'Mhm... Decided to join me, did you?' said Armin, as he heard and felt her lying down beside him.

Dianne: "That I did."

{She replies quietly, pulling him closer and snuggling into him.}

Dianne: "Rex is watching Esme, and I was feeling a little tired."

'Good... I don't think I can sleep properly without you here, anymore.' He spoke in a softly musing tone, pulling her closer and burrowing into her embrace.

Dianne: "Yeah, I need to go to bed with you..."

{Closing her eyes, she settles in to sleep.}

(Shall I skip to morning, then?)

(Yes.)

----

Armin stirred awake early the next morning, having been disturbed by a slightly less than family-friendly dream. He lay quietly as he tried to think about something else, and started mulling over all the things they could do now Dianne was better.

//Alright, so we have our Alexandria trip, but that might not happen for a while... I need to talk to Janet too... Before Death's freakin' Aspect comes after me with a stake...//

{In her sleep, Dianne pulls him closer and rolls on top of him. Settling in, she nuzzles into his neck.}

Armin winced a little, tensing. //Well, that's not helping to keep my mind off things...// He didn't want to disturb her, so he stayed put and let her nuzzle into him, though couldn't help fidgeting slightly. //Maybe she'll want to get up for food soon...//

{In response to his fidgeting, she squeezed him tightly. Very tightly. Like he was a stuffed bear that belonged to a young child. Because of the early hour, she showed no signs of waking.}

Armin hissed in pain, then muttered a curse under his breath. He couldn't breathe very well when she did that. He gently nudged at her, trying to make her loosen her grip.

{Dianne frowns in her sleep, rolling over with him. He was now on top of her, in a tight, but somewhat loosened grip.}

Dianne: "Hmmmmgghhfffmmmm...."

Armin tried to stay completely motionless this time, hoping she'd settle. Her grip was still too tight to be comfortable, but he figured he'd just have to deal with it.

//I've never known anyone to move so much in their sleep...//

{As she lay there, her grip slowly but surely loosened. She just kept sleeping, like nothing ever happened.}

Armin tried to relax, eventually falling into a light, restless doze as he lay on top of her.

{After a few hours, Dianne opens her eyes groggily.}

Dianne: "Mmmm.....Looks like I kidnapped you....again...."

'Yes, you seem to like doing that...'

He snuggled against her, stretching up to lightly kiss her jawline - the only thing he could easily reach - before nuzzling into her neck.

{Chuckling and tensing slightly, she kisses his forehead, moving one hand up to run her fingers through his hair.}

Dianne: "Honestly, who wouldn't? You're just too sweet..."

Armin gave a soft groan, resting his head between her neck and shoulder and going still. 'Heh...' he murmured with amusement. 'Well, kidnap me all you want. I don't mind being your prisoner.'

{Dianne looks down at him with a mischievous smirk.}

Dianne: "Oh, you may regret that..."

{Shifting him slightly, she starts to kiss his neck, starting under his jawline and working her way down.}

Armin immediately tensed up, gripping her sides tightly. He tilted his head back to let her reach his neck better, not saying anything.

{Growling playfully, she starts to playfully nip him there.}

Dianne: "Hmm...I wonder if Rex is up...to distract Esme for us?..."

'...Probably... I think I heard... noises downstairs...' //Esme, go downstairs. With Rex.//

With a sleepy snort, Esme hauled herself off the bed and calmly walked out of the room.

'There, she's gone...'

Dianne: "Good..."

{Turning over with him, Dianne holds him down while kissing and biting at Armin's neck. She slips her hands under his shirt, splaying them both across his chest, keeping him down.}

Armin arched his back slightly, gripping the sheet below him and starting to breathe unevenly.

'Ha... is this what you normally do to prisoners?' he said teasingly.

Dianne: "....Just the lucky ones..."

{Pulling her hands out of his shirt, she then grabs his wrists and forces his arms above his head. Holding his arms down with one hand, she starts pulling his shirt off with the other.}

Armin huffed out a snicker at that, before drawing in a quick breath and sinking his teeth into his lip, seeming to enjoy being held down.

'Yyyyep... you definitely have your strength back...'

Dianne: "Heheheh, I told you l'd remember that...."

{With his shirt gone, she sinks down, nuzzling into his chest, nipping at him occasionally. With her free hand, she carresses his abdomen, bringing her hand lower until she grabs the waist band of his shorts.}

(Aaaand, I think we'll just cut that there. No permaban today. XD)

(Pfff, that didn't last long before it went into permaban territory. XD
Shall I skip then? I guess you're doing something with Pythia later?)

(Do these sections ever last very long? XD Yeah, I'll start the next thing soon.)

{After their activity, Dianne had made breakfast and was now sitting on the couch, finishing the last of it.}

Rex hadn't joined them for breakfast; he was still in his room, where he had been keeping Esme entertained before they came down. He had been up practising guitar for most of the night.

