RP:Breaking The Silence

Kelay Tavern

Built and rebuilt, torn apart and set like stubborn bone, this tavern is the pinnacle of Hollow's entirety, wrought around the premise of peace, equality, and consummate amity. And of course, the old place had seen all of the three, but so much more. Dire markings of claw and steel cut deep into wall panels and floorboards. Set against the land's usual motif of destruction are signs of comfort. Twisting shadows and smoothing out a careful blanket of light with soft, quaint fires, a candelabra dangles down by thick cords, gripping the circular holder. Each twists up, converging upon the center, where they snake about one another and form a thick, secure anchor to Kelay Tavern's high, accommodating ceiling. The candelabra rattle now and again from the inn patrons overhead, pouring down globs of wax to the center of the room, which is wide and unobstructed. Cheaply carpentered tables and chairs grow outward around the bare dancing area, keeping to the rounded theme, and also keeping to a dwarven barkeep's avariciously born taste for 'economical' furniture. Hardly any expense has been wasted on the actual upkeep of the public center though, as can be garnered from the smell of deep pine, rich tobacco, and even richer spirits. Stairs twist away dimly near the high bar. And atop that side rests the inn logs, quill, and ink. This establishment's fine keeper, Mesthak, can be seen smiling out from his post at the bar, straight across to the room's always crackling stone-wrought hearth. Behind him, atop lofty shelves, sits an array of dark, amber, and clear liquids. Food smells waft from somewhere near at hand. A carefully printed and hung sign details the purchasable items here in the place of merriment, loss, laughter, and life. Also, tucked into a corner near one of two windows closest to the tavern doorway is a thickly papered bulletin board. A sign has been added next to the board that reads, 'The management requires patrons be fully inebriated at all times and that no curing spells be performed in this tavern-Thank you'.

Tyler sat at the bar leaning on both elbows with a fork in his right hand. The man manically digging into a piece of Pumpkin Pie only stopping to take a long drink from the ale sitting at his side. The human didn't seem to notice anyone else in the tavern as he was far too focused on his meal. He looked better than he had all week. Bandages were covered by new clothes and armor that seemed crafted by honest to goodness tradesmen. The color had returned to his skin and he smelled like he actually got around to taking a bath. As he finishes devouring the poor pie before him he would toss a small bag of coins to Mesthak and order another.

Skylei pushes her way through the doors and into the bar. At this time of day the bar's clientele was somewhat sparse and so she is able to recognise Tyler from the second she steps through the entrance. The first thing that crosses her mind is that the human looks a great deal better than she has seen him since their meet. Letting the door close on the wind behind her the girl would stand still for a few seconds, breathing in the scent of the tavern. On the half-elf's back was a largish bag that contained a good few changes of clothes, two of three tomes and a couple of rolls of parchment. It would seem from the size of the bag that the half-elf has decided that she is likely going to remaining in Kelay for a few days. She would weave her way around what patrons did stand between her and the bar and pull herself onto the seat beside Tyler and deposit the bag on the floor beside the two. She would wait until he acknowledged her, seeing that he is already quite busy.

Tyler thanked the dwarven barkeeper as he brought him another plate of pie and a refill of ale. No time was wasted as he continued to rip the pie apart and sip at his beverage. As Skylei made her entrance his eyes would stay locked to his meal until she sat at his side. Turning to her with fork in mouth Tyler's eyes seemed nervous and scared until he took note of whom it was that had approached. Pulling the fork from his maw as a smile spread across his face the man would turn and throw his arms around the half elf in a welcoming embrace. "Sky!" He proclaimed with a mouth full of pie before forcing himself to swallow, nearly choking himself. As he released her he would go back to his ale to help wash down the pie and relieve the scratched feeling in his throat. For once, Tyler seemed excited and almost like a decent human. It would seem he had managed to suppress his anxiety around Skylei. He had some how become comfortable around the Wood Elf, a feat never before seen. Taking note of the bag of voice would reflect his ease as not a single stutter, nor hiccup were given. He points. "What's all that? Living stuff or summin'?"

