Armin started the truck and headed off, leaving the busy shopping district behind. Putting the radio on low, he drove peacefully through the city, keeping his eyes out for any good restaurants or similar.

{Dianne sat quietly with Esme, watching the city go past.}

Dianne: "You know, if you go north, towards the lake, you might find a place that serves fish."

Armin gave a thoughtful, intrigued hum at that, then turned onto another road and started heading towards the lake. 'I won't say no to that possibility. Let me know if you see anything.'

{As they drove, Dianne spotted a restaurant called The Fishing Basket.}

Dianne: "There. That looks promising."

Armin pulled up outside the place and turned off the engine. He was very careful to lock the car once everyone got out, since all their presents were inside.

'Let's go and see what they have.'

He walked into the restaurant, looking around curiously and searching for a table.

{Once inside, the trio was greeted by a waitress.}

Waitress: "Hi there. Table for three? Right this way."

{She leads them to a table by a window.}

Armin followed the waitress to the table, while both he and Esme sniffed around with interest. //Mhm... I can smell fish...//

{The waitress gave them three menus, then walked off.}

Dianne: "I see you sniffing, Armin. Fish enthusiast, aren't you?"

'I grew up on fish. It brings back memories. Pleasant ones, for a change.'

He started looking through one of the menus.

{Dianne's smile softens at that.}

Dianne: "I'm glad. Memories of home and family."

{Looking over the menu briefly, she looks back to Armin.}

Dianne: "You know fish better than I do. What would you recommend?"

Armin hummed in thought.

'That depends... If you want something that's not purely fish, there's fishcakes. I'm getting those, they're good... There's also fish soup, if you like soup. And smoked or grilled mackerel is pretty good too.'

Dianne: "Hmmm.....I'll have the fish cakes, like you. Should we get the same for Esme? That way, I don't have to pull it off the bone for her."

'Yeah, I think that would be good. We don't want her choking on any bones, and she'd made too much mess with soup.'

He looked over the menu a bit more.

'Since this is a nice restaurant, I'm getting some wine too...'

Dianne: "Ooh, make it two, please."

{She asks as the waitress returns.}

Waitress: "Hello, ready to order?"

Armin glanced at the menu. 'We'll have... three orders of the fishcakes, two white wines, and... some apple juice, preferably in a shallow bowl.'

Waitress: "Alright, I'll go get that."

{She walks off to relay their order. Dianne falls silent, petting Esme and looking her over.}

Dianne: "Hey, sweetie. Getting big now, huh?"

Armin glanced at Esme briefly, then leaned back in his seat and gazed out of the window, content to just sit quietly until either Dianne spoke to him, or the food arrived.

{As Dianne was sitting with Esme, she looked up at Armin.}

Dianne: "I guess we'll get Ivy's gift tomorrow, then? Unless you want to go back shopping?"

'No, I don't want to go anywhere near those shops again today. That was getting boring. We'll do it tomorrow, or some other day. I don't have anything for Jerry, either, but maybe I'll just say your present is from both of us...'

{Dianne chuckles at this.}

Dianne: "In that case, I'll buy him more little figures and we'll say it's from us both. If you were bored, then you get to decide what we do tomorrow, ok?"

'I don't mind shopping. It's just that we were in there for hours. I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow... I'll think about it when the time comes.'

Dianne: "Hey, we had a lot to buy, so of course it took a few hours. Alright, but I'm not getting near that lake. Just letting you know now."

'We could go /near/ it. Nothing would happen. I'm not going to push you in,' he said with a hint of amusement. 'But yes, I'm sure we can find something to do.'

Dianne: "I certainly hope not. I can't swim in this form, as you know. You'd effectively be drowning me..."

{As she finished, the waitress came back with their food.}

Waitress: "Enjoy."

Armin thanked the waitress, then started to eagerly dig into his fishcakes. Esme sniffed hers, then took a cautious bite.

'Come on, of course I wouldn't do that. But, couldn't you just shift and swim back up?'

Dianne: "Assuming there's room to do so. I don't like getting wet in cold weather. I don't really like the water in general, to be honest."

{Turning to her fish cakes, she tries one.}

Dianne: "Hmm....Not bad..."

'Fair enough. I don't mind water, personally, but if I sunk like a stone then I probably wouldn't...'

