Dianne: "Oh, Armin. You're too adorable."

{With a bit of repositioning, Dianne stood up with Armin still holding onto her. By supporting his weight, she simply picked him up.}

Armin yelped, eyes opening fully. He took a moment to assess his situation, then let go of her so that he was standing on his own.

'...Adorable, huh? You call me that a lot,' he said with amusement as he looked at her.

Dianne: "Oh? Would you rather I call you something else?"

{She asks while gathering her garments.}

'I don't really mind what you call me, as long as it's complimentary,' he said with a grin, collecting his shoes, jeans and jacket in preparation to get dressed.

Dianne: "Alright....And if you want to say nice things about me, I wouldn't mind...."

{She adds, smirking, headed for the bath.}

'Well, you're adorable too!' Armin called after her as she left. Esme got up and trotted downstairs. Once he was alone, he began to get dressed.

{After a few minutes, Dianne emerges with a blue dress and her black leather jacket.}

Dianne: "I'll cook breakfast, want anything?"

'No, I'm good. You and Esme just have whatever you want.'

Armin started to head downstairs. Once they got down there, they would find Rex sipping coffee on the couch, looking somewhat bleary and paler than usual. He was keeping a careful eye on Esme, who was circling the living room, waiting for food.

{Dianne notices Rex and eyes him with concern.}

Dianne: "Rex? You ok there, pal?"

'Fine,' Rex grunted. 'Just the usual. Bad dreams. Couldn't sleep. Nothing to be concerned about.'

'Well, I'm already concerned,' said Armin. 'If you're not sleeping again, that's not good for you. Tell me what I can do.'

'There's nothing you, or anyone else, can do. It'll pass with time.'

Dianne: "Rex...If there's anything we can do to help, just say the word."

{She pats his shoulder as she walks by, headed for the kitchen.}

Rex flinched violently when she touched his shoulder, a hint of fear passing through his expression. Armin quickly sat beside him, muttering something too low for Dianne to hear.

Esme, oblivious to anything but the prospect of food, followed Dianne towards the kitchen.

{Dianne looks at Rex quizzically as she continued towards the kitchen.}

Dianne: //Note to self, never touch Rex....judging by his reaction, he thought I was going to hurt him...//

Armin continued to sit by Rex, who resumed drinking his coffee, trying to look as if nothing odd had happened.

Esme half-jumped, half-flew on top of a kitchen counter, and proceeded to sit there, watching Dianne.

{Dianne looked at Esme fondly, preparing breakfast.}

Dianne: "Hey, sweetie, getting better at sustained flight, aren't we?"

Esme squeaked, rustling her wings in a seemingly proud manner. She stretched out her neck to nuzzle Dianne's arm, then settled back to keep watching.

{Dianne made her usual breakfast for Esme: Eggs and cut up fruit. She made herself an omlette and carried both plates back into the living room.}

Once her plate was set down, Esme began to eat enthusiastically. Armin shifted along the couch to make room for Dianne.

'So, we going over to your place after this?' he said. 'I guess we're driving?'

{Dianne sits next to him once Armin made room.}

Dianne: "Yep. I'm pretty sure the people would get freaked out if I were to fly, so we'll drive."

'Alright,' said Armin simply.

'Are you still using that armoured truck to go everywhere?' asked Rex, eyeing them sideways over his coffee. 'I'd say that attracts a lot of looks.'

'Yeah, well, I haven't bought myself a proper car yet.'

Dianne: "It's all we have to work with, I'm afraid. It will have to do."

Armin subsided into thoughtful silence, gazing out of the living room window as he waited for Dianne and Esme to finish. After a bit, Rex finished his coffee and wandered off to the kitchen.

{After a few minutes, Dianne finishes and puts her plate in the kitchen.}

Dianne: "Alright, let's get going."

Esme lifted her head with a chirp, and flapped onto Dianne's shoulder. Armin stood up. 'Rex? You'll be alright on your own?' he called out.

'Just go,' Rex grumbled. 'Stop worrying about me.'

Armin headed for the front door, stepping outside and towards the car. The day was slightly cooler in temperature than previous days since they arrived.

{Dianne walks out to the car, and sits in the passenger seat. Reaching up, she scratches Esme's chin.}

Dianne: "So, is Rex ok? Should I be worried?"

Armin leapt into the driver's seat, starting the engine. 'Ehh... he's probably going to be OK. He just has these... moments, sometimes.' He started to drive up the road. 'I'm concerned about him, but I've seen him worse before. I'll just keep an eye on him...'

Dianne: "Moments? What kind of....moments?"

'Well, sometimes he starts having bad dreams and getting... really morose. It can be hard to determine what triggered it. It often seems to happen for no reason at all.'

