(Hello there.)

(Gonna write my reply while I'm here.)

----

'On the plains?' said Armin, glancing at Dianne with an eyebrow raised in confusion. 'The King's letting you have one of the houses out there? They're huge. I guess he must be really grateful to us. Or terrified of us.'

While he was talking, Rex appeared on the scene, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 'Is something going on?' he said, looking back and forth between Armin, Dianne and Lucci. 'I thought I heard a telepathic message a while ago, but I fell asleep right afterwards, And now I can't remember whether I imagined the whole thing or not.'

(Hi there!)

{Dianne laughs tiredly.}
Dianne: “Believe me, he’s terrified. He looked like he wanted to jump out the window when he saw me.”

{When Rex appears, Lucci nods to him, while Dianne looks at him with mistrust.}

Lucci: “That was me. Don’t worry about it.”

Dianne: “I’m sorry, who’s this guy?”

Armin didn't seem surprised to see Rex show up.

'Oh, this is Rex - he's a friend of mine from back when we were in Sargon's army together,' he said quickly, noticing Dianne's look of mistrust and wanting to make it clear that Rex wasn't an enemy. 'He left the army a few years ago. I wasn't sure if he was still alive, so I went looking for him while you were away.'
Rex stayed silent while Armin introduced him.

{Dianne walks right up to Rex, staring down at him. Lucci inches forward, looking between Dianne and Rex.}

Dianne: “And where the hell have you been while we were fighting that lunatic? Content to cower in the shadows while we risked our lives?”

Lucci: “Easy...”

Rex stared up at Dianne, refusing to back away even though he looked nervous. 'I was living in another country,' he said. 'I had no idea that a group had risen up to fight against Sargon. As far as I knew, things were the same as they'd been for the last two and a half centuries.'

{Dianne glared at him a little longer before turning and walking away.}

Dianne: “Honestly, why you people are so terrified of him is beyond me. In your place, I would have killed him in a month.”

'We aren't you,' said Armin shortly. 'Sure, you could have killed him no problem, but not everyone could. And most of us wouldn't dare - considering he threatened all our friends and families.'

Rex shifted to stand beside Armin. //Is she always like that?// he said telepathically.

//Not always,// Armin replied. //Just some of the time. Well... most of the time.//

{Dianne just snorts.}
Dianne: “You wouldn’t have to be me to kill that idiot. But whatever. If you think this ‘Rex’ is trustworthy, I won’t bother him.”

'Of course I think he's trustworthy,' Armin scoffed. 'I've known him for ninety years. You met him two minutes ago and you're already making judgements.'

'Leave it, Ar,' Rex muttered, nudging him. //She's right, in a way,// he added telepathically. //We could have done more. We were just too scared. Even after our families were long gone, we were too scared to act against him.//

{Dianne takes a moment to think, before rubbing her face and turning back.}

Dianne: “...You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just not comfortable with strangers.”

Armin looked surprised for a moment before quickly hiding it. //Huh. I never thought I'd see the day when she apologised for something.//

Rex nodded. 'Don't worry about it. How about we just pretend the last few minutes didn't happen? I'm not great with strangers, either. No hard feelings.' He hesitated, then offered a hand to shake.

{Dianne smiles slightly and shakes his hand.}
Dianne: "Rex, was it? I'm Dianne. It's nice to meet you."

{Lucci just smiles as he stands there quietly. He didn't seem worried anymore.}

'It's good to finally meet you too,' Rex replied. 'Armin told me a little about you while we were flying back here. He said that Sargon and his army would never have been defeated without your help, so I have to thank you for that. I never dared to hope that I'd live to see a world without him in it.'

{Dianne just nods.}

Dianne: "Well...yeah. Just him would have been a cakewalk for you guys, but him having an army, well...that I really had to help with."

Lucci: "I wouldn't have asked if there was any way, Dianne. They couldn't have won without you."

'And I know you mostly only did it because /he/ asked you to,' said Armin, nodding in Lucci's direction, 'but I'm still thankful you did. Not just for helping us bring down Sargon, but for killing Anastasia as well.' He said the last part with a grin.