Skylei :: Before Mesthak makes his retreat away from the two, the Halfling would request a tankard of ale for herself. From her pocket a couple of coins are retrieved and passed in his direction before he stomps off and busies himself fulfilling the half-elf's request. Her arms would wrap around Tyler, just as his wrapped around her in embrace. Crumbs of pie would fly from Tyler's full mouth as the human proclaimed her name and, though it wasn't the most pleasant experience Sky had endured, she was willing to undergo it if it meant seeing the male so excited. It was nice to know that she could generate that kind of feeling in anyone, but especially in Tyler. She is almost taken back by Tyler's breezy attitude towards the bag that was in her possession. "Aye, clothes and my work and the like. I cannot bear to continue travelling back to Chartsend every time I want to change my clothes or take a wash or do some work. And I'm loathe to head back their permanently." Skylei would raise her eyes from the offending object to Tyler, "That's okay, right? I don't intend to outstay my welcome." If anything, Sky was the one who was filled with nerves and discomfort at this conversation.

Tyler widened his eyes in excitement as Skylei spoke of staying in Kelay for a while. The human shook his head and smiled brightly as he spoke. "Of course it's OK! I'm only sorry that you have to sleep accompanied by the sounds of the drunkards den." His eyes cast to Mesthak to ensure the barkeep wasn't offended, thankfully he was far to busy gathering Skylei's drink to over hear the conversation. Taking another bite of his pie the human the human chewed rapidly and then pulled back as if something dawned on him. "Oh!" He exclaims once again with a mouth full of food before forcing it down and making a mental note how rude it was to speak with his mouth full. "I found a healer!" The human reaches to his shoulders and unfastens the shoulder armour and pulls his robe top off over his head revealing bandages still in place though he moves to unwrap them. The wounds on his torso and shoulder had been sealed shut but they still seemed fresh and red. "She couldn't make them go away completely, but she managed to seal them up and I've got to be honest, I feel much better." Tyler would check Skylei's expression to ensure it was one of happiness to his bettering condition. He then recalls the lie he told to Misaki the night before and he lowers his voice to a whisper; "Which reminds me... erm... if you hear me introduce myself to someone as Relyt... Just go along with it. It's the best I could do." His cheeks would turn red in embarrassment as he recalled his anxiety the night before as he told the Avian his name was Relyt, pronouncing it Re-light. Of all the things he could of gone with, the idiot managed to spit out something that was literally his own name spelled backwards. He had decided to stick with the name to those who weren't Skylei, at least until he was finished with or eliminated from the Chartsend tournament.

Skylei is just as excited as Tyler to see the improvement that has been made to his wounds. One of her hands would reach out gingerly and a gentle finger would run across one of the newly-closed wounds. She would close her eyes and block out her visual senses as she examines the lesion. She is checking to see if she approves of the healing and finding no fault with the treatment would withdraw her hand back to her lap. She does not feel completely at ease with the idea of another treating Tyler, though she knows her healing prowess could not have done him the good that he needed. Vocalising these thoughts to the human she would nod gently, "Mmm. Not a bad job. Certainly much better than you bleeding out in the middle of the night." At the question of Tyler's new name, Sky would raise a sceptical eyebrow, though she lowers her voice to a volume akin to his, "Relyt?" she hisses in disdain. "Really? Super creative there Tyler. Maybe good enough to fool an orc." Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, the girl would shrug in acceptance "I suppose there is no other option but to go with it though. If we are in the company of others I suppose that will have to be your name."

Tyler was drinking from his ale when he was forced to resist a laugh causing him to spit some of it back into his tankard. Setting the drink to the side and raising his robe top to wipe at his face he laughs heartily as Skylei insults his faux name. The man nodding in agreement. "Could've been better but for someone who can barely form a sentence when speaking to someone new what do you expect? She put me on the spot and as much as I wanted too I couldn't just run away. She helped me." He began to think about meeting Misaki at the spring of vitality the day before and still had trouble processing how someone, especially an avian, could be so kind and generous without asking anything in return. The name Mythayus ran through his mind again as he recalled the avian's accusation of knowing the dragons mark on his chest. He thought it best to leave that detail alone in public and would withhold the possibility that his identity may of been had from Skylei. Instead he finishes his pie and pushes the empty plate away now stuffed. Shaking his robe top off to the side to try and clear the excess ale and pie that had fallen onto it he would struggle to reapply to garment. He then turns his full attention to his female companion. "So..." Tyler would nod to her ale as it was delivered. "When you finish your drink, would you care to go do something?" His eyes turn to the taverns door. "I came across a place yesterday, I'm sure you've likely been there before but it's still rather fascinating."

