Hey, sorry I’m late.

Hey there! It's no problem.

If it's all OK with you, we should finish up the current interaction with Wendigo/Pythia/etc. before we do a timeskip.

Yeah, ok. I’ll start.

Alright!

{Magnus just chuckles and shakes his head.}
“Yeah, I could see it from the stage. She ok?”

'Who, Dianne? I think so,' said Wendigo, shrugging. 'Pythia just took her to her room. She'll be back for Armin in a minute, I guess.'

Magnus: “And Armin completely passed out? I guess Triticum’s ale was too much for him.”
Jerry: “Eh, he matched Dianne shot for shot. He did alright.”

'Dianne looked on the /verge/ of passing out,' said Wendigo. 'Also, Armin seemed slightly more coherent than Dianne when he was awake. I guess they just handle alcohol in different ways. Overall, I think they're pretty evenly matched.'

{Magnus nods.}
“Sounds about right. Hmmm.”
{Magnus pulls out a marker, makes a devilish face, and begins to advance upon Armin.}
“Don’t pass out when there’s markers about! Heheheh!”

Wendigo let out a snort of laughter. 'Aww, c'mon man, don't do that,' he chuckled. 'The guy's probably going to wake up with the hangover of the /century./ No need to add insult to injury.'

{Magnus takes a moment to consider. }
“Mmmm, ok. I won’t.”
{Right then, Pythia walks up.}
Pythia: “Yeah, he has enough problems as it is. Dianne’s in bed now. Anyway, Armin, can you hear me?”

Armin didn't respond; he seemed to be completely unconscious. Wendigo rolled his eyes (all six of them). 'Well, I don't think he's gonna be doing anything until morning.'

{Pythia just sighs.}
“Very well.”
{She walks over to Armin and picks him up. Carrying him, she walks for the stairs.}
“...Why am I always the one looking after the drunks?”

'Eh, probably because you're the only one who cares,' said Wendigo. 'If it was up to me, then I'd have just left them slumped over that table all night.' He smirked.

(Shall we make the timeskip now, unless there's anything else you want to do first?)

(Nope, let's do it.)

--The next morning--

When Armin finally woke up, the first things he became aware of were a splitting headache, dry mouth, and an overpowering nausea. He whimpered and pulled his bedsheets over his head, immediately deciding that he wasn't going to get up today. At all. //What was I drinking this time? Oh yeah, that Akhetian Ale stuff. Magically potent alcohol designed for non-humans. Urgh.//

----

Ivy was in the castle kitchens, looking grumpy and drinking a huge mug of coffee. Frederick was also there, making a pot of tea. The pair weren't talking - Ivy didn't seem very talkative in the morning, especially after she'd been awake most of the night.

{As the pair was going through their morning, in walks Dianne, looking disheveled, wearing her sunglasses, and holding her head. She sits heavily at the table and pours herself some coffee.}

Ivy sipped her coffee and looked at Dianne over the rim of the mug. 'Not a good morning?' she said, sounding unsympathetic. 'I'm not surprised.'

In the corner, Frederick finished making his tea and starting drinking it while gazing out of the window, seemingly lost in thought and oblivious to Dianne's entrance.

{Dianne just glares at Ivy from behind her glasses.}
Dianne: "...Well...It was fun while it lasted..."
{Not long after, Jerry shambles in, looking to be in a similar state.}
Jerry: "...Oof. That Akhetian Ale is something..."

'Did /everyone/ here get drunk last night?!' Ivy exclaimed. 'God, I'm glad /I/ didn't join in the liquor party.'

After Jerry entered, Frederick turned around to eye him, raising an eyebrow.

'Are you sure you only drank one shot last night? You look like he.ll.'

{Jerry just laughs.}
“Ok..., Maybe I had a little more than that...”
Dianne: “Do I detect judgement in your voice , Ivy?”

'I just don't understand why anyone would want to make themselves sick on purpose,' said Ivy, slurping her coffee. 'Sure, being /drunk/ might be fun, but you know it's not going to be fun the morning after.'

Frederick sighed at Jerry's response. 'Of course. Anyway, I made too much tea. Do you want some?'

{Dianne sighs, slightly annoyed.}
Dianne: “It was a drinking contest, Ivy. The whole object was to drink more than the other participant. Sure, I might not feel well now, but it was a rare opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”

{Jerry nods at the offer.}
“Yes, please, Frederick, I would like some.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. 'OK, OK. It might not be my kind of thing, but I'm not going to try and stop you.' She continued drinking her coffee.

Fred handed Jerry a cup of tea. 'By the way, has anyone seen my dad this morning?'

{Dianne just goes back to her coffee while Jerry answers.}
“No, I haven’t. He’s probably still asleep, or has a massive hangover. Why?”

'No reason,' replied Fred. 'Well, actually, I was planning to ask him where he intends to go after all of this... but it can wait until later.'

