Armin eyed her with a look of concern, before he had to turn back to the road. A few minutes later, they were parking up outside their house.

'Come on, let's go and get some sleep,' he said softly, jumping out of the truck into the cold night.

{Dianne gets out and shuffles inside, still clinging to the box and pebble. She walks up the stairs, ignoring everyone else, but heads for the storage room first. She places the box onto the altar, kisses the snout of the statue, then wordlessly heads to the bedroom.}

Armin was pretty sure, by that point, what the bone arm in the box was. //The only thing I don't know is what that pebble is.// However, he didn't ask any questions. He just quietly followed her into the bedroom, changed into his sleepwear, and climbed into the bed. Esme was already asleep there.

{Dianne placed the pebble on the nightstand, changed in the bedroom, and crawled into bed. Snuggling up to Armin, Dianne Held him tightly and buried her face in his chest, quietly crying as she lay there.}

Armin wrapped his arms around her, holding her securely against himself. He said nothing, but quietly rubbed her back in an effort to soothe her.

{After a while, her sobbing subsided as she drifted off to sleep. She lay motionless against him, her breathing deep and slow.}

(Skip?)

(Yeah. Do you want to start, or shall I?)

(You go. She'll be waking up late.)

----

When morning came, Armin stirred from an odd dream in which his father had been scolding him for taking one of the ponies out on a nighttime ride without permission. After waking up, he checked on Dianne, then glanced at the pebble on the nightstand. //I'm gonna have to ask about that later...//

He closed his eyes, content to doze until Dianne woke up. He wanted to make sure she was alright after yesterday.

{Later that morning, Dianne begins to stir from her peaceful slumber. She began to grip Armin painfully, muttering words in Ferrosian and making a grimaced expression.}

Armin opened his eyes with a jolt, wincing at her tight grip. However, he continued to hold her gently, trying to rouse her. 'Hey, hey, it's alright. Wake up. I'm here.'

{Struggling and waking, she picks herself up, looking around the room frantically.}

Dianne: "Damn it, not again! Not.....what? Where....."

{Realizing that she had been dreaming, she makes a pained expression and lies back down.}

Dianne: "....Sorry I woke you..."

'It's alright,' said Armin nonchalantly. 'It's not that early.' He wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her in comfortably. 'You want to talk about whatever that was?'

Dianne: "...More of the same....Me fighting Ogden to save Mira...and me failing....again...and again....hearing her voice, begging me to help her..."

{Shuddering, she burrows into his embrace, lying still.}

Armin paused momentarily, a little worried to hear a return of that old nightmare, but he didn't voice his concern. He just kept holding her, surrounding her with his arms and speaking in a low, soothing murmur.

'You didn't fail. You did the best you could have.'

Dianne: "Thank you, Armin....You're the best partner I've had...."

{Deep down, she was feeling very depressed. The events of last night had reminded her of so much pain and sorrow. She didn't even want to get up today.}

Armin gave a soft chuckle. 'Thank you.'

Despite his light tone, he could tell that her mood was off. He snuggled against her, moving one hand up to stroke her back, contemplating what to say.

{Dianne remained still, focusing on the backrub.}

Dianne: "...They say scars fade with time....mine don't...I still remember, so clearly....I can still hear her....."

'I don't think that's true,' said Armin contemplatively. 'Scars don't actually fade. You just learn to deal with them better. That's why you don't have nightmares all the time anymore. But nobody just /forgets/ the bad things.'

Dianne: "...It still causes me pain...to remember that night...It haunts me..."

'You just have to remember that it wasn't your fault, and nothing can be done to change it. That's all you can ever do.' He didn't know what else to add, so he subsided into a solemn silence.

{Dianne snuggles into him, seeking affection and solace.}

Dianne: "Hold me...rub my back, please...help me forget..."

Armin shifted slightly to get more comfortable, then pulled her in as close as he could, sliding one hand under her shirt to rub her back.

'Love you,' he murmured. 'Always.'

Dianne: "I love you too..."

