[center][h2]Diana and the other dude, plus some reptile[/h2][/center] Another nightmare ended, and once more Karamir jolted awake. He found himself on his belly, facedown, a thin string of drool connecting him to the umbrella’s fabric. With a groan, he rolled onto his back, and then rose into a sitting position. His eyes immediately met Diana’s. Her eyes were wide and staring, a small curl at the edge of her mouth, as if she had something to say but was holding it in. Karamir frowned. He met her gaze and held it for several long moments. And then, at last, he spoke. [color=yellow]”What did you do?”[/color] “Nothing!” Diana’s face broke into a big smile, “I did nothing, and you can count on that.” She gave him a reassuring nod. [color=yellow]”That is the last thing I can count on,”[/color] Karamir muttered. [color=yellow]”What did you do?”[/color] he repeated. “Oh come!” She flicked her hand, “You shouldn't accuse a lady like that.” [color=yellow]”And you shouldn’t keep secrets from someone you spent weeks at sea with,”[/color] Karamir argued. “Well I never,” Diana scoffed, “I told you I didn't do anything, and so I haven't.” She crossed her arms, “However, since you bring up secrets, I suppose the umbrella has one that you may find tantalising.” Karamir was silent. And then a realization dawned on him. Perhaps nothing had been done, and this was merely an attempt to make him think that something [i]had[/i] happened. That was a definite possibility - did she seek to drive him paranoid? Or had she actually done something after all? Karamir realized he might have no way of knowing. He decided not to voice the concern. [color=yellow]”What is it?”[/color] he asked instead, moving on to the topic of the secret. “Oh my,” Diana pressed a hand to her face, as if hiding her smile, “You really don't know, do you?” Karamir’s frown deepened, and he gave her a hard stare. At least her previous attempts had been upfront. But this? “Listen,” Diana scooted close and cupped her hand to her own ear, as if instructing him to do the same. Karamir did, unsure of what he was supposed to be listening for. It trickled in slowly, but he heard it faintly: waves crashing, a distant bird call. Diana's smile widened and a light cackle came from her throat, “You hear it?” Karamir’s eyes widened in surprise. [color=yellow]”I do.”[/color] An uncertain pause. [color=yellow]”How long until we get there?”[/color] Diana cackled and shivered with a certain joy, “That's the best part.” She let her cackle die down and hummed a small smile, “We've been stuck on a little reef for a day now.” [color=yellow]”Fuck!”[/color] Karamir fell backward. He sighed in frustration, and then stared at the sky in resignation. “There he is,” Diana teased and sat up proudly, “You've been having so much fun, I couldn't bring myself to dislodge it.” [color=yellow]”I thought you wanted off this umbrella as well?”[/color] Karamir asked, not getting up. His eyes focused on a small distant cloud. “I'm not one to ruin the fun,” Diana shrugged. She placed her palm flat on the umbrella next to her and there was a small smacking sound and the umbrella lurched. [color=yellow]”How long until we get there?”[/color] Karamir repeated. “Again with the questions,” Diana rolled her eyes. She looked down, “Oh!” [color=yellow]”What?”[/color] Karamir asked, unmoving. “My nail,” She held up her fingers to her face, “It's even.” She slipped her finger between her teeth and started nibbling on her nail. A few clipping sounds later and she gave a satisfied sigh. Letting her back rest against the wall of the umbrella, Diana closed her eyes and smiled, “Isn't this just splendid? I just adore the long anticipation.” [color=yellow]”I suppose I didn’t have anything better to do before I came here,”[/color] Karamir responded, finally sitting back up. [color=yellow]”At least here I feel like I’m moving somewhere, even if I don’t know [i]where.”[/i][/color] “Oh foo,” Diana didn't even open her eyes, “It's all the same, I suppose.” [color=yellow]”In what way?”[/color] he asked. “Well,” The Deviless opened her eyes and tucked her knees up, placing her dream orb on her lap. Her fingernails clicked against it, “What do you mean when you say ‘I’m moving somewhere’?” Karamir’s eyes widened. [color=yellow]”If we are back at Kalgrun, I will throw myself into the sea,”[/color] he vowed. “Oh my!” Diana looked up from the orb and at Karamir with a pleasantly surprised face, “I wish I had thought of that, that would have been absolutely grand, don’t you think?” Karamir was suspicious. Surely she knew that he had wanted to be away from Kalgrun? She had known everything else. If her goal was solely to make him miserable, then she would have in fact brought him back there, but she hadn’t. So he had to assume she didn’t truly want to go to Kalgrun either, which implied that she had a specific destination in mind. Either that, or they were actually back at Kalgrun, and this was all a build-up to the inevitable disappointment when he figured it out himself. [color=yellow][i]Which one is it…[/i][/color] he wondered to himself as the waves grew louder. Diana hummed over his thoughts, her witching eyes boring into him. Suddenly she stopped short and tucked her orb into her hidden pocket. She laced her fingers together over one knee and a curl took her lips. [color=yellow]”What?”