Dianne: "Perhaps so. However, you may be charged with murder if you were to kill her now. Actually, maybe I should press assault charges for what she did. After all, it hurt like hell..."

'I wasn't going to do it /now./ Just if she /ever/ attacks you again,' said Armin, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the back of the couch. 'If she does... I'm sure I can kill her without anyone being able to prove I did it... They won't even find the body...'

Dianne: "Very well...When it comes to hiding bodies, I'm the most capable. If I raise a corpse and pull the soul out, the body turns into ash. No blood, no smell, no bones. Scatter the ash to the winds and dispose of the clothing and it's like they never existed...boy, am I glad Ivy's not around to hear that..."

Armin shrugged slightly. 'Fine, I'll kill her for you and then bring you the body. ...If it comes to that, of course. I'm not going to kill her just for what she did. Although I would've liked to break her nose.'

Dianne: "I understand. I know you don't like seeing me hurt, especially when it was uncalled for. But people like that are very stubborn. They think I'm evil, and can't be convinced otherwise. Even when I'm trying to be a better person, they still won't listen to me..."

'Well... Not one person in the world could ever convince me that /Sargon/ was a good person. So I understand being stubborn about your opinions. But you've done a lot of good lately, and the bad stuff you did was eons ago. People should consider that before they decide you're some evil monster.'

Dianne: "Yeah, it would be nice if people just left me alone..."

Armin fell silent. As the movie on the TV ended, he picked up the remote and idly flipped through the channels. As he did so, he paused on a channel showing a weather forecast.

Weatherman: '...Indications that we could be facing the worst winter Vallis has seen in 24 years, with predicted snowfalls that could start as early as mid-November, causing travel delays in both urban and rural areas...'

Dianne: "Oh, great, more cold."

{She grumbles, waiting for dinner to be ready.}

Dianne: "Maybe I'll just go into hibernation for the winter..."

'Good luck with that,' said Armin, seeming mildly amused by the whole thing. He settled on a nature documentary, finding nothing else on. 'I'll just take Esme out to play in the snow with me while you sit at home.'

{Dianne couldn't help but smile.}

Dianne: "I'll just throw on the thickest garments I can find and play through the pain. I'm not going to ignore my baby on account of some frozen water."

Esme squeaked happily, despite not really knowing what the conversation was about.

'That's the spirit,' said Armin with a grin. 'You survived the tundra; you'll be fine. And you can use me as a heater when we get back indoors.'

Dianne: "Awww, you two are sweet, to care about me like that. You are the best way I know to keep warm on winter nights. It'll make them much more bearable."

'Yes, I'm useful like that.'

Right then, Rex came in, carrying two plates of food for Dianne and Esme. He'd made some steaks, with small potatoes and vegetables.

'Y'know, I think I'll go down to the basement and get us all a drink. Just a small one,' said Armin.

Dianne: "It looks delicious, Rex, thank you. And that sounds like a good idea, Armin."

{She then begins eating, very much enjoying the flavor.}

Rex sat down at the dining table, turning his chair so he could see the TV. Esme began devouring her meal, enjoying the vegetables most.

Armin returned a minute later, bringing two full glasses of Akhetian Ale for himself and Dianne, and a half-full glass for Rex. He passed the drinks around; Rex looked slightly put out by his amount, but didn't complain. Armin flopped back onto the couch beside Dianne and sipped his drink.

{Dianne gratefully accepted her drink. She sat there comfortably, sipping her drink and eating her steak, watching the TV. }

Armin slowly sunk further into the couch as he drank through his glass. It was about four shots' worth, so he was starting to feel tipsy by the end of it. //Mhm... For someone who can't even drink, Triticum really knows how to make good drinks...//

{By the time Dianne had finished her meal and drank the last of her ale, she seemed a bit more drowsy than when she started. However, she just sits quietly, nudging herself in contact with Armin.}

Rex stirred, getting up to take the empty plates and glasses away. He hadn't been very affected by his drink, not having enough to get drunk on.