Skylei doesn't allow her brow to fall back to its usual positions and leaves her face as a visage of scepticism, "How hard is it to come up with a name?" By example, the half-elf mockingly offers Tyler her hand to shake. When he takes it, she offers him a false smile, "Oh hi, my name's Hel." When that little piece is over, the half-elf would drop her hand and the unimpressed face would return, "See - simple." Shaking her head the half-elf would take up the tankard of ale and take several long gulps, both to wet her throat and also to relieve the feelings of annoyance that Tyler's incompetence had strung up inside of her. Feeling more herself after refreshment, the half-elf would place the, now only half full, glass back on the bartop. She would sigh and turn back to Tyler who, having re-garbed himself has offered her the possibility of a walk away from the tavern. "Aye, I can see that being pleasant." The girl would look down to the bag that rested alongside her feet and contemplated what to do with it. Deciding that she didn't wish to leave the vast majority of her possessions unattended in Kelay Tavern, behind locked door or not, Sky would kick it away from her feet a small way so that, when she did rise from the seat, the bag would be more readily accessible and she would slide it onto her back and take with them, "We're not going too far, are we?"

Tyler could only chuckle as Skylei insulted his ability to think on his feet. A shrug is offered as he speaks through a smile. "What can I say? I'm special." Dropping his arms back to his side he shakes his head as she goes to gather her things. "It's not too far. Just outside of Kelay. Trust me, It's worth it." Tyler would nod to Mesthak in thanks for the meal and toss a few silver pieces on the counter for a tip. To have such wealth all of the sudden, He must've gotten quite a "job" recently. Grabbing his bag he tosses it over his shoulder and looks at his right palm before deciding an illusionary disguise wouldn't be needed at this time of day through the streets. Besides, his new get-up hid his actual size rather well and made him look a bit more intimidating than a flea. He would reach out to take Skylei by the hand and press through the tavern to the swinging doors before heading west towards the mountains.

Scenic View of Hollow

This small path breaks out from the sparse trees and becomes an open area on this cliff. People come from all over Hollow to look off of this edge and the view is amazing. As you stand you become slightly dizzy from the great height. Such a sight your deprived eyes have never seen before. As you walk toward the edge of the cliff, you notice small signs of a great battle, an array of booted footprints here a spot of blood there. Stepping to the edge of the cliff, a great slab of stone has been ripped free of the ground, and where it had been, there is nothing but a hole in the earth sloping ever downward to the edge. Creeping out over the edge you can see a heap of shattered rocks and piled up earth at the bottom. Something powerful had devestated this rocky cliff face. tearing your eyes away from this destruction, you can gaze over the most of the land. Towards the south you can see the mountain path you've once traveled. So small it looks from here, yet your legs can tell you differently. To the east you can see a great forest of trees, obviously being Sage Forest, with the little town of Kelay deep within. Beyond the edge of Sage Forest you can see the mountains to the north, although the path to the small town of Larket is not visible from this vantage point. At the very edge of the horizon you can just make out the beginning of Milious Planes, and beyond that you know is the great city of Cenril. You take in the wondrous view and wonder what this place must look like at night under the canopy of stars, lights glowing from the towns below and east of here. To the west is where you came, a mountain path. A small cliff in the area seems to lead up to a hill.

Skylei and Tyler make their way up the northern path until they reach the spot that the male has suggested for their trip. Anyone who had passed them on the way up the path would have heard the Halfling berating her companion about the length of the walk that they've chosen to engage in and the weight of her bag. Even if Tyler had offered to take the bag from her during the short hike, the fiercely independent half-elf would have refused to hand it over. Bad enough that she was spending most of her nights in his room, she certainly didn't need or want him to take care of her too. As they walk out onto the cliff, the bag would be thrown from Skylei's back with a sigh of relief. Her hands would reach up and massage her aching shoulders; the bag was deceptively heavy what with all of the tomes she had chosen to stash inside of it. The half-elf would flop down to the ground and rest her head upon the bag so that she may take a moment to rest. She hasn't taken the time to examine the view yet.

