Dianne: "I see..."

{She then gets into the passenger's seat and buckles in.}

Dianne: "Is that on account of his troubled past?"

Armin fired up the engine and headed off into the city.

'Yeah. I wouldn't normally talk about this, since it's his business... but Lucci already brought it up in front of you, so I guess it matters less now... He was raised by his grandfather, who was an alcoholic old bastard and... pretty violent towards Rex.'

Dianne: "I figured as much...Lucci said he was a cruel man...I know Rex probably wouldn't want to talk to him, but....do you think it would help if he had the chance to tell the old man off?"

'What, are you saying you could summon his spirit, like with Janet's? I'm not sure about that... Deliberately pulling back buried demons might not be the best idea.'

Dianne: "Perhaps so...He doesn't seem willing to discuss anything, which makes this hard...Any ideas on how to ease his mind?"

Armin shrugged. 'If I had, I would've done it by now. I've known about his past for a very long time. Maybe, now that he can't turn to alcohol, he might be more willing to talk about things, but I don't know...'

Dianne: "Maybe he will. I guess we'll have to wait and see..."

{She subsides into silence, waiting to arrive.}

Armin pulled up outside the house a short while later.

'Alright, you go in and grab what you need. I'll just wait here.'

{Dianne was about to get out, then stopped.}

Dianne: "Actually, I think it would be better if we did the ritual here instead of at home. It did say there was a chance the Aspect would actually personally appear to apologize and offer consolation gifts."

Armin let out a snicker at that.

'What kind of 'gifts'? And I'm sure it's not a problem to do it here. If it saves the Aspect appearing in our house again, I'm all for it.'

Dianne: "I'm not sure...Ok, that means after I prepare everything, you'll have to drive me back tonight. It might take a little while before it's ready, so you can turn off the engine."

Armin switched off the car engine and leaned back in his seat. 'So,, we'll be doing the ritual tonight?'

Dianne: "Yeah. The longer we wait, the more danger Luxia, Gail, and their neighbors are in. We can't wait."

'Alright. So... wait, how exactly are we doing this? Are you going to collect the stuff from your house, do the preparations at home, then come back here to do the ritual later?'

Dianne: "No. I'm going to set it up here and now, then you'll take me to see the king, then we'll spend some time at home, then you'll drive me back here tonight. Make sense?"

'OK, sounds good. I'll just stay here and wait for you, then. Try not to be too long.'

Dianne: "Alright. I'll be back as soon as I can."

{Kissing him on the cheek, she hops out and heads inside.}

Smiling faintly, he settled back in his seat, turning on the radio as he watched the rural landscape outside the window. Villagers went about their business as the occasional car trundled down the country road. He even saw a couple riding horses. //Nice, this. Not much going on, but nice.//

{Dianne was inside for about a half hour, before coming bac.}

Dianne: "Ok, everything is prepared."

Armin turned down the radio, which was on a classic rock station, and looked up. 'Everything went well?' he said as he started the engine.

Dianne: "Yup. Pretty simple set up. I just needed to find everything."

Well, tonight's going to be interesting... especially if the Aspect actually does decide to show up in the middle of it...'

Heading back into the city, Armin began to make the somewhat long drive to the king's palace in the east.

Dianne: "Yeah, definitely...Not sure I'm looking forward to it though...that thing scares me..."

'I'm not looking forward to that either, but at least we won't be inviting it into our home this time.'

Armin paused for a moment.

'Honestly, it was kind of surprising that you seemed as scared of that thing as I am. You've been connected to it for thousands of years, used its power, and probably seen it countless times. I thought you'd be used to it by now. Though, it /is/ terrifying, so I certainly don't blame you...'

Dianne: "There's...more to it than that....I kinda...pissed it off once, then it tormented me for about a year straight...not great times, those..."

Armin winced. 'Oh... Yeah, having it angry at me sounds like one of the last things I'd want. Why would it do that? You're its own acolyte; I thought it valued you.'

{Dianne takes a deep breath.}

Dianne: "I...tried to kill myself...it really didn't like that..."

Armin blinked, accidentally jerking the wheel so the truck veered slightly. He quickly pulled it back in line. //Well, that just got heavier than I expected...//

'And tormenting you for a year was really the best way to convince you /not/ to... do that?'

{Dianne jolted in alarm when Armin veered. She then grimaced a little at the memory.}

Dianne: "Actually...I don't think I want to talk about this..."

'Then, don't. You don't have to.'

Armin threw her a brief, concerned glance, then subsided into silence, focusing on driving as they entered the busiest part of the city.

{Dianne then rubbed her face, trying to forget the memories that came flooding back.}

Dianne: "Sorry...I just don't like thinking about it..."

