RP:Conflicts of The Mind

The Slippery Eel

If you want to meet local people this is the place to be. Everyone from the lowest field hand to the e Tenebris themselves frequent the inn. Smoked eels hang from the ceiling, their preparation a closely guarded local secret, something to do with the dark, warm places they are cured. You are most likely to find friendly wenches serving drinks, keen to earn the extra gold. There's a jovial air to the inn apart from the darkest corner where a group of men, who look like smugglers, talk quietly, heads together. Two off-duty guardsmen occasionally glance at them from their seats at the bar. A door lies at the back of the inn. This leads to a large square with buildings running off it and a sandy track winding South. A battered board gives some messages posted about the local area.

Skylei is sat in the corner of the room on the rubbish wooden chair, leaning on the desk and writing a letter to her nearest and dearest. That list consists of only one person; Josleen. One might think that this letter was to inform the other half-breed of her engagement but no, Sky has already sent that letter and received a response. This letter is in reply to Josleen's response. Certain words on Skylei's page are particularly large and underlined. 'Trollop' is one of these words, as is 'bitch'. It's a strange letter given the joyous nature that surrounds the half-elf at the desk. Every so often she would pause so that she can admire the sparkling ring on her finger; she's still not used to its presence, before returning to her work. As she signs the letter with her initials, Sky would drop the quill down the the surface, rereading her words to her best friend. She would nod once, seemingly satisfied with what she had said before returning the quill to her hand and beginning to pen Josleen's parent's address in Xalious onto the other side of the parchment.

Tyler :: As Skylei finishes her letter the rusted knob attached to the small rooms entry door would make some god awful racket at Tyler fiddles with it from the outside for a moment before finally twisting it open and making his way in. The human seems exhausted and moves toward the bed after kicking the door shut with his heel. Once he reached the foot of the bed he sighs and drops his satchel to the ground before falling face first onto the rough mattress allowing an "umph" to escape as his head is burrowed away. As his bag hits the floor it tilts over allowing the book containing his notes of blood enchantments to slide out a bit, his hand covered in bandages to signal he had indeed been busy with his work. After allowing himself a moment of suffocation he finally turns his head to face Skylei and offers a smile as he sees he with the letter in hand; "What's that?" he questions.

Skylei turns in the chair at the sound of the doorknob. She knows who it is, of course. She's been waiting for his return since he left. Her face would light up as he walks into the room and then darken when he fails to greet her with a kiss. As he lies on the bed, spills his work all over the floor and then questions her own work, if it could be called that, she raises her eyebrows. "Before all of that, I think there's something you owe me." She wouldn't do anything, save from fold her arms and look at him until he reciprocated her own desire for a hello kiss. It's not much for a girl to ask to be greeted with a little bit of love, is it? They've barely been engaged twenty four hours; Tyler should still be showering her in love, if he knows what's good for him.

Tyler seems a bit confused as his eyes peel back and he looks around, though his mistake is quick to dawn on him. "Oh!" He exclaims as he uses aching muscles to push himself up from the bed and crawl to the edge, his hand slipping allowing him to fall to the floor with his legs in the air. A playful whine is given as he tries to readjust himself and allows his legs to fall to the ground with a thud. Picking himself up before dusting off he would then move to Skylei and place a soft kiss upon her lips, only to break away and offer another, whispering; "How could I forget..." before edging to the side of the bed and taking a seat and rubbing at his now red face.

Skylei is glad that she hadn't had to remind Tyler again what a dutiful fiancé is supposed to do. Now contented, Sky is happy to offer a response to his question. "Josleen sends her congratulations on… uh… this." Sky would wiggle her fingers in Tyler's direction. He was going to have to get used to that or he would very quickly be sick of the sight of the ring that she is so proudly displaying. "Apparently she cannot stop screaming, nor can her mother for that matter - I believe they may have driven Ezekiel and her father insane - and has already started planning our wedding." Sky does not disclose the contents of the rest of Josleen's letter, namely a warning against a particular female, or Sky's own response to Josleen's warnings. "Where have you been all day? I missed you." Her eyes fall in the direction of Tyler's papers that now litter the floor. She still has one of those papers tucked away inside her (Ezekiel's) coat, but she has completely forgotten about it. Illusionary zombie attacks and romantic proposals will do that.

