Daughter of Bill Cypher

Questions

The girl sat quietly on her stool while Stanford started to work on the equipment and machines around them. The twins stood nearby, trying to clean up a place.

"Wait, you've been in that portal for...a long time." Mabel said.

"37 years." Ford said without hesitation.

Briefly wondering at that, Mabel spoke again. "And you came back when we were twelve, so...that's roughly 46 years since you were in Bill's dimension. And you said when you first saw her, she looked about 6 or 7. So why does she only look...about 12 now?"

Ford glanced at his niece before continuing his repairs. "I was wondering that myself. I realized that Bill himself is hundreds of centuries old, older than our galaxy. So i believe, whether it's Bill himself or the nightmare realm, her age moves slower than us, barely moving for god knows how long. She's probably a hundred years old, but her mind and body is still that of a young child."

Dipper also listened to the theory, his brain pulling out a different question. "Can she understand us? I mean, like what exactly is that thing you have her supposed to do?"

"It a universal translator." Ford said as he put a few boxes back on a shelf. "I got it during my travels, it's supposed to make you understand any known language, and whatever you say is also spoken in that language. The Nightmare realm doesn't really have a language, just unholy noises that could drive a person mad if they listened to it. That's why Bill always spoke English. The child never spoke to me, so I assumed she couldn't talk at all. Has she spoken to you at all?"

"No." Dipper said. "But I think she can talk. She screamed and made noises before, so it's not a problem with her. Maybe she just doesn't like talking."

"Does she have a name?" Mabel suddenly asked. "It feels weird always referring to her as 'girl'. Did you hear anyone call her something?" She asked Ford.

Ford paused in his tidying up, his body stilling for just a moment.

"Urchin!"

"Useless weakling!"

"Tiny waste of space."

"Daddy's little girl..."

Realizing he'd spaced out, Ford blinked and adjusted his glasses. "Uh...no, I didn't. I don't think she was ever given a name, at least one that could be translated into our language."

Mabel gasped quietly, glancing at the girl still watching them clean. "That's horrible! Do you think we could name her?"

"Mabel, we shouldn't do that." Dipper said. "She's a person, we can't name her like a dog."

Mabel's posture sank slightly before she perked up. "Maybe we can encourage her to give herself a name!"

Ford smiled warmly as his grand niece and nephew bickered like siblings. He and Stanley were like that when they were their age as well.

While there were some things he and his brother chose not to discuss, the wall that had been between them during those first few months had been dissolving until it was barely there anymore. They had great adventures traveling the seas, just like they said they would so long ago.

He opened another bag to take out multiple samples in jars. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, the girl was now turned towards him and watching him, her eyes going down to the colorful specimens in jars.

Once the jars were lined up and Ford was reaching down to pick up another job, he jerked in surprise when a skinny arm reached out next to him. Not moving, he watched as the girl scooted the stool closer to the counter and she carefully picked up a jar with an ancient jellyfish in it, which was still a bright pink and purple. She brought it up to her face, a finger tracing the glass surface. Her eyes examined it, blatant curiosity flashing in them.

Ford quietly put the box down and relaxed. He saw that the girl was visibly no longer tense, her elbows resting on the counter. She almost looked like a regular kid, curious about something she'd never seen before.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

He immediately regretted speaking when the girl flinched and looked up at him. But before he could turn and go back to work, she eased down again and stared at him with that same curiosity, just the tiniest trace of the previous fear and doubt.

Taking it for what it was, Ford slowly relaxed again as well.

"It's a jellyfish. They live in water here." Ford continued to say a few basic facts about the creature, happy when the girl seemed to be taking in everything he said. Even if she didn't understand most of it, she was clearly trying to.

Mabel watched the small progress with a smile. Now that she knew the girl could understand her, she was going to make her as comfortable as she could possibly be. Her heart broke when Ford gave them an explanation for who she was, and the hell she must've lived in for god knows how long. So she was going to help in any way she could.

Dipper was also thinking along those lines. He felt sympathy for the kid, especially after he heard the story. He wanted to be a compliant as possible, and maybe he could help Ford with whatever he planned on doing. The young man had not lost his taste for mystery and adventure, and he really wanted to work with his great uncle over the summer.

The rag he was using to wipe away dust hit a screen, and he realized he had gotten to one of the computers. He picked up the squirt bottle and sprayed the screen before wiping it over, seeing his reflection as it cleaned. He also saw the girl off to the side, her back to him as she picked up another jar after putting the first one down. He was glad that Ford was making progress with her, he should try to as well. He kind of knew what it was like to feel alone, so he could help her maybe.

Soon things were as clean as they could be. Once Ford gave the lab a quick inspection, he found it satisfying and took out the medical box again. Opening it up, he took out a roll of bandages, medical tape, gauze, solutions, and other small items. Once it was all laid out, he closed the kit.

"Dipper, could you come over here please? I'll need your help."

"Sure." Dipper said before speed walking over, his eyes looking at the materials now on the counter. He saw the girl glancing at them too, having put down the jar she was looking at.
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My well is slowly draining. My deepest apologies, and I will try to refill it as soon as possible.

Harley64quinn

P.S. For Rapidrush, I'm trying to take your quote to heart. Thanks