(replied on last one)

Dianne: "I'll bring her with me. Here, Esme."

{Scooping her up in one arm, Dianne steps out of the car.}

Esme willingly went with Dianne, gazing around alertly at their surroundings. Armin jumped out of the car, locked it up, and looked around.

'Alright, see you later,' he said, and without further ado he shifted to hawk form and flew off over the lake.

Dianne: "Alright. See you in a bit."

{Hoisting Esme onto her shoulder and holding a bag in her hand, Dianne walks into the forest, looking at the forest floor for the required herb.}

Esme perched on Dianne's shoulder, breathing in the scents of the woods and listening to the birdsong.

Armin swept across the lake, doing a few passes for no reason except to stretch his wings and enjoy the air. Then he glided back to the shallows, searching for the mudrakers. //I'm sure I've seen them before...//

Spotting a long shadow darting beneath the water, he dived and grabbed it, his talons scraping up the mud. //Got it.//

{Dianne continued walking along until she came across a patch of small herbs with yellow flowers, growing in the shade of a tall tree. Producing a knife, she starts to cut them and put them in a jar.}

Puzzled by Dianne's interest in the small plants, Esme jumped off her shoulder, onto the forest floor, and attempted to bite into one of the yellow flowers.

{To Esme, the flower would taste bitter and earthen. Putting the knife down, she tries to stop Esme from biting the plant.}

Dianne: "Esme, no. Spit it out."

Esme gave her a look as if to say 'Orwhat?' She didn't swallow the flower, but stood there with the end dangling from her jaws and staring at Dianne rebelliously.

{Catching on to her rebellious look, Dianne narrows her eyes.}

Dianne: "If you don't spit it out, no fruit dessert for dinner."

Esme held the flower for a moment longer, then spat it out onto the ground. At the same time, the sound of crunching leaves could be heard as Armin approached them through the forest, carrying a dead mudraker fish.

Dianne: "That's what I thought."

{Hearing Armin's approach, Dianne turns.}

Dianne: "Hey, went well, I see."

Armin glanced at the fish dangling from his hand. 'I didn't know how many you needed, but I can always go back and get more.'

Dianne: "Yeah, I'll need at least half a dozen. But, before we do that, help us find a goomboogly tree. It's a short tree with very smelly fruits."

{Putting her collected herbs away, Dianne stands.}

Armin followed her, keeping an eye on Esme, who was scampering across the forest floor. 'If you want that many fish, I hope you brought something to carry them in.'

He looked around as they walked, scenting the air. He wasn't sure what this tree was meant to smell like, but assumed if it was that bad, it would stand out among the other forest scents.

Dianne: "Well, I just need the scales. We don't need the rest of the fish."

{Dianne kept walking along, scenting the air for the stench of the goomboogly tree.}

They walked deeper into the forest, Armin quietly humming to himself. The ground became more rugged the further they went, with protruding tree roots, stumps, hills and slopes. After hiking for a while, Armin wrinkled his nose.

'I think... I can smell something over there. It's pretty strong - probably your weird tree.'

Dianne: "Yup...That's it..."

{Approaching the smell, it is revealed to be a short tree with bright, round, putrid smelling fruits. Grimacing at the smell, Dianne starts to pick the fruits and seal them into jars.}

Armin stood a way back from the tree, visibly leaning back in distaste at the stench. 'Are those things poisonous?'

Even Esme seemed deterred by this particular fruit, and was content to sit on a stump a short distance away.

Dianne: "No. But they taste like they should be..."

{Getting what she needs, she stashes the fruits and begins to hurriedly walk away.}

Dianne: "Ok, let's get away from here."

Armin followed. However, once they got far enough from the tree that the smell wasn't overpowering, he slowed down, content to enjoy the atmosphere.

//I miss forests... Feels like a very long time ago that we camped in the northern pine forests... Or cooked fish by that beautiful lakeside...// He smiled a little wistfully at the memories of their last adventure. //Shame about the hunters and nightmares, but everything else was great.//

{Dianne slows down to his pace, walking alongside him.}

Dianne: "Well, this walk has me feeling a bit better. How about you?"

'Being out in nature does help, somehow.' He looked around. 'It's so peaceful and alive out here. Very unlike the city.'

Dianne: "Yeah, the noise, the smells, the unwelcome glances. It's refreshing and relaxing to get away from it all for a while. Just spend some time with my two favorite people."

