Dianne: "That sounds lovely. Let's do it."

{Dianne cooked omlettes for herself and Esme, bringing them both into the living room.}

Dianne: "Here, Esme."

Esme started to devour her food. Rex was noticeably absent, having gone to work earlier that morning.

Armin made himself some hot chocolate and settled down on the couch. 'Wonder how Ivy and Jerry are doing? I hope he didn't get drunk on her.'

Dianne: "Yeah...He worries me. I've never seen him act like this. I did promise Ivy that I'd make it up to her if she watched him...hope I don't regret that..."

'Well, Ivy seems to respect him - at least a little - so she'd probably watch him either way. She wouldn't want anything to happen to him. At least, I think so.'

Dianne: "We shall see. I hope she keeps a close eye on him. If she lets him do something stupid, I swear..."

'We'll have to see how things go in the long run. Ivy can't be expected to stay there and guard him forever. He's going to have to sort himself out soon enough.'

Dianne: "I'm sure he will. He's always been the 'strong and silent' type. I'm sure he'll get himself together soon."

{Once she was almost finished eating, her phone rang.}

Dianne: "Oh, it's Jerry. Hello?"

Jerry: "Hey, Dianne. Can we talk? Somewhere that Armin can't eavesdrop with his vampiric hearing?"

Dianne: "Oh, um...ok, give me a second..."

{Getting up, she heads for the storage room upstairs.}

Armin raised his eyebrows as she left, and had an internal debate over whether or not to follow. He could eavesdrop easily if he chose to. But he ultimately decided to trust that Dianne would tell him if it was anything important.

//Wonder what he wants...//

{After a little while, she returned.}

Dianne: "Ok, that was Jerry. He said the trial was on Wednesday, and that if the Tussock Brothers were to try something, it would be then. He said he really, really didn't appreciate your threatening him after everything you've been through together, along with a few choice words....and he said he wanted to get a drink with me, like old times, since we don't seem to trust him drinking alone. We arranged to do so tonight at a bar nearby, so after I do that, we'll go do our dinner plans."

Armin didn't look amused by that.

'Throwing a tantrum because of what I said, is he? People really take everything literally, don't they? I wasn't actually threatening him, it was more a figure of speech. Well, have fun at the bar, I guess.'

Dianne: "He's always been a literal person, even as long as I've known him. And give him a break, he's having a really rough time of things. He's not throwing a tantrum, he's just angry with you."

'And I was concerned about him. I was afraid he was going to do something stupid, like try to drive, and get killed. We were both concerned, and he repays it by telling us to go away and ranting about me behind my back.'

Dianne: "Sometimes, some people need some time alone to figure things out for themselves. Why are you taking this so personally?"

Armin sighed. 'Sorry. I wasn't expecting him to be that angry. All I ever did was try to help. It's a bit hard not to take it personally.'

Dianne: "I know you were only trying to help. But Jerry is really on edge right now. He needs patience and understanding, not threatening to 'kick his as$'. After this, you two should talk it out. Explain what you meant, how you were concerned about his well-being."

'Maybe. But it probably won't make a difference, this isn't the first time he's lost his temper at me.'

Armin stood up and went to take his empty hot chocolate mug into the kitchen.

Dianne: "The key to any good relationship is open communication. Don't assume he won't listen until you've tried."

Armin didn't want to discuss it anymore. Hearing about Jerry's harsh attitude towards him seemed to have soured his mood somewhat. He changed the subject.

'So what are we doing today?'

{Dianne, catching his sour mood, decided to let it drop.}

Dianne: "I didn't have anything planned other than tonight. Maybe we should go to the park so Esme can practice flying?"

'If you want,' said Armin indifferently. 'It's fresh air.'

Dianne: "Ok, let's do that. I'll start getting things ready."

{Heading into the kitchen, she starts to pack a lunch.}

Having long since finished her food, Esme trotted after Dianne curiously to watch her tasks. Armin, meanwhile, went to gather his jacket, shoes, and shortsword and wait for them.

{With everything packed, she scoops up Esme and heads outside.}

Armin followed her outside, locking up the house. He didn't expect Rex to come back until later that afternoon. Turning in the direction of the park, he set off at a quick pace to ward off the cold.

{Dianne followed him, shivering slightly.}

Dianne: "At least it's not snowing."

'Probably will be, soon,' Armin observed. 'I think I heard on the TV last night that they expect light flurries over the next few days.'

