This can't be happening. Did Ford know about this? He mentioned the book infected other books, but wouldn't he have brought up it infected technology as well? Should Dipper move the book out of the lab, or is it safer contained down here? While everyone mocked it prior, had it been slowly infecting them too?

Dipper took some shaky deep breaths to calm down. Bill had no power over him if he didn't allow him to. For all he knew, Bill targeted the computer because of the last time Dipper made a deal, but he would never allow himself to become a puppet again. The storm would probably prevent him from contacting Ford, but everything was fine as long as he relaxed and-

"HEY DIPPER WHATCHA DOING?"

Dipper nearly jumped out of his skin at his sister's sudden shrill greeting.

"MABEL! I thought you were upstairs with Waddles!"

"I was! Waddles and I were gonna become professional mud divers, but Melody suggested something less messy and more indoors. So I made Waddles and I matching sweaters, see!"

Mabel posed in the candlelight showing off her newest worn knitted creation reading "When Pigs Dive!" and a picture of Waddles diving into a mud pool. After being sure Dipper had fully appreciated it, she continued, "Then I figured you were probably being a sad nerd in the dark, so I brought something to spice things up! Bap!"

Dipper blinked down at the sticker Mabel playfully slapped onto the back of his hand. "You're a star!" it happily proclaimed. He watched her cover the walls with glow-in-the-dark stars and a few miscellaneous ones, casting the room in soft green light. As she came back around to add stickers to the surrounding objects, however, his eyes widened and he quickly called out, "Mabel wait!"

"Relax bro-bro, Grunkle Ford's gonna love these stickers! Who doesn't want a lab full of Mabel?," she retorted while placing a sun-with-sunglasses on the prism and a few more glow stars beneath it.

"No, Mabel, I mean the stuff on this table might be dangerous!"

Mabel stopped briefly, surveyed the desk, shrugged, and then returned to adding decorations.

"I'm not gonna burn myself on the candle or cut myself on the dagger, Dipper. Even I don't have fire-proof stickers," she contemplated for a second and then added, "...yet".

"But Bill is-"

"A literal ghostwriter I know, but don't worry, he isn't worthy of my stickers after what he did," and she stuck a crescent moon on the dagger while intentionally dodging the book and blowing a raspberry at it.

Dipper finally grabbed his sister's arm and prevented her from ignoring him any longer.

"Mabel I am being serious when I say, I think Bill is in the computer."

Mabel quieted for a few seconds and then came up with, "So he's making a PC game too? Is it any fun or do you have to give your blood for that as well?"

"No that's not…I mean he's answering my searches."

"You're putting your weird type of search history in Ford's computer? That's pretty messed up even without the demon Dipdop."

"It's not like that," Dipper groaned, "Here I'll show you."

Dipper released his sister and turned back to the computer. He took a minute before typing in "BILL", certain the narcissistic triangle would yap about himself. Mabel's deadpan look when it merely brought up a normal page on triangles caused Dipper to try typing "CIPHER" which led to a second page on the Eye of Providence.

"Dipper if you're trying to scare me it's not working."

Dipper growled at the computer. Was it messing with him? Figures. And now Mabel was eyeing him like he was pranking her. He needed something clear-cut, something that would get a reaction from them both and prove it wasn't fake. Annoyed, he typed his own name in as "DIPPER".

An unnerved hush descended between the two of them at the familiar "PINE TREE" nickname followed by a directed pop-up message that could only come from one person.

Mabel spoke up first following a nervous laugh, "He doesn't even know what the weather is here. This is even sillier than the book. I mean solar-powered ink, how dumb does he think you are? C'mon, let's leave him to his bad writing and head upstairs."

Mabel started walking back, but paused when she noticed Dipper stayed seated.

"Mabel, I can't leave. If this is something Grunkle Ford doesn't know about, then it's up to me to gather info while he's out."

Mabel sighed. She moved a bit further back out of the room and Dipper assumed she ditched him, but she returned after a minute dragging a chair next to his.

"Guess I gotta be the responsible mystery twin and make sure you don't become a sock puppet again," she teased, plopping down into the seat. Dipper gave his sister a warm smile before the two turned back to the screen.

"Sooo what are we writing about first? Love? Sev'ral Timez? Waddles?"

"Mabel I highly doubt Bill cares about any of that."