{Breathing a deep sigh, she settles in with him, just focusing on the back rub.}

Armin subsided into silence. As he rubbed her back, his eyes travelled to the nightstand with the pebble on it, and he almost sighed. He was too curious to keep ignoring it.

'So... what's the deal with that little rock? There must be something significant about it...'

Dianne: "...I honestly have no idea... I think it's Esme's consolation gift..."

'Oh. How nice of it,' Armin muttered. He fell silent again, closing his eyes and snuggling against her, keeping up the backrub.

{Dianne felt at ease in Armin's arms, even if she was still reeling from her memories. She fell still, beginning to drift off again.}

A short while after Dianne drifted off, Esme awoke, quietly looking the pair over.

//Go downstairs, Rex can feed you,// said Armin, not wanting to get up. Esme surveyed him for a moment before jumping off the bed and walking away. Armin snuggled into Dianne, letting out a contented breath. He didn't plan on moving anytime soon.

{Dianne was asleep at this point, comfortably snuggled against Armin. She awoke about an hour later, lifting her head and looking about groggily.}

Dianne: "I ought to feed Esme now...."

Armin stirred from a partial doze, reflexively tightening his grip. '...No... I asked Rex to give her something... She woke up ages ago...'

Dianne: "Oh...good...."

{She lies back down with Armin, laying her head on his chest.}

Dianne: "...I feel sad today...I don't feel like getting up...but I know I should..."

'I know the feeling.' He kept his arms wrapped around her, looking pensive as he settled back comfortably. 'Anything you think might help you feel better?'

Dianne: "...I don't know....I think I just need a nice quiet day with my family...and pancakes...But for now..."

{She repositions to nuzzle his neck.}

Dianne: "...Just stay here with me, and tell me I'm doing a good job..."

Armin tensed a little, momentarily holding her tighter.

'I'm not going anywhere... Doing a good job? In what, specifically?' he asked.

Dianne: "...That I'm being a good mother to Esme....a good person for going this long without killing anyone...a good friend to our comrades...and a good partner to you...I've made so many mistakes...."

'Of course you're doing a good job. Esme loves you. You'd help out your friends whenever they need it. The fact that you can be one of the sweetest people I know, after having such a long, hard life, is pretty impressive to me. HeII, you even agreed not to murder Luxia when I asked you to.'

He nuzzled her head affectionately.

'And I'm lucky as heII to get a partner as good as you. Considering what I've done, and what I was involved with.'

{Dianne smiles at that, tearing up a little.}

Dianne: "Thank you...I've never been happier than I am with all of you...I wouldn't want to be anywhere else...."

'I hope not. If you ever decide that you don't want to stay with me, that's going to really ruin my day.'

Dianne: "Armin..."

{She kisses his face, then looks him in the eyes.}

Dianne: "I'm not going anywhere. I love you.}

Armin's mouth twitched into a faint smile as he met her gaze. 'Well... good. I don't want to lose anyone else. Especially none of the people living here right now.'

He pulled her into a gentle, loving kiss, tightening his embrace.

{Dianne returns the kiss, then sets her head between his neck and shoulder.}

Dianne: "You won't. We're going to be fine."

'Well, hopefully.'

Armin yawned, closing his eyes. Despite the lateness of the morning, he wasn't in any rush to get up, and not feeling hunger helped with that.

{Unfortunately for Armin, Dianne was still a ravenous hypercarnivore.}

Dianne: "...I'm hungry now...I guess I should go eat something..."

'Mhm... sure...' Armin muttered drowsily. 'Eating is for the weak...'

He rolled over so that he was on top of her, exhaling and nuzzling into her neck. He knew that she would still get up, but figured he'd drag this out for as long as he feasibly could.

{Dianne looked surprised by his gesture, tensing a little when he nuzzles her.}

Dianne: "Oh, come now, you know you can't keep me here."

'Pretty sure I can... Especially since I don't think you even want to get up...' He continued to nuzzle at her affectionately, eyes closed.

Dianne: "Well, if you won't let me eat, then I'll just have to snack on you."

{She then bites his neck playfully, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly.}

Armin let out a small yelp of surprise, then his body tensed in her grasp.