Armin smiled faintly. 'It is a welcome break. I'd missed the forest.'

He sniffed curiously. Up ahead, half-hidden in the trees, a figure could be seen. It looked like an old lady, with long, straggly silver hair and green eyes. On her back, she carried a bag stuffed with various herbs and mushrooms. With one hand, she was eating one of the same kinds of fruit they had just picked up. The smell was clear from quite a distance away.

(Omg Luxia whyyyy XD don't eat those.)

{Upon seeing the stranger, Dianne stops, staring right at them. She says nothing, squinting at the mysterious old lady.}

Dianne: "Hold on. See that old lady over there?"

'Of course I see her.' Armin wrinkled his nose. 'And I can smell the fruit. Dam.n, do her taste buds not work?'

Esme pricked up her ears when she saw the old lady, and attempted to approach her.

{When Dianne saw Esme approaching the stranger, she had a short flashback of Calvin. Stepping forward, she scoops up Esme, keeping her eye on the woman.}

Dianne: "Let's get back to the lake and get the last of the mudrakers."

'Alright...' Armin started to walk away, still looking at the woman. However, before they could get very far, she turned around and noticed them.

'Oh, good evening!' she said, despite it being afternoon. 'Don't often see fellow gatherers in these parts. Or is it a family outing? Never mind, never mind. Have a nice day.' She waved the fruit in the air as she talked.

Dianne: "Um, yeah. Good day to you."

{Dianne kept walking by, making a face at the scent of the fruit.}

Dianne: //At least she seems friendly...//

The old lady grinned and waved goodbye, continuing to wave for an unnecessarily long time as Armin and Dianne walked on by. //Such lovely people here! I made a good decision choosing to move here, yes indeed...//

'Just a crazy old lady,' Armin muttered once they were out of earshot.

{Dianne just smiled and waved, until they were out of earshot.}

Dianne: "Yes. But, I think she's a witch. Did you see what she was gathering? Pretty potent stuff."

Armin glanced back at the old lady in the distance. She had seemingly returned to picking herbs and mushrooms off the ground.

'She might be. I couldn't catch her scent, over the reek of that fruit. But she looked like she was planning to make some sort of potions...'

Dianne: "Looked that way. She must live nearby. I've never seen her before, though."

'Well, it's not like we know everyone. She might live in one of the cottages outside the woods, or even in the city. Let's just hope that she's not good at light magic or has any reason to go after you.'

Dianne: "Well...She didn't immediately attack me, so that's a good sign...Still, I'll try to avoid p!ssing her off..."

{Contemplating her odds against this unknown individual, she hoists Esme onto her shoulder.}

They left the old lady behind and didn't encounter anyone else on the way back. Once they left the trees, Armin made a beeline for the lakeside.
'I'll look for some more of those fish. You can wait by the edge and admire my hunting prowess,' he said with a grin.

{Dianne simply chuckles at that.}

Dianne: "Heh, alright, if you say so."

{Sitting on the bank, she lets Esme down and watches Armin.}

Armin shifted and began to fly in circles above the lake, occasionally diving to grab onto a mudraker, then tossing it onto the grass by the shore. He seemed quite comfortable with catching fish this way.

Esme edged closer to the lake, curiously extending a paw to touch the rippling water.

{Dianne moved down the shore with her, just to keep Esme in arm's reach. However, she made no effort to stop her from touching the water.}

Esme began to play with the water, trailing her claws through it to produce ripples. After Armin had caught four fish, he paused to hover in front of them.

//So... how can I convince you to try catching a fish in dragon form?// he said with mirth in his voice. //It would be funny to watch.//

{Dianne just looks at him, amused.}

Dianne: "A lot. If I'm going to get wet, muddy, and cold, all for your mere amusement, it had better be worth my while."

//Aww, but I wanna know what you swimming looks like,// Armin said, still sounding highly amused. //Like the loch ness monster crossed with a waterlogged eagle, probably.//

Dianne: "Armin, if it were the middle of summer, I would gladly humor you. But, it's autumn, and I hate getting cold. So, if that's the best you got, you won't be seeing me humiliate myself today."

//Fair enough. You win this time.//

Armin then swooped off to continue hunting, adding to the growing pile of mudrakers on the bank. Esme continued playing with the water, trying to lure small fish up to the surface and seeming delighted whenever one came close.

