Armin nodded. 'I think I'll go, too,' he said.

Rex finished his drink and stood up. 'Goodnight,' he said, seeming quite relaxed now - likely because of the alcohol. Armin gave him a quick hug before following Dianne up the stairs.

{Dianne walks up the stairs, depositing Esme on Armin's bed. She then goes back into the bathroom, coming out a few minutes later in shorts and a loose fitting shirt. She then proceeds to lie on the bed next to Esme.}

Esme curled up on top of the blanket, too tired to properly investigate this new environment. Armin chuckled at the sleepy dragonet, before heading into the bathroom as well. He returned moments later wearing an outfit similar to Dianne's, consisting of shorts and a loose grey t-shirt.

'Well, this is strange,' he remarked as he settled onto the bed.

Dianne: "Oh? Strange how? And what part?"

{She inquires as she takes Esme into her arms.}

'Well, I never expected us to be sharing a room in my house. It all still feels a bit surreal. It's nice, though.'

He stretched out on his back, contentedly watching Dianne and Esme beside him.

{Dianne smiles sleepily at Armin, lying on her side.}

Dianne: "Yes, had you told me this would happen a year ago, I would have thought you were crazy...But, this is pleasant to me now..."

Armin snickered. 'Yes, do you remember how you reacted when Magnus said we should hug? Imagine how you'd have responded if, say, Lucci had told you /this/ was going to happen in the future.'

Dianne: "Heheheh....That bast.ard must be laughing somewhere right now...Regardless, I am glad this happened. and I'm sorry for all the stuff I did to you back then..."

'You don't have to apologise for that again. Yeah, you were a rude jerk, but you stopped. Neither of us got along in the beginning; I don't remember being very nice to you either. I suppose we just needed time to figure each other out.'

Dianne: "Seems like it...I'm happy I took the time to know you..."

{She then closed her eyes and began to doze.}

'I'm glad, too.'

Armin shifted slightly closer and settled down to rest as well, looking content.

(I guess we skip?)

(Yep, who wants to go first?)

(You can go.)

----

Relatively early in the morning, Esme awoke. Finding herself too warm after sleeping next to Dianne all night, she got free and crawled further down the bed.

Armin was still asleep, barely stirring when Esme left.

{Dianne didn't wake when Esme left. She was too comfortable where she was.}

A while later, Armin shifted slightly. Half-awake, he slowly looked around the room, taking stock of his situation. //Hmm... I'm still not used to waking up somewhere other than a dingy truck.//

Upon realising Esme had moved, he took advantage of it to roll over and snuggle closer to Dianne. //It's certainly nice to be back in my own home, though...//

{In response, Dianne stirs slightly, opening her eyes sleepily.}

Dianne: "Mmmm....What time is it?..."

'I don't know. It's morning,' said Armin unhelpfully. 'It's probably around 10AM or so. Why?'

{Dianne closes her eyes, sighing.}

Dianne: "I should probably get up now. I've got a lot to do today. Food to buy, toys too, i need to go to the palace to get full custody of Esme, among other things...

'Hmmm...' Armin remained lying there, eyes closed. 'I'm sure I can help with some of that. Maybe I can do some shopping while you go to the palace.' He yawned slightly and shifted closer. '...As soon as I can make myself get up...'

{Dianne just smiles, snuggling against him.}

Dianne: "A few more minutes won't hurt..."

{Closing her eyes, she falls back into a doze.}

Armin smirked slightly, then let himself fall into a doze as well. Sometime after this, Esme lifted her head and yawned, pausing to survey the two. Then she jumped off the bed to explore Armin's room. There wasn't much in it though; just the bed, window, a large closet, and a chest of drawers that she couldn't figure out how to open.

{About an hour later, Dianne opens her eyes again. Sitting up, she surveys the room.}

Dianne: "Well...Guess I better get to it..."

Armin groaned and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. He sat there, rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up. 'Ugh... Alright, let's go and get this stuff done.'

Esme was sitting on the window ledge, peering down into the street behind the house.

