Dianne: "Yeah, for some reason, colder climate animals seem to always have tougher, less tasty meat."

{She then takes some meat off the spit.}

Dianne: "But it'll keep you alive at least."

Armin was preoccupied with his food for a while. When it was finished, he leaned over to carve off another small piece. 'Anything I need to know before we get to the village tomorrow?'

Dianne: "It's agricultural, so lots of livestock and horses. I don't think we'll be able to stay long because of that..."

'Hmm... we'll just try to stay as far away from the animals as possible. We probably won't cause any trouble as long as we don't walk around the village too much. Gotta say, I wish people would train their animals to not freak out around non-humans.'

Dianne: "Back in Ferros, they never had that problem. There were already so many nonhumans that the livestock just got used to them."

'That's one thing I think I'll do with my gold share when we get back. Buy myself a horse and train it to not be scared of non-humans. There's a few of us there, so it'll get used to us eventually.'

Barnabas: "I like horses. They're easy to spook."

Dianne: "Don't go scaring livestock, Barnabas. You'll have us run out of town."

Barnabas: "Awwww. :("

'I'll probably buy a house on the plains, too,' said Armin thoughtfully, clearly paying no attention to what Barnabas was saying in the background. 'With a bit of land so I can keep animals. Not too close to your place, though. I don't want to have to train them against draugrs as well.'

{Dianne just laughs.}

Dianne: “Oh, my neighbors are just going to looove that. A dragon, draugrs/and/ a vampire moving in next door.“

'Oh, they'll barely even notice me,' said Armin lightly. 'A horde of the undead living next door is harder to ignore. Besides, it's not like they can accuse /me/ of eating their livestock.'

Dianne: "Are you sure? For all we know, they won't realize that lower animals can't turn into vampires, and they might think you'll create an army of vampire cows to rise against them."

At that, Armin burst into uncontrollable laughter. '...Vampire cows? Even /uneducated humans/ aren't that idiotic,' he said as he tried to regain control of himself.

{Dianne laughs as well.}

Dianne: "Does that give you an idea of what I have to deal with on a daily basis? I never said these people were smart."

Eventually, Armin managed to stop himself laughing. 'The worst part is that those kinds of people are unlikely to ever change,' he said with amusement. 'They've probably lived their whole lives there, being taught nothing about non-humans except that we're all dangerous. They're never gonna believe otherwise. Sucks for them, because it means they have to live in fear for no reason.'

Dianne: "Yeah, it's a shame. But, they're willfully ignorant imo. You can easily research these things. Or, if they went to provinces where nonhumans are abundant, they'd see we're just like everyone else. It's not that hard to see."

'Some people just /want/ to stay ignorant. They don't want to educate themselves because that would mean not only admitting they were wrong before, but also changing how they treat others, and they don't want to do that. It's the same with anyone who's mistrustful or aggressive towards a certain group. They're just too stubborn to change.'

Dianne: "And that's always been my biggest issue with people. They don't want to see me as a normal person. To them, I'll always be the scary dragon lady with demon eyes."

'Yeah, it's a shame. It all depends on how they're raised. Humans might be too stubborn to change their beliefs, but at least some of them are decent people from the beginning. They're not all terrible.' He looked up at the sky. 'I'm kinda surprised Jerry and Eliza don't hate our race considering the family they grew up in.'

Dianne: "Well, that's just the thing. Some people just see through the bullsh!t. Jerry grew up with that family, but at some point, he must have realized that we're basically all the same. We all have the same problems and issues, some external, and some self ingrained. You don't have to be 'human' to suffer from the human condition."

'True, that. More people need to stop running about like headless chickens when they encounter dragons and vampires, and realise that we're really not that different. I mean sure, we could kill them pretty easily if we wanted to, but we're no more likely to be pyschopathic murderers than the humans themselves.'

Dianne: "And I would argue that they are actually more likely to be murderous psychopaths than any of us, just based on the number of hunters out there."

'Eh, not all of the hunters are psychopaths. Some of them only hunt non-humans who are actually dangerous. But, yeah, there's too many of them out there for comfort.'