Armin leaned comfortably into Dianne. 'Tired?' he murmured.

Dianne: "A little...I'm just relaxed off the ale, that's all...How about you?"

{She asks, resting her head on his shoulder.}

Armin hummed fondly, wrapping an arm around her and closing his eyes. 'I'm good... it's warm and cosy... and the ale is nice... I'm just on the good side of being not-quite-drunk.'

Dianne: "Yeah...You seem very content...I like it when you're calm like this..."

{Snuggling into him, she settles into the couch.}

'Whad'ya mean? I'm always calm...'

Rex rolled his eyes at their affectionate display as he quietly retreated to his room, leaving them and Esme alone together.

Dianne: "I just mean, like...settled calm. You're always easygoing, but I like it when you doze with me..."

{Glancing at where Rex was, she raises a brow.}

Dianne: "...Oh, looks like our affection spooked Rex off..."

'No, he was just being polite... wanted to give us some privacy...'

Armin had briefly glanced up when Rex left. He then closed his eyes again, squeezing his arm around her with a contented exhalation.

'Well, the alcohol helps with that. But your company helps too. I like it when you're affectionate like this... it's sweet.'

Dianne: "...This is what I was like before I lost everything...I was tempered by soul crushing grief...Jaded, without feeling...I'm just happy to be here again..."

Armin snuggled closer, responding in a low, sincere, and warm tone. 'It might've taken a while to get here. But it's all OK now. Everything's OK.'

{Dianne closed her eyes, sighing in contentment.}

Dianne: "...Thank you..."

Armin stayed content in that position for a while, before eventually stirring. Esme was getting up and beginning to head upstairs to bed. He picked up the remote and switched the TV off.

'You ready to head upstairs yet... or you wanna stay here?' he asked, voice drowsy from the alcohol.

{Dianne was lightly dozing when Armin spoke up.}

Dianne: "Mmm....Let's go upstairs...Bed's more comfortable..."

{Getting on her feet, she shuffles towards the stairs.}

Armin gave a small yawn, stretching and getting up. Once upstairs, he swiftly changed into his sleepwear before flopping onto the bed. He rolled onto his side, watching Dianne and waiting for her.

{Dianne was already in her sleep wear, so she just laid her herself down next to him. Getting under the covers, she snuggles up to him and closes her eyes.}

Dianne: "Good night..."

Armin hummed, kissing her cheek before snuggling closer.

'Night. Sleep well.'

{She very quickly dozed off, completely at ease in his embrace.}

(Skip?)

(Hmm, I'm gonna do a short thing with Rex first to see what happens if he tries to get past the guardians.)

----

Late that night, Rex wasn't sleeping. After napping restlessly for a while, he got up to pace through the dark house. He wanted to occupy himself, but didn't want to risk disturbing Dianne and Armin.

He snorted out a quiet, humourless laugh. //Yes, this is THEIR house, don't forget that. You're just a guest, unneeded and unwanted. Armin's happy with his family now; why don't you get your own place and leave him to enjoy his life?//

Eventually, he made his way down to the basement. He knew he wasn't supposed to be going there, but right now, he didn't care. He just wanted something to settle his thoughts.

{As soon as Rex made it halfway down the stairs, there was the sound of noisy metal footsteps as the guardians moved to the base of the stairs.}

Guardian 1: "Halt! What are you doing down here?"

Rex stopped dead on the stairs, staring down expressionlessly at the guardians.

'Oh, I see. Put guards in the basement, did they? Think my coping methods are their business, do they?'

He took a step forwards, planning to try and walk right past the guardians.

{As soon as Rex set foot on the ground floor, one guardian put a hand up, in a gesture to halt.}

Guardian: "I said halt! You are not authorized to access any ale. Personal coping mechanism or not."

