New chapter! Bit short sorry about that. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! It makes me want to keep writing this. Also, I want to say keep your eyes peeled in future updates. I'm planning on a bit of voting to see where this story goes! As always, code at the bottom.
There wasn't a flight or fight instinct to bother with. Instead, there was simply the urge to book it the heck out of there before the man said one more word. Backing up, Mabel bumped into her brother's chest and was comforted when his hand gripped her shoulder. It was enough to make her able to face Gideon head on.
For a second it was as if neither of them had grown with how Gleeful looked like he barely reached her shoulders. The round chubby stature was almost childlike still with how un-imposing it was. Even the hair itself was unchanged from the overly-teased pompadour! Did he even age?!
Seemingly sensing their discomfort, Gideon halted his approach with a few feet to spare. The smile gracing his chubby face was much softer than before and calm. A bit like the one from the warehouse roof so long ago.
Mabel felt a shiver run up her spine.
"Now look ya'll,' he started out with hands raised in a peace offering, "I know we've had some bad times. All of them mah fault, I admit it! But, I was honest in mah wish to make peace with this town, and that includes ya'll!" There wasn't even a chance for them to reply before he took a breather and plowed forwards. "I did feel like maybe this was too fast, but I learned that sometimes it's best to just jump in! Judging by ya'll showing up here at mah house I guess maybe we can patch things up?"
He adopted a remorseful look before adding, "it's a shame Stanford passed on before I could apologize directly."
Oh that tore it. Shaking her brother's hand off, Mabel stormed forward till she was right in front of the creep.
"Stan's not dead! He's vacationing for a while!" she shouted, "and secondly, no! We DON'T want your cruddy apologies or anything else! You think you could just, walk in here and everything will be hunky-dory-mory?! Because it won't mister!"
Getting bold, she shoved a finger into his yielding chest, and was pleased when he stumbled back.
"Don't you dare contact me, my brother, or even waddle up to the Mystery Shack! Because, darn it all, I will hog-tie you and kick you into the bottomless pit!"
The words rushed out and left her breathing heavily. Eyes locked with his, she finally backed up and turned around with a huff. Storming from the yard, she slammed the fence gate open in her rush to get back to the truck. Behind her she could hear her brother putting in his final say.
"Trust me man, you don't even want to know what I'll do to you. Back off!"
Despite the stutterings behind them as Gideon tried to say something in reply, the twins hurried back to the truck and clambered in. Thankfully, the truck had no trouble and it rumbled to life as soon as the key turned. As they did a u-turn in the empty road, Mabel glanced back to see Gideon simply standing there. It was too far to be sure, but she swore he was smiling.
Putting the situation in the back of her mind, she leaned back in the worn seat. Maybe there could have been a better way to handle this mess. One that didn't have her looking like a raging mongoose taking on a snake. On the other hand, last time she tried to be 'gentle' with Gideon is just made everything so much worse.
Slipping her hand into the chip bag, Mabel crunched on the greasy wafers while watching the scenery fly past. Just as they passed the last rickety shack before the woods, she heard Dipper relax his grip on the wheel.
"You alright Sis?"
Licking the grease from her fingers, Mabel nodded and gave a reassuring answer. Glancing at her brother, she gave him a smile when he flicked his eyes from the road to her. "Dip, I'm fine! Sometimes this junk happens. Like, remember when the diner closed down? I'm way more upset about that than Gideon! Besides, what's he going to do? Bite our ankles?"
The twins erupted in laughter from the joke and the memory it brought forth. Gravel flung underneath the truck as they pulled into the parking lot of home. For almost ten minutes they munched on the rest of the snacks in silence with only shared grins between them. It would have been longer if the familiar ring of the store phone hadn't gone off.
Cursing, Dipper wrestled out of his seatbelt and just about tripped out of the truck in his rush. Rolling her eyes, Mabel started to gather up the loose trash from the floorboards. Shoving the crinkled mess and cans into a bag, she tossed into the dented trash can before entering the shack. Letting her twin conduct business, she set to work tidying up anything that was skewed or even too tidy looking. While she picked the lint off the fiji mermaid, Dipper hung up the phone and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Upper South Hahiro Ladies Knitting Club! They're going to be here in about two hours and it's a bus-load!"
Straightening a loose tooth on the exhibit, she raised her eyebrows and asked, "Age range?"
"Seniors. One kid."
Barely containing her grin, Mabel pulled loose the headband from her hair and shook it out.
"Suit's mine today. Let's wow these grandmas!"
Grunkle Stan had taken his suit when he had left. Other than the stained wife beater and boxers there wasn't anything else he really wore to begin with. But, ever since they spent the first summer in Gravity Falls, the iconic image of the 'Man of Mystery' himself dressed to the nines had stuck.
So, some online shopping and a tailor left the twins with near replicas of the original black suit. While their bodies weren't all that different, there was still the need for separate suits. Also, Dipper was terrible about washing his clothes and there was no way Mabel was putting on sweaty shirts. Bleh!
Pressed pants, white shirt, and a gleaming belt buckle were the first things to be worn. After that came the smooth lint-free jacket with exactly two buttons done up. Then shined shoes and hair gelled back into a smooth bob. Finally, the eyepatch over the right eye.
The routine was comforting to repeat day in and day out. It all honesty over time it helped Mabel feel closer to her great uncle. There had been pain when he left so suddenly that one summer but taking his place seemed to ease it. No matter what happened, the Mystery Shack was going nowhere and there would always be a guide to show it off.
Checking her reflection one final time, she grabbed the cane from its place by the door. Grabbing the can of spray glue, she applied a fine coating before shaking some loose glitter on the rounded top. The way it left a trail of 'fairy dust' added so much to the image Mabel put together. Finally, a handful of flash powder in the pocket.
There were still fifteen minutes to go before the bus showed up, but that still left enough time to get everything sorted. Tucking the cane under her arm, Mabel made her way into the main shop. Dip had already of course started tidying up the cheap postcards and painted rocks that littered the walls. This left the small, but still stocked, array of yarn and yarn products. Course, that was Mabel's area to deal with no matter who was wearing the suit. Tongue in cheek, she whisked around skeins into their color-coded sections which were then divided again into weights. 'Were-Shark Fang' needles straightened and given a quick spit polish to make them shine and lastly the bedazzler re-filled and primed for action. There was the question of whether or not to apply them to her face, but, after last time, it didn't seem worth it. Metal clasps were a pain to dig out of skin!
Everything was perfect. Just in time too!
A rickety bus had just pulled into the parking area and already she could see a sizable group unloading. Giving a wink to Dipper, she smoothed her hair and headed for the door. Timing was everything and she waited till everyone was off the bus. There were plenty of smiles which meant a crowd willing to spend money. Even the little boy that toddled behind his grandmother seemed to be in a good mood.
Show time.
Gathering the powder, Mabel cracked open the door and cast it down. Years of practice had made it easy for her to wretch open the door and close it before the powder could settle. Opening her arms wide, she cast the crowd a sparkling smile. Literally since she added glitter to her toothpaste.
"Welcome to the Mystery & Yarn Shack folks!"
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