[ Valentines Day: a corporate conspiracy conceived by candy makers, rose growers, and jewellers to get people to spend money on junk. ] Oh. Yeah, that too.
Unfortunately, folks here never bought into the whole candy and chocolates thing. Local lore revolves around farmers and their fields. Lovers are supposedly tied together to a post and left in their crop to [ be burned alive ] play scarecrow for a week.
Oh no no no, of course not. You're backyard I have something else in mind for! I'm sure I could find somewhere nearby though that nobody's using. Or I could probably ask that magic...horse guy? For some land! He's supposed to grant you wishes if you give him those weird coins right? I'll find somewhere.
[And it'll be great! She'll grow corn and strawberries and pumpkins and all of the good fruits and vegetables!]
Horse guy? [ Mabel may only be bluffing but mention of the Tikbalang alone is concerning. Stan is plenty familiar with the demons work. Enough to know he wants his niece to have nothing to do with him. ] How do you know about him?
I've heard people talking about him, and read about him on the network! This one person apparently even bought wings so they could fly! Isn't that cool? I think I wanna buy wings from him too, I wanna fly!
[But Stan she's earning these coins (somehow) all by herself!]
He's a demon, Mabel. You really think he just gives this stuff away? I've been to the races and that horse is a loser. Trust me, you want nothing to do with him.
You give him those coins, right? It's not for free, you gotta pay him! And well obviously I'll just have to be specific! It's like saying you want a hundred US dollars instead of a hundred bucks, or you'll end up with a hundred deer, right? "I want feathery pink wings that sparkle, coming out of my back, that are big enough and strong enough that I can fly with them. But not so big that I fall over because they're too heavy." See? That'll be a perfect wish.
[She's totally got this.]
Besides, I think even a demon would be hard pressed to do something mean to a cute little girl like me.
Where do you think those coins come from? It sure ain't me leavin' them around, I'll tell you that. You're letting some one trick pony into your mind here, paying him in what might as well be magical horse dollars.
[ Maybe 'pony' wasn't the best choice of word when explaining a monster to a twelve-year-old but it still beat the alternative for the jackass. She's playing right into his hooves and Stan fears the price she'll pay because of it. Even with such a well-planned wish, there are loopholes to exploit and some unpleasant quest left to earn it. Coins weren't always enough. ]
What if you only have them at night; they fall off and grow back every moon? Or, I don't know, you can only fly after you've drank somebodies blood?
Uughh then I will just have to be even more specific. It'll be fine! I am very good at being so specific that there is no room for messing anything up. I do everything with extreme precision! That's what it means to be an ar-teest! [A hair flip to go with that, which causes glitter to go everywhere and reminds her of why she was trying to find him in the first place.]
You know, we can discuss this later. I have something so much more important to discuss with you!
[ Whatever response had been on his tongue is forgotten at the glitter to catch his eye. He watches it dance in the light, gracefully fluttering down onto Mabel's sweater. The rest that settled there greet him warmly, sparkling as she moves. Stan notices she's holding something in her hand, his head tilting slightly before his attention returns to his niece.
He wonders what's so important it can't wait. ] I'm all ears. What's on your mind, pumpkin?
[Well it has something to do with glitter if he couldn't guess. But her smile quickly returns to her face as she holds up a card to him. It's on pink paper, on the front in very glittery letters reads "Happy Valentine's Day!". There are various doodled hearts everywhere, and rhinestones carefully glued in the middle of each.
When he opens it, on the right side is a message:
"Happy Valentine's Day, Grunkle Stan! I'm really, really, REALLY glad that we get to spend it together! I thought once the summer was over, I'd have to mail you a card, but now I get to hand deliver it! Can you say best day ever?
I'm making dinner tonight, so don't you sweat a thing! Since none of us have dates, I figured we could all be each others "dates", and we'll have a delicious dinner of glitter pizza!
Gonna make this the best V-Day ever, okay? Just leave it to Mabel!
❤ Mabel!
