'Flying over the tundra, on the way home,' said Armin, looking more and more concerned. 'We just left Triticum's place this morning. Are you alright?'

{Dianne rubs her face and leans wearily against the wall.}

Dianne: "...Yeah....Sorry....What was I talking about?"

Barnabas: "You were talking about Armin's secret love for Sargon." XD

Armin raised his eyebrows, not sure whether to be amused or continue with being concerned.

'Apparently you were dreaming about me making out with Sargon. HeII if I know why...'

{Dianne then sits on her bedding.}

Dianne: "...Huh...Well, sometimes, if I'm disturbed in my sleep, I get really wierd dreams....Were you talking kind of loud?"

Armin shrugged, sliding down the wall to sit on his own blankets. In the corner, Esme was playing with the core of the apple she'd eaten.

'Maybe? I was talking with Barnabas, and it probably disturbed you. And that's definitely a weird dream, even by weird dream standards.'

Dianne: "That was probably it...Jeeze, that one's going to haunt me for a while. So, what were you and Barnabas talking about?"

Barnabas: "Oh, just my old home."

'Yep. Apparently he came from some port town called Argos. I was wondering whether we might pass by it - or the place it used to be - on the way back,' said Armin, trying to keep his mind off of mentally scarring things involving Sargon.

Dianne: "Hm...Sounds vaguely familiar. Where is it?"

Barnabas: On the coast of the Tethys sea. south of here."

Dianne: "We might pass close enough to look, but if it's inhabited, we should skip it."

'Yeah, we really need to be avoiding towns...' Armin mused. 'We don't want to get spotted, and we definitely don't want Esme to get spotted.'

He glanced at the dragonet in question, as she finished playing with the apple core and wandered off to explore again.

Dianne: Yes, they can't know we have her. She'd be too big of a target."

{Dianne reaches into the supplies and produces an orange, and proceeds to beckon Esme over with it.}

Dianne: "I don't want to put her in harm's way."

Esme sniffed the air, then decisively strode over to Dianne, looking to get the orange.

'She'll be OK,' said Armin reassuringly. 'We're not going near anyone. And the hunters don't have a clear way of tracking us now that all their scouting parties are dead. And when we camp, we'll be in the wilds, far away from civilisation.'

Dianne: "Yes...But when we get home, we can't keep her existence a secret forever..."

{She peels the orange and gives it to Esme, stroking her head in the process.}

'We'll be safer once we're home,' said Armin. 'My biggest concern will be keeping her out of the way while we fight the hunters... But you won't need to hide her away forever. Just until things have settled down. And she won't be a defenceless kid forever, anyway.'

Esme snapped up the orange one segment at a time, seeming to like it.

Dianne: "Perhaps....Well, Ivy's not much of a fighter, maybe she can watch her while we clean up the trash. Think she can handle it?"

Armin smirked. 'Maybe. It's not like she'd be any help in fighting Paxton's lot. Though, I'm not sure if I'd trust her to watch Esme... she's not very responsible.'

Dianne: "After I threaten her life if anything happens to her, maybe she'll change her tune? I mean, who else can we get to watch her who won't be involved in the fighting?"

Armin shrugged. 'I'd say Rex, but... he'll probably want to be involved in the fighting, even though I hope he doesn't... What about Pythia?'

Dianne: "We need Pythia in case one of us gets hurt. She's the best medic we have."

{Dianne sighs at the thought.}

Dianne: "We don't have a lot of options here."

'I guess it'll have to be Ivy, then...' said Armin. 'Just make sure you tell her what will happen to her if she lets Esme get hurt or lost. Scare her into being responsible, if necessary. It won't be good if she slacks off.'

Dianne: "Don't worry, I'll handle it. Unless she wants to live life as a faceless freak, I'd suggest she take very good care of my child."

Armin smiled slightly. 'Well, I'm sure everything will be fine. I mean, look how cute Esme is. I'm sure when we get home, everyone, including Ivy, will immediately like her.'

As he spoke, he opened the supply box and withdrew a bottle of blood. He pulled off the cap and slowly drank some; he hadn't had any blood since yesterday afternoon.

Dianne: "True. She's adorable. I wonder what everyone will say when they see her? Have you told them we have her when you texted?"