Armin was sitting beside Dianne, wearing his blue sweater and jeans. He looked quite peaceful as he gazed out of the window, his demeanour loose and relaxed.

{Putting her plate aside, Dianne stretches, looking over at Armin.}

Dianne: "So, anything you want to do today?"

Armin hummed. 'I don't know. Sometimes it's hard to know what to do with all our time.' He scratched his jaw, looking thoughtful.

Dianne: "Well, we could-"

{Before she could answer, her new phone starts ringing.}

Dianne: "Oh. It's Pythia. Hello?"

Pythia: "Hello, Dianne. How are you feeling?"

Dianne: "Much better now. I'm pretty much back to normal now."

Pythia: "That's good...Hey, listen, I wanted to ask you something....You're still thinking about what to do for a job, right?"

Armin lifted his head, briefly exasperated by the interruption before shifting to curiosity. //Pythia? What does she want?//

Dianne: "Well.....yeah....Why do you ask?"

Pythia: "Well, I was wondering....You used to make magical remedies to ailments back in Shacklestone, didn't you?"

Dianne: "Yeah, I had my own shop."

Pythia: "Well....Given that the order isn't backing me anymore, and that I don't get paid for my work...I was hoping maybe...we could work together? Maybe you could make more inexpensive alternatives to standard medicines, so that...The cost won't be so bad..."

Armin listened to this without interrupting, waiting to hear Dianne's response.

Dianne: "Oh, well...I suppose I could do that...Have you found a house yet?"

Pythia: "Yes, but, house buying is a long, drawn out process, so it won't be mine for a little while."

Dianne: "Well...give me the address and I'll head down there in a little bit. Before I decide, need to see what I have to work with."

Pythia: "Ok, just call and I'll meet you there."

'Same thing you used to do in Shacklestone, huh?' said Armin quietly.

Dianne: "Will do. See you soon."

{Dianne waits until she's hung up before answering.}

Dianne: "Yeah, well...it's not so bad. I have to see if we can make a sufficient living off of that before I decide whether or not I want to do that."

'To be fair, we have tons of money...' said Armin. 'You could decide whether or not to do it, based on whether you want to or not. Money's not so important. It's more about finding a task to fill your time, I guess...'

Dianne: "Yeah, but....I don't want to have to spend all my gold...If we made just enough money to break even, then I get to keep all my gold and live happily."

'True. Even our hoard wouldn't last forever if we had to use it for every little thing.' Armin gazed contemplatively out of the window. 'Maybe eventually, I'll find a way to make some money too... I honestly have no idea what I'd do, though.'

Dianne: "Well...What skills do you have? What can you do that others might pay you for?"

'...I know a little bit about farm work... growing crops and such... but I forgot most of it. I can ride, I can drive, I can stab people. Maybe I could get some sort of driving job... I wouldn't mind that...'

Dianne: "Well, you could be a cab driver. Or a limo driver. Look into that. "

'Cab driver might be alright. I don't mind dealing with drunk people at 2AM.' Armin shifted a little. 'So, are you going over to Pythia's place today?'

Dianne: "Yeah, I'll take a look at what she's got going on. You want to come with me? Maybe say hi to Frederick?"

'Yeah, I will. I can also return the scarf that Janet made for him. I certainly don't plan on keeping it, or destroying it, whether he says he wants it or not...'

He trailed into silence, his expression briefly troubled.

{Dianne eyed him briefly, before pulling him close into a hug.}

Dianne: "Ok. That's what we'll do then. We can leave whenever you're ready."

Armin closed his eyes momentarily, still thinking.

'...Lucci gave me a heads-up on what Death's Aspect actually /wanted/ when it showed up the other day. It wants me to settle things with Janet as soon as possible. So, now you're better, I need to do that. Can't say I especially want to though...'

{Dianne makes a surprised face, then squeezes him slightly.}

Dianne: "...Oh...I guess that's why it....did what it did....look, you do that when you're good and ready. There's no pressure on you."

'Well, I don't want to pi.ss that thing off by procrastinating any more... I'll do it soon... HeII, maybe even this evening... The quicker I get it over with, the better, I suppose.'

Dianne: "Ok, if that's how you feel. You just let me know and we'll do this. Ok?"

{She kisses his cheek and ruffles his hair playfully.}

Armin gave a faint smile, leaning against her affectionately and wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

'Sure. I'll let you know... And I'm glad you're willing to help me. It's not like I can ask anyone else.'

Dianne: "Of course, sweetheart, I'm here for you."

{Dianne wraps her arms around him and returns the hug, content to just sit there with him.}

As they sat there together, Esme came over, jumping onto the couch with a chirp. She eagerly nudged and rubbed her head against them both like a cat. Armin wrapped one arm around her and briefly pulled her in.

