slight rocking on the back heels indicate trouble walking in the thick underbrush, depth of holes made by the harpy is exactly 1.5 inches… carry the 3, invert the height ratio at 4.25… and our mystery harpy stands roughly 5 foot 4," Ford explained while he jotted everything down, as Liz listened to him intently. It astounded Ford that his darling Elizabeth could hang on his every word.
"So, we should be looking for claw marks roughly three and half feet up from the ground," Liz amended, running her hands against the rough bark, the sensation leaving her fingers tingly. Ford grinned at her, "Excellent observation, my dear." Liz beamed at his praise, but her body felt oddly hot. In between the two of them they found where Eda had been nesting, more like a bed of sorts rather than a proper nest. She was camping, perhaps?
She looked around and found something under a blackberry bush, a highly intricate wooden staff with an owl effigy carved at the top- interesting. She felt the weight if it in her hands, this felt strangely familiar. Ford noticed this and sketched the palisman. "Interesting find there, Liz. What is it?"
"I think this is called a palisman."
"Palisman?"
"Mm-hmmm, At least I think that's what it's called…"
Ford knew this tiny bit of information came from one of Liz's memories, and it must have been from one of the more pleasant ones because it didn't trigger any adverse physical reactions. Liz waved it around and shouted, "Lux trifecta!" The spell was focused into a single fireball that shot up 40 feet into the sky before dissipating. Ford recorded the luminosity of the spell, angle of trajectory, and time of duration. One thing was obvious, palismans were some sort of arcane focus for magic users. Did that make Liz a witch? Maybe not a witch, she had elemental magic and her spellbook, from what he had seen was mostly written in pre-Christian Gaelic (according to McGucket) with some mentions of Greek, specifically four of the nine Muses: Polyhymnia, Kalliope, Urania, and Terpsichore. Could she have been one of the Tuatha De Danan from Celtic folklore? It was a distinct possibility, but he wasn't positive. It's better to do some more research first.
(The Longships- Enya)
Liz was ecstatic, "Ford, did you see that? I remembered something!" The joy of remembering something from her murky past was liberating. With their research done for the time being, they decided to go on a hike. They wandered along the path, enjoying each other's company. The sun was high overhead, and despite the heat, Ford and Liz wandered, enjoying the hike and stealing kisses. Liz found a creek and slipped her shoes off. "This feels great," she told Ford.
The creek Elizabeth had found meandered away from the trail and deeper into the woods. Ford would have picked a bouquet for her, but she grew flowers from her head, so he held her hand. They had been trekking for at least an hour, when Liz saw something from upstream. Some small animal was making its way across the grassy bank. It was a platypus, but why was it plaid?
While swimming, it bumped into Liz and mewed like a kitten. Liz squealed, "So adorable!" She was hesitant to pick it up, but Ford chuckled and picked it up. "You can pick them up, Liz. Gnomes use them for mining and guard animals." He handed it to Liz, and it mewed softly, nuzzling her. "It's a plaid-a-pus, right?" Ford nodded, "Seems like this young one has taken a liking to you. They migrate this time of year." Liz asked if they could keep it, Ford nodded his head. The plaid-a-pus was about as long as her forearm, and covered in plaid fur, hence the name. The fur smelled strongly of cedarwood, and it was strangely comforting.
"Plaid-a-py don't smell of cedarwood, very unusual, but he's part of the family now," Ford chuckled. Liz decided to name it Ritz, and he responded happily. The woods had a dreamy quality to them, brought on by the humidity and slight haze. Liz let out a yawn, if they could find a grassy area, she and Ford could nap.
They made it back to where Liz left her shoes, and after finding a wide, flat place she let a good layer of moss and grass sprout from where she walked. Ford took copious notes, sketching her delicate beauty. Once the moss and grass layer was thick enough, Ford lay down with Liz, holding her close. Once Liz drifted off, Ford used his jacket as a blanket, covering them both. Ritz burrowed into the grass nearby.
The afternoon faded, and the sun was lower in the sky when Ford stirred. Ritz was atop his forehead, looking at him face to face. "Hello there, Ritz. Is it time to get up?" Ritz purred and nuzzled Liz who blinked, "How long were we out?" They had napped for about 3 hours. Once they were back in the car, Liz stared out the window.
Once they got back, Ford updated everyone with everything they had discovered about the harpy/owlbeast. Ritz was also introduced. "He is cute, but not as cute as Waddles," Mabel declared. Stan asked if Ritz was available to use as an exhibit. Ritz squeaked and burrowed into Liz's arms. "No, absolutely not," Liz firmly stated, fixing Stan with a hard stare. Stan turned bright red, "Okay, okay! Sorry I asked, sheesh." Ritz hissed at Stan and Liz put him down. Ritz crawled onto the ceiling and wandered over to the fish tank, where it climbed in.
"Plaid-a-py definitely don't do that, according to my observations," Ford commented to Liz, who let out a content sigh. She laced her fingers with Ford's, and smiled softly. They sat on the sofa, Liz nestled against Ford, who was documenting everything in Journal 4:
"Today, Elizabeth a a breakthrough! We were continuing our search for the owlbeast/harpy, and Liz found a staff used for focusing magic called a palisman. Normally, something like this would be called a staff, but the specificity of this term, and the fact she did not experience physical pain leads me to believe she remembered a sliver of a pleasant memory. Hopefully, as our research continues, she remembers more of her past. I want to know why a shapeshifter needs a palisman. An arcane focus? Mode of transportation? Contact with her (See previous notes)?...
…Also of note is our (mine and Liz's) pet plaid-a-pus, who is watching me intently from the fish tank set up in the den. Elizabeth has named him Ritz, and like his kin, friendly and intelligent. Gnomes use them for mining and as house pets. Ritz happens to be something of an anomaly, however. He's a bit larger than the breed standard, and smells strongly of cedarwood. His species have almost no smell, but display the self-care habits of a domesticated cat. Ritz has made himself right at home, and that little bit of joy is a blessing."
Dinner was paella, and Ritz devoured what raw shellfish was leftover. Waddles nuzzled the new arrival, and Ritz purred. Dipper grinned, "It's almost like having a cat. Hey, do plaid-a-py get along with babies?" Ford nodded, "From what I have read, yes." Liz blushed as baby's breath crowned her head. "I'm not pregnant," she affirmed haltingly, embarrassed by Dipper's line of thinking. Mabel was disappointed with the lack of baby news, but she was happy at the idea of a later birth. Dipper apologized after getting elbowed by Stan.
Liz snuggled closer to Ford that night, her mind going back to what Dipper had said. What would sex with Ford feel like? Probably fucking amazing, she thought. Ford was toned, and how she wanted him to caress her. However, how did she go about seducing the silver fox she was going to marry? Liz decided she would ask Stan, he would know.
-Atbash Code-
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