'Not yet,' said Armin. 'I thought it'd be safest not to mention her, even in text. Once we get home, they can see her.' He tilted his head, contemplating how everyone might react to Esme. 'Rex will probably like her, he's good with kids. Fred probably won't know how to react...'

{Dianne chuckles at this.}

Dianne: "Oh, Fred. Wait, Rex is good with kids? Did Sargon have kids in his murder organisation? How would he know?"

'He used to be a schoolteacher,' said Armin. 'When he was still human. Of course, I didn't know him then, but he mentioned how much he enjoyed working with them. He would've had kids himself, but wasn't really in a position to do so at the time.'

Dianne: "Oh...What did he teach?"

'Mathematics. Mostly to younger students. I think he's mentioned taking up teaching again in the future - though he hasn't found any schools in Sovereign yet that are willing to hire vampires.'

Dianne: "Huh. I never knew that about him. But, then again, we really don't talk...I'm sure he'll find a school he can work at. If not, he could become a private tutor."

'Maybe. Things might change in Sovereign over the next few years. Right now, people are still getting used to sharing the place with us.'

He returned his blood bottle back to the supply box, then lay on his back on top of the blankets, gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Dianne: "Yeah...Whatever happens when we get back might be a decisive factor in that..."

{She says, gazing emptily at the wall.}

Armin didn't say anything for a minute or so. Then he said, 'I sure hope the king has the sense not to honour that dam.ned bounty... or we're going to have even more problems on our hands when we get back.'

Dianne: "You're telling me. The last thing I need is to have bounty hunters chasing me. Although, you do realize that, even if the king rejects the bounty, it might not stop people from trying to capture me and take me out of province to collect, right?"

'They'd have to ge crazy to try,' said Armin, frowning slightly. 'Most of them probably wouldn't stand a chance against you. Though I can see people being so blinded by desire for those squalls that they'll try anything.'

*be

Dianne: "Yeah, and that's not the worst part. The worst part will be all the trouble this will cause for everyone. Will you all lose your homes because of me? And if any of us gets hurt or killed, that's on me..."

'Hey, don't start thinking about that now. We have to deal with Paxton first. And most of us aren't pushovers - we'll be on our guard.' He shifted a little and said more softly, 'And if this does cause us any trouble, it's /not/ on you. You can't be blamed because some mayor who's either paranoid or psychotic decided to put a bounty on you.'

{Dianne doesn't reply right away, but her face says she's not convinced.}

Dianne: "...I doubt Rex would see it that way..."

Armin grimaced, knowing that, in all likelihood, Rex wouldn't be very happy about all of this.

'Look, if Rex is upset about what's going on...then honestly, that's more my fault than yours. He left Vallis in search of a more peaceful life, and I dragged him back here...' He sighed and scratched his head. 'Just try not to worry, OK? We don't even know if any bounty hunters will bother us at home.'

Dianne: "Ok...It's hard for me to not worry. Similar events have befallen me so many times. I find a place that seems like a good town to settle down in, only to be uprooted eventually...However, this is the first time I made friends. Maybe that will make it different."

'You have people who will stick up for you. That makes a difference. And you helped beat Sargon, who razed Shacklestone and tried to do the same to Sovereign City - surely some people must be grateful for that.' He stared up at the ceiling. 'I hope you won't be forced to leave, or anything. I don't want you to go anywhere.'

Dianne: "And I don't want to leave. I hope you're right. I want to stay, have a life, and not have to run again."

'Then we'll do everything we can to make sure that happens.' Esme, who had been sitting near Dianne, gave a squeak that somehow sounded encouraging, as if she knew what they were talking about.

{Dianne smiles and reaches out to pet Esme.}

Dianne: "I have to admit...Esme's mere presence...helps. I'm genuinely happy to have her with me..."

Armin smiled faintly, while Esme just pricked up her ears at the sound of her name. 'That's understandable. I'm glad you're going to keep her. Having her to care for is probably good for you.'

Dianne: "Perhaps you're right. I feel more peaceful with her here. Knowing that she's under my care. Maybe this is a good thing for me."

'And you're good for her, too,' said Armin, patting Esme's head as she came over to greet him. 'I know you'll take good care of her. Just, if anyone bullies her, maybe don't rip their face off right in front of her.'