'What are you going to do?' Rex scoffed. 'Knock me unconscious? That would be as good a way as any to stop thinking for a while.'

Uncaring of what the guardians might do, he continued forwards and tried to slide around the side of the one that just spoke.

{When Rex tried to shuffle past, the guardian grabbed him by the front of his jacket, pulled him back, and shoved him towards the stairs. The guardians were massive undead constructs, standing several feet taller than Rex and clad in black armor. They were more than capable of throwing Rex around.}

Guardian 1: "If you persist, Dianne will be made aware of the situation. We have been ordered to prevent you from accessing the ale without supervision."

Rex didn't seem alarmed when he was shoved backwards. He just straightened up and dusted his clothes off. 'Oh, go screw yourselves,' he grumbled. 'Couldn't expect some undead pawns to understand...'

He turned and began to retreat back up the stairs, looking tired and defeated.

{With Rex routed, the guardians walk back into the darkness of the basement.}

Upon getting back upstairs, Rex looked towards the front door.

//Well, it might not be magically potent ale, but it's something...//

He put his boots on and quietly set foot outside, intending to head to the nearest bar for a drink.

(You can either have someone stop him, or you can skip to morning. Your call.)

(Ok, I have an idea.)

{Once Rex headed outside, Barnabas appeared in Armin and Dianne's bedroom. Using a sprig from a tree, he tickles Armin's face.}
Barnabas: "Aaaaaarrrrrmmiiiiiiinnnn, wake up."

Armin, who had been peacefully asleep with Dianne, jolted awake at the sensation, blinking blearily. When he realised it was Barnabas, he didn't look happy.

'...What the hell do you want? It's the middle of the night...'

{Dianne woke up with Armin, looking quizzically at Barnabas .}

Barnabas: "Rex tried to get ale from the basement. When he failed, he walked out the door."

Dianne: "What?! Where'd he go?"

Barnabas: "I don't know." :3

Armin pushed himself upright, rubbing his eyes to wake up faster. He was pretty sure he knew where Rex would try to go, but his mind couldn't help thinking of worse possibilities.

'Right. Get out of the way,' he said, jumping out of bed and past Barnabas. He opened the bedroom window and leapt out, shifting to hawk form as he dived into the cold night.

{When Armin abruptly left, Dianne followed him to the window.}

Dianne: "Armin? Where are you...? Ugh, I hate it when he does that... Barnabas, go with him, make sure he comes back in one piece."

Armin flew down to the dark, empty street. It wasn't hard to spot Rex, as he was the only person walking around. He hadn't gotten far from the house when Armin caught up, shifting back in front of him with a disgruntled expression.

'Where the hell are you going?'

'To get a well-deserved drink. I need it to be able to sleep. Now get out of my way, please, Armin.'

{While they were talking, Dianne put a robe on and went downstairs. She sat on the couch, waiting for them to return.}

'No way,' said Armin. 'Don't you think we put those guards in the basement for a reason? Or did you maybe think I wouldn't care if you snuck off and got drunk?'

'You damn hypocrite,' said Rex, pointing a finger at him. 'Did you forget how, in the organisation, we got drunk together almost every night? Don't stand there like you don't know what it's like! You've got a nice life now, Armin, but I'm not so fortunate.'

'Not an excuse,' said Armin brutally. 'You're not going to get better if you keep wallowing. And I want you to get better, even if you don't care enough to try.'

'All you're doing is depriving me of the only coping method I have left.'

'No, I'm trying to help you. Now get back inside.'

(TBC, novel post)

Rex shifted his weight, then - with a sudden movement - tried to slip past Armin. In response, Armin grabbed him by the front of his coat, holding him back.

'Nope. You're coming back inside.'

'Let /go,'/ Rex growled. He tried to free himself, and when that didn't work, he shifted closer and snapped at Armin's neck, his fangs drawing blood. Armin yelped.

'OK, this is for your own good...'

