OOC: I'm sorry everyone. Balancing finals and finding work gave me little time to continue Mabelquest in the last two months. It was cowardice of me to not admit my mistakes and postpone the series. You deserve to know what was going to happen next. I would really love to continue this story but I completely understand if you do not wish to. The options still remain though. There is also my current fluctuating schedule that I need to worry about if we are to continue. However, I will make sure to keep you notified. Thank you for reading this! Have a great day!
[X] Dinner Time with Stan and Dipper
"So what happened with you two today?" Grunkle Stan asks as he scoops the last bits of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
You rattle around your brain a bit on how to respond. Then, it hits you: the perfect mediocre pun to say at this moment. Dipper sees the look on your face and scowls. He waves you to stop but it's too late. Your mind has already been set.
"Well, I guess you could say that the adventure we had today was very
ribbit-ing."
Your brother plants his face down on the table. The metal does little to silence his groans.
So worth it.
"Huh-What's this about?" Grunkle Stan asks.
Dipper lifts his head to reply. "We got scared by a giant frog."
It was the truth. He didn't say how big he meant by 'giant frog' but he wasn't lying to him. It only feels like a lie to you because you know the whole truth. You know more than nearly everyone in this town but that wasn't relevant to this situation right now. You've gotten better at telling lies and keeping secrets over the summer; however, Dipper took it much faster. Even now, you could see glimpses of the boy detective you used to know.
CLO YBQQBO LO TLOPB.
"Geez, you wimps would be hopeless without me!" your grunkle manages to spit out between laughs. The old man before you takes a deep breath. "Well, if you run into any more frogs, just come to me. I'll deal with them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some unfinished business to attend to."
'Unfinished business?' You try to remember what happened back in the previous timeline. It had been so long since you had thought about this day and the events to come later usually overshadow days like these. Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask.
"What do you mean by 'unfinished business,' Grunkle Stan?" Your voice is sweeter. Your eyes are softer.
"Just a little something special between me and Benjamin Franklin," he says as he makes his way to his office.
That's right, we're supposed to be arrested tomorrow.
The specifics on how the police discovered Grunkle Stan's scheme escape you but the thought of how cold the county jail cell was occupies your mind while you wash the dishes and prepare for bed.
~Day Three~
[X[ Talk to Wendy and Soos
"So there's no way that we could have a sleepover at either one of your houses tonight?" you ask.
"Sorry, dude. It's Elderly-Folks-Night-In at my grandma's house and Auntie Margret despises anyone between the ages of nine and forty-nine. She barely tolerates me," the man of wisdom and question mark t-shirts stated with sorrow.
"Yeah and my younger brothers are hosting a sleepover of their own. It's hectic when there was only three of them. They're like ten times more rowdy with their friends around." the teen says, clearly more perturbed than her apologetic smile would like to give.
"That's okay," you reply as you look towards the ground. It was probably for the best. One of the few reasons why Grunkle Stan only spent one night in jail was that he had two kids to look after who just so happened to be taken into custody on the same charge as him. The problem was how he got caught last time and if there was a way to prevent that.
You take in your surroundings once again. Soos was on his way to fix some pipes outside.
You put the issue at hand on the back burner to talk with Wendy. "Sooooooooo, I met your boyfriend a few days ago," you giggle out.
"Hmm? Oh-who?" The redhead pauses as she mentally runs through a list of names. "Nate's out of town, last time I heard. I haven't talked to that dude with the tattoos in months. Maybe it's Mark Epston? I don't think I've ever actually-"
"Robbie!" you shout, cheerful as ever.
Wendy continues to stare at you before the pieces begin to fit in her mind. "Wait. Did Robbie say that I was his girlfriend?"
You don't really know where this is going.
"I guess it sort of just slipped out," you reason, "So you don't want to be his girlfriend?"
"I don't know. He's a great friend-a bit self-absorbed but his music's pretty good," the teen explains.
"Well, the four of us should hang out sometime. I think we'd get along just fine."
So long as Dipper doesn't get insanely jealous and Robbie doesn't try to mind-control you.
