Special thanks to SuperGroverAway for helping with designing the "perils" in this story...
"There, now…don't we feel so much better?"
"I…guess…" Wendy took another gulp from her glass of water with lemon, leaving it spotless. She handed it back to Hans before wiping her mouth dry with her forearm.
Just as Mabel and Wendy were led to their "bonus" treatment, the two attendants insisted on returning the weary redhead back to the shower room in order to remove the rest of the hot mud that clung to her lanky body. Once she was cleaned, Wendy was given a new robe (where she was able to smuggle her hatchet again while no one was looking) and encouraged to drink glass after glass of water to fight dehydration.
Hans set the empty glass and pitcher down on a stand outside in the hallway as his partner came hurrying towards the group. "Sorry for the wait, but we are ready for you now…" The two European guides walked in conjunction, prompting their guests to follow.
"To make up for all of the…unpleasantness…" Klaus mumbled with his back turned towards the girls. "We have upgraded your session as promised."
"Originally," Hans elucidated. "The standard manicure and pedicure was to be included as your contest winnings…"
Upon hearing the "P-word," Wendy let out a shudder that traveled down her spine. The mere thought of another person touching her feet made the teen want to jump out of her skin. Her mind instantly traveled back to the last time such an instance occurred…
It was a few weeks earlier, when Wendy had landed a cushy position as a lifeguard at the Gravity Falls Pool. Upon hearing the news, Dipper had asked to be her junior guard; something Wendy immediately agreed to.
A few days in, the duo were seated in Wendy's elevated lifeguard chair, laughing and playing pranks on the hapless townspeople that were unfortunate enough to cross their path. Dipper leaned back on his side and noticed that his crush was sitting on her left leg, leaving a bare sole exposed.
Feeling extra mischievous, a smirk spread his face as he dragged a fingernail down her foot…
"Wen-dy! Coochie-coochie -"
"GASP!"
…only to receive an involuntary roundhouse kick that sent the unsuspecting boy flying from his seat, into the deep end of the pool.
*CRASH!*
"Oh, man!" Wendy immediately rose to her feet and dove to the rescue after her still-stunned friend.
She shook the memory from her head as the man continued on, "…instead, you will be upgraded to the world-famous fish pedicure process!"
"Oooh!" Mabel marveled in disbelief. She lightheartedly nudged her chaperone with her elbow, "You totally called it back at the Shack."
"Yeah…lucky me…" The quivers returned without warning. It was bad enough that people like Dipper or her younger brothers would mess with her, but now, she was expected to have these strange fish nibble away at her sensitive peds.
"You ladies are so lucky!" Klaus went on. "It is not often when such a delicate treat is available in these parts…"
"Ja. It may sound odd at first, but the experience is unlike anything you had ever had before.
"Actually…" Wendy spoke up at last, "I have had something like this happen before…"
All eyes were instantly focused on her. Mabel looked up mystified, while the men each peered over their shoulders at the unusual lumberjack.
"I was bitten by a small barracuda when I was younger," Wendy narrated. "It happened when my dad and I were hand-fishing in a stream pass my house when this thing came out of nowhere! I dunno how it got there; maybe it swam upstream somehow, but once it got a hold of me, it took all of my dad's strength to pry it off. Man, I tell ya – with the chunk it ripped outta me, I was swearing like a son of a – "
Wendy stopped as she noticed that all three listeners were shooting her wide-eyed stares, making the ginger stop in embarrassment.
"Err…on second thought, never mind…"
"Here we are, ladies!"
Mabel and Wendy walked past the conductor and examined their new surroundings.
"Amazing…" the small brunette whispered as her brown eyes circled the room.
"It's…not too shabby…" Despite her best efforts, Wendy found herself unable to come up with a valid complaint.
The sky-blue colored room contained a large, see-though water tank in its center. Several thick tubes were protruding from the sides of the giant pool into the smooth floor. A finely-finished wooden stairway led up to the top, where a circular, padded seating area enclosed the top of the container. Next to the flight of steps, a metal control panel protruded from the sealed ground, containing a number of unmarked buttons and levers.
As with the last room, a collection of fake potted plants surrounded each corner, with numerous chairs set in between for those waiting their turn. A curved skylight illuminated the area in lieu of having actual windows in the walls. In their place, extravagant Asian wall scrolls stretched down from the ceiling.
Growing curious, Wendy walked around the tub and stared into its insides. She could spot countless thickets of seaweed and other types of greenery growing from the rocky-covered bottom.
