A Space For Reminiscing

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 11, Post Number 274

Proof Of Possession Of The IIC:

-Diana's Townhouse, 5:05 A.M.-

Dressed in her purple t-shirt and black skirt, Diana was in her bedroom trying to sleep, but it was a lost cause. She had been trying to sleep off and on ever since midnight but was only able to sleep for roughly ten minutes at a time before waking up again. Ever since seeing her older sister Melody for the first time in years at the Halloween event the blonde had a hard time sleeping.

After trying one last time to close her eyes and opening them three minutes later Diana gave up on the idea and rolled over onto her left side, then sat up on the edge of her bed. Her feet hit the floor and she stood listlessly in place trying to think of something she could do to take her mind off of her older sister. She had been thinking about both Melody and the threat that had been made before the latter had been banished with a Spirit Drain Beam spell.

Was Melody still around somewhere in the spirit world waiting to return to the land of the living?

Diana had no idea whether that was true or not, but she vividly remembered the encounter. She remembered being in Melody's room and seeing the grand piano the latter adored and the chair Melody loved to tie her younger sisters to before abusing them physically or mentally. Even defeating her sister with a spell had done nothing to ease the anxiety that had morphed into complete terror when Melody advanced on her with a length of rope with the intent of tying her to the chair for a thoroughly unpleasant trip down Memory Lane. Despite being a young adult woman and a powerful mage who had taken many trips to the Cursed Lands those traits did little to protect her from the terror her older sister could inspire years after the latter's death.

Diana was wondering what to do when she was struck by the odd idea to go to her chest of drawers. The blonde slowly walked over to the piece of furniture and opened the top right drawer, then rummaged through its contents until she came across a fancy-looking device that looked a lot like an oversized wristwatch. It was called an "Infinite Improbability Chronometer" and it came with detailed instructions on how to use it.

The blonde mage moved the device around from hand to hand as if trying to determine whether it was real or just something she was imagining due to a lack of sleep. After moving it around several times she finally decided it was real and decided to use it. Anything beat lying around on her bed hoping to go to sleep.

Diana wound the IIC exactly forty-two times and when the final winding was done a pale blue light engulfed her and she disappeared from her bedroom moments later.

-On board the space station-

Diana reappeared in a burst of pale blue light to find herself in the hallway of a space station exactly as the instructions had advertised. It was a straight hallway with signs pointing the way to elevators on each end of the hallway. She had expected the passage to be unbearably cold because of its metallic construction, but to her considerable surprise the hallway was pleasantly warm. The floor beneath her bare feet felt nice despite it being made out of some kind of metal. Diana looked out the long rectangular window ahead of her and saw the stark beauty of outer space.

She saw a countless number of stars as white specks carefully dabbed onto on the dark canvas stretching before her. Diana also saw her reflection and could not help but to notice that her hair had changed from blonde to bone white. The blonde wondered why her hair was white as she looked at herself with a calm expression until her hair eventually returned to its normal, more lively blonde color.

Once that had happened Diana turned left and began walking towards the elevator to try and find someone who could tell her where she was. If she could not find anyone Diana would be willing to talk to an android, robot, or other entity who might be here.

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Diana walked to the end of the station hallway and boarded the elevator, which opened for her as if expecting passengers. She boarded without missing a step and the door closed behind her. She hoped that the elevator was functional because if it was not she might be stuck inside of it for quite some time.

-On board the elevator-

Diana stepped on board and looked around, immediately feeling the same pleasantly warm temperature that was inside the hallway. It seemed like she had stepped onto a freight elevator because it was much larger than the typical passenger ones she had seen back in Fiore. The interior was rectangular and could comfortably accommodate a large crowd of passengers in the dozens... it could fit at least three dozen people without crowding. Diana wondered why the dimensions were so large, but she did not question it because she did not have time to before a female voice began speaking from overhead.

"Oh, a visitor!" The voice exclaimed in excitement. Diana wondered if there really was someone talking to her or if she was only imagining the voice because she was sleep-deprived. Hearing it again did not help matters.

"I haven't had a visitor in quite some time! Welcome, welcome!" The voice bade Diana. The blonde questioned her mental state again but remained silent. The elevator began to move upwards without her doing anything, suggesting that the mystery voice had control of it.

"I'm bringing you up to the penthouse suite. It won't take long!" Diana was assured that the ride would be brief. The elevator jolted and began to ascend faster, causing Diana to stumble forward for two steps before she regained her footing. Within two minutes of starting the ride came to a stop and the door opened onto a luxurious penthouse suite that certainly fit the bill.

The suite was easily twice the size of Diana's bedroom, if not three times the size. In the back of the room was a long rectangular window like the one seen in the hallway Diana had first appeared in. On the left side of the room were two closed metallic doors and throughout the room were pieces of furniture such as a long black sofa positioned against the right wall, a glass coffee table sitting in front of it, and a pink chair sitting in front of the coffee table. Diana stepped off of the elevator and entered the suite, if only to satisfy her curiosity.

-Inside the penthouse suite-

Once Diana was inside the suite she noticed more features such as a mini-kitchen area to the left with a refrigerator and microwave plus a small kitchen island that had a black base. On the right side of the room was another closed metallic door. Just to the right of the door she had entered through was what looked to be a temperature control panel, suggesting that the suite had central air and heating.

Hesitant to go any further, Diana stood at the elevator and wondered where her hostess was. Maybe she was behind one of the three doors getting ready to greet her guest. Or maybe she was elsewhere on the station and had guided Diana into her personal suite to wait for her there.

"I see you've made it to my suite. Please wait there... I have some business I need to take care of before I officially welcome you! Make use of whatever furniture you'd like!" The voice granted Diana permission to sit on the furniture if she wanted, permission she was going to use. Diana walked over to the black sofa and sat down on it, then faced the door and waited for her hostess to arrive and speak with her.

-The penthouse suite, two hours and seven minutes later-

Diana had sat on the sofa for the past two hours or so and her legs were starting to go to sleep, so she slowly and painfully forced her way up and stood in front of the sofa while facing the doorway. She could not move right away because her legs were dangerously numb, so she awkwardly stood in place and waited for feeling to return to the limbs before she dared take a step forward. When it felt like it was finally safe to walk Diana took a step to test the waters and when she did not fall onto her face she took another one. Once she took a few more steps without falling over she began to walk around the room to get some exercise... and to prevent herself from falling asleep in her hostess' living quarters.

Diana was tired before she had arrived on the station using the IIC and now that she had sat in place for awhile the drowsiness was starting to affect her. Hopefully her hostess would get here before the temptation became too great to withstand and she decided to sleep on the sofa.