Armin grunted in acknowledgement, throwing her another glance. Slightly annoyed that them being in a car prevented him from hugging her, he kept driving.

'It's OK. Everything's fine now.'

Dianne: "Yeah...let's just forget about the last five minutes and focus on the task at hand."

A while later, Armin stopped on a street close to the palace entrance.

'Alright, go and bully the King, then.'

{That seemed to lift Dianne's dampened spirits a bit.}

Dianne: "Heheheh....Yeah, guess I'd better go do that."

{Leaning forward, she hugs him tightly, then hops out of the car and heads for the palace.}

Armin sat back in his seat, turning the radio back on and boredly gazing around the street.

Both the courtyard and the interior of the palace were swarming with people. Guards stood by the main entrance as always, but they didn't do anything except keep watch. Most people paid little attention to Dianne, though a few gave her nervous glances and hastened away.

{Dianne simply kept walking into the palace as the guards hurried away.}
Dianne: //Hmm...seems Fred's not working today...//

(The guards weren't running away, just scared bystanders.)

Before Dianne could get too far in, a guard who appeared to be a higher rank than the others approached her. He wore a helmet with a large crimson feather on the top.

'Have business in the palace today, do you?' he asked.

(Lol, whoops, my bad. XD)

Dianne: "Indeed I do, soldier."

{Dianne replies coolly, looking the guard over.}

Dianne: "I'm here to request an audience with the king."

The head guard's expression remained cool and stoic. 'Very well. I'll escort you up there.' He turned to a lesser guard standing nearby. 'You there! Run up to the king's chamber and check if he's available for an audience right now. Tell him it's Dianne.'

After the lesser guard had run off. the head guard began to walk up to the king's chamber at a more sedate pace.

{Dianne nods and follows quietly. She was curious how the king might react, given that he had to specifically be told that it was her.}

When they got up to the king's door, the head guard knocked sharply. This was followed by an indiscernible response from the other side. The guard then opened the door, revealing the King sat behind a long table.

'A-ah, yes, Dianne,' he said a little tremulously. 'How pleasant to see you again. I hope you've been doing well.'

{Dianne smiles and bows.}

Dianne: "Greetings, your highness. Yes, I have been doing well, thank you for asking. I have come before you today to ask a favor of sorts."

'Oh... a-a favour?'

The King looked slightly worried by that, but tried to shake it off.

'...What favour do you ask? No doubt I owe you something, after the malicious Bloodrazor Clan attacked you within my own city.'

{Dianne couldn't help but smirk at the king's nervousness.}

Dianne: "Well, there is a woman in town. A healer named Pythia. She's recently lost everything, and is trying to open her own clinic. I was wondering if you could get the city's health department to fund her, so she can continue healing your citizens free of charge."

'Oh, I-I do believe I've heard about her... I must say, it's very odd that she would choose to heal people and not accept any money from them... Does she have some kind of ulterior motive?'

Dianne: "No. She was born into a pacifist family and worked for a non profit order. Putting the needs of others above her own is kind of her personality flaw."

'A-ah, yes, of course...'

The king thoughtfully scratched his beard.

'Well, honestly, I've heard several accounts of how she has healed citizens from grievous injuries and diseases. Particularly in the face of the recent outbreak. So, yes, funding her work would benefit many people. Though... you're sure there are no... negative side-effects to her healing magic?'

Dianne: "Absolutely. The only side affects are increased appetite and drowsiness. She's extremely gifted, your highness. There aren't many people in the world like her."

'Ah, well, yes, I can see that...'

The king looked uneasy. He had grown up in a society where both magic and non-humans were regarded as unpredictable and dangerous. Yet, he hadn't recieved any reports that Pythia's healing was dangerous, so he wasn't sure what to think.

'...If you're sure that Pythia is trustworthy... then I will speak with the health department and arrange funding for her immediately.'

{Dianne then courteously bows.}

Dianne: "Thank you, your highness. Your people will be grateful that she will continue to heal them."

'I'm certain they will, yes... my citizens say that she is highly skilled... Well, is that all you came for?' said the King, hopefully.

Dianne: "Yes. With your permission, I'll take my leave."

'You may go,' said the King, looking rather glad she was leaving.

{With another courteous bow, she leaves, headed back towards Armin.}

When she returned to the car, Armin once again turned the radio off and gave her an expectant look.

'I'm guessing everything worked out pretty well?' He started the engine, not wanting to waste any time in getting home.

{Dianne just smiled cheerily as she buckled herself in.}

Dianne: "Yup! He agreed to help Pythia, so she won't go hungry any time soon."

