(Alrighty!)

Dianne: "I knew because I looked it up on the internet. Useful tool, that whole computer thing. Unless you have an interest in prospecting and mineral collection, no, there isn't much here of interest."

'Huh. I need to get a computer,' Armin muttered under his breath, as if the thought of getting one had never occurred to him before.

There were still a sparse few villagers out on the streets. One man passed by on horseback, the creaking of old tack sounding loud in the night air. The horse seemed less than comfortable with Armin and Dianne's presence; it gave them a wide berth, despite the rider trying to pull it back on track.

Armin watched the horse and rider walk away, a slightly surprised expression on his face. 'I guess horses can sense when you're not human.'

{Dianne looks amused as well.}
Dianne: "Yes. So can dogs, cats, and cows. I think it's because they can smell us. But, it matters not. We're still faster than they are.

From behind them came a muffled yell as the horse - already made nervous - spooked at a small noise, threw its rider and galloped away across the village. Armin smirked. 'This is probably one of the reasons why all the farmers and ranchers on the plains hate you. Unsettling the animals.'

{Dianne looked at the rider and stifled a laugh.}

Dianne: “Yeah, but I can’t help it. It’s their reaction to me, not something that I do. Hmmm, maybe walking around town was a bad idea. At this rate, they’ll blame us for causing horse related injuries.“

The disgruntled rider walked past, managing to grab the reins of the runaway horse in passing. He paused to scowl at them, but his expression shifted to worry when he realised that Armin was a vampire and he didn't even know what Dianne was. Muttering something indistinct, he jumped onto his horse and cantered away.

'Yeah, maybe we should think about going back, before we cause a commotion. These people seem fairly tolerant, but we don't want to put them on edge. If we bother them too much then we might end up with a Frostwood situation on our hands.'

Dianne: “Agreed. Let’s head back before someone decides to try something stupid.“

Armin led the way back to the inn. The town was becoming slowly quieter as more people went home for the night.

'Besides,' he said as he pushed the doors open, 'we're probably going to be getting up at an unholy time of the morning, just like today, so I think I'm going to catch some sleep while I still can.'

Dianne: “That’s true. We’re up with the sun. Yeah, getting to bed early is a good idea.”

Armin sighed at the thought. He walked through the saloon, once again ignoring everyone's curious gazes. As soon as he got back to their inn room, he pulled off his jacket and draped it over the tabletop.

'I'll sleep up here. I don't trust the floor.'

{Once inside, Dianne takes off her cloak and begins to undo her cuirass.}

Dianne: “Yeah, that’s probably for the best. Doesn’t look awfully clean.“

'Who knows when they last had someone clean in here?' Armin mused. He shifted himself into a small yellow labrador and jumped onto the table, settling himself as comfortably as was possible on his jacket.

//I hope you don't snore,// he said grimly. //It's one of my biggest pet peeves.//

{Dianne turns, looking slightly amused.}
Dianne: “No, I don’t snore.”

{Having undone her armor, she places her cuirass in the corner of the room.}

Dianne: “However, if I start to...yell, or cry, or speak in my sleep...just ignore it. I’ll be fine.”

Armin curled his tail around himself for warmth and shot her a concerned glance. //Well, I'm not sure if I could just ignore that,// he said. //That would probably scare the cra.p out of me. Is that a common thing for you?//

{Dianne doesn't answer right away.}

Dianne: "Well...no. Not anymore, at least. Typically, it'll only happen...three times a week."

Armin made a noise of disbelief, tilting his head to one side. //Um, three times a week is pretty common. Geez, I thought having nightmares once every few /months/ was bad...// He contemplated for a moment. //Are you sure you don't want me to wake you up or something if that happens?//

Dianne: "Hey, it's still better than nightly. No, it's alright. I typically wake up pretty soon after anyway. Besides, I wouldn't want you to have to get off the table just to wake me up."

//Because getting off the table would take too much effort?// Armin retorted sarcastically. He then let out a quiet sigh and lay down, resting his head on his front paws. //Well, if you insist. But it'll still scare me. I used to share living space with Rex back in the organisation, and he had /horrific/ nightmares. I got used to jumping awake every night to wake him up.//

{Dianne sits on the bed and sighs.}

Dianne: "Yes, I'm sure. You know what, if it does happen, just try with telepathy. Don't actually get too close, I don't want to risk hurting you in the panic of my night terrors."

//Alright,// Armin replied, a note of concern still in his voice. //I'll do that. If it happens. Telepathy doesn't always work on sleeping people, but... I'll try.// He let out a wide yawn. //Hopefully, it won't come to that.//

Dianne: "Hopefully. Just know that I'm alright. It's just...bad memories, that's all."

//Yeah,// said Armin pensively. //I can understand bad memories.// He stared thoughtfully at the wall for a moment, then shifted to a more comfortable position and closed his eyes.

