Armin eyed the displays, then picked up Esme and put her on his shoulders, making sure she didn't try to touch anything.

'A poisoned weapon? Not really my style. What are some of the other things?'

Shopkeep: "Not your style, is it? Then how about this?"

{She directs their attention to a long sword with runes carved into the length of the blade.}

Shopkeep: "This here is the Galebreaker. If you swing it just right, it produces a cutting gale."

Dianne: "So, it projects strikes?"

Shopkeep: "Essentially, yes."

'Now /that/ sounds more like something I'd want,' said Armin, looking at the longsword with greater interest. 'I could use a projectile weapon that's not a gun. What's the maximum range of the wind strikes?'

Shopkeep: "Hmm, y'know, I'm not sure...The harder you swing it, the further it goes. At least fifteen meters."

Dianne: "And what is the price?"

Shopkeep: "That one's 10K. On sale from thirty."

Armin grimaced uncertainly at that. 'I'm not sure if I'm willing to drop ten thousand on a sword. Call me an overcautious spender, but...'

Dianne: "Hey, enchantments aren't cheap."

Shopkeep: "Well, keep it in mind. You can never pay too much for assurance."

{Dianne walks over to a different display case. Inside was a dagger, glowing faintly orange.}

Shopkeep: "Ah, the Molten Tear. Becomes a flaming talon when swung. Shreds armor."

'That would be useful,' said Armin. 'If I were a dagger user, that is.'

He glanced around at all the weapons, thinking that all of them would probably be too expensive for him to justify buying.

{Dianne walks over to Armin, taking him aside and whispering into his ear.}

Dianne: "Would you like the sword? It is a nice weapon."

'Well... yes... but it's too expensive to justify getting.'

Dianne: "Pssshh, please. I can afford it. If you decide you want it, I'll get it for you. Consider it an early chr present."

'You know even your money's not going to last forever, right?' said Armin. He looked back at the sword. 'OK, yes, I want it. But I don't want to have to get a day job because we blew all of our savings.'

Dianne: "Babe, relax. We still have plenty. You haven't even seen my hoard back in Ferros. It literally dwarfs what we brought back from the crypt."

'Well, alright... if you're sure. I'd appreciate it.'

It still felt strange to be able to drop so much money on one thing, but maybe he'd get used to it eventually.

Dianne: "We'll take the Galebreaker."

Shopkeep: "Splendid, simply splendid! Let me ring you up."

{The shopkeeper takes the sword out of the case, then leads them to a table in the front with a cash register. Dianne proceeds to write a check and hand it to the shopkeep.}

Shopkeep: "Pleasure doing business! Have a wonderful day!"

With the sword paid for, Armin gingerly picked it up and tested the feel of it. //Better not try using it until we're somewhere with no people around... That could be a nasty accident...//

{Dianne walked with Armin, looking about.}

Dianne: "Let's look around a little more, then head to the lake."

'Wait a second, I just want to put this in the car. I already have my other sword with me, and this is a bit unwieldy to carry around for no reason...'

He turned and went back to the truck, unlocking it and carefully placing the Galebreaker in the back. He then returned to Dianne.

'Alright, let's keep looking.'

Dianne: "Barnabas , stay with the car. I don't want some punk making off with a ten thousand squall sword..."

{With that, she continues on her way. Walking along, she peruses the selection, stopping at one that sold primarily jewelry.}

Dianne: "Hmm...Any idea if Ivy is into jewelry?"

'Probably. I've seen her wearing bits of jewellery every now and again, and she obviously likes expensive crap,' said Armin. 'Why? Are you going to get her something?'

Dianne: "I'm considering it. You know she'll have a cat if we leave her out but get everyone else something... unfortunately, I have no idea what she likes..."

'She seems to like green stuff,' said Armin, contemplating. 'She's always wearing something green. Probably because it matches her eyes, or something. Maybe there's a necklace with emeralds?'

Dianne: "You know, that not a bad idea."

{Walking over to a far table, she looks into a glass case, finding a silver necklace adorned with emeralds and green jade.}

Dianne: "Reckon she'd like this one?"

Armin ran his gaze over the necklace.

'I'd say that looks like something she'd like. Not that I'm an expert on what Ivy likes. Just don't get anything /ridiculously/ expensive. She's not worth it.'

{Dianne squints at the price tag.}

Dianne: "250. Hmmm...not too bad...But if I get her this, that's all she's getting from me."