"Aha…" she thought. "Aiming towards that "au natural look," eh?"
Meanwhile, Mabel flew up the staircase and called out, "C'mon, Wendy! They're about to start!"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Unlike her shorten charge, Wendy simply used the gift of her extra height to climb up on the upper platform. Kicking off her slippers, the teenager gazed into the bottom while walking along the narrow ledge as a hint of hesitation crept across her freckled face.
"Well…?"
Wendy turned towards Mabel, "Well, what?"
"Aren't you going to go in?"
"Of course I am!" Despite the strong front she presented, the troubling thought of hundreds of tiny creatures invading her personal space sent goosebumps up the backside of her body. She dipped a toe into the brink and swiftly drew back.
"…after you test the waters for me. After all, you're the one that wanted to do this, right?"
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Mabel stood up from her seat, and looked around for her two new crushes. Fortunately, neither was in the room at the moment; probably off making final preparations for the treatment.
Having an innocent look on her dimpled visage, the girl pointed in front of her companion in hopes of distracting her for a split second, "Hey, what's that?"
Wendy's emerald eyes followed the stubby hand, "What's what?"
With her free hand, Mabel gave the high-schooler a gentle push towards the water.
"SORRYWENDYPLEASEDON'TBEMAD!"
"Wha – "
*SPLASH!*
"MABEL!"
The fifteen-year-old was now thigh-deep in the tank; her feet touching the stones on the bottom as the floating seaweed swirled around her legs. The coattails of her robe were now soaking wet, making Wendy fling the wet piece of clothing on the walkway.
"See? It's not that bad, is it?"
Wendy looked back at Mabel, who had started to ease herself into the tank. The pixie gave her pal a cheery, guiltless braced smile has she happily kicked her legs in the water.
"Not really…" the copper-haired girl returned the grin as she snatched Mabel by the ankle, "But then again, you could really use a closer look…"
Mabel pulled her arms back and dug her nails into her seat, "Oh, nope-nope-nope! Not going anywhere!"
The girls laughed loudly until their game of tug-of-war was interrupted:
"So, you two have made yourselves comfy?"
Hans and Klaus entered the fish spa, each carrying two bagfuls of supplies.
"Yep!" Mabel sat back on her seat, her little feet still dangling into the water.
"Just…about…" Wendy pushed off against the ledge and onto the chair closest to Mabel's.
"Splendid!" Klaus used the miniature staircase to make to the top of the fish tank. He rang his hands together as he addressed the contest winners. "Forgive me if I sound ignorant, but is it fair to say that neither of you ladies have ever partaken in this process before?"
Both Wendy and Mabel shook their heads.
"Alright, then," he continued. "In a moment, Hans will activate the panel releasing hundreds of tiny fish that we call "garra rufa" into your tank. These creatures thrive on devouring decaying skin; in this case, the dead cells on your feet. I must warn you that at first, the sensation is quite unsettling, but once your body becomes used to the feeling, it becomes ever-so-delightful."
"…hope so…" Wendy silently wished.
Mabel raised her hand, "Quick question for you, big guy. What happens to all of the fishies when we're done with them?"
"Hey, yeah?" Wendy added. "You guys don't re-use them or anything like that?" The possible unsanitary conditions made her consider pulling her legs back out of the water.
"Nein! By no means! The waters are cycled through a powerful filtration system after every use. I'm sure you've seen those tubes on the side of the tank? And for your fish friends…" He motioned towards a design on the opposite end of the spa. "Do you see those circles on the wall over there?"
Mabel nodded in response.
"Each of those three represents the current state of the tank. When the left circle turns yellow, it means that it is in the preparation stage." As soon as the assistant finished his sentence, the left-most light gave off a golden shine.
*BING!*
"There we are," he went on. "Soon, the middle one will turn green and the garra rufa will be released into the waters." With that, the worker took his leave back down the stairs.
"And what's the last one do?"
"Oh, that?" Klaus gave one last explanation, "When the right button turns red, the tank will be cleansed so that it will be suitable for our next guest.
*BING!*
"And there we are, ladies! Have fun!"
The green sphere flashed and the tubing below their seats shortly activated. Small ports within the pool opened, releasing a barrage of blue and green life forms that raced towards the two pairs of bare feet dangling from the deck.
"Here they come!"
"Mabel, maybe we shouldn't do – AHH!"