Tyler offers a warm smile as Skylei seems rather excited to showcase her ring, so much so that the mention of Josleen fails to put a foul taste in his mouth, nor does he show any sense of upset when she mentions the planning of their wedding. At the question of his departure the human's face lights up a bit. "Oh!" Moving back to the floor he pulls the book the rest of the way out and tosses it to the bed and continues digging around until he pulls out a small, unique looking amulet. "I had to do a little more work on this." The look upon his face seems to show pure pride as he dangles the chain and eyes the locket with great content. "I've been working on it for a while now. It's a gift for a woman I met in Frostmaw." His eyes jolt to Skylei and his tone is quick to pick up any pieces of worry; "A friend. Nothing more. Clearly." His gaze then falls back to the amulet as he sits back on the bed, raising his left leg to cross his right. "It took a hell of a lot of work, but I finally got the enchantment to work. You see, this woman, she-" He halts his sentence and looks back to Skylei before setting the amulet in his lap. "Bah, you wouldn't care to hear about that. Sorry I left without saying anything. You were still asleep and I didn't want to bug you... Either way, how was your day love?"

Skylei :: Tyler is right to offer her reassurances that this woman is naught but a friend. She had heard that he had been up in Frostmaw recently and, what with the content of the letter she had received earlier in the day, she has drawn her own conclusions instantly. Her scholarly mind begins to tick and she pulls pieces of a mosaic into place. Whilst they don't necessarily paint the true picture of the situation at hand, Sky has pulled together enough pieces of the puzzle to leave her irritated and upset. When he breaks off, she is quick to push him back onto the subject; evasion will only intensify the emotions that are brewing under the surface, "Who are you making what for, Tyler? Tell me." The latter part is not a question, nor a request. If the human doesn't tell Skylei, there is likely to be hell to pay. Look in her eyes and dare defy the storm that is gathering there, Tyler, if you're brave enough. That look is enough to wither plants and send cowards running for cover. No one does anger like a Lucindio.

Tyler shifts to face Skylei once more and upon seeing the upset quickly rising in her visage he offers a light hearted smile and chuckle before raising his hand. "Relax, love." He pulls the amulet back into his hand and allows it twist on his finger. "Her name is kind of hard to pronounce, Miss Raphaline referred to her as Lady Silver or something like that. I believe the real name was Hul, Heil... Hild... Hildegarde? Either way, she works for the government or something up there. A real military brat type deal, kind of like the fellow that gutted me in the tournament. But, she has a heart. She was actually very sweet when I arrived, offering me escort back and providing me with drink and warmth." Tyler moves his hand to his face and begins rubbing at his eye and cheek. "You see, she's some war general or summin', messed up her face real well, even missing an eye, scars and burns all that good stuff." Attention falls on Skylei and he offers a stern tone, "And I don't want you to take this the wrong way, it's not an attraction, but even with these flaws, she had something about her, something that made her beautiful." The man knows he walks a thin line speaking of another female in such a way, but he feels honesty is the best road to take when he speaks of angel. "But, I hit a nerve while I was there. I offered a compliment and she reacted oddly. She is ashamed of her looks, scared almost." He takes hold of the bottom of the amulet and rubs the artifact between his fingers. "This is something I've been slaving over... It's enchanted to grant her flawless complexion, to give her a face of undying beauty, and if she believes enough, the ability to see through her lost eye..." Tyler had tested the amulet on multiple homeless patrons through Kelay and Chartsend and was ecstatic when it worked, though he felt awful having to deny those who tested it ownership of the artifact. A sigh is given as he looks back to Skylei expecting her to react with ill-will to Hildegarde. "I know that sounds goofy, please understand I don't have any attraction to her." He locks eyes with her own pissed stare. "I love you, Skylei. I just want to repay her for her kindness and provide her a chance to showcase the inside, outside." Knowing the wood elf, she'd likely still hold ill-will. Such a wonderful bundle of hate she was, but Tyler had to tell the truth. He liked Hildegarde, despite her military relativity and his anarchist views butting heads, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was genuinely a good person.

