Dianne: "Sure, sure...I guess we get some more fish for dinner. These probably won't taste salty."

'Yep. Though if you're tired of fish, you could always send someone to go and look for other prey. I don't know what animals live around here, though,' said Armin as he watched the landscape rushing by underneath the truck. 'They might be too scarce.'

Dianne: "No, no, fish is good. Wouldn't mind a good hog though..."

{She falls silent, gazing out the window.}

Dianne: "...Damn, I'm bored....and hungry..."

'It probably won't be too long before we stop for dinner...' Armin returned to the back of the truck to sit down, leaning against the wall. He retrieved one of his blood bottles from the supply box and sipped from it slowly. 'If you're bored, then it's your turn to think of something to do. I came up with that assumption game the other day.'

Dianne: "Ok...Game...game....Nope, I got nothin'...Barnabas, got any ideas?"

Barnabas: "No games, but how about this radio I snatched from the city of spiders?"

'What? I found a radio in an abandoned shelter. Is it the same one?' Armin eyed Barnabas over the top of his bottle. 'When did you go back and take that?'

Barnabas: "I dunno. I got it once Dianne got clear. I think it still works..."

{Barnabas starts messing with it. After a few button presses, it springs to life, spouting static noises.}

Armin winced slightly at the explosion of static. 'You might have to tune into a few different channels before you find one that works...'

Esme cocked her head at the noise, coming slightly closer to see what everyone was doing.

{Barnabas began to turn the knobs until a station came in clearly.}

"KKkkkksszzzz......I don't know where I'm bound
I don't know where I'm bound
Whistles calling me away
leaving at the break of day
I don't know where I'm bound"

Armin gazed at the radio for a moment, letting the song play and listening intently.

'Huh... I sort of recognise this guy. I think. It's a bit outside the stuff I'd normally listen to.'

Dianne: "And what is it that you normally listen to?"

'Classic rock, mostly. Though I don't mind other stuff. What about you?'

Dianne: "Oh, a bit of everything. I'm not overly picky when it comes to music. However, I find myself listening to alternative rock most of the time."

'I like some alternative rock, too. There isn't much music I really dislike.' He eyed the radio. 'Well, we have a radio now. Let's just hope we don't hear anything horrible when it gets to the news segment.'

Dianne: "What more could they say that hasn't already been said? Not sure what more harm they can do."

{As the song ended, the station cut to commercial.}

"Hey, there, kids! Want to know where you can have fun all day along with delicious burgers? Then come on down to Uncle Joe's Happy Cow Ranch, where kids eat free in tuesdays!"

'True. I think we already know everything that's going on. Everything relevant to us, at least.'

With a thoughtful expression, he leaned back against the wall, trying to ignore the radio as it cut to commercials, 'Dam.n, I hate ad breaks.'

Dianne: "Same. They're annoying, decietful, and unnnecessary. "

{She falls silent for a bit before continuing.}

Dianne: "Heard anything from Rex lately?"

'No, I last spoke to him just before we left the mountain, to tell him and Fred that I might not be able to talk much. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to charge your phone, since we need to stay out of towns.'

Dianne: "Yeah. I just thought you might have used it during the time I was unconscious. We really can't charge it, but, I think we're a week out till Vallis at most...I need to look at the map again."

'I don't like not hearing from anyone back home,' said Armin. 'But it's probably better to conserve the phone battery, in case we need it for something important... I'm sure Rex is fine. I miss him, but I've got bigger things to be concerned about, like all of /us/ making it home in one piece.'

Dianne: "We'll be fine, but they're safer than we are. Still sucks that we can't stop anywhere to resupply."

Armin shrugged slightly. 'It doesn't matter too much. We can hunt for food pretty easily, and it shouldn't be hard to find fruit for Esme either. I don't think we'll have much trouble with supplies.'

He fell silent, sipping from his bottle and gazing pensively out of the window.

Dianne: "True. I only hope no one spots us on our way home."

"This is the Hunter's United with an update on the worldwide necromancer hunt. Our sources have confirmed the address of the target, I repeat, we have confirmed the monster's address!"

Dianne: "I'm sorry, what?"

Armin sat up straighter and turned towards the radio. 'Wait, hold on...' He reached out and turned the volume up, to make sure they didn't miss anything. //This doesn't sound good...//

"The monster lives at 8267 Raspberry Rd., in Vallis, right outside Soveriegn City! But, before you go setting up an ambush, Valiis has not yet formally decided to recognize the bounty! So, join our letter writing campaign to the Soveriegn King! Pester him relentlessly! This ends our update! And remember, if you have any information on the whereabaouts of the target, call this 1-800-NO-MONSTERS!"

Dianne: "...I'd be upset, if not for it being broadcast in that meat headed voice. That guy sounded like someone's hype man."

