(I know, there's been so much variation in themes. XD
Sometimes it's gory undead monster battles, and sometimes it's cosy slice-of-life stuff.
I love it)

Esme tore her gaze from the TV and sniffed the air intently, instantly becoming interested. She got up and walked into the kitchen to watch what Dianne was up to. To Armin, the scent was pleasant enough, but didn't make him hungry. //That's one thing I miss about being human. The simple joy of enjoying all kinds of food. Blood really gets stale after a while...//

{Dianne looks down at Esme, smiling.}

Dianne: "Hungry, sweetheart? It'll be done soon."

Esme growled approvingly in response, sitting down in the kitchen doorway to watch. Armin remained slumped on the couch, closing his eyes and just enjoying the ambience of the house.

{Once the steaks were done, Dianne put them on plates, then proceeds to cut up Esme's food for her. Walking back to the couch, Dianne pulls over a small table and puts the plate down on it.}

Dianne: "Here, Esme."

Esme promptly started to devour her food, gnawing on the pieces of steak as if she hadn't eaten in days. She was clearly growing fast now; her wingspan was much wider than it had been at the tavern, and her horns and spikes were longer. Though she was still barely larger than a domestic cat.

{Dianne sits and starts eating, watching Esme fondly.}

Dianne: "She's getting bigger."

{She observes.}

Armin opened his eyes to glance briefly at Esme. 'She is. If she gets really big, she's going to need her own room. She's not sleeping on our bed when she gets as big as us...'

Dianne: "Unless she learns to shift. If she does that, she should just be a little girl. In that case, she can stay longer."

'True. But she might not learn to shift until she's older. Worst case scenario, I guess we could just give her her own bed in our room. She'd still be pretty close to us.'

Dianne: "Yeah....I'd prefer that..."

{She continues to eat and watch the strange cartoon, not quite understanding what they were going on about.}

Dianne: "That's untrue. Ghosts can't selectively phase some parts of themselves and solidify others. What hack wrote this."

Armin eyed the screen with amusement. 'It's an animated show, not a ghost documentary... It's probably not meant to be accurate... or maybe the creator just doesn't know much about real ghosts.'

Dianne: "True...guess I'm just nit-picky. Well, I am kind of the authority of the subject, so I'll recognize the issues with it."

{Dianne, having finished her meal, gets up to put her plate away. She then comes back and sits on the couch, leaning back comfortably.}

Esme was still eating, taking her time to tear apart the steak into even smaller pieces, seemingly for her amusement.

'I guess it might bother me if I saw a stupidly inaccurate cartoon about vampires... Actually, I might just laugh at it...' Armin said.

Dianne: "Yeah, those can be funny. I once saw an old movie where a vampire was turning people, who would then become like zombies who would eat people and attack unprovoked. It made no sense and the writing was hilarious."

Armin chuckled slightly. 'Well, sometimes movies are so terrible, you can't help but laugh at them. They're so bad that they're good. There's a ton of movies about werewolves losing their minds when they transform and mauling random people...'

Dianne: "Yeah, because they apparently become "the mindless beast." But, even normal wolves don't act like that."

'I mean, werewolves can be pretty rough and rowdy. But they don't just go /insane/ like that... Nor do vampires. Or dragons. I bet all of these films were written by humans.'

Armin gave a huge yawn. Seeming to have a sudden need for closeness, he snuggled up to Dianne while they watched the TV.

{Dianne smirks and glances at Armin. Wrapping an arm around Armin, she pulls him closer.}

Armin just smiled warmly and closed his eyes, comfortably settling against her.

After a moment, Esme finished her meal and lightly jumped onto the couch beside them, continuing to stare at the ghost show on the TV.

{Putting a hand on Esme, Dianne simply continues to watch the cartoon, enjoying the homely atmosphere.}

When the show ended and the commercial break started, Esme lost interest, getting up and beginning to head towards the stairs, seemingly going to bed of her own accord. By that point, Armin was dozing.

{Dianne was dozing as well. Disturbed by an unusually obnoxious commercial, she lifts her head.}

Dianne: "Mmmm....Esme?.....Off to bed?"

Esme squeaked and began to clamber up the stairs. Armin stirred, lifting his head and blinking.

'Urgh... let's go up to bed...'

{Switching off the tv, Dianne stands and heads upstairs.}

Dianne: "...I'm going to take a shower first..."

'Alright. Hold on a minute.' Armin went into the bathroom to change, then came out. 'All yours.'