'250 means she's probably getting the most expensive present out of any of us,' said Armin dryly. 'I'm not getting her anything else. It can be from both of us.'

Dianne: "Alright. If you think this is good, let's get it for her."

{Calling over the Shopkeep, Dianne obtains the necklace and pays for it.}

Dianne: "Alright, I think that's the last of the Christmas gifts...Should we go to the lake now?"

'Yep, let's go,' said Armin. He started to head back the way they'd come. //Well, I guess that wasn't as boring as I thought it would be.// 'Are you sure you're alright with going on the lake?'

Dianne: "Yeah, yeah...I'll just stay in the center of the boat...with a life jacket...ready to shift at a moment's notice..."

'Calm down, you'll be fine,' said Armin, torn between slight amusement and concern. 'You're not going to just fall off the boat. I'll ask them for a bigger boat if I can. Would that be more comfortable?'

Dianne: "Yeah, I think so...less of a chance of falling off."

{She still seemed a little nervous, but was going to go through with it anyway.}

Armin glanced at her dubiously, but didn't say anything else. Once they arrived back at the truck, he climbed in, handing Esme over to Dianne.

'OK, we're going to the lake. This'll be fun. I haven't fished properly in decades...'

{Dianne sat and buckled in, accepting Esme.}

Dianne: "Yeah, it'll be fun..."

{She says a little distractedly, looking at the necklace she bought.}

Armin set off without further ado. He was keen to get there before it started getting dark. He drove quietly, and after a while, the lakeside came into view. He found a spot to park and began climbing out.

'Alright, follow me. I think I know where to go.'

Dianne: "Ok, let's go."

{Hoisting Esme onto her shoulder, Dianne follows Armin.}

At the edge of the lake was a building where people could hire fishing equipment. The walls were painted with colourful fish and waves, and the door handle was styled to look like a ship's wheel.

Armin stepped through the door. Inside, there were fishing rods and hooks displayed on the walls, and a tiny souvenir shop to one side.

'Can I get... a three-person boat for one hour, and three rods?' he asked the vampire behind the counter.

'Yes, that'll be 35 squalls. Would you like a driver or do you want to take out the boat yourself?'

'We'll have a driver.'

'OK, that'll be an additional 10 squalls.'

Dianne: "Wait, three rods? Esme can't hold a rod, can she?"

'True, I guess. I was just thinking of three people. OK, make that two rods.'

'And that comes to a total of 40 squalls,' said the vampire.

Armin paid her. She then dug some equipment out from behind the counter. Two simple fishing rods, and three orange life jackets. One of them was small and obviously meant to fit over a dragon's wings and forelegs.

'Put these on, then I'll show you the boat.'

{Dianne first helped Esme put hers on before putting on her own.}

Dianne: "Very well, which way?"

Armin reluctantly took his jacket off and put the life jacket on instead.

'This way,' said the vampire. She led them out back, to the edge of the lake. There, they saw many boats in various shapes and sizes, some already drifting around the lake, others moored at the dock. Armin and Dianne were directed to one of the larger motor boats. It was painted white and gold with the name 'The Angel Archer'.

The boat was manned by a tall green dragonman wearing a captain hat. 'Out for a ride, are you?' he said gruffly. 'I'm Kelp. Climb aboard.'

Armin confidently stepped onto the boat with the rods first.

{Dianne was a bit more hesitannt. Keeping a good grip on Esme, she walked aboard the boat, eyeing thre water.}

Dianne: "Hello, Kelp. It's nice to meet you."

'Dianne and Armin Alscher, ain't it?' said Kelp. 'Welcome aboard. An' don't look so nervous. In fifteen years of taking people out, I've only had three fall in the lake.'

He grinned toothily. Armin took a seat in the middle, watching the water lapping the sides of the boat as it swayed gently.

{Dianne sits next to Armin, keeping Esme's tail wrapped around her hand.}

Dianne: "How did you know our names, Kelp?"

Esme craned her neck to watch the waves, seeming fascinated by the way the water moved.

'Pre'y sure most everyone knows about you,' replied Kelp. 'You were all over the news a couple days ago.'

He started the motor. Chugging merrily, the boat moved off across the lake, searching for a quiet spot to fish.

Dianne: "Figures..."

{She mumbles under her breath.}

Dianne: "So, what kind of fish can we expect to catch out here? Something more exciting than Mudrakers I hope."

'Well, there's the boring stuff like mudrakers, carp, trout and pike. I reckon there's a few koi in here too. If you're lucky, you might catch Dragon Jewel Fish or Jetriders. They're the magical species.'