Tyler remained cheerful despite Skylei's constant complaints the man only offering a smile with simple remarks of humorous intent. Once the duo had reached the view he watched Skylei toss her bag to the ground and take a seat. Removing his own bag and placing it beside hers, Tyler would move to kneel behind Skylei, his right hand reaching up to touch her chin and moving her head to focus her gaze on the beautiful sight before them. Palms the slip onto the Wood Elf's shoulders and he begins to massage them lightly in hopes to ease some of the tension and pain from toting the bag all the way up here. His caramel gaze sets upon that of the tip of the Kelay Tavern which stood high above the other buildings in the small settlement. A light breeze passing over the two felt much nicer beneath the warmth of the sun as opposed to the chilled nights they usually seemed to encounter one another in. His soft voice reached out; "I found this place when I was searching for a healer. I couldn't help but rest here for a while..." He exhales quickly through his nostrils as a smile takes form once more. "The only thing I could think about was how I wished I had someone to share the view with..." His eyes close for a moment as he chuckles to himself. "Of course, by someone, I mean you." He was still coming to terms with his ability to express himself to Skylei. The human unwilling to take for granted the gift Skylei has bestowed upon him of having someone to care about. Reflecting on his life back home and upon his arrival in Hollow he didn't feel the pain or frustration that tended to come with those thoughts. He was far too focused on the elf before him to give anything else more the a moments thought.

Skylei feels her head moved upward to take in the breath-taking view that rolls out before them. The half-elf felt a breath catch in her throat as she takes in the majesty of the lands and her hands slip down from her shoulders and are replaced by his. The massage he provides is greatly welcomed, as the pain that has set into her shoulders from the trek is slowly relieved. Besides, the girl is busy; captivated by the sights that lie before her. First her eyes fall to Kelay and the shops and homes that rise from the main street. Then she looks to Sage, the forest that serves as bookends to the little town. As her eyes fall on the greenery, the half-elf feels a lump rise in her throat. That forest, not Kelay or Chartsend, was her true home. But with drow at every turn, she daren't return. Subconsciously, a hand reaches and strokes at the point of her ear, cursing its existence. Without that, Sky could surely pass as human and could have returned to her old home. But for now, she daren't. These thoughts are all that fill her head as Tyler explains his reasons for bringing her here and as such, the words fall on deaf ears. Realising that she has not been listening the half-elf turns so that grey eyes could look to him, "You said something?"

Tyler took note of Skylei's silence and upon her words he simply exhales and smiles. "Nothing." His hands move from her shoulders and would slip beneath her arms and around her sides embracing the elven kin from behind as he allowed his gaze to fall upon the great forest as well. He had wondered once why Skylei had chosen to seek a home among the sea bound town of Chartsend as opposed to one of the great woods around Hollow. He glances to her ears and then to complexion of her skin and he catches the look in her eyes from the side as she thinks of home. He begins to argue with himself on his next action, should he ask the question that stood at the tip of his tongue or should he suppress it to avoid an answer he might not want to hear. The latter takes it's victory as Tyler swallows the thought with a sigh. Instead he would continue to stare out over the horizon and speak on a different topic entirely. "Have you heard anything of the combatants in Chartsend? Do you know who's made it through the first round?"

Skylei would shake her head in response to Tyler's question. At the shake of her head, the half-elf's hair would begin to blow gently in the wind and she would reach and hand to push it forward over one shoulder to keep it out of the human's face, "Nay. I cannot have stayed for more than an hour in the city and, besides the guards, I cannot say I spoke to anyone." Indeed, Skylei had been becoming somewhat reclusive, spending all her time travelling alone or hidden away with the illusionist in whose company she now sat. The half-elf would sigh and her gaze would fall once again on the greenery below them, "I should have thought to have asked; it could have helped you. That was stupid of me." Sky would fall silent for a few seconds more before adding an apology to the end of words. The girl was clearly distracted, her mind not truly on the human who sat behind her.

Tyler picked up on her tense voice and the human would adjust himself so that the two could have eye contact. He kept his calm and happy demeanor and still smiled while he spoke in hopes to raise her spirits. "First off, don't be sorry. It's not an issue. I had no idea I'd be fighting a dragon in the first round, yet I managed to make it through did I not? Secondly, I'm usually the shying, stumbling and damp spirit. It's not right for me to be happier than my company." He would offer a comforting gaze to reassure her that his words were meant in a playful manner. Pulling back to his original position Tyler would lean up and have his cheek touching Skylei's as they continued to look out over the cliff. His voice now a whisper. "What's troubling you, Sky?"