Dianne: "Yeesh. Hope that heater comes soon. I'm looking forward to tonight, and actually being warm."

'I'm looking forward to dinner. It'll be nice to set up a fire by the lake and cook some fish. You won't be out too long, will you?'

Dianne: "No. An hour, two at most. He probably just wants someone to listen to him vent. I'm sure it'll all work out."

Armin nodded slightly and lapsed into silence. When they arrived at the park a short while later, it was fairly empty. Being a Monday afternoon, most people were at school or work. The park lake wasn't frozen, but it certainly didn't look warm either.

Armin shifted into his wolf form and trotted across the cold grass, sniffing the air.

{Dianne lets Esme down.}

Dianne: "Ok, Esme, let's see what you can do"

{Dianne climbs up into a tree, producing a piece of mango.}

The dragonet instantly took notice, having been over this scenario so many times. She stretched her wings, launched off the ground, and flapped up to the tree. She landed on a branch above Dianne by clumsily grabbing onto it, then took the mango.

Armin sat down a short way off in his wolf form. //I'm surprised you can climb at all,// he said with amusement as he watched Dianne.

Dianne: "Why? I may be heavy, but I'm more than strong enough to carry myself."

//Maybe, but aren't you afraid those branches might snap?// he said, eyeing the tree. It looked plenty sturdy enough for a normal person, but she wasn't normal.

Dianne: "No, not really. If I fall, I can avoid the damage pretty easily."

{She began to climb down, but as she did, a branch snapped beneath her. With a startled yelp, she falls out of the tree. However, when she hits the ground, her form simply dissipates into smoke and rematerializes into her standing up.}

Dianne: "See? Easy."

Armin tensed when the branch snapped, then relaxed, sighing quietly with relief.

'Cheater,' he said fondly, shifting back and walking over to kiss her on the cheek.

Esme had leapt down from the tree with a startled look, and now circled around them, searching for more fruit.

{Dianne smiles fondly at him.}

Dianne: "Hey, would you mind doing that thing you do, where you take the mango in wolf form and run with it?"

'Yeah.'

He shifted back to his wolf form, carefully took a piece of mango in his jaws, then nudged Esme and growled to get her attention. When she lunged for it, he sprinted off across the park. Esme gave chase, not running or hopping, but actually flying, managing to stay low without crashing into the ground.

{Dianne watched the pair, smiling.}

Dianne: "Good, Esme! My, you're learning fast."

After a bit of a chase, Armin pretended to be worn out, slowing down and letting Esme have her prize.

//She's definitely got the gist of it,// he said as he lay down on the grass beside her.

{Dianne sits down beside them, petting Esme and Armin}

Dianne: "Yeah, she does. I'm so proud of you, Esme."

//Now she's just got to start talking and shifting... It'll happen eventually, I suppose.//

Esme sat down to gnaw on her mango piece, out of breath but seeming quite pleased with things.

Dianne: "Yes. Sometimes, it seems like she understands what we're saying, but doesn't reply. I think speech isn't as far off as we might think."

Esme made a sort of growling noise in response. Armin rested his head on Dianne's lap.

//And to think she might not have grown up at all, if she hadn't been so lucky escaping her tribe getting wiped out. And if you hadn't taken her in.//

{Dianne smiles fondly, patting him on the head.}

Dianne: "Well, I couldn't just leave her out there. And, to be honest, I always did want another child. Another chance. "

//I'm glad you took the chance. I did wonder, at first, if you'd be too afraid of something happening to her to take her on. Especially with how risky our lives are... But I think you needed her, and she's happy with you.//

Dianne: "Well, if I left her there, I was sure something was going to happen to her. The only recourse was to adopt her."

{She says, chuckling.}

Dianne: "In all seriousness, I'm aware of the risk. I will die protecting her, if need be. Nothing is going to happen to her."

//I hope it doesn't come to that. I don't want either of you to die. It might not always be in my power to prevent bad things, but I'll fight with you. Until the end.//

{Dianne pets his head fondly.}

Dianne: "And that is all I ask of you. Well, that and back rubs."

Armin grinned and looked up at her briefly.

//I think I can manage all that.//

He then stood up on all fours, lifting his head off her lap. A few feet away, Esme was digging a small rock out of the grass.

