Armin settled down beside the fire, retrieved a knife, and began preparing the fish, slowly but with the same practised ease as always. When it was ready, he stuck it on a spit and left it to begin cooking. He rested his head on his hands, eyes half-lidded, and gazed towards the crackling flames.

{Dianne sat back in the sand, eyeing Armin with amusement.}

Dianne: "Wow, you really didn't sleep, did you? I don't think I've ever seen you this tired."

Armin gave a faint, crooked smile as he watched the fire. 'No, I didn't really sleep at all last night,' he admitted. 'I may have... deliberately stayed awake to avoid any messed-up dreams about giant spiders.'

Dianne: "Well, after that fish is done, you can sleep without fear of giant arachnids. Hopefully, the rest of the way home will be uneventful. I've just about had it with being ambushed by sh!t."

'Yeah, it would be nice to travel for a while without anything trying to eat us...' Armin adjusted the spit, then closed his eyes, taking a moment to just listen to the crackling flames and rushing tide.

Dianne: "Agreed. I always kind of hated the massive number of carnivores that live everywhere."

'As long as they stay far away from /us,/ I don't care what they do.'

The fish didn't take long to cook, being smaller than usual. Armin checked it to make sure it was done. 'Alright, help yourself,' he said with a yawn. 'Split it between you and Esme.' The dragonet in question was still perched on the edge of the truck, quietly observing.

{Dianne gets up and takes the fish. Sitting back down with it on a plate, she begins to tear it into pieces.}

Dianne: "Esme, here."

Esme hopped out of the truck, her paws making almost no noise on the soft sand. She stretched out her neck towards Dianne with a squeak, slowly getting over her earlier uncertainty as she was offered food. Armin leaned back on the sand, propping himself up on his elbows, and watched the pair fondly.

{With one hand, she offers Esme food. With the other, she petted her head, smiling warmly.}

Esme ate willingly, snapping up all of the offered fish. Armin smiled faintly before turning his gaze towards the fire.

'Let's head inside as soon as you two are done. I don't like that there might be giant spiders in this area, too...'

Dianne: "Agreed. Titan, Barnabas, keep a sharp eye out. I don't want to be ambushed again."

{She continues to feed Esme her half, while taking small bites of her own.}

Armin continued to lean back on the sand, thoughtfully looking at the fire. Eventually, his eyes slid shut and his head tipped backwards, as he nodded off into a light sleep.

{After finishing her meal, Dianne scoops up Esme and speaks to Armin.}

Dianne: "Wake up, Armin, we're leaving."

Armin lifted his head, briefly scanning their surroundings. 'Oh, yeah... Time to get moving.' He made his way up into the truck and began taking off his shoes and coat.

{After Titan doused the fire, Dianne got into the truck and closed up the back. Once Titan started flying again, she sat on her bedding and put Esme down.}

Armin sat beside her, reaching out to stroke Esme's head and neck. The small dragonet squeaked in response before sitting down on the edge of the blankets, gazing up at him with big silvery eyes.

'Why are you so cute,' he muttered sleepily, to which Esme just gave another happy-sounding squeak.

Dianne: "Isn't she though?"

{She states as she lies down.}

Dianne: "I just don't get it. How could anyone look at that face and decide to hurt her?"

'Some people are just psychos,' Armin replied. 'They don't see a small, cute thing. They see a small, /weak/ thing that's easy to hurt.'

He lay down on his front beside Dianne, resting his head on his arms. Esme clambered over his back, then proceeded to lie down in the narrow space between them, head still up and eyes open as she looked around.

{Dianne rolls onto her side and smiles fondly at Esme.}

Dianne: "Well, I see a small, cute thing that I'm taking home with me."

{She reaches out and scratches Esme's chin.}

Esme made an odd sort of growl, similar to a cat's purr, and nuzzled her head into Dianne's hand. Armin smiled slightly as he observed them both, eyes half-closed.

'She is adorable. Hopefully she'll stay adorable and not turn out to be the really annoying type of kid...'

Dianne: "Well, if she starts to act out, I have to set her straight. The annoying types of kids aren't born that way. Their parents have simply failed them."

'True; I'm sure you wouldn't let her grow up to be a complete troublemaker. You should probably keep her away from Barnabas, as well as Ivy...' Armin observed. He watched drowsily as Esme briefly turned away from Dianne to paw at his shoulder, trying to get attention. Eventually, he lifted a hand to stroke her back.

