'I'm glad of that,' said Armin contentedly. 'You deserve to be happy, after so long. I guess I do, too. Right now, I have everyone I love close to me, and that's pretty great.'

Dianne: "Thanks...a year ago, I had no one...It was just me and the draugr....then suddenly, I get all these friends, a baby dragon, a boyfriend.....never in my life would I have thought this would have happened. And never did I think I'd ever be happy again..."

'It's funny how suddenly things can change,' he mused. 'After hundreds, maybe thousands of years of being mostly alone, you have /this/... must be strange to get used to... But I'm glad you're happy with how things are, because I certainly am.'

Dianne: "I am....for the first time in a long time, in the very long expanse of my miserable life, I am actually happy..."
{Dianne wipes her eyes, hugging Esme a little tighter.}

Esme shifted a bit, squeaking and then wrapping her wings around Dianne in a hug.

Armin just smiled, looking half-happy and half-sad, and continued driving onwards into the city.

Dianne: "Aaaawwwww, thanks, sweetie...."

{She fondly pets Esme, appreciating the hug."

Dianne: "So cute..."

Esme chirped happily, before folding her wings back up. She remained sitting on Dianne's lap, gazing out the window.

Not long afterwards, they arrived at Armin's house. He parked in the driveway and jumped out. 'Alright, let's bring that shield and statue inside.'

{Dianne steps out, putting Esme on her shoulders. She then picks up the shield and heads inside. The guardians heft the statue up to the store room.}

Dianne: "Well, that was a great outing. Feels great to get out."

'Yep. Good flight. Maybe we'll go hunting next time. I am getting a bit tired of drinking from bottles...'

As they entered, Armin looked around for Rex, but he had gone off to his room. Armin could hear him typing on the computer, so he wasn't too worried. //Well, what did you expect? That you'd come back to find him raiding the ale? He's past that.//

Dianne: "Definitely. I would love to hunt. "

{She carries the shield upstairs, looking to affix it above the headboard.}

Dianne: "...Beautiful..."

Armin leaned against the doorframe, watching. 'Just make sure that thing isn't going to fall off the wall and come crashing down on us in the night, OK?'

Dianne: "Don't worry, I got this."

{She proceeds to fasten industrial hooks into the wall with magic bolts. She then hangs the shield on the wall.}

Dianne: "It'll take a lot more than shaking to get that off."

Armin eyed the display with a neutral expression; he didn't really care about the shield, but he supposed it didn't look bad. 'As long as you're sure.'

Dianne: "I'm sure..."

{She then walks over to him, kissing his cheek as she passed.}

Dianne: "So, what should we do now? Put on a movie?"

(We could cut back to Fred, torture him some more and make him call Armin begging him to pay Pythia. XD)

'Alright,' said Armin easily, following her out. 'By the time it's finished, it should be close to dinner time.'

(I was planning to have him call Armin soon, but I'm not sure there's much point in cutting back just to show him hiding in the bathroom some more, unless you have something different to do with him. XD)

(Pythia was going to call him for something, then I was going to do something super gross to him. We could just have him call and not do that. XD)

(Eh, I want to know what that was going to be, so let's cut back to Fred for a short bit, then I'll have him call. XD)

(Ok, I'll start...)

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

{Evening was fast approaching, and the line outside was as long as ever. From his hiding spot in the bathroom, Fred hears Pythia.}

Pythia: "Fred? Fred, come here for a moment."

Fred looked up. He had brought his phone and a stack of books into the bathroom with him, not expecting the line to end anytime soon. Very unenthusiastically, he unlocked the door and went to see Pythia. 'What?' he said.

{Pythia was wearing a face mask, with a large, scary looking needle. She was hunched over a man who had large boils all over his back.}

Pythia: "I need to lance these , but my second bucket is full. Please throw the contents down the drain."

Fred squinted at the man, then at Pythia, then at the bucket with distaste. 'Fine,' he said shortly. He pulled his sleeve over his hand to cover it, then grabbed the bucket handle and carried it into the bathroom, emptying whatever was in it down the bath drain. //Mental note; clean bath later...//

He dragged the bucket back to Pythia, almost tossing it at her feet.

{Pythia. too focused on the task to notice Fred's distaste, simply continues.}

Pythia: "Now the second one if you please..."

{However, once Fred reached for the other bucket, the man shifted, causing one of his boils to spontaneously explode, splattering its rancid contents all over Fred's clothing.}

Pythia: "Oh, dear...Take that off and wash it with a 15% bleach solution. And wash your hands..."