{Standing, Dianne grabs her clothes from her bag and walks to the bath.}

Dianne: "Hey, make sure Esme doesn't take a header out the window."

'Yeah, yeah...' Armin sleepily got to his feet and checked the window to make sure it was locked. Once satisfied Esme wasn't going to jump out, he opened the closet to get out some clothes, then waited for Dianne to leave the bathroom.

{Dianne walks out of the bath a few minutes later in her leather jacket and blue dress. Sitting on the bed, she puts on her shoes.}

Dianne: "I think the first place we need to go is the market. Esme's hungry and so am I."

'Sounds like a good idea. Are we taking Esme with us? We'll have to be careful if we do; she's never been in the middle of a city before.'

Dianne: "I don't think we have a choice, unless Rex wants to babysit her."

'It would be safer to leave her here...' Armin considered for a moment. 'Eh, I'll ask Rex. He's probably not going anywhere today.' He then took his clothes and, with a yawn, went into the bathroom.

Esme jumped down from the window ledge and padded confidently out of the room, to go check out the stairs.

{Dianne stands and follows Esme out to make sure she doesn't fall or something.}

Esme slowly inched her way down the stairs, one step at a time. As she reached the bottom, Armin reappeared, wearing his usual outfit.

//Rex?// he said telepathically. //We have to go out and run errands. Do you mind if I leave Esme here with you, so we don't have to worry about her getting hit by a truck or something?//

Rex's reply came back, tinged with amusement. //No, I don't mind. Just try not to be out too long, will you?//

Armin caught up with Dianne. 'Rex said he can watch Esme. If you're OK with leaving her here.'

Dianne: "Yeah, it should be fine. If you trust Rex for this, then so do I."

{Grabbing her purse, she heads for the door.}

Dianne: "We'll be back, Esme. Be good to Rex."

Armin picked up some money as well, shoving a handful of squalls and haars into his pocket. Esme sat down in the front hallway to watch them leave.

'Don't burn my house down!' said Armin warningly as he followed Dianne out. //See you later, Rex,// he added telepathically.

{Walking outside, Pugna was leaning against the wall. He turns his head to look at Dianne and Armin, but says nothing.}

Armin shot Pugna a glance as they walked past. //Has he been here the whole time? Wonder if that's what the delivery guy meant by 'defence robot'.//

{Dianne ignores Pugna entirely. It seems she didn't like him much. Walking out to the street, she stops and turns to Armin.}

Dianne: "Which way to the market?"

Armin nodded at a street slightly to the left of them. 'That's the fastest way,' he said, as he began to head down it. He kept a leisurely pace, surveying their surroundings as he walked.

{Dianne walks along with Armin, watching her surroundings carefully.}

Dianne: "Never really been in this part of the city..."

'These northern areas are pretty nice,' said Armin. 'It's usually a bit quieter than the central city. Peaceful, but not much to do. And I don't think there are any non-humans living within a few miles of here except us.'

Dianne: "Hm...Run into much discrimination?"

{She asks while eyeing the passing cars.}

'Eh, nothing too bad... I've had verbal abuse thrown at me, and a drunk guy tried to start a fight with me in a bar once. But it's not as bad as I was expecting, considering non-humans were barred from this city until recently.'

Dianne: "I suppose it could be worse. So long as they leave Esme alone, I don't care what they do."

Armin kept looking around as they walked. An old man who was outside washing his car paused to watch them nervously, but didn't say anything.

'The people around here are pretty uneducated about non-humans,' he added. 'Some of them would probably mistake you for a vampire just because you have red eyes.'

Dianne: "Wouldn't be the first time. Funny thing is, this eye color isn't common among any species, so if I can't be identified by scent, sometimes people get really confused. People in the past have mistaken me for a demon, a vampire, and they even thought that I was just some wierd goth lady with contacts."

Armin chuckled slightly. 'Well, if they ever saw you shift, it would be obvious what you really are. It must really be hard for humans to identify us sometimes, considering they don't have any sense of smell. They don't have anything to go off of except visual appearance...'

