text | un: stanford

[cryptograms]

Stanley's gone back to the sea. I don't think he'll be returning any time soon.

The Murder Hut will be closed until further notice. If you pre-purchased tickets you can take a raincheck, but there's no refunds.

[ It's kind of a joke, see, because if Stan comes back and finds out his family gave money away he'll be so offended he'll probably walk right back into the ocean. ]

If you had any other unfinished business with him, let me know. I'll do what I can to settle it.

Comments

[payingfordeliverance]

[There is a very long pause.]

That is
Far more straightforward than I was anticipating.

[He can't even feel silly for asking such an amateurish question when Ford's answer is so thorough, here. Even if Break had gone the obvious route of starting simple and small, it never would have crossed his mind to look into what makes a rose the way it is, or to start with a seed and walk it through a whole growth cycle. But that does make good sense, doesn't it? If what Break can conjure so far is what is most familiar to him, the answer, then, is to become more familiar with many more things.

Hm.]

You have my thanks for this starting point, Mr. Pines. I imagine if I inadvertently stuff my parlor full of roses you will hear about it from young Dipper.

(If we are being honest, my house is already full of teacups.)

[cryptograms]

It's more like learning an art than most people realize. Breaking down your target into its simplest parts is a good place to start.

Feel free to ask if you'd like any further guidance - and I'd appreciate if you could send any particularly strange creations home with Dipper.

[payingfordeliverance]

Yes, I am happy to do this. Thank you very much.

[And he does, of course -- but more importantly, he also picks up a habit of taking pictures of his weird little darkblood experiments and sending them to Ford directly, often at bizarre hours in the middle of the night because he knows how these kinds of people work. Break isn't friends with this man, and doesn't care to overstep that. But he can give him something to engage with sometimes when things are very quiet, and Break has lived through enough long, lonely nights of his own to know exactly how much easier it can be to ride it all out until sunrise when one can find other thoughts to think in the dark.]