Fred flinched violently, his expression shifting to complete revulsion. Ignoring Pythia's other bucket, he marched back to the bathroom and proceeded to aggressively wash his hands for about two minutes straight. //Filthy disease carriers... Shouldn't have ever let them in this house...//

He then went into his own room, gingerly peeling off his dirty clothes and tossing them into a corner. He was more likely to just burn them than try washing them. Once he had changed, he reached for his phone. //I think it's time for Pythia to go.//

(Lmao why do we relish torturing Fred? XD Barnabas now knows what to do to him.)

{Sighing, Pythia just returns to her task.}

Pythia: //I'll apologize to him later...//

Meanwhile, Armin was leaning back on his couch, watching the last scenes of a movie. His phone rang, and he curiously pulled it out of his pocket.

'What is it, Fred?'

'Armin,' said Fred flatly. 'Please pay Pythia at the earliest opportunity. She can't stay with me indefinitely.'

'OK... I'll send her some money tonight, or first thing tomorrow morning. Why have you suddenly decided she needs to leave?'

{Dianne, who was sitting next to Armin, looks over at him quizzically.}

Dianne: "What's going on? Is Pythia alright?"

Armin held up a finger, indicating that he'd answer in a moment.

'There is an endless line of patients outside my house,' said Fred stiffly. 'They all found out that she lives here, and they've been coming all day, making messes of my house. It's not acceptable. She needs to get her own place.'

'OK, OK. Just give me until tomorrow morning, and I'll have some money sent to her. Just hold on until then, alright?'

'Understood.' Fred then hung up, and Armin turned to Dianne.

'Eh, apparently there are hundreds of sick people showing up at Fred's house to make Pythia treat them. He's getting a bit stressed.'

{Dianne listens to the explanation, then looks amused.}

Dianne: "Heh, that boy really doesn't like company, huh? If he's a germaphobe, then having Pythia as a houseguest must be a living nightmare."

'Yeeeaah, I feel kind of sorry for him. He never did like dirt or messes. He was pretty paranoid about catching germs as a kid. I guess he still has that, even though he's a vampire now...'

Dianne: "Yeah....Maybe having Pythia stay with him was a bad idea after all...He does realize that finding a good house is going to take time, right? She might not leave by tomorrow."

'I'm sure he knows that, but the sooner we can get the ball rolling, the better. Hey, I haven't had the chance to exchange any of my gold for squalls yet. Could you send her some money on my behalf? I'll pay you back.'

Dianne: "Sure, but...I'll have to charge you interest...You understand, right, sweetie?"

{She says, smiling mischievously.}

Armin just eyed her with amusement. 'I wouldn't care even if you did. What do I need a few extra squalls for? I've already got more gold than I know what to do with.'

{Chuckling, she leans in and kisses his cheek.}

Dianne: "True enough. I'm going to make the dinner now. Got any preferences?"

Armin smiled slightly, then considered. 'Mhm, nothing in particular. I'll just leave it up to you. Do we still have plenty of food stocked up? I feel like we bought enough to last weeks.'

Dianne: "Yeah, we still have plenty. I'll go make something."
{Getting up, she walks to the kitchen.}

Esme trotted into the kitchen to watch Dianne cook. Armin just watched the TV. When the movie ended, he let the next one start playing.

//Hmm. I just remembered, I decided to get Rex a guitar... I think that can be our main errand for tomorrow afternoon.//

---------

{After about an hour, Dianne had finished dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs, with a side of pan saute'd squash and bread. With a plate for herself, and a plate for Esme, she walks back into the living room.}

Armin sniffed the air as she walked in, and looked at the food she'd made. 'Huh, that's pretty fancy.' He went to get a dish of his own, before sitting down beside her.

Esme was tearing into her meal, seeming particularly enthused about the squash.

Dianne: "Eh, I was in the mood for some pasta..."

{She begins to quietly eat, enjoying the meatballs especially.}

'It's nice. You're good at cooking,' Armin said, after trying some of the food. He continued to eat while watching whatever movie was currently on.

{Dianne contently finished her meal. After putting her plate away, she rejoined Armin on the couch, leaning back comfortably.}

After contentedly watching the movie for a while, Armin broke the quiet. 'I feel like taking a bath before bed, so I guess I'll go do that now...'

Dianne: "Alright, let me know when you're out. Also, could you give me a back rub tonight?"

'Sure,' said Armin, getting to his feet. 'I probably won't be long.' He patted Esme, who had finished eating and was now just watching the movie. 'Y'know, you could always just join me, if you want,' he added slyly.

