Luigi adjusted his scarf around his neck, making sure it fit snugly so the wind wouldn't blow it from him. 

"The warden will catch you," Dimentio teased, sitting in the same place he had been for the past few weeks. 

"He's my brother, not the warden," Luigi breathed, adjusting his gloves slightly. 

Mario was out who knows where discussing how to move forward with all the important people. He left practically every other day with little word, so Luigi wasn't all that sure what was going on. He could assume that Mario was trying to figure out what the next steps were with people like Blumiere, but it was clear they weren't really getting anywhere. All Luigi knew was that they were supposed to be keeping Dimentio close. 

"You're really going out there?" Dimentio asked, raising an eyebrow. He had been kept in the dark about everything even more than Luigi had. All he knew was that Mario didn't seem to like his younger brother leaving the house without supervision. 

"Yes," Luigi nodded. "It's the first snow of the year. I gotta experience it. I missed it earlier, so I have to go out there now before the day is done."

Luigi put a black jacket on over his sweater and placed his hand on the doorknob once again. Luckily, he wasn't met with harsh winds when he threw the door open. Instead, he was met with the beautiful, peaceful snowy day that he had longed to experience. 

The man in green grinned, then ran outside, smiling slightly as his feet sank into the pure white powder with each step. He wanted to run forever, far from the house that had become a prison. Far from Dimentio and his heart. Far from his brother's worried expression. Far from it all. 

But he couldn't get more than thirty steps without clutching his chest and collapsing. He could feel the soaked snow seep through his pants and onto his knees, sending chills throughout his body. 

"Whoa, L?" Dimentio asked, standing up and peering from the doorway. "Did you just die?"

Luigi shook his head no, although it certainly felt like he might have. He coughed for a few moments, hoping that the sharp feeling would vanish. It was as if someone had taken an ice pick and plunged it into his chest, puncturing his lungs as well. 

"L," Dimentio said from behind him, and the pain faded slightly. 

Luigi turned his gaze to the former jester, who almost looked worried. 

"What is wrong with you?" Dimentio asked, and Luigi wasn't sure if he was trying to be rude or kind. 

"Nothing," Luigi assured him as the darkness continued to fade. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Alright. Don't have to tell me twice," Dimentio shrugged, turning away from him. "I'll be inside. Grambi, I hate snow-"

"Wait," Luigi begged, reaching up to him and grabbing his arm. 

Dimentio winced slightly, which filled Luigi with a brief sense of guilt. He didn't mean to scare him. 

But, the closer Dimentio was, the less the empty space where his heart should have been would hurt. 

"I just... you should come with me," Luigi said. 

"Hmm, nah," Dimentio quickly replied. "I don't like it out here."

"You could," Luigi continued. "Please?"

Dimentio stilled for a second.

"Let me go."

"You hesitated, which means you accept," Luigi chuckled. He let go of the jester and started walking off.

Dimentio silently watched as the man in green turned and started walking into the woods, which were too thick to see very far into, despite half the trees being bare and dry. Clearly, Luigi didn't know how to take "no" for an answer. It was laughable, really. Did he seriously think Dimentio would just follow him blindly?

Although, he secretly didn't want him to get lost. Walking in the forest alone was like something out of a horror movie. It would probably ruin Mario's day if his beloved brother got mauled by wolves or something.

"Wait," he finally called out as he quickly ran back into the house and grabbed the nearest jacket, which happened to be one of Mario's. Red was never his color, but it would have to work. Luckily, it was only a little too big for him. He grabbed the nearest pair of boots and started tying them up as fast as he could until he figured he didn't have enough time and opted to give up. Then, he took off running after Luigi.  The plumber didn't say anything upon his arrival, he simply looked back and offered a quick smile. Then, they were off. 

"I miss the birds," Luigi breathed as Dimentio walked a few steps behind him. "They never sing in the winter..."

"Yeah, lovely, who cares," Dimentio spat, trying to showcase his annoyance. He hugged himself as he walked, trying to keep warm. "Where are we even going?"

"I don't know yet," Luigi shrugged, reaching down and picking up a piece of plastic. He stuffed it into his pocket, figuring it must have blown into the forest from Toad Town. 

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Pick that up," Dimentio said. "It's not your problem."

Luigi shrugged. He supposed he always picked up litter whenever he saw it. "It's just the kind of person I am," he answered. 

"You didn't litter, though," Dimentio said. "Why bother helping if everyone else is going to continue to make a mess?"

"I like helping," Luigi shrugged. "The world needs help. Everything does. And more often than not, people will see problems and choose to do nothing. Most are too afraid to step forward and do the right thing. So in a way, I guess I'm just trying to be brave."

"How noble," Dimentio retorted sarcastically. "What a heroic thing to say."

"Thanks!" Luigi chimed, acting as if he didn't detect the sarcasm. 

There was wind that occasionally blew small flurries of snow in circular patterns. It felt like the woods were alive, despite all the bare trees. 

Despite freezing and feeling annoyed with the situation Dimentio found himself in, he had to admit that the snow flurries looked almost cute. He wondered if Polterpup would chase them.