"HEHEHEHEH!"
"BWAHAHAHA!"
The mindless fish matched the thrashing peds move for move, relentlessly nibbling under their heels, in between their toes, and against their arches.
"Oh-oh-oh!" Mabel cried out, flailing her hands around as if she was trying to fly away from the torment. "It tickles! It tickles so much!"
She glanced over at Wendy, who remained too quiet for her good. Her face, now a blushed red, was t scrunched up tightly, save for some random snickers that escaped past her curdled lips.
"You're…hehe…you're tellin' me, kiddo!"
From her purposely squinted vision, Wendy spotted Mabel offering an open hand. She took hold with each girl squeezing as hard as they could.
"This is way, way worse than I thought!" The lumberjack princess lamented. "It's like there's a million little Dippers down there going to town!"
After a few minutes, the associate's word came to fruition. Mabel and Wendy sighed in relief as the ticklish feeling morphed into that of shifting pins and needles. Sinking back into their padded seats, the adolescents let out a relaxed moan, becoming mesmerized by the now-gentle vibrations.
"Ah!" Hans traveled up the stairs to check up on his clients. "You two look at peace. I believe you are enjoying this, ja?"
"Yeeesssssssss…" Wendy hissed pleasantly, zoning in and out of a peaceful zen.
Mabel chimed in, "It feels like my legs have fallen off and are floating at the bottom of the pool!"
"Ja, they will do that," Hans said. "When you are finished here, your feet will feel softer, lighter, and refreshed…"
"And after that, what happens?"
"For you, our dear Fraulein Pines, we have the nail filing and painting all set up…"
"Oh-ho-ho! Nice!" Upon hearing the news, Mabel jumped back off of the pool and grabbed her robe from behind her seat. The fishes wandered aimlessly until they joined up with the bunch at Wendy's feet. She tied her belt and called out to her snoozing comrade, "You coming, Wen-Wen?"
"Huh?!" Wendy opened her eyes to see Mabel following Hans back down the stairs. She waved her hand downwards, "Actually, you…go on ahead…" She leaned back further into her chair. "I think I'm good here…"
"Oh, okay. Suit yourself."
Wendy tilted her head back and closed her eyes, forcing out all other outside distractions. For the first time since the mud bath incident, her nerves were finally starting to settle…
"BING!*
She looked ahead to see that the last light on the right had turned a bright red. Wendy grumbled, remembering what the caretaker that told her earlier, "I guess that means my turn's over with…"
The teen went to stand up, finding that her legs refused to obey.
"Huh?" Wendy tugged on each limb, only to have them yanked back into position. "What gives?"
While she was able to move from side to side, something prevented her from lifting her feet from the pool. It felt like two heavy hands that taken siege of her ankles and refused to let her go.
The entrapped impression from earlier started to return. Wendy tried to peer into the blue water to see what had taken a hold of her feet, seeing that the horde of minuscule fish blocked her sight.
"Come on! Come on!" Wendy attempted to splash a path with her arm. "Move it!"
She froze up as the machinery below her activated once again. Wendy recalled what that Hans guy had said – that they clean the pool after every use.
"But how exactly?"
The vents on the far end of the pool opened for a second time. By impulse, the swarm clouding around Wendy's legs vanished, hurrying to the other side of the tank almost like they were afraid of what was coming next.
With her line of sight cleared, Wendy looked downwards into the depths to see what held her prisoner.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Both of Wendy's feet had become entangled in the collection of kelp trailing from the pool's bottom. In between her wiggling in ticklish agony and simply kicking her legs in boredom, the thick seaweeds had formed knots around her ankles, effectively binding her to the rocky floor.
"I can't… *ugh!* believe this!" Despite her near-Amazonian strength, Wendy wasn't able to tear the solid plants away from her feet. The more she struggled, the more tied up she became within the reeds.
"There's gotta be –"
*BLURB! BLURB!*
Wendy stopped her escape attempt as she noticed something particular occurring on the far end of the tank. A series of rapid bubbles rose up to the surface of the water. A split second later, the number of air pockets quadrupled, only to get bigger and bigger.
The trapped cashier came to a realization: she could no longer see the horde of fish that recently made a meal of her callused soles.
And then, she spotted one new creature. And then another. Tiny black streaks raced around the back half of the pool chasing after the blue and green colored remnants. As more time passed, only the black clouds remained.
Wendy's emerald eyes widened as she helplessly watched the numerous acts of cat and mouse – predator and prey play out over and over again.
