'Yeah. Though, I wouldn't put it past you to keep me at home, if people were attacking me nonstop,' Armin muttered drowsily.

{Dianne leans her head forward and kisses him on the cheek.}

Dianne: "I think we both know such a feat would be impossible, given your adventurous nature. I'm honestly just happy that you care so much about me. From here on out, I am going to be extra careful not to get hurt. For you, my sweet."

Armin blinked a couple of times, then settled more comfortably against her.

'As long as you try, that's all I can ask for. I know we'll run into more trouble before long. I know we'll get into more fights, and go on adventures, and run into people who want you or me or both of us dead. Our lives are bound to be eventful, if nothing else. And as long as we don't die or get permanently damaged, I wouldn't have it any other way.'

Dianne: "I couldn't agree more. Actually, I'm not sure I can be permanently damaged....I don't scar anymore....nerve damage, organ damage, Hell, I've even broken my back and I've bounced right back from all of it..."

{With a massive yawn, she starts to look drowsy, settling her head against the couch.}

'I'm not easy to damage, either, but... what about missing stuff? I can't regrow entire body parts, or large enough parts of them.' He lifted his right hand, with the cut-off fingers, for emphasis. 'Don't tell me you could 'bounce back' from losing a limb or an eye.'

Dianne: "I have no idea...I've never lost anything, thankfully...and I hope I never find out..."

Armin frowned slightly at that, but shook it off. He glanced over at Esme watching the TV.

'...Well, do you want to stay here, or shall we go upstairs?'

{Dianne, unaware of his frowning, snuggles into him with a tired expression.}

Dianne: "Take me upstairs, please...I'm tired now..."

'Alright...'

Armin shifted a bit, then scooped her up and clambered off the couch. Since Esme was intent on watching the end of the movie, he decided to leave her for now.

Laborously carrying Dianne upstairs, he set her down on the edge of the bed, to see if she could sit upright without any supports.

{Dianne was able to sit upright without help. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, she reaches back with the other, trying to get the zipper on the back of her dress.}

Armin gathered her sleepwear from where it had been left that morning. 'Here,' he offered, reaching over to unzip the dress, then quietly helping her finish changing.

Dianne: "Thanks..."

{She mutters quietly. Once in her sleep wear, she leans back and lies on the bed.}

Dianne: "...Haven't heard from Frederick in a while....hope he and Pythia are getting along..."

Armin changed as well, then flopped down onto his front beside her.

'Fred's probably going quietly crazy from sharing a house with all of her patients, but he'll just have to manage. I imagine once Pythia finds a house, they'll tell us. We'll need to know where she's living in case we need her help.'

Dianne: "Heheheh...I'm sure she'll let us know....speaking honestly...I'm kind of glad she's out of Symponia's order...I know how much it hurt her to be excommunicated, but...I feel like it was really holding her back..."

'I was thinking that. She's very powerful, and now she can actually choose what to use her magic for, that makes her even more so... Nobody should be forced not to take sides in a conflict, not when one side are terrible people. And she can defend herself, though I bet she'd be reluctant to hurt anyone...'

Dianne: "Yeah....Once I'm better, I need to teach her how to fight...I don't want her out there not knowing how to defend herself..."

{Rolling onto her side, she closes her eyes and starts to drift off.}

Armin yawned quietly, rolling onto his side and pulling himself closer. He embraced her from behind and settled down, comfortable and ready to sleep. Esme was still downstairs, watching the end of the movie.

(I guess we skip?)

(Yeah. You can go first if you want, unless Dianne is going to wake up very late again?)

{I'll start soon.}

---------

{Early the next morning, Dianne awoke. She had just been roused by a mildly disturbing dream where she thought she saw the Aspect looking in through the window. Eyes fixed where it was, she stays very still, as to not disturb Armin and Esme.}

Armin was still very much asleep at that time, snuggled close to Dianne's back to escape the chill of the early morning. Esme was also asleep. It seemed that neither had been disturbed by any similar experiences.

{While she lay there, she took the time to see how she felt today. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but she felt a bit stronger today. Very slowly, she starts to edge away from Armin, moving to the edge of the bed.}

Dianne: //I wonder if I can stand...//

Armin stirred slightly as she moved, seeming subconsciously aware of the decrease in warmth; however, he didn't wake up yet.

{Getting to the edge of the bed, she sits up, legs off the edge.}

Dianne: //So far, so good...//

{She then pushes off, standing up, waving her arms, she manages to balance herself, swaying dangerously in the process.}

When she pushed off the edge of the bed, Armin stirred more restlessly, hearing the springs creak and feeling her move away. He opened his eyes slightly, still half-asleep, and looked up at her with an unfocused gaze. 'Wha'... 're you doin'?' he slurred.