Skylei forces a smile onto her face at the first of his words, though it has soon fallen into nothingness. In truth she is grateful that Tyler is not annoyed with her for not ascertaining more information about the current tournament news in Chartsend. The half elf has no excuse for her forgetfulness and in truth, there is an element of guilt about her foolishness that is wracking her. But she knows as well as Tyler does that this is not the reason for her behaviour. Sky would sigh and her hand would gesture to the southern pocket of greenery that edged Kelay's periphery. "You've wandered the forests of Sage? Would you not say that they are the most beautiful trees ever to have graced the land and that the air is so cool and clear there that you can almost taste it's sweetness on your tongue?" Skylei would sigh again, more deeply this time as she becomes ever more conscious of how much she is bearing her soul to Tyler. After all, he had only been I her acquaintance for a few days and, close as the two had become, Sky was ever wary of sharing her thoughts. "I would certainly speak such words of Sage."

Tyler nods slowly in agreement as the Wood Elf speaks. The humans eyes looking over the tree tops with a feeling of longing. His voice reaches out again and is in quite a soft spoken tone; "Yes, I would agree..." He tightens his hold on Skylei a bit as he can feel some strong emotion in her voice though he isn't quite able to place his finger on it. "When I first came here... I had no plans, no money, no friends and no place to go." Forced to think on his arrival Tyler closes his eyes for a moment and grits his teeth before continuing. "Before I began thieving to rent the room in the tavern, I made the Sage my home. I spent two months sleeping either on the ground beneath the trees or perched in the branches of them." A heavy sigh is given as he finally releases his grip on Skylei and raises to his feet, his knees popping in relief at the adjustment. Approaching the edge of the cliff the human would stop with his toes hanging just over the edge. His attention distracted for a moment as an eagle releases a sharp cry from above them as it makes it's pass off in the distance. He calls back to her; "It wasn't my favorite time in the world but it was, usually, rather peaceful and of course beautiful. I had a few run in's with locals and wild life but nothing a little... smoke and mirrors couldn't fix." His right hand would wave across the open face of the cliff and a popping crackle of blue mana would expand to explode as he moved. "However, as the colder months began to approach I knew I couldn't get by sleeping outside all the time. I am, Human after all." He smiles and turns to face Skylei with his heels touching the edge. A very assured statement ready to escape from his lips as he decides to go out on a limb; "It is your home, I assume?"

Skylei remains seated upon the cliff even as Tyler moves upwards and out towards the edge of the cliff. She would open her mouth briefly to advise caution but the words die upon her lips and her mouth is closed again abruptly. Tyler was no child; he would know full well that to stand close to the cliff edge would require caution and Skylei had no desire to patronise. His movement blocked the sight of greenery from her eyes for a few moments which, if only briefly, removes the dull ache she feels to look on it from afar. "It was not always. I have lived in Sage for but five years. But it was the dwelling of my father before me and of his wife and so in its bowers I found myself a home." Sky would attempt a laugh, though it is hollow and empty and, should Tyler turn to look upon her face, he would see that a tear was building in her eye. "Aye, when have you ever seen one of wood-elf blood without a forest to call home?" Skylei would shake her head, "Chartsend is all well and good. Friends who once resided in Sage now call it home and so I do the same. But I cannot help but dream of the grass and the trees."

Tyler kept an intent stare upon Skylei as she spoke of her recollection of the great Sage forest. His cheerful appearance faded and stance firm. The human noted the water raising in her eyes and his heart felt as if it were ready to shatter. As she spoke of Chartsend and of friends he would slowly shake his head. "If you are of the forest, then you should be there. It is true what they say, that home is where the heart is and if your heart is not in Chartsend you should not stay there." Turning slowly he stared back out over the grand view and bit his lower lip as he processed his thoughts. Calling out for her to hear him he continued; "I don't have the same feeling of belonging as you do. I don't understand the calling that I'm sure you experience when you think of the forest. Nor do I know anything of friendship outside of what I feel for you. But what I do know..." His right hand reaches to his pocket and then retreats with a familiar paper in hand. He turned to toss it like a disc towards her, it was his tournament invitation. "What I do know, is that when you want something, no matter how difficult or scary it seems... No matter h-how much you try to convince yourself that-that-that it's impossible and no matter how damn frustrated you get when you think about it, You-you just do it." His hand extends behind him to motion to the Sage forest. "If it is where you belong, then you must go. What-what-whatever challenge or obstacle or problem that is keeping you for being where you want to be, you have to find it and you have to defeat it. Because if I know anything, it's that at the end of the day, the only damn thing that matters is you." The humans voice was shaken and his emotions begun to take the better of him though he would steady himself by taking a long drawn out breath. "You have to fight for what you care about, for what you love." His hand comes into contact with his chest as he feels his beating heart. "I'm sure if a coward such as myself can manage to fight for something..." He then points to Skylei. "So can you. Anything, is possible." As the final word leaves his lips Tyler would inhale deeply before spreading his arms out to his side, raising his head to the sky and letting his weight fall backwards sending the human into a free fall from the cliffs edge. As he fell a brief silence would come across the duo as a few seconds pass. The world around Skylei would then begin to move and flicker before her very eyes before a bright flash would reset the image before her with Tyler standing at the cliffs edge with his hand held out in her direction as blue specks fell to the ground below. He mutters "Anything."