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-Inside the penthouse suite, two hours later-

It had been slightly over four hours since Diana had arrived at the space station and she had yet to see her hostess. She was now seated on the sofa again and still struggling to resist the temptation to lie down on it despite it being considered rude to do so. The blonde was a patient sort and would wait as long as necessary, but she was not sure if she could stay awake long enough to be sociable. The pleasantly warm room temperature was making her feel comfortable despite being in an unfamiliar place and she was more than a little tired.

Maybe she should just lie down for a few minutes...

Diana was just about to act on that when the suite door opened and in waddled a green ball of some sort. It had mechanical arms and legs and stood at a height that would place it just above her ankle if it stood next to her. Diana watched it and questioned if she was seeing things or not. It waddled up to the sofa where she was seated and raised its right arm, then waved it.

"Hello, visitor!" It greeted her in a feminine voice that sounded a lot like Melody Winchester's except that it was an octave higher than the original's. Diana leapt up from the sofa and stared at it with an expression of intense discomfort on her face. It in turn looked at her with tiny unblinking red eyes that conveyed a hint of malicious intent it was waiting for just the right moment to act upon.

Was Melody possessing the small robot in order to communicate with Diana?

"Are you OK?" The female voice she had been hearing asked Diana over the intercom system.

"Y-yes. The voice on the little green ball sounded familiar, that is all." Diana replied as calmly as she could considering the unpleasant surprise she had just been on the receiving end of. A giggle came from overhead.

"She's Emerald, a guide robot for guiding visitors around the resort. My personal guide robot's with me right now, so I sent this little one your way. Her voice module needs some work... I can change it later so that the voice sounds more pleasing to you." Came the explanation of what the spherical robot did and why its voice sounded the way it did.

"Would you like her to guide you to your personal suite?" Diana's hostess asked.

"Yes, please." Diana replied. Once the shock of the guide robot's voice wore off she was feeling tired again.

"OK then. Follow Emerald and she'll show you the way!" Diana was instructed. Emerald pointed her left arm towards the door it had come through.

"This way, please!" It requested. It retracted its arms and legs into its spherical body and began to float at shoulder level, floating a lot more smoothly than it had walked. Diana wordlessly followed behind Emerald and was guided to the elevator, which she entered. She turned to face the door as it closed.

-Another Penthouse Suite, two minutes later-

After a quick and uneventful ride the elevator door opened and Diana and Emerald stepped into a penthouse suite that was exactly like the one the blonde mage had just left behind. It had the same layout and same furniture as the previous one.

"Here we are!" Emerald announced, opening the hole where its right arm was and waving the limb to show off the room.

"This is your personal suite, visitor! It hasn't been used for some time and I don't get a lot of visitors, so it's yours now!" Diana's mystery hostess informed her that the space stretching before the blonde was hers. Diana had not been expecting such generosity and wondered what price she would have to pay for it, but she would cross that bridge when it came. For now she would accept what she had been given.

"Thank you." Diana extended her gratitude for the unexpected gift. Emerald turned to face her and spoke.

"I'll be going now. Have a nice stay!" Emerald bade Diana before turning away and floating back into the waiting elevator. Diana watched the doors close and turned to face her new penthouse suite. She walked over to the black sofa and sat down on it, then reclined and rolled onto her side to face the room. She would tour the space and see what it had to offer after she had gotten some sleep.

Emerald:

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-The penthouse-

Diana faced the doors as she waited to reach her destination. The trip was a short one of almost a minute and when she reached her stop the doors opened onto the penthouse, where a young woman with long pink hair wearing a white and lavender dress was waiting for her. The young woman noticed Diana and began walking towards her while Diana exited the elevator. It did not take long for them to meet and when they did they stopped a short distance away from each other.

"Hello, visitor! My name's Juno, the station manager!" The pink-haired young woman introduced herself to Diana, who was not sure if her hostess had a last name or had one but simply chose not to use it. Juno was as tall as Diana and had blue eyes plus an odd gold hair ornament in her hair, but her standout feature was the dress, which looked less futuristic than the blonde had imagined someone living on a space station to wear. She also had a wide smile.

"I am Diana." Diana introduced herself and withheld her last name as well. The other young woman reached out to hug Diana and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. The latter's skin crawled until she was released from the embrace a few seconds later.

"It's nice to meet you, Diana!" Juno said to the blonde.

"It is nice to meet you too." Diana offered the obligatory pleasantry to the pink-haired young woman. In truth Diana would have been perfectly fine by herself, but she was not by herself on the station, so she would have to play nice with the station manager.

"It's been a long time since anyone's visited this place. Would you like a tour of the station?" Juno asked Diana. Curious as to what amenities the place had to offer, Diana decided to accept the offer.

"Yes, please." Diana replied. Juno clapped her hands together.

"Great! We'll get started right away! Follow me!" Juno said with audible excitement and walked briskly towards the waiting elevator. Diana followed behind her hostess and was soon standing at her side. The doors closed and the elevator began to descend.

-On the space station, two minutes later-

The doors opened and Juno exited the elevator followed by Diana. The pair were now standing in a hallway exactly like the one Diana had arrived in, but this one had a single metallic door on the left side.

"This is the park level, Diana. Here there's a large park full of grass and trees. It's a nice break from staring out the window at inky darkness all day, but this isn't the only space for recreation here." Juno told Diana where they were. She then guided the blonde towards the door on the left side of the hallway, pausing in front of it while the blonde hurried to catch up. When Diana was finally with her again the pink-haired young woman turned towards the door and placed her hand on a panel to the right of it. The panel flashed green and the door opened upward, revealing a wide green expanse of grass that was reminiscent of grassland at the end of a short tunnel.

"This way!" Juno exclaimed, walking briskly into the park before Diana could turn to face the door. Diana hurried after her hostess and soon passed through the tunnel before entering the park.

-Inside the park-

Juno and Diana now stood at the edge of the park, which was a large space that was not enclosed by any sort of fence because the station walls served that purpose. The area was mostly a large expanse of grass with a few trees dotted here and there. but there was a wall of trees near the back wall to serve as a natural barrier of sorts. They were just thick enough to hide the bare metal wall.

"Don't you like this place, Diana?" Juno asked the blonde.

"I like it." Diana answered calmly. She liked it because it did a good job of simulating a natural space. She also liked it because it was not crowded... as far as she knew she and Juno were the only two people on the space station. That was fine with Diana.

Juno:

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Since it was just the blonde and the pink-haired young woman and she did not want to go back to her suite just yet Diana remained in the park with Juno for quite some time. She decided to take a casual stroll along the border of the park while her hostess sat in the grass in the center of the area. The blonde mage could not remember the last time she had taken a walk in the park, but there was a lot about her past that she preferred to forget. Chief among those things was how abusive some of her family members were towards her.

