'Persistant little guy,' said Armin, sounding amused. 'Well, you never know. He might show up again. And then you'll probably beat him again... Are there any other people you know who might still be alive?'

Dianne: "Yeah, but he would just ask me to join his assassin guild again. Well, let's see...Old commander Gaffer, if he was serious about becoming a vampire. Although, I doubt he would be happy to see me..."

Armin eyed her with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. 'You can't just spit names at me as if I know them... Who is this guy and why wouldn't he be pleased to see you?'

Dianne: "It's a long story. Do you want the longer or shorter version?"

'Shorter, I guess. I am a bit sleepy. But I'd like to know who he is.'

Dianne: "Ok. About...500 years ago, I was fighting with a group of rebels in this very province. They bailed me out of a tough situation and I decided to stick with them for a while. We became a rather cohesive team. Six of us in total. There was Commander Gaffer, a rough old man. He was human. There was Helga, an orc shield maiden. Real accurate with a longbow. Whiles, our resident thief and lock pick. He was a small, rare species of shifter dragon. A Bat Dragon. Konkur, our old man warlock. And there was Aava, scout, medic and brawler. She was a young elf, very bouncy and animated. She had a very obvious crush on me."
(Continued.)

Dianne: "Well, before they found me, I had a bit of a dispute with a local Duke. He sent soldiers to apprehend and imprison me, so I killed them all and sent their heads back. Poor decision on my part, because they saw the draugr delivering them. The Duke figured out I was a necromancer and hired some elite hunters to kill me. After a month of our adventures, those hunters caught up with me, ambushed us in the night. After a hard fight, we won, but Helga, Whiles, and Konkur were killed. Gaffer found the bounty for me they were carrying and flew off the handle. He tried to kill me, but Aava stepped in front of him and held him back. He called me a filthy necromancer and blamed me for the death of his team. So, I ran. Never saw either of them them again."

(Done)

Armin listened to the whole story with interest, then tilted his head.

'Well, it's a shame the others got killed... I can understand Gaffer being upset, though it wasn't really your fault. And Aava... she defended you? I hope she's still alive out there somewhere.'

Dianne: "Impossible. That was 500 years ago and she was an elf. She'd be long dead by now."

'You thought exactly the same thing about Biceras,' he said slyly. 'And it turns out that she's still alive, and as unpleasant as ever, so there you go...'

Dianne: "Biceras was a fluke. I don't think she got that lucky."

{Getting up, Dianne stretches and starts to change.}

Dianne: "To be honest, I would like to talk to her again. But, she's long gone. She was a good friend..."

Armin, being already changed, remained settled back on the bed.

'Well, I'm glad you had a good friend. Even if it didn't last very long. Also... she had an obvious crush on you?' He grinned mischievously. 'It was /that/ obvious?'

Dianne: "She constantly made passes at me. Flirting, compliments, everything. She wasn't quite like Ivy, however. She wouldn't go too far and when you told her you weren't comfortable, she'd drop it right away."

{Now changed, she lies next to Armin.}

Dianne: "She did similar things to Helga, but she flirted with me much more often."

'She sounds nice. There's nothing wrong with flirting, as long as you understand boundaries and consent - it's people like Ivy who make it look bad.' Armin yawned and shifted slightly. 'So, you were OK with her constantly hitting on you?'

Dianne: "I wasn't at first. I made it abundantly clear that I wasn't interested. She stopped for a little while, then it started coming off as friendly and endearing. More like subtle compliments and emotional support rather than straight flirting. Back then, I was a lot like how I was when you first met me. You know, angry and stressed out. Somehow, her constant banter made me a little...calmer. I guess her friendliness was beginning to rub off on me. "

'That's cute,' said Armin, with a slight smile. 'I'm sure you benefited from having someone like her around. Wait, wasn't she the one who used to give you back rubs as well?' He vaguely recalled hearing her name in a past conversation.

Dianne: "Yeah..."

{She says, rubbing the back of her head.}

Dianne: "She could tell how stressed out I was all the time, so she constantly offered, saying I'd feel calmer. Also, we all slept in a communal tent, so my nightmares constantly woke the two of them up. After a particularly bad one, Helga threatened to pin me down so Aava could give me a sedative. Instead, Aava just offered the back massage. At that point, I figured it couldn't be worse than the nightly night terrors so I agreed. It did help for a little while, nightmares decreased in frequency, but that all went away when I had to run."

'She was persistent, eh? Well, she was right. It did help. And it's sweet that she wanted to help you instead of just getting annoyed about being woken up.'

Dianne: "She was a bit like Pythia, except if Crowley were to mess with her, she'd likely clobber him. Yeah, she just wanted to help people. That's why she was fighting the Gorlian empire as a rebel in the first place. Nasty regime, that one. Very oppressive. They took her people's homes, drove the dragons from their caves for their riches and ores, and enslaved the kingdom that was here before. So, the remnants of these three factions formed their Trident Rebellion. Elves, humans, and dragons, fighting for their homes."

'Sounds kind of fun, fighting as a rebel group... Not that the reason they had to fight for was fun, of course.' Armin gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. 'Being driven from your homes and life sounds horrible, but it's nice to hear there were people willing to stand up to the oppression.'

