The dragonshifter nodded. Moments later, a van pulled up outside, and two vampires began to walk in and out of the temple, bringing about two dozen cardboard boxes and wooden crates of varying sizes.

'OK, we can start packing up,' said the dragonshifter to Pythia. 'Start putting things in the boxes. We'll help.'

Pythia: "Ok...."

{Getting up, she starts taking her clothes out of her dresser and packing them away.}

A few of the guards helped to pack away the books and other items in the room into separate boxes, wanting to get the task done as quickly as possible.

In his house, Fred continued to exchange messages through the relay to check up on Pythia's status, and to make sure no hunters were lying in wait for her outside the temple.

{Once everything was packed up, Pythia approaches the dragon shifter.}

Pythia: "Ok....That's everything...Where do I go now?"

The guards began to load all the boxes into the back of the van.

'Well, given the current situation, it's best if you don't live alone,' said the dragonshifter. 'We'll keep guarding you, but for extra safety, you should stay with a friend or trusted acquaintance until things calm down. Know anyone you can stay with?'

Pythia: "I....I don't kow...I need to ask them..."

{She walks outside and starts to text.}

Pythia: (To everyone.)

>>I have some bad news. My superior from the Order of Symponia came by today and basically fired me for helping Dianne when she needed it. Is there anyone who I can stay with for the time being, given the current situation. I wish I didn't have to ask, but I don't have a choice.<<

Everyone received Pythia's text, but the quickest one to reply was Frederick. <If you don't have anyone else, you're welcome to stay with me for now. I live alone, so there's plenty of space.>

Meanwhile, the message had also reached Armin's household. Armin read the text on his phone, grimacing slightly. 'Oh, dam.n... That's not great.'

Dianne: "Huh?"

{She checks her phone, making a troubled expression.}

Dianne: "Oh, jeeze...Armin, do we have room for her here?"

Armin looked around. 'I'm not sure. She'd probably have to sleep on the couch if she did.' He wrote back a reply. <We don't have much space, but you can stay here if you really want to. Just let us know.>

'Honestly, it'd be better if she could stay with one of the others. Maybe Jerry has room. I don't know...'

Dianne: "I know, it's just...she's probably going through a lot right now, and Fred, no offense....isn't the most empathic person...."

{As they were talking, Pythia sent another message.}

Pythia: >>I think I will accept your offer, Frederick. Thank you so much, this means a lot. I'll try not to be too much of a bother.<<

(Is that message sent to everyone or just Fred?)

(Everyone)

'I won't protest that. Well, I told her we /might/ be able to find space. We'll have to wait and see what she does...'

Armin leaned back on the couch and dropped his phone down beside him. A moment later, both of their phones chimed as another message came from Pythia. Armin didn't bother looking, just waited for Dianne to check it.

Meanwhile, the dragonshifter climbed into the driver's side of the van. 'OK, come on up,' he said, gesturing to the passenger seat. 'I'll drive you. You can't just walk around the city in the open.'

{Dianne checks, raising a brow.}

Dianne: "Ok. She picked Frederick. I should call her when she gets there....Make sure she's doing ok."

{Pythia nods, then climbs in. Once they were on their way, her lip starts to quiver, and she starts to quietly cry, facing the window so the dragon shifter won't directly see.}

'Yeah, I'm sure she'd like to talk to you. You two are friends, right?'

Armin tried to imagine how Fred would deal with having a guest. //Well, I'm sure he won't be the most empathetic or the best at conversation... but hopefully they tolerate each other. It's only for a while.//

The dragonshifter, focused on driving, did not notice Pythia crying - or else he pretended not to notice. The rest of the guard followed them, but kept about half a kilometre's distance behind, not wanting to draw attention to the van.

Dianne: "Yeah. We usually get together for lunch or tea, and just...talk. Things that trouble us, or things we're not comfortable discussing with anyone else..."

'Huh.' Armin considered for a moment. 'That's nice. You're not the kinds of people I'd expect to get along, but I guess that's true for us as well...'

{Dianne smirks at that. }

Dianne: "That's true. I might be dark, and she might be light, but we're still able to understand and sympathize with one another. She does stay a bit distant, as association with could have gotten her fired....it /did/ get her fired....I did say we didn't have to do it anymore, but she insisted we continue..."

Armin tilted his head. 'Well, I guess she was willing to take the risk. I guess one good thing to come out of this, is that it doesn't matter anymore. She can associate with you, and anyone else, without fear of facing those kinds of consquences...'

After driving for about twenty minutes, the van stopped in front of Frederick's place. It was a small, one-storey house in a quiet neighbourhood, away from the heart of the city centre.

'Well, we're here...' the dragonshifter muttered, stopping the engine.