Dianne: "Yeah. Given that the human forms of nonhumans are basically identical across all species, it's extremely difficult to judge based on comparative morphology alone."

'I've noticed that humans can instinctively sense when someone else isn't human, even if they look it. But they often can't tell what race they are, exactly.'

Armin turned down another street. Their surroundings were slowly getting busier the further they went; there were more cars on the road and more people passing them on the street.

Dianne: "Yeah, I've seen that...But most of the time, they know I'm not human because I spook their dogs and horses unintentionally..."

{She looks around the business of the streets.}

Dianne: "Looks like the city's starting to wake up."

Armin glanced around, scanning their surroundings. 'It's partly because we're getting deeper into the city. There's more people and shops here than where I live.' He scratched his head. 'I know one thing I'm going to buy with my new riches, when I have a chance. I want a car. This city's too big to walk everywhere.'

Dianne: "That's probably a good idea. I usually fly everywhere, but I don't think the people here would appreciate that..."

'Well, you'd have problems landing in the streets... I usually fly, but having a car would be convenient sometimes. Like when I'm travelling with other people. Not everyone can just turn into a bird.'

They were drawing close to the main shopping area of the city. Similar to Alexandria's shopping district, there were various different stores. There was also a plaza containing an outdoor marketplace.

{Turning to the shopping district, Dianne smiles.}

Dianne: "Well, we're here. Groceries first, unless we want to get other things."

Armin surveyed the area. 'Let's get the food first, then we'll look around and see if we can find anything for Esme to play with. I doubt they have toy stores specifically for baby dragons...'

Dianne: "That might be tricky. Choking hazards are kind of a problem for a species that chews things out of curiousity. We need something she can beat up, that won't fall apart..."

'Hmm. Dog toys are always an option. They're probably tough enough to resist the chewing.' Armin surveyed the district. 'I don't really know what dragons normally let their offspring play with.'

Dianne: "I don't know about these days, but back in my day, we gave them small creatures they could play with and hunt. Like small dogs...or ferrets...Whether or not they killed them was up to them. But, dog toys and chewing bones would be adequate."

'Yeah, I'm not getting her any live animals... Anyway, let's go and get some groceries, and we can find something for Esme along the way.' He didn't head off in any particular direction, seeming to wait for Dianne to lead the way.

{Dianne shrugs and walks towards the closest chain market store.}

Dianne: "Alright. We'll look into some things she can bat around. She seems to enjoy that..."

'She seems to like rocks, too,' Armin commented as he followed her in. 'I could fly out of the city later and try to find some rocks for her.'

He gazed around the store curiously. It wasn't very often that he visited stores, since he didn't have much use for most things in them.

Dianne: "That's a good idea. Just don't get anything she could hurt herself with."

{Getting a shopping cart, Dianne starts looking around.}

Dianne: "Hmmm....What to get..."

Armin followed alongside her, eyeing everything they passed. 'You can get whatever you want; it's only you and Esme who need it. I guess we'll need a lot of fruit... Maybe I could go and look at the pet stuff while you get food?'

Dianne: "Go right on ahead. I'll get the groceries."

{Going to the produce section, Dianne starts to gather fruits and vegetables.}

Armin wandered off across the store, searching for the pet section. The store was relatively busy, filled mostly with humans, but he spotted a vampire or two as well. The humans had mixed reactions to his and Dianne's presence; some looked unconcerned while others gave them nervous or hostile glances.

Upon reaching the right area, he picked out a bone meant for dogs to chew on. It looked sturdy enough to resist Esme's teeth. On impulse, he picked out a rubber ball as well. //Hopefully this is enough to stop her chewing on my house.//

{After gathering the produce, Dianne went down each isle, getting anything she considered necessary. She paid no heed to the glances and looks she was getting, focusing only on gathering the groceries.}

When he was done, Armin swiftly tracked Dianne down within the store. 'Got some things,' he said, dropping the dog toys into their cart. 'Hopefully it'll keep her occupied for a while.'