Esme started to eat more enthusiastically after deciding she liked her food, especially the potatoes and green vegetables that it was served with.

{Dianne seemed to like her food as well.}

Dianne: "Yep. I am terrified of the open ocean because of it."

'Huh, really?' Armin pondered this as he savoured his food. 'Well, I guess we won't be going on any boat trips or cruises anytime soon.'

Dianne: "If push comes to shove, I will get on a ship. I just won't get anywhere near the edge. I had to get on a boat to get here from Ferros."

'Too far to fly?' Armin guessed. 'Well, we don't need to go on a ship. I thought it might be fun to someday, but I won't make you get on one.'

Dianne: "Much too far. Maybe we will. You said you wanted to go to Sundusk at some point, so we'd definitely have to get on one for that."

'Yeah, no way we could fly over there. There's a huge span of open ocean.'

After that, Armin subsided into silence, focusing on his meal.

{Dianne fell silent as well, enjoying the meal. After finishing her cakes, she sits back, slowly sipping her wine.}

Armin had finished faster than her, relishing the fact that he could actually taste the fish, unlike most foods. He then settled back comfortably with his wine as well.

'So, we going back to the hotel after this?'

Dianne:"Yeah, I think so. Unless there's something else you'd like to do today?"

'Not really...' Armin rubbed his head. 'Actually, I could use some blood. But let's go back and relax a bit first, then I'll run down to the nearest convenience store. I assume this place sells blood bottles.'

Dianne: "Yeah, I'm pretty sure they do. Alright, we'll get back to the hotel and relax for the rest of the evening."

Finishing his wine a minute later, Armin set the glass down and just waited for Dianne to be ready. Esme stretched across her seat to nibble on his arm, and he started petting her absently.

{Dianne finishes hers soon after. Standing and stretching, she puts the money on the table and picks up Esme.}

Dianne: "Ready?"

Armin stood and led the way out of the restaurant. //Will have to remember where this place was...//

Climbing into the truck, he glanced back at the pile of gifts in the back, then started the engine.

{Dianne gets in, placing Esme on her lap.}

Dianne: "Hey, could I get another back rub tonight? That last one was really relaxing."

'I think that can be arranged.'

Smiling faintly, he pulled out of the parking lot and began to head back. Darkness had fallen by then, due to it being winter.

{Dianne focused her attention on esme for the drive back.}

Dianne: "Hmm...We got a lot to unpack..."

'Get Barnabas to help carry it. He hasn't been useful in a while,' said Armin absently. He parked in their usual spot outside The Canopy and jumped out to open the back doors.

Barnabas: "You're cruisin' for a bruisin', Alscher."

Dianne: "No. I don't know how the authorities might react to a ghoul. He stays hidden."

'Well, that's no help.' He resisted a sigh as he gazed over the pile of bags and boxes. 'Actually, why do we need to take this up to our room at all? Can't we just leave it in the car?'

Dianne: "That's a good point. This truck was made for transporting valuable artifacts. The windows are bulletproof, so it's not like someone could just break in. Alright, we'll leave it here if you want."

Armin grunted in agreement, closing the doors and locking up the truck. Entering the hotel, he walked through the lobby and took the elevator up to their room.

{As soon as they got in, Dianne took off her coat, kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto the bed.}

Dianne: "Let's see what's on tv."

Armin took off his shoes and jacket, tossing them carelessly into the corner before settling on the bed beside her, leaning against the headboard. He grabbed the remote and started to flip through channels.

'Hmm, see anything worth watching? There's mostly the usual... Documentaries and movies...'

Dianne: "Hmmmm....There, that one. Commando Man 2: Rise of the Revenge. That should hold Esme's attention..."

{Smiling up at Armin, she then sits up, leans towards him, and kisses the side of his neck, slowly and repeatedly.}

'Oh, yeah. She seems to be fixated - by this stuff...'

Armin's speech stuttered a little when she started kissing his neck. He left the TV on that movie, putting the remote down and tilting his head slightly to give her easier access.

{Smiling, she wraps her arms around him and starts to playfully nip him. She says nothing, simply working her way down his neck.}

Armin gave a quiet hum of appreciation, lightly digging his fingers into her sides as if to keep her close.

'...Want to move elsewhere?' he murmured affectionately. 'There's the shower...'

Dianne: "Mmmm...Yeah...But, do you want to get your blood before or after?"