Dianne: "Well, I know that, probably better than anyone. Is there anything he likes to do? Something to cheer him up?"

'I usually just try to spend time with him. Watch TV, drink, chat. Try to take his mind off it, in any way I can. He also used to play guitar, which seemed to calm him somewhat... but he doesn't own one anymore... Been thinking of getting him one.'

Dianne: "Then let's do that. Let's get him when we get back and take him to pick out a guitar. Whatever he wants, I'll pay for it."

'Really? I think he'll appreciate that.' Armin continued driving towards the outskirts of the city. 'He seems more comfortable around you. I don't know if you guys talked while I wasn't around, but something changed. He wasn't too happy about having you here at first.'

Dianne: "Yeah. We got to talking one night while you were in the bath. He basically said that he wanted to hate me, but he couldn't when he saw how happy you were with me. He said he wouldn't interfere with that, given that he's never seen you so happy in all the time he's known you."

A faint smile curled up Armin's face. 'Aww, that's cute... I had a similar conversation with him when you left to get custody of Esme. He said that he hated how being with you was 'putting me in danger', but he could see that I wasn't planning to leave you... I'm glad he's eased up.'

Dianne: "So am I. He's a good man. I'm happy we're able to be decent to one another, if nothing else."

{She proceeds to pull Esme off her shoulders and put her on her lap, holding her close. A glance at the rear view mirror showed that Pugna was following them by running through the street.}

Dianne: "Woah...That's probably not reassuring to civilians..."

Armin glanced in the mirror, frowning slightly. 'I don't get why Lucci still wants him to follow us around. What's he expecting to happen? I guess the civilians will just get used to it, like they got used to our truck.'

Dianne: "It's likely just precautionary...lot of lunatics out there, as we've seen..."

{Dianne falls silent and simply watches the traffic in front of them.}

Armin continued onwards, ignoring Pugna following them. Entering the quiet rural areas on the outskirts of the King's realm, they soon arrived outside Dianne's house. Armin parked the car and jumped out.

{Dianne gets out, holding Esme. She walks over to the barn first , calling out.}

Dianne: "Titan?"

{Titan emerges from the barn.}

Titan: "Nothing to report."

Armin locked the car and glanced quizzically at the barn. 'Huh, I forgot he was here...'

He sauntered after Dianne, gazing around the yard and the quiet farmland beyond it.

Dianne: "Huh...thought they would have tried to trash the place..."

{She then heads inside, unlocking the front door.}

Dianne: "Alright, to the bedroom first."

'Trash the place? Who?' Armin enquired as he followed her upstairs. Esme perched on Dianne's shoulder, content to just observe their surroundings.

Dianne: "The hunters, of course. I guess they figured it wasn't worth the resources..."

{She then enters her bedroom, picking up a large, ornate gold shield off the wall. It depicted two dragons reared up on either side of a man in a throne. the eyes were rubies and the king's staff was topped with an emerald. The top of the shield was inlaid with diamonds and onyx to represent a starry sky.}

Dianne: "Magnificent, isn't it? Probably puts the Soverign king's entire treasury to shame."

Armin curiously ran his gaze up and down the shield, before reaching over to touch it with a finger. 'It is pretty nice. I'm not the biggest fan of treasures, gold and the like.. but still, it's an impressive shield. I don't mind too much if you want to stick it on my wall.'

Dianne: "Yes, I'm putting it right above the headboard. There's one other thing I want to bring over. It's in the basement. Let's go."

{After wrapping the shield in a cloth, she makes her way to the basement.}

Armin followed, glancing around at their surroundings as they walked to the basement, much like Esme was doing. 'I thought you were going to have a collection of things put in the storeroom?'

Dianne: "Yes, but this next thing is pretty big, so we'll have to come back for the rest of it."

{Heading into the basement, she hits the lights, revealing the guardians down there. Walking to the corner, she starts to dig something very large out of the surrounding gold. It was a stone altar with the likeness of a dragonette carved into it, much like the one at the Agamidae museum.}

Dianne: "If I'm going to be living with you for the forseable future, I can't leave my little girl behind..."

Armin blinked at the light, then his expression turned quietly sombre when he realised what she was retrieving. He tentatively moved closer to inspect the stone altar, but didn't try to touch it.

'Wait, I thought this was in the museum in Agamidae? Are there two of them?'

Dianne: "I carved another one after I lost the first...Heh...Not bad....maybe I should be a sculptor...."

{She briefly puts her hand to the face of the statue, leaning her forehead agains it. Blinking, she turns back.}

Dianne: "Ok...Let's get it into the back of the truck...."