- RR

{Jerry sits down, sipping his tea.}
"I'm sure he'll turn up. He can't stay in bed forever. How about you? What are you planning to do?"

'I'll probably stay in this city for a while,' said Frederick. 'There aren't many other places I'd like to go. And if Shacklestone City is ever rebuilt in the future, I might go back there. Maybe I could even help with its reconstruction somehow.'

Jerry: "Yeah, but, who's left to rebuild it? Shacklestone was an independent city-state, wasn't it?"

'That's true...' said Frederick thoughtfully. 'Though, maybe in the future somebody will decide to build a new town where Shacklestone used to be. And if that never happens... I'll just stay here and make a life for myself.'

Just as he finished talking, Armin came shuffling into the room, looking bedraggled, pale, and sick. He sank into a chair without saying anything. Ivy eyed him for a moment, then began making some fresh coffee.

{Dianne looks over at Armin and smirks.}
Dianne: "I guess the ale was a bit much for you. You look like a freshly raised draugr."

{Jerry considers Fred's words as he sips his tea.}
"Well, better than running off to live in solitude, if you ask me."

'Like you look much better,' Armin muttered, his voice raspy. 'And don't talk so loud, I've got a headache.'

Frederick nodded. 'Yes, much better. I'd rather stay in contact with everyone. Or at least those of you who aren't leaving the country after this.'

{Dianne just laughs, then grimaces and hold her own aching head. Just then, Magnus struts in, all smiles and upbeat.}
Magnus: "Gooood morning everyone! Fred, Jerry, Ivy...Urgh, Armin, you look like death."

'I've been told already,' said Armin gloomily, as he accepted a mug of coffee handed to him by Ivy. 'I don't even remember everything from last night; that's how drunk I was.'

{Magnus chuckles. Jerry walks over to Dianne and sits across from her.}
Jerry: “Oh, Dianne, I wanted to ask, I’d like to stay in contact with you after you leave.”
{Dianne looks up for a moment, then sighs.}
Dianne: “Jerry, you know why I can’t do that.”
Jerry: “Why, because a few weirdos from other provinces might try to use me to get to you? Do you honestly think I’d let that happen?”
Dianne: “Jerry...”
Jerry: “You’re the only friend from Shacklestone I have left. I’m not just going to let you disappear on me.”

'He's right, you know,' said Ivy. 'There's really no reason why you need to completely disappear off the face of the earth after this. Some of us might actually /want/ to talk to you. I don't expect you to stay in contact with /everyone,/ but still...'

{At this, Dianne gives a very frustrated look. She removes her glasses and looks at everyone.}
Dianne: “Why? Why would any of you ever want to talk to me? The whole time I’ve been here, I’ve been nothing but rude to you. During this time, you’ve made your distaste for my magic and methods abundantly clear. Why bother trying to make friends with a monster?”

Ivy scowled. 'Because /allies/ shouldn't just abandon each other like that. You've helped us. We've helped each other. And just because I don't like dark magic, doesn't mean I think you're a /monster!'/

'I admit, I kinda hated you at first,' said Armin. 'Accusing me of stalking children aside... you're probably one of the most unfriendly people I've ever met. Despite that, I've gotten used to having you around. Maybe I even /like/ having you around.' He shrugged. 'In any case... I know you're not a bad person.'

Frederick said nothing, just sipped his tea and listened to the conversation.

(*You’re probably one of the most unfriendly people I’ve ever met...
For some reason, the sheer frankness of that statement just made me laugh when I read it. XD)

{Dianne looked around in surprise. Clearly, she was not expecting these answers. She then looks down at her coffee.}
Dianne: “...How could you not think of me as a monster? Look at what I did to Sargon’s men. I brutally mutilated and eviscerated them, then created abominations out of their corpses. My essence alone almost wiped out the city. (The curse) Hell, you’ve basically had to pull me off of innocents multiple times so I wouldn’t kill them out of rage. Normal people don’t do that.”
Magnus: “That’s why you shouldn’t just run away. These people are your friends. That’s why they’ve been helping you. That’s why they stopped you from going on murderous rampages. You cl

(Oops. Pretend that ends with rampages.)

(Haha, yeah. Well, he just wanted to be honest. XD)

'First of all,' said Armin, 'yes, what you did to Sargon's men was gruesome, but it was necessary. We wouldn't have stood a chance without it. Secondly, that whole thing with the curse wasn't entirely your fault. You didn't intend for that Oliver guy to steal it. And as for the 'nearly killing innocents' thing... well, you /didn't/ kill them, and that's the main thing.' He took a sip of his coffee. 'You're not a monster, you just have serious anger issues.'

{Dianne takes a moment to consider what was just said.}
Dianne: “Really...none of you think of me...as evil? You really want me around?”
Jerry: “ I know I do. Dianne, you’re not evil. You’re just...a little lost.”

'I think the same,' said Armin. 'You're a lot of things, but 'evil' isn't one of them.'