Her mother Elizabeth was far and away the most abusive of the Winchesters, but her older sister Melody seemed determined to take that title for herself. Diana had lost count of the number of times Melody tied her to a chair and threatened to decapitate her favorite childhood doll with a pair of scissors just to get her to cry or tied her to a chair and left her there just because the older Winchester was bored. When she was not busy tying up her younger sister Melody was busy slapping her or pushing her to the ground because she was in the way or just because she could.

Diana's older brother Lucius appeared to not want to be left out of the fun because he abused her more than a few times. His favorite method of abuse was to shove or kick his younger sisters down the stairs, a tendency which made it hazardous to be anywhere near him on a flight of stairs. One time Diana recalled passing Lucius to go outside with Lucia and before she knew it there was a sharp pressure to the middle of her back and she was lying on the tile floor below while he laughed at her from above.

Melody and Lucius were Mother's favorites and as a result were not disciplined at all, even when they harmed anyone right in front of her. Lucia tried her best to keep them in check, but the oldest Winchester child could only do so much when faced with Elizabeth always intervening on behalf of her favorites. As Diana thought about that subject a terrible thought entered her mind, one she should never have thought but could not help but to think anyway.

Even though they were family she did not miss Melody or Lucius at all.

They were sadists who had little sense of restraint and no sense of right and wrong. Had they lived to go on and marry someone to start a family there was no telling how much harm they could have done to other people. Diana was initially appalled at herself for feeling as she did, but the more she thought about it the more her sense of disgust dwindled away until she could not feel it any more. Melody and Lucius were dangerous to other people and it was only a matter of time before their actions resulted in them killing someone... if not one of their sisters then it would likely have been someone else.

Diana moved away from that subject before she gave too much thought to it and sent herself into a downward spiral of negative emotions. She recalled how some of her other family members had treated her and recalled Lucia, Katrina, Gloria, and Jessica treating her well while the others were lukewarm towards her at best. Diana wished that Katrina, Gloria, or Jessica could receive a resurrection like Lucia had, but she was not the one in charge of doling out such an unheard-of gift.

Then she thought about Lucia.

Her oldest sister was the one who had cared for her the most. Diana remembered Lucia always being there for her whenever she needed someone to talk to or to care for her after Melody, Lucius, or her mother had hurt her physically, mentally, or both. The oldest Winchester sister was the de facto mother figure of the family because the real mother figure Elizabeth was too busy being drunk to care about anyone besides Melody or Lucius... she always had time and energy to care for her two favorites.

"Diana? Diana, are you OK?" Juno asked the blonde mage. Diana faced the pink-haired young woman.

"I am fine, Juno. I just remembered something I have not remembered in some time." Diana replied without giving details. What had happened between her and her family was none of the other person's business and Diana wanted to move on from the subject as quickly as possible. She hoped that Juno would not press the issue.

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"Oh?" Juno inquired and leaned a bit closer to the blonde to hear the latter.

"Yes." Diana replied laconically. She really hoped that she would be allowed to let the matter of her family go instead of being forced to talk about it, but it seemed that she would not be permitted to change the subject so easily.

"Is it something you want to talk about?" The pink-haired young woman asked. Perhaps she had picked up on Diana's laconic reply to the last question and knew that she was sticking her nose where it did not belong.

"I would rather not talk about it, thanks." Diana tried to shut the conversation down before she had to drop her polite exterior and become somewhat rude. Once she said that Juno took the hint and her smile disappeared.

"Oh, OK. If you don't want to talk about it then you don't want to talk about it." She summed up exactly how Diana felt. Not deterred for long, the pink-haired young woman soon rebounded and was smiling again. She crossed her arms and looked at Diana.

"You probably want to leave the park now. Would you like to go back to your penthouse suite for awhile?" Juno asked.

"Yes, please." Diana requested. Juno turned to face the door on the far side of the park.

"This way, please!" Juno exclaimed and sprinted for the door, leaving the blonde behind. Diana calmly followed her hostess at a walking pace. She wondered why the other young woman was so animated... maybe it was because her claim that she had not had a visitor in a long time was true. Diana briefly wondered how long it had been since Juno last saw another person before deciding that it was none of her business and continuing to walk towards the park exit.

-In Diana's suite, one hour later-

Diana was lying on the black leather couch in the living room and doing her best to stop thinking about her family, but no matter how hard she tried her mind inevitably drifted towards that subject. Right now her mind was on Katrina, the sixth Winchester sister and the only person in the family who needed glasses to see properly thanks to being nearsighted since birth.

She and Diana were pretty close because they were both among Melody's favorite targets. Whether it was for her "games" involving tying one of them to a chair before subjecting them to verbal abuse, shoving them to the ground, or slapping them in the face so hard they spun around before falling to the floor, their sadistic older sister seemed to single one of them out for her attention. More than once Diana had had to pick Katrina up off of the floor after Melody had taken her glasses away and caused her younger sister to either walk into a wall or trip over a piece of furniture while frantically trying to find her older sister to get her eyeglasses back.

Diana closed her eyes and saw her older sister in her mind's eye for the first time in years. Katrina had blonde hair that was of a lighter color than Diana's and green eyes that were also lighter than the youngest Winchester sister's but really stood out from the rest of the family thanks to her glasses, which had silver rims. Diana missed the other blonde and wished that she was still alive because Katrina was a cheerful sort who got along with almost anyone except for Mother's Favorites. The bespectacled blonde was a good source of support whenever Lucia was too busy keeping the household running to have time to spare for Diana, which was often because having to care for eight siblings and two parents who often neglected the responsibilities of a parent was a task that absorbed a lot of Lucia's time and energy.

Since her mind was seemingly stuck on her family Diana did not bother fighting it. Instead she went with the flow and let her mind wander until she thought about Gloria Winchester, the third Winchester sister and another friend of hers.

Katrina Winchester:

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Diana thought about her older sister Gloria and how the petite brunette had been a good sister to her.

Gloria was a petite brunette who easily stood out because she was almost a full foot shorter than the other Winchester sisters and she was the only one who had light brown hair; all of the others had blonde hair. That was something she inherited from their father George, who was the only other brown-haired individual in the family. She also inherited his fondness for alcohol, but unlike him and her mother Gloria knew when to quit drinking before she crossed the line from just tipsy to stumbling around in a drunken stupor. She also did not become angry or abusive when she drank, which was something their mother was incapable of doing.

Gloria's fondness for alcohol was matched only by her cooking skills. Lucia tried her best to cook for everyone, but she was not nearly as skilled as the brunette, who had a natural ability the oldest Winchester sister lacked. The two frequently worked together to prepare meals for the entire family and the results were always tasty. Even their mother had nothing bad to say about the dishes Gloria made.