'Good. She deserves the help. Now, let's get home and relax, I'm getting bored of sitting in this car.'

He set off, away from the bustling palace and back towards home.

Dianne: "ok."

{Looking out the window, she quietly watches the outside world as they drive along.}

They made it back home in a short time. Upon parking the car and getting into the house, they were greeted by a curious Esme, chirping and nudging at them.

'Hey there,' said Armin, pausing to rub her head. After getting his shoes off, he headed for the couch and lazily flopped onto it.

{Dianne smiled widely, picking up Esme and cuddling her affectionately.}

Dianne: "Hey there, sweetie. We were just going out to run some errands, nothing too exciting."

Esme hummed, then extended her wings and wrapped them around Dianne in a hug. Her wingspan was almost five feet long at this time, and strong enough to carry her in the air.

{Dianne happily returned the hug,}

Dianne: "Aawww...I love you, Esme."

Armin glanced back at the pair with a slight smile. 'She's so cute... And getting kind of big now. Damn, her species grows fast.'

Esme detached herself from Dianne after a brief hug, wandering off to go play somewhere.

Dianne: "Yeah, she is. She'll likely be flying soon."

{Walking over to the couch, she sits next to Armin.}

As soon as she sat next to him, he leaned over and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling affectionately into her shoulder.

'We should just relax for the rest of the day, if we need to do that ritual tonight...'

Dianne: "Yeah...Let's just have a nice quiet day at home..."

{Kissing his forehead, the only thing she could reach, she settles in with him comfortably.}

Armin snuggled into her, letting out a long, contented breath. The memory of what she'd mentioned in the car was still lingering in the back of his mind, but he pushed it aside, not wanting to think about it.

'Tonight, we can close this stupid Luxia chapter and move on. Hopefully, we'll never have to deal with her again.'

(Lmao no, Armin. I think she'll be a regular nuisance.)

Dianne: "Here's hoping...If she does something unnatural to us again, I'm not going to repeat the ritual..."

(Oh, certainly)

'I won't try to convince you to. But there's no way she could be stupid enough to do it again, after seeing the Aspect kill the neighbour and torment her and her assistant.'

Dianne: "I sure hope so...I don't like the thought of the Aspect wantonly hurting others. I hope Luxia has enough brains left to realize why it's bad."

'We just have to hope for the best. Maybe Gail can help Luxia make better decisions from now on. Anyway, let's not talk about her now - we'll be dealing with her later.'

He shifted upwards to kiss her jawline, momentarily tightening his embrace.

{Dianne smiles, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a passionate kiss.}

Armin returned the kiss, making it long and slow, wrapping his arms around her neck.

'The last few days haven't been the most pleasant... Maybe we need a moment to just forget everything...?'

Dianne: "I agree...Can't be stressed and frightened all the time..."

{She then moves down to kiss his neck, slowly working her way down.}

'Yeah, that's not fun. You have to relax between it all... or you go insane...'

Armin gave a long, contented breath, lazily and absently tangling his fingers into her hair.

{Dianne nips him lightly, then settles her head against his neck, closing her eyes and resting with him.}

Armin smirked slightly, remaining still and quiet for a moment before shifting and nipping her jaw with his fangs.

'What are you doing? Falling asleep on me?'

Dianne: "Mmm...Maybe..."

{She says, opening an eye and smirking.}

Dianne: "Why don't you do something to keep me awake?"

'Didn't realise I was boring you to sleep,' said Armin jokingly. He then shifted his weight, trying to force her down onto her back. As he attempted this, he nuzzled at the side of her neck, running his fangs along it, but not biting.

{Dianne willingly let him get her on her back, chuckling.}

Dianne: "Oh...That's more like it..."

{She leans her head back, holding onto him tightly.}

'You're just lazy,' Armin joked. 'You want me to do all the work.'

He held himself just above her, resting his hands on her sides as he moved down her neck towards her shoulder, nuzzling and kissing.

Dianne: "And is that so wrong?"

{She asks, smiling and tensing.}

Dianne: "I like to think we trade off..."

Armin just looked amused. Aiming to catch her off-guard, he stopped his gentle nuzzling and abruptly bit into her shoulder muscle, with a playful growl.

//Uh, Rex, keep Esme in your room and shut the door, will you? Great, thanks.//

(Lmao, I wonder what Rex thinks about Armin's abrupt requests.)

{Dianne was indeed caught by surprise, jolting slightly at the sharp sting. However, she certainly wasn't put off by it. Slipping her hands under his shirt, she digs her nails into his back.}

(He just rolls his eyes and accepts it
'OK, sure, you're my friend, I guess I have to help you out...')

