RP:Forgiveness and Preparation

Xalious Tree

Before you is an enormous tree like none you've ever seen. It towers some three hundred feet into the air, stretching outward nearly as wide; the soft sapphire glow of its enchanted boughs filling the vicinity with a soothing aura of metamagical power. The leaves are of a rich golden hue with each vein therein shining in brilliant silver contrast; each one having the striking resemblance to a large human hand. You notice that they seem to move of their own volition, writhing and reaching in all different directions to get the best angle of the sun. The bark is a rich charcoal black near the base, though taking on a deep brown hue as it extends upward into the canopy. The mighty Xalious Tree, which appeared when the Archmage Xalious died and ascended to assume the divine role as God of Magic, stands in majestic beauty as an eternal symbol of the mortal's ascension. As you look closer into the tree you see an inscription carved deep into the bark. There is nothing else here but a field of carefully kept grass and some followers who have come to bask and worship in this sacred tree's presence. To the west appears to be a nice merchant's shop. To the north is the town well.

Tyler crouched into a lowered position beneath the great Xalious tree wearing only a sturdy pair of black spiked gauntlets and illusionist wraps on his legs. Before him stood three heavily armored knights wielding large steel two-handed swords. As the trio started their approach the human's steps were light and quick, moving swiftly towards the leader of the bunch Tyler would leap and perform a spiraled kick that was accompanied by an infernal flame that seemed to spontaneously appear from his shin down. The blow makes contact and stuns the first knight, a quick flaming uppercut is given that sends the towering foe on a collision course with the ground. As the first goes down the illusionist would slide to his back and provide an fiery sweep kick to topple the second and as the knight struggles to rise Tyler pulls a Kunai from his wraps and jabs it deep into the enemies neck which sends blood gushing across the man's visage. Little time is offered between the second and the third knight as Tyler rolls to avoid a swing of the monstrous sword. Back on his feet, he turns to face the final foe and begins tossing small projectile fire balls towards the oncomer. The last knight continues his advance as if the fire balls were but mere paper. Soon the two are inches from one another and Tyler jumps to provide another spinning kick but is cut short as the large blade connects with his neck and sends the human crashing to the ground with a shout of pain. As he falls to the ground the trio of knights would shatter like glass and essence of mana would fall to seep beneath the grass. Palms pressed to the ground Tyler picks himself up and lets out a loud curse of frustration. As he moves towards his bag and robes that sat a few yards from the base of the great tree he is sweating profusely and some of his recently healed wounds had manage to reopen. Plopping down beside his gear a hand is rushed towards his water bottle as he eagerly brings it to his lips only to find out that his reserves were depleted. A squeeze is given before tossing the bottle to the side. Head falling back on his bag, the man decides to take a moments rest beneath the cool shade of the towering tree before continuing his training for the upcoming duel.

Skylei misses all of the action and drama that comes with Tyler's training, as she only completes the ascent to great tree as he flops to the ground. The girl who walks the path is quiet; nimble, elf-like footsteps and soft boots allow her to make the approach in near complete silence, and today she is clad in all black. Black was the perfect colour for her mood today as her conversation with Tyler yesterday still sits heavy upon her mind. She had chosen to take a stroll up to Xalious so that she might pray alongside the great tree for wisdom, guidance and peace. Most of all she wanted the divine to give her the strength to live with whatever decision she ended up having to make. Her eyes fall upon his face, as she nears the tree and the half-elf considers beating a hasty retreat back down the path and back into Kelay before he spies her. Biting her still fragile lip, the half breed would force herself to continue until she reaches the tree. A single hand would be placed against the bark and she was instantly filled with a soothing sensation of pulsing energy. Eyes would close as the girl engages her own energies with that of the tree and she reaches a single moment of clarity. Sadly for her, that moment passes as soon as it comes. Eyes are reopened and she looks upon her Tyler. "Hi." She doesn't know what else to say. After all, she hadn't been expecting him to be there.