Unfortunately for Gloria her sister Melody seemed to have it out for her and made frequent remarks about her different appearance. Those remarks made fun of the brunette's short stature and hair color, features which made her stand out from the rest of the Winchester sisters, who were otherwise all blondes of average height with the notable exception of Jessica. Because of her appearance and Gloria's sensitivity about it Melody liked to claim that her sister was an orphan who their mother took pity on and adopted, something that seldom failed to make the brunette upset. Of course that only encouraged the sadistic blonde to say hurtful things repeatedly until Gloria cried.

Diana frowned at the thought of Melody, that spoiled brat who reveled in making everyone miserable. She enjoyed tying Gloria up and making claims about her real parentage to her face until the brunette broke down in tears. When not doing that she also enjoyed occasionally shoving her younger sister into walls or shoving her to the floor. Gloria was a pleasant person who did not deserve that sort of treatment, but Melody was someone who seemed to delight in destroying beautiful things for the sake of it.

Diana thought about all the times Gloria had cheered her up after the blonde had been abused by Melody and all of the times the brunette had made wonderful meals on short notice with whatever she could find. The blonde mage closed her eyes and thought about questions that she asked herself from time to time.

Why did Gloria have to die that day?

Why had she survived when all of her sisters who were kind to her died?

Diana already knew the answer to that. She had been away from the house on an errand and was not around to drink the poisoned wine that killed the rest of her family. She wished that Katrina, Gloria, Jessica, and Lucia had not died that day because they were all good people who deserved much better than what happened to them. Diana took a quiet breath as she saw her older sister's face in her mind. She saw the petite brunette with a smile on her face like the one she usually had whenever she was not being tormented by Melody or Lucius.

Diana kept her eyes closed and took another quiet breath as she had a thought that made her aware of the sadness that was beginning to creep up on her.

Gloria was dead and was never coming back.

Gloria Winchester:

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Diana was still lying on the couch thinking about her family and wishing that she could have done something to save at least a few of her sisters from their fate when Jessica Winchester came to mind.

Jessica was the second-youngest Winchester sister and was born only two years apart from Diana. As a result of the small age gap and suffering the usual treatment that older siblings doled out to their younger siblings Jessica and Diana were fairly close. Jessica was slightly taller than Gloria, but that was not saying much considering the height difference was a matter of inches. Due to her height the blonde was the target of short jokes just like the brunette, but unlike her older sister Jessica refused to take them lying down. More than once she came to blows with Melody and Lucius over them and more than once she managed to send Mother's Favorites walking away while doubled over with a well-placed punch or two to the stomach.

Of course Elizabeth reacted with fury when she found out her favorites were hurt and she frequently came down on Jessica like a ton of bricks, but the short blonde did not care. She stood up to her mother with no fear whatsoever, something that Diana wished that she could have done. She had the least to lose considering how she was their mother's least favorite child, but she was too scared to stand up for herself and always wilted when she was called on the carpet for whatever reason. It did not help that her mother almost always felt the need to strike her while delivering a lecture, sometimes repeatedly.

When she was not having to fend off Mother's Favorites or defend herself against her mother's fury for daring to defend herself against her older siblings Jessica was a cheerful sort who was nothing but kind to Diana. She was always supportive of the youngest sister and always willing to help her through rough spots such as the recovery period from their mother's infamous slaps. Elizabeth's slaps hit so hard that the recipient frequently did a 180-degree turn before hitting the floor and remained dizzy for at least an hour afterward. Diana had received a lot of them for various reasons such as not addressing her mother properly, not greeting her with a smile, or just breathing the wrong way.

In addition to being the bane of Melody and Lucius Jessica was fond of coffee, though not to the extent Lucia was. Unlike the oldest Winchester sister Jessica was not a morning person and it showed on her face, which was usually fixed in a frown when she first woke up. Fortunately for everyone that state usually lasted until she had a cup of coffee, but once she had it she was instantly cheerful and ready for the day like someone had flipped a switch. In contrast Lucia was bright and happy the moment she woke up even without a cup of her favorite beverage.

The more she thought about the members of her family who were kind to her the harder it became to contain her sadness. Diana found herself wishing that she could have saved them from death by poisoning so that they stood a better chance of living long, happy, and fulfilling lives. Maybe somewhere down the road they could have found love, started families of their own, and perhaps even had children. If all of that happened the youngest Winchester sister would have been one day referred to as "Aunt Diana" by nephews and nieces.

Unless Lucia got married and had children that was never going to happen.

Diana closed her eyes.

She did not plan on having children herself because she was not really looking for a significant other nor was she willing to give up her independence just yet. Another factor against settling down was the belief that after all of the unsavory acts she had done in the past she did not deserve that kind of happiness. The youngest Winchester sister would leave that to Lucia... if anyone deserved a chance to have a happy life it was the one who had set aside her wants and needs for the sake of her younger siblings, even Lucius and Melody.

Diana's thoughts turned to Lucia, the oldest of the Winchester children and a miracle worker who held the family together through tireless effort and force of will.

Jessica Winchester:

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Lucia held a special place in Diana's heart because the oldest Winchester sibling was by far the kindest to her. Lucia was kinder to her than her own mother Elizabeth, who seemed to hate her simply for existing. Diana knew that her mother often wished that the former had been born a boy instead of a girl... that was not a fabrication of Melody's but a harsh truth straight from Elizabeth's mouth. Lucius and Melody picked up on the disdain for their youngest sister and ran with it, getting away with all manner of physical abuse that would not have been tolerated had someone punched, kicked, or shoved them around like they did Diana.

Diana recalled how her older sister always seemed to arrive right when she was needed the most and how Lucia had cared for her when Katrina, Gloria, or Jessica were too busy to do so. Lucia always had a kind word, a hug, or some way to cheer Diana up after Melody or Lucius did their best to grind her into the dirt. The older blonde was popular with all of the other Winchester siblings precisely because she always knew how to lift them up whether the cause of their troubles was Melody and Lucius terrorizing them, Elizabeth in the middle of a drunken fury aimed at anyone within reach, or just the ordinary troubles of life. It was safe to say that Lucia was a better mother than their actual mother.

The oldest Winchester sibling was the one who had introduced her to the piano and to coffee, two things that Diana had varying degrees of fondness for. She sort of liked the piano because of memories of Lucia playing it for her and teaching her how to play it, but coffee was a mainstay in the green-eyed blonde's life because drinking it gave her comfort whenever the going got rough or she just needed to take a step back and plan her next move. Thinking about her older sister was starting to take its toll on her because Diana was starting to feel overwhelmed to the point she could no longer keep up a facade of polite but distant behavior.