{Dianne chuckles at the notion.}

Dianne: "I know, I know. I don't want to traumatise her with that. Still, anyone who thratens her must die. If I can't do it myself, I'll send Barnabas. Or a plague. Plagues are useful."

{Sh nods to herself as if to affirm this fact.}

'I don't think you need an entire plague, unless she's being threatened by an army...' said Armin, unsure whether she was being serious or not. 'But yeah, keep her safe. If I hear anyone saying bad things about her, and you're not around, then I'll punch them for you.'

Dianne: "Not if I use the right kind of plague. The kind where only specific species are susceptible. And yes, punching is good. I'd appreciate that."

Armin chuckled slightly. 'Well, it sounds like Esme's going to be pretty safe. She has a mother who's willing to destroy anything that threatens her, and she'll be surrounded by friends ready to defend her at all costs. Lucky kid.'

Dianne: "Yes...It's a shame that not all children are born into families that genuinely care about them. My parents didn't really care about me. I became adolescent and they threw me to the four winds...But not Esme. Esme won't have to worry about food or shelter, or predators."

'Yes, I'm glad she's getting the chance to live a great life. Of course, I'm not /happy/ that her tribe got wiped out... but honestly, I think she might have a better life with us.' He tilted his head, contemplating. 'Sorry about your parents. They sound like they sucked. Seriously, why even have kids if you don't care about them?'

{Dianne frowns at the question.}

Dianne: "Who said my egg was intentional? Clearly, my father was a horndog, and my mother was a hoe. And I'm not happy about her tribe either, but I'll do my best in their stead."

'Of course. Like I said, she's probably better off with us anyway. A lot of hunters pick on wild dragons.'

Armin then fell silent, staring up at the ceiling in a quiet, contemplative manner.

{Dianne falls silent as well, lying back down on her blankets, quietly contemplating how things might turn out when they get back.}

(Should we skip ahead? Maybe either to nightfall, or tomorrow morning?)

(yeah, but what could we do?)

(I don't know. We can just skip to whenever they get off the tundra and stop, if you want.)

{Ok, let's do that. I'll start it in a minute.}

(Alrighty.)

...

{After two uneventful days in the back of the truck, the group reaches the edge of the tundra. Titan lands, and Praetorus approaches the doors.}

Praetorus: "Ok, fellas. This is as far as I go."

{Dianne then opens the doors and steps out.}

Dianne: "Alright. It was good seeing you again, Praetorus."

Armin jumped out the back of the truck, with Esme perched on his shoulder. The dragonet was gazing around with wondering eyes at the new scenery. 'Yeah. Thanks for escorting us,' he said, though truthfully, he'd almost forgotten that Praetorus had been flying with them.

{Dianne steps forward and hugs the metal being.}

Dianne: "You better come visit me, you feather-brain."

Praetorus: "You can count on it. Once I'm done helping Triticum, we'll both come visit."

{Praetorus then offers his hand to Armin.}

Praetorus: "Until next time, Ar. Take good care of them, eh?"

Armin reached out and gripped Praetorus's hand firmly. 'Thanks for everything. We'll see you around - hopefully when all of the hunters are dead and gone.'

Esme, not being particularly fond of Praetorus, jumped off Armin's shoulder when the two got close. She padded over to stand behind Dianne instead, gazing around curiously.

Praetorus: "Yes, hopefully, the next time we meet, it will be under more fortunate circumstances."

{Praetorus then backs away a few paces, waves one last time, then takes to the skies. As he flies away, he accelerates until a mach cone forms around him, quickly disappearing from sight.}

Armin watched Praetorus fly away, surprised by how fast he could go. 'Huh, that's pretty cool,' he muttered, almost inaudibly, before turning to Dianne. 'Alright, what now?'

{Despite the short duration of the exchange, the cold had clearly gotten to Dianne, as she was now shivering.}

Dianne: "N-n-now...w-we keep g-going..."

{She then climbs back into the truck and immediately crawls under the covers of her bedding area.}

Esme was trying to walk off and explore, forcing Armin to pick her up and toss her into the truck. She squeaked in protest and immediately scrambled onto the driver's seat, looking disgruntled.

Armin clambered into the back, closing the doors to stop any more cold air getting in. He sat on his blankets and looked over at Dianne. 'Huh, you /really/ don't deal well with cold.'