Armin gazed silently into the fire as he listened. Though highly reluctant to admit it even to himself, he could empathise a little with Barnabas's past. The concepts of death, love, loss, grief, and revenge were certainly not new to him.

'Alright... so you became a ghoul to save Aphrodite from this guy. How'd you do that? Did you kill him?'

Barnabas: "Well, yes. You see, After Thanatos repaired my form from the creatures and victims of the sea-btw, this "left arm" isn't even mine- I went and I crashed the wedding. It was pretty hysterical, actually. Solnholfheim's "best man" was giving a speech, about me. He was going on and on about how I was a "stupid mutt", and, "Just another canine savage" and how "Aphrodite dodged an arrow with that one". My poor Aphrodite was sobbing the whole time, grieving for me. They said it was tears of joy, or some shet like that...Anyway, I wrapped my chain around that a$$hole's neck and pulled his head off. Then, all hell broke loose. All the guests went ballistic, running, tripping over each other, some even fell off the cliffside. Oh, man, that was so hysterical....Heheheheheh."

'You crashed the wedding and killed him in front of everyone?' said Armin with slight amusement. 'That sounds pretty memorable. Did you talk to Aphrodite? As a ghoul?'

Barnabas: "Oh, that wasn't Solnholfheim I just killed just his best friend. Hold on, I'm getting to that. Anyway, I walked off the podium right for that shet sucking bast.ard, and you know what he does? He tries to use Aphrodite as a human-Err, I mean, elven shield. Yeah, she was an elf. So, I walk right up to them and they both recognize me. She was like, "Barnabas?! :D" And Solnholfheim drops her and runs. But, at that point, I just wanted to see my baby again. She wasn't afraid of me at all. She leans in, pulls my face closer to hers, smooches my snout and says, "Make it hurt. >:D""

Armin chuckled quietly. 'I was half-expecting you to say she was terrified of you like everyone else. But, OK, she recognised you. That's good. What then?'

Barnabas: "So then, I take off after that a$$hat, full sprint. I catch him because no creature alive can outrun a spectral werewolf. I wrap my chain around him and he starts groveling like the pathetic jerk he was, saying how sorry he is that he had me killed, and how he'll give up Aphrodite if I'll only spare his life. I grinned right at him and said I'd give him a chance, and if he survived, I'd let him go. So, I drag him into the ocean, out into the bay, back to that nest of leviathans where he threw me. I told him, he'd have the same chance I had, and if he could make it out of those chains and swim to shore without dying, all would be forgiven. Yeeeaaaahhhh, turns out, those leviathans remember when you kill other members of their kind, and they recognized him from when he'd go out to hunt them. Well, the only thing they could recover of him after was a tooth. A single, hypodermic canine. I still have it. Want to see?"

'Killed by the same creatures he used to hunt for his own gain. Very fitting.' Armin lifted his gaze from the fire, looking curious. '...Alright, let's see it.'

{Barnabas produces a long, vampire canine. It was about three and a half inches long, with most of the root intact.}

Barnabas: "Pretty cool, right?"

Armin leaned a bit closer to inspect the tooth in the firelight. 'Geez, that's long,' he muttered. 'Longer than average. I'm surprised he could close his own mouth. So did someone just fish this out of the sea after the leviathans mauled him to death?'

Barnabas: "Yeah, some of his people took the boat out to where we were trying to save him, but this is all the swimers found. And then I pushed some of them in and took it. Heheheheh. Anyway, after that, I went back to Aphrodite to say goodbye. I couldn't stay in the city after that, I would have had everyone fleeing in terror."

'Oh.' Armin was quiet for a moment. 'Couldn't you have... I don't know, 'moved on'? Since your revenge - your reason for coming back - was complete? Or are you stuck in this world as an undead permanently?'

Barnabas: "Nope, I'm stuck. :/ That was part of the deal. Power doesn't come without cost."

'That kind of sucks. I wouldn't want to exist like that, myself. But at least you got your revenge on that creep.'

Remembering the fish, Armin quickly inspected it, finding it to be done. Taking his knife, he carved off a small portion for himself, leaving the rest to Dianne.

