001 △ text

[triangleman]

FOHYHU PLQGV DQG ZDWFKIXO HBHV
ZLOO DOZDBV HDUQ D ILWWLQJ SULCH


[ooc: there's an excellent decoding tool for the impatient (like me)! he'll just be using a simple caesar for most replies... unless you really impress him.]

Comments

text;

[ursawhiner]

Is this like a cereal box thing..?

TEXT;

[triangleman]

YES, ACTUALLY
DID YOU SOLVE IT YET?

[ursawhiner]

Yeah, that's why I'm asking about the prize. Anything that beats a skateboarding owl?

TEXT;

[triangleman]

HOT DIGGITY DOG!
WHERE DID YOU WIN YOURSELF SUCH A SKILLED CREATURE
I MUST HAVE ONE FOR MYSELF

text;

[ursawhiner]

We don't have him any more.

TEXT;

[triangleman]

THEN WHY BRAG ABOUT IT??
THAT'S JUST IN POOR TASTE, PINE TREE

text;

[ursawhiner]

Wha




WHO IS THIS

TEXT; vigenere, "puppet"

[triangleman]

ACIIPX QIN LLH IBXCOL WY'H RPXKYG
YYLI QWTR PXFA WI VPNRW YI? CYKTV

text;

[ursawhiner]

No more games! Tell me who you are!

AUDIO;

[triangleman]

[this has been fun, but reactions are always the MOST FUN. so he doesn't even bother with a puzzle, this time. it's just ten seconds or so of somewhat familiar laughter.]

action;

[ursawhiner]

[The comm drops to the floor with a clatter as Dipper jolts upright.]

Bill. It's Bill! He's here!

[He has to warn Mabel. And find Ford. Set up defenses, maybe? But what if this was a trick? Dipper's paralyzed for a moment, frantically weighing his options. Ford. Ford will know what to do. Resolved, he leaves the comm and runs out of the room to knock on Ford's door.]

action; sorry not sorry about hijacking your post

[deciphered]

[Ford jumps at the noise, chalk snapping in two in his hand. There's a few tense seconds where he doesn't move, doesn't speak -- just waits for some kind of sound or sign. Bill knows he's here -- he made sure of that -- but this is quick even for him. It's probably nothing. But probably doesn't make it safe, and he quietly moves to take the safety off the gun at his hip before he calls out in answer.]

Come in.

[It's terse, level in a way that's too tightly controlled to be anything but deliberate. When Dipper opens the door Ford looks him over once in evaluation before immediately turning back toward his work. The walls are covered in chalk, handwriting that starts out neat and gets increasingly slanted and messy as the ciphers become more complicated and harder to put together or solve. Aside from a large Vigenère table sketched out for reference Ford seems to be doing it all from memory, writing out strings of letters with the kind of speed that comes from too much practice and repetition. But whatever he's working on still has him visibly frustrated -- angular letters drawn with quick, sharp, angry lines, the snap of the chalk against the wall audibly aggressive as he crosses out yet another string.]

You saw it, then. [No further explanation offered, just the assumption that Dipper knows exactly what it is he's referring to.] He's here. Bill.

[ursawhiner]

[Dipper steps in and looks over the scribbles in concern. He had expected Ford to be upset, but this is... something else. Something a little scary.]

What are we going to do?

[They can't protect everyone. There's no way. They had enough trouble just protecting the Mystery Shack. And how were they going to explain this?]

We need to tell Mabel and Grunkle Stan.

[deciphered]

We need to find him.

[He doesn't stop writing, starting again under what he's already crossed off. Six letters, then another six underneath. When neither of them seem to be what he's looking for, he crosses those out too.]

If he's using the communicators, he has a body to use them. This is dangerous, Dipper. He could be anyone.

[ursawhiner]

...You think he might be possessing Mabel. Or Stan.

[Dipper wants to say they know them well enough to tell the difference, but... there's still doubt. And in this instance they need to be sure.]

Can't we just look at their eyes? We can't hide this from them. Not now. They're going to be in danger.

[deciphered]

I didn't say that.

[But the thought had crossed his mind. Mabel, at least, had dealt with Bill before. Knows a fraction of what to expect, what to avoid. But Stan... there's still a lot they haven't talked about. Ford thought he had more time. That maybe he wouldn't have to at all. Especially here.]

But you're right. They will be, if they're not already.

[Six letters under six letters under six letters, before they're all crossed out with the same vehemence. Three notes by the side: Caesar, Atbash, Caesar. An X through those as well.]

We're all at risk, in one way or another.

[ursawhiner]

We can't all put plates in our heads. [Well, they could, but major surgery seems a bit much.]

Do you think he'll go after our friends? Me and Mabel know a lot of people.

[The thought of them being in danger simply because they're associated with Dipper...]

[deciphered]

[Ford doesn't look away from the wall, still writing. Four letter shift. Five letter shift. Six letter shift. He knows these will be wrong too. Three one letter words, all different. Nothing a simple substitution cipher is going to solve, even layered with something else.

He keeps going anyway.]

It's possible. We don't know what he's planning. How long he's been here. What kind of resources he has. [He crosses out his work again, then after a pause, lets his arm drop back to his side. Finally turns to face Dipper, tucking both hands behind his back.] We can't assume anything right now.

[ursawhiner]

What we know for sure is that Bill is going to cause trouble.

[What kind of trouble, though. A thought occurs to Dipper.]

Do you think he has superpowers? The Porter might have changed somethings.

[Hopefully to their advantage.]

[deciphered]

[The idea settles like ice in his stomach, a creeping dread that Ford can't shake. The one advantage Ford still had was that he understood what Bill could do, how he worked, his limitations. If none of that remains true...]

We should all hope he doesn't. [He glances back at the wall, the cipher he still hasn't cracked. Whatever it is, it will have to wait.] Dipper, go get your sister. I'll call Stanley. We all need to talk.

[ursawhiner]

[Dipper gives a short nod before running out of the room.]

Mabel! Where are you? Family meeting!

[glitterateur]

[When Dipper starts yelling Mabel hops her way out of her craft corner-- she has movie poster mockups to make for her new internet friend! But that's less important than a family meeting, which may result in another cool journey where she can reaffirm her status as a Good Person.]

Coming! What's going on!? Do we get to go find Bigfoot and then punch him in the face?

[ursawhiner]

Why would you punch Bigfoot? Never mind, we have to talk about something important, come on.

[He starts leading Mabel towards the kitchen, trying not to seem too jittery.]

[oldstandard]

[Stan is sitting at the kitchen table across from Ford, looking super thrilled to be there. He definitely didn't have better or more fun things to do today.]

Ugh, look, if we're not punching a giant hairy animal, I'm no longer interested.

[deciphered]

If only it were something that simple.

[He's too agitated to sound annoyed, folding his hands neatly on the table in front of him. The last time they'd had this conversation had been different -- he'd known more, the sense of urgency had been more direct. Focused. Now, everything is significantly more nebulous. Derailed in a way that he should have anticipated, but didn't.]

Come in, children. Sit down. We have a lot to talk about.