'Heh, I guess that's the danger of having a dragon for a partner...'

{Dianne tightens her grip, growling playfully, and forcing Armin onto his back.}

Dianne: "Yup, that's the occupational hazard."

{She then starts biting and nipping the length of his neck.}

Armin snickered when she forced him over, then tensed even more, willingly leaning his head back to expose his neck.

'...Well... can't say I mind...'

Dianne: "If I didn't know any better...I'd say you enjoy the dragon's rougher brand of affection..."

{Slipping her hands under his shirt, she splays her hands across his chest, sitting up and holding him down as she continued to nip and bite him.}

'I think it's obvious by now that I enjoy 'rougher'... Or I wouldn't let you get away with any of this...'

He spoke with quiet amusement, his pulse picking up a little as he felt her hands across his chest.

Dianne: "Mmm, yeah?..."

{She asks, her own pulse quickening.}

Dianne: "I don't think you could have stopped me from getting away with this either way...you can't even hold me down..."

{She then bites him between his shoulder and neck, rather roughly, slightly digging her fingers into him.}

Armin slightly arched his spine as she bit him, reaching up to dig his fingers into her sides. He was clearly enjoying it, his breathing starting to become quick and ragged as he lay there.

'...That's fine... I don't mind being overpowered by you...'

{Dianne then works her way up his neck, on to the other side, then biting the same area on the opposite side. Feeling his fingers, she tended a bit, before grabbing his arms by the wrists and forcing them above his head. With one hand, she holds him down, and with the other, she caresses him beneath his shirt, all the while still biting his neck.}

Armin gave a sharp inhale of surprise when she pinned his arms, which trailed into a quiet whimper. He was squirming underneath her at that point, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

Dianne: "There's the reaction I've been looking for..."

{She says, growling playfully and grinning smugly.}

Dianne: "I suppose I should move things along..."

(A'ight, I think that's a good place to skip. XD Leave one last comment or skip now, your call.)

Armin gave her a rather wild, desperate look. 'Yes, please... stop looking so smug and get on with it, dammit.'

(Alright, we'll skip. Who starts?)

(I'll go.)

{Later that afternoon, Dianne was eating her breakfast. She seemed to be feeling much better after their activity.}

Dianne: "I hope Luxia is doing ok today. The Aspect seemed to have brought up a rather tragic past with her."

Armin was settled back lazily on the couch, wearing his blue sweater and some old, faded jeans.

'Really? You care about her being OK, when you wanted to slaughter her a few days ago?' he said, eyeing her sideways with amusement.

Dianne: "That was before I knew that the loss of her niece drove her mad. Just like losing my own baby made me nuts...we're lucky she ended up as a crazy old coot and not a vengeful conqueror.."

'Oh, yeah... That was unexpected. I thought she was just senile, like old people sometimes are, not that anything might have caused it... And that's a pretty sad way to lose someone, if I understood what happened correctly. Watching them lose their intelligence and slowly wither away.'

Dianne: "That sounds terrible. I don't blame Luxia in the slightest for going mad. To have to watch as your loved one dies in such an unbecoming state...I would have slaughtered everyone involved...They mentioned Blackthorn Academy, that magic school across the sea. Armin, if we ever have a child that's magically gifted, remind me to never send them there."

Armin smiled, with a hint of sadness. 'I'll make sure to remember that. They obviously don't pay enough attention to their students, if someone was able to do that to Luxia's niece. If we have a kid who uses magic, they can just learn off the internet or something.'

Dianne: "Anything I can't teach them, I'll hire a private tutor. But, I don't trust that institution to keep them safe."

{She then stands to put her plate away.}

Dianne: "This is all theoretical, of course. I don't know if we will get another."

'Of course.' Armin waited until she came back before continuing. 'I mean, we're both immortal. And Esme is going to grow up and be an adult eventually. So it's not beyond the realm of possibility that we could have another, someday.'

Dianne: "I realize that. We'll just have to wait and see what the future holds."

{Sitting back down, she looks about the room.}

Dianne: "Where's Esme? I want to see something..."