Armin grunted at the sensation, shifting slightly closer. He fumbled for the zipper in the back of her dress, tugging it down partway before giving up; since she was lying down, it was hard to do.

'You need to wear shirts more often, these things are inconvenient,' he grumbled.

Dianne: "Oh hush. You give up too easily."

{Sitting up momentarily, she directs his hand to the zipper.}

Dianne: "There. I can't take it completely off yet, not while Esme might walk in on us."

Armin tugged the zipper down further, running a hand across her back.

'Actually, Esme is shut in Rex's room, building another block castle.'

Dianne: "Oh...well, guess we don't need to go upstairs then..."

{Dianne lies back down, pulling him against her neck.}

Dianne: "Now, where were we?"

Armin raised his eyebrows with a look of amusement and let her pull him in. //Hmm, always wanted to do this on the couch...//

Making use of the opening in the back of her dress, he slowly scratched his nails along her ribs, while biting into the side of her neck.

'...Heh, I think you just like it when I take the lead...'

Dianne: "Eh, it varies from day to day...Some days, I just want to feel you squirm..."

{She says, low and playfully. Her pulse begins to quicken and she starts to take her nails down his back.}

Armin tensed at her words, his breathing becoming unsteady as he arched his back slightly. Pulling one of his hands free, he forced her head back and started to nip and bite just under her jaw.

{Letting out a quiet groan, she arches her back slightly as well. Tensing greatly, her grip on him tightens, her nails digging into his ribs}

Armin slowly worked his way down towards her shoulder, biting quite hard in a few spots, while one hand absently caressed her lower back.

'...Let me know if I'm being too rough...' he murmured in a pause between bites.

{By this point, her breathing was unstable. She tensed every time he bit her and she was fidgeting a little.}

Dianne: "Mmmm.....No, you're perfect.....Don't stop now..."

'Heh, eager... Just give me a second...'

He paused to take his shirt off, dumping it carelessly on the floor. He then sunk down and resumed playfully biting. His free hand absently trailed up her leg, stopping at the thigh before it went any further.

{When Armin stopped to remove his shirt, Dianne took that moment to unfasten the belt around her waist. Her body tensed up once she felt his hand.}

Armin growled breathlessly, leaving his hand rested on her leg while nuzzling into her neck.

'...How about you take the inconvenient dress off... so I can take this further?'

Dianne: "Ok..."

{Letting go of him, she starts to pull her dress down, as far as she can with someone lying on top of her.}

Armin shifted off of her and sat up momentarily. Blinking, he tugged down the zipper of his jeans and started to take them off.

{Sitting up as well, she slips the dress off, balls it up, and tosses it into the corner. She was breathing heavily, partially from their activity and partially from the anticipation.}

Dianne: "You closed the curtains before we began, yes?"

He glanced at the curtains, relieved to see they were shut even though he hadn't done it himself. 'Yeah, they're closed.'

Turning, he pushed her down onto her back once again, sinking down and nuzzling into her neck.

(I guess we probably ought to skip around here. :') You can write one more if you like, then we will.)

(Alrighty, where do we skip to?)

{Dianne, now without her dress, shivered slightly. Wrapping her arms around Armin, she brings him closer for warmth.}

(Hmm, maybe to evening? I'm not sure if they'll do the ritual before or after dinner, so feel free to skip to wherever you like.)

(Definitely after. XD Can't ward off evil on an empty stomach.)

------------------------
{A few hours after the couple's activities, Dianne was making dinner. She was in the mood for fish, so she was frying some for everybody.}

Armin was on the couch, comfortably slouched back, watching the TV. Despite the knowledge of what they needed to do after dinner, he felt quite content. //This'll be easy. We'll just go over there, with Luxia, do the ritual, then go home and enjoy a well-deserved sleep.//

(Were it so easy. XD)

{Dianne walks into the room with her and Esme's plates.}

Dianne: "Everything's ready, Armin. I made your favorite. Help yourself."

Armin lifted his head keenly, then pulled himself a little more upright. 'That looks great, as always,' he said, gratefully accepting his plate and beginning to dig in. Esme began to eat hungrily as well.

{Smiling, Dianne sits next to Armin and begins to eat, watching the TV out of the corner of her eye.}

Armin ate in contented silence for a while, meticulously cutting up his fish.

'Heh, it's still funny to me that you had to run off and make /prosthetic fingers/ just to pick up a TV remote when you were transformed into me...'

{Dianne eyes him, slightly annoyed.}

Dianne: "Well, I very much like having all of my fingers, thank you very much. The whole experience was frustrating and disorienting, and I don't appreciate being mocked over it."

(Gonna post a new room)