Despite her warning to stay, Armin shakily got to his feet and peered over her shoulder. When she opened the doors to reveal no skull-headed figure beyond them, he narrowed his eyes. 'I saw it. It was right out here...'

Dianne: "Titan!"

{Titan lowers his head.}

Titan: "Yup?"

Dianne: "Was there anyone at the doors right now?"

Titan: "Just Barnabas with a deer skull."

Armin's breathing stopped at that. 'Barnabas... with a deer skull...?'

His voice was initially relieved, but quickly turned dark with barely-suppressed anger.

'...Where is that little worm? I'd like to talk to him...'

{Barnabas appears, still wearing the deer skull and a black piece of cloth, laughing hysterically.}

Barnabas: "Ahahahahah! You should have seen the look on your face! Priceless! Ahahaheheh...heh...wat? Why the sour looks?"

Armin took a step forwards, involuntarily baring his fangs in rage.

'You a.ss!' he snarled. 'I've tried my best to be civil with you ever since we got out of that tavern, because you agreed to stop messing with me if I did - and you're still pulling stunts like this?! Why am I wasting my time, /dog boy?'/

{Barnabas just looks confused.}

Barnabas: "But...I still need to feed.....I thought the deal was I stop relentlessly antagonizing you, but I still scare you as needed? If the deal is something else, maybe we should clear that up now."

(Armin got really scared there. Now, he mad. :/)

'You needed to feed? What, didn't you get enough from my nightmares last night?' said Armin disbelievingly.

{Barnabas looks down and nervously scratches the ground with his clawed foot.}

Barnabas: "Well...yeah.....but....This was a golden opportunity....the ambiance from the thunderstorm, the short time from your first nightmare...."

Dianne: "Barnabas, that wasn't ok. Don't you know that Armin has trouble sleeping to begin with? You can't just make it worse like that."

Armin growled and turned away, gazing through the windshield. Esme was sitting on the driver's seat; he petted her absently to help calm himself down.

'If I'd known that I was going to spend this whole trip being picked on by a ghoul, I would have invited someone else to come along with us. Ivy or Crowley, maybe.'

Barnabas: "Hey, I might prank you, but that's not because I dislike you. You're literally my only food source right now. Also, your reactions are always exaggerated and hilarious. It's just a prank, bro, why are you so mad?"

Armin looked over his shoulder to give Barnabas a dark look.

'Our agreement was that you'd only terrorise me when /necessary./ This wasn't necessary, you got enough last night. You're just screwing with me for fun.'

Barnabas: "...But now I don't need to feed for a while..."

Dianne: "Barnabas, the next time you need to feed, run it by me first. This wasn't a good thing..."

Armin walked over to his bed and sat down, leaning against the wall and staring quietly out the side window as rain continued to splatter it. He had nothing more to say to Barnabas.

{Barnabas simply fades away. Dianne sits down across from Armin.}

Dianne: "Are you going to be ok, Armin?"

Armin nodded slightly, still gazing at the window. It looked like he was just watching the rain, but a part of him half-expected to see a deer skull appear outside again.

'I'll be fine. It's going to take me a while to relax enough to sleep, after /that,/ but... No lasting harm done...'

{Dianne takes a moment to consider something.}

Dianne: "The thought of the aspect still scares you...Do you want me to just start with stroking your hair?"

Armin chuckled bitterly. 'It does. I know you said it wouldn't come back, but I keep thinking about it...' He then tilted his head slightly, looking faintly surprised. 'Well... if you don't mind doing that... then yes, that would help.'

{Dianne gets closer to him, shrugging.}

Dianne: "Hey, Lucci told us this for a reason. I'm guessing that this is why. I know it's frightening, but the aspect doesn't just show up to any chump on the street. If anything, you should feel honored."

Armin drew his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them. 'Honoured?' he said disbelievingly. 'Firstly, it gave me a cryptic message that I don't understand. Secondly, what it said sounded threatening. Like it's going to destroy me if I fail it... But I don't even know what it wants me to not fail at.'

{Dianne chuckles, grabbing a hold of Armin and gently stroking his hair.}

Dianne: "Yeeeaaaahhh, despite the stories, most divines aren't....the most coherent. And that's true, I have no idea what it wanted from you. You're not part of the cult, so you're technically not obligated to do anything for it."

Armin's eyes slid half-shut, and he let out a long breath. 'Well, I sure hope I find out what it meant someday,' he said. A moment passed, then he added more quietly, 'I also hope you don't think less of me for being scared of that thing... It's probably not frightening to you at all.'

{Dianne chuckles a bit at that.)

Dianne: "Are you kidding? That thing terrifies me. The only reason I'm not freaked out is because it didn't show up for me specifically. I don't think less of you for that. I hate it when it appears too."

Armin slowly relaxed from his hunched posture to lean against her instead. 'That's good...' he said. 'Not that it scares you, but that you don't think I'm some sort of coward. Stupid deities need to mind their own business... and not just show up like that...'

Dianne: "I wish it was that simple...But, they come and go as they please. It's very rare when they do, but it's frightening when you see them..."

Armin made a noise of agreement. 'Just as long as it doesn't show up again... Or if it does, it had better give me a more easy-to-understand message than last time, at least...'

Dianne: "Good luck with that....It's not even straight with its own disciples..."

{Dianne starts to lean back with him onto the bedding.}

Armin had closed his eyes as he relaxed, but opened them again when he felt her starting to lie back. '...You don't have to stay with me, you know... You don't even like sleeping near people... I don't want you to feel obligated to stay, just for my sake.'

Dianne: "Ok, if you're sure you're ok now."

