It's Personal

[neptune]

"It's a real dog," Alison laughed, the comment unexpected and catching her off guard, "and not baby-sized." While she appreciated all dogs, she liked ones that didn't manage to get lost under a pile of laundry and were big enough that she didn't feel the compulsive need to carry it around. Years ago, Alison's aspirations had included a veterinary career, but it hadn't been in the cards.

The smile remained on her face, just faded some, as Benjamin went on and tapped his knuckles against her arm. She turned her head to glance at him briefly, catching a glimpse of the scenery rolling by behind his head. He looked good that way, she decided, very natural; someone she might want to date for real just because he was cute. He was full of questions, though, good things that kept her occupied even if what would you do with a million dollars was a little played out. As someone who doubted she would ever have a million dollars, it wasn't something that Alison had ever contemplated.

Pursing her lips, the redhead hummed and drummed her fingers against the steering wheel for a moment. "Pay off some debt, I guess," she decided, that was the logical thing to do, "and then travel. I've always wanted to see Africa." Madison had done a semester abroad in France, but Alison had never been offered anything like that. "What about you?"

They hadn't been on the road for very long, and Alison was horrible at estimating time. "I don't know," she replied. "A while," and then paused, "we could stop somewhere. There are all of these roadside attractions along the way—if you're that concerned about your legs and all."

 

[Dipper]

So he wasn't the most creative guy in the world, but hell if he wasn't a dreamer. A million dollars would make his life better six times over, and then some. He doubted the dead needed to pay rent, but it was there just in case.

"So you're practical." He'd never had much debt, just very little money and too little time. Ben had always been more focused on what he wanted, rather than what he should do, and he'd reluctantly admit that that wasn't always the best way to be. He shut his eyes for a moment as if to scour his brain for more questions, preferably ones she could actually answer and give them both a jumpstart to a seemingly failing conversation. He asn't as stiff as he'd claimed, but being stuck in a car could get to anybody. Planes were so much better.


Benjamin snorted and rubbed his eyes, because something about long road trips exhausted him. Must be leftover from childhood. "Nah, I'm being dramatic. Keep going, I'll live." He'd been on plane flights longer than this, dead asleep and stuck in one position for several long hours without knowing. He could handle this.

Asking about dogs and money probably wasn't the best way to keep things interesting. He rested his hands on the pleasantly warm dashboard, and let silence reign as he scoured his mind for more interesting questions.

He eventually gave up, and sighed. "Nah, I've got nothing."


(I'm going to be a bit slower, so sorry about that. Not to mention I'm a bit dry on ideas at the moment, but I'll pull through.)

 

[neptune]

"As practical as a disappointment can be—sure," Alison replied, shrugging as she drummed her fingers against the wheel. That was the last thing she had expected to be called, but compared to someone like Benjamin, she supposed she was rather practical. After all, she had a steady-ish job, her own place, didn't struggle terribly bad to make ends meet and if she had a million dollars, debt would have been the first thing to go. "You'd probably buy a boat or something, right?" she asked, smiling. As much as she tried not to judge others, she couldn't deny how different their personalities were.

They continued to drive and in just a short amount of time, they were out of questions. It felt awkward, a little weird and Alison was starting to feel like a bit of a failure. She couldn't even hire someone off of the internet to like her for a weekend, and she was starting to wonder if she was really that boring. Clearing her throat, she reached for the radio again, turning the dial all around as talk shows and Top 40 blended together into one jumbled mess. If they weren't going to talk, something needed to fill the silence and eventually, Alison found something that was good enough.

Two hours into the trip, Alison had finished off her cold coffee and continued to feel as though all of this was going to be a disaster. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, finally breaking the silence. "Because I could just drop you off—there's a bus station somewhere up ahead and maybe people aren't going to believe our lie."


(( No worries! Take your time and if you want to bounce some ideas around, just let me know c: ))

 

[Dipper]

Benjamin's expression twisted. That was just about the last thing he expected to hear, and regretting saying anything at all. He cleared his throat. "Nah. I'm not one for boating. Not really a... water kind of guy." With the exception of water guns, which were immensely entertaining in the right hands.

It wasn't too bad, all things considered. The fact that it was with a stranger didn't make much of a difference, other than their inability to find much in common to talk about. Talking about shared interests was always the best way to pass the time on a road trip. And their short bursts of small talk weren't exactly helping to ease the tension.