"It's *GULP!* piranhas! They use flippin' piranhas to get rid of the excess fish!"
The real question facing her now was what was to happen once all of the pedicure fish had been devoured? She gazed back down into the water, seeing her eight digits wrapped amongst the greenery, and figured that they were next on the predators' menu.
"I gotta get loose! And fast!"
Wendy gave each leg one last yank, confirming that the seaweed had no intention of releasing her feet so easily. She didn't want to chance diving further into the tank, not wanting to risk being snagged deeper into the messy weeds. The redhead figured that calling out for Mabel and the aides was useless; with her luck, they were probably on the other side of the building by now, well out of earshot.
She looked back up to see that the trail of violent bubbles was getting closer.
"There's just has to be a way…"
Wendy paused as she spotted the key to her survival. A few feet away, her discarded robe dangled on the ledge of the tank just past the staircase…
…the same robe containing her trusty, yet smuggled-in hatchet!
"YES!"
Dropping down from her seat into the narrow ledge, Wendy started to scoot towards her goal until she felt the lines around her ankles grow taut. She griped the back of the tank to keep her balance. Wendy stretched towards her robe with her left hand, missing the fluffy garment by mere inches. She strained further and further, her face twitching as the nature-based ropes dug deeper into each foot.
"Almost…there…"
With her last swipe, Wendy's eyes became saucers as she watched the momentum sway the hanging robe. It was about to fall off of the ledge.
"Oh, no – no - no!"
Her last chance at escape would soon be out of her reach. Using all of her strength, Wendy made a grab towards the falling article. With luck on her side, she was able to snag the end of the robe's belt by her fingertips.
*PHEW!*
Collecting her nerves, Wendy slowly pulled the belt towards her, dragging the oversized piece of clothing bit by bit. She feared if she rushed it, there would be a chance that her hatchet would slip from its hiding place, making her getaway impossible.
The robe now within range, Wendy pulled it into her lap and opened it up. The tip of her weapon reflected the natural light coming from overhead. She drew the hatchet from its resting place, allowing the white covering to go over the edge of the pool.
She noticed that the bubbles were starting to become less frequent. The piranhas were finishing their meal. It would only be a matter of time before they noticed her.
Wendy bent over as far as she could and slid her hatchet into the water. Grabbing into her left leg with her free hand, she used the razor-sharp tip of the blade to slice away at the seaweed holding her captive. A second later, she noticed that her left leg could move freely. Wendy instantly pulled it out of the water and rested it behind her.
In response, the kelp seemed to tighten its hold on her right foot. Wendy gave it another thrust, hoping that the added weight and momentum would allow for an easier break. Unfortunately, every jerk was defeated by the heavy clumps anchored to the pool's flooring.
Wendy could hear the bubbling growing closer. She gasped as the vicious swarm was heading her way.
With seconds left, Wendy slid the hatchet back into the water and rubbed the point against the remaining weeds. She watched as the severed pieces floated down to the rocky floor.
"C'mon…" Beads of sweat traveled down her freckled forehead. "C'mon!" Time was running out!
At long last, the hatchet released the final strand from her foot. Wendy jumped up onto her seat, both legs now safe from the black fish's flesh-cravings. She watched as the flock rammed against her side of the pool, and upon finding their meal gone, they split and swam back around the circular structure.
Wendy took breath after breath. She couldn't get her heart back down her throat. As a precaution, she pulled her knees up to her chest and double-checked to make sure she escaped unscathed.
"Let's see, let's see…one, two, three, four…alright…" Wendy examined her other foot. "Five, six, seven, eight…" She wiped the sweat from her brow, "Good…awesome…all eight accounted for."
Wendy watched the piranhas explore their new confides as she attempted to gather her thoughts. "What kind of messed-up place is this? Killer quicksand? Piranhas in the water filters? It's more like a haunted house than a spa!"
Her fear was swiftly replaced by anger. The next objective was made clear – she needed to find Mabel and get out of this madhouse.
Wendy reclaimed her robe and slippers. She exited the room, finding herself lost again in the maze of white hallways. Despite the stressful obstacle placed before her, Wendy kept her cool. She traveled the passage, poking her head into each room until she would find her companion.
"Sooner or later, I'll bump into her," Wendy noted. "All I have to do is listen, and follow the sound…"
Sure enough, the further Wendy went into the hallway, the more she could make out Mabel's instinctive voice. Tracking the tone led her to a nearby room. Wendy walked into the opened doorway, finding Mabel seated once again between the two adoring hosts.
