----

Somewhat early the next morning, Armin awoke. He wasn't sure why. He had vague recollections of an unsettling dream, in which hunters had kidnapped everyone he cared about, but it was already slipping from his mind.

//Hope that kid, Sheldon, is OK. That must've been a pretty scary experience.//

He shifted closer to Dianne, trying not to disturb her.

{Dianne, still asleep, stirs a little in response, but doesn't really move}

------------------

{Meanwhile, at the city entrance, a group of rough looking characters enter, looking around the city. One is a man in a hood, with light leather armor and small blades strapped to his side. The other was a large armored individual with a greatsword slung across his back. The third was the elf who had gone to see the king.} (Who's name I can't remember lol.)

Elf: "Lot of ground to cover...Let's get started..."

(I forgot the elf's name too, would have to find it in the old RP rooms.)

Armin drifted into a light doze, having nothing else to do until Dianne showed signs of waking.

----

Ivy and Fred were still asleep; Fred in his own house, and Ivy at Jerry's place, where Armin had advised her to stay. It was too early for either of them to be active.

{Jerry was up at the time, drinking coffe and looking over cases.
A few hours later, Dianne stirs and opens her eyes. Looking around at Armin and Esme, she smiles fondly at them.}

Armin stirred from his doze, blinking blearily as he returned Dianne's look. He then shifted closer, snuggling up to her.

{Dianne shifts closer as well, pulling him into her arms and stroking his hair..}

Dianne: "Good morning..."

Armin made a quiet noise of contentment, closing his eyes and relaxing into her arms. 'Morning...' he murmured.

Dianne: "Mmmmm.....I can't leave the house today....So, no real reason to get up..."

'That's fine, just stay here and keep doing that,' he said sleepily, in reference to her stroking his hair. 'I'm not planning to get up yet either.'

{Dianne smirks, kissing his forehead and continuing to stroke his hair.}

Dianne: "My amateotl....."

'Love you too,' he murmured in response. He lay limp in her arms, too comfortable and relaxed to move an inch. 'I'm glad... you wanted to be with me...'

Dianne: "And I am glad you want to be with me....."

{She settles in, quickly dozing with him in her arms.}

Armin quickly drifted into a doze as well, snuggled against her with a faint smile. At the end of the bed, Esme was still asleep as well.

(yeah, she's not waking up until Esme bugs them for food. XD)

(Understandable. XD)

Over an hour later, while the pair were still asleep, Esme stirred. Letting out a vast yawn, the small dragon padded along the bed, walking on top of Armin and nuzzling at Dianne's face. Armin snapped awake, looking mildly startled.

{Dianne awoke more gently, looking up at Esme.}

Dianne: "Hmmm?.....Oh, hey, sweetheart.....Are you hungry?..."

Esme chirped in response, ears pricked. She then turned to nuzzle Armin as well.

'Urgh... I knew you'd wake us up eventually...'

{Chuckling, Dianne sits up, letting go of Armin.}

Dianne: "It was inevitable. I'll feed her, you can keep sleeping if you want."

'I'll probably just get up...' he grumbled. 'I'm too awake now to go back to sleep, anyway.' He looked up at Esme. 'Why are you so annoying?'

Correctly interpreting Armin's tone, Esme nipped his ear, making him wince.

'Ow. Stupid dragon.'

Esme then climbed off of him and hopped down to the floor.

Dianne: "Hey, don't be like that, Armin. It's not like she can feed herself. Besides, all she did was show us affection."

{Getting clothes from her bag, Dianne walks to the bath to change.}

'I know...' Armin muttered. He pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the bed, extending a hand to Esme as a peace offering. She bit his finger, though not hard.

Downstairs, Rex was in the kitchen, drinking coffee and seemingly waiting for them.

{Dianne walks out of the bath wearing a backless, soft fabric, green dress. Her tattoo can be plainly seen from under the strap of her brassiere. If one were to look at it too long, it would appear as if it were staring right back.}

{Walking to the door, she beckons Esme to follow.}

Esme trotted after her. Once they had both left, Armin quickly threw on a white shirt and jeans, not bothering to put his jacket on. He then followed the pair downstairs, yawning absently.

{Dianne walks into the kitchen, greeting Rex and preparing to make breakfast.}

Dianne: "Good morning, Rex."

'Good morning...' Rex responded. When Armin entered the room as well, he continued: 'A telepathic message came in about an hour ago. I'm assuming that you two were too deeply asleep to have heard it?'

'Yeah, probably,' said Armin. 'I never heard a message.'

{Dianne looks at Rex with a half concerned, half curious expression.}

Dianne: "Who was it from, and what did it say?"

'Frederick's telepathic relay,' said Rex. When Armin looked at him blankly, he elaborated: 'Fred set up a system of vampires across the city to relay reports over long distances.'

'Alright. So what did the message say?'

'Just that three 'suspicious individuals' were seen entering the city early this morning. Obviously hunters. One of them was an elf who Fred saw trying to convince the king to honour the bounty.'