Barnabas: "Wha-hey! I'm a great role model! Besides, who else is going to teach her to put spiders in Armin's hair?"

Dianne: "Barnabas, do not teach her that..."

'You're the last person I'd want to be part of her upbringing,' Armin muttered. 'I'd like to see her actually grow up into a /nice/ person, you know.' He stroked Esme for a moment longer, then tucked his arm underneath his head again.

Barnabas: "I can be nice! And I'm going to be a part of her life whether you like it or not."

Dianne: "Can we discuss this later? I'm tryin' to sleep..."

Armin didn't bother responding to Barnabas; he was rapidly dozing off. With a yawn, he shifted slightly and closed his eyes. Esme laid her head down and settled down to sleep, still lying comfortably between him and Dianne.

{Dianne quickly fell asleep, comfortably snoozing as the truck rocked slightly in flight.}

(Shall we skip?)

(Yes, you go. Dianne's sleeping in again.)

----

It was around midafternoon when Armin awoke. //Hmm... feels good to get a full night's sleep after no sleep yesterday...// He put a hand out to stroke Esme, but she wasn't there. She had wandered off to explore and search for food.

Quietly, so not to disturb Dianne, Armin climbed out of bed and went to get an apple for Esme. After doing this, he went to the side window, rolled it down, and stuck his head out.

//Titan, if you happen to see any freshwater lakes or rivers when we stop later, can you stop near one of them?// he asked.

Titan: "Ok."

{Dianne stirs slightly, but does not awaken. She seemed to be much more tired than Armin, despite not losing any sleep.}

Armin rolled the window back up. Leaving Esme crunching on her apple in the corner, he returned to the bed and quietly lay back down, intending to just doze until Dianne woke up.

//Wonder what everyone back home is doing right now... It's strange to imagine /home/ after being out here, in unfamiliar countries, for so long...//

{After about an hour, Dianne awoke. Sitting up groggily, she surveys the room.}

Dianne: "...I feel sticky...gross..."

'Well, you've been ill. That's not surprising,' Armin commented as he lay on his back and stared ay the ceiling, still half-lost in thought. After a moment, he sat up, yawning.

'I asked Titan to find a lake to stop by. We've been avoiding civilisation for days, and I want to wash. Maybe you could use it too.'

Esme was kicking her apple core back and forth across the truck for entertainment.

Dianne: "Good idea. I need a bath...."

{She glances at Esme before continuing.}

Dianne: "I don't feel so bad anymore. I told you I would be ok after a few days."

'That's good. I would've been worried if you still felt like crap by now.' Armin reached out to pet Esme, drawing her attention away from the apple core. 'Try not to get into any more fights with spiders, will you?'

Dianne: "I'll try, but, if they show up again, we both know you won't lift a finger to help."

{She says, laughing.}

Dianne: "You really need to do something about your phobia."

'It's not like I don't /want/ to help. It was killing me to not be able to help last time,' Armin protested. 'If it happens again... I'll try my best. I'll shift into a rhino and charge them. Maybe if I'm bigger than them, they won't seem so terrifying.'

Dianne: "Relax, it was a joke. I don't want you to be any more uncomfortable than you already are. Besides, I already promised to handle all the spiders."

'Yeah, but I don't like leaving you to fight them by yourself.' Armin scratched the back of his head. 'I just can't trust myself not to freeze when they show up. Hopefully, we won't see any more, and this won't even be a problem.'

Dianne: "Hopefully. Like I said, the closer we get to Vallis, the scarcer they become. I think the ancient inhabitants of Vallis eradicated them long ago."

'I'm glad. Though I wish they'd be eradicated everywhere else too.'

Armin stood up, going over to the front of the truck so he could look out of the windshield. 'Titan had better manage to find a lake.'

Dianne: "I'm sure he will. but, what if he doesn't?"

Armin shrugged. 'Then I guess we'd just wait until tomorrow and hope he finds one then. He must pass by water at /some/ point.'

Dianne: "It's kind of funny, we were all along the ocean for like the last week and never thought to wash up. I'm sure we'll find something."

'I'd rather wash in freshwater, anyway,' Armin mused. 'The sea's got seaweed and salt in it. And probably massive, dangerous creatures like those leviathans Barnabas was talking about.'

(Need to post a new room)