Armin scratched his jaw, looking torn somewhere between weary exasperation and concern. 'Well, apparently the king of Sovereign hasn't actually confirmed whether or not to honour this bounty... Hopefully, he won't. If he does, then you might have hunters from all over the place showing up at your doorstep.' He paused to consider. 'I wonder if Fred knows about this... maybe he'll talk to the king about it...'

Dianne: "The king better not honor the bounty, 'lest he wants to lose his head, and watch me burn his city to the ground. After everything I did to save his sorry ass from Sargon, he would have the gall to put a price on my head?!"

'I'm sure he won't. Not only did you help save him from Sargon, but he's also kinda terrified of you,' Armin remarked. 'I doubt he'd be willing to risk getting on the wrong side of you.'

Dianne: "Does he even know about my...reputation with monarchies? One time, I got a little mixed up in some illegal dealings with some royal family. Illegal slave trade. I knew too much, so they framed me for some bullsh!t and tried to have me executed. I dragged the head of the operation before the king and made him confess everything, clearing my name. And you know what? The king was in on it, telling me shet like "this is how I have to appease the upper crust" and "how I'm interfering with something beyond my understanding." So, I killed the king and his entire family, struck the population with a plague, and stole the royal treasury. I ruined that civilization all because they tried to give me an unwinnable situation."

Armin blinked, and took a moment to digest this story before responding.

'Well... I hope we don't get into a similar situation with /our/ king. I'd kinda prefer if you didn't have to burn Sovereign City to the ground. Everyone we know lives there. The king is a prejudiced coward, but at least he gave us all somewhere to live. I'm sure he can't be stupid enough to honour the bounty.'

Dianne: "He'd better not. Ruining cities is a lot of work...

"I see the bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today"

'And I'm sure we'd rather not have to look for another place to live... We'd probably all have to move to a different country if that happened.' Armin eyed the radio as he spoke, but didn't comment on the song that had come on.

Dianne: "Yeah....You've lived in Vallis your whole life, yes? I'd hate to be the reason you had to move..."

'To be honest, I'm not opposed to the idea of living somewhere else. 280 years is a long time to spend in one place, and you know I like travelling... But I'd rather not be /forced/ to leave like that. I wouldn't hold it against you, but I'd just prefer if it doesn't come to that.'

Dianne: "Well...If I were to enstate a different ruler, we wouldn't have to leave at all. I'd just kill the royal family and any military leaders loyal to them and put my own people in, and bam. We don't have to go anywhere, and the populace doesn't have to be plagued. Everybody wins."

Armin scratched his head dubiously. 'I guess... I'm not sure if the citizens would like that, though. Or other settlements, for that matter. I'm not an expert on wiping out royal families, but that doesn't sound good for your reputation.'

Dianne: "Not if I set it up properly. Suddenly, the king comes down with a deadly, noncommunicable disease, he dies, a "royal successor" mysteriously appears, and comes to power. And, his first decree is to not honor the bounty, let us stay tax free, and racism is an offense punishable by death. I'm just joking about that last one, but it could work."

'Well... I think I'd have to see that to believe it. But hey, if it did work, that would be great. But this is all hypothetical - if we're lucky, the king will be too scared of you to actually honour the bounty, so we'll have nothing to worry about. We can keep living in the city and be OK.'

Dianne: "I hope so. But, I feel like his fear of me couldn't help the situation..."

(When should we cut back to Vallis?)

(Maybe tonight, after they go to sleep? Or tomorrow morning, if you'd prefer it to be daytime when we cut back?)

'Let's try not to dwell on it right now... We still have to get home before we can even worry about what the king might be thinking.'

(It might have to be daytime. Tomorrow morning?)

Dianne: "Ok. Another week, given that there are no more delays."

(Yup, let's do it then.)

Armin nodded slightly. 'If we don't get ambushed by any more monsters, we should try to appreciate the peace and quiet for the rest of this trip. Things might get a little more chaotic once we're back home... between dealing with Paxton, the king, and Ivy's assumptions,' he finished jokingly.

Dianne: "Heh, you're right. Might as well enjoy the calm."

{Standing, she rummages around the supplies for something to eat.}

Dianne: "Huh...There's a big lake out there. I'd like to wash up while it's still warm."

Armin stood up to peer out of the window, spotting the lake just ahead. 'Yeah, we should stop here. Before it gets cold later.'

{Dianne rolls down the window and yells out to Titan.}

Dianne: "Titan, set us down by that lake!"

{Rolling the window back up, she walks back to her bed and sits, food in hand.}

Dianne: "By the way, if you peep on me while I'm bathing, I'll gouge your eyes out."

Armin made an amused noise. 'Of course not, I'm a gentleman.' He continued to gaze out of the window at the lake as they approached. 'I'm going swimming. Haven't done that in... a long time. And this is a nice-looking lake.'

Dianne: "Alright, have fun. Just make sure there are no diving bell araneos in it first."

{As she said that, Titan landed, and set them down.}

'There'd better not be. I've had enough of those things.'

