Armin climbed into the truck and started the engine.

'There was this dragon guy who'd been attacking Sargon's people, so a group of us were sent to deal with him. During the fight, I got separated from the other minions and chased down an alleyway. Long story short, the dragon managed to stab me with one of his long tail spikes. It went straight through my ribs and punctured my lung. The spike also carried a painful venom that my healing magic couldn't instantly neutralise. I don't recommend the experience.'

{Dianne closes up the back, then climbs into the passenger's seat and grimaces.}

Dianne: "Ouch. That sounds very unpleasant. You always have to watch it with the poisonous dragons. Poison really sucks. Remember what happened with me and the araneos?"

'Yes, poison sucks. But I didn't know that guy had venomous tail spines until he stabbed me and I blacked out from the pain.' He started to drive off, away from the marketplace. 'I'd rather get bitten by an araneo than experience /that/ again.'

Dianne: "Honestly, the araneo venom is mild in comparasion. It might not have affected you at all. All it did to me was make me dizzy and give me a mild fever."

'Yeah, it didn't seem to affect you that badly... The dragon venom felt like acid in my bloodstream. Those araneos have very mild venom for such big creatures. Either that, or you're partially immune to poison.'

Dianne: "It's a bit of both, I think. I am a bit resistant to poison. However, I have fought dragons like you described, and that certaintly wasn't fun. They do make antivenoms for those, thankfully."

'I'm resistant to most poisons, but some take longer to neutralise than others... Well, I hope Paxton doesn't employ any poison dragons. That wouldn't be enjoyable for either of us.'

Dianne: "Hopefully not. I get the feeling that he'll use more guns and magic than toxins, but I wouldn't put it past him..."

A short while later, they arrived back at the house. Armin swiftly jumped out of the truck, opening the back and taking some of the groceries out. 'OK, let's put all of this away... if it even fits in my kitchen...' he muttered.

{Dianne hops out and helps with the groceries.}

Dianne: "I'll bring my fridge over if I have to. We're fitting all this food."

Armin started to put away everything that went in the cupboards. 'At least I have plenty of blood this time,' he said humorously upon noticing his blood supply in the high cupboard. 'We don't need to have a repeat of the mountain.'

Dianne: "Good, because if you pull that again, I'll punch you really hard."

{Opening the fridge, Dianne starts putting away the perishables.}

'Hey, it wasn't really my fault last time. Well... it was kind of my fault... But still, you can't punch me if I'm dying of bloodthirst.'

Esme watched them putting the groceries away, but didn't do anything.

Dianne: "Oh, no, first I'll help you get better. Then, the moment you're feeling better, I'll punch you really, really hard. And believe me, I pack a wallop..."

Armin just smirked as he finished putting the groceries away and tossed Esme's new ball at her. 'Why would you do that? I thought you liked me,' he said, in a tone of joking betrayal.

{Dianne smirks back.}

Dianne: "I would do it because I love you. It's important to me that you take care of yourself. So, if you don't want to be punched, take care of yourself."

'You know I didn't intentionally starve myself at the tavern, right? I wasn't expecting us to be stranded there for so long, and I ran out of blood. Trust me, I don't /enjoy/ being in that situation.'

Dianne: "Yes, I know. I'm just teasing you."

{She then looks at the time on her phone.}

Dianne: "Now, where is that girl..."

'Forgotten us and gone on her date, most likely,' said Armin, leaning back against the kitchen doorframe. 'By the way... do we have anything important to do tomorrow?'

{Dianne, feeling irritated, texts Ivy again while replying to Armin.}

Dianne: "No, all the preparations have been made. Why, got plans?"

>>Are you on your way?<<

'Not really, I was just thinking... since tomorrow is our last safe day, we should go somewhere. Go to the park maybe, take Esme, enjoy the fresh air... I mean, it might be our last chance to go out without being shot for a while.'

Ivy replied moments later:
<I'm coming geez. U do know I hav 2 WALK, right?>

Dianne: "I agree. The park sounds nice, lets do that.

>>Just checking.<<

Armin nodded. 'Yeah, we'll do that,' he said decisively, then went to sit on the couch and wait for Ivy's arrival.

{Dianne sits next to Armin to wait for Ivy.}

Dianne: "So, what parks are around here?"

'There's a big one not far from here. It's sort of the city's main park. There's a lake... You'll remember it as the park where I sparred with you and Lucci.'