{Dianne smiles fondly at Esme. Once Armin had collected enough of the fish, Dianne stands.}
Dianne: "Ok, Armin, that's enough. Esme, here."

{Reaching into her bag, Dianne pulls out Esme's lunch.}

Dianne: "Lunchtime, sweetie"

Esme left the water and hopped over to get some food, shaking her paw dry as she did so.

Armin circled the lake once more before gliding down and shifting back. He settled on the grassy lake edge, gazing out across the water.

{Setting down a cloth, Dianne puts Esme's lunch out. It was an assortment of cut fruit, some boiled eggs, and leftover pan fried fish. As Esme ate, Dianne sat on the edge of the cloth and began to harvest the scales off the mudrakers.}

Armin watched curiously as Dianne de-scaled the fish. After a moment, he got up and started gathering dry branches from the edge of the woods. After getting a good-sized stack, he shifted to wolf form and started digging a hollow near the lake edge.

{Eyeing Armin with curiosity, Dianne speaks up.}

Dianne: "Hey, what are you doing over there? Planning on cooking the fish?"

'Just a few...' said Armin after shifting back. He began to pile wood into the ditch he'd dug. 'All the meat is going to go to waste otherwise. I might wrap some up to take home.'

Dianne: "Alright. I was going to have Barnabas throw them to the nearest wolf pack or bear, but this works too, I guess."

'He can do that with the ones I'm not using. Could you light this fire, please?'

He reached over to the mudraker pile and selected four fish that had already been de-scaled.

Dianne: "Sure."

{Dianne shifts and lights the fire for Armin. Once finished, she shifts back and continues descaling the fish.}

Realising he didn't have any tools, Armin went back to the truck and came back shortly afterwards with one of the knives they had taken on their expedition, along with a roll of tin foil. Sitting down beside the fire, he set to work preparing the fish.

{Having finished with her task, Dianne puts away her supplies and fondly watches Esme, content to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the lakeside.}

When she was done with her food, Esme trotted back to stand at the water's edge, swiping at it with her paw. Armin prepared the fish and set them up on a makeshift spit to cook.

'I'm curious to see how these cures are made. Is it like a potion?'

Dianne: "Pretty much. I need to grind all the ingredients up, boil them into a thick broth, then strain out the scales and seeds, then separate the brew into the proper portions."

'Huh. Sounds pretty simple. Hopefully, it'll be enough to help Pythia with this apparent 'outbreak'.'

Dianne: "As far as cures go, this is one of the simpler ones. Should work out. So long as everyone afflicted takes a cure, it should curb the outbreak."

Armin subsided into a thoughtful silence, watching over the fish. Once they were cooked enough, he pulled one off the spit and sawed it in half, trying a piece. //Hmm... not bad. I've had better, but not bad.//

{As Armin sampled his handiwork, Dianne eyed him curiously.}

Dianne: "Is it any good?"

'It's alright. Kind of chewy, but not bad. Next time, I'll see what other fish are in this lake.'

Dianne: "Yeah, there's probably something tastier than that in the water."

{Glancing over at Esme, Dianne stands up.}

Dianne: "Well, if you're done cooking, should we head back?"

Armin grunted in acknowledgement and stood up, tossing the remains of the cooked fish into the lake. //Not good enough to take home.// After putting out the fire, he started to head back to the truck.

Esme lifted her gaze from the water and, after a moment, reluctantly followed.

{After packing up and ordering Barnabas to dispose of the remaining uncooked fish, Dianne scoops up Esme and gets into the truck.}

The truck grumbled into life, and they headed off back towards the city.

'Nice to get out for a bit,' Armin remarked. 'I kind of missed forests and lakes. And cooking things on log fires.'

Dianne: "It was a pleasant outing. If you miss it, then maybe we should go camping, up towards Chalcedony."

Armin hummed thoughtfully. 'Maybe. But hey, we're planning to go to Alexandria sometime, aren't we? I'm guessing it'll take a few days to fly there. They'll be plenty of nice wilderness to stop in along the way.'

Dianne: "That's true. Once things settle down here, we'll make the preparations to go. Lately, people have been trying to kill us..."

'Yeah, I'd rather wait until I stop worrying about more people going after Fred... We'll take things slow. After all, we've got all the time in the world to do whatever we want.'