Armin looked around, not seeing the young dragon. 'Hey, Esme!' he called. Moments later, she emerged from the hallway and padded over to them, with an inquisitive expression.

{Reaching into her dress pocket, Dianne produces the pebble the Aspect gave to her.}

Dianne: "Here, Esme. What do you think?"

Esme eagerly came forwards, nudging the smooth pebble with her snout and sniffing it.

'I think she likes it...' Armin observed. At the moment, Esme reached up with her front paw and grabbed the stone from Dianne's grasp.

{Dianne smiles at this.}

Dianne: "Good. Now, I wonder where she keeps her hoard."

'I hadn't thought about that.'

After claiming the pebble, Esme scurried off towards the hallway again. Armin decided to get up and follow her, to see where she was taking it.

{Out of curiosity, Dianne followed as well.}

Dianne: "Where does she keep them all?"

Esme happily led them all the way upstairs, and into the storeroom. There, it was revealed that she was keeping her 'hoard' right behind the altar of Mira. Along with the new pebble from the Aspect, there was also the stone she'd picked up while travelling, and three others that she must have found somewhere.

{Dianne looks at the hoard, surprised.}

Dianne: "...Huh...never would have expected it to be here. I thought it was going to be under our bed or something."

{Sitting next to the pile, Dianne picks up one of the stones to inspect it.}

Esme pressed her ears back and growled defensively when Dianne touched her stone.

As Dianne sat down, Armin glanced at the new box sitting on the altar. Knowing what was inside it, his expression turned solemn. However, he didn't draw attention to it, turning to look over Esme's hoard instead. 'She's building quite the collection.'

{Dianne gives Esme a harsh look.}

Dianne: "Hey! Don't you growl at me. I just want to admire your collection."

Esme whined and shuffled from foot to foot. She didn't like other people touching her hoard. However, she reluctantly stayed put.

{Dianne inspected the pebbles, before placing them back in a neat pile.}

Dianne: "I could understand your behavior, Esme, if I were a stanger or another baby dragon, but I'm your mom. I would never steal, scatter, or otherwise destroy your hoard."

Esme didn't reply, as expected, but she seemed to ease slightly, her ears returning to their normal position.

'She'll probably add to that whenever she can pick up rocks,' Armin remarked. 'They'll be a ton of them in here eventually.'

Dianne: "I don't mind. Hoarding behavior is quite normal for dragons. I can't tell you how many times my stash was robbed by thieving racoons. Little bandit bastards...I'm just happy Esme won't have to deal with that."

{She then pets Esme behind the ears.}

Esme squeaked, then lay down to play with the pebbles.

'What did you have a hoard of when you were little? You can't have had actual treasure, surely?' said Armin.

Dianne: "Most of it was just shiny rocks and bits of metal from adventurers who perished in the Scar. Every now and then I'd find some small gold nuggets. But yeah, mostly pretty rocks."

'Aww.' Armin then grinned mischievously. 'And now, you have a literal mountain of gold and artifacts bigger than any sane person needs.'

{Dianne returns the smile.}

Dianne: "That's right. And it's aaaalllll mine. Those raccoons can eat their heart out. You know, if it was public knowledge how much loot I had, I would have suitors, archeologists, businessmen, conmen, gold diggers, and thieves all up in my business all the time. I'm so glad no one actually knows."

/'I/ know,' said Armin slyly. 'But I'm not interested in your hoard. And I might not understand why you want all of that junk, but I'm not the dragon here.'

Dianne: "Junk?!"

{She says, slightly offended.}

Dianne: "My hoard consists of treasure, art, and culture that would make kings green with envy. I'd hardly dismiss it as "Junk"! Also,....it's shiny and pretty."

'Well, sure, there's culture. I bet Billingsly would love it. But I'm just not as interested in history. Anyway, it consists of slabs of armour, strange artifacts, and money that's never going to be spent by anyone again.'

Dianne: "It doesn't matter if you don't get it, so long as I get to have it."

{She states with a tone of finality.}

Dianne: "You know, you don't see me ragging on you for your hobbies..."

(posting new room)