Diana felt a surge of emotion and the sensation felt like a punch to the head; it was so strong that she was unable to lie on the couch any longer. The blonde mage stood up and wandered over to her closed window, then stood in front of it and stared at the shutter. It did not matter that she could not see out of it... she just wanted to do something other than lie around and think. She had to do something else or she might give in to the sadness she was feeling.

Once again Diana found herself wishing that she could have somehow saved her family from what had happened to them, especially Lucia. The other blonde deserved to live a lot more than Diana did, whose hands were too stained with blood for her to deserve a happy life. The green-eyed blonde closed her eyes and had another thought about the fate of her family.

Maybe Lucia should have been the one out of the house at the time of the fateful banquet.

Maybe Diana should have been the one to drink the poisoned wine in Lucia's place.

Maybe the world would have been better off if the oldest Winchester sibling had been the one to survive that night.

Diana opened her eyes again when she realized that her "what-if" thinking was just that, an exercise in seeing how many "what-ifs" that led to her older sister's survival she could come up with. The fateful banquet had been over four years ago and none of her thoughts or wishes were going to alter the past. She and Lucia were the last surviving members of the Winchester family and that was unlikely to change.

The blonde turned to face the coffee table upon which she had placed the Infinite Improbability Chronometer. She was tempted to use it to return to Fiore and visit Capital Coffee in Capital Crocus so that she could get some coffee for solace or go to Capital Crocus Mall for some window shopping. She was aware that doing that was running away from her problems instead of facing them and finally gaining closure, but Diana would just have to run because she had no idea how to face all the emotions she was feeling right now.

Deciding to get the device and prepare for a return to Fiore, Diana began to walk towards the coffee table to pick the IIC. She reached it and bent down to grab it with her right hand when she paused and drew her hand back because she was starting to have second thoughts. Unsure as to what to do, Diana just turned and walked away from the coffee table, then reclined on the couch again to try and calm down and think about whether she should use the IIC to return home or stay and actually face what she was feeling.

[Post Word Count: 850]
[Total Word Count: 6,678/11,000]

Diana's mind was in turmoil as she thought about her older sister. Part of the blonde wanted to reunite with Lucia and be with the only family she had left. The other part of her wanted to never have contact with Lucia again so that the latter could live in peace and have a good chance at a happy life.

Diana stared at the ceiling in silence as the part of her that wanted to leave Lucia alone started to win the struggle against the part that wanted to see Lucia again. The more she thought about it the smarter it would be for her to cut all ties with her older sister. The blonde took a quiet breath and continued to think the matter over, perhaps hoping that she would have an epiphany that would give her what she needed to make a decision once and for all. After roughly ten minutes of lying on the couch she did not experience such a revelation, so she sat up and got to her feet, then reached out for the IIC with her right hand.

Her fingers touched the device and she grabbed it, then lifted it up until she could grab it with both hands. Diana looked at the IIC and recalled the instructions on how to use it. She raised it up to her lips and spoke the phrase that would take her home.

"What's the ultimate question?" Diana asked it aloud. Moments later she disappeared in a burst of light.

-Earthland, Diana's Townhouse, the bedroom-

Diana reappeared in her bedroom and she felt normal, but Diana recalled what had happened to her when she had arrived on the space station, so she decided to check herself in a mirror just to be certain that nothing serious had happened to her upon her return to Earthland. She set her IIC down on her bed and briskly walked into her bathroom to look at herself in the mirror.

-The bathroom-

Diana put her hands on the countertop and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. The mirror showed her that her hair was now bone white like it had been when she had first arrived on the space station. The combination of white hair and green eyes was striking and made Diana look older than she actually was, but it did not last for long and two or three minutes later her hair had regained its natural blonde color. That was the only change to her appearance she had seen and once it was gone she left the bathroom. She was more than a little tired and wanted to sleep for awhile.

-Diana's Bedroom-

Diana returned to her bedroom, grabbed her IIC, and walked over to her dresser. She fished her purple iLac out of the drawer it was kept in and put the IIC where the iLac had sat, then walked back over to her bed and placed the communications device on the top left corner of the bed. Diana then carefully climbed onto her bed and immediately rolled onto her side to face the room door. She then closed her eyes... maybe she could sleep for the entire night without having thoughts or dreams about her family.

-Diana's Bedroom, 4:08 P.M.-

Diana had managed to sleep for almost a full twelve hours before waking up. When she finally woke up she checked the time on her iLac and learned that she had slept a good chunk of the day away. The blonde did not care too much about that minor detail because she was a Guildless mage and worked when she wanted to. She sat up and carefully climbed off of the bed, then went to get dressed and go somewhere just to avoid sitting around her home all day long.

-Capital Crocus, 4:52 P.M.-

Dressed in her usual outfit of purple t-shirt, black skirt, white thighhigh stockings, and black tennis shoes, Diana was out and about in the busy streets of the city she called home. Diana was on her way to Capital Coffee to grab a cup of coffee before heading to Capital Crocus Mall. She was starting to think about Lucia again and desperately needed a distraction so that she did not go back on her plan to avoid contact with her sister. On the outside Diana looked like a normal young woman thanks to the mask of calmness she wore, but on the inside she was racked with uncertainty.

Diana really wanted to reconnect with Lucia, but if she did that any enemies she had might go after her older sister just to get back at her. She also did not want Lucia to see what she had become in the time since the latter's death over four years ago. Diana was only pretending to be a human and while she stood a good chance of hiding the truth from Angela, Amber, Jasmine, Aliarey, and her other acquaintances, Lucia had known Diana since the latter was a child and would be much harder to deceive. She did not want her older sister to see what she was now, so it would be for the best if the two Winchesters never met again.

[Post Word Count: 868]
[Total Word Count: 7,546/11,000]

-Capital Crocus Mall, the first floor, 5:12 P.M.-

Diana had gotten a to-go cup of her usual double espresso from Capital Coffee and she was now in the mall looking for something, anything, to take her mind off of her family. Diana was not finding it. The mall was full of people and there were too many young people around her age to count, but she barely noticed them except when they passed by on the way to the numerous shops on the first floor. Diana was physically present, but mentally she was a long way from the mall.

The blonde kept thinking about her desire to cut ties with Lucia so that the latter could live in peace. It would be the best thing to do because as long as Diana was in her life the older Winchester would try to take care of her just like she had when the green-eyed blonde was a child. After all of the years Lucia had spent taking care of the family and constantly setting aside what she wanted for the good of other people she deserved a chance to choose how her life went from here on out.

Diana took a sip from her nearly full coffee cup and kept walking towards the shop on the far end of the first floor... she believed that its name was The Fashionable Lady and that it sold makeup, perfume, and other beauty products. The blonde was not interested in going into the store and its only purpose was to be a landmark. As soon as she got to the entrance she would turn around and head for the stairwell in the food court that would allow her to go to the second floor.