"Sure thing, Mabel," she replies, "I'll try and set something up with the two of you and my gang sometime in the future."
"Thanks, tell Robbie I said 'Hi! I was the kid in the pink sweater!'" you say as you walk outside to check up on Soos. It turns out that he was heading back to the gift shop, having finished the job only at the cost of getting his t-shirt wet.
"What do you think, Mabel?" Soos asks, motioning to the series of interconnected pipes.
You shrug. "I don't know much about plumbing."
"Neither do I," the man states, "but I've committed most of the Mystery Shack's layout to memory: rusty drains, squeaky floorboards, et cetera. I've been able to fix many of the problems this establishment has faced."
The two of you hear an explosion in the distance, followed by the screams of children.
"For example, the soda machine. I'll be right back," he says as he runs to the front of the gift shop.
It is quiet again and you are left to your thoughts before you hear another set of sounds: a camera flashing off, flesh connecting with wood and the whines that came after.
You walk towards the noises and find the bruised balding head of Toby Determined.
"Hey Toby! What'cha doin'?" you ask.
He stops nursing his wounds to look at you. "You've heard of me!? -I mean- Of course you've heard of me. Well, I guess you could say that I'm doing a little
investigative journalism." He chuckles to himself, adjusting his suspenders as he leans back against a window. "But I think I've gathered enough evidence for today. You'd better run on home, little girl. This shack isn't the safest place to be."
The reporter takes off as fast as his tap-dancing legs can take him.
It couldn't be. Wait.
You hoist yourself up to get a good look though the window Toby was resting on. You can see the interior of Grunkle Stan's office with the printing press carefully placed underneath its tarp.
[X]Mystery Hunting Stakeout
All things considered, it was pretty easy getting into town with Dipper. Soos was kind enough to give you a ride. The most difficult part was finding a reason to get Dipper to go with you in the first place. You didn't think it was wise to just say that your guardian for the summer was going to get arrested for counterfeiting, especially since he didn't really know him like you did due to the circumstances. So you decided to to find anything in the journal that might lead the two of you into town. Then, you found this wonderful page:
Possessed Graffiti
As I wander around the alleyways between the businesses of Gravity Falls, I made it a priority to listen carefully and document my findings. I have noted small inconsistencies such as the position of an arm or a letter changing color amongst the various drawings and offensive language teenagers and children leave behind the moment I turn my back. Unfortunately, the scribbles refuse to demonstrate their abilities on video. I have only been able to capture the aftermath. However, these creatures leave an audible calling card in the form of shifting gravel or crackling paint. While these drawings have yet to show malicious intent, it is unknown how harmful graffiti can be compared to paintings, photographs and other haunted mediums.
So here you are, ducking in and out of alleys as you inch your way to the Gravity Falls Gossiper with your brother. You hum a fitting spy tune in your head to combat the anger and frustration building inside.
As you approach the reporter's place of work, you see Toby holding his rotary phone and spinning the wheel three times.
Still unaware of the current situation, Dipper continues to reread the pages and says, "Uhh, Mabel. I believe the book was telling us that our best chances at-"
You grab him by the arm and motion him to be quiet. Your brother gives you a questioning look but follows anyway. Keeping low to the ground, you slowly open the door and sneak in.
"Ahem. Hello Toby Determined here with another anonymous tip to the police. It appears that a secret counterfeiting racket may be taking place in The Mystery Shack, local tourist stop run by Stanford Pines," the reporter dictates "Yes, I have evidence. Yes, I'll hold........
for now." The cries and shouts coming from across the line are clear even on your side on the room. "I'm sorry, Deputy. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.-Sheriff! I was only trying to be dramatic!"
[] Confront Toby Determined (Optional)
-[] Calm and Reasonable ( 67% difficulty )
-[] Angry ( 24% difficulty )
-[] Guilt Trip ( 52% difficulty )
-[] Write in ( ??? )
~~~~~~~~~~
[] Hide the evidence
-[] Warn Grunkle Stan
-[] Do it yourself
[] Decide to do nothing
~~~~~~~~~~
[] Talk to...
-[] About?
[] Write in.
OOC: Thank you once again!