//Shall we stay a bit longer?//

Dianne: "Yeah. It's a pleasant, albeit cold day. Let's stay for a little while longer."

Armin shifted back to human form, got another piece of mango, and threw it as far as he could, causing Esme to race after it. He then started to walk leisurely in that direction.

'Shame you didn't have anyone to adopt you when you were a kid. It's a bit sad to imagine a little dragon wandering around the volcanic wastelands by itself.'

{Dianne gets up, following him.}

Dianne: "They were different times. I was expected to sink or swim. If you had been out there, way back then, and saw me scrounging in the wastes, would you have taken me in?"

'I don't know. Maybe. I guess it wasn't really a tradition back then. I think I'd have liked to help somehow, but you might have just eaten me if I tried.'

{Dianne chuckles at that.}

Dianne: "Maybe. Depends on how old I am when you see me. You probably could have gained my trust with a bit of food. I was starving half the time."

'If I offered you a nice, fresh deer instead of those rancid molluscs you kept eating, then probably.'

He said this with amusement.

'Were your species really antisocial or something? It doesn't sound like you ever had any friends growing up.'

Dianne: "Well, for starters, the Scar was very sparsely populated. not a lot of other dragons around. Secondly, it was hard to make friends when you're both competing for food."

'Fair enough. It was a pretty rough, brutal place.'

Esme glanced over her shoulder to check that they were still there, then continued happily trotting across the grass. She was keeping a fair way ahead, but never straying too far.

Dianne: "It wasn't pleasant. I would have traded lives with you in a heartbeat. Actual parents, a roof over my head, fresh fish every night. Paradise compared to what I had."

{She kept a close eye on Esme as they walked.}

'Yeah, I'll pass on trading lives with you,' he said with a chuckle. 'I liked not eating snails and living in caves.'

Dianne: "Perhaps not. But now, I have everything I ever wanted and more."

{Kissing his cheek, she pulls him closer as they walk.}

Smiling slightly, he squeezed his arm around her in a brief hug. He continued walking quietly through the park with her for a few minutes, watching Esme, before he spoke up again.

'Should we head back now? I don't want Rex to come home and not be able to get into the house.'

Dianne: "Ok, let's go. Wait, Rex doesn't have a key of his own?"

'No. It never came up before. Now, I guess he could use one. We go out a lot, and he's got a job, so he goes out a lot too...'

Dianne: "Ok, tomorrow, we'll make him a copy."

{Walking up to Esme, she scoops her up, then begins heading out of the park.}

Armin fell into step alongside her as they left the park and began heading down the street back to home.

'Not too cold, are you?' he asked.

Dianne: "No, I'm ok. This jacket is great. I'm very warm, despite the outside temprature."

'That's good.'

Satisfied that she wasn't freezing, he continued on for home.

(Should we perhaps skip to evening, when Dianne goes out to see Jerry?)

(Yee. I'll start.)

{Later that evening, Dianne was getting ready to meet Jerry at the bar. Coming downstairs in her jacket, she grabs her purse.}

Dianne: "Ok, I'm going to get going. I'll be back in an hour or two, then we'll head to my place. Alright?"

Armin was playing a racing game on the TV to pass the time. He paused the game and looked up when he saw her dressed to go out.

'Alright. Be careful. Those Tussock brothers are still at large... Keep an eye out, and have Barnabas with you... Actually, should I walk down there with you?'

He was concerned about something happening, especially after the event with Alicia.

Dianne: "Well...if you're that worried, sure. You can walk with me to the pub."

'I think I will...'

Getting up, leaving his game paused, he threw on his jacket and shoes and walked to the door.

'I'll just follow you until the bar is in sight, then I'll turn back. I doubt Jerry wants to see me.'

Dianne: "Alright.I'll call you when I'm on my way back as well."

{With that, she heads out the door and down the street.}

Armin accompanied her down the street, leaving Rex to keep an eye on Esme. The air was cold and fresh, carrying the faint scent of autumn.

'When you see him, let him know I'm sorry, alright? I'll apologise in person later, but in the meantime, just make sure he knows I wasn't going to hurt him.'

Dianne: "Of course. You two are friends. I don't want you two to be at odds."

'Hopefully not...'

Armin kept a sharp eye and ear out as he followed her, staying alert in case of anything suspicious.

{The walk to the pub was rather uneventful. The storefront came into view. It was called the Flagon Rat.}

Dianne: "Here it is. I'll see you in a bit, ok?"

