RP:Nightmare of a Relationship
Summary: Linn arrives home with Talyara soon after her exorcism. While sleeping, Linn has a nightmare where he kills the witch he loves. The next morning he attempts to explain himself and what he wishes to do to in his business with Vakmatharas. It isn't received well by Talyara and the two sadly part ways.
Opening in the Mountains
Linn stayed with Talyara at the healer’s, giving her what light food he could and comforting her until she got a clean bill of health to go home under his care. While he got a little bit of rest there, the light dozing he managed in his time wasn’t enough to fully recuperate him after all the time he spent awake, and by the time he got to the camp they had in the mountains (carrying her if necessary), he walked as if his feet were made of lead, positively –beaten-. His pack found its way into a far corner outside before he leaned against one of the cliffs with a warm, exhausted smile. “I think the time has come for me to get some sleep too…” he muttered out as his eyelids began to droop.
Talyara smiles softly at Linn while he discards his pack and leans against the cavern wall. She was still thin, too thin, but she had managed to put on a few pounds at the healer’s and with Linn’s assurance that he would keep up her food intake they allowed her to home. The witch was rather exhausted herself from the journey as it was the most exercise she had gotten since the exorcism. She immediately moves to Linn’s side and nuzzles her face against his chest. “Yes you need your rest, I suspect you were barely sleeping while we were at the healers. But I think I’m going to join you.” Gently, she would tug his arm and try and pull him towards the bedroom.
Linn weakly chuckled at the notion of barely sleeping. “I’ve had worse.” …did he? The time he went without any real sleep was actually probably a lifetime record. “That’s fine. Anything you want.” He hugged her with a light squeeze before heading to the bedroom they had made for themselves, almost collapsing when he went to sit down before peeling off the leather doublet he had worn for… waaay too long. First chore after waking up: Clean that thing. Thoroughly. When he was finally done he didn’t even stand up to get to the bed, electing to just roll and climb his way in. With Taly in bed he’d throw an arm around her to try and pull her close, but he was so exhausted it just laid over her, limp as the rest of his body.
Talyara chuckles softly and moves to her dressing area where she finds a silk dressing gown. Not that the healers didn’t have clean stuff for her to wear but she was eager to wear something a bit more luxurious. As the smooth fabric glides over her skin she sighs contently despite the fact that it hung loosely over her smaller frame. She likewise collapses on the bed and smiles a bit brights as Linn throws his arm over her and pulls her close. It was the first time the two were properly sleeping in the same bed together in almost forever. It was hard to figure out which one of them passed out first.
Linn was out before he could even recognize he was going to sleep. In the throes of sleep it seemed like just a moment before he was up and about around their makeshift home in the simple clothes he wore, his armor neatly folded and stacked by the cave that led out of the clearing. It was a time either far before, or after the possession, one couldn’t tell. Either way his mind seemed to be looking towards better days. Stitch and Pinky were chasing each other in circles, Bach was… somewhere, presumably in his own room that he had now, and Linn’s eyes were settled on the spiraled mithril ring he usually wore, now resting in his palm. It was different now though; a number of gemstones were set along the strands of metal to form their own pattern. A sweet smile rested on his face, taken by a thought brought about by the piece of jewelry.
Talyara enters into the cave, her hair wet and clinging to the bare parts of her face and neck. She’s still skinny and her eyes are sunken in a bit and she looks like she hasn’t slept soundly in a long time. There is a small gash above her eyebrow and she holds a soiled rag up to it to catch the blood. She squeals as Pinky and Stitch almost knock her down in their game and she snaps at them in an annoyed manner. Attention back on Linn she inclines her chin towards his hand. “What’s that?"
Linn closed his hand around the ring as he heard Talyara pad into their home, turning his head to wave before- what the hell happened to her? “You okay?” Steadily he rose to his feet, pocketing the ring to approach. “It’s nothing. Just another project.” Part of him wanted to be a surprise, and well, he had priorities. Like making sure she was okay. Pinky and Stitch seemed to ignore the snapping entirely, circling around each other a couple more times before vanishing behind a corner, perhaps never to be seen again. “What happened to you?” he’d ask, clearly worried for the witch.