Barnabas: "At least....I hope my Aphrodite found a happy life without me...."

{As Dianne was getting some fish, the scuttling noise came back, only fainter and more sustained. It was hard to hear where it was coming from exactly.}

'...At least she knew what happened to you. She got the chance to say goodbye...'

As he started eating, Armin faintly heard the scuttling noise in the background and cocked his head in response, unsure if he was imagining it or not.

{Dianne stands in alarm, as the scuttling starts to get louder. Looking down a street, she sees nothing but the darkness.}

Dianne: "Barnabas, I think Triticum gave us a flare gun. Give it to me."

Armin sat up straight, now knowing for sure he hadn't been hearing things. 'What the heII is that?' he said in a low voice. 'I heard it near the port earlier, too.' A horrible possibility was starting to creep into his mind, but he tried his best to push it away.

{Barnabas hand her the flare gun. Taking it, she fires it down the street, illuminating the city. It revealed a horde of giant spiders, scuttling full speed down the street, right at them. They were a bluish grey, with white, glossy orbs for eyes.}

Dianne: "Get in the car. NOW!"

Armin had risen to his feet to get a better look. When the flare revealed the massive spider horde, he stiffened, the blood draining from his face. He began to stumble backwards in the direction of the car, but not quickly enough. He seemed half-frozen with terror.

{Titan leaps forward into the horde, trying to crush as many as possible. Dianne backed up a bit before noticing Armin. Grabbing him up by the arm, she pulls him over to the car, opens the door and tosses him in. As she was getting in, a giant spider grabs her from behind, pulling her down. Kicking the door shut, she then turns on the spider.}

Dianne: "Titan, get them out of here! GO!"

(Poor, poor Armin. XD)

Armin remained frozen on the floor of the truck for a moment. Esme, who was hiding in a corner, squeaked in an attempt to get a response. At that, Armin blinked and shakily scrambled to his feet.

'There's... dozens of them... at least...'

He went to the back window and looked out in time to see Dianne turning on the spider that had ambushed her. He drew his sword, then hesitated. He didn't like the idea of hiding in the car while she fought, but wasn't sure if he could make himself go outside. So he just stood by the window, watching worriedly.

(This is like a nightmare to him. XD)

{As Armin hesitated, Titan picked up the car and took off with it. As they gained height, Armin could see Dianne shifting, breathing fire, trying to stave off the hundred of araneos swarming her and Barnabas. Titan, however, didn't stop flying.}

Armin stumbled as the truck was suddenly lifted off the ground, grabbing the door to steady himself. 'Hey! What are you doing?!' he yelled shakily up at the ceiling. 'Are we just going to leave her there to get killed? Go back!'

Esme whined softly in the corner, not understanding what was going on.

{Titan didn't answer. He didn't stop until he got to the inland plains, just outside the city. Putting the car down, he looks back to the city.}

As soon as the wheels touched down, Armin threw open the back doors and leapt out. Shutting the doors so Esme wouldn't escape, he climbed onto the roof of the truck and looked towards the city as well. But it was hard to see much, if anything.

He looked over at Titan. 'What are you doing just standing there?' he said, voice tense with nerves that bordered on panic. 'Go back and do something! There are /hundreds/ of giant spiders!'

{Titan gives Armin a side glance.}

Titan: "Relax, she's on her way now. She can handle a few bugs."

{Sure enough, her sillouette appears from the darkness, landing a short distance away.}

'That's more than just a few dam.n bugs,' Armin retorted. His gaze snapped to Dianne's silhouette as she approached. //She's able to fly. Maybe she's fine...//

He jumped down from the truck and shakily started towards her. The adrenaline and shock of the ambush still pumped through his body, making his heart race, and he couldn't believe everything was OK until he knew for sure.

{Dianne shifts back and starts walking towards the truck unsteadily. About halfway there, she stumbles a bit and falls to her knees, coughing. Upon closer inspection, she's covered in foul smelling spider innards.}

Armin immediately stiffened and backed off, also coughing slightly and trying not to gag at the sight and smell. He wasn't sure if he could get any closer without throwing up. //Are you OK?// he asked telepathically, his mental voice sounding shaky and unfocused.