Rex shuddered slightly at the mention of Anastasia. 'She's dead too? Thank the gods. She can rot in heII as far as I'm concerned.'

{Dianne grins an evil smile.}

Dianne: "Trust me, she is. I ripped her soul out and sent her unwillingly to her fate. She was a mindless lackey of that lunatic. I was happy to do away with her."

'Good. She deserved whatever she got,' said Rex with a hint of morbid satisfaction. 'She was disgusting. And delusional.'

'Yeah, well... anyone who spends their time fantasising about Sargon naked deserves to burn in heII for eternity,' Armin muttered.

Dianne: “She was a harlot. A disgusting tramp, fantasizing about a murderer, padding after him , obeying every heinous command without question, all the while hoping to get in his bed.”

Lucci “You’re all so quick to hate her. She was terrible, sure, but what Sargon did to her is much worse. She was monstrous because of him. He saw her feelings for him as an opportunity to create a loyal minion. He took full advantage of that situation, leading her on, letting her actions become more and more drastic until she took the one step she could never take back. She died in the name of his cause.”

{Lucci shakes his head in disapproval.}

“Bloody shameful is what it is. He led everyone who was infatuated with him or his mission straight to their deaths.”

'That's true,' said Armin, after a moment of thought. 'But she still shouldn't have let her feelings control her life choices.' He paused. 'And she shouldn't have fallen in love with Sargon in the first place. I still don't understand what she saw in him. But I guess I kind of pity her, despite everything she did. I'm pretty sure Sargon never told her that he didn't return her feelings - he let her believe there was a chance they might get together someday.'

'And Anastasia fell for it.' Rex shook his head. 'I don't feel sorry for her at all. She was an idiot.'

Dianne: “Yes, she was an imbecile. I don’t pity her in the slightest.”

Lucci: “Oof. Well, I won’t deny that she did horrible things in the name of love. She certainly wasn’t the first to do things like that, and she certainly won’t be the last.”

(Hey, where'd Jerry go?)

'It's a shame, really. She might have been a decent person if it wasn't for her obsession with Sargon,' Armin mused. He glanced at Dianne. 'Anyway... you said you were going to go check out those houses on the plains, so I won't keep you talking about Ana any longer.'

(He's suffering from the Frederick curse lol.)
{Dianne nods towards Armin.}
Dianne: "Right. I honestly just need a place big enough to keep my remaining draugrs and Titan out of sight. Plus, I don't think the citizens here would want centaurs in the same building as them, so a small apartment would be out of the question."

Lucci: "Yes, they'll need time to warm up to you all. So, do be nice to your neighbors, and don't gobble up their cows and dogs."

Dianne: "...That's oddly specific..."

Lucci: "Don't worry about it..."

(XD)

'Yeah, I can't see the neighbours wanting reanimated corpses sharing living space with them,' said Armin. 'Come to think of it, why do you still need all those draugrs with you? Do you use them for something other than killing stuff?'

(My spellchecker tried to change 'draugrs' into 'drugs'...
''Why do you need all those drugs with you''.)

(Dianne: "Drugs?! Do I look like a degenerate to you?"
Jerry: "Dianne, are you smoking that pack? Do we need to do an intervention?"
Dianne: "No! I don't do that crap!")

{Dianne just shrugs.}
Dianne: "Seems like a waste to just turn them to ash. I'll just make some mods to them and post them as guards."
Jerry: "A lot of ranchers out on the plains. I don't know how they'll feel about a large predatory reptile moving in right next to them."

Dianne: "Well, unless they want their crops burned down, I suggest they leave me be."

(Ivy: Ewww Dianne, you'd better not be doing drugs, that's disgusting! That's even more disgusting than cigarettes!)
Rex: Hey, don't judge. I've done drugs before, and it was great.)

'They'll get used to it soon enough, I guess,' said Armin nonchalantly. 'I mean, it seems like most people in the city got used to non-humans being around pretty fast.'

While everyone was talking, Ivy came wandering towards the group. 'Why is everyone awake? I thought you'd all still be in bed,' she remarked. 'And hi, Jerry. I did some more target practice last night. I can hit the bulls-eye almost every time now,' she said smugly.