Tyler lay motionless on the ground panting heavily with his eyes closed and falling across his body as Skylei approaches. The sound of her voice catches him off guard and his eyes force themselves open to take notice of her arrival at the tree. His own mind was still stuck on the events of the previous night and he couldn't help but feel like this distraction was what kept leading him to take a beating by his own creations. Pushing an elbow into the ground the exhausted he forces himself into a better position and places all of his weight on the grounded arm. Through pants he takes a moment to try and swallow though his parched throat prevents the luxery, "Hey." As he observes the woman it becomes clear that the same issues occupy her thoughts. Continuing to adjust himself until he can get a palm to the grass, Tyler picks himself up with a few groans. Staggering to his feet he kept his distance from Sky, unsure of her present feelings. "How are you?" he asks brushing dirt and grass from his wraps, the tone of his voice presents the question as if not directed towards Skylei's present condition but rather to her mentality of the night before.

Skylei pays no mind to Tyler as he readjusts himself on the floor. She's completely distracted by the tree. Her only thought of the male is whether he can feel the pulsating magical sensation running through his flesh too. Hands remain pressed upon the tree as the girl continues to absorb the calming sensations that it gives off. She can only hope that, if she remains connected to the tree, then the sensation of the divine the runs through her blood will give her the wisdom to react in the correct way this time. She knows that they will inevitably end up entangled in the same argument as yesterday. She breathes deeply and is filled with another moment of calm clarity. This moment lasts longer than the last and she is loath to pull herself away from the tree. But eventually, the hands fall back to her side and she mutters a quiet prayer for guidance to Xalious as she does. To the mortal man before her she would now turn, "Aye, better than yesterday." Her eyes finally fall on his form and she raises an eyebrow in concern, "Are you okay? Do you need anything? Water, perhaps?" The girl's eyes are slightly glazed over as she is not entirely focused on the physical realm, but her expression is of serenity; much better than yesterday's sorrowful anger.

Tyler wouldn't answer to Skylei's questions, instead he would only offer a moment to examine her. Despite his connection with his gift and the strong ties it had those such as Xalious the atheist man felt no calming effect nor anything of the sort. Rather than continue the conversation down the path of formality, he decides to cut to the chase and makes a bold statement. "I won't do it, you know." The statement is given as he stands still physically exhausted and short of breath. A hand raises to wipe his forehead but upon realizing he was still wearing the spiked gauntlets he decided he'd take the stinging pain in his eyes over losing one. A pause is given as a light breeze helps the man cool off and gain his thoughts. Shifting his eyes from the tree and back to Skylei as he tries to make a connection of why she felt the urge to be closer to the natural wonder he would shake his head in surrender. "The job. The demon. I'll turn them both down." The human knew that the consequences of his actions could be dire if he went back on his agreement with the Kitsune though he cared little. The past night he had been riddled with worry over his relationship with Skylei and how he might have fractured it in one simple misstep. He wasn't afraid to face the Kitsune, nor was he afraid of death, the only thing that brought worry to the man's heart was the thought of being alone again. He wasn't ready for it to happen and he was prepared to fight to preserve what he and Skylei shared.

Skylei is snapped from her divine inspired haze by Tyler's words. With a final stroke of her palm down the rough bark, the half-elf would abandon her post alongside the tree in favour of one alongside the human. She would have taken one of his hands, but she too has spotted the presence of those spiked gauntlets and she has no desire to be on the receiving end of one of those spikes. Instead, she would slide an arm around his waist and hold onto him as tight as she could with a single arm. She stays silent as she moves, thinking over the consequences of the next words she would speak. "Don't." Her free hand is held up in front of her own face, to quell any speech that he might wish to make as she wishes to continue. That same hand would run across her forehead, sweeping her hair out her sight and her eyes would look to him, desperate to join her stormy hues with his caramel ones. "I don't want to know what you decide to do. But whatever you do decide, I will support you. If you can promise that you will come back to me at the end of it." She too had reached the conclusion that there were very few things in the world that were worth fighting for if it meant loosing Tyler.

