To say that activity had slowed to a crawl at the Mystery Shack would have been criminally generous. There wasn't a soul to be found wandering its slapdash exhibits or perusing the tourist trap's selection of grossly overpriced souvenirs. As she slouched at the register, Wendy mentally wrote her own obituary. She could see the headline already - "Local Girl Found Dead From Boredom."
From the sounds of it, at least some people were enjoying themselves in this tumbledown building. Every now and then she heard a faint eruption of laughter all the way from the top floor. The teen only needed to listen to it twice before she found herself presented with a choice. It was either nod off inside a lifeless gift shop or head to where the action was.
It was no contest, to put it lightly. Shamelessly she abandoned her post without a second thought.
"So what are you dorks up to?" She affectionately called as she made her way upstairs. The question went completely ignored amid a strange symphony of racket. Her curiosity now even further piqued, she went silent and lessened her lanky stride to a stealthy saunter.
The teenager peered through a crack in the door into the attic bedroom to find a curious activity in full-swing. Her young friends were completely immersed as they sat on the uneven floor, a stack of cards placed between them. The twins shot one another mock-fierce stares as they started the next round.
"Got anyyyy….fours?" Mabel asked.
Dipper handed over the four of clubs. She put the pair aside.
"Okay, got any kings?" Dipper asked.
"Go fart!" His sister gleefully shot back. He fished a card from the deck, cupped his palms over his mouth and blew hard as he could. The crude sound effect that followed sent Mabel's already enormous smile stretching further across her face. A desperate burst of restraint barely kept her from bursting into into a massive giggle-fit.
"Okay….got any….jacks?" She managed to ask.
"Go fart."
The girl took a card, then stuck out her tongue as she fired a wet raspberry. Both twins were now fighting like mad to keep from cracking up. Dipper was able to prevent himself from exploding only by chomping down hard on his life.
"Any twos?"
"Nope! Go fart!" Mabel gleefully told him. Her twin did as told, and the next few seconds was an epic battle of wills as they dredged up every single scrap of inner fortitude that they could. Dipper finally cracked and did so with a mighty snort of laughter. Mabel simultaneously became relief incarnate and triumph personified.
"Yes!" She threw her arms in the air, showering them both in a rain of cards before she hurriedly checked the time. "Two forty-eight, bro-bro!"
"Okay, okay." He crawled to his feet like a good sport. "Call it."
"Jumping jacks! Go!" She commanded. Skinny arms and legs failed into motion as he began his ordered workout. Meanwhile she counted out loud in succession, "One two, one two three four, one two three four...fiiiive….siiiiiiiiiiix…."
"Hey c'mon!" The boy groaned. His noodle limbs were already feeling the burn.
"Seveneightdone!" She finished off with a mischievous smirk. Gasping for breath, he dropped back to the floor with a loud thud.
"I thought that wasn't allowed anymore." he protested between hoarse wheezes.
"You did the same just like, five minutes ago!" She called him out. "And you had me doing push-ups and everything."
"Okay, okay. New rule, no dragging it out." He declared.
"Deal." The siblings nodded. It was immediately obvious that not only was neither one going to keep their word, but they both knew it. The two did their best to put a lid on their lingering chuckles as Mabel gathered up her cards. "Who's turn?"
"Mine, I think. Okay, got any kings?"
"Go f-"
Wendy was surprised that she was able to hold out as long as she did before she finally blew her cover, and very spectacularly so. She cracked up with such a mighty snort that she accidentally gave the twins a start, causing them to jump in their seats a little. Within seconds the redhead was chuckling like she had gone absolutely mad. Dipper's jaw went slack with horror as their friend stumbled in and revealed herself. In the blink of an eye his burning cheeks matched the color of the teen's long copper locks.
"Wendy!" Mabel let out a bubbly cheer at the sight of the familiar freckled face. Clutching her side and leaning up against the wall, Wendy needed at least a minute before she could stop laughing enough to actually talk again. As soon as she finally recovered she got right to the point.
"Are you guys playing a weird twin game that you completely made up?"
"Yeah we are!" Not surprisingly, Mabel was more than happy to take proud ownership of their silly fun. Her brother however took a little longer. He was somewhat embarrassed, to say the very least.
"Sort of." He half-confessed. But the tween didn't need much time to realize that there was literally no use denying the overwhelming amount of evidence. Dipper corrected himself with a feeble smile. "Uh...yes."
"That's just what I wanted to hear." Wendy immediately seated herself amongst her friends and drummed upon the floor with an eager smile. "Deal me in…"