Dianne: “I hope so. I’ve had irate neighbors before. It didn’t end well.”

{Jerry turns to greet Ivy.}
Jerry: “Hey, Ivy. That’s good! And I’m up because Dianne’s back.”

(Dianne: *Shows visible frustration *
“Ivy, one more word out of your mouth and I’ll rip your fking jaw off.”
Jerry: “Are you in denial? Just give me the drugs. You’re better than this.”

Dianne: “Are you all deaf?! I. Don’t. Do. Drugs!”)

'Oh, hi Dianne,' said Ivy, as if she hadn't noticed her before. She then swept her gaze over the rest of the group. 'Hey, anyone want to spar with me? I'm trying to learn how to fight with knives and swords, too, and it would be much easier if I had someone to fight with...' She grinned.

'Not me,' said Armin instantly. 'No way, Ivy. Not after what you did last time.'

(Rex: Perhaps you should. Not that I want to condone drug use or anything... but it's fun if you do it right.
Armin: Rex, don't start pushing your self-destructive habits on anyone else...)

{Dianne nods towards Ivy in greeting. Upon her mentioning sparring, Dianne starts to smile deviously.}

Dianne: “I’ll-“

Lucci: “No.”

Jerry: “Wait, what happened last time?”

(Dianne: “Sorry, Rex, but I’m not an absolute degenerate.”

Jerry: “...Oof.”

Ivy opened her mouth to respond, but Armin beat her to it. 'She /shot/ me,' he said indignantly. 'We were practising with swords, and I might have insulted her a few too many times, and she pulled out her gun and fired at me. She blasted a hole through my favourite jacket.'

'Only to make you shut up!' Ivy scowled. 'I knew it wouldn't /kill/ you.'

'You're lucky no-one walked by and saw it. They probably would've called the police.'

"Ivy!"
{Jerry said in a scolding tone.}
"What the hell?! You don't shoot people over an insult! What were you thinking?"

Dianne: "Clearly, she wasn't."

'Alright, so I lost my temper! It happens to everyone sometimes,' Ivy retorted. 'He just wouldn't leave me alone.'

'I only asked if that guy you've been stalking for the last week ever called you back,' said Armin. 'By the way, did he?'

Ivy scowled. 'No! He said he's not looking for a relationship.'

A grin appeared on Armin's face. 'See, I told you. He thinks you're a creep.'

Ivy curled her hands into fists, visibly controlling her temper. 'I am /not/ a creep.'

Dianne: “Well, actually-“

Lucci: “Dianne, don’t...”

{Jerry levels a finger at Ivy.}

Jerry: “Never do that again. You shoot anyone innout of anger again, and you’re fired. Got it?”

*Innocent

Ivy opened her mouth to protest, then sighed instead. 'OK, I'm sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again,' she said in a more subdued tone of voice.

'Want me to keep annoying you so you can learn how to control your temper better?' Armin asked, still grinning. Ivy ignored him.

{Jerry's stern look doesn't fade.}
Jerry: "It better not. We don't shoot innocent people, I don't care what they say. That's what separates peacekeepers from lunatics like Sargon."

Dianne: "Anyway, I'm going to go pick a house, so I'll see you all later. And Lucci, if you want in, knock. Don't do that creepy 'phase through the wall' sh!t. Ok?"

Lucci: "Of course. You made that very clear last time. Although, throwing a frying pan at my head was a bit excessive..."

Ivy looked surprised for a moment, then smirked. 'A frying pan? Really? I wish I could have seen that.'

'Alright, Dianne, see you around,' said Armin. 'I'm definitely coming to visit your place sometime. I've never seen those big houses up close.'

Ivy had settled her gaze on Rex. 'Hey, if you've got nothing else to do, want to come and spar with me?'

Rex hesitated. 'Uh... I guess I could. What's the worst that could happen?'

'Ivy, if you shoot him, I'll break both your arms.'

{Dianne turns as she walks away.}

Dianne: “He had it coming. He walked in on me at a very inopportune time. And would spar with you, Ivy, but Lucci seems to think that it would end badly.”