[/color] he asked her, after it had gone on for what he felt was far too long. Diana rolled her eyes and a second later, the umbrella suddenly made a soft scraping sound. Diana hopped to her feet and stretched her arms to the sky, a seagull flying overhead. “End of that chapter, I suppose,” She let her arms fall back to her sides with a slap. Karamir was astonished. His previous question forgotten, he rose to his feet, and walked over to the side of the umbrella to peer over the edge. Stretching far inland was a long shallow beach of sand. Shells of all shapes and sizes littered it, and the calls of the gulls crowded the air. For the first time in weeks, the scent of fresh plants was carried on the salty breeze, a treeline of green in the distance. The umbrella suddenly shook and shivered, forcing Karamir to scurry over it’s webbed wall, falling into the warm sand. Looking back he saw Diana swing a regular sized umbrella over her shoulder, its fan hiding her face from the rays of heliopolis. Karamir picked up a handful of sand, and watched it fall through his fingers. Was this a dream? Once again, doubts began to set in. Was she building up to another act of cruelty? Giving him hope before she could rip it away? How could he be sure? He looked to her, as if he was about to voice his thoughts, but instead remained silent. Diana remained under her protection of shade, her pointy smile flashing. “How sweet of you,” She mused, “You’re going to miss me.” That took Karamir aback. [color=yellow]”Miss you?”[/color] he asked, his eyebrows raised in puzzlement. [color=yellow]”What do you mean?”[/color] “Oh?” Diana asked, “I suppose I simply assumed you were going to scurry away.” [color=yellow]”And if I don’t ‘scurry away’? What happens then?”[/color] Karamir asked. Strangely enough, despite his resentment at the weeks of misery, nightmares, and abuse, he didn’t quite feel ready to leave. He couldn’t explain it. “I suppose that means we can keep having fun together,” Diana beamed, “Oh, and with so many new things around us I’m sure we will get into many little situations.” She suddenly scrunched her nose, “Now if only the weather would cooperate.” She pulled her umbrella closer, blockading herself from the smooth midday breeze and its summer smells. Karamir considered his options. Assuming that this was not truly Kalgrun, then he was in an unfamiliar land, which meant unfamiliar plants, unfamiliar animals, and unfamiliar dangers. Miserable as it might have been, none of what he went through with Diana had been fatal. Therefore, it stood to reason that he would be safer, if perhaps less comfortable, with her than he would be without her. At least for the time being. Karamir rose to his feet. After weeks on the umbrella, his legs were shaky, and unsteady. They nearly threatened to give way beneath him, but he managed to stand somewhat firm. He took a few tentative steps, and then, confident that he could still walk, he turned to Diana. [color=yellow]”Let’s go.”[/color] “Of course, of course!” Diana tugged on her dress with one hand, lifting the hem from the sand as she walked inland, “Oh I hope they have nettles and little biting things.” [hr] Flying over the great green forest a massive red figure could be seen with its wings outstretched. Fleeing from the disaster that was the battle of Shengshi’s arc, a lone dragon found itself flying for miles on end from the east. It hadn’t stopped for a break, let alone had anything to eat, and it was utterly exhausted. Yet it wanted to fly as far away from the massacre as possible, less it vowed for certain death by the gods. It already abandoned the giant hydra’s authority and had ultimately deserted from the grasp of the mighty Sartr. Now it was alone. It had no idea where others could be found, yet it didn’t care. It wanted to achieve only one thing. Peace. And if it meant that it’ll had to issue a traitorous withdraw then so be it. With its wings growing ever so tired, the famished dragon slowly descended into the tree line as it issued a groan of discomfort. It needed to find food immediately. Yet even as it walked upon a sea of noise and commotion, none of the immediate animals around him would suffice his hunger pains. They were either too small or out of reach, or in some cases both. It was already smaller than most of the dragon companions it fought alongside