Tyler was relieved to feel the woman's touch once more, though he was taken back by her statement. Repressing the instinct to speak as she motioned for him to remain silent he listened. As she finishes his right palm would reach out and be placed upon her cheek, spikes pointed away of course, and his voice was presented in a soft whisper; "I will always come back to you." Caramel eyes locked to stormy greys for a minutes time beneath the Xalious tree allowed a moment of reassurance to flood the man as the worries of the past seemed to simply fall from his shoulders. Unable to find something to say, he stood motionless with his hand on her cheek and his eyes locked with her own as he simply began cherishing the moment of bliss.

Skylei would lightly press her cheek upon his hand, savouring his touch on her flesh. She too would fall silent for a good few moments, until the intensity of their eye contact becomes too much to bear. She would lean towards him and push her lips against his few several seconds. Eventually, she would pull away from him and offer a response to his assurance, "I will always be waiting." Another few moments of silence would retake the two until Sky breaks the romantic moment in favour of asking a question that has been playing upon her mind since she had arrived at the Xalious Tree, "Why are you here?" Realising how accusatory that sounds, the half-elf would flush and attempt to rephrase her question, "I mean, why here? Why this place and not somewhere else?"

Tyler found himself biting at his bottom lip as Skylei pulled away and instantly wished for another, though he calmed himself and would take a few steps away from the woman once she'd asked for the reason of him choosing the tree for his training. "It's secluded, far from Chartsend and a has plenty of room to run around." Extending his arms out to either side he spun around confirming the plentiful space. Left arm dropping to his side while the right moved to front and center, Tyler's eyes would offer a blue glimmer as his hand would go from being engulfed in flames to ice and finally water before the liquid splashed to the ground. A sigh is given and he rubs at his eyes; "Though I can't say I've had the best luck. Every scenario I've ran I've managed to get knocked down, mostly with kill shots... Not to mention all of this would be in vain if Mr.Ja-Ja... whatever the hell his name is manages to find out my illusions are just that." Tyler nods towards his things and points to the kitana that lay in it's hold on the soft grass. "I fear the moment it comes down to me and that thing alone." Scratching at his head the man would then begin to pull the gauntlets from his hands and toss them with the rest of his things. "I've come to understand the fight will be this weekend. So, I'm trying to get as much in as I can before the big day. But, as for today, I think I'm done." He presses his hands to his lower back and leans back allowing a few rapid audible pops to be heard as he sighs in relief. "I've been kicking my own ass all day." He lifts his head to face the wood elf for a moment before looking back down to gather his things; "Will you be there?"

Skylei would gesture around the tree to the small pockets of devout worshippers that stood in prayer some distance from the couple, before offering a slightly scathing remark "It's not that secluded." Narrowing her eyes she would attempt to identify the figures, in spite of the fact that they stood so far away, "Still, I think those are the 'Xalious Fanatics'." Those words are accompanied by her hands making lieral quote marks in the air before her, "They rarely leave the boundaries of the tree and certainly never leave the town. I doubt they even know where Chartsend is." The Halfling would sigh before offering a final stern word, "Still y'should be more careful. You don't need to get found out before the fight." Sky would take her own few steps back to the tree so that she might run her hands across the magically charged bark. Serene bliss overtakes her as she does and she would smile to her love as hand ran back and forth across the trunk of the tree. She doesn't allow herself to become too intoxicated by the tree's divinity though and she soon steps away so that she may look to Tyler directly. She looks almost apologetic as she explains, "I won't be there. I couldn't. I can't watch you put yourself through that. And I would doubtless start screaming and give the whole game away, gods forbid."