Dianne: "That's right....Yeah, that one's nice..."

{She says, trying to not think about how she assaulted him there.}

'It is a pretty nice spot for a walk. And hopefully we can have a more pleasant time than the last time we were there,' said Armin humorously. 'I'd like some nicer memories associated with the place.'

Dianne: "Yeah...Definitely more pleasant this time..."

Armin subsided into a thoughtful silence. Moments later, there was a knock at the door, then Ivy let herself in without waiting for someone to open it.

'This had better be worth it...' she said grumpily.

Dianne: "Ah, Ivy, please, have a seat."

{Dianne motions to the couch opposite of them.}

Ivy walked in, a highly suspicious look on her face. Her gaze swept the room as if she were looking for something in particular, before settling on Dianne and Armin. She sat down.

'...Alright,' she said neutrally. 'What did you want to talk about.'

Dianne: "As I'm sure you know, things might get very dangerous in the next few days. It may become necessary for me and Armin to go out fighting. In that event, I need someone to watch and protect Esme, until this is all over. Can I count on you to do this fopr me?"

Ivy's eyebrows rose in surprise.

/'Really?'/ she scoffed. 'For months, you both insult me, mock my lifestyle, interfere with my relationships, and now you have the /nerve/ to ask me for /help?'/

Dianne: "Believe me, I would not be asking if there was any other way. I understand we don't have the best relationship, but I need your help. Do this for me, correctly...."

{She motions to a pair of centaurs in the hallway, who walk forward, lay out a cloth, then dump a treasure filled urn out for Ivy to see.}

Dianne: "...And the rewards will be great."

Ivy looked at the treasure. A spark of interest lit up her face. She folded her arms, considering the situation.

'Yeah, right. How do I know you'll give me anything? I don't trust you as far as I can throw you.'

'Because I'm a part of this too, Ivy,' said Armin, pointing at himself. 'And I might not like you, but I'm not that dishonest, and I'm not a complete jerk. I promise that, if you look after Esme and do a good job of it, you'll get some treasure.'

Ivy sat there for a moment, silently weighing up her options.

'...Deal,' she said at last. 'But if you don't give me what you promised, I will either shoot you or spread terrible rumours about you, so be careful.'

Dianne: "Ivy, I am no liar. Do this, and this urn is yours, on my honor. But, if you fail me, and something happens to Esme, the consequences will be far more severe than you can imagine. I expect you to take this seriously."

Ivy narrowed her eyes.

'Oh, come on. I'm not /heartless,/ and if you're paying me that much, of course I'll take it seriously. Though, honestly, you're lucky I came here at /all,/ considering how you two have treated me ever since we met.'

Dianne: "I am aware of the reality of the situation. Regardless, I am thankful that you came and considered our offer. Just, one other thing. When you're called upon to do this, you can't bring any dates with you. It has to be just you, ok?"

'What, don't trust anyone I go out with?' said Ivy, but she didn't wait for an answer to that. '...Yeah, sure. I won't bring anyone and I won't let anything happen to your child. Is that all?'

Dianne: 'Yes, that is all. We'll be in touch."

{Dianne stands while the centaurs start cleaning up the gold. Dianne reaches down and picks up a diamond encrusted necklace and hands it to Ivy.}

Dianne: "Here. A gesture of good faith."

Ivy stared at the necklace for a moment, then warily took it, her expression a mixture of greed and suspicion. 'Oh. Well... thank you...'

Armin blinked in surprise, but didn't say anything.

{Dianne walks her out, not catching Armin's look of surprise.}

Dianne: "You're welcome. Enjoy your date tonight."

Before she left, Ivy hesitated in the doorway, a sly look on her face.

'Just one more, little thing... Are you two together?' she said rather seriously.

Dianne: "Together how? I'm afraid you'll need to be more specific in your question."

{Dianne was smirking, she knew what Ivy meant, but was purposefully being difficult.}

Ivy just smirked back, unfazed.

'Oh, I wasn't specific enough? Alright then. I'll try harder. Are you currently in a romantic or intimate relationship with the idiot vampire over there?'

Dianne: "Well that depends on the definition. Intimate? Well, we're not /that/ kind of physical. Romantic? Did you see any wine or roses in there? I think not. So, by that measure, no."

At that, Ivy let out a huff of impatience. 'I think you know exactly what I mean, and you're not outright denying it, so I suppose I must be right. You're in a relationship with him.'