Lucci: “I would think loss of limbs would qualify as catastrophic, yes.”

Dianne: “Wait , who-“

Lucci: “Don’t worry about it...”

{Jerry approaches Ivy, holding out his hand.}
Jerry: “If you’re going to spar, give me your gun. I’m not going to explain to Pythia why your arms are broken.”

Ivy eyed Dianne as she walked away. 'I wouldn't want to spar with you anyway. I don't trust you.' She then turned to Jerry, pulling out her gun and handing it over without protest. 'I /wasn't/ going to shoot anyone, but fine.'

'I need to find a sword,' Rex was muttering. 'I don't have one.'

'Go up to the palace and ask Frederick,' suggested Armin. 'He works there; he can probably lend you a spare one from the armoury.' Rex nodded gratefully and, shifting into his raven form, took off towards the palace.

'Meet me in the park outside Crystal Avenue!' Ivy called out to him as he flapped away.

{Dianne chuckles, shifts, and flies for the plains.}

Jerry: “I’m coming with you. I want to see how you do.”

Lucci: “I’ll come along as well.”

'So, we're all going to watch Ivy get beaten by Rex? I'll come too, then,' said Armin cheerfully.

'You'd better not try to distract me,' Ivy retorted, eyeing him suspiciously as she began to head in the direction of the park.

As he followed, Armin glanced at Lucci and Jerry. 'Are either of you any good with a sword? I wouldn't mind sparring with someone myself,' he said. 'We haven't had any real enemies to fight in ages. I wouldn't want to lose my touch.'

Jerry: “Nope. I suck with a blade. I’m a full on gun guy.”

Lucci: “I excel at all forms of combat, but it might not be fair for you. I can do things others cannot.”

Armin eyed Lucci thoughtfully. 'Like what? You can't be /that/ good. I've fought some pretty powerful things before. I bet I could take you on.'

{Lucci just chuckles.}

“Armin, I assure you, you have never fought anything like me. Well, I could phase through your attacks without sustaining any harm, I could catch and break your blade, I could melt your sword right in your hand, rend the earth beneath you. I essentially have domain over matter, being an entity of pure energy.”

'Oh.' Armin was silent for a moment. 'Well, that's no fun.' He looked up to see that they'd almost reached the park Ivy had mentioned. Ivy had already darted inside, both to wait for Rex and to find a clear space with no bystanders around. 'Maybe I'll just ask Dianne when she gets back.'

Lucci: “Exactly my point. That wouldn’t be any fun. Yeah, you’re probably better off sparring with Dianne. Do be careful, though. She likes to play rough. Much to rough for Ivy.”

Jerry: “Yup, dragons tend to be pretty rowdy.”

'Lucky I'm not Ivy, then,' said Armin with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Rex had reappeared, flying overhead in his raven form before circling to the ground and shifting back. Ivy had situated herself beside a small lake and was waiting impatiently.

'I'm going to regret this,' Rex sighed as he joined her. He was carrying a short, curved sword resembling a cutlass. Ivy was holding a longer, thinner sword resembling a rapier.

'Stop complaining. You're a vampire, you should be able to beat me easily.'

Lucci: "Lucky indeed. You're faster than Dianne, but her style of fighting is extremely defensive, and she /is/ stronger than you. If she gets a hand on you, you basically lose. And Rex, try not to decapitate Ivy, ok?"

Jerry: "Wait, what?"

Lucci: "Don't worry about it..."

'I'll keep that in mind,' said Armin. 'I feel like this'll be an interesting challenge.'

Ivy eyed Rex suspiciously. 'You'd better /not/ be thinking of decapitating me. This is a friendly fight - no lethal attacks allowed!'

'I wasn't /planning/ to decapitate you,' Rex sighed.

'It could happen by accident, though!'

Looking faintly unsettled, Rex took a step back from Ivy and waited. 'Your move.'

Ivy didn't immediately leap in to attack, but instead circled around Rex for a while, eyes alert for a possible opening. He followed her around, not taking his gaze off her. All of a sudden, Ivy darted back in the opposite direction and lunged at him with her rapier, trying to take him off-guard. Rex was faster, though, and managed to lift his sword fast enough to parry her strike, resulting in the two blades connecting with a noise that reverberated through the entire park.