'Hey, kid...'

Dianne: "Hey there."

{When Armin pulled Esme in, Dianne kisses her head.}

Dianne: "So cute..."

Esme squeaked, blinking in response and bumping her muzzle against Dianne's face.

'You kinda remind me of Juliet,' said Armin quietly, addressing Esme as he stroked her back. 'She was brave, and adventurous, too.'

{Dianne stayed quiet, petting Esme and just enjoying their company.}

Armin seemed content to sit with them for a while. Eventually, he stirred and spoke up.

'Things have been quiet lately. No fights or threats for a little while... It's too quiet. I almost wish Jerry's racist family would show up and cause trouble, just so I have someone to fight,' he said half-jokingly.

Dianne: "Careful what you wish for. They may not be pleasant people, but they're still Jerry's parents. I'd rather not have to kill them."

'Well, I don't want to hurt Jerry. But, his father pretty much betrayed us all. We helped him beat Sargon, and in return, he left us to be slaughtered by hunters... If he ever does show up here again, I won't stay my hand.'

Dianne: "...That is true...he'd better not show his face around here again...My apologies to Jerry, but the old man sealed his own fate..."

'Mhm... If the racist side of the family comes over here, it'll be like dealing with the Bloodrazors again, the only difference being that they're human,' said Armin thoughtfully. 'They'd probably want to kill all of us, not just you.'

Dianne: "That's the worst part. I don't want to think about what'll happen if they find out about Esme."

Armin looked slightly appalled. 'No, they wouldn't hurt Esme. They couldn't. Even if they think non-humans are evil, even they can't possibly think a /baby/ is evil... can they?'

Dianne: "Babies grow up, Armin. And she's a dragon. They're sickos, Armin. No one is safe from them."

Armin's expression darkened, gaze shifting to Esme for a moment. She was oblivious to the topic of their conversation, but could sense the mood.

'No way. No way am I letting them kill her - or you, Rex, or Fred. I'll kill them first if it comes to that. And I won't regret it.'

Dianne: "The same goes for you. They so much as look at you wrong....I'm going to personally escort each of them straight to the gates of heII..."

'I know you will. You'll keep me and Esme safe, and I'll try my best to do the same.' Armin rested his head against her shoulder, tilting slightly to look up at her, one hand on Esme. 'Like I said before; we'll fight whatever monsters come our way, and survive,' he said resolutely.

{Dianne hugs them more tightly, pulling them both closer.}

Dianne: "Yes. We'll be ok. All of us. Heh....It feels nice to...actually have a family again..."

'It's a nice feeling.' Armin shifted slightly to kiss her, then snuggled against her. 'Love you.'

Dianne: "Love you too. Both of you."

{She seems content to simply sit, hugging the pair tightly. She knew she had to get over to Pythia, but wasn't about to interrupt her current situation.}

Armin closed his eyes, comfortably settled against Dianne. After a while, he was disturbed by Esme jumping off the couch to play elsewhere.

'Well... should we get going, then?' he suggested. 'If we want to see Pythia and Fred?'

{Dianne opens an eye, looking at him fondly.}

Dianne: "Yeah...let's get going."

{Playfully rustling his hair, she stands and stretches.}

Dianne: "Should we bring Esme?"

'Why not?' said Armin, stretching slowly before getting up. 'I'm sure she'd rather come with us than sit at home. We'll have to keep an eye on her. I heard Crowley was bothering Pythia again, so he might show up.'

Dianne: "Sounds good. I'll get her and meet you at the truck. Crowley, Huh? I thought Lucci got his parents to keep track of him. Guess his folks are just as useless as Crowley..."

{Dianne walks off to find Esme.}

Esme was halfway up the staircase, gazing over the banister. Before Dianne could reach her, she climbed onto the banister and took a flying leap off the edge, gliding for a short distance before clumsily landing next to Dianne.

Armin got his shoes and jacket on, then went outside to get into the truck and wait.

Dianne: "Woah, hey, don't do that inside. You could hurt yourself. Here."

{Scooping up Esme, Dianne heads outside.}

Dianne: "I'll have to take you outside daily so you can practice."

Esme growled in protest upon being picked up, but quickly settled down when she realised where they were going.

'Are we heading to Fred's house, or to that place Pythia said she's moving into?' Armin asked as they joined him.

Dianne: "I'll call her and tell her that we'll meet her at Fred's house and pick her up, that way you can return the scarf. Ok?"

'Oh, I forgot about the scarf. Hold on...'

Armin jumped out of the truck, leaving the engine running. He came back a minute later, carrying the handmade scarf in a bag. Putting it on his lap, he set them off.

'Alright, to Fred's place first.'

{While Armin was inside, Dianne called Pythia and informed her of the situation.}

Dianne: "Alright, let's go."

(Posting new room)