On the left side of the card is a skillfully made Grunkle Stan, but it's not drawn! Each piece was cut out of fabric. Dark red furry fabric used for his face and hands and feet, silky black fabric for his suit, a patterned red for his fez...even some grey yarn used for his hair! Plus two black rhinestone eyes surrounded by hand stitched black glasses. Look at this handsome devil. There's more hearts surrounding him, more rhinestones glued on there, glitter everywhere...it's a very, very shiny card.
And meanwhile, Mabel is waiting excitedly for him to take and look it over.]
[ Stan plucks the card from his nieces hands, his eyes drawn to the various stones and decorations on the page. He tilts it forward, mesmerized by its glow and the warmth it brings, even before reading it. A valentines card? He can't remember the last time he'd seen one of these, never mind received one. Glancing back at his niece, Stan smiles at the thought before proceeding to open the card.
His smile grows wide, his pupils large at the radiant sparkles inside. It's hard to pull away from their shine but the smooth, silky surface beneath his thumb leads him to the goblin sewn in the corner. The detail is astounding and time Mabel must have spent on it even more so. He can feel the tears forming in his eyes but stubbornly holds them back.
Kneeling down to her level, Stan brings his arm around his niece and pulls her as close as his spikes allow. ] Thanks, sweetie. Happy Valentine's Day to you too.
Don't worry about dinner. If there's one thing I can do, it's cook. [ The enticing smell that had once coaxed inhabitants of the shack into the kitchen replaced by the stench of burnt food, Stan's reminded of the pancakes he'd been frying. The pan on the stove behind them bursts aflame and pulls Stan from his niece. ] Sweet lord!
[ Rising to his feet, he grasps the pan and lifts it from the element. Ice crawls out from beneath his hand, moving from the handle and encompassing the pan. It hisses, the flames quickly extinguished and excitement brought to and end as quickly as it started. ... okay, so, maybe having someone else cook for a change wasn't such a bad idea. Defeated, he gives in. ]
Your ice powers are so cool...I hope I get ice powers!
[Like seriously, they have been so useful so far, and would be so great. She could make it snow all the time, even in the middle of summer! She could use them to help her and all her friends cool off when it's too hot! Can you say ice skating rink whenever she wants? Plus literal ice skates? Or, better yet, an entire ice outfit!! She'd be the queen of winter! But she puffs her chest out proudly when it's left to her.]
Leave it to Mabel! It's going to have hand made dough and everything! The best dinner to share with a bunch of bachelors!
[She is going to make sure every Pines family member is at that table. And maybe Fiddleford?? If he's over for it??]
You're going to be so impressed you'll want me to cook dinner every night, I bet. But that's not all I wanted to talk to you about.
[ Looking from Mabel to the frozen pan, he laughs at the unintended pun before setting it back on the stove. While he may not share the same enthusiasm, Stan can't deny how useful his powers have proven.
Ice hadn't come nearly as easy as fire. When his blood boiled and veins ran hot, flames burst from his hands. He could always call on the anger that fueled it, summon from deep in the pit of his stomach the fierce storm flames that emerged from his mouth. Ice, on the other hand, it required concentration and practice to mold into anything even moderately impressive. He'd acquired the ability well over a year but of all the things Mabel dreams, he can only make a skating rink at most.
Listening to his niece boast, he turns off the stove element and walks to the fridge to hang her card. Stan suspects the pizza to consist of gemstones and glitter but has no intention of talking her out of it. He won't stifle his nieces creativity. Whatever she makes he's certain he'll enjoy, plastic and all. After all, no one has ever offered to treat him to dinner. ]
It's not about money, is it? [ She probably needed him to shell some gold for groceries. ]
[Needing all of that concentration just made it more impressive, though of course Mabel would be pleased as punch with fire just as much as she is with ice. Magic all around is great, and sometimes she kind of hopes she's a Goblin too. Because what isn't great about having magic? But her monster dreams are big and change almost hourly sometimes, and whatever she turns into, she's sure it'll be great. And will also nab her a vampire boyfriend.