Dianne: "Of course not. Jerry's a good guy. But you're right, there are too many hunters out there. I'm just glad we haven't run into any on this trip."

'There's still a chance we will. But we won't have any trouble dealing with them,' said Armin confidently.

(So sure about that, are you, Armin?)

Dianne: "I sure hope so. I'm not that great at dodging bullets..."

(He might be a bit overconfident haha.)

'Well, we have Titan and Barnabas with us. And I'm pretty fast. The three of us could wipe out the hunters before they even manage to aim their guns. It would have to be a very large or very well-equipped hunter squad to pose any threat to us.'

Dianne: "I suppose so...Still, bullets really hurt. Hopefully, we don't run into any."

{Dianne leans back and puts her plate aside.}

Dianne: "I mean, Ivy shot you, so you know what it's like."

Armin tilted his head thoughtfully. 'Bullet wounds usually aren't a huge problem for me. They heal relatively fast most of the time. Unless it's something like Oliver's shotgun. That was pretty bad.' He looked up at the sky. 'Being shot would probably be worse for you than for me in most circumstances.'

Dianne: "Yeah, it is worse for me. I don't heal as quickly as you do. But, I'm sure we'll be fine. It's no like our destination is frequented much anyway."

'They'd have to be pretty dedicated hunters to go searching for monsters in the tundra,' said Armin. He then let out a huge yawn. 'I think I'll turn in now. It's getting late and I don't wanna be half-asleep when we reach the village.'

Dianne: " I think I will as well. Goodnight, Armin."

{With that, she proceeds to walk to her tent.}

Armin extinguished the remains of the fire and walked off to his own tent.

//I still keep thinking of them every night when we make camp... Was it like this for them? Was it peaceful and quiet, before the monsters fell upon them?// He shook his head and swiftly climbed into bed. //I really need to stop thinking about that. Dammit, two centuries and I still can't quite forget...//

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

(Ok.)

{The next morning, Dianne walks out of her tent and looks around the woods. //Hmm, peaceful. Well, better go get Armin up.//}

Dianne: "Armin, it's time to go."

As it turned out, Armin had gotten up a while ago and gone for a walk in the woods. Upon hearing Dianne's voice from a short distance away, he quickly returned to the campsite.

'Morning,' he said tiredly as he approached and began to pack his things.

{Dianne looks up, mildly surprised.}
Dianne: "Oh, you're up now. Ok, let's pack up and get going."

'Been up for the last four hours,' said Armin dully. 'I might just sleep on your back until we stop this evening.' He finished packing his belongings, glancing around to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

{Dianne starts to walk away, but then turns back. }
Dianne: "Are you ok? You seem...bedraggled."

'I've been awake for most of the night, and you're asking if I'm OK?' he scoffed. 'Maybe I'd be able to sleep in a dam.n tent peacefully, if it didn't remind me of...'

He quickly shut his mouth, as if he'd said more than he intended.

'Anyway, let's get going. I'm fine, just a bit tired.'

{Dianne stops and looks right at him.}

Dianne: "Remind you of what, Armin? What happened?"

Armin didn't look at Dianne as he spoke. 'It's nothing. I did a lot of bad stuff when I was in the organisation, and camping just happens to remind me of one of the things I did. But I'm fine. There's no need for you to know all about it.'

{Dianne nods in understanding.}

Dianne: "Alright, say no more. Let's get going."

{Dianne shifts and waits for Armin.}

Dianne: "We'll be camping for a while after Mallow. Are there any other sleeping arrangements we could use to help you out?"

Armin walked over and climbed onto Dianne's back. 'Not really. As long as we're camping, I'm probably going to have issues. It's just the way things are. I might just try shifting into an animal and sleeping outside, if it gets too bad.'

{With everything packed, Dianne and Titan take flight.}

Dianne: "Alright. If you're sure there's nothing can be done."

'Yeah... don't worry about it...' As they took off, Armin shifted to hawk form and settled down to sleep, tucking his head under his wing.

....

{Many hours later, The town of Mallow comes into view. The terrain at this point was all rolling hills and grassy plains. Dianne lands quite a ways from the village with Titan.}

Dianne: "We have to stop a large distance away from the town. No woods to hide Titan, unfortunately..."