'I've never seen either of those,' Armin mused.

Dianne: "I've never heard of those. What makes them so magical?"

'Dragon Jewel Fish can use a form of light magic. They make their scales flash really bright to scare off predators,' said Kelp. 'An' Jetriders manipulate the water currents around them, allowing them to move really fast, or push other fish away. I think they're the only freshwater fish in the Northern Provinces with voluntary magic.'

Dianne: "Well how about that. There's a /fish/ that can 1v1 me."

{She says, somewhat amused.}

Dianne: Who knows, maybe we'll catch one."

'Since we don't need to eat the fish, we'll just catch and release them,' said Armin. 'We'll see how many we can get within an hour.'

Just then, Kelp stopped the boat near a patch of reeds. 'Try around here. Might be somethin'. You guys ever used a rod before?'

Dianne: "No, but how hard can it be?"

'It's easy,' Armin affirmed. He cast his rod, then reeled it back in, demonstrating how the reeling mechanism worked. He then stuck a piece of bait onto the hook and cast it back again. 'Just reel it in when you think you feel something.'

{Dianne watched attentively, the mimicked his actions.}

Dianne: "Like this? Yeah, totally simple..."

{Her bobber landed in the middle of the reeds. She then began to wait to see if she'd get a bite.}

Armin had cast his rod off the opposite side of the boat, towards clearer water. He seemed content to sit and wait however long it took for something to bite.

'So, you guys all OK after what happened?' said Kelp. He was sitting up by the helm, watching the other boats. 'Never expected hunters to show up here...'

Dianne: "Yeah, we're no worse for wear. Hunters have a long history of coming after me. Wasn't a problem before, but now... I actually have something to lose."

{She says, glancing at Armin and Esme.}

'Arh, I get that. It's scarier when you have something t' worry about besides yourself.'

At that moment, something from the reeds snatched the bait on Dianne's hook, giving it a slight tug. She wouldn't see it unless she pulled it up, but it was, in fact, a mudraker.

Dianne: "Oh, I got something."

{Standing up, she reels in the fish, watching it flail about on the end of her line.}

Dianne: "Huh...Mudraker...Eh, it's something."

'Well, they're useful, at least,' said Armin, looking over his shoulder to eye the fish with a hint of amusement. 'We needed those to make Pythia's medicinal crap. Hey, Kelp, can you move to a different spot?'

Dianne: "Yeah, but the goomboogly fruit was the worst component...Ok, yeah, let's try a different spot."

Kelp took the boat further out across the cold grey lake, veering around anyone who got in the way.

Armin pulled his rod out of the water. 'You unhooked the fish?' he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Dianne: "Yeah, I threw the little sucker out. He's back in there."

'Good.'

As Kelp continued searching for another suitable place, Armin spoke up in a slightly surprised tone.

'Hey, you didn't even buy anything for yourself at that market. You just bought stuff for me and Ivy. I thought you were going to buy more old junk to put in my house.'

Dianne: "I didn't see anything I liked. If my things are junk, then your stuff is tasteless garbage. Country style furniture? Mid century impressionists hanging on the walls? What are we, country bumpkins?"

{She spoke in an amused tone, clearly intending to be poking fun at his interior decoration sense.}

Armin chuckled. 'Well, how would /you/ prefer to do the interior decorating? If you had it your way, we'd probably be living in a scrap heap of rusty armour and weapons, and sleeping on piles of gold,' he said teasingly.

Dianne: "Pssshh, my hoard is not rusty. If we had it my way, our house would look like a magnicent palace."

'I'm sure,' said Armin with amusement.

Kelp stopped his boat in a clearer spot of the lake, away from reeds and other boats. Armin tossed his line into the water. Esme was alternating between watching them fish, and trying to inconspicuously edge closer to the side of the boat.

Dianne: "Esme, here!"

{She calls out to her, casting her line into the water. She didn't want her anywhere near the edge.}

Esme whined in response, pressing her ears back. However, she decided against arguing and settled back in the middle of the boat.

Soon after casting his line, Armin felt a sharp tug and reeled it in, revealing a sleek fish that was black on top with a paler, white-striped underside.

'Oh, hey, that's a Jetrider,' said Kelp. 'Pretty small one. Not too shabby, though.'

{Dianne stands to look at his catch.}

Dianne: "Hey, that's pretty cool. Huh, it was quick to bite."