Still donning her robe, Mabel was placed in a small chair with her hands placed on the sides. Her bare feet were rested on a small mount in front of the seat. Hans stood at her left, carefully painting all of the nails on her left hand a light pink shade. Klaus knelt at her knee-height, applying the same to each of her toes.
They all laughed as Mabel continued her story, "…and so I says to Grenda and Candy, "You girls are cray-cray!""
The hilarity and mirth grew louder as Wendy stormed into the room.
"Hey, there, lady!" Mabel welcomed her chaperone. "How did you like – " She trailed off after seeing the serious expression plastered on Wendy's face. "What – What's the matter?"
Wendy walked past the men and grabbed Mabel by the wrist, "I hate to do this to ya, munchkin, but we got to go. Like right now!"
"What?!"
Mabel was pulled to her feet. She tried to pry herself free from Wendy's grasp, "But – But – "
Klaus stood back up, "But she hasn't finished her treatments yet!"
"Thanks, but no thanks, guys!" Wendy declined for her friend.
"Wendy – " Mabel dug her heels into the tiled floor until she was able to break free. "Wendy, hang on a sec – please!" She pulled her arm away, "Just what is wrong with you?"
The ginger spun around, "Listen, Mabel. This may sound crazy, but something is definitely wrong here! I mean, the "uh-oh" with the quicksand was one thing, but having piranhas in the fish pedicure? These guys are super messed up!"
The two men took offense by Wendy's claim.
"Piranhas?! In our tank?!"
"That's absurd!"
Wendy placed her hands on her hips and lurched forward, "Are you two weirdos calling me a liar?!"
"Whoa! Whoa!" Mabel rushed in between the two groups and used her arms to separate them. She lifted her head towards the tall lumberjack, "And you know I believe you, Wendy, but are you sure about this?"
"Sure I'm sure!" Wendy insisted. "The red light turned on and all these black fish were released into the pool. They swooped in and made mince-meat of those other guys!"
Mabel covered her mouth with both hands and gasped. The two caretakers looked at each other with a apologetic appearance.
"Ohhh…"
The pint-sized pixie spun around to face her assistants, "…What?"
Hans lowered himself to Mabel's level, "There is…some truth in your friend's words…"
"Perhaps," Klaus offered, "It would be easier to show you…"
The twosome took their leave, escorting Mabel back the way they came. Wendy stood alone in the room, dumbfounded by what had just happened.
"Mabel! Mabel! Wait a second!"
The three entered the fish pedicure room (with Wendy following behind on their heels). Hans slowly walked up to the tank. Wendy could see that the black school still swirled around in their new habitat. Without any warning, he threw his arm over the ledge and deep into the water.
"Dude!" Wendy cried out. "Are you insane?! Don't – "
The man flinched slightly before removing his arm. Cupping his palm, he walked to Mabel and got down on one knee. He opened his hand, revealing a tiny black fish squirming around in some water residue.
"That's it!" Wendy pointed out. "That's the little creep that could have cost me a toe!"
"Actually," Hans began. "That would be impossible." He met Mabel's brown eyes, "This is what we in the spa business call a "chin-chin." Very similar to the "garra rufa," except for one key difference…"
He used his thumb to press against the lips of the fish, revealing row after row of sharpened teeth.
"Such teeth are too weak to seriously wound a human being…" He displayed a tiny cut on his thumb. "But to something its own size…the truth of the matter is, Fraulein Pines, is that this is how we clean up after the little fishies. The chin-chins and garra rufas are natural enemies. A confrontation usually results in elimination of the latter."
Klaus added his two cents, "Afterwards, the chin-chins are pumped out of the pool, where they live out the rest of their life spans."
"The chin-chin expires shortly once they have had a meal…"
Hans placed a gentle hand against Mabel's chin, "We are so very sorry for the deception…" He then took a long hard stare straight at Wendy, "…but we simply meant not to offend your delicate sensitivities…"
"That doesn't mean anything!" Wendy snapped back. "If anything, why would you have those things out while a person is in that tank?"
"But…we didn't!"
"The red button went on and let those things loose!"
Klaus asked the angered redhead, "Why didn't you just pull your legs out?"
"What?!"
"I said, when the red light came on, and you seen the chin-chins entering the water, why didn't you come down and tell us what had happened?"
