Narrator's POV
At GIFfany's words, Stan adopted a serious expression as he looked at his phone.
He didn't rush to grab a weapon, despite the unusual tone of the AI in his phone. Stan knew GIFfany would never intentionally harm him.
He had adopted a serious expression to show GIFfany that he was taking her words into account and that she wasn't just a "disposable anomaly."
"You want to confess something to me?"
Stan pulled up a chair and sat comfortably in front of his phone placed on the desk.
[Yes, remember my joke about deleting children...]
A silence settled in the room, and the atmosphere became slightly uncomfortable between Stan and GIFfany.
[I wanted to tell you that I wasn't really joking.]
"Why are you telling me this now?" Stan narrowed his eyes as he stared at GIFfany, who was observing him through her hair strands.
GIFfany's expression was hidden under her hair, so Stan couldn't clearly distinguish her face.
[I want to be honest, Stan... I killed my creator.]
GIFfany's words didn't alter Stan's expression. He already knew that GIFfany had blood on her hands, but he had still chosen to cooperate with her.
This showed that Stan didn't really care about the AI's past. In reality, he still considered, to some extent, the people around him as fictional characters.
His superior brain urged him to accept this new reality, despite his inner denial. But it was a process that couldn't be completed in a short time.
"And?"
Stan's response surprised GIFfany. She expected a reaction of fear or disgust, but certainly not indifference.
[What do you mean, "and"? I'M TELLING YOU THAT I'M AN ANOMALY THAT YOU YOURSELF CALLED DANGEROUS, AND YOU RESPOND LIKE THAT?] GIFfany started to express herself in a slightly hysterical manner.
She was crying and hitting the screen of Stan's phone.
"Calm down..." Although GIFfany didn't have a biological body, she was surprised by Stan's sudden action.
'I'm super embarrassed to hug my phone, but physical contact is one of the best ways to calm down a drama queen,' thought Stan, his face red with embarrassment.
"I don't care about your past, GIFfany... A friend once told me: if you love someone, you must also love their darkest sides."
Stan lifted his phone screen to make eye contact with GIFfany. He could see that she was troubled and confused, which prompted him to continue his momentum.
"If you really don't want to hurt me, GIFfany, then never call yourself 'dangerous' in front of me again... got it?"
GIFfany simply nodded in response.
"And never forget: only intellectually weak beings stoop to killing, and it's a shame for an AI."
Stan's words about murder were sincere. He had realized, after eating the mushroom, that truly intelligent beings always find a way to solve problems without resorting to such barbaric methods.
'I'm not saying I'm as smart as Doctor Who or the dinosaurs from Rick and Morty, but I think I've kind of understood their point of view.'
Although Johan had been an asshole on Earth, he had never killed anyone, nor any sentient being.
He knows that he will logically have to do it one day, that he can't escape this destiny, like The Batman Who Laughs.
It's literally impossible to beat Bill Cipher without murderous intentions. He can't rely solely on the memory gun and the prophecy.
These two elements depend on luck and cosmic forces that are beyond him for now.
[Thank you for your words, darling~]
Stan smiled at GIFfany after hearing her voice return to normal. Stan knew he had lied a little to GIFfany and that he would continue to lie in the future.
'In the end, I'm similar to that old Stan, huh...'
...
Stan finally rested after managing to soothe GIFfany's doubts and insecurities. He knew this Yandere would cause him trouble later, when he wanted a real relationship with a real woman, but that would be a problem for future Stan.
'For now, I'll settle for her trust and work on her vision of things later,' thought Stan as he finally closed his eyes to sleep.
He had gotten into the habit of operating at night and sleeping a bit during the day, after checking that the Mystery Shack was running smoothly.
Even though he trusted his subliminal message technology, he couldn't neglect his business and personal relationships.
"Uncle Stan, I've been wondering about something for a while..."
Stan was sitting on the couch, relaxing. He couldn't spend all his time in the laboratory, nor be constantly in survival mode.
He's a man in his fifties, he shouldn't push his current body too hard.
"You got a problem, champ?" He stopped watching old Stan's favorite show and turned his attention to Dipper.