'Must've been hungry.' Armin inspected the little fish for a moment, then carefully unstuck it from the hook and threw it back in. As soon as it touched the lake, the water around it swirled unnaturally and formed a fast current that propelled it out of sight. 'Aww. There he goes.'

Dianne: "You should have taken a picture. It was a nice fish."

{Sitting back down, she returns her attention to her line.}

'We only just started. I might get another one.'

This part of the lake seemed to be quite thickly populated. A moment later, something bit Dianne's line. It felt stronger and heavier than the mudraker, like it was trying to drag the whole rod under.

Dianne: "Huh....Fiesty today, aren't they?"

{Standing and planting her feet, she begins to pull the fish to the surface through brute strength.}

When the fish came up, it was large and rather beautiful. Its glossy scales were coloured in patches of gold, cream, black and white. It had bright blue eyes and small whiskers. A faint light seemed to be emanating from beneath its skin. This was actually light magic, so it might burn if she touched it directly.

'Oooh,' said Kelp. 'That's a Dragon Jewel, that is.'

Dianne: "Is it? It's pretty."

{Despite liking the way it looked, she shied away from it, not wanting to be hit by one of its aforementioned light bursts.}

Dianne: "Quick, take my picture."

Armin dug his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture of her with the fish, Esme looking on curiously in the background.

As the Dragon Jewel Fish got agitated, its scales started to glow brighter as if light magic were rising up to the surface.

'Alright, let go of that thing...' said Armin warily.

Dianne: "Yup..."

{Dianne quickly removed the hook, grimacing as touching the thing elicited a sizzling sound. She then chucked it back into the water, waving her hand as if she touched a hot stove.}

Dianne: "Ow, ow, ow..."

Armin turned in his seat to eye her, his gaze flickering towards her hand. 'You good?'

Once the Dragon Jewel was gone, Kelp started up the motor again and headed off to a different spot, hoping to avoid them running into more of those fish.

Dianne: "Yeah, I'm alright. Just hurt to touch is all."

{As the boat got moving again, Dianne sat back down.}

Dianne: "I think I caught the biggest fish so far."

'Maybe now, but we'll see if that changes before we're done.'

Armin grinned playfully, showing his fangs, then threw his line into the water as Kelp halted again.

'I'm the fish person here, after all. I grew up on fish, you grew up on snails.'

{Dianne just smirked, throwing her line into the water.}

Dianne: "Did you even catch the fish, or did your parents?"

'I learned how to catch them when I was... seven, I think,' said Armin. 'It was my mother and I who did most of the fishing. My dad dealt with other meat, and crops, on his farm.'

Dianne: "Wow, that's a young age to be fishing at. What's the biggest thing you've ever caught?"

'I caught a huge carp once,' said Armin. 'When I was thirteen. It was nearly as long as me. I think there's an old photograph of me holding it, but gods know where that is now...'

Dianne: "I'd like to see that. Where might it be?"

'No idea,' said Armin. 'My parents had it. Maybe Fred has it now, or maybe it's just been lost in time. Shame, really. We didn't take pictures often back then.'

Dianne: "I wish cameras existed in my time...I wish I could have taken a photo of Mira, just so I could see her when she was happy..."

{Blinking a little, Dianne falls into contemplative silence.}

'That would have been nice. It'd have liked to see her, too,' said Armin gently. 'But you've still got your memories, and you've got your carving of her. That's better than nothing.'

He absentmindedly reeled in a small mudraker, tossing it back in after a cursory examination.

Dianne: "True. I do have things to remember her by. Her altar, her locket..."

{She continues to distantly stare across the water, reminiscing of times long past.}

'...What did she look like?' Armin asked, after letting her reminicise for a bit. 'I'm guessing, from that carving, that she looked a lot like you.'

Kelp was staying quiet, gazing across the lake. He was trying not to eavesdrop, but couldn't really help listening.

Dianne: "Heh, she did. She basically looked like a tiny version of me. No stripes, though. Just a solid grey. She was innocent, adorable....inquisitive...Not too unlike Esme."

'She sounds sweet. Maybe those two would have gotten along - in a strange parallel universe situation where they could have met.'

Dianne: "Yes...yes I think they would have...I think Esme would have liked her...I think you would have gotten along with her as well."

'Probably. She sounds like a nice kid.'

Something bit Armin's line again, but he was too distracted to reel it back, and the fish escaped. He blinked, and stuck some more bait onto the hook.

{Dianne falls silent now, focusing on her line. She casts a glance at Esme as she sits, smiling at her fondly.}

(posting new room)