He followed Esme, who had leapt onto the end of his bed and curled up there.

{She nods at Armin, entering the bathroom. She emerges some fifteen minutes later in her usual sleep wear and proceeds to lie down on the bed.}

Armin was half-asleep by the time Dianne reappeared, but when she lay down next to him, he immediately rolled over to get closer to her, not seeming to notice or care that she still had damp hair. At the end of the bed, Esme was already fast asleep, probably dreaming about the strange ghost cartoon.

{Lying on her back, Dianne looks over at Armin and smiles. Taking his hand in hers, she settles in, dozing very quickly.}

Armin opened his eyes briefly, then settled in again. //Last completely safe day tomorrow,// Armin mused. //What's gonna happen after that? I have no idea what the hunters are planning to do, exactly... but we'll probably risk being shot or taken hostage whenever we go outside... All of us.//

Putting the thought out of his mind, he cuddled closer to Dianne and let himself drift off, feeling Esme's warm weight at the end of the bed.

{Dianne quickly falls asleep. She was too relaxed to worry about what was to come.}

(Do we skip?)

(Yep, you go first this time.)

...

{The next morning, Dianne opens here eyes. Looking over at Armin, she rolls over closer to him and settles in again.}

Dianne: //Hmmmm...Last day before Paxton's goons get here...Better make the most of it.//

Armin remained peacefully snoozing for a while. Eventually, he stirred. Without opening his eyes, he curled an arm around Dianne and sleepily ran a hand up and down her back. He didn't say anything yet, being too half-asleep to care about talking.

{In her half asleep state, Dianne pulls Armin close in a hug, resting her forehead against his chest. She whispers something in her native language as she snuggles up to him.}

Armin blinked a little and looked down at her, feeling a sudden warmth rising in his chest. Despite having no idea what she just said, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head, then tightened his arms around her and settled back. He stayed quiet, content to wait until she woke up more before speaking.

{Dianne stays put for a little while before opening her eyes. She shifts a bit to look up at Armin.}

Dianne: "...Good morning..."

'Morning...' said Armin absently, keeping his arms wrapped around her. '...Do you remember saying something a while ago?'

{Dianne squints, trying to remember.}

Dianne: ".....No......did I say something?"

'Yeah, you whispered something. In Ferrosian, I guess. You seemed too asleep to remember it, so... nevermind. It doesn't matter.'

{Dianne raises a brow whilst thinking.}

Dianne: "Wait...Did I say amateotl? That means beloved, or sweetheart, in Ferrosian...."

(Btw, that word is totally made up. XD)

(That's a pretty good made-up word tho. XD)

Armin contemplated for a moment. '...Yeah, that's what it sounded like to me...'

Dianne: "Well, you are my amateotl.....Makes sense I'd say that...."

{Shifting upward, she kisses his chin, then hugs him more tightly.}

Armin drew in a quick breath of surprise at the kiss. Then he adjusted his embrace and resumed stroking a hand up and down her back. 'That's kind of adorable...'

{Dianne chuckles at that, settling in once again.}

Dianne: "So what if it is?....Necromancer or not, I'm still a person..."

'I'm probably the last person who needs to be reminded of that,' said Armin. He tilted his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. 'I just wish more people saw you as a person.'

Dianne: "Well, you can't change people easily. However, I am elated that you see me as someone deserving of love, and not some wretched monster..."

'Of course I do,' said Armin simply. 'You're not a monster. I know you're not.'

Dianne: "I don't think you realize how happy that makes me. I haven't had many good friends, or partners for that matter. It feels good to not be alone."

'Mhm... Well, I'm very happy that you actually like - and trust - me enough to do this with me. /Me,/ some idiot who bit you during a sparring match and regularly does life-threatening things for fun.'

Dianne: "Yes, but you're also the idiot who carried me out of a hunter ambush when I almost died, soothed me when I had nightmares, and saved Esme from freezing to death. I don't think you give yourself enough credit. You have a good heart."

'Well, I do try. To be a good person. Even if I also do a lot of stupid things and annoy people.'

Eyes closed, he subsided into silence, holding her close.

{Dianne just chuckles, content to lie there with him. After a little while longer, Dianne picks up her head.}

Dianne: "Well....this is the last day we're safe, so...Maybe we should get up now....Make a great day out of it."

Armin stirred drowsily, keeping his eyes closed and tightening his arms around her. '...Nah, don't wanna get up. This is more comfortable.'

