Hello there.

Hi Aggron!

Yo. What’s on the agenda today?

Hmm, well, there's nothing I really need to do before Dianne leaves, so maybe we should timeskip to that if you don't have anything else planned?

I don’t. We can.

Alrighty. In that case, you should probably start.

Ok. Stand by...

{It was midday, an hour had passed since Dianne, Armin, and Jerry went to Shacklestone. Dianne was out in the courtyard, loading the draugrs into Titan. Dianne looks around at the city, sighing softly.}

Dianne: “...Almost time.”

Inside the palace, Ivy, Armin and Frederick were sitting around, drinking tea and not doing much else. Ivy was chatting to a couple of palace guards, trying (unsuccessfully) to convince them to give her their numbers.

'Didn't Dianne say she was leaving about now?' said Frederick, glancing at the clock on the wall.

Armin looked at it too. 'I think so,' he replied. 'I guess I'll go and see if she's ready to leave yet.' Yawning, he pushed his half-empty tea cup aside and stood up, heading out into the courtyard. Spotting Dianne with Titan, he walked towards them.

{Seeing Armin, Dianne walks towards him.}
Dianne: “Hey, Armin. I was just about to go say goodbye to everyone. It’s finally time for me to leave.”

Armin nodded. 'How long did you say you're going to be gone for? A month?'

While he was talking, Frederick emerged from the palace and stood nearby, watching Titan. Every time he saw Titan, he was reminded of another hydra; one who didn't exist anymore. //Wendigo could be standing there right now, if he'd decided to stay,// he though wistfully. //But I know he made the decision that was best for him. He would never have been happy any other way...//

“Yes.” {She says.}
“Two weeks to get there, two weeks to get back, assuming favorable weather conditions. I’ve made arrangements for my things to be stored nearby. While I’m gone, please don’t rummage through my things. Some of the things in there are fragile and dangerous.”

'I don't think anyone's going to be stupid enough to mess with your stuff,' Armin replied. 'Well, except Ivy, maybe.'

'Is it going to be dangerous, what you're doing?' Frederick asked. 'Are you sure that you and Titan will be OK?'

Dianne: “Please don’t let her. I’ve spent years collecting those artifacts. I’d hate it if she stole or broke anything.”

{She then turns to Fred.}
Dianne: “Yes, it is, but we’ll be fine. We’ve made the trip before.”

(I gotta go, sorry! I'll reply when I can.)

Ok, bye!

'Well, I wish you luck anyway, both of you,' said Frederick. 'Hopefully you'll be able to come back quickly.'

Armin glanced back at the palace and sent a telepathic message to Jerry and Ivy. //Hey, Dianne's leaving. You guys want to come and say goodbye?//

Dianne: "Thank you, Frederick. I'll be back as soon as I can."

{Moments later, Jerry and Pythia emerge from the palace.}

Jerry: "Leaving so soon?"

Dianne: "It's a long journey, Jerry. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can return."

Pythia: "Be careful out there. There's no telling what kinds of hunters, highwaymen, and creatures are out there."

Ivy emerged from the palace just after the others, arms folded, looking half-curious and half-bored. 'What, you're leaving right now? Well, bye, I guess,' she said with a shrug.

Ignoring Ivy's remark, Armin said: 'I agree with everyone else. Be careful out there. I hate to admit it... but I've actually somehow grown to like you in all the time we've worked together. And even if I didn't like you, I'd still consider you a valuable ally. So try not to get yourself killed.'

- RR

{Dianne gives Armin a look of amusement.}

Dianne: "You hate to admit it? So do you hate me or not? You don't need to worry about me, I can handle myself. But, I do appreciate the concern."

Jerry: "Of course we care about you. We're your friends. I've known you for five years, you've helped me with the cases, we've had drinks together. Just be safe, ok?"

'I feel like I probably /should/ hate you, considering how many times you've accused me of being a creeper,' said Armin lightly, 'but somehow I don't, which is odd. But whatever.'