Armin was jolted awake by the landing. He looked around for a moment, blinking disorientatedly at the view of rolling green in every direction. //Huh... it's nice,// he remarked.

He stretched, yawned, and then jumped off Dianne's back, shifting to human form.

Dianne: “Oh, don’t get off yet. I’m not walking the whole way.“

{She goes to the crate, grabs her bag and coat, and hands them to Armin.}

Dianne: “Hold these.”

Armin took the bag and coat, still gazing around distractedly at the landscape. 'So, we're leaving Titan here? I hope nobody sees him. There's a lot of exposed open space.'

Dianne: “I know. But, Titan will relocate if necessary. Get on, let’s go.”

Armin leapt onto Dianne's back. 'Don't terrify the villagers by flying too close.'

{Dianne just rolls her eyes and takes off. She stays low to the ground, using the hills as cover. Once they get within walking distance, she lands and shifts.}

Dianne: “We walk from here.“

Armin set off briskly towards the village, still absent-mindedly carrying Dianne's bag and coat. 'What's this place's opinion on non-humans?' he asked. 'I'd imagine it to be similar to Chalcedony considering they're small and isolated.'

{Dianne quickly caught up and took her coat from Armin.}

Dianne: “I’m not sure. The internet didn’t have much information on that. I’m sure it’s fine though. It’s a small town full of farmers. What’s the worst that could happen?”

'Your neighbours on the plains are mostly farmers too, and one of them marched up to your front door with a gun once,' said Armin dryly. 'But I'm hoping these people will be better. It does /look/ peaceful here.'

Dianne: “Yes, And he was hauled away by the police for being a massive dong. Still, we’ll play it by ear.”

Armin nodded, and said nothing more until they got close to the village entrance. 'Alright, let's head on in and see what it's like.'

{As they approached the entrance to the town, there was a sign above the front arch that read: "Welcome to Mallow. Come for the scenery, stay for our famous sheep pie!"
As soon as they enterd, it was clear that this was a town of not only farmers, but shepherds, as there was a large flock of sheep in the middle of the road. As Dianne approached, the flock parted to avoid her.}
Dianne: "Hmm...I could go for some mutton."

{She says jokingly.}

Armin eyed the numerous sheep as they passed by, giving him and Dianne a wide berth. 'They really are proud of their sheep here, aren't they?' he said with amusement. 'I just hope the people aren't as scared of us as their animals are. Where are we staying for the night?' he added, surveying the village.

{As they wade through the sea of bleating sheep, Dianne points to an inn called "The Woolball Inn"}

Dianne: "That's where we're staying. Hmm, the website told me that wool was their primary export, but...I didn't expect this."

{On the porch of the inn, there was a particularly shaky and bug eyed lamb, bleating loudly at the pair's approach. Next to it was an equally shaky and bug eyed boy, gawking frightenedly at them.}

As they approached the inn, Armin slowed down and eyed the boy on the porch. 'Hey, kid, it's rude to stare,' he said mildly. He wasn't sure whether the boy looked afraid because they were non-humans, or for some other reason entirely. He decided he'd just try to seem unthreatening.

{The kid just nods stupidly. Dianne spares him a concerned look as she walks in. The inside just looked like a plain cottage. Behind the counter there was a half blind old woman.}

Old Woman: "Hello, u want room?"

'Yes, a room for two, please,' Armin replied. 'How much?'
//I think she's too blind to notice we're not human,// he said telepathically to Dianne. //That's good.//

Old Woman: “That’ll be 4 Squalls.“
{The old woman give Armin a mischievous look.}

Old Woman: “Would you like the back room? It’s sound proofed in case you need some...privacy?”

{She starts raising and lowering her eyebrows with a mischievous smile on her face.}

Armin returned the old woman's grin effortlessly, then passed the coins across the counter with a laugh.

'Oh no, it's OK. We won't be needing that.' He then paused, grin fading as he seemingly contemplated something. 'Actually... sure, we'll take the back room. Why not?'

{The old woman just smiles even wider and slides Armin the key, while Dianne just looks mildly appallled at the exchange.}

Old Woman: "Oi, just one other thing. Tell this one to not scare the sheep!"