{Dianne turns to look at him, smiling slightly.}

Dianne: "I just wanted to see if I could stand yet. I'll be coming back to bed in a minute, don't worry."

{Still swaying, she takes a few uneasy steps towards the center of the room.}

Armin didn't look particularly reassured by this. //Why did she need to know that right now?//

He continued to lie there and observe her attempts to walk, still half-asleep, but slightly tensed.

{Once she made it to the center of the room, she starts to turn around, only for her legs to give out. She falls with a very heavy thud.}

Dianne: "Ooowwww.....Ok, I guess that answers that..."

Armin winced at the thud. With a grunt, he sleepily pushed himself up on his elbows so he could look down at her.

'Idiot,' he said scathingly, not impressed that she'd tried to walk despite being aware of her weakness. 'Why did you do that?'

Dianne: "Heeeeyyyy, I had to try..."

{She complained.}

Dianne: "No need for harsh language..."

{She then starts to crawl back towards the bed.}

Armin rubbed his eyes tiredly for a moment, then got up, grabbed Dianne, and dragged her into the bed so she didn't have to crawl the whole way.

'It's early...' he muttered as he flopped back down. 'Why couldn't you have tried that later...? What possessed you to wake up and try it /now?...'/

{Dianne fidgeted once she was let down, looking down at herself.}

Dianne: "Well....I had a nightmare, and you were still asleep....I thought I could take a few steps and come back before you woke up...Sorry I worried you..."

Armin observed her quietly, his eyes half-shut, with dishevelled hair falling over them.

'...A nightmare? Normally I get woken up when you have those...'

Dianne: "It wasn't that bad. The Aspect was just staring at me through the window..."

{She then rolls over and snuggles into Armin, shivering slightly from the chill.}

Dianne: "Unsettling is all."

'The Aspect? You sure it wasn't real?' said Armin warily. He didn't move for a moment, then slowly wrapped one arm around her and pulled the blankets up higher with the other.

Dianne: "Well, I woke up and it was gone sooo...definitely not real..."

Armin just grunted. //...I don't trust anything to do with that thing.//

'It once came to me in a dream. Why couldn't it have been doing the same to you?...'

Dianne: "It could have been, but it didn't say anything, so I don't know."

Armin pushed his apprehension away. //If it didn't say anything, then it was probably nothing. Real or otherwise.//

'Well, alright...'

He shifted to get more comfortable, still mildly irked at being woken up so early in the morning.

{Dianne snuggles into him, then settles down to go back to sleep.}

Dianne: "...Let's just go back to sleep..."

Not saying anything, he pulled her closer for warmth. Slowly, his breathing evened out into the pattern of sleep.

{Hours later, Dianne awakens naturally. Finding herself warm and comfortable, she settles in to wait for Armin to wake up.}

Dianne: //Hmmm...I could go for some pancakes....Wonder if rex knows how to cook that..."

Armin woke up, but seemed to be very settled at that point, and reluctant to move. Half-asleep, he nuzzled into her shoulder and slid an arm under her shirt, splaying his hand across her back. He murmured something indistinguishable as he lay there.

{Dianne just chuckled at the gesture.}

Dianne: "Come again? I didn't quite catch that...."

He woke up a little more. '...I said 'don't go anywhere'. I'm quite warm and comfortable here... Besides, you're probably still not strong enough to get away from me, anyway...'

Dianne: "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere......I know I'm not strong enough to walk yet, so I'm more than happy to lie here with you..."

Left undisturbed, Armin happily remained snuggled against her. He knew they'd have to get up for food soon, but he wanted to stay there as long as possible. A short while later, he spoke up, his voice both drowsy and curious.

'...Hey... Ferrosian is your native language, isn't it?... When did you start using this one?'

Dianne: "Oooh....I actually had to learn new dialects a couple of times, but this one specifically....When was Vallis settled again?....About then...Why?"

'I'm not sure when Vallis was founded... I think it was originally ruled by dragons who used a different language, then humans settled about 1,500 years ago and brought this language over with them... Though it's probably changed a little since then... And I was just curious.'

Dianne: "Makes sense...I didn't understand a thing Viridi said...guess that their language was that of the indigenous dragons....well, once the humans really got going here, I had to learn this language...after you learn a bunch, learning another isn't much of an issue..."

(Why are you still up O-O)

'Yeah, I think some of the dragons here still use the old language... don't wanna move with the times, I guess. Seems like most people nowadays use the language the humans brought over... Much more convenient that way.'

(I was playing some League with my bro, and it went late.

Don't judge me. XD)

Dianne: "Yeah, well...they're not shifters...and they seem to hate humans....makes sense they wouldn't want to learn the language..."

(I juuddggee. D:<)

'Well, some of them know it. I mean, Viridi communicated with us,' said Armin. 'But it's definitely not their main language.'