Skylei would stop breathing as it seems as though Tyler falls backwards off of the cliff. In her heart of hearts she knows that the image before her eyes cannot be reality. He would not throw himself off a cliff and leave her. So much does Sky have faith in Tyler's commitment to staying by her side that she does not even cry out as 'he' falls. Those few seconds where he is absent from her vision begin to rock her faith however, and Sky feels her chest tighten. At the long awaited arrival of the blue specks and the reappearance of Tyler, the girl lets out a heavy breath that she had not even realised she had been holding. Rising from her seated position the half-elf would move across the cliff top to stand alongside Tyler. Arms would reach out and pull him into an embrace, at the same time pulling him a little way away from the cliff edge. The embrace was the only way that Sky could think to thank him for his words. Much as Sky would have liked to have believe him, she simply couldn't. What was she? But a half-elf and a scrawny one at that. She was no warrior, no great wizard, she was naught but a girl with a love of reading and she was unable of defeating a platoon of drow. What she could do was bide her time, contribute to the learning's of the land and perhaps, when the time came, play her part in reclaiming the forest. But none o this is spoken. Instead she just hold on tightly to Tyler.

Tyler would wrap his arms tightly around the wood elf as she came to him. He too offered nothing to say instead resting his head on hers and his radical breathing began to stabilize. Had she spoken her thoughts Tyler would have argued them with the facts of his victory in Chartsend, being an average human with no fighting experience and only a gift he managed to defeat a dragon in his first true blooded battle. However, since she kept these things bottled inside he would simply embrace her and find great joy in the moment. His emotions running wild he had an unbelievable urge to speak three strong words into the wood elves ears but he couldn't muster the courage to say them. His fear of her reaction outweighed his own desire to express his emotions, due to the fact that despite him wanting to never leave her side, he had only known her for a short time. She wasn't like him in the sense that he had never had someone to care so strongly for. Skylei wasn't just his first friend, but rather something more. The man would do anything for her and the sad truth was that he was the only one to know it. A stressful sigh is given in frustration at his inability to speak so instead he simply tightens his hold on Skylei and closes his eyes to treasure the moment.

Skylei :: As Tyler pulls her closer, Sky would rest her head on his shoulder. She absolutely adores the human who she is locked in an embrace with and yet, she doesn't feel as though she knows the way to vocalise it. Sky has had friends aplenty but the way that she feels about Tyler transcends those feelings that she has for her other friends. Perhaps it was the fact that they had spent so much time together over the last few days and perhaps it is something more. Skylei cannot work out why she feels the way she does and the irrationality scares her a little. But even so, she doesn't feel the need to articulate this. Her face is pressed into his neck and her breathing is soft and shallow. She manages to speak one word, "Tyler." That is all she can manage. It sums up the way she feels perfectly.

