Hah! I'll have them beat by a few years, and-- [And oh. O h . Two subjects that make Ford both fearful and furious. Just not at Dipper. It's not his fault. But Ford looks like he just stepped into a pit of ice water.]
That fool! [RUNS HIS HANDS THROUGH HIS HAIR] What does he think he's doing?! Does he want the universe to tear itself apart?
Dipper, tell me--how do you know Bill was there? Do you know for sure?
[Dipper, please try to not give your grunkle a heart attack.]
Yeah, I'm sure. He wasn't... even a little bit subtle. I mean, he announced his arrival and visited me a few times and possessed my friend and was decorated the entire mansion with his image. [A beat.] But Mabel folded him into a hat once! That was fun.
[But Stan. Sigh.]
Don't worry, he can't even if he wants to. We've only got Journal 3 and obviously I'm not letting him borrow it.
That's very bad news and... slightly good news. Thank you, Dipper. I know I can count on you to keep that journal safe and out of Stan's hands. I still don't know how Bill's presence in that dimension is possible. If he's no longer there, perhaps it means he's just found another way of projecting himself.
I won't know for sure until I'm actually there. [That does present a lot of problems BUT...]
[Ford knows he can count on him okay cool it Dipper you can scream about it later right now Bill is the important issue.]
A lot of things about Wonderland shouldn't be possible. But time doesn't work right here. Doesn't move on the outside. Heck, it barely moves on the inside.
[Not that Dipper's bitter about not aging. Nope. Not even a little bit.]
It's possible Bill isn't even there of his own volition.
Oh! [Right, that's important.] We were about to Bill-proof the Shack. Mabel still has the unicorn hair!
[Because of course they're from the same time. Dipper knows that it doesn't have to be that way, but it makes so much sense that is that he doesn't really question it.]
And Stan's from after the Portal activated but before you actually came out of it. And Bill... well, he'd probably be lying whenever he said he was from.
[Ford rubs the bridge of his nose, but he's breathing a sigh of relief. It's good that Dipper hasn't seen what's coming--or what might be coming, because time is in flux, but it felt like a certainty. They're going to have actual fun talking about their tangles with time.]
I see. That'll make going home even more complicated, but I'm sure it can be done. [You know. Somehow!] I'm ahead of the rest of you, but not by much. Just the week before your birthday.
Oh yes, lots of party planning and walkie-talkies.
But more importantly, we went on a mission together and I asked you to be my apprentice. I want to teach you everything I know and I know you're absolutely up to the challenge.
[He thinks Dipper deserves to know at least that much. What harm could that do to the timestream, anyway?
Ford, HOW IS THAT MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEIR BIRTHDAY?]
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That fool! [RUNS HIS HANDS THROUGH HIS HAIR] What does he think he's doing?! Does he want the universe to tear itself apart?
Dipper, tell me--how do you know Bill was there? Do you know for sure?
[Dipper, please try to not give your grunkle a heart attack.]
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[But Stan. Sigh.]
Don't worry, he can't even if he wants to. We've only got Journal 3 and obviously I'm not letting him borrow it.
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"But Mabel folded him into a hat once!"
That's worth a chuckle, and a sigh.]
That's very bad news and... slightly good news. Thank you, Dipper. I know I can count on you to keep that journal safe and out of Stan's hands. I still don't know how Bill's presence in that dimension is possible. If he's no longer there, perhaps it means he's just found another way of projecting himself.
I won't know for sure until I'm actually there. [That does present a lot of problems BUT...]
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A lot of things about Wonderland shouldn't be possible. But time doesn't work right here. Doesn't move on the outside. Heck, it barely moves on the inside.
[Not that Dipper's bitter about not aging. Nope. Not even a little bit.]
It's possible Bill isn't even there of his own volition.
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[which means he's going to try anyway.]
Speaking of time, what's the last thing you remember from home?
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[Because of course they're from the same time. Dipper knows that it doesn't have to be that way, but it makes so much sense that is that he doesn't really question it.]
And Stan's from after the Portal activated but before you actually came out of it. And Bill... well, he'd probably be lying whenever he said he was from.
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I see. That'll make going home even more complicated, but I'm sure it can be done. [You know. Somehow!] I'm ahead of the rest of you, but not by much. Just the week before your birthday.
[JUST.]
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[Technically. And as long as he can get away with it, he's not acknowledging that he's really just twelve. Forever and ever and ever.]
Are we planning a party? Mabel and I throw great parties.
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But more importantly, we went on a mission together and I asked you to be my apprentice. I want to teach you everything I know and I know you're absolutely up to the challenge.
[He thinks Dipper deserves to know at least that much. What harm could that do to the timestream, anyway?
Ford, HOW IS THAT MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEIR BIRTHDAY?]no subject
[That's........ holy heck. Dipper stares at him.]
That's... that'd be amazing!