And hey, surely in some countries plastic is good for you. Or you know...maybe it's good for monsters! Aren't there some monsters that eat things like rock? If monsters can eat rocks, they can eat plastic gemstones and glitter.]
Nope! [Wait. Would it?] Well...I guess maybe? I don't know, I've never built one before. But, do you think that we could build a treehouse? I was climbing trees when I got these arms, and it was really fun, and I think I just really like being in trees because I wanna hang out in them all the time. And someone I was talking to suggested getting myself a treehouse so that I could do that more comfortably! And I think that's a really great idea!!
[But she can't even do it on her own without help, plus she has no idea where she'd even be able to build it. She'd want it to be near home, not in the forest or anything...so that means she needs Stan's blessing. And she'll move to stand under him, and under the card he just put on the fridge, to smile up at him with big, pleading eyes.]
[ It's not an unreasonable request. Stan had always thought the attic to be an acceptable space however a treehouse would give her a place to call her own. It'd also reduce the foot traffic through the house and keep guests from getting too close to his treasure. The material wouldn't be much trouble to find and with plenty of trees surrounding the shack, it'd be right in the backyard.
No, a treehouse wouldn't be trouble at all. What bothers him are the implications of her words. The behavior she describes is not of an ice-wielding monster but one of the skies. His expression changes from thoughtful to a frown. Maybe she's some sort of winged creature like a harpy or demon.
Looking down at his niece, his expression softens at her pleading eyes before hardening again. He averts his gaze, knowing he'll weaken if he looks too long into those brown eyes. ] I'll think about it. Trouble with birdhouses is you never know who might move in.
Eeeeeeeee!! [She immediately attaches to his waist with as tight of a hug as she can manage (which is probably pretty impressive with those long arms and the fact that she's happy this time, compared to the last time she tried to cut of circulation to his legs.]
Thank you, thank you, thank you! And don't worry, I won't let anyone move in! It'd basically be a big glowing "Pines Only" sign! Except not very glowy, since I don't know if they have Christmas lights here or anything.
[But many that'd be cool if they did. Do they have jars? Maybe she can do that "string up mason jars and put tea lights in them" trick...]
Oof! [ Mabel might not squeeze the life out of him but she certainly comes close. ] They've got string lights, Mabel. It's not the eighteen hundreds. At least, I don't think it is. [ Who knew with this place.
He places a hand on her head and ruffles her hair affectionally. Gruff as his voice, the trace of a smile can be found on his face. He may not have agreed to the treehouse but they both knew it was a matter of time before he caved. Stan starts to pull away from her hold. ] Alright alright. That's enough. Get off of me. You got a big day ahead of you, pumpkin. Make sure you eat something.
[ Short a handyman, Stan wonders if his brother could help with such a project. ]
Are you sure? Sometimes this place seems pretty old. [Like older than you, old. But alright she'll let up, reaching up to fix her hair with a grin.]
Oh I'll make sure to eat plenty, don't you worry! Gotta whole lot planned today! Gotta make that pizza, hand out the last three Valentines I have, plus some super special decorating for tonight's dinner. Going to have to keep my energy up.
[Meaning she's gonna go straight for the sugar when she gets the chance.]
You better be prepared for the best bromantic dinner of your life!
[Haha bromantic, get it? Since you'll both be dining with your brothers?]
[ Apart from their exports, the neighbouring towns kept to their own. Rota and Kullen showed no interest in abandoning their ways, those looking for change moving to Bavan or the now prosperous Vandare. They were more the sort he suspects Mabel is thinking of, farming and working by candlelight.
Looking around the kitchen, Stan ponders the special decorating his niece has planned. The room differs little from that in Oregon, saws and axes on the walls and the occasional taxidermy project on the countertop. A tablecloth alone would suffice but he suspects there's far more in store. So long as she doesn't let any sunlight in, she has more or less free rein.
He narrows his eyes, uncertain of the idea of a 'bromantic' evening. He's certain Soos has used the word before or something similar. The implications are incredibly questionable. ]
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[Does that ring any bells?]