Frederick cleared his throat. 'I realised I haven't said much,' he said, staring into his cup of tea, 'but I agree with everyone else, too. I'd very much like to stay in contact with /all/ my allies from this war.'

{Dianne rubs her eyes, then looks up. Her expression is one of sadness mixed with surprise.}
Dianne: “Very well. I...didn’t think anyone could look at me with anything but loathing...however, I must still leave today. There is something I must do elsewhere, before I can do anything else. But, perhaps... I can come back...when I am done...”

'You should,' said Armin with a small nod. 'Once you're done with whatever you have to do - and if you want to come back - it'd be nice to see you around here again.'

Jerry: “Yeah. When you come back, we’ll get a drink, for old time’s sake. I’ll pay.”
Magnus: “Yeah, And then you can tell him all about the times how the Giga Coleoptera almost ate you while you were going home.”
{Dianne blinks a few times, then gives a small smile.}
Dianne: “...That sounds lovely.”

'We'll have another drinking contest,' suggested Armin, then reconsidered. 'Actually, no, bad idea.'

'So, when exactly /are/ you leaving?' Ivy asked. 'Right now? Or later? Oh, and don't you have to release Wendigo and Magnus before you go?'

{Dianne chuckles, then turns to Ivy.}
Dianne: “Well, I’m definitely not leaving right now. Yes, I do need to set those two free.”
Magnus: “Yes, rest at last.”
{Dianne stands up slowly.}
Dianne: “I guess I should do that now.”

Frederick finished his tea and set the mug aside. 'If you don't mind, I'd like to come with you,' he said.

'I will, too,' said Armin, standing up. He winced slightly, rubbing his head. 'I'm kinda curious to see how it works.'

{Dianne looks to Fred as she walks.}
Dianne: “I would be surprised if you didn’t come, Fred. I would think you would want to say goodbye.”
{Dianne walks outside and looks around for Wendigo.}
Dianne: “Now, where is that boy?”

Frederick shrugged. 'We already did,' he replied. 'We said everything we wanted to last night. But I told him I'd be there when he... leaves.'

Wendigo, as it turned out, was in the castle courtyard. He was lying curled up, appearing to be asleep, though of course he wasn't. When he sensed Dianne and Fred approaching, he leapt to his feet with a friendly roar and lowered his three heads to gaze down at them. There was a faint air of sadness in his expression as he looked down at Dianne. 'Hey, guys. Is it time?'

{Dianne gazes up at him, nodding.}
Dianne: “Yes, Wendigo, it is time. If you have anything else to say to anyone, now is the time.”
{Dianne then turns to Magnus.}
Dianne: “The same goes for you.”

Wendigo shook his head (the middle one) and turned to look at Frederick. 'I don't really have anything to say. I mean, we've said it all already. But, thanks for helping me fulfil my goal of destroying that monster. I'm just happy that I got to live long enough to see a world free of him. Thanks for all the advice, and the moral support, and... eh, yeah, everything. Thanks. Sorry, I'm cra.p at sentimental goodbyes.'

'Thank you, too,' said Frederick. 'For helping me get rid of Sargon, and for everything else. You've been a great friend.'

Wendigo grinned a little sadly, then turned back to Dianne. 'Well, I think that's all. What next?'

{Dianne just nods and turns to Magnus.}
Magnus: “Well, it’s finally time. Speaking honestly, this is a bit overdue. Regardless, thank you for the good times. You haven’t been the best boss, but you certainly weren’t the worst. So...thank you for being fair to me....It’s no secret that you could have taken full advantage of me, but you didn’t. You actually treated me fairly kindly.”
Dianne: “Magnus...you are a much greater friend than I deserve. I have taken advantage of you, all these years, and yet you harbor no ill will against me. I should have let you go a long time ago, but...Thank you for forgiving me.”
{She walks forward and offers her hand to shake, but Magnus wasn’t having it. He walks right up to Dianne, all smiles, and hugs her, picking her up off the ground. At this, she just gives a mortified look and stiffens awkwardly in his embrace.}

Wendigo let out a snort of laughter at this. 'Awwww, that's so /cute,'/ he said, grinning.

'I think it's nice that Magnus doesn't hate her,' said Armin with a shrug. 'I'm not sure /I'd/ be so forgiving if I'd been forced to serve someone for like two thousand years, or however long it was.'

'Yeah,' said Wendigo, then subsided into silence - probably thinking about what it would've been like if that had happened to him.

{Magnus laughs heartily before letting go.}
Magnus: “I mean, I know why she did it. She was afraid to be alone. I really was the only friend she had for all those years. I can’t hate her for that.

{Dianne shudders upon being released, then turns red from embarrassment.}
Dianne: “Magnus...Ugh, ok, fine, yeah, I didn’t let you go sooner because... I didn’t have anyone else.”
Magnus: “It’s fine. I don’t blame you. Everyone gets lonely sometimes.”
Dianne: “Still...I am going to miss you.”