Forest of Riddles (Reverse Falls, S1)

CC: Part Four

The limousine that Pacifica and Gideon had been so silently observing had been waiting patiently outside the manor several minutes before.

Dipper Gleeful straightened his orange sweater, standing in front of a mirror. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay in his room all day - his parents had advised him to go into town today.

And he had wanted to read instead.

Dipper paused, staring at his reflection. Something was wrong about his appearance - just a bit - but something was off.

Moments later, he spun around on one heel and walked briskly over to his vanity desk. He opened one of its many drawers, his gaze stopping at a small, red-velvet chest.

He picked up the box, staring at it for a few seconds.

After so long, it was finally time for the chest's contents to come back into use. His father had decreed it . . . appropriate, to say the least, since they were due to be in town in a week.

Dipper opened the box, and a familiar blue glow erupted from its contents.

In the middle of the chest, cradled in between two rows of velvet, a round, blue amulet shone patiently, waiting to be used once more.

Dipper took the amulet from its box, running his fingers over the stone's smooth surface. Then, without another thought, he tied the strings of the amulet under his shirt's collar, tucking away any signs of the string.

Then his arms dropped to his sides, and he admired himself in the mirror.

It felt strange to use his amulet again. Maybe it was because he hadn't used it in nearly a year and a half - but there wasn't time to overthink the feeling now.

Half-satisfied, Dipper turned around and left his room, heading towards the limousine waiting outside.

~

The town of Gravity Falls wasn't too interesting - at least, to Dipper. His chauffeur had dropped him off at the edge of town, so that Dipper could "mingle" with the townspeople (that's how his father had put it, anyway).

So Dipper decided to stroll around the town. As a Gleeful, he was indeed famous and known for being, well, rich. That meant that basically everyone knew him.

There went Active Susan, the only person who ran a gym in Gravity Falls. She waved to him, but not as friendly as she usually did.

Dipper sniffed. Why be friendly if you had money?

He stopped his stroll once he saw a familiar redhead.

Wendy Valentino. The daughter of the only funeral director in Gravity Falls (who, in all honesty, looked more cut-out to be a lumberjack). Wendy was infamously known for putting graffiti on walls, only for the works of art to be washed away as soon as she had left.

Dipper didn't have to acknowledge her to join her - the two had been close friends for at least a year, much to his father's disappointment and to Mr. Valentino's delight.

"Yo," Wendy said, noticing Dipper walk up to her. "What're you up to?"

"Taking a walk." Dipper shrugged. "My parents wanted me to get out and about."

Wendy added something to her graffiti and stuck her paintbrush behind her ear.

"Isn't that a mural?" Dipper noted. "Paint with murals and spray paint with graffiti?"

"Yeah, but 'graffiti' sounds cooler." Wendy reached into her backpack and grabbed a hair tie, tying her hair up into a ponytail. "Besides, you should know I use both paint and spray paint."