In the brief moment their swords were locked together, Rex used his free hand to shove Ivy in the shoulder, sending her stumbling back several paces.

(By the way, I'm working on a few other stories that take place before Shacklestone. Similar to Hawk's Wings, except that they're focused on different characters' pasts (and are way shorter; most are only 1 or 2 chapters long). If you're interested, I can drop the links here when they're posted.)

(Oooh, please do.)

Lucci: “Yes, I’m curious to see what happens. You two have actually never fought.”

(Alrighty! They should be up pretty soon.)

'I have no idea what the outcome will be,' mused Armin. 'I've seen her fight before, so I kinda have an idea of what fighting her might be like... but I guess we'll just have to find out. Hopefully no-one loses any limbs in the process.' As he spoke, he kept his eyes on Ivy and Rex to make sure they were doing OK.

Lucci: “Oh, don’t worry, that was more of an issue with her and Ivy. Humans are so fragile, and Dianne always fights with everything she has. You should be fine though.”

Jerry: “Yeah, and Ivy has very little experience with sword fighting. She definitely wouldn’t have a good time with it.”

Right as Jerry said 'Ivy has little experience with swordfighting' there was a loud thump from the lakeside. Ivy had been knocked to the ground by a blow from Rex and was now sitting motionless while the vampire pointed his blade at her throat.

'I win,' he said calmly.

She opened her mouth to argue, then snapped it shut. '...Yeah, I guess you did,' she said grudgingly, standing up and brushing herself down. 'Let's try again. I think I've worked out a strategy this time.' Without waiting for a response, she threw herself back into the fight.

Jerry: “Hence my point. Rex actually looks like he’s holding back.”

Lucci: “Well, if he went all out, it wouldn’t be fair. He’s trying to practice with her, not crush her dreams.”

'He's a vampire,' said Armin, shrugging. 'She wouldn't have a chance if he was really trying. Rex actually isn't the most experienced swordsman either - he prefers firearms - but I guess just being a vampire is enough to give him an advantage.'

At that moment, Ivy succeeded in getting past Rex's guard and giving him a small cut on one arm. She immediately leapt back to dodge his retaliation, laughing triumphantly. 'See, I'm getting better.'

'You still haven't won a match, Ivy,' Armin called out.

'Shut up! I'll get it eventually.'

Jerry: “That’s good, Ivy. Keep at it.”

Lucci: “Being a vampire means he’s faster and stronger by a very high margin. That is a serious advantage in swordplay, even if he isn’t experienced.”

This time, Ivy waited for Rex to make the first move, hanging back until he finally charged at her with a series of fast strikes. She managed to parry them, quickly going on the defensive as Rex forced her back towards the edge of the lake.

Armin yawned. 'Honestly, knowing that Rex could easily beat her if he wanted to makes this pretty boring to watch. I hope she falls in the lake, that would make it funny.'

Ivy glanced towards him long enough to scowl ferociously before turning back to fend off Rex's blows.

Lucci: “Yeah...If you’re really bored, you could spar with me, and I just won’t do any of that op stuff.”

Ivy made a noise of slight panic as she nearly fell in the lake. 'OK, time out! You win!' she said, and Rex backed off, allowing her to regain her footing. 'I think I'm done for now,' she added reluctantly.

'You're done?' said Armin. 'Great. Rex, throw me that sword - I'm going to fight with Lucci while we wait for Dianne to come back.'

'Are you sure that's a good idea?' asked Rex. He tossed his blade over to Armin, who caught it.

Lucci: “It’ll be fine. We’re just going to have a nice match.”

Jerry: “Well, Armin, if you beat him, you can brag to everyone that you beat a god.”

Armin turned to Lucci, weighing the unfamiliar blade in his hand. By the lake's edge, Rex and Ivy watched attentively. 'Your move,' he said.
(I'll post a new room later to continue in.)

(Hey Colors, stop eating my line breaks.)

(Ok, I’ll wait for that.)