YOU ARE DIPPER PINES.
And you are DEFINITELY NOT HAVING A PANIC ATTACK RIGHT NOW.
NOPE.
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
YOU STOP THAT, YOUNG MAN.
Listen, you’re gonna be fine!
Maybe. Probably.
It’s certainly not ideal that the routine ghost hunt has a few… UNEXPECTED VARIABLES. But it’s not THE END OF THE WORLD, no matter how much your anxiety wants to make it feel that way. Been there, done that.
As the GUESTS slowly pour in, you go into the MAIN HALL. There are ATTENDANTS providing people with GUESTBOOKS.
>TAKE GUESTBOOK.
>LOOK THROUGH GUESTBOOK.
You recognize maybe half of these names, but it’ll probably help to get a feel for the faces here- just so you know if anything gets weird.
EDDIE BROCK, CAPTAIN STEVEN GRANT ROGERS- wait, could DANIEL FENTON have anything to do with-
“Hello again, Mason. It’s been a while.”
You turn around, suddenly face to face with HIS RADIANCE, ASTERIA DIAMOND. You know him as UNCLE AZ, and it’s not any less weird than the first time you found out. Being nebulously related to INTERGALACTIC ALIEN ROYALTY is just like that sometimes.
You’re still not sure how that works. Just logistically. Can you flex royalty even if you weren't? Were they royalty? Like- can THE DIAMONDS be considered analogous to royalty in the first place? Are concepts like GOVERNMENT even applicable to the UNFATHOMABLY LARGE HIVE SOCIETY those guys live in? Is- Is it treason to have those ties and live in human settlements? Could you be deported? Can the US government legally take taxes from you? WOULD IT BE A WAR CRIME IF YOU RAN FOR PRESIDENT? (Could said campaign be bankrolled by a foreign entity?)
Who knows?
Certainly not them.
But you’re getting a bit distracted. The matter at hand here is your SCHRODINGER’S UNCLE.
He’s A BIT OF AN ODD DUCK, if you want to be quick about it. Case in point- he is currently wearing A VERY NICE DRESS, some ELEGANT EVENING GLOVES, and a SOFT PINK SHAWL.
Not that you expected anything more or less from him, of course. He is absolutely rocking it. (Mable's gonna squeal.)
“Hey there, Az,” you cough out, hoping your voice isn’t cracking too much. Puberty! It sucks. “Fancy seeing you here.” (You politely don’t mention that you kind of forgot he was at this event entirely.)
“Fancy seeing you here,” AZ smiles back. “Stanley mentioned the change of plans, but still. It’s a pleasant surprise.” He leans closer, and somehow manages to not be looming about it despite how FUCK OFF HUGE he is. “I don’t really know that many people here. It’s nice to see some friends.”
And just like that, your GHOSTLY PARANOIA disappears. You can’t say you know AZ that well, but… he’s FAMILY.
When he talks, it makes people feel like things are going to be okay.
>[TELL HIM ABOUT THE GHOST. YOU COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP.]
>[YOU CAN’T RISK INFORMATION GETTING OUT TO THE GHOST. ASK HIM IF HE KNOWS ANYTHING EXTRA ABOUT THE OTHER GUESTS INSTEAD.]