{Dianne looked him with a raised brow, smirking.}

Dianne: "Alright. Would save time and water. Barnabas, watch Esme, please."

{She gets up, following Armin to the bath.}

(By the way, I'm considering doing something with Rex in the middle of the night, if you're OK with that.)

Esme glanced at them as they left, then returned her attention to the movie. She barely understood the plot, but seemed interested nonetheless.

Armin headed upstairs and started leisurely running a warm bath. The bathroom wasn't very large, but it was cosy and clean, with black tiles on the floor and ceiling.

(Yeah, let's do that.)

{Dianne unfastens the belt around her dress, then reaches back and pulls her zipper open.}

Dianne: "Alright. Who gets in first?"

Armin stuck a hand under the water to test the temperature. 'I guess I will.' He pulled off his jacket and hung it carefully over the sink, but dumped the rest of his clothes in a messy heap on the floor. He then carefully stepped into the water.

{Once disrobed, Dianne steps into the bath, sitting across from Armin.}

Dianne: "I think this is the first time we've done this in the light. Tell me, do you like what you see?"

A slow smile pulled up his mouth. 'Well, it's not like I never saw you before. I have good night vision. But, yes - I do like what I see...' He tilted back slightly, leaning against the edge of the tub as he ran his gaze over her. 'How about you?' he added, smirking.

{Dianne matches his smirk, looking him over.}

Dianne: "I do. So handsome, this one. Good body, good face..."

{She leans forward, getting closer to him.}

Dianne: "...A gentle and passionate lover....I lucked out, getting a partner like you..."

Armin grinned, showing his fangs. 'Yeah, you did,' he said mischievously. He then shifted forwards, wrapping one arm around her while using the other to keep his balance. He pulled her into an unhesitant, passionate kiss, growling playfully.

{Dianne reciprocates the kiss, standing on her knees, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him against her.}

Dianne: "Who's eager now?...you didn even hesitate..."

He dropped lower to nuzzle along her jaw, before murmuring into her ear. 'Why would I? I know what I want. No reason to hesitate when I can just have it.'

{Dianne leans her head back, her pulse quickening and her breathing ragged.}

Dianne: "Mmm...I like it when you take initiative...."

{She digs her fingers into his back as he holds her, enjoying the sensation.}

'Hm... really?' He bit down between her neck and shoulder, then slowly worked his way up her neck with gentler bites, his hands absently caressing her sides.

//I like it when you take initiative, too,// he said telepathically. //I like it when you're... assertive... But this is nice too...//

{Dianne starts to nuzzle his neck as well, biting him rather roughly, chest heaving from the sensations.}

Dianne: "...I thought so...Oh....don't stop...."

(Perhaps we should skip, before this gets out of hand? This post has no mature filter, after all. XD)

(Oh nooo. XD Yeah, that's for the best.
Shall I skip to the middle of the night, then?)

(Or we could skip to them heading to bed first.)

(We'll send them to bed first. You can start.)

----

After they finished their bath, Armin led the way back to the bedroom. As usual, he had tooth and nail marks all over him, and hadn't bothered to put anything back on except for his shorts. He looked tired, but satisfied. 'You still want a back rub?' he murmured.

Esme was fast asleep on the end of the bed already.

{Dianne looked equally satisfied, sauntering after him with a smirk on her face. She too had the marks of their love making, but had elected to put her shirt and shorts on, concealing most of it.}

Dianne: "Yes, please. Heh, I hope I didn't wear you out too much..."

'You still want one? Not relaxed enough from what we just did?' said Armin teasingly. He climbed onto the bed and waited, eyelids drooping from drowsiness. 'I think I can stay awake long enough, but I'll be happy to sleep afterwards.'

{Dianne chuckles, climbing into bed and lying on her front.}

Dianne: "Oh, I'm relaxed. Trust me, you did very well. It just feels good, y'know? Just rub my back until I fall asleep, then lie down with me. How's that sound?"

'Alright. Y'know, some night, I'm going to make you give /me/ a back rub for a change,' he said lightly.

Settling on his knees, he slid his hands under her shirt and began to slowly, but thoroughly, massage her back.

Dianne: "...I'd be happy to....Just ask when you want it..."

{Sighing contently, she quickly falls asleep. It seems there activity had tired her out as well.}

Armin kept going for a short while, until he was too drowsy to continue. Yawning quietly, he snuggled down beside her, pulling the blankets over them both. It was warm, and comfortable, and he quickly followed her into sleep.

(I guess I'll skip now, but I'll post a new room first.)

(Ok)