Out in the night all alone, in the way out there

[ghostharasser]

Who: Dipper and YOU
What: Dipper and Stan got into an argument which resulted in Dipper bolting out of the house to cool down. He heads for the Inn
When: The night of the nightmares through the next day.
Where: Mostly the Inn
Warnings: TBA depending on what comes up!!
Toplevels below!!!

Comments

[ghostharasser]

I wish you would have made it my problem. Not in the making-my-powers-go-crazy way but in the trust-your-family-to-help-you way.

[Despite the accusation, Dipper's voice is quieter and subdued. He isn't going to get into another fight, but he does need to say what's on his mind. However Stan reacts, he'll be better prepared for it this time.]

You spent that whole conversation with other me going on about how important it was for you to read my journal about the dreamscape incident, to try and protect me, but the minute something's going on with you, you just shut me out. It isn't fair, you know.

[charlastan]

[For once, Stan is at a loss for words. He wants to protest, but nothing comes out. The most he can manage is a sheepish glance to the side, like he's being scolded by a teacher.]

...I do though.

[He can't meet Dipper's eyes when he says it though, so he knows it's a shitty defense and he doesn't actually want to start fighting again, so he doesn't push it. For once though, he isn't trying to lie, not really. Part of him really, sincerely believes what he's saying, underneath all of the nerves and discomfort and shame.

The pivot to his conversation with the other Dipper is easier, a life preserver tossed at him letting him stay afloat here.]

Yeah, well. It's not that I don't worry about that, but that was another me too, y'know. Mr. "I'm Above Caring About Money" might've gone on and on about it a little more than I would've. The guy laid it on kinda thick if you ask me.

[It's a classic deflection, something that neither of them can actually prove that shoves him an extra couple inches away from the point Dipper's trying to make. Some morally better version of him did all of that, so how is he supposed to live up to it anyway?

Then again...the alternative to laying it on thick is trying harder not to worry him, isn't it? Even this isn't entirely a lie.]

[ghostharasser]

[Dipper doesn't completely buy that, and if Stan were to look at him he'd get that much from the expression on his face.]

[But he knows that Stan isn't going to budge right now, and Dipper doesn't want to fight him about it. He knew this walking in the door that he wasn't going to try and do this as soon as he got back, just try and express why this sucks the best he could so he could figure out a plan of attack some time later.]

[Dipper exhales.]

He was persistent, and Other Me was a blabber-mouth that spilled stuff I didn't plan to spill to multiple people, so here we are.

[But they've gotten off topic in a way he knows Stan is doing on purpose.]

I've only got one more thing to say on this whole thing, and then I'm going to drop it and go upstairs.

[This time the finger juts at him accusatory.]

I was right about the entity possessing the forest going around messing with people's dreams. I saw plenty of pages in the netbook about it. I also caught it in the act and tried to swing at it in the dreamscape. No matter what you can't fight me about that.

[charlastan]

[Dipper calling his other self a blabbermouth actually gets a short laugh out of Stan. He's not wrong! It caught him off guard though, in a good way. For some reason, it feels a little more normal.

Then things immediately swing in the opposite direction, catching him off guard in the bad way this time.]

You what?!

[To his credit, he tries extremely hard to pull on the emotional breaks. Dipper's fine. He's okay, and Stan doesn't want to set him off by freaking out about how he should have followed him into the snow to keep him from doing something stupid like that (even though he absolutely SHOULD have followed him into the snow to keep him from doing something stupid like that). It doesn't feel great that Dipper could have gotten himself seriously hurt or killed again because Stan couldn't get his shit together and run after him!

He doesn't even realize he's letting out a long breath until the air is gone. But he's good now. He's good! He's at least 50% good! They are NOT having a repeat!]

N-Nevermind. Forget that part. But, uh.

[He thinks for a minute, debating with himself how to put this. It's something he ought to say something about though.]

...I still don't wanna get into it, but. The dream I had? I...don't remember anyone else being in it. Anyone who wasn't supposed to be there, I mean.

[It isn't said to challenge Dipper this time, but because it carries some unsettling implications. If someone did mess with his dreams they did it without his knowledge, and it's extremely difficult to pull one over on him in the dreamscape. He can lucid dream, he can arm his whole mindscape with critters to act as his eyes and move parts of it around. Even Bill Cipher couldn't fool him.]

[ghostharasser]

[Hm. Maybe he shouldn't have been so casual about that. To Dipper's credit, because he lived to tell about it without major injury or repercussion is a reason why he was being blase about it. That whole encounter had actually been pretty weird, looking back on it!! But, that's not...something he is going to get into right now.]

[He's happy to move past it. Stan pulling back on his emotions is also something he can actually feel and for the moment he braces for something worse, he is surprised to find nothing hits him like a truck this time.]

[Instead Stan is actually SORT OF opening up about it which means Dipper can't waste this opportunity.]

Huh. I- look, I didn't get one, so I can't really compare it to something I've experienced first hand, but I know from others that the entity can do some reprehensible stuff to people in dreams. Like - [It takes him a minute to remember the details because this happened months ago.] It threatened Pure Vanilla once by choking someone in his household until he did what it wanted. If it can actually influence people between 'scapes like that, then there's no telling what kind of power it has to manipulate dreams.

What I mean is, that guy clowned the heck out of me on my preferred terrain, so maybe it was just that good at hiding its presence in your dream, too.

[charlastan]

[There's the briefest second where he's surprised anyone would go after PV, but then it's drowned out by the unfortunate reality that it makes perfect sense. The guy cares so much about everyone around him that it makes him an easy mark for someone or something that wants to force his hand. Stan's known monsters like that, who will twist you until you'd do anything for them. Most of their faces and names slip through his fingers now, but the lessons he learned were burned into him. Other more vivid memories are colored by them.

People can say what they want about him being a gruff asshole, but sometimes it's what he needs to keep himself and the people around him safe.]

...Maybe.

[A look crosses his face. He's still mulling it over, thoughts still simmering under the surface. They aren't done cooking yet though, so he switches gears.]

Alright, alright, we're done. Go scram upstairs. What are you waiting for, a kiss on the cheek?

[It's all playful and light though, and Stan makes a "shoo!" gesture with his hand. The relief that Dipper's home at all still hasn't fully faded away.]