The other Pine

Dipper vs Manliness

Mal smiled as she observed Tyler run around the shop annoying her Grunkle, Mable and Dipper weren't in the shop so the youngest triplet decided to put forth her best efforts to play nice with the incredibly stupid tourists and locals that reside in the shop. Now, of course, Stan was one to exploit his great-nieces' brain as often as he could, so, she used some 'science talk' as the rest of the family deemed it, to make things more 'exotic' and 'rare' sounding. 

Yeah. A joy.

"I like to get my Christmas shopping done early." Tyler explained in the center of the shop, "Do you have anything that's in the spirit of the season?"

Mal watched brow quirked as her uncle scrambled to find something quickly. "Uh, how about these crystals?"

Those crystals were parts of the window he broke when he launched the television out of it.

The customer lent over to inspect them, "Haha! Looks like broken glass." He smiled gullibly, speaking in a somewhat strident tone. 

"What are you, a cop?" Her Grunkle snapped, pulling the bowl protectively, "Besides its not glass it's.." He trailed looking at the dark brunette. 

She hummed glancing up, " A non-crystalline, amorphous solid?" She guessed. What did he expect her to say, that's what it was! Not her fault non-crystalline was in the name, maybe he shouldn't try to sell shards of garbage. 

Hah, who's she kidding? 

Luckily his attention was caught by the new shipment they'd gotten earlier as he disappeared with a squeal about 'new things.' 

Before she could be scolded, her siblings entered the shop with a ring of the bell. 

"Grunkle Stan?" Dipper asked stopping in front of the counter. 

Mabel finished his question for him, "Can we go to the diner? We're hungry." She whined slightly grabbing onto her abdomen and Dipper following in pursuit, doing a weird mixture of hitting their stomachs against each other and grumbling. Malika shifted somewhat awkwardly as she went to stand next to her siblings. 

"Yeah, sure. Soon as this yahoo makes up his mind." He states, pointing to Tyler who was staring at a furred trout. 

"Do you have this in another animal?" He asked, oblivious to the family planning. 

Stan's face grows tired, "I'm fine locking him inside if you are."

At the curt nods from her siblings, the next thing Mal knew was she was seated in a Diner next to Dipper, wiping down the sticky table with her sanitization rag. The smell of sugared syrup invaded her senses mixing with the sharp tang of coffee. Clattered chatter battled with the busy inner workings of the kitchen, porcelain clinking against each other and the scrape of a spatula on a heated grill.  Mal hummed ignoring the menu her brother had tried to shover her way, opting rather for basking in the glow of morning, a small spark of serenity hanging upon her shoulders. He lotus pin gleamed in the sun rays while both her eyes shined in the lambent streams, gleaming a battle of green and blue. With a huff, she nudged up her wayward frames so they sat correctly on her nose, tugging at her smartly dressed plumb button up. 

In the end, it was her Grunkle who sprung her from her moment of peace, greeting the waitress happily "Lazy Susan! There's my little ray of sunshine! Where were you yesterday?" he inquired in a tone Malika was sure meant to be 'charming.'

"I got hit by a bus!" Was her grating answer. 

Mal shuddered as their laughter became forced and awkward, finding interest in playing with the long tendrils of her hair that curled neatly on her lap. Not looking up as she fiddled with a caramel highlight that twisted strangely against the deep chocolate locks.