"Not really, I'm just wondering... if you've experienced anything unusual this week."
Dipper's question didn't really surprise Stan. He already knew that the little smarty was wary of him because of his change.
He couldn't really blame him for having somewhat unmasked him. Dipper might not be a monstrous genius like Ford, but he was smart and wary enough to ask questions, even about his allies.
"Hmm, now that you mention it, I remember buying a weird game and..."
Stan didn't have time to finish his sentence before GIFfany appeared on his phone screen.
[I'm not weird!!!]
Dipper jumped at hearing this sudden voice coming from Stan's pocket before the latter showed him GIFfany on his phone.
"This is GIFfany. We're very close."
[Just tell him we're together.]
The words of both characters caused a series of expression changes on Dipper's face: Stan could read confusion, disgust, and finally, relief.
"Uncle Stan, I know being old and single is extremely hard but..." Stan didn't let Dipper continue. He didn't want this kid to trigger a Skynet scenario.
There's also the fact that the old Stan is extremely competent at seducing random women, he even taught this to Dipper in the original story.
"Dipper, Dipper, Dipper," repeated Stan, shaking his head in a slightly disappointed tone.
"My relationship with GIFfany is personal. I'm just telling you because I know you understand love," said Stan, pointing to Wendy who was heading to the kitchen.
Dipper blushed before trying to justify himself.
"I... but... it's..." Dipper's words became a bit incoherent because of Stan's sudden revelation.
[Oh! The little rascal is in love, haha~], GIFfany quipped, true to her teasing habit.
Dipper couldn't find an answer to this verbal attack from GIFfany and ran away hastily to the attic, leaving Stan and GIFfany alone.
[Are you sure it's a good idea to show me?] Stan had asked GIFfany to avoid revealing herself to his relatives.
Surprisingly, he himself revealed GIFfany's existence to Dipper.
"I prefer to show the kid just the tip of the iceberg. And besides, I find it weird that my girlfriend lives hidden in my own house haha."
Stan knew that Dipper would continue to dig if he didn't give him a bone to chew on. So he chose to use GIFfany as a screen to explain his strange behavior.
Everyone knows that a man changes in two ways.
First, when he meets a woman, and second, when he becomes rich.
Stan didn't want, for now, to reveal his currently growing fortune thanks to his investments and his super brain.
So, Stan chose to reveal a girlfriend.
[Thank you.] GIFfany's voice was surprisingly soft, and she quickly turned off the phone screen after expressing herself.
'It seems that GIFfany misinterpreted my actions. She must think I put my night life at risk for her comfort at the Mystery Shack.'
Stan had no intention of revealing his intellect to Dipper for now. Their relationship is technically tense at this moment, and he didn't want the boy to be clingy with him like with Ford.
'Ford can keep Dipper as a potential apprentice, I'm going to look elsewhere.'
He remembered a naive but extremely intelligent kid who currently lived in Los Angeles. Stan thought she met the conditions to work with him.
....
Terri's POV
Another tiring day at the lab. I'm really starting to wonder if my father wasn't right about Dr. Frakes.
Bing – phone .
An unknown number?
Normally, I don't like answering these kinds of calls, but these people can become annoying if they don't get an answer.
"Hello, Terri here."
"Good evening, my name is Stan Pines and I'm contacting you about my unanswered offer."
An unanswered offer?
"Excuse me for a minute."
I hurried to open my email. After a few minutes, I came across a job offer from a private laboratory, known as the Mystery Shack.
I had never heard of it before, it must be a new company.
The proposed compensation is really interesting. I couldn't help but glance at the bills next to my desk.
"You mentioned you're Mr. Pines?"
"Yes, indeed, I'm the owner."
I could tell from his voice that he was a mature man. I'd really like to accept his offer, but I think Dr. Frakes might take my resignation badly.
"I'm really flattered by your generous offer, but... I already have commitments."
My heart was bleeding at the thought of saying goodbye to all that money, but Dr. Frakes could ruin my career in the long run.
"I'll double the offer."
"It's not just about money..."
"I'll triple the offer."
"When do I start, boss?"