Skylei :: It's the first female name that Tyler mentions that seems to grate Skylei more than the mention of Hildegarde. He's okay, he's negotiated his way around the mine pit that is the female brain without setting anything off so far. Unbeknownst to her human, she too has recently been acquainted with Hildegarde and made a fast friend of her; dragon and half-breed had fulfilled similar roles in Josleen's life and share a mutual love for the half-elf and her chosen partner. She can't exactly say she's thrilled to hear him call someone else beautiful; indeed it's almost hurtful - perhaps she should give him a taste of his own medicine and start making comments about other men, though she quickly thinks better of it and simply nods as though she understands. She offers him one word. "Okay." With that said, the half-elf reopens the letter and begins to pen a postscript to her best friend. It doesn't take a genius to work out what it is that she's writing about. The fire hasn't burnt out of her eyes, though it is a light smoulder rather than a raging inferno that resides there now.

Tyler is relieved to find that Skylei doesn't press the issue and is very amazed that she actually seems to calm down. Had he managed to do something right? Holy hell. Placing the amulet on the bed the man takes to his feet and moves behind Skylei, plucking the quill from behind her and setting it on the desk before moving his open palms to her shoulder where he would begin to massage softly to help put the elf at ease. "Sky-love, you don't have to stress about me you know..." The man questions his words, wondering if he was right to assume she was worried that he might find another. Taking into account when she questioned him after the trip and judging her reaction whenever a woman came up was aid in thinking he was right. "There isn't a thing in this world, or any other, that could stop the way I feel about you. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and by far the most fun to be around. You're everything to me. I won't hurt you... the thoughts of another have never tainted my mind, and I know they never will." He continues to rub at her shoulders and prevents his eyes from falling upon her parchment, unwilling to snoop in her personal business though his curiosity is killing him.

Skylei is not best pleased when Tyler pulls the quill from her hands. She's halfway through a sentence and she is keen to continue what she is writing. Even if Tyler had been looking, Sky's arms instinctively curl over the piece of paper; the letters that she writes to Josleen are only meant to be read by her and the other half-elf. They have their own private snark language that she doesn't want Tyler to be privy to. She may be engaged to him, and he may not be allowed to have any secrets, but she intends to keep her secrets from him. Double standards, it may be but that's Skylei for you. As his hands massage her shoulders, Sky begins to visibly relax. That anger in her eyes begins to gradually subside and Sky would stretch and yawn, "I trust you. Whatever you say is happening, is happening." Sky would turn around and look the human in the eye as she mutters the last few words, "Just… if you're going to be running round talking to other women and stuff, you should tell me. I don't want to hear it from other people, y'know? It's humiliating not to mention disrespectful." She would wiggle her fingers at Tyler again, the sparkle of new-engagement returning to her eyes. "And you're all mine now, after all."

Tyler lets another laugh escape his lips as he nods at the showing of the engagement ring, a silent agreement with her statement. "Just keep in mind love, I'm new to all this. I didn't know what the hell jealousy was until I met you. If you want to know anything just ask, I don't bite... unless you want me too." A coy wink is given before he kisses the top of her head and wraps his arms around her neck in an embrace. "Anything else you want to know while we're at it?"

Skylei shakes her head, moving her arms to fold up the letter to Josleen. The amendment of her writing would have to wait until the morning if Tyler was going to hover over her shoulder; she damn sure wasn't going to let him see what the main body of her letter said. She would briefly push his arms away from her shoulders, get up from the desk and rewrap his arms around her body whilst placing a light kiss on his lips. "I love you, darling. Don't forget that." She would shake her head as she tried to think of things that she might want to ask him. Finally her thoughts would turn to the piece of paper in her pocket. The coat has been left hanging over the back of the chair and she would detangle herself from him so that she could retrieve the incriminating object. With that in hand she would pass it over to him and offer him nothing but a questioning look.

Tyler stares at the offered paper for a moment before unfolding it. He scans the page rapidly for a moment before nodding and offering another smile. "I was wondering where this bit went..." A slender index finger is aimed at the amulet he has crafted for Hildegarde. "It's powered by the same thing as ours." His hand finds it was to the amulet resting around his neck, twiddling it between his fingers for a moment. "My blood. I'm not like most enchanters, I can say some stupid words or shoot special beams out of my fingers. My mana is located in my blood stream, I have to use my own life force to create any sort of enchantment, and in the case of my death, poof, all enchantments are destroyed." He tosses the paper to the bed and coils his arms around Skylei in a tender hug. "You've really got to learn to be upfront with me love, you know good and well I won't grow angry... I don't recall a time I have..." His chest convulses as another heavy laugh is provided, "Though I can find plenty of you being upset with me... which I must admit, that little training exercise yesterday wasn't a one time deal, I'm sure you'll find something along those lines multiple times in our future. You know, to keep you on your toes."