'Is this going somewhere, Ivy?' said Armin from the couch.

'Yes! I've made bets with people over whether or not you'll get together.'

Dianne: "Really? Anyone we know?"

{She asks, laughing.}

'Probably not. Just associates of mine.' Ivy folded her arms. 'Heh. I knew from the moment I saw you two drinking together at the victory party, that something was gonna happen... someday... I sensed it.'

Dianne: "Sure you did. So, yeah, we're together. Are you done prying?"

Ivy smiled slyly. 'Weeell, I could ask you a lot more detailed questions about your relationship, but... I do have a date soon, so I'll leave it there. Cheerio!'

Looking pleased with herself, she started to walk away.

Dianne: "Ok, bye."

{Closing the door, she walks back to Armin.}

Dianne: "Well, it's official. Not long before everyone else finds out."

'Well, that's an easier way to tell all of our friends than having to do it ourselves. Ivy can do the work,' Armin commented as he slumped on the couch.

{Dianne sits next to him, chuckling.}

Dianne: "Yeah, that's true. She seemed to think that we'd be willing to answer anything she asks. She'll pry, and get nothing."

'I'm sure she thinks she has the power to get information out of anyone,' he said with amusement. 'Still, at least we know she'll look after Esme for us... That necklace you gave her wasn't cursed or anything, was it?'

Dianne: "Oh, no. It was just an ordinary necklace. I'll only curse her if she fails me. Where is Esme, anyway?"

'Hopefully not destroying anything... Esme!' Armin called out. Moments later, an answering chirp came from the hallway. Esme padded over, carrying her smaller toy ball in her jaws, and stared at them. 'Seems like she was just exploring.'

Dianne: "Huh, she recognized her name. Esme, come here, sweetheart."

{She beckons Esme over.}

Esme spat out the ball, then jumped up onto Dianne's lap, briefly extending her wings for balance.

'I'd be surprised if she didn't know her own name by now,' said Armin. 'I'm sure she knows our names, too.'

{Dianne starts to pet her and scratch under her chin.}

Dianne: "Fast learner. She's not even a year old."

'I'm grateful for that. She's more fun when she can actually do things.'

He shifted closer to Dianne and held out a hand towards Esme. The dragonet nuzzled his hand, then Dianne's.

Dianne: "So cute..."

{She sits back with Esme, taking her into her arms.}

Dianne: "Once she can speak, that will be interesting."

'Yeah, it'll be interesting to hear what she has to say. Hard to know what she's thinking when all she does is squeak like a rodent.'

Esme briefly pressed her ears back as if she were offended by Armin's comment.

'I don't know when we should expect her to start talking. How long does it take for your species?' he added.

Dianne: "Oh...about a year...But, thats a western, not a shifter. Not sure where shifters land in that department..."

Armin shrugged slightly. 'She might be faster to learn, since she spends so much time around people. I guess it doesn't really matter. She'll start when she wants to.'

He settled back into a lazy reclining position beside Dianne, closing his eyes and relaxing.

{Dianne eyes the tv for a moment.}

Dianne: "See if there's something good on."

Armin groped for the TV remote, turning it on and flicking through the channels. 'Vallian history documentary... some horror film... cartoons... the Sargon movie...'

Pulling a disgusted face at the last one, he kept looking.

Dianne: "Meh, do the cartoons. There's really nothing on..."

'There usually isn't.' With a yawn, Armin settled on the cartoon channel and turned the volume down lower. Esme eyed the screen curiously, taking a slight interest.

{Watching the cartoon, Dianne starts to nod off, feeling at ease with Esme on her lap.}

Armin dozed slightly as well, leaving Esme as the only one actively watching the TV. Eventually, he lifted his head, startled to find the sun much lower than before. It was almost evening.

'Hmm... I guess we should think about dinner...'

Dianne: "Hmm....Wha?....Oh...."

{She lifts her head, shaking herself from her doze.}

Dianne: 'Yeah...I'll make some steaks..."

{She stands and heads for the kitchen, depositing Esme on the couch.}

Armin contemplated getting up, then decided to stay on the couch with Esme. She was engrossed in an animated show about ghosts, despite having no idea what ghosts were.

{Dianne cooks the steaks in the kitchen, seasoning them and throwing them on a pan. The aroma wafts through the entire building.}

(Huh. How did we go from a war against a maniac, to a cross-country adventure, to a slice-of-life style story? XD)

(Posting new room)