Dimentio couldn't open his door the next morning. The snow had sealed him in. 

He tried not to panic after seeing the pure white which covered his windows. He tried not to feel too claustrophobic by the idea that his entire cabin could have been completely buried. 

Never before had he noticed how small the cabin really was. It was well insulated, too. If he screamed, would anyone be able to even hear? How much oxygen was in there? Would he run out?

No, he wouldn't. There was a chimney. He was just overreacting. 

"Dimentio?" Mr. L's voice called out from the other side, though it was muffled.

"Yes? L?!" Dimentio asked, running to the front door and knocking. "I can't get out."

"We know, lad," O'Chunks said. His voice was much clearer than the man in green's. "We're working on that."

"Are you all out there?"

"No," Mr. L replied. "Just us two. All the cabins are completely buried. It's really coming down out here. O'Chunks had to help me out of mine. Don't ask how he got out of his on his own."

"Long story," O'Chunks chuckled, his voice oddly light.

"That's great," Dimentio breathed, halfway between annoyed with all the talking and relieved that Mr. L and O'Chunks had come to his rescue. "But why are you helping me? Why not the count? Or Nastasia?"

He didn't want to imply that he wasn't grateful, but the fact that the two of them came to his aid first was a little odd since he wasn't exactly as important as the others. 

"Te count and Nassy can teleport," O'Chunks explained. "And it's real cold out 'ere. Too stormy fer Mimi's likin'. We figured we'd best get ye first."

Dimentio nodded. He supposed that made sense. 

Or, it would have, except for one small detail. 

"Um, guys, I can teleport too," Dimentio pointed out. His shoulders sank slightly and he let out a slow breath of relief. He had forgotten he had the ability to do such things.

"Oh," Mr. L said. "Well, cool. Looks like you're on your own then-"

"No! No, please don't go!" Dimentio interrupted. Even though it was a waste of time, he didn't want them leaving him to save himself. He wanted to feel like part of the group. He wanted them to save him. Even if it was a waste of time and unnecessary. "I, uh, can't teleport through snow."

"Really?" O'Chunks asked. "Wow. I didn't know that. Looks like ye learn somethin' new every day..."

"Yeah. So please... can you help?" Dimentio asked, grasping the doorknob and trying to push the door open. "It won't budge from my end."

"Yeah, just hang tight," Mr. L said, his voice smooth and calming. "We'll dig you out. Just give us a couple of minutes."

Mr. L was true to his word. Not even five minutes must have passed before the man in green threw the door open. Of course, a big pile of snow had flooded into Dimentio's cabin, but he didn't care. He was just grateful to finally be free, even if he never was in any real danger. 

"Thank you," he said with a slight head bow as he stepped outside. Surely enough, the wind had been blowing fiercely. The snow in the air was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see three feet away. Mr. L and O'Chunks were each bundled up with scarves that danced in the wind and big jackets, their faces almost entirely covered.

Nastasia was dug out next. Dimentio wanted to help, but the porch was small and he didn't want to take up any space. Besides, O'Chunks was doing most of the work. If anything, Mr. L was taking up space too. After Nastasia, they got Mimi, then the count. The snow was incredibly thick and powdery, making walking in it quite difficult, even for O'Chunks. 

"This is so cool," Mr. L chuckled, watching as the wind caused the snow to pile up around the cabins. "I think I can get up to the roof."

"You'd probably fall in," Nastasia stated while crossing her arms to keep warm. "The snow's really soft right now instead of compact, so you'd sink. Like-"

"I'm doing just fine," the man in green chuckled, already using the snow piled up at the side of his cabin to climb up to the roof. Mimi giggled and cheered him on as Nastasia placed her hand over her face. It was hard to tell whether she was embarrassed by his idiotic behavior or embarrassed to be proven wrong. 

Soon after, Mr. L had crawled up onto the roof. "Careful," Dimentio found himself saying. The winds were harsh and the snow on the roof must have made it slippery.

"Do a flip!" Mimi cheered. "The snow will catch you at the bottom!"

"Do NOT do a flip," Nastasia hissed. "Even if it catches you, landing is going to hurt-"

"Front flip, or back flip?" Mr. L asked, completely ignoring Nastasia. 

"Front flip," Count Bleck chimed. Nastasia shot him a glare, making him add, "Because it's safer."

Mr. L nodded, then did a front flip off the roof, landing in a big pile of snow. 

"OW-"

"Called it," Nastasia muttered with a hint of a smile on her face. 

Dimentio winced slightly upon hearing the loud cracking sound. Mr. L had completely disappeared in the snow he landed in. The jester and O'Chunks quickly rushed forward to unbury him. 

"See, this is what happens when you do stupid things," Nastasia lectured. 

"We get it," Dimentio huffed. "Now can someone call an ambulance or something?"

"You can teleport," Mimi pointed out. "Take him to a hospital."

Dimentio stilled for a second, then nodded. "Right," he said, remembering the ability. He reached down and grasped Mr. L's arm once O'Chunks had unburied him enough. The man in green was clearly still conscious, but hardly. He had been completely buried. Dimentio wondered how hard it was to breathe down there. 

"Okay, hang in there," Dimentio muttered, snapping his fingers and teleporting the two of them to the nearest hospital. 

He thought that the doctors would act judgementally after hearing how Mr. L actually got hurt, but they were surprisingly understanding. It made Dimentio wonder if this was a regular occurrence. For the sake of humanity, he hoped it wasn't. 