{She leans forward, kissing him on the lips.}

Armin returned the kiss, then patted her on the shoulder. 'Have a nice time. If I don't hear from you in two and a half hours, I'm gonna assume something bad happened and come flying back.'

Dianne: "I'll call, I promise."

{She says, chuckling.}

Dianne: "Pack anything you want to take to my place. We'll basically leave once I get back."

'I'll do that.'

Armin turned to walk back to the house. He glanced briefly over his shoulder at her, before continuing onwards at a brisk pace.

{Dianne enters the pub, spotting Jerry at a table in the corner. walking up, she joins him.}

Dianne: "Hey."

Jerry: "Hey."

Dianne: "How are you doing?"

Jerry: "A little better. Still trying to grapple with the possibility of my family getting executed. It's not a pleasant thing to think about."

Dianne: "I'm sure. But, we're all here to help. Like I said, I can probably convince the king to lessen their sentence."

After walking a little bit, Armin shifted to hawk form and flew the rest of the way back. Once home, he started to gather a few things, mostly nightclothes and toiletries, to stay over at Dianne's house. He was watched curiously by Esme the whole time.

//Wonder what Dianne and Jerry will be talking about...//

Jerry: "That's kind of you, but...Maybe you shouldn't."

Dianne: "Why not? The king would probably agree with anything I ask of him."

Jerry: "Because I don't think they're going to stop. If they escape, or are released, they're just going to try again. You and Armin shouldn't have to deal with that. I think...I just need to cut myself off from them. The path they're on....it's not going to end well."

Dianne: "Perhaps. Perhaps that's all you can do."

{Jerry catches the attention of a waitress, ordering some drinks for himself and Dianne. After she leaves, Jerry continues.}

Jerry: "I haven't heard from mom through this whole thing. I have no idea how she feels about all this."

Dianne: "Have you called?"

Jerry: "Yes, but she doesn't pick up...I don't know what's going on back home. Eliza doesn't know either."

Dianne: "I don't think any of this is within youir control, Jerry. Your family are independent people. You can't control what they do. It's not your fault."

Jerry: "Kinda feels like it is. My dad says it's a bad thing, being friends with all of you, that I should know better. I don't actually believe that, but...It's hard being blamed for doing nothing wrong."

Dianne: "That's unfair to you. Jerry, believe me, it's not you, it's him. We're all just trying to live pleasant, peaceful lives here. He's the violent, crazy one."

Jerry: "I know. He wasn't always like that, though."

{Dianne and Jerry continued to talk about the situation, along with current events. Ivy's creepy questions, Pythia's new house, and Armin.}

Dianne: "You know he means well. It's just, he gets scared that you might do something dumb or dangerous."

Jerry: "Since when have I ever done anything dumb? It's him that does dumb stuff."

Dianne: "He wasn't serious. He was trying to give you, "Tough love", or whatever."

Jerry: "Doesn't he think I got enough of that from my psycho dad? Tell him to shut up and back off."

Dianne: "He did want me to tell you he's sorry, He's going to apologize to you in person, but he wanted me to say that anyway."

Jerry: "I'll talk to him then. It should work out."

Dianne: "Well, I should be going. Armin and I have plans tonight."

Jerry: "Ok, I'll talk to you later then. And, Dianne....Thanks, for, y'know, agreeing to come and talk to me. Just some things Ivy and Armin just wouldn't understand."

Dianne: "Of course, Jerry. Any time. Take care of yourself."

{Waving goodbye, she begins to dial Armin.}

Armin was boredly staring at the TV when his phone rang. Standing up, he answered it.

'Everything good?'

Dianne: "Yes, everything is fine. I'm on my way back. How's everything there?"

'It's fine. I think Esme's hungry though. I had to give her some fruit because she wouldn't stop chewing on me. Can you keep the line open as you walk back, just in case anything happens?'

Dianne: "Yeah, sure. Although I doubt anything will happen. This will be the first time you spend time over at my house. Once we get there, I need to get the fireplace going so it'll be nice and warm for when we turn in for the night."

'Sounds like it'll be nice. You sure it's clean enough over there? You haven't lived in your house in months.'

Dianne: "I got a draugr staff who keeps the place clean. It'll be fine. Fair warning, my bed is unbelievably soft. Like, you'll think sleeping on a cloud."

(Posting new room)