Tyler tosses the strap of his bag over his right shoulder and stuffs the most of his robes inside deciding to get dressed once they make it back to the tavern where he can clean himself up a bit. "Point taken. I'll try to find somewhere more secluded." Casting a glance to the worshipers that had been at the tree the entire day Tyler severely doubted that they had any connection to the tournament or it's participants and he felt no distress. Snatching his kitana from the ground he would toss it's strap across the free shoulder and then grab his gauntlets from the ground before tying them to his belt. At Skylei's refusal to attend the duel his lips twist to the side in a look of near disappointment, he liked the thought of having some sort of support in the crowd, especially someone who knew it was him under the mask but he would consider her feelings and his expression to return to normal as he approached her with his robe top in his right hand he would extend his left to her in hopes that she would take it. "Well, I don't know about you. But I could definitely use a drink and some sleep. Care to accompany me back?" If she would take his hand, Tyler would begin to lead the way back to Kelay Tavern though his exhaustion left him unable to conjure a disguise for the duo as he so often practiced at this time of day.

Skylei doesn't realise Tyler's disappointment at her refusal to attend his fight. In truth, her refusal was not final. She had not made her mind up about whether she would attend the fight yet, but if she did then she was not planning on telling him. She was afraid that her presence might take his mind away from the fight and she refused to allow anything that might mar his chances to occur. This goes unsaid, of course, and all Tyler would see is her smile and extension of her hand to take his. He could take this as her agreement to accompany him.

Tyler pushes into the Kelay Tavern with his shoulder and enters with Skylei's hand in his. Upon reaching the bar Tyler allows his hand to reluctantly release Skylei's as he drops his things to the ground and digs through his bag to find a small pouch of coins to toss to the dwarven barkeeper. "Ale." He nods to Skylei, "And whatever the beautiful lady wants." a wink and smile is offered to the wood elf as he pulls his kitana from his side and tucks it down between his legs and the bar to remain hidden from view to the patrons.

Skylei would turn to look upon Tyler briefly with a scathing look upon her face. It's not that she doesn't appreciate the compliment; indeed, compliments are lovely, but she cannot see whatever it is that he sees in her face. Either way the half-elf would add to the clamour for ale and Mesthak, having received his pay, moves off to obtain the drinks for the two. Sky would hop up onto a bar side stool whilst the two waited for the dwarf to return with their drinks.

Tyler began to fiddle with his bag once more and pulled out a small cloth. Raising a finger he signals to Nancy to bring him a cup of water, which upon arrival he would dip the cloth in before running it across his face and body to help clean himself up. He dabs it against his shoulder which despite healing up nicely had reopened itself during his training. He makes a disgusted face at the sight of the blood and places the other end in the water before continuing to clean himself. Without turning his attention to his beloved he would address her; "So who's watching over your thing while you're here?"

Skylei eyes the reopened wound upon Tyler's shoulder with a pang of guilt. She was farely sure that that wound was the one that she had caused, and her mind is turned briefly back to the first day that the two had met. It felt as though it had been so long ago and yet the ugly welt on Tyler's shoulder confirmed that fact that it had been merely days. Brought back to the present with his question the half-elf would shrug, "My books are over in Cenril with one of the librarians. One of the passages is proving to be quite tricky and I required his assistance with the translation. I thought I was quite good at dwarven, but I am constantly being proved wrong. And my bow is with me" The girl would say no more, but patted the darkwood bow with nimble fingers. It was clear that, to her, the only possession that mattered were the bow that accompanied her wherever she went and her beloved books.

Tyler tosses the wet cloth to the floor as he turns to take a look at the darkwood bow offering a chuckle; "Ah, yes. The bow. Powerful weapon that." He jokes in reference to the wounded shoulder but is soon broken away by the arrival of their drinks from Mesthak. Thanking the dwarf, Tyler proceeds to pop the top of his bottle and take a heavy chug from it as his thirst is finally able to be quenched. Releasing an "ah" as the drink bites he turns back to Skylei and makes another inquiry. "What do you think about having a home in the forest?" He nods outside. "The Sage, I mean." The ease in his voice is nearly unnerving as he asks this question. Despite the drow, Tyler had little trouble moving through the forest as they had to quarrel with human kin. His inquiry held a meaning beneath as Tyler had honest hopes of building himself a home once the funds became available as he so longed to get out of the dinky little tavern that rested at the center of Kelay.