-The second floor, 5:26 P.M.-

Diana reached the second floor without much trouble because she had gotten lucky enough to ascend it just before a swarm of shoppers from the first floor followed her. Now she was walking at a leisurely pace and her thoughts were still leaning towards leaving Lucia alone. Diana was probably going to do that, but part of her was hoping to find something to convince her not to go through with cutting ties with the only family she had left.

However, the more thought she gave the matter the more convinced she became that leaving Lucia alone was the best idea.

The older Winchester would never be free as long as she felt an obligation to look after Diana. Diana had already absorbed far too much of Lucia's attention and had given her sister nothing but headaches whenever she had to be rescued from Melody or picked up off the floor after Lucius had kicked her down a flight of stairs or tripped her as she was walking by. Diana was going to quit being a leech... she was going to continue to stand on her own two feet like she had been doing for the past four years.

Having made up her mind, Diana continued walking on the second floor and browsing at the windows of the shops just to see what was being offered. She had no intention of buying anything and was just passing the time until she had had enough window shopping for the day. That would not take too much longer because the crowds seemed to get thicker instead of dwindling like they usually did at this time and Diana was not in the mood to deal with large numbers of people.

Carefully working her way through the crowds that seemed to get larger by the second thanks to people leaving one store to go to another, Diana made a lap around the second floor and was about to begin her descent to the first floor when she heard a familiar voice not too far behind her.

"Hey Diana!" Amber called out. Diana immediately began going down the stairs and did not look back.

-Diana's Townhouse, Diana's Room, 7:52 P.M.-

Feeling certain that she had lost Amber after leaving the mall, Diana had returned to the safety of her home and was now going to teleport somewhere she could think in peace, somewhere far away from Capital Crocus. The blonde knew the perfect place and would travel there very soon. She took a quiet breath and used her teleport ability to travel to Silent Cemetery, a place she would not have to worry about anyone interrupting her thoughts.

Well, anyone living, anyway.

-Outside the gates of Silent Cemetery, 7:53 P.M.-

Diana reappeared only twenty meters away from the gates to her destination and felt a cold wind pick up. Her hair fluttered behind her as the blonde looked up and saw a cloudy sky that was blocking the moon; the lack of moonlight made the area outside the cemetery look appropriately gloomy. She looked down and straight ahead before using her natural night vision mode to cut through the gloom to get a clear look at where she was going. Once Diana could see clearly she began to walk towards the gates at a slow stroll.

After a minute or two of walking she reached the right gate and grabbed it with her right hand, then opened it. She stepped inside and closed the gate behind her. Diana would have to fight her way through the cemetery to get to where she wanted to go, but she did not mind. She had been here many times before and her magic was more than capable of fighting the undead.

[Post Word Count: 918]
[Total Word Count: 8,464/11,000]

-Silent Cemetery, the end of the right path, 8:33 P.M.-

Diana had fought her way through a small army of zombies to get to this point and left a trail of their corpses behind her. Now she was at the end of the right path and was in a section of cemetery that was being watched over by a large granite statue of a female angel with her wings outstretched and her right arm held out. Her right hand was open and her fingers spread apart as if she were waiting to take the viewer's hand before leading them to paradise. It was looking down at her and the zombies lying on the ground with a warm smile on its face, but Diana's attention was drawn to a different angel statue in the center of the right side of the area.

This one was of a female angel on a square pedestal with her wings outstretched and both arms reaching out to the viewer as if trying to embrace them. She had a warm smile on her face that was the same as the one on the face of the larger statue, but what had drawn Diana's attention to the statue was the hairstyle. It was a lot like Lucia's except for the fact it was wavy instead of straight. As the blonde looked at the angel she entertained a thought.

Was some divine entity trying to tell her that her plan to stay out of Lucia's life was not a good idea?

That thought was dismissed almost as soon as it had come up because Diana was not so egotistical as to think that some divine entity was sending her a message. It was just a statue that happened to resemble her older sister, not a sign from above. There was nothing special about it other than its appearance.

The blonde turned around and looked around to make sure that a walking corpse was not going to somehow sneak up on her while she was lost in thought. Once she was certain that she was safe she turned back to the statue and began to think about Lucia. Besides blonde hair and the same last name the two sisters had something else in common.

Diana had been abused by her parents, especially her mother. In a way Lucia had been abused too because she had been forced to raise all eight of her younger siblings ever since she was ten years old. Not once had Lucia been allowed to do anything she wanted like find a romantic partner of her choosing or take a day off from being the de facto head of the Winchester household. The few times the oldest Winchester child had tried to get a little freedom from her burdens Elizabeth used guilt trips and the occasional slap across the face to force Lucia back into line.

Diana feared that if she connected with Lucia again the latter would feel obligated to put aside her wants and try to take care of her younger sister like she had done back home. Diana did not want that. Her older sister had more than earned her freedom, but she would never get to enjoy it as long as Diana was in her life.

That was why it would be best if they did not meet again.

Having spent enough time in the cemetery for one night, Diana turned away from the statue, glanced around one last time, and teleported out of the cemetery. Her destination was the outskirts of Capital Crocus. While she could have easily teleported right into her home, the blonde felt like walking the city streets for awhile.

-Capital Crocus, 8:35 P.M.-

Diana had teleported to the city outskirts two minutes ago and was now inside the city, which was not quite as busy as it had been hours ago. The only people on the streets were middle-aged people heading home after a hard day of work or young people like herself going out to enjoy the city's vibrant night life. Diana was going to Capital Coffee to get a cup or two of her favorite beverage before she called it a night. That was hardly the most exciting plan, but the blonde was the sort who did not need to do anything exciting to have fun.

The blonde was moving at a casual stroll as she glanced around to look for Amber, Angela Helton, Catherine Corvinus, or any of her other acquaintances so that she could avoid them. Chances were good that she would run into Jasmine DuClare at Capital Coffee, but that could not be helped because the brunette worked there. Diana was not feeling very sociable and she was sure that walking away from Amber earlier in the day had damaged their relationship, but the blonde could live with that because the dark-haired young woman was just an acquaintance and acquaintances were as easy to find as they were to lose.

Diana took a quiet breath and kept walking. It would take her a fair amount of time to reach the coffee shop at the pace she was going, but she was in no hurry. Tonight time was a commodity she had plenty of.

[Post Word Count: 884]
[Total Word Count: 9,336/11,000]

-Capital Coffee, 9:48 P.M.-

Diana had ordered her usual double espresso and was seated in "her" white pod chair facing the window that faced the mall. Her drink was clutched in both hands as she sat and watched other people walk by the window on their way to wherever it was they were going. The usual upbeat pop music was playing softly on the overhead speakers, but the music was just background noise to the blonde, who was much more interested in her thoughts.