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Unfortunately, folks here never bought into the whole candy and chocolates thing. Local lore revolves around farmers and their fields. Lovers are supposedly tied together to a post and left in their crop to [ be burned alive ] play scarecrow for a week.
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[You sure you don't want to just take the card instead of putting these ideas in her head, Stan? She's very impressionable! (She's teasing.)]
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Where you plannin' on planting? It wouldn't be my backyard, would it? [ These ideas could earn him money. The more she has the better. ]
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[And it'll be great! She'll grow corn and strawberries and pumpkins and all of the good fruits and vegetables!]
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[But Stan she's earning these coins (somehow) all by herself!]
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Besides, wings don't even promise you flight.
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[She's totally got this.]
Besides, I think even a demon would be hard pressed to do something mean to a cute little girl like me.
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[ Maybe 'pony' wasn't the best choice of word when explaining a monster to a twelve-year-old but it still beat the alternative for the jackass. She's playing right into his hooves and Stan fears the price she'll pay because of it. Even with such a well-planned wish, there are loopholes to exploit and some unpleasant quest left to earn it. Coins weren't always enough. ]
What if you only have them at night; they fall off and grow back every moon? Or, I don't know, you can only fly after you've drank somebodies blood?
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You know, we can discuss this later. I have something so much more important to discuss with you!
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He wonders what's so important it can't wait. ] I'm all ears. What's on your mind, pumpkin?
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When he opens it, on the right side is a message:
"Happy Valentine's Day, Grunkle Stan! I'm really, really, REALLY glad that we get to spend it together! I thought once the summer was over, I'd have to mail you a card, but now I get to hand deliver it! Can you say best day ever?
I'm making dinner tonight, so don't you sweat a thing! Since none of us have dates, I figured we could all be each others "dates", and we'll have a delicious dinner of glitter pizza!
Gonna make this the best V-Day ever, okay? Just leave it to Mabel!
❤ Mabel!
On the left side of the card is a skillfully made Grunkle Stan, but it's not drawn! Each piece was cut out of fabric. Dark red furry fabric used for his face and hands and feet, silky black fabric for his suit, a patterned red for his fez...even some grey yarn used for his hair! Plus two black rhinestone eyes surrounded by hand stitched black glasses. Look at this handsome devil. There's more hearts surrounding him, more rhinestones glued on there, glitter everywhere...it's a very, very shiny card.
And meanwhile, Mabel is waiting excitedly for him to take and look it over.]
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His smile grows wide, his pupils large at the radiant sparkles inside. It's hard to pull away from their shine but the smooth, silky surface beneath his thumb leads him to the goblin sewn in the corner. The detail is astounding and time Mabel must have spent on it even more so. He can feel the tears forming in his eyes but stubbornly holds them back.
Kneeling down to her level, Stan brings his arm around his niece and pulls her as close as his spikes allow. ] Thanks, sweetie. Happy Valentine's Day to you too.
Don't worry about dinner. If there's one thing I can do, it's cook. [ The enticing smell that had once coaxed inhabitants of the shack into the kitchen replaced by the stench of burnt food, Stan's reminded of the pancakes he'd been frying. The pan on the stove behind them bursts aflame and pulls Stan from his niece. ] Sweet lord!
[ Rising to his feet, he grasps the pan and lifts it from the element. Ice crawls out from beneath his hand, moving from the handle and encompassing the pan. It hisses, the flames quickly extinguished and excitement brought to and end as quickly as it started.
... okay, so, maybe having someone else cook for a change wasn't such a bad idea. Defeated, he gives in. ]
Alright. Tonight dinner's on you.
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[Like seriously, they have been so useful so far, and would be so great. She could make it snow all the time, even in the middle of summer! She could use them to help her and all her friends cool off when it's too hot! Can you say ice skating rink whenever she wants? Plus literal ice skates? Or, better yet, an entire ice outfit!! She'd be the queen of winter! But she puffs her chest out proudly when it's left to her.]