with, but alas it was still too bulky to run after these smaller critters. The dragon began to sniff the air, attempting to catch the scent of anything of value around it. And then it caught whiff of a certain smell. It was a foreign smell, yet one that smelled just a familiar. It smelled of those white pale apes that were on Shengshi’s boat. It had heard that they were called “Servants” and it had shared a morsel with another one of its fellow dragon, literally ripping it in half as they both bit both sides of the creature. It was a only small morsel, but it tasted like soggy sand. But this one smelled different. It smelled as if blood was on its hands. But whether it would have to relive the grinding taste of sand or not, it wasn’t going to give up on this opportunity. It followed its nose northwards, periodically sniffing the air, before stumbling upon a sandy beach. And from the deep foliage, it could see two figures walking upon the sands… alone. The dragon’s mouth opened slightly as its long tongue licked the chops of his mouth. For mere snacks, they looked rather tasty. And the best part, one of them seemed to be walking at an unnatural pace - as if its legs were wobbling around. It could hardly stand. Yes. This one would be easy pickings. The dragon began to slowly move through the bush, lowering his body as he attempted to be as stealthy as possible. Despite his rather large size, it could still maneuver efficiently through the foliage with minimal disturbance. It continued to eye the crippled man as it locked onto him with pinpoint accuracy. Once in position, it rose its back legs, crouched its torso on the ground with its tail held up high… And pounced at the vulnerable Karamir! There was a gentle “Whoopsie” and the world turned black. The dragon peeled its eyes open, and a woman’s face was inches away. Her skin was pale and held a sickly blush, her lips revealing a toothy grin. Over her head she held her umbrella. It took the dragon short time to realize he was laying on his belly, a grainy burn from a skid rashing his underscales and a mouthful of sand clogging his maw. His brain buzzed, and he knew that feeling, he had just woken up from a sudden, very uncomfortable, nap. The brown-haired man stood several feet behind her. [color=yellow]”It’s bigger than most creatures I’ve seen…”[/color] he noted in an analytical tone. [color=yellow]”But I’ve seen at least one beast that was larger.”[/color] “But it’s adorable,” Diana defended, poking a finger at the beast’s yellow teeth, “So hideous.” [color=yellow]”Kalmar might like it. I don’t know if he would call it adorable, though. I’m not sure I would either...”[/color] “Oh huff and fluff.” Diana waved her hand dismissively. The dragon groaned weakly as a light stream of fire steamed from its nostrils. It bore its teeth as it struggle to get up on its feet, yet it felt too weak to get up even a foot off the ground. It wobbled from side to side, hoping to gain a good position, but all it could do was release another screech straight into Diana’s face, her smile widening. “I think it likes me,” She charmed. Diana paused in thought for a moment and turned to Karamir, “Do you think we should take it with us?” [color=yellow]”Can we?”[/color] Karamir asked skeptically. [color=yellow]”It just tried to attack us.”[/color] “Oh foo,” Diana huffed, “I suppose you’re right.” She sighed and ran her chipped nails down its scaly cheek, “Oh well.” She suddenly perked up, “A parting gift then.” With a sneering smile she tapped the beasts forehead, a red spiral forming, “So you never forget me.” The dragon’s teeth snarled out of their gums as it struggled to break free from his dazed state. He flinched when he felt something forming upon his scaly forehead, jerking his head as he nearly snapped at Diana’s hand. Still, it was simply too sleepy to battle the two properly, as it continued laying on the shore with disgruntled growls emanating from its maw. Diana gave it a friendly wave of her hand and looked over at Karamir. With a big smile she ushered him onward, inland to the Dragon's Foot. [hr] [hider=summary] Karamir is like fuck! And wakes up from a nightmare. Diana is all happy so he gets suspicious but she swears she didn’t do anything. It is then revealed that they’ve been near land for a day and Diana knew but didn’t want to interrupt all the fun Karamir was having. She boots the umbrella towards land and they… land. She gives him a chance to leave but he denies it and continues with her. Her saves him from a dragon and when she realizes she can’t keep the murderous lizard as a pet she curses it so it will never forget the time they shared together. [/hider] [hider=Might] 1 fp spent on censure, cursed with nightmarish sleep paralysis to the dragon and all who rest near it. 5 / 5 nightmares 1 / 5 misery 2mp and 5fp remaining [/hider]