Darkness Falls

Chapter 6: Something in Common

Gideon is working out of a tent talking to one person at a time trying to read their minds. there had been a line of people but he was struggling with his business ever since Dipper Pines had accidentally revealed him to be a fraud. if he truly concentrated he was still able to read a mind but it wore him out quickly.

"Damn Dipper Pines and his dumb sister." Gideon grumbles. "Had he not destroyed my beautiful relic, I could be rolling in dough right now." he stops growling to himself when Robbie and Venessa enter through the tent door. "Valentino." Gideon mumbles, opening his arms wide with a forced smile. "What brings you to my little place?"

Robbie shrugs. "Venessa really wanted to meet you."

"oh you brought a friend?" Gideon gets out of his chair and walks over. "Gideon, Pleasure to meet you."

Venessa nods slightly and extends her hand. "I'm Venessa."

Gideon reached for her hand but as the two touched a spark flew between them and a zap of static electricity. "Oh goodness?!" Gideon says surprised.

Venessa raises an eyebrow. "interesting."

"say you wouldn't happen to have magic run in your family would ya?" Gideon questions.

she shrugs. "I don't know, probably." she pauses for a moment before answering. "Back in the 16 hundred's witches were abundant. I'm sure it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say one of my ancestors might be in the way of magic."

Gideon stares at her for a minute before smiling widely. "Yes, the same here." he says. "I can kind of tap into my heritage magic though. only in the way of reading minds though." he sighs. "though it gets harder everyday."

Venessa raises an eyebrow. "So you are like a witch then?"

Gideon shrugs. "Well I would explain it but nobody ever believes me." he glances at Robbie and frowns. "do me a favor and tell everyone outside waiting that I'm too tired to continue today. they'll need to come back tomorrow."

Robbie shrugs. "mkay." he exits the tent and can be heard talking to people outside.

Gideon gets very serious now when he looks at Vanessa. "You aren't going to tell him about your magic?"

"I don't want anyone to know. My parents are very strict about my friend's circle and his ancestor used to be a hunter." she replies. "When I first met him I could feel his ancestry. I don't know any details but I know he is a good person. I just don't want him to know right now." she waits for a moment then replies. "What about your magic?"

"my powers were fine before that damn Pines family got in my way." he mutters.

"Pines?" Venessa says. "Do you know of them? then it seems we have a common enemy."

"what did they do to you?" he questions.

"What do you know about Barnabas?" she asks

"Barnabas pines?" Gideon questions. "I don't know that person, but if he was a person who ruined your life I'm sure they are related."

Venessa nods. "You could say that. Barnabas was a monster hunter that specialized in witches. He and his partner Westwood put a lot of our people in the ground." she mumbles.

"They were witch hunters?" Gideon says, baffled. "That explains my immediate dislike of Dipper. The apple didn't fall far from the tree either. Dipper and his great uncle Stanford are monster hunters. they do it for research but they still do it. I used to have a magical amulet to help me channel my powers. Dipper and his evil sister broke it."

Venessa growls. "oh do they? well then I guess I don't have as much time as we thought." She pauses for a moment to see that Robbie is occupied. "Let me make you a deal."

"I'm listening." Gideon nods.

Venessa smirks slightly. "I will craft you a new sensory item to aid you in reading people's minds if you will do me a favor."

"You can do that?" Gideon questions.

"I can but only if I can rely on you for assistance." she waits for a moment then follows that up with. "Our mutual enemy is the Pines family. together we can wipe them out of existence."

Gideon thinks about this only for a moment before sticking out his hand. "deal."

The two shake on it and a bond is formed between them that Gideon doesn't yet understand.

Just then Robbie reappears. "they all left but they weren't happy about it. What were you two talking about just now?"

"I'm just happy to make a new friend." Gideon replies. "I'm very tired if you two don't mind. I think I will take a nap now." he goes to the back of the tent and exits into his trailer where he lives with his dad now.

Venessa and Robbie head back toward his house where his parents are just leaving for a date night. He gags slightly as they make kissing gestures and then remind him not to lock the doors of his room while his girlfriend was visiting which made him blush. "She isn't my girlfriend, mom!?"

"if you say so dear." his mom giggles and the two parents leave.

Robbie groans. "so embarrassing. Sorry about that. Just ignore them." They go inside and he stops at the study door. "I told you about my great grandpa who wrote a journal about creatures. I never showed it to you. Did you want to see it?"

Venessa nods. "It could only help right? maybe he knows about something Stanford didn't write about."

Robbie nods. "alright let me go get it."

-later that night-

Venessa returns home just after dark. She had drawn a sketch on a piece of paper of the Zodiac symbols from the Cypher Zodiac. Greg was leaning against the wall in the foyer when he saw her enter.

Greg smirks slightly. "anything?"

She nods slightly. "a list of names. Dad might not be too pleased though."

Greg follows his sister into the den where their parents are drawing out the symbols on the floor to match the symbols Venessa had brought back from reading the book. she walks up to the board and writes the names that had been given to her.

"but we don't know which ones represent each symbol." her dad says studying the list.

"no but we have a general idea." Venessa says. "I'm sure the star symbol is actually meant to represent Gideon Gleeful." she draws a line to it from his name. "because that's our power symbol and he is from a witch Ancestor. he can even sort of tap into magic. I felt it when we shook hands."

"Is there a witch in town?" Greg says curiously. "Is he like us?"

"No, he is mortal." she replies. "He can read minds. kind of. I made him a deal and we shook on it."

"What did you offer?" her dad frowns.

"He wants a sensory item to help him read minds as he used to do before the Pines family broke his amulet. I told him I could get him one in exchange for a favor." she says. She turns back to the board and puts a little mark next to Stanford and Dipper. "We have a different problem though. These two Pines family members are following Barnabas footsteps. They are hunters."

"damn." Samuel mumbles. "that complicates things."

"they don't appear to be very good at it." Venessa replies. "Based on his journal I'd say he doesn't understand anything he has encountered so far. I mean he didn't even know how to get rid of a Kill Billy."

"shred Guitar." Greg says with a smirk. "Everyone knows that."

"So you are now friends with most of these people?" Samuel replies changing the subject.

"I only really know two of them." she says drawing a line from Robbie's name to a heart with stitches. "He's a sweet boy. I almost wish he didn't have to be caught up in this." she hadn't had real friends since the accident, she was too afraid her parents would eventually kill them. she stared at the board and frowned slightly.

"eyes on the prize Venessa." her mother warned. "you can always make plenty of friends once we are mortal again."

she sighs and nods to her mother. "yes of course."