{She says, as she points at a space in the empty air.}

Armin blinked as he took the key. 'Uh, sure. I'll do that. Thanks.' He then left the counter and set off down the hall to find the room they'd bought, glancing over his shoulder to check that Dianne was following.

{Dianne glanced at the old woman before following Armin to the room. Once inside, she puts her bag down and sits on one of the bed.}

Dianne: "Soundproofed, huh? Guess the patrons won't have to hear my night terrors at least..."

{She mutters.}

Armin sat on the other bed and took his jacket off, tossing it carelessly across the room with a yawn. Despite sleeping on Dianne's back for most of the day, he seemed a little tired. 'Why do you think I asked to have this room?' he said. 'I'm sure you don't want anyone bursting into our room in a panic because they heard shouting or something.'

Dianne: "Smart."

{She takes off her coat and drapes it on the back of a chair. After she takes off her armor, she lies down on the bed.}

Dianne: It is a nice town though. How do you feel about it?"

'I haven't seen much of it, but I like the scenery,' said Armin. 'Other than that, I'm not sure what to think. The people seem OK, but the only ones we've encountered were a kid who looked terrified of us, and that old woman in the other room, so it's hard to be sure.'

Dianne: "I suppose that's true. I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

{She looks to the corner of the room, seemingly contemplating.}

Dianne: "They sure had a lot of sheep. I hope they won't hate us if we frighten them with our presence."

'They're just sheep. At least we're not scaring horses into throwing their riders off. Nobody will care.' Armin lay down on his back and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

{Dianne continues to lie there, slowly blinking as she started to doze off.}

Dianne: “I sure hope so...That kid sure didn’t look happy to see us...And....dragons eat sheep....mostly...”

'Eh, they'll get over it. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning and we won't be stealing any of their precious sheep.'

Armin switched off his bedside lamp and pulled the blankets over himself. 'Anyway... goodnight.'

Dianne: “Goodnight...”

{Dianne didn’t even bother with the covers, just passing out on the bed. Meanwhile, outside the inn, Barnabas looks out towards a flock of sleeping sheep.}

Barnabas: “Hehe, yea, boi...”

(Oh, Barnabas, no. XD)

Armin was asleep moments later. //The best thing about staying in towns overnight is that I have no reason to think about Windglen,// he thought dozily just before he did.

(Do you going to do nightmare stuff tonight? I was considering doing something, but if you have anything planned then I can just move it to a different night.)

(*are you going
My brain is not functioning...)

(No, I didn’t really have anything planned. The aftermath of Barnabas’ mayhem will be apparent the next day, so you can do your thing if you want.)

(Alrighty. RIP everyone when they find out what Barnabas has been up to.)

It was a few hours before dawn, around the time when Dianne was usually woken up by nightmares. However, on this particular occasion, it was Armin who began to stir restlessly in his sleep. This stirring gradually became tossing and turning. He wasn't being very loud, but was muttering indistinctly under his breath.

{Dianne, having been sleeping peacefully, hears Armin’s unrest, which makes her restless. Waking suddenly, she sits bolt upright in bed, grabbing her sword from the floor. She holds it up, looking around the room. However, once she notices Armin’s behavior, she puts it down.}

Dianne: “Armin? Wh- hey! Armin! Wake up!”

{She whispers hoarsely.}

Armin jerked awake, lifting his head and quickly scanning the room. It only took him a few seconds to realise that he'd been dreaming. With a groan, he rolled over and buried his face in his pillow, breathing unsteadily.

'Sorry,' he said in a muffled voice.

Dianne: "Don't be. Are you alright?"

{She asks in a concerned tone while moving to the edge of the bed.}

'I... yeah.' He put his arms on top of the pillow and rested his head on them. He said nothing for a few seconds, staring blankly at the headboard. 'Why can I still remember it so... vividly? Vampires don't have good long-term memory... and it was over two hundred years ago... Why can I still remember exactly what their screams sounded like?'

He almost seemed to be talking to himself, rather than Dianne.

{Dianne sighs and nods.}

Dianne: "Sometimes...the bad stuff just sticks with you. Even time can't fade it sometimes."