The jester had to wait outside the room at first. The doctors gave him a few forms to fill out and told him he could leave. However, he chose to stay. Besides, Mr. L would probably have to refill the forms afterward. Dimentio had to guess on 90% of the questions. All he really knew about Mr. L medical-wise was his name and his brother's name, and even then, he still didn't know Mr. L's full name. It couldn't have just been "Mr. L." The L had to stand for something. 

After an hour or two, a doctor came out and explained what happened. Mr. L apparently fractured his wrist and had a minor concussion, but nothing serious. In the doctor's words, it wasn't any worse than injuries from falling down the stairs. Dimentio was relieved that it wasn't something serious. The injury did have the potential to put a damper on Mr. L's winter vacation, though. He was always the kind of person to constantly be using his hands. 

He went in and visited the second the doctors gave him the okay. It was a little surprising to see Mr. L confined to a small bed with his left arm all wrapped up in a cast. His smile was the same, though, so Dimentio was thankful for that. 

"Well, if it isn't my favorite person," Mr. L smiled. "I didn't take up too much of your time, did I?"

"Nah, just all day," Dimentio answered teasingly, taking a seat in the empty chair next to the bed. The hospital room wasn't exactly how he pictured a hospital room to be. It was much more colorful. There were paintings on the wall and flowers on the shelves. It was more lively than he expected. 

"All day?" Mr. L asked, his voice slightly colder than before. His smile faded and his shoulders grew tense.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Dimentio breathed. "How's the head?"

"Hurts."

"Sorry," Dimentio said. "I probably should have told you not to jump."

"Meh, I doubt I would have listened."

Dimentio couldn't help but quietly chuckle to himself. He supposed that was true. Still, it was hard not to feel guilty. 

"How long will you be like this?" Dimentio asked.

"I can leave the hospital tonight. As for the brace, they don't really know how long I'll have to wear it."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that. It's not like you pushed me," Mr. L laughed. "Besides, this is kind of nice. I guess it'll force me to relax. And it shows me you care."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're the only one here," Mr. L pointed out.

"And?"

"Well, that means you must care at least a little," Mr. L chuckled. 

"Did you think I didn't?" 

"I don't know," the man in green shrugged. "Sometimes you're hard to read."

Funny. Dimentio thought the same thing about Mr. L. 

Read...

"Shoot, I was supposed to meet up with that toad and talk about the book," Dimentio gasped, suddenly standing up. 

"Toad?" Mr. L questioned as Dimentio rushed to the door.

"Yeah," Dimentio quickly explained. "Some kid who gave me a book. He told me to meet him in a week a week ago, so I really have to go."

"Hey, relax. You can just teleport there," Mr. L calmly stated. "Calm down."

"Oh. Right," Dimentio laughed, turning to face the man in green. "You'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Mr. L promised. "Just... come back afterward, will you?"

Dimentio smiled slightly and nodded. 

"Of course," he said. "I'll be gone for ninety minutes tops."

"I'll hold you to that," Mr. L chuckled, turning his gaze to the window. 

His smile slowly faded and his eyes narrowed slightly. Dimentio felt his head tilt at the sudden mood change. He was about to dismiss it as the man in green simply being lost in his thoughts until he followed Mr. L's gaze to the window.

He didn't see what he expected to see. He didn't see a world filled with snow. Instead, it was like they were peering through an incredibly foggy lens. Dimentio squinted as well, hoping for a clearer image. He wasn't sure if the window was projecting what the outside looked like, or reflecting the inside of the room. It didn't look like either.

All he could really focus on was a small hint of green in the center. 

"I... best go now," Dimentio breathed, raising his hand slightly and snapping his fingers. 

He landed right at the entrance of the library. Through the window, he could see the small toad waiting inside in one of the reading sections, idly kicking his legs. His mothers were both browsing around, close enough to keep an eye on him. Dimentio was glad that they were staying near instead of letting their child meet with random people with no supervision. 

"Hey," Dimentio said while awkwardly waving. He still didn't know the small child's name, but it felt weird to ask for it now. 

"Hey!" the kid exclaimed. "You came! I didn't think you would!"

"Really?" Dimentio asked.

"Yeah. You seemed shy," the toad giggled. "Anyway, have you read any of the book? Have you met the polar bear?!"

"I have," Dimentio laughed, feeling a warmth blossom in him. He couldn't remember the last time he spent more than five minutes with a kid. Oftentimes Mimi acted like a kid, but that was different. She wasn't an actual child. Actual children felt different to be around. 

"Oh, good!" the toad beamed. "So, what's been your favorite part?"

"That's hard to say," Dimentio admitted. "I haven't finished the book, so it wouldn't be fair for me to choose a favorite without seeing everything first."

"True," the kid nodded. "How far in are you?"

"About halfway," Dimentio answered. "I didn't want to read it all too fast. Otherwise, it might go in one ear and out the other. I believe I will be done by next week."

"Oh, lovely," the toad grinned. "Just in time for Christmas!"

"Just in time for Christmas," Dimentio agreed. 

The two spent the next hour or so talking about different chapters Dimentio had read through. In a way, Dimentio felt like he was in school. The kid was talking about small details that he hadn't even picked up on in his first read. It wasn't boring or tedious, though. It was actually quite interesting. He didn't usually have people to talk to about books. 

After a while, the toad's mothers told him they needed to all get home for dinner. Dimentio politely waved to them as the toad told him to be there at the same time next week. 

He didn't return to see Mr. L. His promise didn't slip his mind, but something deep inside him told him not to return to the hospital, so he didn't.