Armin proceeded to swing a fist at Rex's jaw, instantly knocking him out. Grimacing, he picked up the other vampire and carried him back up to the house.

{Dianne was waiting for them when they got back in. As soon as she heard them at the door, she bolted to the entrance.}

Dianne: "Armin? What happened? Who bit you, and why is Rex unconscious?"

Armin pushed the door shut behind him and started to drag Rex towards his room.

'Eh... He was planning to sneak off to the bar because we wouldn't let him drink the ale... I had to knock him out to get him back here. And he bit me out of vampire instinct when I grabbed hold of him.'

{Dianne did not look pleased by this explanation.}

Dianne: "So, he threw a tantrum and attacked you when you tried to stop him? To the point where you had to forcibly knock him out? When he wakes up, I need to talk to him."

Armin did not answer until after he'd put Rex into bed, stepped out of his room and shut the door.

'What are you going to do? Hurt him? Threaten him? That's not going to help anything.'

Dianne: "I promise I won't hurt him, but he needs to understand that I won't tolerate a drunkard or a violent addict around Esme. This isn't ok."

Armin rubbed his forehead. He was unhappy about being woken up, and wanted nothing more than to return to sleep and forget this ever happened.

'Look... Rex has similar traumas and issues to what we have. I know his behaviour is problematic, but we can't call him a terrible person for acting like this when we were both the same - if not worse - in the past.'

{Dianne just rubs her face, sighing.}

Dianne: "Well, what are we supposed to do? This can't continue unchecked, Armin. Yeah, we've both been there, but we both chose to try to better ourselves. I don't know what we can do."

'I don't know... Maybe the kindest thing would be to buy him a house nearby, and send him to live on his own... He survived by himself after he fled Shacklestone, so I'm beginning to think it's /my/ presence that's making him revert to old habits... He'd probably be fine alone. I just don't want him to think it's because I don't want him around...'

Dianne: "I don't know...He's not in the kind of state where you'd want him unsupervised...Besides, you don't know what he was doing in your absence. It could have been much worse."

'Well, he still survived.' Armin sighed. 'But yeah, I don't want to leave him alone right now, and I can't bring myself to just kick him out. I don't think he'd ever go as far as to endanger Esme, but I'm concerned that Death's Aspect might not feel the same way...'

Aspect: "HUrt...."

{From the hallway came the disembodied voice of the Aspect, much to Dianne's terror. She whipped around, expecting to see the damn thing shambling down the hall, but there was nothing. Not even the uneasy aura that usually heralds its appearance.}

Dianne: "Son of a b!tch! Well? Where the hell are you, you wretched, abhorrent freak!?"

Armin stiffened, baring his fangs in an instinctive gesture as a shot of adrenaline struck him. He scanned the dark hallway frantically, but saw nothing.

'...I don't even feel it...'

{Dianne stood completely still, starting to shake slightly.}

Dianne: "So....What the hell was that then?!"

Armin continued gazing into the darkness, before a possible explanation occurred to him, and his expression twisted.

'BARNABAS! I know that was you, you piece of shit! You were doing that to play on my fear. Show yourself!'

{Barnabas appears behind Armin, shaking his head frantically.}

Barnabas: "It wasn't me, man, I swear! I heard it too, but I didn't see anything."

'Then what the hell was that?' Armin snarled, not entirely sure if he believed Barnabas. 'You can always sense when that thing's nearby. If it was here, we would have felt it!'

Dianne: "I don't know. Maybe it manifested and dissipated so quick we didn't have time to feel it."

{Looking around uneasily, she shifts closer to Armin.}

Dianne: "Maybe...Maybe Rex should sleep on the floor of our bedroom tonight..."

Armin scratched the back of his head agitatedly, glancing at Rex's bedroom door, considering it.

'Yes, and what about the night after that? We can't keep hiding in our own house because that damn thing keeps stalking us all. This is supposed to be our /home,/ where we feel safe.'

