The problem with having the twins living with him was that Stan couldn't openly scam people without Mason staring at him like Stan had just stolen candy from his sister. So, his usual go-to, the Sack of Mystery, was taken out of the equation. On the other hand, Mabel had been providing lots of fun little art projects that made the people of Gravity Falls "ohh" and "ahh". Turns out, tourists thought that a waffle with big arms was hilarious, and she had made such life-like painted sculptures of gnomes that some people thought they might actually come to life.

He'd noticed, however, that the Tent of Telepathy had also started making arts and crafts to be out on display. 'Copying me again.' He thought, frowning at the display as he drove by the tent. 'Does that guy have nothing original?'

Bud Gleeful had even gone out of his way to find a handyman that resembled Stan's own, as if to tell Stan that he had nothing unique.

Well, you couldn't really imitate Mason, who had somehow managed to get a fan-club in his first two weeks here. He suspected Pacifica, the President of the fan-club, was responsible.

And you couldn't imitate Mabel's charm, or her imagination. Gideon's crafts were all based on real life, dolls and sculptures of people in the town. People came to the Mystery Shack for oddities and things you couldn't find anywhere else and that's what they got there.

Still, he couldn't help but grumble when he caught the twins watching Gideon's commercial. "What are you kids watching?"

"A commercial, right now. We were watching a show called 'Tiger-fist' just a bit ago, though." Mason replied. "Apparently Gideon has a performance tonight."

"Are you planning to go?" Stan sighed.

"Is it not better to know your enemy?" Mason smirked. "Besides, he helped us out before. I owe him a trip to his show once."

"Did he?" Stan asked.

"He was the one who gave me the tip that it was someone close to home that attacked Wax Stan." Mason reminded him.

"Oh, right." Stan nodded.

"That, and I think it was him at the lake." Mason got up. "So, are you going to bring us to the show, or shall I ask Soos to accompany us?"

Stan sighed heavily. "I'll take you."

Mabel looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Grunkle Stan!"

He sighed. 'Hope I don't regret this...' He thought.

--

The place was crowded, with hardly an empty seat. They managed to find three empty seats, by some miracle, and settled down to enjoy the show. Bud Gleeful came out and sat down at the piano before fog erupted on the stage and then the curtains parted, revealing Gideon dressed in a flashier suit than usual and a cape with the Tent of Telepathy's insignia on the back.

"Hello, Gravity Falls!" He greeted, and the cheers erupted from the audience. "Hehe, yes, it's good t'be back home finally. Ah have been out seein' th' good people of th' world, but nothin', no, nothin' compares to y'all!"

"WE LOVE YOU, LI'L GIDEON!" One of the audience members yelled happily.

Gideon smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is such a gift to have you here tonight! ...Such a gift. I have a vision. I predict that you will soon all say, 'aww'." He turned away, then looked back at them with an adorable little smile. The audience melted in their seats with "aww"s.

"Aww, he's so cute." Mabel giggled.

"Eh, if you say so." Mason shrugged.

Stan rolled his eyes.

Gideon removed his cape and tossed it to the crowd. A couple girls caught it and fought over it for a bit, but Gideon didn't seem to care as he turned to his father and said, "Hit it, dad!"

His father started to play the piano and Gideon started to sing and dance. Mason didn't really pay much attention to the words, but Mabel seemed to be really getting into it. He did notice, though, that Gideon used a similar glowing power to the cloaked stranger he met at the lake.

'That was definitely him.' Mason thought as his body was compelled to stand and clap with the others. Stan looked furious as he was puppeteered into doing whatever Gideon wanted, and Mabel was having a blast as they clapped in time to Gideon continuing to dance and sing.

"So welcome, all ye, to the Tent of Telepathy. And thanks fer watchin'...li'l ol' me~!" Finally, he was done and he gave a bow before the curtain closed. The glow around everyone vanished and they all sat back down.

Gideon came back out and waved to the crowd "Thank y'all fer joinin' me an' bein' such a great audience!" He said cheerfully, waving to them. "Ah'll see y'all next time!"

"Show's over." Stan grunted as the audience started to get up after Gideon went back behind the curtain.

"Wooow, did you see him dancing? And he was so cute with his little song!" Mabel said as she headed out with Stan and Mason.

"You're too easily impressed." Mason said casually, and she nudged him with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, I guess so." She giggled and they headed back to Stan's car.

Gideon looked out at them as they left, a thoughtful expression on his face before he went back into the tent.

--

"I don't suppose either of you will listen if I ask you to stay away from the Gleeful family?" Stan asked as he served them breakfast the next morning.

"Most likely not." Mason said, shrugging. "WE have no reason to avoid them."

Stan sighed heavily. "Well, just be careful, okay?" He sat down to eat his own food and passed Mabel the syrup. "I need Wendy and Soos in the shop today, so try not to get into trouble?"

"No promises." Mason said with a grin.

"We'll be alright, Grunkle Stan." Mabel assured him.

Stan looked doubtful but decided not to press the matter. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Not sure yet. Probably going to walk around town. Or the woods." Mason chuckled at Stan's drastic shift in expression when he added that.