{She continues stroking his hair for a bit, before letting him go.}

Armin watched her a bit regretfully as she let go. Deep down, he didn't want her to leave. But he didn't want to ask her to stay, either. //I'm getting too used to this... She only does it to help with the nightmares. You can't expect her to stay with you all the time, just because you want to.//

Esme finally stopped gazing at the storm, jumping from the driver's seat and padding across the truck. She yawned and started looking around for a good spot to sleep.

{Dianne lies down on her bedding, beckoning Esme to lie next to her. Afterward, she stares contemplatively at the ceiling.}

Dianne: //He doesn't want me to go...I can see it in his face....But, it's better for the both of us if I keep my distance...Death's appearance was no coincidence.//

Esme willingly joined Dianne, swiftly dozing off. The rain continued to hammer on the roof of the truck, accompanied by the mournful howl of the wind.

Armin slowly settled down, pulling the blankets over himself. After a while, he drifted into a light, restless sleep, nothing like the deep sleep he'd shown the night before.

{Dianne put a hand on Esme, drifting off as well.}

(skip to morning?)

(Yeah, shall I go first or you?)

(You can go.)

----

The next morning, relatively early, Armin awoke to the sound of pattering against the truck roof. //Still raining,// he mused. //But it doesn't sound as heavy as before... not right now, at least...//

Cold, he tugged his blankets up higher, half-wishing he'd gone to bed wearing his coat. Even though they were off the tundra, they were still far north, and it was anything but warm inside the truck. Not wanting to get up, he just stayed there, contemplating silently on the events of the night before.

{At this point, Dianne was still asleep, slightly curled beneath her blankets. The weather outside was no longer stormy, just gloomy and grey, with lighter rains than before.}

Armin gazed out the nearest window, sighing slightly. //There's something peaceful about this kind of weather... Peaceful, but kind of depressing as well.//

He eyed Dianne for a moment, finding her still asleep. Quietly, he pulled himself to his feet and put his winter coat on. //I could use some fresh air.//

As quietly as he could, he opened the back of the truck and stepped out. Ignoring the light rain, he wandered off a little to explore the surrounding terrain. Back in the truck, Esme opened one eye to observe the doors he'd left open.

(I could probably do the thing with Esme getting attacked, if you think now is a good time?)

(Oh, man, if Armin's leaving the doors open lets Esme out, she's going to skin him alive. XD)

(Hmm, that may not be a good idea. XD
Maybe I'll have it happen some other time.)

{Dianne remained asleep, despite the door being left open. Titan had landed slightly inland from the coast, atop a tall shrubby hill. Nearby, Titan sat, vigilantly watching the surounding areas with all three heads.}

(I'll throw some delays their way as needed.)

Esme slowly began to rise to her feet. Right at that moment, Armin returned to shut the doors behind him, giving her a stern look. 'No, you can't come out too. Stay here.'

Esme growled in frustration as he closed the doors, and reluctantly lay back down beside Dianne.

Armin wandered off in the vague direction Titan was sitting. 'Hey, Titan,' he greeted. 'I guess it doesn't bother you much, being outside in the storm?'

(We can still do it once Dianne wakes up and decides to get some air.)

(I was planning to make it happen by Esme momentarily sneaking off on her own and getting attacked while separated from Dianne, but that's tricky to do, since Dianne rarely lets her out of sight. XD)

(Hmmm, that is a tricky one. She's too good of a mom. XD)

(And I can't have Armin be responsible for her getting hurt. XD
I think the easiest way to do it would be for them to both get ambushed together, but I'll think on it some more.)

{Titan looks over at Armin, nodding in greeting.}

Titan: "You're up early. The weather never bothered me, not when I boasted a form of earth and fire, and certainly not now."

Armin shrugged. 'I didn't sleep too well. And that's cool. Didn't you mention that you were like... a giant, or something? Before you were this?'

(Yeah, that would be bad. XD Yeah, that would be the easiest way.)

(I'll be using Calvin, my evil ice dragon, as the random bad guy when I do it. Yes, it's OK to slaughter him. XD)

(time to G L O R Y K I L L)

Titan: "Yes, I was an Elemental Titan. One of the many sons of the Creator Godess. When I was slain defending the realm of life from an interdimensional invader, the Mother entrusted Dianne with my essence, until my form could be restored."

Armin listened and nodded, though he wasn't sure what Elemental Titans actually were. 'Huh. Sounds like you have an interesting history. And you're probably really old, too.'

Titan: "I am an uncountable age, much older than Dianne. My history is interesting, but perhaps not to you. There are no booze fueled parties to stoke your interest."

'Well, that takes all the fun out of it,' said Armin, smirking slightly. 'Yeah, I don't really find history interesting, to be honest. I'm sure someone like Dr Billingsly would be interested in you, though.' He contemplated for a moment. 'I can't imagine being as old as you - or even as old as Dianne. How do you even remember thousands of years' worth of memories?'

{Titan just shrugs}

Titan: "I do not know the details. Perhaps Dianne would know. And yet, we remember most of it. I know the memories of vampires wane with time, but I don't know why we are not subject to the same loss."

Armin's gaze wandered the damp grey landscape. 'Maybe vampire memories suck because we used to be human, and human brains aren't designed to remember so much,' he mused. 'I suppose other species, who are /meant/ to be long-lived, are different.'

Titan: "Perhaps. However, I cannot say with certainty. Whatever the reason, I am grateful for my memories, as it means I will never forget the faces of the friends who came before."

'Yeah. There are definitely advantages to having such a good memory.'

Armin fell silent, just enjoying the smell and gentle sound of the rain. It seemed so peaceful after the chaos of last night's storm and Barnabas's sense of humour.

{Titan remains silent as well, surveying their surroundings. In the truck, Dianne begins to wake. Seeing that Armin is missing, she sits up and looks around.}

Dianne: "Hmmmm.....Armin?"

(New room)