Soon, Epel says, "We should take a picture now that we're in our applepoms!"

"Wut. Why are we bustin' out the cameras just 'cause we changed clothes?" Idia asks, confused.

"I bet Ortho would get a real kick out of seeing you dressed like that!" Epel says.

"Oh, that's the rationale?" Idia says.

"I think it's a good idea. I'm sure Ortho would love a picture of us together," Briar says.

Idia sighs, "Okay, I GUESS if it'll make Ortho happy, I'm down."

"Good idea. I'd like to show Malleus and Lilia as well," Sebek says.

"I think it's a great idea. We can show everyone the fun we have," Sereia says.

"Dibs on the center spot!" Grim says.

"It's all yours. Idia, Sebek, and I can stand in the back," Jade says.

"Jasper, Sereia, and I can join you at front," Tanzanite says.

Then Epel says, "Then you can stand next to me, Briar."

"Okay, Epel," Briar says.

Soon, everyone begins to gather together for the picture.

"Trinket, you sit on my head," Grim says.

And Trinket sits on Grim's head.

"C'mon guys, we gotta squish in close so we're all in the frame," Epel says, "Okay, now I'll just set the timer on my phone and..." and with that, Epel takes the picture, "Cheese!"

Everyone smiles and Epel has taken the picture.

Soon, everyone looks at the photo.

"It came out great! There, I've sent it to all of you," Epel says.

"Much obliged, Epel. Taking a photo was a great idea," Jade says.

"Yes, you have my gratitude. Now I can show it off to Silver," Sebek says.

"I'll be sharing it with Azul and Floyd as well," Jade says.

"Ace and the others are going to like this picture," Jasper says.

"I'm sure Mal and Lilia will like it too," Briar says.

"I'm sure they will," Sebek says.

"Man... Never thought I'd take a selfie with a buncha randos... Much less a group of normies on a friendly trip together..." Idia replies. But then a thought comes to mind, "Actually, I'm not sure this would make Ortho happy at all. Did I just get hoodwinked?"

"Hey, I resent that!" Epel says, offended.

Then Grim asks, "I'm hungry. When do we get to the apple eatin'?"

"Oh, right. Hold on a sec," Epel says.

With that, Epel grabs an apple and brings it to Grim.

Epel presents it to Grim, "Here you go! An apple, just like I promised."

"Aw yeah, it's about time!" Grim says, and snatches the apple.

Then Grim begins eating it.

And with one bite, Grim happily says, "AMAZIN'! This is the sweetest apple I've ever had!"

"Glad you like it. That's a snow-aged apple," Epel says.

"Snow-aged apple?" Sereia says, confused.

"What's that?" Grim asks.

"It's where we pack harvested fruits and veggies in snow to keep 'em preserved," Epel says.

"Do you leave them outdoors?" Sebek asks.

Epel explains, "They used to build barns out of snow right over the harvest in the old days, but now we just shovel snow into a barn that's already there. When you pack the snow densely in the winter, it doesn't thaw 'til summer. So it's basically a natural fridge that doesn't need electricity. Preserving produce that way helps prevent evaporation. It keeps things fresh while making them sweeter and more nutritious."

"What a remarkable bit of ingenuity," Jade says, impressed.

"Who cares about all the technical stuff?" Groom says and continues eating.

Then Epel points out towards the barn, "See the barn behind our house? We keep the snow in there. I used to play in there all the time when I was a kid."

"You played in the barn? Are you the indoorsy type?" Idia asks.

"Nah. Most days I'd play outside, but I couldn't do that when it stormed. Still got restless, though," Epel answers, "So I'd play in the barn, since it was bigger and less messy than my room. I'd play around with all the farming equipment, or bring in treasures like it was a secret base. One time, the snow started coming down real hard when I was in there... It piled up so high, I couldn't open the barn doors."

"A young child trapped in such a frigid room? That's no laughing matter for an ordinary human," Sebek says.

Epel continues, "My family didn't know I was in there, either. I yelled and pounded on the door, but nobody heard me. I just kept getting colder and hungrier as time went on... Boy, that was a real pickle."

"That must have been awful being trapped in there," Briar says.

"It was. I was actually really scared bein' trapped in there," Epel says.

"I remember when me and Jasper were trapped in that cave. It was scary," Tanzanite says.

Then Jade asks, "How did you manage to escape?"

"I grabbed the nearest tool and bashed it against the door so hard it busted open," Epel answers.

"That's quite a feat..." Sebek says, shocked.

Everyone is shocked by it.

And Epel continues, "My parents were angry about it, but ultimately they were just glad I was okay. I stopped playing in the barn after that, of course. Didn't wanna give 'em any more scares."

"Wow, so you were a real firecracker, huh..." Idia replies, "Hard to imagine after seeing that picture of you as a kid while I was getting changed."

"What picture?" Epel asks.

Jade says, "It was on the wall. You were an adorable child."

"I saw it as well. It was easy to recognize you. Your face looked exactly the same. I do wonder why it was so faded, though," Sebek says.

"Hard to say. Perhaps they applied a filter to give it a more artistic look?" Jade replies.

But Epel is confused, "I don't remember any pictures of me as a kid on our walls..."

Then Grim calls out, "Hey, Epel! Can we get a move on or what?!"

"Oh, sure. Let's go practice sledding!" Epel says, excited.