Armin opened the back doors and stepped out onto the grass, walking over to the lakeside. He stood on the edge, gazing contemplatively across the slightly rippling water. Far across the other side, a small wild dragon was drinking; it took off and flew away when it saw the truck land with Titan.
Esme tilted her head, and made an attempt to follow him outside.

{Dianne scoops up Esme before she can get too far.}

Dianne: "Hold on, Armin, let Barnabas scout it out first. Also, someone needs to stay with Esme so we'll have to take turns."

Esme growled and bared her teeth as she was picked up.

Armin stepped back from the lakeside, waiting for Barnabas to make sure it was safe. 'You could just leave her in the truck like when we visited the ruined city. It's not like she would escape. But, I'll stay and keep an eye on her if you want.'

Dianne: "Could you? It would make me feel so much better."

Barnabas: "Nothing sentient. Just a handful of araneos on the opposite side."

Armin grimaced slightly. 'I guess I'll stay on this side, then.' He glanced at Dianne. 'You can go first, if you like. I'll stay just outside the truck with Esme, so she can get some fresh air. And if the spiders come to this side of the lake, kill them all, please.'

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

{With that, she goes to the crate, grabs a towel, and walks off, out of sight.}

As she left, Armin got out a towel for himself along with a fresh change of clothes. He laid them out on top of the crate, then sat down on the grass, beckoning Esme over, She walked slowly around him, sniffing at everything along the way.

'Alright, you're staying here with me,' he told her. 'Don't run off, because I have no idea if baby dragons can swim...'

{Dianne was gone for about twenty minutes, before reappearing over the hill, with wet hair and in a blue dress. She puts her other clothes and towel on the crate to dry.}

Dianne: "Alright, I'll watch her now. Just try not to get into any fights, as I can't put armor over a dress."

'Sure thing.' Armin stood, scooping up his towel and clothes. 'If you want to, you could start making a fire pit. I can catch some fish as soon as I'm done.' He started heading for the lakeside.

//Hmm... this really is a beautiful spot. I need to visit lakes more when we get home.//

Esme was sitting near Dianne, attempting to eat grass.

Dianne: "That sounds good, let's do that."

{She then gets the shovel out of the crate, then notices Esme.}

Dianne: "No, sweetie, don't eat that. That's not good for you."

At the lake edge, Armin found a convenient rock to put his towel on. After checking that there were no araneos within sight, he swiftly stripped off his outer clothes and dumped them on the grass, leaving him wearing only boxer shorts. He then proceeded to dive into the lake with a splash.

Esme squeaked shrilly, not liking being told not to eat the grass. However, she stopped nonetheless, and decided to help Dianne dig the fire pit instead, gamely scraping at the earth with her paws.

(Araneo: "Prey detected. Must M U R D E R.)

{Dianne carefully dug the pit. After it was finished, she ordered Barnabas to collect wood and sat on the grass, beckoning Esme over. }

(Spiders: f e e d u s)

Armin swam around the lake for a bit, enjoying the peace and quiet. He hadn't swum much in his life, but knew his way around the water well enough. He even tried diving, though only went a few feet under. After a while, he began to head back to the shore. //Alright... I'll dry off, get changed, then go back to get a fish.//

Esme came towards Dianne, nudging against her leg like a cat would. She knew the lake was nearby, but she stayed away from it, unsure of the deep water.

{As he swam, he sees a shadow beneath him. Looking under the water would reveal a large, foot long spider, swimming towards the shore with a small fish in its chelicerae.}

{Dianne pets her back as she rubbed against her.}

Dianne: "Geeze, your just adorable. I think you'll be very popular with everyone back home."

Upon realising what the shadow was, Armin erupted out of the water, shifting to hawk form and fleeing for the shore. He made his way over to the rock where his clothes were, and perched on it, watching warily to see where the spider would go. //OK... it had a fish. There's no reason for it to follow me; it's probably just going off to eat or something.//

{The spider appeared in the shallows, then turned left and disappeared into the reeds.}

Armin let out a long breath. 'Stay the heII away, you cursed creature...' As quickly as possible, he dried himself down with the towel, changed into fresh clothes, and began to head back to the supply crate. As he passed the fire pit, he called out to Dianne. 'Give me a minute and I'll go find some fish.'

{By that time, the fire was lit.}

Dianne: "Alright. Enjoy your swim?"

'Yes, it was nice. Well, a giant spider appeared underneath me while I was heading back, but it didn't do anything. I think it was just hunting for fish.' As he spoke, he left his damp towel and boxers on the crate to dry, not wanting to put them away while wet. 'We'll just have to keep an eye out to make sure none come over here.'

Esme had settled down comfortably on the grass, beside the fire.

Dianne: "Really? Well, it makes sense. Those things lay massive egg sacks once adults. There could be dozens of babies, as well as adults. We'll all keep our eyes open."

(Posting new room)