Luigi gave Dimentio permission to use the bathroom to get cleaned up since it was very clear that he wanted to. The man in green remembered how Dimentio used to be very strict on keeping himself clean. He also supplied him with some old clothes claiming that they were just some old shirts that he and Mario grew out of.

After cleaning up, Dimentio chose to wear black boots (which were slightly big on him), black leggings that fit but were too long so he had to roll the bottoms up, and a dark grey almost black long sleeve which was only slightly baggy. He would have usually complained about how awkward this whole situation was, but he loved the feeling of finally being clean once again. Looking in the bathroom mirror, he could see that he still looked like a mess, as there were bags under his eyes, but at least he didn't look homeless, (even though he technically was.)

His hair was slightly longer than he would have liked. However, there were no hair bands that he could use to secure his hair so he just let it be. He partially felt like he was having a dream since this all seemed so unreal. The very fact that Mario and Luigi weren't turning him at that very moment was almost concerning and highly suspicious. They were either secretly coming up with a plan to turn him in, or maybe perhaps that was just the kind of people they were. Mario and Luigi were the traditional "hero" types after all, so maybe taking an enemy in and feeding them wasn't all that usual. Dimentio scoffed at the thought, secretly hoping that they wouldn't try to convert him to heroism or something by preaching goodness and all that nonsense.

After he finished cleaning up, he found that Mario was gone. A small itch of fear formed in the back of his mind as he tried determining where the man in red must have gone-

"Mario's going golfing with some friends," Luigi stated as if he could read Dimentio's mind. He grabbed a small backpack and swung it over his shoulder, tightening the straps and rocking back and forth on his heels now.

"You aren't going with him?" Dimentio asked, slightly confused. Weren't Mario's friends also Luigi's friends?

"Nah, I assumed you wouldn't want to." Luigi shrugged, making Dimentio blink a few times in confusion.

Was Luigi REALLY staying home so he could babysit? How pathetic. Dimentio almost felt embarrassed.

"Oh, don't feel bad," Luigi said. "I didn't really want to go anyway."

Again, Dimentio blinked in confusion. Did he look like he was feeling bad? Was that the expression Luigi had picked up from looking at Dimentio's face?

He missed his mask dearly.

"Well... are you coming, or are you just gonna sit there and blink?" Luigi asked.

This further confused Dimentio. He thought Luigi had JUST said that they weren't going. He immediately stepped back, not wanting to go out and be seen by people who could potentially recognize him.

"I don't play golf," Dimentio said, his voice low and almost cold.

"I know. We're not playing golf," Luigi replied in an equally low and cold voice, but he smiled as he said it, so Dimentio could tell that the man in green was simply trying to mock and make fun of the emptiness in his voice.

It was slightly insulting.

Dimentio blinked a few more times, wondering what they were doing if it wasn't going out to play some useless sporting games when Luigi grabbed his arm, pulling him outside and around the back of his house. "This way," He chimed. "Since it's clear you don't want to be seen, I'll take the back way. It's slightly longer, but it doesn't cut through town."

Dimentio didn't like the fact that he was being forced to walk, especially since he was still feeling rather exhausted. He also didn't appreciate how confused he was. He usually liked knowing everything and being in total control, but in this situation, he had no idea where he was going, nor what would happen next. It was oddly unsettling, the unknown.

Luigi then brought him back into the forest. Great, Dimentio thought to himself. He's bringing me right back where I started. However, Luigi didn't get that far. Instead, he walked in a slightly different direction into the woods, letting go of Dimentio's arm and hopping over a few fallen trees, not even turning his head to check that Dimentio was still there, which was quite a risky move. Dimentio was appalled by the fact that Luigi trusted that he would follow. But, for some reason, he did follow, probably because he had nothing else to do. If he were to run and hide, he'd be stuck right back where he was before.

At least now he was going somewhere, although it was unclear whether he was moving forward or backward.

He continued following until the man in green stopped in an open field. There weren't any trees for a quarter-mile radius, but the ground was still filled with plant life, as an array of wildflowers bloomed all around, covering the entire field in the colors of the rainbow. There were all different colors, sizes, and shapes of flowers.

Some were soft, some smelled, and some even had thorns, but they all lived in that field together. They were wildflowers, so they were untamed and mighty, yet they still looked fragile and beautiful as well, even though they were so incredibly messy and unorganized.

"Tada! Wildflowers!" Luigi chimed, holding his arms out, then turning, finally checking to see if Dimentio was still there. Sure enough, he was. Luigi let out a brief sigh of relief, showcasing that the thought of Dimentio sneaking away did at least cross his mind as a possibility.

Dimentio nodded, looking around at everything, wondering how all these flowers could survive in such chaos. They were beautiful, yes, but they were practically growing on top of one another.

"Some of these flowers are at the end of their season, so they'll die soon. Others haven't bloomed just yet. And these little guys," Luigi started, kneeling down and picking up a tiny blue flower which was a similar shade to his eyes, which were a mix between sky blue and deep ocean blue. "These guys are just now starting to bloom."

"Okay..." Dimentio trailed off, slightly curious as to why Luigi was telling him this. It seemed more so like Luigi was talking to himself rather than Dimentio.