Skylei finds herself wincing at the joke about her bow. Though she knows it is naught but a joke, the guilt in having caused him such an injury remains. It seems unfair that he is still bleeding at that moment whereas she has nothing to show from the incident save from a little stiffness and an assortment of colourful bruises. Shrugging it off, the half-elf takes her own ale from the bar top and proceeds to drink at least half of it, in a single chug. That would serve to ease her guilty conscience, at least a little. As the topic turns to Sage the half-elf would shake her head profusely, "Not until it's rid of those dark skinned demons." Sky has to resist the strong urge to spit on the ground as she speaks of drow. The inherent racism runs so deeply in her blood that she cannot even talk of them without feeling physically disgusted. "Besides, I can't even enter Sage safely. They'd slay me on sight if they ever caught me." Tossing her hair over her shoulder, the half-elf would gesture to her face. True, she lacked the properly pointed ears of a full blood, but the lines of her face are so akin to her father's that she might be mistaken for an elf if one took only a cursory glance. And that is all a drow would do if they spotted a Wood Elf in Sage.

Tyler raises his glass to his lips again and continues to down the ale before shaking his head in disagreement with Skylei. "I've met only one Drow and I have to say, he seems well enough, despite his creepy eyes. Though I know the ones you speak of. They don't bother me much apart from some racial slurs here and there." Tyler shrugs and turns to face Skylei. "But if they were gone. If it was just us. Then, what would you think?" He began to play scenarios in his mind of how to obliterate the drow occupation through out the Sage Forest before coming back to reality and finishing off his drink as he awaited a reply.

Skylei would take another sip of her drink. And then another. She is taking her time in framing her response as she is well aware that her racial views are not the most progressive, nor universally accepted. As the ale is finished, Sky finally finds words that she thinks might be appropriate, "I am under no delusion that there are probably some drow that fell out of the mould and are lovely people." Her elven blood boils with disgust at the words as she speaks them. To lower herself to such disgusting ideas, she must truly value Tyler's opinion of her, "But there is no smoke without fire and no bad reputation without reason and, I promise you - if one of those bastards saw me in Sage I would be dead before I even had time to string my bow." Sky's audible words trail off here, though she mutters a couple of things about drow being the scum of the earth and that they should go back where they came from. She doesn't even bother contemplating the idea of Sage without the drow occupation. It is the one thing that she craves above all else and she daren't fill her heart with false hope.

Tyler chuckles as he watches Skylei struggle to find the words, her expression betraying her along the way. "You don't have to act like you like them, Sky." He playfully presses his shoulder into hers as he takes the final drink from his ale and places the empty bottle on the counter top. "I'm a human. We're closed-minded to nearly everything and never with any good reason. We're willing to start wars over literally anything and haven't a second thought about the negatives." He offers her a smile as he bends down to pick up his things from the floor. "It's alright to be yourself, y'know?" He places a kiss on her cheek as he slides back down from the bar stool. "I'm exhausted and am going to get some rest. Are you coming up or do you have other plans?" He casts a glance around the tavern and for the first time that night feels a bit of anxiety rise in his stomach at the sight of the usual night crowd gathering before them.

Skylei would only respond with a few utterances that it was not her fault, that she didn't hate drow without reason and that all elves were made that way. How ironic for a half blood to be so intolerant towards the other races of Hollow when she herself constantly faced rejection on the grounds of her birth right, or lack of. Sky would slide from her own stool only seconds after Tyler slid from his and reach for his hand. Perhaps it was intentionally to comfort his rising anxiety, or perhaps it was just because she liked to keep him close. It didn't really matter. Smiling up at him, the half-elf would quirk her head in the direction of the stairs, "I'd much rather stay with you."

Tyler offers a smile to Skylei as his caramel eyes once again become locked with her stormy gaze. He is glad that she has chosen to the come to the room with him as he desperately wanted to spend some time with her to help forget the painful night before. Skylei in hand, Tyler leads the way to the stairs and the duo ascend up to their room, the third door on the left, not to be seen again for the night.