Bandanna Waddle Dee looked over his opponents. They all seemed very confident of themselves. Starman was watching intently with the eyes that he didn't have. Sir Kibble was evaluating the situation. Waddle Doo was blinking impatiently.
Bandanna Dee stared at each of them individually, trying to determine who had the weakness that he was looking for. They didn't give anything away. Victory seemed unlikely. But, it was still possible. He took a deep breath and readjusted his blue bandanna.
Then, it happened. Sir Kibble fidgeted. It was very subtle, what with that thick armor hiding most movement. Most would've passed it off as a twitch, but Bandanna Dee knew better than that. With newfound confidence, he said, "Sir Kibble?" His voice was very pleasant for someone without a mouth. Sir Kibble's helmet turned a bit to indicate that he was looking. "Yes?" he responded.
"Got any fives?" Bandanna Dee asked. Sir Kibble froze for a moment, before gently flicking his last card at Bandanna Dee. Waddle Doo and Staman threw their cards up in the air. "Finally." They said. "I thought the game would never end." The four of them rose from their seated positions on their blanket.
Starman picked up the (now empty) picnic basket and carried it inside the castle. Sir Kibble and Waddle Doo began rolling up the blanket. The former complained, "I don't know how he does it." The latter responded, "I bet he keeps extra cards up that bandanna of his."
Bandanna Dee smiled on the inside. He was in no way a cheater. It was simply process of elimination. Sir Kibble was the only one that hadn't asked for a five yet, and everyone knew it. The fidget was just for confirmation on Bandanna Dee's part.
Waddle Doo, carrying the blanket, turned around and motioned at Bandanna Dee. "Come on!" he called out. Bandanna Dee obeyed, trotting after them. By the time he caught up, Sir Kibble was asking Waddle Doo a question. "Did you happen to notice that we've had a lot of free time lately?"
Waddle Doo rolled his eye. "Did you happen to notice that we just spent the last four hours having a picnic? Yes, everyone's realized that nothing's going on." Sir Kibble shrugged. Bandanna Dee, walking behind the other two, said, "From what I've heard, the King's been pretty bored lately."
Sir Kibble nodded in his hulking suit. "Well, that makes sense. If the King doesn't do anything, then Kirby won't set out to stop him. And if Kirby doesn't set out to stop him, we're not dispatched to impede his progress."
The three were now inside the castle. They turned down a corridor, their feet making loud, echoing clapping sounds against the cold floor. "It's all good with me." Waddle Doo said. "The less work, the better. We're not losing pay or anything." Bandanna Dee stared at him. "We don't get paid." He said. "My point exactly." Waddle Doo replied as he threw the picnic blanket inside a closet.
Sir Kibble decided to go to the target range and practice with his cutters. Bandanna Dee asked if Waddle Doo wanted to go and play ping-pong. He shrugged as best he could with his short arms. "It's not like we have anything better to do."
They made their way to the game room that all castle personnel shared. Many joked that the only reason they stayed in service was that they got tons of cool stuff to play with whenever the King was off doing something else. Waddle Doo turned the decreased-in-height doorknob and swung the wooden door open. His eye opened wide. "Whoa." He said. Bandanna Dee peered past him. He made a small squeaky noise before stating the obvious: "This could be a problem…"