Dianne: "Knowing you, you would have enjoyed it too much. Those Gorlian soldiers were the quintessential Saturday morning cartoon bad guys. They were a complete joke. All their best soldiers were fighting on the front further north, where the rebels were more based up. The soldiers down here were the fat and content, munching on sweet bread while harassing helpless peasants. Regardless, I still slew them with hatred...In hindsight, maybe that wasn't the best move..."

'They sound like bullies, so... I probably would've killed them too. Or at least had some fun with them. Given them a taste of how it feels to be the ones getting picked on, for a change...'

Dianne: "Yeah, well, they were the Duke's men, and I was angry with the Duke, so I kind of vented my anger on them. Wasn't pretty."

{Letting out a yawn, Dianne rolls over and snuggles into him.}

Dianne: "Hmm...Anything else you want to know, or can we go to sleep?"

'No, that's enough for now... Speaking of back rubs, would you like one? I don't think I've done it in quite a while.'

Dianne: "How could I say no?"

{Rolling over, she rests her head on her arms.}

Dianne: "Go for it. Just make sure you're done talking, 'cause they put me right out."

Armin pushed himself up into a sitting position. 'I'm done for now. As soon as you're asleep, I'm going to sleep too.'

Slipping under the back of her shirt, he started to rub her back slowly and thoroughly, starting at the shoulders and working his way down.

{Armin could feel her muscles relax as he massaged her back. She let out a growling purr as she began to drift off.}

Dianne: "....Thanks..."

Armin hummed to show that he'd heard, smiling slightly. He continued massaging her back, waiting for her to drift off.

{Minutes later, she was comfortably asleep, a smile spread across her face.}

Armin briefly checked on Esme, then quietly settled down with Dianne. He lay half on top of her, resting his head on her back and draping an arm over her. With that, he drifted off as well.

(Skip?)

(Yeah.)

{Around 9am that morning, Dianne's peaceful slumber was disturbed by a nightmare. She began to fidget, clenching her fists and breathing heavily.}

Armin remained asleep at first, then abruptly jolted off her with a sleepy snort.

'Wh... hey.' He cautiously touched her back. 'Wake up. You're just dreaming...'

{She kept squirming for a moment, before waking with a gasp. Blinking and picking herself up slightly, she looks around the room, still taking heavy breaths.}

Dianne: "...Armin?...."

He pushed himself up on one elbow, looking at her with slight concern.

'Yes... you alright?'

Dianne: "Yeah.....Yeah, I think so...."

{Lying back down, she rolls onto her back and rubs her face.}

Dianne: "...Just give me a minute..."

Armin remained where he was, watching her for a few moments before speaking up. 'You want to talk about that at all?'

Dianne: "I don't even know where to begin...it was...chaotic and disorienting...nothing at all like what I usually get..."

'Odd,' said Armin in a puzzled tone. 'I wonder what brought that on. Usually, you do dream about pretty coherent things, at least...'

Dianne: "Yeah...I was running through a dark jungle...I had this distinct feeling that... I was being hunted by something...then I ran into a rock wall with...Illuminated writing in blood. "Help her", in all caps, then it all dissolved away into two glowing yellow eyes. That's when I woke up..."

Armin's brow furrowed with confusion as he tried to interpret some meaning in this, but without avail.

'Weird... 'help her'? Help who? That's very cryptic. Maybe it means nothing, though. Just a random weird dream.'

Dianne: "I don't know. It must have just been a weird dream."

{Reaching up, she tries to wrap her arms around him.}

Dianne: "Just lie with me. It's too early to get up..."

Armin let her put her arms around him, sinking down to lie snuggled against her.

'You really are prone to weird dreams, huh?' he said, comfortably settling his head against her neck.

Dianne: "Seems that way. I wonder why."

{Closing her eyes, she settles back in to sleep.}

Armin let her sleep, while he lay awake for a while afterwards, thinking about various things. Her nightmare. What Rex would do when they got home. Where Jerry's father might be right now.

{Dianne slept for a few hours more, comfortably settled with Armin. She began to stir afterward, not opening her eyes.}

Dianne: "Mmmm...I need to make our travel arrangements today...decommission Titan...and set our stuff to be shipped to us..."

Armin mumbled something indistinguishable in response, followed by 'Boring...' He tightened his grip on her, seeming half-asleep but still alert enough to be somewhat aware of her talking.

{Dianne chuckles in response.}

Dianne: "Boring? Armin, this was going to need to get done eventually."

{Squeezing him slightly, she simply lies with him.}

'Well... that's the boring part of going on vacation... Have some sympathy for me, I'm going to be stuck in a cramped plane seat for the whole trip back...'

Dianne: "Oh, don't be so dramatic. The plane ride will only be a few hours at most. Besides, me and Esme will both be there."

{Kissing him affectionately, she snuggles into him.}

Dianne: "Maybe we'll bring a game..."

'It's gonna suck. I'm too tall for plane seats. It'll be uncomfortable,' Armin whined, still too drowsy to filter what he was saying. 'What kind of game?'