Dianne: "I don't know, Armin!"

{She yells in frustration and fear.}

Dianne: "That damn thing has been stalking me on and off for my whole damn life! I know this is our house, but I can't control it! No one can!"

{She starts to break down, sobbing, leaning against the wall.}

'I never said you had to control it! I just want it to hear me and realise it's being a problem!'

Armin stared into the empty darkness of the house, his own frustration rising as he contemplated the situation. The stinging pain in his neck wasn't helping him feel better. //All I want is to be able to sleep without worrying about anyone being in immediate danger.//

{Dianne was just upset at this point, leaning against the wall completely clueless as to what to do.}

Dianne: "...I just want to know...that everything is going to be ok..."

After a moment, Armin went into Rex's room, and with a look of resignation, brusquely grabbed the unconscious vampire and started to carry him up the stairs.

'C'mon, we're going to bed. There's nothing else we can do; it's the middle of the night and I want to sleep. Everything will be better in the morning.'

{Pushing off the wall, Dianne solemnly folllows Armin up the stairs.}

Upstairs, Armin retrieved a couple of spare blankets from the closet and proceeded to carelessly toss them on the floor, in the corner furthest from his and Dianne's bed. He then put Rex into the makeshift bed. Esme watched him sleepily as he worked.

'OK...' said Armin. 'He's safe here with us. Now let's get in bed and relax. Everything's over now.' //I hope.//

{Dianne crawls into the bed, and curls up into a ball.}

Armin climbed into the bed behind her. Trying to ignore the night's events, he embraced her from behind and pulled her close against him.

(I guess we skip to morning again. Maybe I should send Lucci their way for reassurance?)

(Yeah, who wants to start the morning?)

You go

----

Rex awoke early in the morning, with a headache and no idea where he was. He momentarily panicked before recognising Armin's scent and looking around.

//...I think he knocked me out to get me to stop messing around. No idea why I'm in his room, though. I suppose he just doesn't trust me.//

He got up and quietly left the room, shutting the door softly behind him. Throughout all of this, Armin remained asleep. Despite the stress of last night, he had eventually drifted off.

{Dianne hadn't moved much from last night, and remained fast asleep. She was too comfortable with Armin at her back to stay awake.}

Much later in the morning, Armin slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The absence of Rex concerned him, before he heard the soft sound of guitar strings coming from downstairs.

//Well, I do feel much better now that it's daytime... But still, what the heII was the Aspect doing last night?//

He closed his eyes again, content to stay there with Dianne for now.

{Dianne stirred slightly, turning over and snuggling into Armin. She didn't seem to be awake, but she huddled closer for the warmth.}

Smiling faintly, Armin let her snuggle up to him undisturbed. It was a chilly morning, the sky outside dark and overcast. //It's gonna get a lot colder than this, you know...//

After a while, Esme lifted her head and yawned. She glanced at the pair, then let herself out of the room and went downstairs.

{Dianne continued to sleep there for a half hour more, before opening her eyes. Lifting her head, she surveys the room, then settles back down, mumbling.}

Dianne: "Too cold..."

Armin chuckled. 'C'mon, it's not /that/ cold.' He affectionately pulled her closer, slipping a hand under her shirt to rub at her back. Despite the events of the night, he felt much more at ease, seeing that everyone was OK and the Aspect hadn't come back.

{Dianne gave a small smile when Armin rubbed her back.}

Dianne: "Mhm...need more ingredients today...but I don't have a jacket...and it looks like it might rain..."

'I could always go on my own,' Armin offered. 'I don't have a good jacket anymore, either, but I don't mind a bit of rain.'

Dianne: "...No, no....I'll just put my winter armor back on and hope no one out there gets spooked by it....But I still need a jacket...How about we make the trip to Alexandria next week?..."

{She speaks in a drowsy voice, almost drifting off again by the end of it.}

(posting new room)