Dipper and Ford got themselves decently comfortable on the basement ground with the board game spread out between each other. They shared many good laughs and friendly competition, until Dipper began to doze off for a couple of seconds. Ford couldn't help but notice and questioned it. "Hey, what's wrong, my boy?"

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. He still felt like meeting Ford, the Author of the Journals, was still so surreal. He didn't know what to make out of it and just talking to him was still weird and a bit of a struggle. Ford, on the other hand, seemed to be acceptant of everything. Though, he was human, Ford still made Dipper antsy and cautious when he approached him. He made him feel as if he was isolated from Ford. It was like an invisible, thick barrier was in the way.

The boy in the pine tree hat opened his mouth to speak, however it took a moment for the sound of his voice to come out. "Uh, I don't know...it's just..." He sighed and attempted to start over. "Why do you act so mysterious all the time? I mean, about the basement." Dipper's eyes beheld the sheet covering the desk's shattered window. He knew Ford was hiding something behind that curtain. Why else would he block off the sight of the portal from the other room?
Ford raised his eyebrows and waited for Dipper to say something else. To his misfortune, he did. He went on. "What's behind that curtain? Why are you being so secretive? Whatever it is - I can handle it. Believe me, I've faced much worse." Dipper wasn't entirely confident if that was true or not, considering he had no clue what Ford was holding back. He just wanted Ford to confess.

"Look, Dipper. I think it would be best if you and everyone else in the shack stays away from that topic, especially Star and Marco. They wouldn't understand."

"What?" Dipper wasn't expecting the answer he got. What and why wouldn't Star and Marco understand? "But-"

"Ah-ah!" Ford interrupted Dipper, trying to get him to not argue. " However, I do have something I can show you that I brought back with me. It's an infinity-sided die." Ford pulled out a solid black pocket-sized box from his trench coat and opened it up. "This die is so menacing, it is banned in thousands of dimensions!"

The die in the palm of his hand had many different sides and each side descended quickly into another symbol, number, or image. "Woah." Dipper exclaimed in awe.

"Who knows what impossible outcome you could get? With this die, anything is possible! Our faces could melt into jelly! The world could turn into an egg! Or you could just roll an eight. To avoid the unknown possibilities, I keep it in this box." Then, Ford changed the subject. "Now, let's get back to the game."

Meanwhile, on the floor above them, Stan, Star, Marco, and Mabel were sitting in the livingroom, watching Ducktective. Marco hardly understood what was so entertaining about a duck who solves mysteries and works as a detective. The mindless television show felt like it was numbing his brain. As Star, Mabel, and Stan all laughed, Marco made a face. "If this is what TV has become, then I'm never watching it again." Marco said. He pulled out his phone and checked his service. No bars meant no call to home. Marco grumbled in frustration, wondering when, or if, he would ever see his family again. He wondered if Ford would give him and Star another chance to pass through the portal. He turned towards the door to the right of the television and stared at it in a daydream. Behind that door was the gift shop and the vending machine that headed to Ford's liar and the portal.

That night, in the attic, the twins settled in. As Mabel attempted get some shut-eye, Dipper was out of bed with big plans to stump Ford in Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons the next day. Mabel tossed to her left side in her bed to face Dipper. Dipper was laying on the ground, on his stomach, scribbling and doodling on graph paper.

"Dipper?" Mabel began. "Are you going to bed anytime soon? Your dork vocabulary and math words are keeping me up."

"Sorry, Mabel. I was just working on my dungeons. Man, I can't wait to see the look on Ford's face when I show him!"

Dipper put down his pencil and glanced over at his sister, who had droopy and heavy eyelids. She rubbed them with exhaustion and sat up in her bed, knowing there was no way that she was going to sleep with her nerd-of-a-brother still lively awake. "You sure have been spending a lot of time with Ford lately, huh?"

Dipper sat up with excitement. "You have no idea!" He said, mixing in a slight laugh in his tone. "I knew the Author was cool, but it turns out, he's even better than I imagined him to be." Dipper sunk back down on his stomach and picked up his pencil a second time. "Plus, he doesn't make fun of me like you and Stan do."

"W-well, what about Marco and Star?" Mabel asked Dipper, staring down at the ground and avoiding eye contact with her brother. Instead, she focused on the tiny holes and swirls of the wooden boards.

"What about them?" Dipper questioned back.

"I mean, they don't make fun of you, right?"

Dipper snickered. "No. Besides, they're just two kids trying to get home. Making fun if a twelve-year-old isn't exactly on their agenda. They have more important things to worry about."

"Ah, don't worry, Dipper." Mabel commented with a hand wave. By the way she said it, Dipper knew Mabel was going to insult him again. He prepared himself for the worst. "They'll grow on you."

"See?" He exclaimed with humor and disgust. "There it is. The insulting comments and occasional teasing."

"What?" Mabel used her tongue to make a fart noise. "That's just sibling nature!"

"Well, you could lay off me a bit, ya' know? At least I know Ford wouldn't do that."

With that said, Mabel giggled awkwardly and laid back down as she tucked herself into her bright pink, thick sheets. "Yeah. You got me." She turned so her back was on Dipper and she gazed at the wall before finally falling to sleep.