{Two of the guardians pick up the statue and head for the car.}

After quietly watching her with the statue, Armin stepped over the piles of treasure to stand beside her for a moment, brushing his hand against hers. 'You sure you don't want to pick up any more stuff while we're here?' he asked, keeping his voice light. 'Or shall we just get more another day?'

{Dianne looks at his hand when it brushes against hers, smiling slightly.}
Dianne: "I don't think we have the room. The guardians are going into the back to hold it in place. It's fine, we'll just come back. But, before we go, I need to stretch my wings..."

'You going for a flight?' said Armin. 'I could use some exercise myself, after being stuck indoors for so many days...'

Esme had jumped onto the floor at some point, sniffing at treasure. However, she seemed less interested in the gold as she was in common rocks.

Dianne: "Yeah. We can leave Esme with Barnabas while we fly. Unless she can fly already."

'I doubt she can fly well enough yet... Probably safer to leave her on the ground.'

Armin started making his way up from the basement and heading outside.

{Getting outside, Dianne hands Esme to Armin and steps a distance away. She then shifts and stretches out her wings.}

Dianne: "Put her in the car, then come join me. Make sure you crack the window."

Armin carried Esme to the car, carefully setting her down on the passenger seat. 'Just wait here for a bit, OK? We'll be back soon.'

He opened the window just wide enough for Esme's snout to fit through, then locked up the car and headed over to Dianne. Shifting to hawk form, he took off. //Keep up with me if you can...// he said teasingly.

{Smiling, Dianne takes off powerfully, chasing Armin through the sky.}

Dianne: "Do I get something if I catch you?"

//Mhmm... we'll see,// he replied. Playfully, he swooped and darted around her, then started ascending towards the clouds, flying almost vertically upwards.

{Dianne followed him, but made no attempt to actually catch him. She just pursues him into the clouds.}

Armin continued to ascend, high enough that he started to feel the air becoming thinner. At that point, he stopped climbing and just glided along, above the patchy sea of cloud, enjoying himself as he flew on top of the world.

{Dianne followed, happily enjoying the view from that altitude.}

Dianne: "...I almost forgot how beautiful it all looks from up here."

//It is beautiful,// Armin commented, as he flew over a gap in the clouds, giving him a clear view of the farmland below. //When you can look down at the world from up here, things almost feel... insignificant. It's quite relaxing to just leave everything behind and admire the scenery for a while...//

Dianne: "Yes....very relaxing...."

{She falls silent, happily enjoying the view.}

Armin continued to drift for a few minutes, then decided he'd had enough. //How fast can you dive?// he asked mischievously. //We could race back to the ground.//

{Dianne gives him a toothy grin.}

Dianne: "I'm pretty fast. You're on."

{Folding her wings, she immediately dives for the ground at great speed.}

Armin folded his wings as well, plunging down through the cloud canopy in hot pursuit. He closely matched Dianne's speed, but as they dived further, he gradually began to edge ahead of her.

{Seeing him edge ahead of her, she just rolls her eyes goodnaturedly. Once she was a few hundred feet from the ground, she spread her wings and pulled off.}

Armin dived for longer than her, opening his wings when he was barely fifty feet above the ground. He skimmed low across the plain, before making a landing back in Dianne's front yard.

//I'll consider that a tie,// he said amiably.

{Dianne lands in her front yard, smiling.}

Dianne: "I'll take it. That was refreshing. I wish I could be in this form more often."

Armin shifted back to human form, putting his hands in his pockets.

'Well, we can come out here and fly whenever we want. We could even go hunting sometime, if you like. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be a dragon /all/ the time, though. There'd be a lot of things you wouldn't be able to do.'

{Dianne shifts back, happily sauntering back to the truck.}

Dianne: "Yeah, I'd love to go hunting. That is true, but sometimes, human cities just feel so cramped."

'Yeah, I also like the fresh air and open spaces. But I've gotten used to cities. Also, if you were only a dragon, physical affection between us would be pretty limited,' he added humorously. 'And some... activities would be entirely out of the question...'

He climbed into the truck, stroking Esme's head in greeting.

Dianne: "Yeah, that's pretty important to you, isn't it? Every chance you get, you're snuggled next to me. Not that I mind, I actually enjoy the closeness. But, yeah, if I was always a dragon, we wouldn't be able to enjoy it as much."

{She gets into the truck, lifting Esme onto her lap.}

'Yes, I'm a pretty... physical person,' he said. 'Of course, I enjoy other things we do together, like the conversations, and the adventures... but I don't think I could do without the physical closeness. I hope it's never... overbearing.'

He started the engine and reversed out of the yard.

Dianne: "Not at all. I actually find it comforting. Having you and Esme near me....I couldn't be happier..."

(Postingnew room)