Dianne: "Well, Lucci did say that they would be here today..."

{She continues to make herself eggs, wearing a pensive expression.}

'Just three of them, though?' said Armin, as Rex wandered off with his coffee. 'Where are the rest? And what are those three planning to do on their own?'

Dianne: "They're probably just here to scout right now. More are likely on their way."

{Having finished her eggs, she starts to cut up fruit for Esme.}

'I guess so. Maybe they want to know where you're living. Well, if they do find us, they'll have to get past that arrogant chunk of metal first.'

Armin reached into the cupboard and pulled out a half-empty bottle of blood. He leaned against the fridge to drink it, quickly emptying the bottle. Esme crouched on the floor, watching Dianne unblinkingly.

{Dianne takes the fruit and some eggs, and gives them to Esme on a plate.}

Dianne: "Yes. A frontal assault would likely be ineffective."

Esme started to eat, while Armin threw his empty bottle away. 'They could have anything up their sleeve, though. They might try sneaking past Pugna, or attacking the house from afar... I guess we'll have to see what they're planning. I'm sure they didn't come all this way for nothing.'

Dianne: "Sneaking past an Akhetian is pretty much impossible. They're aware of all matter and energy within a specified radius, depending on class. Attacking from afar is a problem, however."

'Yeah, if they decide to hurl a magical fireball at the roof from above, we might have a problem.' Armin shrugged. 'I don't know what they're going to do. I just know they won't give up easily.'

{Meanwhile, as he morning turned to afternoon, more and more unscrupulous characters trickled through the city. They constituted a wide variety of species, and all of them were armed in some way.}

{From outside came the muffled voice of Pugna.}

Pugna: "Fireballs are nothing to me. Any who attempt to harm you will be slain in glorious combat."

Dianne: ".....Ok...."

Armin looked unconvinced by Pugna's statement. 'He can be as sure of himself as he wants. Paxton's determined, too.' He wandered into the living-room, looking around boredly.

----

At Jerry's place, Ivy was leaning against a wall, idly tapping on her phone as she texted someone. 'This is stupid...' she muttered. 'All of us having to hide indoors, just because there's some bad guys out there. Why can't we just go and fight them?'

{Dianne gets her food and sits in the living room.}

Dianne: "Turn on the tv. See what's on."

{Jerry puts down the case he was looking at and rubs his eyes wearily.}

Jerry: "Because we're outnumbered and outgunned. The guard can't engage them legally until they break the law first. So, we just need to hunker down until they either slip up or the bounty is called off."

Armin leaned back on the couch, picking up the remote and starting to flip through channels. 'Tell me to stop if you see anything interesting. I'm not sure if they'll be much on, at this time of day...'

----

'This is stupid,' Ivy repeated. 'So we can't even do anything about the hunters? We just have to /sit inside/ and wait for something to happen? What a waste of time...'

{Dianne watches the channels as Armin flips through them.}

Dianne: "Stop it there. The ghost hunting show. It's kind of funny how wrong they go about it..."

Jerry: "Ivy, I don't think you're grasping just how dangerous this situation actually is. If we go out there and encounter one of them, there's nothing stopping them from attacking one of us. They have the element of surprise."

Armin halted on that channel, setting the remote down on the couch. 'Are we just watching this so you can point out all the flaws in their ghost logic?' he said with amusement.

----

Ivy let out a long, dramatic sigh. 'Whatever... I guess I'll just stay here and observe your less-than-interesting life, then. You've been staring at cases for /hours,/ did you know that?'

Dianne: "You got a better way to amuse ourselves?"

{She asks, amused.}

Jerry: "I know. What else is there to do, gossip about our friends, like you would? And my life is interesting. You're the boring one."

'Not at the moment,' said Armin. 'We need to think of more indoor activities. Hell, maybe we could have another drinking contest sometime...'

----

Ivy smirked. 'Oh, come on. You're a great guy, and I really do look up to you, but you have /no/ life outside of your work.'

Dianne: "As much as I'd love to, I don't think getting completely wasted is a verry good idea right now."

Jerry: "Hey, I have hobbies and stuff, you know. Work just keeps me very busy."

'True. Maybe we could have some drinks, but not make a contest out of it. I don't really feel like making myself ill right now.'

----

Ivy's expression said she that didn't believe him. 'Of course. I'm sure you have lots of hobbies.' Her eyes narrowed slightly. '...Have you ever had a relationship?'

(Ivy just asks everyone that without caring at all that it's nosy)

Dianne: "Agreed."

{She falls silent, watching the tv and finishing her meal.}

Jerry: "No, I haven't. I just haven't met any interested women. How is this relevant, Ivy?"

Armin just watched the TV as well, letting his mind wander to various things.

----

'Whoever said it was relevant? I'm just curious.' Ivy continued staring at her phone, having a text converation with someone.

Jerry: "Well, now you know."

{He eyes her phone as he sits there.}

Jerry: "Who are you texting?"

'People,' said Ivy vaguely. '...Friends. And a boyfriend, who I can't go and see.' She huffed. 'I'm rather jealous of Dianne and Armin, actually. They might be stuck at home, but at least they have each other...'