Dianne: "I suppose so. Honestly, I never thought her order was very good to begin with. She's very magically potent, and that organization was holding her back, not letting her defend herself or take sides in conflicts. If she was with us back in Shacklestone, she might have been able to save Wendigo. She proba could have saved a lot of people by using her water magic to repel Sargon's forces that first night."

{Wiping her eyes, she opens the door.}

Pythia: "Thank you...."

{Stepping out, she approaches the front door.}

'Well then, maybe there's more than one good thing to come out of this... She's pretty much free to do what she wants now. She can use her magic for anything now. She can just choose to help her friends, if she wants - instead of that organisation's crap about 'not taking sides'. And she can defend herself - that's important too.'

Before Pythia could knock on the door, it opened to reveal Frederick in the threshold. 'Ah, Pythia. You want to come in?' he said, awkwardly stepping aside. 'I'm not used to having guests over, but there's a spare room you can stay in.'

Once Fred opened the door, the rest of the guards caught up with them. Without prompting, they surrounded Fred's house, seemingly ready to guard it the way they had Pythia's temple.

Dianne: "Yes, that's very important. Hopefully, when she feels better, she'll put some time into learning how to defend herself..."

Pythia: "Yes, please...Thank you."

{With a very forlon expression and posture, Pythia shuffles in. Her usual bright and upbeat demeanor was replaced with an air of defeat and depression.}

Fred looked at the van, then gestured to a couple of guards, who began to unload Pythia's belongings and carry them into the spare room. It was a small, sparsely furnished room, containing a window, bed, and an empty bookcase.

'I'm sure this is... difficult for you,' said Frederick. 'If there's anything I can do to help, besides letting you stay, please let me know.'

'Yeah, she should,' said Armin. 'Not to say I want her fighting on battlefields with us, but I'd like to... not have to worry about her safety so much.'

He then settled back on the couch, closing his eyes and quietly contemplating.

Pythia: "...Thank you, Frederick....I...I think I just want to be alone right now...Can the guards help me set up my room, first?"

'Yes, they will. I'll let them do that, then we'll leave you to get settled,' replied Fred.

The guards continued transporting the boxes into Pythia's room, some even going as far as to put the books onto the shelves for her.

{Pythia helps as much as she can, despite looking devastated. Once everything was set up, she speaks quietly.}

Pythia: "Thank you all. I appreciate it a lot..."

{Dianne sits next to Armin, falling silent as well.}

Dianne: //I hope she's ok...//

One of the guards patted her shoulder in an attempt at comfort as they all began to leave the room.

As they left, Fred sent them an order. //Half of you, stay outside and keep watch. The rest of you, spread yourselves out to watch Jerry's house or help the telepathic relay. I don't want too many guards here; it will look suspicious.//

Fred then walked off, leaving Pythia to her own devices.

{As soon as everyone left, Pythia crawled into bed, curled up into a miserable ball, and started to text while quietly sobbing.}

Pythia: >>I'm here at Fredericks now.<<

(That's to everyone)

Armin briefly glanced at his phone. 'Well, she's there and safe. Maybe you should talk to her. Make sure everything's OK... well, as OK as it can be.'

{Nodding, Dianne dials her number.}

Pythia: "....Hello?...."

Dianne: "Hey Pythia, it's Dianne. I was just calling to see how you're doing."

Pythia: "How do you think I'm doing?"

{She replies, choking through sobs. Dianne grimaces a little at that.}

Pythia: "My whole life just came apart, Dianne.....I don't know what I'm supposed to do now....."

Dianne: "Pythia, sweetheart, please calm down. Everything's going to be ok."

Armin remained leaning back on the couch, eyes closed. He wondered if it would be more polite to leave the room and let them talk privately, but he didn't feel like getting up. He decided that if Dianne didn't want him listening in, she'd just go somewhere else. //Dam.n, Pythia's really taking this hard. Why was that job so important to her?//

{Meanwhile, at the temple, Prefect Murphy was in his (formerly Pythia's) private quarters. Pulling out a phone, he dials someone.}

Murphy: "....Hey....Yeah, it's done....She's staying with one of the targets.......Yeah, yeah, look, I just excommunicated one of our best healers, so I better get a big chunk of that bounty when this is all over.....You'd better, Paxton....K, bye."

(Hmmm.)

Pythia: "I know....I know....It just hurts, ok? I spent years with them, I always did my best, and helped everyone I could, and just to be tossed aside like....like a used rag!...."

{For a good minute after, All that could be heard was crying and sobbing.}

Dianne: "Hey, hey, c'mon, pull it together. Look, I get it, you spend that long somewhere, you always act with best intentions, and to just get tossed out like that....anyone would be feeling how you are right now. But, look, if they decided that you can't be a priestess anymore, that doesn't mean you can't help people anymore. They may have given you the title and the space, but your empathy and your raw potency and talent, that's all you. They're idiots to let you go like that. But if that's what they want, then so be it. You'll move on to bigger, better things, and we'll all be behind you the whole way."