{Seeing that Armin had settled down for the night, Dianne, pulls herself into the bed and turns off the bedside lamp.}

Armin opened his eyes for a brief moment when the light turned off, then closed them again. Despite the fact that he'd been sleeping for most of the day, he quickly drifted into a light doze, unable to sleep more deeply in such an unfamiliar environment.

(So, should we time skip, or night terrors, or wat?)

(Night terrors would be interesting, let's skip a couple hours ahead and do that--)

(Ok.)
{A few hours pass and everything seems peaceful. However, Dianne begins to stir. What starts as tossing in the bed quickly becomes muttering, then panicked speech. She was speaking in the same indiscernable language she spoke to Lucci in so many weeks ago, but she seems very distressed this time, as she's gripping the bedframe hard enough to slighly rend it.}

Still in dog form, Armin bolted upright in panic, momentarily thinking some kind of enemy was breaking into the room. A quick glance around reassured him that no-one was here except Dianne, though the relief quickly faded when he noticed what she was doing.

He made a move to jump off the table and walk over, but stopped himself at the last second with a frustrated growl. //Hey,// he said telepathically. //Wake up. Everything's OK.// He let out a low whine, hoping the sound might wake her if the telepathy failed.

{Dianne wakes with a start, letting out a startled cry. She immediately picks herself up and starts to run her hands against the mattress, as if looking for something. After a moment, she looks around.}

Dianne: “...What the hell? Where....What’s happening?”

Armin tilted his head to one side, claws gripping the edge of the table. //We're at an inn in Chalcedony, after the fall of Sargon,// he said, unsure if she was fully awake or not. //You were just dreaming.//

{Dianne stays still for a moment, breathing heavily from the adrenaline. She then proceeds to sit up and bury her face in her hands. She lets out a soft groan before speaking.}

Dianne: “Ooooohh......F&$k, f$&k, f$$k....I’m sorry I woke you...”

//It's fine. I'm used to it,// said Armin shortly, still restraining the natural impulse to approach her, as he would with almost anyone else. It was clear that being woken up by other peoples' nightmares was a routine thing for him. //What was that all about? You don't have to tell me,// he added quickly. //Some people prefer not to.//

{Dianne puts her hands down and sighs.}

Dianne: “... I don’t normally talk about these things openly, but...Lucci says it might help...oh, nevermind, I doubt you want to hear this crap...just go back to sleep.”

//No way. If talking about it might help, then I'd be happy to listen,// he replied firmly. //Whatever it is, I won't judge. And besides, I'm sure if our positions were reversed, you'd do the same for me.//

{Dianne gives a mirthless laugh.}

Dianne: "...Ok...I'll give it a shot. But, in order to understand...I need to tell you something...I've never told anyone this...It's not exactly easy for me to talk about...I...I used to have a daughter...and...I lost her...a long time ago..."

{Dianne pauses momentarily, wiping her eyes.}

Dianne: "I couldn't save her...and most of these nightmares are just...me reliving the night she died..."

Armin listened silently. He, of course, knew most of this, as Magnus had - for reasons he didn't understand - told him long ago. But he had a feeling that now wasn't the best time to mention how much he knew.

//...Well, that's understandable... it doesn't matter how long ago it was. Something like that will stay with you forever. What do you mean, you couldn't save her?//

{Dianne stifles a sob. Clearly, this is a rather painful subject.}
Dianne: "...Well, as her mother, it was my job to keep her safe and bring her up...And I couldn't even do that...I should've...I should've seen it all coming. Had I even an ounce of foresight, I could have stopped it all...It's my fault..."

//You can't keep blaming yourself. I doubt you really could've stopped it. Sometimes things just happen, and there's no way to prevent them. Maybe now, looking back on it, you THINK you could have saved her... but in reality, there was nothing you could've done.// Armin sighed. //None of us can predict what's going to happen before it does.//

{Dianne just looks at the floor.}

Dianne: "That's what Lucci keeps telling me. I couldn't have known...There's nothing different I could have done...that I need to stop blaming myself...All easier said than done...I /know/ there's nothing I could have done but...God, I should have seen it...That f$&king bastard, I trusted him...I trusted him and...I'm all more the fool for it..."

//We've all trusted people we shouldn't have... Who's 'him'? The one responsible? I hope you killed him.// Armin bared his teeth vengefully, knowing who the person in question was and knowing he deserved what he got in the end.

{Dianne’s expression suddenly turns dark.}

Dianne: “/He/ was my husband. That unfaithful weasel...he killed her. Yes, I slaughtered him. But despite putting him where he belongs, along with that repulsive harlot of his, his deeds still haunt me. Tormenting me with the fact that I couldn’t stop him.”