"I walk a lot," Luigi said next, setting the flower down on the ground, where it belonged. "A lot of people like Mario think they don't have time to just take a breath. They are always in a rush to be productive and get the things they need to get done finished. They are so desperate to rush through life. But me... I like to slow down and go outside every morning, just to take it all in, you know?"

Dimentio didn't know. He was almost annoyed since this seemed a waste of his precious time. Yes, the flowers were beautiful, but he didn't ask to see them. He asked how to learn to be happy.

"I really like this meadow," Luigi said next, even though Dimentio had yet to reply. "Even after the flowers die. I like how there are no shadows to be cast down on me."

Dimentio nodded, though he was confused as to why Luigi was sharing this information. Was he being literal, or was this maybe a metaphor for how he was constantly living in his brother's shadow?

Dimentio supposed the direct sunlight felt somewhat nice, but it was almost too warm. He wished for a soft breeze to cool things down, but the air was oddly still.

"And-"

"What are we doing?" Dimentio interrupted.

Luigi stopped talking and looked over at him, raising his eyebrows slightly, as if silently asking for Dimentio to elaborate on his question.

"I mean... aren't you going to lecture me on being a good person and try to convert me to heroism or something of the sort?" He clarified.

Luigi laughed. It was not a sarcastic or degrading laugh, however. It was just a plain, simple, genuine laugh.

"Convert you to heroism? It's not a religion, you know," Luigi chuckled, brushing his hands through his hair. "And to answer your question on whether or not I'll be lecturing you on being a good person, No. No, I don't think I will."

"Why not?" Dimentio asked. Not that he was disappointed with the answer. He was just confused by it. He assumed that if Luigi wasn't turning him into the proper authorities, his goal would have been to turn the former villain into one of those rehabilitated good guys.

"Because it won't matter. It doesn't matter what I say or do. I could say the most inspiring thing in the world, and it still wouldn't matter. Unless you have an open heart and are willing to listen, I can't change you. Only you can change yourself."

Dimentio frowned slightly. He wasn't sure if he should have felt insulted or relieved.

"I'm not trying to be mean," Luigi clarified as if he could read Dimentio's mind. "I'm just telling you that change doesn't start with me. It starts with you-"

"Why aren't you afraid," Dimentio interrupted yet again, cutting Luigi off.

The man in green paused his speaking and blinked at the former jester, frowning ever so slightly.

"I mean..." Dimentio started, shrugging slightly. "Come on. You can't keep ignoring the tension that's present. Why are you acting as if I didn't do what I did to you? Why are you acting as if you've forgiven me?"

"I haven't forgiven you," Luigi clarified, though his tone was still somewhat light and not as accusing and harsh as those words should have been.

"Then why aren't you afraid?" Dimentio asked again.

Luigi paused, just looking at him for a moment as if he was trying to put the words together. The man in green waited, then looked down at the beautiful wildflowers beneath his feet.

"I AM afraid, actually," Luigi clarified.

Dimentio drew back slightly. He wasn't sure why hearing that was somewhat shocking. Sure, Mr. L was essentially fearless, but Luigi was known for being considered a coward. The way he was acting just threw Dimentio off.

"Oh," Dimentio replied because it was all he could seem to say.

"Yeah," Luigi replied back. "But... well, recently I've found that being terrified often leads to wonderful things, right?"

"Elaborate," Dimentio said since he couldn't see where being terrified would ever lead to anything good.

"Well, you saw Polterpup, right?" Luigi asked, sitting down in the flowers and looking at a small white one. "I actually found the little rascal on a ghost hunting trip. I was pretty terrified. I mean, I thought I was gonna lose my brother, there were ghosts everywhere, professor E. Gadd had a pretty creepy laugh... and then there was Polterpup. The dog was constantly causing me trouble, making things WAY harder than they needed to be. But, in the midst of the whole adventure, I actually found that the pup just wanted a friend. It turned out... we both needed that. So, even though the whole journey was terrifying, I ended up walking out with something amazing."

Dimentio furrowed his eyebrows slightly, still confused with what that had to do with anything. If Luigi wanted to try to walk out of this with a new best friend, he was sadly mistaken and more naive than Dimentio had originally believed him to be.

"So... you're trying to befriend me?" Dimentio asked.

"I'm trying to be brave," Luigi corrected.

Dimentio nodded again, still not quite understanding, but not wishing to waste more time on that conversation. He let out a small sigh, then looked up, feeling the heat from the sun on his face. "The air is really still."

"I know! Isn't it peaceful?" Luigi chimed, seeming okay with the sudden subject change.

"I don't know... I wish there was a breeze," Dimentio breathed, softly blowing up as if he was trying to create one. He was sure that if he still had his magic he could easily make the breeze he desired.

Dimentio then silently wondered what else Luigi was scared of. More specifically, if he was afraid of dying. The man in green did constantly seem to be putting himself in dangerous situations. Was he aware of the threat of death and just didn't care?

He himself was still terrified by the concept, even though there was truly nothing to connect him to the world. He had no worthwhile things he'd miss about life if he were to go other than the feeling of being hot or cold, but he found himself still scared of being taken away. He supposed that was just how people were. They naturally resisted death, even when there was nothing worthwhile about life. If they found out that they were dying, they suddenly would want to live.