'I'll get it afterwards... it's pretty early, so I'll have enough time to hop out and get it before bed...' He clearly just didn't want to postpone what they were currently doing.

Dianne: "Alright."

{Letting go of him, she walks to the bath, eyeing him flirtatiously.}

Armin glanced at Esme, but she was busy watching the action movie. Determining that she wouldn't be concerned by their absence, he quickly followed Dianne to the bathroom. He reached up to turn the shower on, then started to disrobe while he waited for the water to be warm enough.

{Dianne disrobes as well. Stepping into the shower, she runs her hands over herself alluringly.}

Dianne: "Hey there, handsome. Wanna get started?l

Armin grinned, showing his fangs, as he smoothly stepped in after her. 'Handsome... well, you're not wrong...'

He lowered his head and kissed her deeply, running his hands up her sides and over her shoulders.

{Dianne returned the kiss, nudging him towards the wall. She ducked under his jaw and began to kiss and nip him there.}

Armin let her push him back, sinking slightly against the wall. His breathing grew heavier, as he ran his nails down her spine with a light, teasing touch.

{With her breathing becoming uneven, she pins him against the wall, biting him more roughly.}

Armin sucked in a slightly louder breath, tilting his head back further and sinking his nails reflexively into her ribs.

'Heh... are you sure you're not a vampire? You sure bite a lot...' he said jokingly.

Dianne: "Heh...Mating dragons do a lot of biting...This isn't special..."

{Keeping him pinned, She begins to bite up the length of his neck, sinking her teeth into the muscle between his neck and shoulder.}

'Heh...'

Armin shuddered and squirmed slightly, his pulse jumping up a notch.

'So... when does mating season happen? I feel like I should be prepared for that...'

Dianne: "You don't have to worry about that for a while...It's on a five year interval, and the last one was the summer before the war..."

{Working her way to the other side, she does the same thing to the opposite side.}

He gave a half-groan, half-growl, digging his teeth into his lip, muscles tensing.

'Now you're the one focusing solely on my neck. Is that all you can do?' he said teasingly.

Dianne: "Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself...but if you insst..."

{Scraping her nails down his body, she presses herself against him to keep him against the wall. She starts to kiss him on the lips, all the while, her hands were getting dangerously low.}

(We may need to skip fairly soon. XD)

(Hmmm, yes. XD)

Armin's breathing was ragged as he dug his teeth into her lip during the kiss. He then pulled back enough to duck down and bite her neck, taking advantage of their close proximity. The further her hands moved down, the more roughly he drove his fangs into her neck.

{She started to squirm, breathing raggedly and biting her own lip. Regardless, she kept her hands on their current course.}

(I take it we should skip it now. XD)

(Yeh, I will start.)

----

A bit later, when things had settled down and they finished their shower, Armin was relaxing on the bed, enjoying a few minutes of peace before he headed out to look for blood.

{Dianne was lying next to him, smiling sleepily as she watched the tv.}

Dianne: "...Hmmm...I need to push the beds together before I pass out..."

'I'll do it in a minute, when I get up... I still need to go out for blood tonight... or I'll wake up with a godawful headache.'

He rolled over and cuddled up to her, nestling against her side with a contented smile.

{Dianne gently wrapped an arm around him, cuddling up to his chest.}

Dianne: "Then hurry up and go so you can hurry up and come back."

'Mhm... But that requires getting off the bed... And off of you...'

He stated drowsily while nuzzling into the warmth of her neck.

Dianne: "I know...But it'll save you a lot of pain later..."

{She mumbles, tensing slightly.}

Dianne: "Go. I promise, I'll be right here waiting for you...Can't go to sleep without you..."

'Alright...'

With a grunt, he heaved himself off the bed, briefly kissing her cheek as he got up. He then put his shoes back on and collected some money from the nightstand.

'I'll try to be back in ten or fifteen minutes.' He then headed for the exit.

Dianne: "Ok. We'll be here."

Taking the elevator down, Armin made his way out of the hotel. He did not get in the truck, but instead shifted to hawk form and flew down the street, keeping low, looking for a convenience store that wasn't too far from the hotel.

{Right on the corner, one block down west, was a small convenience store called Mino-Mart. It had a cartoon Minotaur as a mascot, along with bright advertisements of various in store brands}

(Posting new room)