(Yup. He dirty. XD)

(Imagine if Crowley showed up again looking for Pythia, and decided to harass that guy instead.
Serves him right.)

Armin nodded slightly to show he agreed with what Dianne was saying, though of course Pythia wouldn't know that. //She really sounds distraught. But honestly, losing this job was a good thing, and I hope she realises that eventually.//

(That would be funny. And the next time Pythia sees him, she might give him a walloping. XD She doesn't need to be a pacifist anymore.)

{Pythia was silent for a minute.}

Pythia: "You....You're right.....I can still help people."

Dianne: "Your compassion is what makes you who you are, Pythia. Not being apart of some pious, hypocritical order. Symponia's mercy lives in all of us....to some extent....But, remember when Magnus carried me into your temple after Oliver nearly killed me? You saved my life that night. Part of that organization or not, I know you would have acted the same, for anyone who needed help. My point is, you don't need them to be the gift to society that you are."

(Crowley: Yeah? I could still beat her.)

When he heard Pythia talking on the phone, Fred went to the other end of the house so he couldn't eavesdrop. He guessed that she'd be having an emotional conversation with someone, and he didn't really want to hear that. He brewed himself some tea, mulling over the event.

//...So, she was expelled from the Order because she'd healed Dianne... Which, from what I understand, was nearly a year ago, during the Shacklestone War. Odd timing... Why would they take so long to decide to fire her... Maybe that wasn't the real reason at all...//

(We'll see about that at some point, Crowley.)

Pythia: ".....You're....you're right, Dianne..."

Dianne: "Well, yeah. Your identity is not tied to them."

Pythia: "...I know....I can still help everyone.....maybe even better now....Thank you, Dianne....I feel a lot better now..."

Dianne: "Of course. I just wish I could have been there in person, to reassure you face to face...and share some choice words with your boss..."

Pythia: "It's ok.....It was more important that you stayed safe..."

'I could always go over and punch him when all of this is over...' murmured Armin half-jokingly, just loud enough that Pythia would hear it down the phone line.

{Pythia hears it and chuckles slightly.}

Pythia: "No, Armin, that won't be necessary. Besides, I get the feeling Dianne would want first dibs..."

Dianne: "I would, but Armin doesn't like it when I murder people, so I won't. I'll just put a curse on his very soul."

{She says, chuckling. As they were talking, a car pulls up to Frederick's house, out of the car comes a woman, and the patient who Pythia had to leave.}

Patient: "Hey, scary guard people. Is Pythia here?"

'I don't care whether we hit him or curse him, but he deserves /something,'/ said Armin, smirking. 'But, hey, look after yourself, won't you? If Fred is too insensitive, you can still come and stay here.'

The guards eyed the newcomers up and down, recognising the patient. That made them lose some of their suspicion. 'Yes, she is. How did you know where she was going to be?'

Patient: "I didn't, but we knew you guys would be guarding her, so me and my wife just drove around looking for you. Look, she's gotta help me. My arm's broken and I need to work. My family will starve if I can't get my wages. Look."

{he holds up his very clearly broken, but splinted arm.}

Patient: "Last year, my wife broke her ankle, and Pythia healed it in an instant. I go in today, and that fraud Murphy fires her before she can treat me, gives me a splint, and tells me to come back daily for some herbal remedy, for the next month! Screw that guy, I need help now!"

The guards looked at each other, then at the front door. 'Hold on a second........ Yeah, the boss says you can come in. Just go down the hallway and take a seat in the living room. It's right at the end.'

Meanwhile, Frederick approached Pythia's door. He stood outside and listened, wanting to wait until she finished her phone call before interrupting her.

Patient: "Thank you guys, you're good guys."

{He and his wife walk inside and sit the living room.}

Pythia: "Thank you both. I feel a lot better now. I think I'm going to go see if I can find something to eat."

Dianne: "Ok, Pythia. Just remember, we're here for you. If you want to talk, or need anything at all, don't hesitate to call us."

Pythia: "I will, thank you again."

{She hangs up. Putting down her phone, Dianne sighs.}

Dianne: "Poor girl. I am happy that we were able to cheer her up."

'Mhm. I hope she knows that getting kicked out of the order was beneficial in a lot of ways,' said Armin, as he settled back on the couch, closing his eyes again.

Once Pythia was off the phone, Frederick tapped on her door. 'Pythia? Are you busy?'

{Pythia opens the door, looking more upbeat.}

Pythia: "No, I'm not. What do you need?"

{Dianne sighs, leaning sideways against Armin. She's trying to be affectionate, but her weight might undermine that.}

Dianne: "I'm sure she will in time. Poor girl's just so sensitive."

(Posting new room)