Diana was thinking about her family, more specifically Lucia. The thought she constantly came back to was how she wanted the older Winchester to finally cast off her obligations to their dead parents. After being forced to sacrifice her childhood and adolescence to keep the family afloat Lucia had more than earned the right to be free and Diana wanted her to live that way by not having to look after the green-eyed blonde.

Diana's entire existence had not been fair to Lucia. Diana had been just another mouth to feed and just another person to care for. She was the child who had the misfortune to be born the seventh Winchester daughter instead of the second son her mother so desperately wanted and she had been punished for that mistake over and over again. It was not fair to Lucia that the former had to constantly rescue Diana from Melody's room or constantly patch her up after Lucius kicked her down the stairs yet again.

The blonde took a sip of her coffee and continued to look out the window at the calm city streets. She spotted a young couple walking by and holding hands and thought of her sister. She wondered if Lucia ever wanted a boyfriend or if she even wanted a significant other at all. Back when they had lived under the same roof Diana had never heard Lucia talk about wanting to date anyone, but that might have been because their mother refused to let Lucia ever take a break from being the primary caregiver of the family.

Diana thought about her mother and her anger began to rise for the first time in awhile.

Elizabeth Winchester was a domineering woman whose attitude was essentially "My way or the highway." She controlled her husband and her children with an iron fist... she kept everyone on a short leash except for Lucius and Melody. Lucius had gained his mother's favor by being the first Winchester son, but Diana did not know how Melody had earned the right to do as she pleased. Maybe it was because the second Winchester daughter was a talented musician who could play the piano, violin, and flute with envious ease.

Elizabeth was also an alcoholic, a trait which made her domineering behavior even worse. She favored expensive wines above any other form of alcohol and would drink two bottles on an average day. On a really bad day she would drink four, maybe even five. When a drunken Elizabeth got in a bad mood everyone suffered, everyone except for her two favorites. Diana routinely suffered the worst of it, but the other Winchester sisters were not safe from their mother's wrath, which was very easy to earn but very hard to get rid of except by weathering the storm until Elizabeth either passed out in a drunken stupor or transferred her fury to another target.

Overall Elizabeth was a miserable human being who only seemed to be happy when dominating and hurting other people either physically or mentally, sometimes both at once. She did not need alcohol to be that way, but while under the influence of that drink her negative behavior was dialed way up and any positive traits that she might have had were buried deep. Once upon a time Diana wished that her mother would change her ways so that their relationship could have been saved, but now she suspected that Elizabeth Winchester would have never changed because she always believed that she was in the right no matter what she did.

Diana quickly moved on from that topic and finished her cup of coffee, then got a refill to go. She was going to go home and try to sleep for awhile so that she could finally stop thinking about her family.

-Capital Crocus Mall, the next day, 12:52 P.M.-

Diana had went to sleep without too much trouble and had awakened about three hours ago. She was dressed in her usual outfit and was in the mall to do some more window shopping and take her mind off of what she had been thinking about the past couple of days. The mall was packed with shoppers and the food court was so full that there was no chance of her getting anything to eat even if she wanted to. Diana had just cleared the entrance hallway and was about to go left to head for the stairs to the second floor when she heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Hey Diana!" Amber greeted her.

[Post Word Count: 842]
[Total Word Count: 10,178/11,000]

Diana turned around and spotted the dark-haired young woman she had avoided the day before. Amber was dressed in a sleeveless pink crop top and blue jeans with white tennis shoes, which meant that tonight was a date night for her and her boyfriend Adam. The blonde was embraced by the dark-haired young woman and endured the sensation of her skin crawling the entire time until she was released.

"I tried to talk to you yesterday but you didn't respond to me. What was going on?" Amber asked Diana.

"I had some family matters to attend to." Diana answered in a half-truth. She did have family matters of a sort, but she had not visited any of her family members or done anything like that. Instead she had to leave the mall because she was afraid that if she let herself think about Lucia too much she might lose the will to sever ties with her older sister.

"Oh, all right. I knew you wouldn't ignore me without a good reason. You're too nice a person to do that sort of thing!" Amber accepted the explanation without complaint. Diana thought that "nice" was too generous a description of her personality, but in a sense it was true. She usually wore a mask of politeness and manners so that she came across as pleasant company even if she were anything but a social butterfly. However, over the years the green-eyed blonde had formed an unlikely friendship with Aliarey Casady, one of the only people in this world who she truly valued as a companion.

"I apologize for ignoring you, Amber." Diana gave a genuine apology in her usual to-the-point style. The other young woman smiled at the former.

"It's all right, Diana. I'm not mad at you." Amber accepted the apology with ease. Diana analyzed the former's body language and learned that she was telling the truth. Having learned that set the blonde at ease because while she did not need friendships to feel validation she still wanted to be on good terms with her neighbor. Amber was a bit more comfortable hugging someone without warning than Diana would have liked, but the dark-haired young woman was a kind person who meant well and was not intentionally trying to make the blonde feel uncomfortable.

"Anyway, I'm going on a date with my boyfriend later. We're going to go to Boomslang and attend a concert in the VIP section. He waited in line for hours and managed to get us both tickets just before they sold out. DJ Dynamo's gonna be there and tonight she's collaborating with her younger sister DJ Ampere!" Amber informed Diana of her plans for the evening and told her who was performing.

"DJ Dynamo? I have heard her music before." Diana commented when she learned who was giving the concert. She recalled the electronic music artist and recalled going to Boomslang for a concert of DJ Dynamo's a couple of years ago. Diana had not been to the club in some time, but the last time she had went it had been a pleasant experience.

"Oh, so you've heard of her?" Amber asked. Diana nodded.

"Yes. I have even attended a concert of hers that was hosted in Boomslang a year or two ago." Diana replied truthfully. The dark-haired young woman smiled again.

"I figured you'd be the type who likes something more refined like opera or classical music, but you liking electronic music's a pleasant surprise." She confessed to the blonde.

"I like DJ Dynamo. I have not heard very much of DJ Ampere's work, but her older sister has quite a bit of talent and stage presence." Diana gave the name of her favorite artist out of the few she knew. She only knew about DJ Dynamo, DJ Ampere, DJ Krill, and DJ Beluga. Amber smiled again.

"DJ Dynamo's my personal favorite because she has an ear for music and a lot of stage presence. However, DJ Ampere's already starting to develop a growing following and it's only a matter of time before she rivals her sister in terms of popularity." Amber opined. Diana did not know very much about the electronic music scene since she did not keep up with music, so she only had the other young woman's opinion to go on.