{Dianne looks over his selection.}

Dianne: "Very good. Yes, these should work well. I have everything but something to make for dinner. I think some kind of cow meat, like a roast or some steaks will do."

'Yeah, I'm sure you and Esme would like something that's not fish or venison.' Armin fell into step beside her, glancing into the cart. 'I might get some red wine, too.'

Dianne: "Yeah, I think we would. Heh, red wine? The ale too strong for your liking?"

{Walking to the butcher section, she begins to select cuts of meat.}

'Of course not, but I can still like other things.'

While Dianne was selecting the meat, somebody walked past, deliberately knocking into their cart as he went. 'Damn bloodsuckers crawling all over the city...' he muttered as he passed. Armin raised his eyebrows.

'Told you, people think we're both vampires,' he said with amusement.

{Dianne just chuckles in response.}
Dianne: "Heh, yeah, you weren't kidding. Yet they failed to understand that a pair of vampires wouldn't need this much food. Fools."

Armin shrugged, watching the stranger walk away with amusement.

'Some of the people around here really don't know anything about non-humans. They grew up here without ever coming into contact with any.'

Dianne: "They haven't even met us and they are so quick to judge. Sad."

{Having selected what she wanted, Dianne begins to make her way towards the checkout.}

'Their own king's terror of non-humans probably doesn't inspire confidence. Hold on a minute...'

As she headed towards the checkouts, Armin slipped away. He returned a few moments later with a bottle of red wine. 'Alright, let's pay for this stuff and get out of here.'

Dianne: "Let's."

{Getting to the checkout, Dianne starts to unload her cart.}

The staff person working at the checkout gave them a odd glance, but was professional enough not to be hostile. As they scanned the groceries, Armin moved to the end of the checkout and started to pack everything.

'That'll be 27.40,' said the checkout staff once they finished.

{Smiling, Dianne produces her wallet and pays the cashier. She then goes to help Armin with the bags.}

//27 squalls? Hmm, not bad for this amount of shopping...//

Once the bags were packed, Armin picked up two of them and began to make his way towards the exit. The cashier took the money and politely wished them a good afternoon.

Dianne: "Thank you, you too."

{Grabbing the rest of the bags, Dianne follows Armin out.}

Dianne: "Alright, let's get back and see if Esme hasn't burned the place down."

'If Rex let her destroy my house, I'm going to punch him,' said Armin. 'He should be able to handle an infant dragon.' They left the store, back out into the bustling shopping district, and Armin turned up the street that led home.

{Dianne follows him, looking amused.}

Dianne: "Punch him? And here I thought you two were friends."

'Yes, good enough friends that we can punch each other sometimes and not hold a grudge,' said Armin with slight amusement. 'Back in the organisation, we'd occasionally get into severe fights, so punching is nothing. Especially for a vampire.'

Dianne: "Oh....That sounds unpleasant..."

{She falls silent at that, contemplating just how close Armin and Rex must be, given what they've been through.}

'Eh, no lasting harm done...' said Armin nonchalantly. 'I suppose it might be considered unhealthy to forgive someone who tried to rip out my throat while high on god knows what, but we valued each other too much to hold grudges.'

Dianne: "That's not necessarily unhealthy...Friends have to look out for each other, especially in a situation like that. He's, uh....he's clean now, though, right? We won't have a repeat performance?"

'Oh, yeah, don't worry about it. He quit the... hard substances during the time he was living in Aether. I haven't seen any evidence that he's done anything except drink since I found him.'

Dianne: "Good, good...Don't want Esme around such things..."

{She falls quiet after that, simply enjoying the walk.}

Armin lapsed into silence as well, gazing around, enjoying the fresh air and the walk.

When they were getting close to home, he said, 'So... are you going to the palace after this, to get custody of Esme?'

Dianne: "Yeah. If I'm not back for a while, can you cook something for Esme? I don't know how long it'll take."

(Posting new room)