Skylei rolls her eyes, "If you're going to enchant things with your blood, you'd do well not to leave random bits of paper floating around in the wind in the public gardens. You never know who's lurking in there. Like bloody orcs and necromancers!" She's only half-teasing. She's not best pleased to hear that Tyler is pouring his blood into his other projects; is it normal to get possessive over the life essence of your beloved? She didn't think so. Either way, she would grit her teeth and force all angry thoughts from her mind, only offering the human a complementary embrace to her own. "And I swear to god, if you put me through anything like you did yesterday I won't hesitate to beat you into the ground." She would grin at the human as she embraces him, "And don't you think I can't."

Tyler smirks as Skylei scolds him for his negligence and even goes as far as too threaten him. The frail human winking to her as he places a kiss atop of her forehead. "We've been over this countless times, I'm well aware you could pummel me, but the fact remains I have to make sure you are on your toes when I'm not around. So fine, It might not be necromancers or orcs next time, maybe just an onslaught of ankle biting puppies but it will be something. As for your bit about my littering, how do I know you didn't snag that page when I wasn't looking?" He knew better than to think his words held any truth, but he couldn't help but push at Skylei's buttons a bit more before moving the conversation to a hot topic on hand; Cenril. "By the way, I've found a place in Cenril, fully furnished and the lot, a really nice place. I'm in negotiations to get it for an insanely cheap price." The human is careful to bite his tongue on the topic of why the house was so cheap (murders, rape, who knows?). "If things go as planned it should be ours soon enough. Which means, we will be in city limits and yes... will have some damn taxes and law going about, but still I think you'll like it."

Skylei :: Tyler knows exactly how to drive her insane. At the suggestion that she had taken the piece of paper of her own accord, Sky would pull a face that quite literally read 'how dare you'. With that expression plastered to her face she would look up to her human, before noticing the grin that resides on his own visage. How does he know exactly how to play her? The irritation she has felt bubbling up inside of her quickly dies away and the half-elf is keen t hear of their plans, or his plans, for Cenril. She should probably ask a couple of questions, and so she does, "How cheap is 'insanely cheap'? Where about in Cenril? How did you find it? When did you find it? And why is it so cheap?" As she asks the questions, she feels a strange sensation in her body. Apprehension? She wants this future with Tyler and yet, over the past few days it feels as though they have gone from an awkward couple who sleep together in a crumby room in an inn with hopes and dreams for the future to a couple, engaged, planning to live together and living out all those dreams. Is Tyler not even a little overwhelmed? Does he not realise how fast they are moving. Sky actually begins to feel a little light-headed and backs away from Tyler to sit on the edge of the bed, forehead clasped in hand.

Tyler can see the change in Skylei's emotion as he complexion is swift to offer her up when she backs away to the bed. The human manages to keep a happy demeanor and pulls out the chair where she had been sitting moments ago and claims it as his own. He twists the chair around and straddles it, crossing his arms at the tip of the back and resting his chin upon them. "I wouldn't worry yourself too much on all of that love, I'll be happy to show it to you soon." His lips twist and his jaw would flex in a moment of deep thought. The truth is, Tyler has no overwhelming emotions on the situation at all. He was one for living in the moment and advancing as he saw fit. He didn't have any ties to bind him excluding the wood elf and he was unable to comprehend her hesitation though he is willing to do whatever is needed to keep his elf happy - thus his next words unravel without a hint of upset in them. "You don't have to come, Sky." Lifting his head he moves his right hand to reach out and poke at the ring wrapped snug around her finger. "This. This doesn't sign a contract that you must be with me at all times, even if your heart beckons you not too." He offers a grin as he retracts his hand back to its original position. "I know you have priorities, and I know you aren't used to just up and doing things at the snap of a finger. You don't have to come with me." He pauses before running his tongue across his lips to allow a moments delay in assuring himself he agreed with his next sentence... he does. "And you know that I'm unwilling to cause you any harm, of course, I do it more often than I should completely on accident, but the fact remains, you're all I've got and to make you happy is my only goal." He shrugs before continuing, "If you want me to stay right here, in this awful fish smelling room for the rest of my life, I will." He casts a tooth filled grin and would rise from the chair before sliding it back under the desk. "And don't give me some crap about my preference, or my tolerance or my happiness. Sure, I might hate fish, and I sure as hell can't stand the god awful militia running about in these streets, BUT!" He takes a seat by Sky's side. "I'm happy if you are."