"It's fine," he said, a little more stiffly than he'd intended, and then tacked on a smile to make it seem friendlier. "This is what I signed on for, right? I'll be fine, so long as you're up for it." He couldn't, wouldn't, back out now, not with the promise of food in return for completing an easy job. Benjamin focused somewhere beyond his window, brows furrowed in thought. "Unless you're having second thoughts. Hey, I'd understand-- I mean, I'd understand if you'd rather not have a stranger meet your family. It's cool."

 

[neptune]

For now, Benjamin may not have had any reservations, but Alison was convinced that was going to change as soon as they arrived at the lake house. There was nothing worse than a relaxed personality meeting an entire family of type A's, people who had figured out what they wanted to do with themselves from birth to death and every year in between. He wasn't going to last very long, and thinking on it as she drove, Alison was unsure of whether or not she would either. At the very least, they could leave early together, no need to fake offense and just storm out. Didn't real couples always stick together?

The rest of the drive was uneventful and aside from enjoying the scenic view and stopping to refuel at a gas station and grab some snacks, there was nothing else to waste time on. Normally, Alison was a rather punctual person, but as they pulled onto the long, winding road that took them toward the house, she cursed the gods above for not throwing a traffic jam (or two) her way.

"That's it right there," she gestured up ahead, able to see the dark roof of the large house in the distance, looming through the trees like some kind of monster. Despite the dread that was currently filling her stomach, Alison had her fair share of pleasant memories for the place, most of them coming from childhood when her parents had still had faith in her, when she hadn't been a total disappointment. With the exception of the people who were surely already inside, the lake was a gorgeous place and if she and Benjamin were lucky, they could spend the weekend on the beach and try to avoid as much interaction as possible.

The driveway was wide and lined with gravel and filled with a few recognizable cars. "My sister's here," she said, noticing a mini-van parked alongside some kind of luxury SUV that was surely her parents' new lease. "I don't think my brother is here yet," she added before finding a spot to park her own car. It must have looked pathetic compared to what was already there. Turning off the engine, Alison took a deep breath and did her best to calm herself.

"My mom's cold and my dad likes to drink, he might like you but my mom will convince him that you're terrible because you're with me—so obviously there's something wrong with you," Alison explained, trying to prepare Benjamin for the mind games that went on among the family. She twisted in her seat and reached for her bag, lugging the heavy case into her lap after some tugging. "My sister is kind of the same way, I guess. She's more in your face about it, though." With one last look to him, and feeling kind of sorry that she had gotten him into this mess, Alison got out of the car.

Although she had spent almost every summer at the house since childhood, Alison didn't feel right just waltzing in like she owned the place. She lead Benjamin to the step and knocked on the door a few times, part of her already bargaining with herself that if no one answered, she would have a valid excuse to leave.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the door opened to reveal a smug smile. "I knew you'd come," the older girl said, but didn't offer a hug or any sort of tender gesture. She merely stepped aside to let the two in. "And you must be...the boyfriend? Alison said she was bringing someone, but I didn't think she was serious."

 

[Dipper]

If there was one thing he liked about long road trips, anything at all, it would be the time to think. He was usually the one driving while everyone else fell fast asleep, but the brief moments of solitude were he could actually hear himself think. Pointless thoughts, really, because most of them involve singing or listing off unimportant, but fascinating, facts that only he would enjoy. But the quiet felt good after being worked up, and so this was really no different.

Maybe, just maybe, this was more than he could handle. Bickering was one thing, but the farther they went and the closer they got, the worse things seemed to become. Alison didn't seem to be on good terms with her family, yet it almost felt as if her relationship was even more strained than his own with his family. There was only so much experience one could bring to the table, and his had already capped.

He was slow to realize what was going on when they arrived, peering out the window in silence until she speaks. Ben stretched out, working the stiffness from his limbs as she stopped the car. "Sounds great," he murmured sarcastically, flashing her an assuring smile - or what could be one, who knew what Benjamin ever intended with smiles - and stepped out. Backing out, as wise as that seemed to be, was no longer an option. He wasn't afraid, not of judgment or family feuds, because he'd lived them himself.

Ben sighed deeply and prepared himself, comforted somewhat just with knowing what to anticipate. This sister of Alison's didn't sound all to friendly-- even his own brothers gave him something resembling a hug when they met up. This interaction seemed cold and way too distant to be between family, but he didn't say anything of it.

"Mm-hm. That's me." He debated offering his hand, because that was the usual greeting between strangers, but refrained in favor of staying far, far away from this woman. His only reason was that she rubbed him the wrong way.