He fell into a contemplative silence, eyes half-closed.

(Lmao totally worth it. XD)

{Dianne falls silent as well, affectionately nuzzling into his neck before falling into a doze herself.}

Armin seemed happy to stay in bed until she decided she wanted to get up for breakfast. He pulled her closer with a contented hum, lightly rubbing her back with one hand.

{After about thirty minutes, she begins to stir again.}

Dianne: "...mmmm.....I'm hungry now...can we have pancakes?..."

{She mutters tiredly.}

Armin opened his eyes properly. 'You finally want to get up? Yeah, Rex can probably make those, as long as we have the ingredients...'

He sat up in bed, the blanket still covering his legs, and rubbed his head drowsily.

Dianne: "Yes...Let's go...."

{She also sits up, propping herself up on her arms.}

Armin clambered out of bed, silently getting her day clothes and helping her change. Without further ado, he picked her up and carried her downstairs, telepathically passing along her breakfast request to Rex, who was making himself coffee in the kitchen. Esme was pacing impatiently around the room.

{Dianne chuckled at the sight of Esme.}

Dianne: "Hungry, sweetheart? Food will be along soon."

Rex started work on the food. Esme chirped at Dianne in greeting, then slunk off towards the kitchen to watch him, curious about the different smells. Armin comfortably settled on the couch beside Dianne, resting one leg over the opposite knee.

{Dianne looks over at Armin, smiling.}

Dianne: "So, are you going to go out today, or are you just going to stay inside with me all day?"

'Eh, I don't really have any reason to go out, except fresh air... I was thinking of taking Rex out to get a guitar, but I'm not leaving you and Esme here alone. So, I guess I'll just be chilling indoors with you.'

Dianne: "Ok. I'm kinda bored though. I guess I could just go back to sleep after breakfast..."

Armin shrugged. 'Well, if you can't walk, you're limited in activities. Read, watch TV, chat... I was actually planning on taking a bath today, since it's been days since the last one... You can join me if you want. Not necessarily to /do stuff,/ but just to bathe.'

Dianne: "actually, yeah. I don't think I've bathed since this happened. Yeah, I'll join you for that. To bathe, that is."

'Alright. Just let me know when,' he said.

Rex finished making a stack of pancakes and took some out for everyone. Esme sniffed at hers curiously, catching the unfamiliar scent of maple syrup.

{Dianne accepted her share with a mutter of thanks. She starts eating rather enthusiastically.}

Armin ate as well, though it didn't taste of much to him. He gave Dianne a brief, amused sideways glance at her apparent enthusiasm.

{Catching his glance, she just smiles with childish glee.}

Dianne: "I always did like pancakes whenever I had to recover from something. So sweet and buttery."

'Awww,' said Armin, grinning slightly. 'That's adorable. Do you normally make them yourself?'

Dianne: "Yes. I haven't had many people who could make them for me, so I'd generally have to wait till I recovered enough to cook them myself."

Armin nodded, still smiling slightly. Finishing his share, he quietly sat and waited for Dianne and Esme to finish so he could take all their plates into the kitchen.

{Finishing her meal, Dianne puts her plate aside, then leans back comfortably into the couch.}

Armin dutifully carried everyone's plates away, then returned to sit on the couch, leaning closer to Dianne.

'You are... so cute,' he murmured, pausing to kiss her cheek halfway through his sentence.

{Dianne smirks in response, wrapping an arm around Armin.}

Dianne: "You really think so? That's new to me. I've been called horrid, loathsome, caustic, necrophiliac-which, by the way, I'm not-, heartless, b!tch, grave robber, and wh.ore, but never cute. I think it's nice to finally be called something more positive."

'Well, the grave robber one is true,' said Armin mischievously. 'But, no, I do think you're cute. This, the ferret thing, the way you call me Amateotl when you wake up... Yeah, you're adorable.'

{Dianne smiles warmly, hugging him as tightly as she could manage.}

Dianne: "I'm happy to hear that. You know, I think you're adorable too. You're so endearing. How you're so affectionate with me, trying to hold me from getting up in the morning. That is, when I'm well...I love the things you do, and the person you are."

'That's nice to hear...' said Armin, settling cosily into her embrace. 'I'm glad I don't annoy you with that. And I'm grateful that you're affectionate with me, too. Before all of this, before we knew each other properly... 'cute' and 'affectionate' were the last words I'd use to describe you. So it was a pleasant surprise.'

Dianne: "Yeah...back during and before the war, I was really strung out. I didn't have much in the way of friends....or happiness in general....and when I went on that solo trip to Ferros, I had nightmares nightly...I think meeting you was the best thing to happen to me in a long, long time..."

(Will reply in new room)