{Jerry picks up his head curiously.}

Jerry: "What do you mean by that?"

A slow, intrigued smile curved up Ivy's face. 'Oh, did I forget to tell you...? I suppose it slipped my mind, because I had a date on the day I found out... For your information, Dianne and Armin are together,' she said smugly.

Jerry: "Wait, really? Huh, I never would have guessed that those two would hit it off, given how they treated each other during the war."

Ivy kept her smug look. 'Most people would think that. But I always had my suspicions about them. There was chemistry there, that no-one except my relationship expert's eye could see...'

Jerry: "...Right.....So, they're.....boyfriend/girlfriend?"

Ivy wrinkled her nose. 'Well, those terms sound weird when applied to them... I mean, they're hundreds of years old, aren't they? But I suppose there isn't a more accurate description. They aren't /married.'/

Jerry: "Well, not yet, anyway.....I'm not one to pry, but....I can't help but wonder what kind of relationship they have. Wholly platonic, perhaps? Maybe they just act like close friends?"

Ivy hummed thoughtfully. She liked talking about peoples' relationships. 'Maybe. Dianne as good as told me that they hadn't slept together, so maybe they just don't do that stuff. Or maybe they just haven't /yet.../ All I know, right now, is that they have a relationship.'

Jerry: "Hm. Even if they do, I doubt they'll let us know. It's really none of our business. Besides, I doubt Armin would even want to. Dragons aren't the most....gentle of creatures."

'Well, maybe he doesn't like it gentle,' said Ivy with a smirk. 'Who knows? They're together. It makes sense for them to do something. And if they do, I'll know.'

{At that, Jerry makes a slightly disturbed face.}

Jerry: "Yeah, I'm not going to think about it anymore.....And you wouldn't know. By what method could you possibly deduce that?"

'Instinct,' said Ivy sweetly. 'Their body language, the way they look at each other... Or I just ask them outright and see how they react... There are plenty of ways to deduce information like that.'

Jerry: "Well, good luck with that...You're pretty good at that with other people I've seen you talk to, but dragons are a lot more cautious with that stuff. It's extremely personal to them and inquiring about it can be construed as an insult to their pride."

'I can always target Armin. I'm sure he's easier to get information from.' Ivy glanced up from her phone. 'My, you seem... oddly interested in this subject. You're just as curious about their relationship as I am, aren't you?'

{Jerry gives an unamused look.}

Jerry: "I'm a P.I., Ivy, I'm inquisitve by nature. Also, they're my friends. I like to be kept in the loop."

Ivy's smirk became wicked. 'Oh, yes. You're such a good friend that you find yourself wondering about your friends' intimate lives. Yes, Jerry, that's totally information you /need/ to know about them.'

Jerry: "Hey, I have a right to wonder and speculate. You're the one who crosses the line by pestering them with inappropriate questions."

'Yes, well... they're an unusual couple, given that they used to hate each other. Plus, their differing backgrounds, ages, species... it all makes them /very/ interesting to speculate on. I'm certainly not saying you shouldn't. In fact, if I find out anything juicy about them, I'll tell you before anyone else.'

Jerry: "That's probably for the best, given that I won't spread it around....But, yes, the dynamic is interesting. She's extremely old, much older than Armin, but he doesn't seem to care, probably because of her youthful looks...The species doesn't really matter, lots of different people find love all the time."

'Mhm. Her appearance certainly plays a role in why Armin likes her - I doubt they'd have the same relationship if she looked old enough to be his grandma,' Ivy mused. 'But Armin is extremely old by /human/ standards, so maybe it's irrelevant to him.' She shrugged. 'And some people might prefer to stick with their own species, but that's obviously not the case with them.'

Dianne: "Yeah, well, that would just be human psychology. Grandma looking people are generally....undesirable....And Dianne doesn't look a day over thirty. Heh, hard to say..."

(Wrong name tag. XD)

Ivy shrugged. 'Meh. They're both old; who cares. I just want to see how their relationship develops.' She rubbed her chin. 'I guess it's nice that they have that little dragon... I mean, they'll certainly never have biological children.'

Jerry: "Yeah, definitely not. The species barrier alone prevents it. It is nice that they have Esme. I guess they're just going to be one big happy family now."

'Hm. I suppose. Personally, family life sounds terribly dull to me, but I guess it appeals to some people,' Ivy mused.

Jerry: "To each their own, I guess...Family life wouldn't be so bad. Sure, it would be a lot of work, but to watch your kids grow and pass on what you know....it's an experience, I'm sure."

'I don't want the responsibility. Besides, I'm sure you can't have as much fun when you're busy looking after whiny kids. Though, a baby /dragon/ might be more bearable... they're not like human babies...' Ivy trailed off thoughtfully. 'Anyway, like I said, I'll tell you if I hear anything interesting.'

Jerry: "Please do. Like I said, i like to be kept in the loop."

{With that, he turns back to his work.}

(Posting new room))