"Say, Diana, would you like to go with me to The Fashionable Lady? I want to get a special lipstick to wear for Adam tonight." Amber invited the blonde to accompany her to the store.

"Certainly." Diana replied. Since she felt a little guilty for ignoring her neighbor the other day she owed the latter something in the way of compensation. The other young woman smiled and walked past her, taking the lead.

"OK, Diana. Follow me!" She said.

[Post Word Count: 798]
[Total Word Count: 10,976/11,000]

-Inside The Fashionable Lady, 1:18 P.M.-

Amber and Diana had entered the store and walked through it until they reached the lipstick isle, which had two display shelves on the left and right that were full of nothing but tubes of lipstick. Amber was perusing the wares while Diana stood back and held onto a couple of tubes the former had expressed an interest in purchasing. One was a classic red color and the other was a soft pink. As the dark-haired young woman shopped she spoke to her neighbor.

"I know that I've asked this before, Diana, but things might have changed since we last spoke. Are you dating anyone?" Amber asked while looking through a selection of pink lipstick.

"No. I am not dating anyone." Diana answered truthfully.

"I thought you'd have found someone by now, Diana. You're an attractive young woman who has a good personality." Amber opined on two traits the blonde possessed that could attract a romantic partner. Again Diana thought that her neighbor was being too kind with that assessment, but she did not say a word. Instead she remained silent.

"I met Adam a while back and he's been an amazing boyfriend. He's always kind and he treats me like a person, not a possession. That's a lot more than I can say about some guys I dated in the past." The dark-haired young woman gave Diana a bit of information regarding her past experiences with men before meeting her current boyfriend.

"When I first started dating while I was in high school I couldn't find a good guy if my life depended on it. Most of the ones I met were... well, they weren't very good. One of them was a real cheapskate who made me pay for every date. Another one had a wandering eye and couldn't hold a conversation with me without looking at every young woman who passed by. And the last one I met before dating Adam was... let's just say he was really sleazy and leave it at that." Amber elaborated a little on her bad luck before finally meeting the young man she was currently dating. Diana did not press her neighbor for information and chose to speak.

"I have never dated anyone." Diana volunteered.

"I'll tell you right now that it's not easy to find the person who's right for you. It took me fifteen dates with as many different guys before I finally found Adam, but when we met I knew he was the one for me." Amber said in a voice that was full of fondness for her boyfriend. She stopped looking at lipstick and turned to face Diana.

"I know you're probably sick of hearing this, but Adam's a really good guy. He treats me with love and respect. He also encourages me to have my own career instead of trying to make me quit my job to stay at home so that I can wait on him hand and foot." Amber listed Adam's virtues.

"What's best of all is that he doesn't want me for my body. He says that I'm attractive without having to put on fancy makeup or wear revealing clothing. I wear this kinda outfit because he likes seeing me in it, but he's made it clear many times that I wear it only when I want to." Amber added, gesturing towards her outfit with her hands. Diana recalled her neighbor telling her that her boyfriend liked for her to wear a crop top and blue jeans but did not know that Amber had full control over when she wore it. Diana analyzed the black-haired young woman's body language and saw that she was telling the truth.

"It sounds like you found the person who is right for you, Amber." Diana commented. It might have been an obvious statement to make, but she was trying to actually engage someone in conversation instead of being just a passive listener the entire time. The next time she and Aliarey met she would try to be a more active participant in conversations with the blue-eyed blonde. Instead of criticizing her for stating the obvious Amber smiled.

"I sure did, Diana. And maybe one day you'll find someone you want to date. Just be aware that dating takes time and you might have several bad dates before you finally get a good one." Amber said to the blonde. She looked at the tubes of lipstick Diana was holding and folded her arms across her chest while looking at them as if trying to decide between them. After a minute or two Amber sighed reached out for them.

"I give up, Diana. I can't find anything I really really want, so I'm not gonna waste money on anything new. I'll just use what I have back home." Amber implied that her search for just the right shade of lipstick for tonight's date had not been successful. Diana handed over what she was holding and Amber turned towards the shelves, then put the tubes back where they came from. The black-haired young woman then faced the blonde.

"I'm ready to go, Diana. Are you ready?" She asked the blonde.

"I am ready to leave when you are." Diana said calmly. Amber walked around the blonde and got ahead of her.

"All right then, Diana. Follow me." She said.

[Post Word Count: 894]
[Total Word Count: 11,870/11,000]

-Diana's Townhouse, Diana's Room, 10:07 P.M.-

Amber and Diana had parted ways around 2:00 P.M. and Diana had returned to her townhouse. Now she was lying on her bed after taking off her shoes and thigh-high stockings and looking at the ceiling. As she looked at it the blonde began to reevaluate her stance on Lucia.

As much as she wanted to cut ties with Lucia so that the latter could live her own life and not feel compelled to care for her younger sister, Diana's resolve to do so was wavering because part of her wanted to reunite with her only remaining family. Part of her wanted to reestablish contact with Lucia so that maybe she could start paying the older Winchester back for having to sacrifice her wants and goals to care for her when she was younger. She also wanted to make up for not having the basic courtesy of even sending her sister a text message despite knowing about her resurrection for the past few years.

Diana also needed to make amends with Juno when she returned to the space station she had accessed through her Infinite Improbability Chronometer. The blonde had left the station without saying goodbye or leaving a note and was feeling a little guilty, especially after the pink-haired young woman had greeted her as a friend. Diana would cross that bridge when she came to it, but first she had other things to do, namely reconnecting with her sister.

The green-eyed blonde rolled onto her side and faced her room door. Her eyes made contact with it and she thought about her meeting with Amber earlier today. While she felt that they were still a long way from becoming friends, she had actually enjoyed talking to the dark-haired young woman about electronic music and listening to her speak highly of her boyfriend. Diana was not sure when that would be, but maybe one day she would look for someone to date so that she could at least say she tried to find a significant other.

All in all it had been an interesting past few days for Diana that had taxed her emotionally and had almost pushed her to her limit once or twice, but in exchange she had made steps towards gaining the resolve not to cut ties with Lucia and had come a little bit closer to connecting with someone besides Aliarey. Diana still had to mentally prepare herself before she tried to communicate with Lucia or thought about dating someone, but the green-eyed blonde would definitely attempt those things one day. For now she would take her time and wait until the moment was right before taking any big steps towards those goals.

Diana took a quiet breath and closed her eyes, then went to sleep soon afterwards. When she woke up later she would go look for another job to earn some money to save towards a vacation to Crescent Island, but for the time being she would just sleep. There would be plenty of time for work and other things later.

[Post Word Count: 514]
[Total Word Count: 12,384/11,000]