{Dianne nods, standing and briskly walking for the truck. her gait carries a slight limp, however. }

Dianne: "I'm ok, lets just get moving. Titan, put us down further down the shore, I need to wash this crap off."

Armin edged away from her as she walked past, waiting for her to get in the truck first before reluctantly following. Once inside, he moved up to the of the truck, trying to stay as far from her as he could. Despite his frayed nerves, he hadn't failed to notice her slight limp. But she hadn't mentioned it, so he assumed it was nothing serious. He'd ask later.

Esme took one look at Dianne and dived underneath the driver's seat.

{Once inside, Titan took off. Dianne takes off her helmet and leans against the wall, blinking as if she was disoriented.}

Dianne: "That was...a /lot/ of araneos...Sssssshhhh!!!!!iiittttt..."

Armin turned his head slightly, but avoided looking directly at her. '...Yeah, probably hundreds. From what I saw.' He wrapped his arms around himself. 'Are you sure you're OK? You don't look it.'

{Dianne swats the air in a dismissive manner.}

Dianne: "Yeah, yeah...I just...got bit a few times...dragon form leaves the neck and tail exposed."

'...Uh, those things don't have lethal venom or anything, do they?' said Armin uncertainly.

Dianne: "Oh, no. Those were diving bell araneos. Not lethal at all, just...disorienting..."

{Titan then lands on the shore.}

Dianne: "I'll be right back..."

As she left, Armin went into the back of the truck and sat down. Esme immediately crawled out of hiding, and he stroked her lightly as he tried to calm himself. //That was one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen... And it doesn't help that I thought she was actually going to get killed for a moment...//

{Dianne was gone for a few minutes, then comes back, carrying her armor, washed, but mildly stinking of spider guts. She has clear bites on her neck and lower back. She haphazardly drops the pile onto the floor, then flops onto her bedding, pulling into a ball.}

Armin remained sitting on his own bedding, which had gone unused lately, and ran his gaze over her. Slight nausea gripped him at the not-entirely-absent scent of spiders. He tried to ignore it.

'You need those bite wounds cleaned?' he said. 'It might help.'

Dianne: "...Sure..."

{She sits up as Titan takes off. She looks tired as she sits there, swaying a bit."

Armin retrieved the medkit - watched curiosity by Esme - and pulled himself over to Dianne. He took out the antiseptic and began to carefully clean the bite marks in her neck first, glad that his hands had stopped shaking. He said nothing as he tended her, his mind lost in thoughts of what had happened.

{Once he finished, Dianne turns around and lifts her shirt a little, to let him clean the wounds on her back.}

Dianne: "Armin, do me a favor...Feed Esme after this. I was going to give her some fish, but...the spiders ate it..."

'Yeah, sure...' said Armin, as he cleaned the wounds in her lower back. 'We still have plenty of fruit stored, I think...'

Once he was done tending the wounds, he put the medkit away. 'Lie down and rest. You look like you're about to keel over.' He opened the supply box and started searching through the contents.

Dianne: "Thanks..."

{With that, she lies down on her side, closing her eyes in an expression of discomfort.}

Finding more apples in the box than anything else, Armin pulled out two and gave them to Esme. She dragged them off to a dark corner and began eagerly tearing into them.

With a long sigh, Armin sat down on his blankets and watched the small dragon. Esme seemed to be giving Dianne a wide berth. Even when she finished eating, she didn't go over to Dianne's bed, but lay down in the corner instead.

{This would have been concerning to Dianne, if she was not already unconscious. She was sleeping deeply already, breathing slowly and calmly.}

Armin remained where he was, watching her for a moment to make sure she was all right. Then, he pulled off his shoes and coat, and climbed into his bedding. After a while, Esme padded over to sleep on the edge of his blanket.

//I hope to the gods that we never go to any place with giant freaking spiders again...//

(Paxton: "Oi, somebody hire an aracnomancer! >:D)

(I guess we skip?)

(Nooooo. XD

Sure, we'll skip. Who goes first?)

(Dianne's not waking up until late afternoon, so you can go.)

(Alrighty, I'll post a new room first.)