Tyler kept his eyes closed as he felt Skylei's breath run across his neck. The human's heart beating through his chest as she spoke his name. His mind rushing the outcome of a thousand different ways he could conduct himself at this exact moment yet he continues to reject each and everyone of them only wanting it to last. The sun on the horizon of the scenic view behind them and Tyler knew the chill of the night would soon set in and force the two to head back to the tavern. His jaw flexed multiple times as he harassed himself mentally multiple times before finally deciding on his next move. When Tyler met Skylei, for some reason, he was able to speak to her. He wasn't overly afraid and he didn't shy from her company. The minute he saw the bruise on her forehead he felt a strong will to end the life of the culprit, he then proceeded to break her bones and take an arrow through the shoulder. All of this, in the first night they had met. The moment they shared outside of the temple had given Tyler a feeling of emotion that he had never experienced. Then the fight, faced against a foe stronger than the man could ever hope Tyler never once lost hope in the fight. Instead he only thought of her, the wood elf that spoke to him. He knew he had to make it out alive simply so he could speak to her again. Then the hiding, the lies, the... everything. Despite his inability to socialize, his manic mood swings and his crazed rationalization of things, Skylei had managed to remain at his side. She brought out this emotion. The one he had never felt for anyone else in his life. He didn't want it to end. He never wanted to lose it... He never wanted to lose her. His lips parted and a his voice cracked before he could speak; "Skylei..." He swallowed the ever present lump and decided to give it his all, this was the only thing that mattered to Tyler, if he didn't get it out, he would never let it down. "I. I love you." A shiver would race up the man in anticipation as soon as the words left his lips. His body began to shake under the weight of his own worry. His grip ever tight around the wood elf as he waited for her unavoidable reaction, he only pray it to be in his favor.

Skylei is not entirely shocked by Tyler's admission. The comments that had passed between the two, the closeness - both physical and emotional and the things that they have shared over the last few days have led to an intensity of feelings between the two that even a fool would be unable to deny. Sky might have tried to have rationalise her feelings towards Tyler; she might have told herself that she had wanted to watch over him whilst he was injured and protect him from whatever injuries he had sustained, but in truth the half-elf knew that there was much more than a simple duty of care. She had wanted to be there. She had treasured every night that she had spent in the uncomfortable chair in the unpleasant room in the drunkard's tavern. So it is without much hesitation that the girl adds her own feelings to his, "I… Tyler, I,", the girl would pause, her voice cracking as she tried to express herself, "I love you too." Her face is still pressed into his neck, so it is fortunate that his ear and her mouth are so close together. The tender moment is broken as the half-elf adds, "And you bloody better hadn't die in this gods damned tournament."

Tyler had never felt anything quite like this before. His eyes tightly closed as he fought back a smile for some reason. He resisted the urge to cry and could only laugh at her final words. His shaking had intensified as she announced her love for him. The man cherished what is the happiest moment of his life as he gives the wood elf a tight squeeze before slowly pulling back. It was clear that he was fighting back tears of joy but he couldn't care less. "I'll try." He joked as he quickly pulled Skylei into another embrace while releasing a stressful sigh. Eyes now turning to look at the sun as it faded swiftly behind the horizon. Tyler would grab hold of Skylei's hand and pull her with him to their bags, releasing only to grab her rather large bag and toss it around himself. "What do you have in this? Weights?" He jokes as he picks up his much smaller bag and hands it to her. "We'd better get back and get your things unpacked before another brawl or something happens. I don't want to see your things stolen." His hand latched tightly to the bags strap he tried to fight another grin as his caramel eyes remained set on the woman before him. Leaning forward he would place a soft kiss upon her lips before extending his hand to her.

Skylei knows better than to continue berating him into staying alive. She is fairly convinced that her earlier proclamation is the best incentive she could offer him and that, if that was not enough tp encourage him to take care of himself, nothing will be. At their final embrace, Sky's eyes are finally pulled to the horizon and she realises that darkness will soon be fully upon them. The cities and forests that span out below them are bathed in darkness and the streetlights look akin to stars sparkling below them. It was gorgeous. Loathe as she is to leave the place if beauty, Sky knows that Tyler is right and they have to retreat back to Kelay. At his words the half-elf feels a smile pulled across her lips, "I have some books in there. Some of us have work to do!" She had fallen behind on her studies as of late, what with all of the evenings she had spent with Tyler and nights she had spent in Kelay. At the thought of getting her stuff unpacked, the girl smiles again. As soon as the kiss falls on her lips and his hand is offered, Sky takes it willingly and press herself into his side so that the two can remain close. "We should get going."

Tyler nods in agreement his free hand extending a palm to the dirt as a disguise would rise up over the duo. Skylei would become cloaked in heavy dragon-bone armor with blood smeared on the skull and Tyler in full mithril plates that made him look three times his actual size. The human would then lead the way hand in hand with his favorite person in all the land.