"...Fine." Stan sighed. "You won't listen to me, anyway."

"Relax, uncle. We're probably just going to visit Pacifica." Mason assured him.

"...Right." Stan focused on his food.

--

After breakfast, Mason grabbed his bookbag and Mabel her own bag full of art supplies and they headed out together. "Are we actually going to Pacifica's?" Mabel asked. "Should we call for a ride?"

"We're not going to Pacifica's." Mason said. "We're going to Gideon's."

"Why?" Mabel asked curiously.

Mason pulled out his sketchbook and handed it to her after turning it to the picture. "Remember this person?"

Mabel looked at it, then gasped. "Oh!" She handed it back to him. "You think he knows them?"

"I think he is that person." Mason said as they headed down the hill.

They arrived at the house and Mason walked up to the door and knocked on it. The door opened and Gideon's mother looked out at them again. "...Yes?"

"Hello! Is Gideon home?" Mabel asked cheerfully.

"Oh, uhm..." She opened the door wider for them and they walked in.

"Mason Pines." Gideon walked over to them. "What nefarious evidence are ye looking for this time?" He asked with an amused smile.

"We're not." Mason assured him.

"We wanted to get to know you more, beyond just invading your home and that brief introduction!" Mabel giggled.

Gideon blinked in surprise. "Oh. Well...let's go to my trailer, then. My room's a bit of a mess." He headed outside and they followed him.

"So, did ye find the head?" Gideon asked as he opened the trailer door and let them in.

"Yes, thanks for the tip." Mason said as they followed him in.

"Have a seat anywhere." Gideon said, closing the door behind them.

Mabel gasped and walked over to a rack of hanging clothes. "Ohhh, are these all your stage clothes? So shiny!"

"Not as shiny as your dress the day we first met." Gideon said, smiling at her.

Mason noticed a tinge of pink on Gideon's cheeks and pursed his lips. 'Oh no...' He thought, looking towards Mabel.

"And this makeup?" She went to a dressing-room mirror. "Who does your makeup?"

"Ah do." Gideon said, walking over to join her. "Say, who does those brilliant sculptures at yer place?"

"Oh, that's me!" Mabel beamed.

"They're excellent." Gideon praised.

"Of course they are, my sister is high quality in all ways." Mason declared, walking over to join them.

"Oh, stop." She blushed and giggled.

"So, Gideon, tell us about yourself." Mason said, leaning against the wall a bit. "We know you're Pacifica's cousin and you're a psychic, but not much else."

"Well, Ah'm nine years old, and Ah'll be ten this summer." Gideon smiled.

"Oh? When's your birthday? We should throw you a party!" Mabel said cheerfully.

"July 13th." Gideon grinned.

"Ours is August 31st." Mabel smiled at Mason.

"'Ours'?" Gideon asked.

"We're twins." Mason clarified.

"Ohhh, of course." Gideon nodded. "That would be why ye look so similar."

"Yeah." Mabel smiled and hugged Mason.

"Well, ye prob'ly noticed, but Ah'm an only child." Gideon gestured around him. "Closest Ah got is Pacifica. Ah like doing crafts an' performin', an' walkin' in th' woods."

"You like the woods, too?" Mabel asked. "We've really enjoyed exploring them, ourselves! And the lake is beautiful! Have you been there since getting back?"

"Mmm, Ah was tryin' ter avoid public appearances the first few days." Gideon admitted.

"Really? You missed a fantastic encounter with a giant serpent, then." Mason remarked. "What was it called? The Gobble..."

"The Gobblewonker. It's a local legend." Gideon supplied helpfully.

"Yes, that was it." Mason nodded. "Than again, it was less of a serpent than a plesiosaur..."

"Sounds fascinatin'. Sorry Ah missed it." Gideon smiled.

"Well, perhaps the next time." Mason nodded.

For some reason, he was lying. Mason was sure it was him there, but how to get him to admit it? He needed to look into it more.

--

They spent the rest of the day with Gideon, hanging out with his trailer and house or watching him practice for his performances. Gideon didn't let them back into his room, and Mason had to wonder why. Was it really messy? It looked pretty neat when he visited it before.

Finally, it was getting late so they wished him good night.

"Mabel, wait." Gideon said as they headed for the door. "Uhm...would it be alright if we were to spend time together alone? Just th' two of us?"

Mabel looked at Mason, who nodded, then smiled. "Of course!"

"Ah'll come pick you up tomorrow, then." Gideon beamed.

"Let's get home." Mason said, leading Mabel out.

"Safe trip back, y'all!" Gideon called after them.

On the way back, Mabel decided to question her brother's acceptance. "What if it's another Jeff situation? Would father approve of him?"

"Most likely not, but I can use this to learn more about him. He's more likely to let something slip to try to impress you." Mason said, then smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll be keeping an eye on the situation. Same as before, text me when you change locations."

She looked unsure and he stopped before reaching up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's going to be okay, Mabel. Trust me."

"...Okay." She nodded. "I trust you."