Polterpup was quite the nuisance back in the house. It constantly yapped at Dimentio, alerting its owners whenever he so much as moved an inch. It did have its own charm, though. Sometimes it felt nice having someone always there. 

After a few moments, they came to a clearing in the trees, and they were met with a rocky coastline. The water was a deep blue color, looking almost black from some angles. Patches of ice bobbed up and down with the harsh waves, occasionally disappearing. The former jester remembered this place, though only barely. He had hardly been conscious when he stumbled upon it before.

Dimentio found himself taken back by the beauty of it, so much so that he had hardly noticed Luigi hop onto the slick rocks, approaching the violent seas.

"You're going down there?" the former jester asked, shaking his head as Luigi quickly and swiftly made his way down the sharp rocks as if it were nothing. Once the man in green got far enough, he turned back and looked at Dimentio, his hand over his chest, clutching at his sweater in the space where the compass design had been stitched on. Dimentio couldn't tell if he was in pain or not.

"Yeah," Luigi shrugged. "We can't get closer to the water up there."

"Do I have to follow?" Dimentio asked, slightly worried. With how cold the water seemed, falling in would surely send him into shock. His body was small enough as it was, he surely wouldn't have been able to handle something like that. Besides, the tide was high and the waves were massive. They splashed over the rocks like tsunamis, retreating just as fast as they came.

"Yes."

"I can't," Dimentio stated. "If something happens, I can't teleport. I'm not going down there."

"Oh, come on. Where's the fun in that?" Luigi asked.

"The fun is in not dying," Dimentio answered.

"The danger is what makes it worthwhile. It makes the journey worth it."

Dimentio rolled his eyes, then slowly and carefully stepped down onto the slick rocks. His shoes didn't provide him much traction, which only served to make matters worse. He felt like he was walking across an icy lake, seconds from slipping and falling through.

"I don't want to die," Dimentio breathed, looking across the rocks and at Luigi.

The man in green stilled for a second then brought his gaze down to his own hands.

"I know."

"No, really," Dimentio persisted. "I don't want to die."

"I know," Luigi repeated. "If you fall, I'll dive in and get you. Okay?"

Dimentio nodded, although he knew if he slipped and fell into the water, it would all be over. It didn't matter if Luigi dove in to get him. The cold would surely do him in. Plus, the tide was fast and the water was dark.

"Over here," Luigi smiled, running toward a small chasm. He rushed over to it as a wave swelled toward it, crashing through it and sending white water about fifty feet into the air. Luigi ran toward it, then held his arms out as the spray rained down on him. Dimentio rolled his eyes, slightly fearful that a bigger wave would rise over the rocks and drag him away. 

"Aren't you cold?" Dimentio asked as another wave crashed against the rocks and drenched Luigi in ice-cold seawater. 

"Yep," Luigi laughed. "But it's worth it. Grambi, I've missed doing things like this."

"Stupid things, you mean?"

"No, just life things," Luigi answered. "I've missed living."

Dimentio shook his head, then looked out toward the sea. He could see a few distant islands, but the sky was far too gray for him to see as far as he would have liked. The air felt much heavier and damper. 

"Me too," he whispered, though Luigi couldn't hear him over the sound of the crashing waves and his own laughter. 

The man in green turned around and waved Dimentio over. The former jester briefly hesitated, not wanting to get soaking wet. He knew very well that the walk back to the house would be made even more miserable if he had to deal with being covered in seawater. 

He and Luigi weren't friends. They weren't even all that close when he was Mr. L back at Castle Bleck. Dimentio did his part to distance himself from everyone, that way betraying them wouldn't feel quite so terrible. It was easier to betray strangers, after all.

But the bright smile on Luigi's face drew him in until he was standing beside him, watching as a large swell of water approached the chasm and splashed into the air, covering them from head to toe. The water sent chills throughout his body, but he didn't feel cold. Not yet, anyway. That feeling had yet to set in, as his body was too clouded by the silliness of it all. Why was something so random making him feel so bright and happy? It was like he was a child again for a moment, sitting and waiting for another wave to crash so it too could cover him in water. 

"You know," Luigi breathed. "I've spent months wanting to find you."

"Have you now?" Dimentio asked. He figured the world would try to forget about him after what happened. After all, that's what happened to most villains. A select few were remembered, but the majority of them would fall into history, where they'd rot away until no one knew who they were anymore. 

"Yeah," Luigi nodded. "But... I guess I never knew what would happen after we found you."

He placed his hand over his chest again, keeping his gaze on the water. 

Dimentio felt his heart beat slowly and calmly, despite the freezing temperatures. 

"Well, what will happen?" he asked. "Now that you've found me."

Luigi shook his head, smiling slightly as he looked toward the gray sky that was starting to turn a faded blue color. 

"I don't know," he said. 

Dimentio nodded, unsure of how he should feel from the vague answer. On the one hand, he was glad that he wasn't being turned in and arrested. However, he never did like being kept in the dark. It made him feel like he didn't have any control, and he couldn't imagine a fate worse than losing all control.