Leave it to Mabel! It's going to have hand made dough and everything! The best dinner to share with a bunch of bachelors!
[She is going to make sure every Pines family member is at that table. And maybe Fiddleford?? If he's over for it??]
You're going to be so impressed you'll want me to cook dinner every night, I bet. But that's not all I wanted to talk to you about.
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Ice hadn't come nearly as easy as fire. When his blood boiled and veins ran hot, flames burst from his hands. He could always call on the anger that fueled it, summon from deep in the pit of his stomach the fierce storm flames that emerged from his mouth. Ice, on the other hand, it required concentration and practice to mold into anything even moderately impressive. He'd acquired the ability well over a year but of all the things Mabel dreams, he can only make a skating rink at most.
Listening to his niece boast, he turns off the stove element and walks to the fridge to hang her card. Stan suspects the pizza to consist of gemstones and glitter but has no intention of talking her out of it. He won't stifle his nieces creativity. Whatever she makes he's certain he'll enjoy, plastic and all. After all, no one has ever offered to treat him to dinner. ]
It's not about money, is it? [ She probably needed him to shell some gold for groceries. ]
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And hey, surely in some countries plastic is good for you. Or you know...maybe it's good for monsters! Aren't there some monsters that eat things like rock? If monsters can eat rocks, they can eat plastic gemstones and glitter.]
Nope! [Wait. Would it?] Well...I guess maybe? I don't know, I've never built one before. But, do you think that we could build a treehouse? I was climbing trees when I got these arms, and it was really fun, and I think I just really like being in trees because I wanna hang out in them all the time. And someone I was talking to suggested getting myself a treehouse so that I could do that more comfortably! And I think that's a really great idea!!
[But she can't even do it on her own without help, plus she has no idea where she'd even be able to build it. She'd want it to be near home, not in the forest or anything...so that means she needs Stan's blessing. And she'll move to stand under him, and under the card he just put on the fridge, to smile up at him with big, pleading eyes.]
Pleeeaaaaasssee?
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No, a treehouse wouldn't be trouble at all. What bothers him are the implications of her words. The behavior she describes is not of an ice-wielding monster but one of the skies. His expression changes from thoughtful to a frown. Maybe she's some sort of winged creature like a harpy or demon.
Looking down at his niece, his expression softens at her pleading eyes before hardening again. He averts his gaze, knowing he'll weaken if he looks too long into those brown eyes. ] I'll think about it. Trouble with birdhouses is you never know who might move in.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you! And don't worry, I won't let anyone move in! It'd basically be a big glowing "Pines Only" sign! Except not very glowy, since I don't know if they have Christmas lights here or anything.
[But many that'd be cool if they did. Do they have jars? Maybe she can do that "string up mason jars and put tea lights in them" trick...]
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He places a hand on her head and ruffles her hair affectionally. Gruff as his voice, the trace of a smile can be found on his face. He may not have agreed to the treehouse but they both knew it was a matter of time before he caved. Stan starts to pull away from her hold. ] Alright alright. That's enough. Get off of me. You got a big day ahead of you, pumpkin. Make sure you eat something.
[ Short a handyman, Stan wonders if his brother could help with such a project. ]
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Oh I'll make sure to eat plenty, don't you worry! Gotta whole lot planned today! Gotta make that pizza, hand out the last three Valentines I have, plus some super special decorating for tonight's dinner. Going to have to keep my energy up.
[Meaning she's gonna go straight for the sugar when she gets the chance.]
You better be prepared for the best bromantic dinner of your life!
[Haha bromantic, get it? Since you'll both be dining with your brothers?]
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Looking around the kitchen, Stan ponders the special decorating his niece has planned. The room differs little from that in Oregon, saws and axes on the walls and the occasional taxidermy project on the countertop. A tablecloth alone would suffice but he suspects there's far more in store. So long as she doesn't let any sunlight in, she has more or less free rein.
He narrows his eyes, uncertain of the idea of a 'bromantic' evening. He's certain Soos has used the word before or something similar. The implications are incredibly questionable. ]
The best... what?