He knew that they ought to get up; he was just being purposely difficult.

Dianne: "Oh, come now, darling, if you don't get up soon, Esme's going to bite your foot. You don't want to have to make the trip to Pythia on a ravaged foot, do you?"

'She wouldn't do that... and she can't cause that much damage, she's only a baby.'

Armin continued to lie back comfortably, arms wrapped around her, smirking faintly.

'I'm not getting up. Make me,' he said with a hint of challenge in his voice.

{Dianne looks up at him, grinning ear to ear.}

Dianne: "Are you sure you want that? I'm not so easily confined."

Armin just raised his eyebrows, still refusing to go anywhere. 'Really? I don't see you trying to do anything.'

Dianne: "Ok, don't say I didn't warn you."

{In a moment, she becomes a smokelike mass, escaping his grasp. Rematerializing standing up, she then grabs him and lifts him over her head, like a board, all while sporting a cheery demeanor.}

Dianne: "I'm going to drop you in five seconds. Land on your feet or fall on your head."

Armin let out a short yelp when he found himself being grabbed. Not waiting to see whether or not she'd actually drop him, he shifted to hawk form, flapped noisily to the floor, then shifted back. He stood there, blinking and tilting slightly to one side. '...Well, that's one way to wake up properly...'

Esme lifted her head at the noise, looking momentarily startled before her demeanour shifted to drowsy acceptance.

{Dianne just busts out laughing.}

Dianne: "Hey, I told you, didn't I? Why are you so surprised?"

Armin turned to eye her laughing, then gave her a playful shove. 'Hey, I didn't know exactly what you were going to do. But I guess I should've been prepared for anything.'

He stretched, letting out a vast yawn.

{Dianne just kept laughing as he shoved her.}

Dianne: "Hahaheheh.....I don't know what you were expecting, but I did give you fair warning."

{Clapping him on the shoulder, she walks to the bath to get dressed.}

Armin sat down on the edge of the bed to wait for her, greeting Esme as she stood up and yawned.

{Dianne emerges from the bathroom dressed.}

Dianne: "I'll take Esme downstairs and start breakfast. See you down there. Here, Esme."

Armin nodded and stood up. 'I'm going to take a shower while you two have breakfast,' he said, heading towards the bathroom. Esme jumped off the bed and eagerly followed Dianne; she was hungry as usual.

{Leading Esme downstairs, Dianne walks into the kitchen and begins preparing cheese omlettes. She offers Esme a piece of cheese to see how she likes it.}

Esme snapped up the cheese, tilted her head with an odd expression, then ate it without complaint.

Armin took a short while in the shower, eventually coming downstairs wearing a soft blue sweater instead of his usual shirt and jacket. He wandered in, scenting the air curiously.

{Dianne was humming to herself and making the omlettes. Once they were done, she took the omlettes and carried them into the living room. Putting Esme's down for her, she sits and starts eating. }

Esme started devouring her meal, with an expression on her face that suggested she didn't quite know what to make of it. Armin wandered into the kitchen, and after a moment's consideration, started making himself some coffee. 'Hey, you want any of this?' he called out to Dianne.

Dianne: "No thank you."

{She calls out from the living room.}

Armin resumed making the coffee, taking some out into the other room to give to Rex. He then sat on the couch with his own mug, sipping it slowly while gazing out of the window.

{Dianne quietly eats, watching Esme and relaxing on the couch. Looking to the window, she speaks up.}

Dianne: "It's not too late into the afternoon. After this, I'll make some lunch and we'll go to the park. Sound good."

Armin nodded. 'Sounds like a plan. We'll drive, since it's a little way out from here.' He watched Esme, who had finished eating, run off and grab her toy ball. She headbutted it across the room, then proceeded to chase after it.

{Dianne nods. Having finished her meal, Dianne goes to the kitchen and starts preparing lunch for later.}

A short while later, Rex emerged from his room to put his empty coffee mug away.

'We're going out for a bit,' said Armin. 'We're taking Esme, so no need to worry about babysitting her this time.'

'To that park?' said Rex, who had obviously heard some of their conversation. 'Well, try not to cause an uproar this time.'

'We're not going there to /spar,/ Rex...'

'No, but knowing you, you could find some other trouble to get into.'

Dianne: "Don't worry, Rex, we won't do anything of the sort. We're just going to have a nice, peaceful picnic."

(Posting new room)