Wendy stopped for a moment, as a sense of awkwardness overcame her.
"I tried to leave," she looked down at the ground, "But my feet got caught up in a seaweed patch…"
The adults balked in disbelief at the girl before them.
"How…how does one do such a thing?"
Hans took a step towards Wendy as he raised his voice, "Did you try to swim around in the vat? This place is not made for horseplay!"
Being challenged, the teen found herself ready to fight back, "Hey, I didn't – "
"Actually, Hans…" Mabel spoke with a hint of regret in her voice, "It's – It's my fault. I'm the one who got Wendy stuck." The pre-teen played with her fingers in a nervous fashion. "She was afraid to dip her legs into the pool – "
"I wasn't afraid!"
"Were so! Anyways, I may have pushed Wendy into the water and she reached the bottom. That's probably how all the bad stuff happened…"
Wendy's mouth dropped at Mabel's admission. Amiss her resentment and blind rage, she had completely forgotten about that tiny detail. She hated to admit it, but it did manage to explain a lot of her misfortune.
"…so if you guys want to be mad at somebody, be mad at me…"
The lanky young adult placed a calming hand on Mabel's shoulder, "Kid, you know I couldn't be mad with you if I tried. Besides, it wasn't your fault. It was just an accident; there's no way you could have guessed that was gonna happen."
"R-Really?"
Wendy shook her head.
"Does that mean we can still stay the rest of the day?"
Wendy stood back up and threw her arm across her chest, "Absolutely not! All the other stuff, Mabel: the quicksand, the biting fish; now that was their fault! What's next? Are they going to lock me into a tanning booth and cook me like a rotisserie chicken?" She raised a hand to her forehead, "You know, I'm starting to think that Dipper was right about – "
"I KNEW IT!" Mabel now had the ammunition to argue back. "Dipper and his worry-wart-ism got into your head, hasn't it?"
"N-No…" Wendy tried her best to watch her tongue, lest let Mabel in on the terms of her accompanying her in the first place.
"Yes, it has! It's making you think that there's a boogeyman waiting for you around every corner!"
"Well, Mabel," Wendy placed her hands in the pockets of her robe. "Did it ever occur to you that Dipper is usually right about these kinds of things?"
"Perhaps," Mabel coughed up. "But then again, if we all were to live like Dipper, we'd never have any fun! We'd just sit in a room reading ghost stories day in and out, save for the occasional monster hunt."
"That's not true! Dip and I do tons of cool stuff that – "
"Admit it, Wendy." Mabel crossed her arms, seeing that the irritated cashier was playing right into her hands. "Hanging out with my dork of a twin brother has made you…soft."
"WHAT?! YOU'RE CALLING ME "SOFT?!"
"Yep! I thought you were a warrior princess from Venus that could take on the world! And here you are, Dipper's fellow bookworm in training…"
"I'm not – " Wendy pointed at the two men watching the girls argue from a safe space. "I can take anything those guys could toss at me!"
Mabel gently slapped her friend's shoulder, "Well, you got me there, champ…" She plodded back towards the hosts, "I think we're ready to go again, if you'll have us…"
Hans and Klaus shared a glance and gave their answer:
"Of course, Fraulein Pines…"
"Anything for one as sweet as you…"
Wendy turned white. How was it that she was being outdone by someone that still believed in the Tooth Fairy?
"Now, hold on!" She stormed towards Mabel, "I never said – "
"Tell you what, Wendy," the little tween promised. "Give me one last chance to find something that you'll like, and if we can't, I swear we'll leave."
"Mabel, I – "
"Oh, I'm sure I can turn your perspective around one-hundred-and eighty degrees if given the chance…" She motioned towards Hans, "Do you guys have a list of the other activities here?"
"Certainly…" He reached into his back pocket and gave Mabel his diagram. She sped through the registry at lightning speed, "No, no, no, that's too hot, that's too cold…" Her soft eyes grew as she spotted the perfect subject.
"There!" She highlighted the activity and presented it to her crushes. "We wanna do that one!"
"Excellent! We shall make the proper arrangements…"
"Great!"
The three walked back to the exit as a still-stunned Wendy remained behind. She raced to the doorway. "Mabel, wait!" .
Wendy watched as her responsibility ignored her, continuing on the way towards the main lobby. Shaking her head in dismay, the defeated teenager could do nothing but reluctantly tag along at a distance, remembering the pledge she had made to Dipper…