Skylei eventually lifts her head out of hand and offers her hand to the male as he sits next to her. His whole speech had fallen on deaf ears. What they are about to embark on; this life where they are fully committed to each other, not just emotionally and physically but financially and more, to the point where neither party could just walk away at any moment without a thought or care - this is exactly what she wants. But the speed at which it has come at her, from nothingness to everything within the space of a few months is nothing short of terrifying and has forced, now that she has stopped to think about it, all of the breath from her lungs. Eventually, after a good few moments, Sky would begin to breathe like a normal human being rather than one who was being slowly asphyxiated. "All I want is you. You know that my happiness only depends on you." She means it, but the way she says it sounds as though she is trying to convince herself of the facts. Skylei has never been good with change.

Tyler exhales through his mouth quickly in surrender as he feels the tone in Skylei's voice. His hand sliding to lock his fingers with her own. He could feel the doubt around her and as she tries to convince herself it aids in reminding him that his thought process is far different than her own. Memories of Relyt creep up on him allowing a blank stare to fall to the crude floorboards of the cramped room. A hint of sorrow crawling through the human as he finds an odd sense of remorse for his recent actions, despite Skylei being by his side hand-in-hand he still feels alone without the friend he had conjured so long ago. Thoughts of his recent actions come into play and he finds that making choices on his own was far harder than he had initially thought, though it was nice to be void of that nagging voice in his ear calling out his every move as a mistake. But still, he wasn't used to this. Being in control. Having but one voice in his mind and making moves with complete dictatorship. It didn't feel right. Tyler raises his free hand and for the first time in weeks, his finger find the scar beneath his clothing where Javier had pierced his torso and nails would dig at the wound. This only last for a moment as Tyler realizes what he is doing, snapping away before Skylei could notice (he hopes) and his stare is also broken from the floor and instead jolts to the door, the man gaining the urge to escape. "Just, don't do anything you'll regret, Sky..." He gives her hand a soft squeeze before breaking the hold and rising to his feet moving to the exit. "I'm going to go for a walk while you finish your letter." He'd noticed her defensiveness over the note. "I'm going to see if Vakko is out on the field, if not I'll be back in just a few." His voice and complexion offer reassurance to the wood elf that everything is alright, though Tyler isn't quite sure what is going on in his head and he'd very much like to clear it up. He reaches to his fur coat that has been neglected nearly every time he's stepped out into the chilled streets and tosses it around him. "Need anything while I'm out?"

Skylei isn't used to being the one who wrestles with two personas, each fighting to force her down a different path. Skylei is sure of the path she wants to take; it's the path that they have been on since they very day they met in the drunkards inn, the path that has led them through misery and danger and near-death and magical moments and placed a ring on her finger as a sign of his commitment to her. She has never intended to stray from that path. But there is something in her head, a nagging voice, a glimmer of nervous worry, a sprinkling of doubt, and it is trying to force its way into Sky's conscious rationale. Skylei may not have created a second manifestation of herself; she needs no illusions to torture her mind, but she is fighting the same battle as Tyler did with Relyt. "I love you" she asserts with much greater confidence than her previous words, "With all of my heart and soul, I love you." She doesn't have the brainpower to fight against the dark seeds that are spawning in her brain to answer Tyler's questions and the only response that he is granted is her curling up into a ball and lying on the bed with her hands over her face as though they will shield her from the world. Skylei doesn't need shielding from anything outside of her own mind, but she doesn't seem to realise that.

Tyler becomes confused at Skylei's words and actions. As the woman curls on the bed he provides her a once over and narrows his eyes for a moment. Initial reactions call for an approach and reassurance. Though Tyler finds he far more often than naught manages to make conditions worse by offering his aid and instead he simply calls out in a low tone, "I love you." His hand finds the door and he begins to make his exits, looking over his shoulder only once and feeling his heart churn before closing it behind him and continuing down the stairs and out of the Eel. His interest wasn't in finding the drow, it was to clear his mind, his head kept to the dirt beneath his feet as they managed to carry him down the road that leads out of the city.