Dipper noticed that something seemed off about Mabel. She was in a way better mood than usual, which was great, but something felt wrong. He had found her napping during her breaks, which wasn't necessarily odd. She seemed to sleep so peacefully; ever since the day he had tracked mud into the shack. Dipper had even noticed Mabel giggling in her sleep, which, once again, wasn't that odd. It was how often Mabel would laugh or giggle at something and claim it was an inside joke.
The woman hadn't been out of the Shack since they arrived and with nearly 4 weeks without outside contact, the "inside joke" excuse seemed more and more suspicious.
"Hey Mabel?" Dipper started, while sitting down to lunch with his sister at the diner. "Hm?" Mabel responded softly, gazing out the window in what looked like a daydream. "Mabel!" The older twin snapped out of her trance like state. "Y-yeah? What's up?" She finally responded, sheepishly. "Is there something wrong?" Dipper asked, concern obvious from his tone. "Of course not, silly!" It sounded like Mabel was fighting to remain alert. "You keep spacing out and stuff. It's almost like when you meet a guy you- Oh… Oh! You like a guy huh?" Dipper came to his own conclusions, which weren't entirely wrong.
"Uh what? There's no way I-I could have those kinds of feelings for him…?" Mabel attempted to defend herself, but it came off as more of a question than a statement. "So you do have someone you like?!" Dipper was obvious with his surprise. "I mean, you don't even go out that much, besides the forest and- wait… Are you thinking of getting back with Jeff?" Mabel's face was slightly pink with rage. "I would never get with him!" The younger twin held up his hands in defense. "Okay! Okay! I get it! Yeesh… So, if not him, who? Do I know him?" Mabel's slightly pink face when to a slightly brighter shade and she looked away out of embarrassment. "Yeah, you know him." Now he was getting somewhere! "You gonna tell me who my twin sister has googly eyes for or?" There was a shift in her posture. "I've got a better idea, he'll tell you himself!" The brunette huffed with slight aggravation.
The twins finally got to order and ate their meals in near silence. 'You want me to tell him I've been hanging out with you?' Bill's voice bounced through her mind. 'Well, he'll only hear "some evil demon plotting to hurt MY sister" if I tell him.' She thought in response. 'Good point. Good point.' Bill pondered a way to keep both twins oblivious to the plan he had set in motion. 'I've got something that might just work. Then Pine Tree won't be worried and you and I can keep spending time together.' Mabel smiled slightly. The thought that a once enemy was willing to do whatever it took to keep a friend, made her heart beat a little quicker.
The demonic gentleman's schemes were going better than he could've ever dreamed. Shooting Star was falling for even the smallest gestures of kindness. Soon, she would be his to control. Not just for the destruction of the Pines family, but for everyone who would dare oppose him. Mabel was just a human, but she was caring, quirky, and charismatic to a level Bill hadn't seen in a long time. With her under his command, he could win over just about everyone. Mabel would be his ace, his lady luck, and his star- no… His Shooting Star! The demon laughed with delight, only pausing to glance at Dipper. 'Now… What am I gonna do with you~?' Bill asked himself silently. 'Oh! I have just the thing~!'