Dianne: "Maybe a word game, or I could buy you a handheld game thing. Or, you could just sleep through the whole thing."

'Mhm... any of those could work... or we could just chat... It's quite nice, talking about stuff with you...'

Dianne: "I agree. Talking with you is rather enjoyable. Heh, I wonder what everyone will think about the stuff we're getting them for Christmas."

'Well, hopefully they're satisfactory, at least. I'm not exactly used to buying presents; I didn't /have/ anyone to give gifts to for a very long time.'

Dianne: "I'm sure they'll love them. I know you'll like what I got you."

{She says, smiling widely.}

Armin woke up a little more, just enough to lift his head and stare down at her.

'Well, you sound sure of that... do I get any hints?' he said playfully.

Dianne: "Nope. You're just going to have to wait."

{She states with a playful grin.}

Dianne: "Christmas is only a month away. Have some patience."

'I can be patient. I'm just curious,' said Armin with a grin. However, he let it drop. 'Whatever you got me, I'm sure it's great.'

He leaned down to kiss her affectionately.

{Dianne returned the kiss, gripping him tightly.}

Dianne: "When we get back...what are we going to do first?"

'Mm... I don't think it would be unreasonable to check on Jerry. See how he's doing. Besides that, I don't know yet. I don't plan.'

Dianne: "Yeah...I want to make sure he's doing ok. Beyond that, let's just see what happens."

{Stroking his hair, Dianne makes no effort to get up.}

Armin let out a soft, contented noise, relaxing drowsily against her. He said nothing, simply lying there and enjoying the touch.

{Dianne simply stays put. It was on of their last days in Alexandria, so she wanted to enjoy it.}

Dianne: //Eh, who cares if we sleep in a little. When Esme gets hungry, she'll probably wake us up then.//

Esme slept in quite late too. Eventually, she awoke, stretching her wings and lifting her head to survey the room.

Armin stirred when he heard her move, but all he did was burrow further into Dianne. He wasn't even particularly sleepy anymore, he just didn't want to get off her.

{Dianne stirred in response to his burrowing. Cracking open her eyes, she looks drowsily around the room.}

Dianne: "Mmm....Wha?...."

'The newt is awake...' Armin murmured.

Esme chose that moment to leap onto their bed, landing heavily on their feet. She was the size of a collie, and was getting stronger and heavier.

{Dianne jolted when Esme landed.}

Dianne: "Oh...She's getting big...Are you hunfry, sweetie?"

Esme gave a growling chirp and nudged the side of Dianne's face, then walked back to her own bed to wait for them.

Armin stretched slightly, still lying down and holding onto Dianne. 'Why can't I wake up in the mornings...'

{Dianne kisses Esme's face before she walks away.}

Dianne: "I don't know. The same thing seems to be afflicting Frederick."

{Dianne then starts patting his back.}

Dianne: "Time to get up."

Armin groaned. Then he hauled himself upright and got off the bed, looking for the rest of his clothes.

'I guess we're going to that breakfast diner?'

Dianne: "Yeah, they're good. Let's go."

{Getting up, she quickly changes then grabs her coat and purse.}

Once Armin was ready, he headed out, letting Esme walk by herself to the car. By the time they were there, he looked to be almost fully awake. Once Dianne and Esme were buckled in, he set off for the diner.

Dianne: "Well, after breakfast, I need to go to city hall to arrange for our belongings to be shipped, then I need to go to the airport to buy our tickets."

'Alright, sounds good. You'll have to direct me to where the city hall and the airport are. And they'd better not lose any of our belongings in transit...'

Dianne: "I'm sure it'll all work out. You'll just have to have faith."

{Watching the streets go by, she continues.}

Dianne: "Got any ideas for what to do after?"

Armin considered for a moment. 'We've been inside the city for nearly a week. Maybe we could go out to the more rural areas, have a fly and stretch our wings? Esme hasn't been able to practice flying lately either.'

Dianne: "That sounds fun. Yeah, let's do that. Be nice to fly."

Armin parked up outside the diner, then went inside and quickly located an empty table for them. Once settled down in his seat, he pulled out his phone and started typing something.

'Better text Mr Paranoid,' he muttered.

{At that, Dianne snickers.}

Dianne: "Reckon he'll actually punch you when you get back?"

'I wouldn't put it past him,' Armin muttered, preoccupied with typing. 'But I don't really care. Considering some of the things we did to each other back in the day, a punch is a pretty soft reaction...'

Dianne: "Well I don't like the sound of that. If you let me go first, I can block his strike."

'There's no need for that. Like I said, it's nothing. I get that he was frustrated about being left in the dark for two days.'

Dianne: "Still, does he really need to physically harm you? You would never hit me in a similar circumstance."

'No, but I doubt it's going to be a serious punch. We're not living in such stressful times as we were in Shacklestone, and he's not drunk all the time. It'll probably be a light 'you idiot' kind of punch. Don't worry about it.'

He eyed the menu but, having read it several times before, already knew what he was ordering.

Dianne: "If you say so."

{Dianne didn't even look at the menu, knowing what she was going to order. When the waitress came by, she ordered pancakes for herself and a sausage omelette for Esme.}

(new room)