Frederick glanced at Jerry as he spoke, then nodded in agreement with what Jerry had said. 'Well, I guess this is goodbye, then,' he said. 'For now, at least.'

{Dianne looks at Armin and chuckles.}
Dianne: “You know, you still haven’t proven to me that you’re not. Guess you can do that when I get back.”
{She then shifts and looks around at everyone.}

“Goodbye, everyone. See you all in a month’s time.”

Armin just shook his head exasperatedly. 'How in the world am I supposed to prove that? Anyway... see you around. We can have another drinking contest when you get back,' he added with a smirk.

Ivy was boredly examining her fingernails. 'See you,' she replied without looking up.

'I'll be wishing you a safe journey and a quick return,' said Frederick. 'And I'll make sure nobody goes near your belongings, especially Ivy.' Ivy scowled at him, but didn't say anything.

Dianne: "Thank you, Fred. And Armin, I might take you up on that, so get ready to lose."

Jerry: "Goodbye, Dianne. See you soon."

Pythia: "Be safe. We'll all be here when you come back."

{Dianne spreads her wings and takes to the skies, circling a few times before heading off into the horizon. Titan sfollows shortly after.}

Titan: "Farewell, friends. May fortune favor you."

Everyone watched as Dianne and Titan flew off into the sky. Once the huge silhouettes of the two dragons were no longer in view, Armin shifted into hawk form and took off, swooping through an open window of the palace and disappearing into a room. This was where he'd left all of his belongings, taken from his forest base. He gazed around at the mess with a sigh. //Better start organising everything and looking for a place to live.//

Ivy turned to Jerry, a faint hint of a grin on her face. 'So, didn't you say you were gonna set up your hunter organisation thing here? When are you going to do that? I can help you out with everything,' she said excitedly.

Frederick watched the sky longer than anyone else, then finally turned around and walked back towards the palace with a quiet sigh.

{Pythia walks back towards the palace while Jerry chuckles at Ivy.}
Jerry: “I’m not setting up a “Hunter’s Guild” or anything, I’m just going to set up a P.I. office. You know, what I used to do in Shacklestone? I wanted you to be my partner in that.”

Ivy nodded enthusiastically. 'I can do that. I need /something/ to do around here, anyway, if I'm going to be living here permanently.'

{ Jerry nods, leading Ivy back inside.}
“Ok, let’s go talk. There’s a lot more to this job than pointing guns.”

(I think that sounds like a really good place to end things, so shall we finish there?)

(Yeah. Gg everyone, that’s a wrap.)

(*applause in background*

I'm glad this story got to have a real ending. It's been fun. Thanks for sticking with it all the way until the end. X) )

(Of course! Thank you for having me. It’s been a blast. First there were five, and we ended with two. Any other RP would have broken up long ago.)

(Yeah, it's been interesting watching how things changed over time. X) I'm glad we were able to keep the story moving despite most people having to leave.

On a completely random note: I'm working on a multi-chapter story that takes place prior to the events of Shacklestone and goes into detail about a lot of things, like Armin's past and the rise of Sargon's organisation. I'll make an announcement post with a link to it once it's finished. You don't have to read it, of course, but if you're ever interested then feel free to check it out. XD)

(Yeah, it was nice that we were able to continue. And I would love to read that. I’ll be looking forward to it.)

(OK! Actually, in regards to the story, there's something I had to ask you about.

The very last chapter of the story overlaps with the early events of the RP. It ends on the night that Sargon takes over Shacklestone, and there's a moment near the end where Jerry is briefly mentioned (not by name). Would that be alright with you, or should I change it so he's not mentioned at all?)

(Go ahead and mention him, even by name if you want. He’s as much a part of the plot as any of the other characters, so it might make the writing seem awkward to have to tiptoe around mentioning him. :D)

(Alrighty! Thanks. : D)

(Np. Looking forward to seeing it.)