//He got what he deserved,// said Armin grimly. //Nobody should have to see someone they love die. Especially a child. That's one of the worst things I can imagine.//

For a moment, he turned his head away and pressed his ears back, with an almost guilty expression. But it was hard to tell considering he was a dog.

//I just wish it was easier for you to make peace with what happened,// he said a moment later. //It sounds horrible to still be dreaming of it so many years later.//

{Dianne just sits silently, nodding at what was said. After a while, she speaks once more.}

Dianne: “...Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her, Armin. I would do anything to have her back. But, I, as a sorceress who specializes in resurrection, I know better than anyone...you can’t truly bring anyone back. All you create are hollow, twisted perversions of life.“

//True,// said Armin pensively. //It's not the same. Once someone's dead, they should stay dead - no matter how painful it is for the ones still alive.// He sighed. //I'm sure her life, even if it was short, was a happy one. You obviously loved her.//

{Dianne grimaces at that last statement.}

Dianne: “That’s not much of a comfort to me. She got four happy years, then died in suffering...She deserved better.“

//She did,// Armin agreed. //But that's not the way things turned out, and dwelling on it won't change anything. /Blaming/ yourself won't change anything. All you can do is try to accept it and move on.// He knew that he sounded blunt, but he could not think of anything comforting to say; just what he felt was the truth.

Dianne: “I’m trying, Armin, I’ve been trying for three thousand years...How can I let go when I see her face damn near every time I sleep?”

Armin seemed to have no answer to that. After a while, he said, //I don't know. If I did, then maybe I'd know how to stop myself dreaming about...// He hesitated, broke off, and shook his head. //Maybe Lucci knows something that could help.//

{Dianne squints At Armin’s mention. However, she decides to not pursue it.}

Dianne: “Lucci says I need something else in my life. Something that will bring me genuine joy. He says that once I can find fulfillment, I will be at peace. But, leave it to that guy to give me a cryptic answer on how to fix my life.”

Armin slowly let out his breath, seemingly in relief that she hadn't mentioned what he'd said.

//That's... unhelpful,// he commented. //He always seemed the type to never give a straight answer. But hey, look on the bright side, at least he seems to think you /can/ be at peace. That's better than him saying nothing will ever help, I guess.//

{Dianne just sighs at that response.}
Dianne: “Well, that’s just as helpful as what he originally said. Just because I can be at peace doesn’t mean I’ll find a way to be. Oh, I don’t know what to do...”

Armin shrugged tiredly. //Sorry to not be of more help.// He laid his head down on his front legs and closed his eyes. //Maybe there's something lacking in your life, something you need in order to find happiness. Can you think of anything you really want right now? Aside from being able to resurrect the dead, obviously.//

{Dianne starts to settle back down. She doesn’t reply right away.}

Dianne: “...No...nothing really comes to mind...Eh, I think I’m just tired. I’ll probably feel better in the morning. But, thanks for listening.”

//You're welcome,// said Armin. His telepathic voice was becoming indistinct from lack of focus. //We should definitely get some sleep before the sun comes up. You'll probably have to wake me; I don't do mornings.// He curled his tail around himself for warmth. //Goodnight.//

(Feel free to skip to morning, if you like.)

(Ok)

{Several hours later, the sun was rising. Sitting up in bed, Dianne looks to Armin.}

Dianne: “Wake up, Armin. It’s morning.”

{Getting out of bed, Dianne starts to put her armor back on.}

Armin slowly opened one eye, observed the room, then closed it again with a groan. The memories of flying over the plains, arriving in Chalcedony, and the conversation from last night came trickling back.

//Too early,// he mumbled, not moving. //What sane person gets up at this time?//

Dianne: “I would say me, but I’m not so sure if you consider me completely sane. C’mon, Triticum‘s tavern isn’t going to come to us.“

Armin rolled to his feet, jumped off the table, and shifted to human form. With a sigh, he reached over to pick up his jacket and brush the dog hair off of it.

'It's not going to just disappear, either,' he grumbled. 'We can take as long as we need.'

Dianne: "Yeah, but I don't want to be away from Soveriegn for too long. The king doesn't want me there and neither do my neighbors. If I'm gone too long, they might take my stuff."

'Pretty sure anyone would have to be insane or desperate to try stealing your stuff,' sighed Armin as he pulled his jacket back on. 'Anything else we need to do here before setting off? I'm guessing it's gonna be a while before we reach the next town.'

{Dianne begins to leave the inn, expecting Armin to follow.}

Dianne: "Not if I'm gone for over a year. At that point, they may assume that I may not ever come back. And no, we have nothing left to do here. Yeah, we'll be camping for the next few nights."

Armin glanced around the room to check they hadn't forgotten anything before slowly following Dianne, giving a massive yawn as he went.

'What kind of camping? Did you bring a tent, or are we just going to find a cave or something?'

(Made a new room--)