Dianne: "True, true. Yeah, slow is the way to go. Once I get home, I'll start on the brews. They should be ready by tomorrow."

Armin was quiet for the remainder of the drive, musing over what could happen. Once they were home and everyone was inside, Esme ran off to harass Rex, who could be heard playing guitar in his room. Armin watched her go with faint amusement, then glanced at Dianne.

'OK, shall we get started on the cures? I can help out if you need me for anything.'

Dianne: "Sure. Let me get my tools."

{Going upstairs, Dianne retrieves a scary looking crank grinder, and some iron pots.}

Dianne: "I had Barnabas retrieve these ahead of time. Here, take the Goomboogly fruits and put them through this grinder. You may wish to open a window though..."

Armin grimaced slightly. 'Let's go in the kitchen.'

He opened the kitchen window as wide as it would go, then took all the goomboogly fruits out of their jars. The smell was much worse in the enclosed space than it had been in the forest. He started grinding the fruit into one of the pots, which immediately tripled the stench. //This had better clear quickly...//

(I'm soooo going to have Barnabas chuck a goomboogly fruit at Fred. XD)

{Getting a strainer, Dianne proceeds to wash the fish scales, then put them in the pot with the mashed fruit.}

Dianne: "Here...(cough)...now grind the herbs...that reeks...."

{Her face was locked in contorted disgust as she kept working.}

(Rude. XD)

Armin paused to pull his shirt up to cover his nose, then started work on the herbs. 'I'm gonna be sick if this takes too long...'

Dianne: "Once it starts boiling....(Cough cough)......It will go away..."

{As soon as Armin finished with the herbs, she filled the pot with water and set it on the fire. Once the fruits were under water, the smell lessened significantly.}

Once things were clear, Armin gingerly pulled his shirt off his nose. 'Well, that's an improvement...'

He proceeded to retrieve a scented candle from the cupboard and light it, trying to chase out the last of the fruit stench with the smell of spices instead.

Dianne: "Give it a minute...Hold on, you actually have a scented candle?"

'Yeah, they're useful.' He gave her a quizzical look. 'Something wrong with that?'

Dianne: "No, no...Just the last thing I expected you'd have on hand..."

Armin looked even more mystified at that. 'I don't see why.' He pushed the candle to the back of the kitchen counter and left it to burn there. 'I think they're nice.'

Dianne: "They are, to be sure. And definitely convenient for this situation. Anyway, we just need to let it boil into a thick broth, then strain out the hard bits."

Armin leaned back against one of the counters, watching the mixture boil and letting the candle burn away the lingering bad smell. As this was going on, Rex suddenly came into the kitchen, looking nonplussed.

'What exactly are you doing?' he asked. 'It smells like death in here. Can smell it from across the house.'

{Dianne just grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.}

Dianne: "Sorry about that, Rex. The Goomboogly fruit are a necessary component to the Rat Boil cures, but they're absolutely rancid in scent. It should clear, now that they're boiling."

Rex eyed her. 'It had better.'

'Actually, Rex, since you're here... how's Fred? I know he's upstairs in his room, but I haven't been up to check on him...'

'He's fine. He had someone bring a sackful of books over while you were out. Though, I wouldn't say he's pleased about the rotten meat stench either.'

{Dianne grimaces at that.}

Dianne: "Oooooh....whoops....Forgot about his aversion to filth..."

{Meanwhile, Upstairs, Barnabas opens the door to Fred's room, brandishing a Goomboogly fruit.}

Barnabas: "Oi, Fred-bear! Catch!"

Armin just shrugged. 'It's only a smell. He'll survive.'

Fred eyed Barnabas from over the top of his book. He was sitting up on his bed, looking much better than the day before. His expression curdled with disgust at the smell of the fruit. He prepared to use the book as a shield if necessary.

'If you throw that at me, I'll simply call Dianne to get rid of you.'

Barnabas: "I can throw this and run faster than you can holler or use telepathy. I sense your fear. Fear of filth. Ahahahah! Maybe I won't use a Goomboogly fruit after all. Maybe I'll go down to the fish market and get a bucket of chum?"

Fred edged along the bed to get a bit further away. 'Yes, and no matter what you do, I can ask Dianne to ban you from going near me again. I heard she did the same for Rex. You're bound to obey her every command.'

Barnabas: "I suppose that's true...Nyeh!"

{He chucks the fruit at Fred and disappears,}

(Posting new room)