Talyara wrinkles her nose at Linn’s care for her. She knew he did, of course, but something about his body language, something about his tone, implied that there was more care than usual. “What’s with the interrogation?” She asks in a sharp tone, pulling the rag from her head to reveal the cut. “I’m fine,” she says briskly, moving over to a water basin to dab at her cut.
Linn tilts his head slightly as that look of worry on his face intensified. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. That’s all.” He replied in that ever-soft tone that had taken him in his moments of confusion when Taly snapped in the past. Colorless eyes wandered to the gash above her brow, fixing closely on it for a few seconds before returning to the rest of her face. It seemed okay, but its unexplained existence was still concerning. Assuming she just needed some space, he did exactly that, hanging out against the rocky walls where he would be available but unintrusive.
Talyara finishes cleaning out her wound and moves towards the bedroom to change her shirt which unfortunately had some smears of blood on it. She also ignores Linn the entire time. Once in the bedroom she begins to mutter; however, the thing about caves is they echo so Linn would likely be able to pick up on what she was saying. “This can’t be happening again, this can’t be happening agin. How did I get into the forest? How long was I out there? I don’t even know how I got this gash!” Taly sits on the edge of the bed and hides her face in her hands, rocking back and forth slightly. “Keep it together Taly, keep it together…"
Linn listened carefully as Talyara spoke to herself, his worry muted by the sudden knowledge of her condition as if he always knew it. Slowly he worked his way to the threshold of the bedroom, remaining out of sight for a little bit as the internal struggle continued itself. Eventually he’d enter the room himself, sitting down next to her to bring an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. “It’s fine. We’ll figure it out.” His pack and armor had somehow found the way into their room, this time laying in a disorganized mess in the corner as if he had just gone to bed after a long day. That darkened violet crystal however, was absent.
Talyara flinches slightly when Linn sits beside her and drapes his arm over her shoulder. She continues to hide her face and rock back and forth slightly, even after the enchanter intones his supportive words. It sounds like the witch is mumbling to herself, but slowly the mumbling turns into giggling and then downright laughter. “You sure about that?” She asks dropping her hands and turning to face Linn. “You sure it’s all fine?” She asks after squinting her eyes shut, only to open once more. Only, her green eyes are no longer there, instead replaced by violet hued irises.
Linn released Talyara and stared right back into those violet eyes with a firey determined focus. If looks could kill! “Quite sure.” Again he rose to his feet, ready for a fight. Taking care not to reveal his weapon he reached into the pouch that was always (but totally not always) at his side, keeping that crystal closed into his fist. “Time to go!” he called out to the corpse-girl he knew was just outside, but she never entered the scene. Her absence seemed to shake him, and he raised that closed fist close in front of his face, cracking it open to see the darkness with a silent prayer that everything would work out as he hoped.
Talyara likewise rises to her feet, squaring her shoulders to face Linn. Not only where her bright green eyes gone, but so was her sweet smile and kind features. A sickening grin tugs on the corner of her lips and she tilts her head back to laugh again when Linn calls out and she clicks her tongue to the roof of her mouth. “Awe, what’ the matter Linn? You sure you got what you need?” She asks in a mock, sympathetic voice, pulling her hand from behind her back. “Looking for…this?” She asks opening her own hand to reveal that blackened crystal.
Linn cracked some kind of sick smile as the possessor wielded the tool of his own demise. “Quite sure.” He repeated before swinging his other arm around as his hand opened up. From it flew a swath of glittering amber-colored dust that wasn’t there before. It carried a weight with it that would be enough to overwhelm Taly and knock her to the ground, even with all her possessed strength. Linn followed it immediately, landing on top of her to pin her not even a second after she hit the ground. Fingers pried for the hand, and after a moment the darkened crystal was his again. “I know you were looking for this.” With one hand over her chest reinforcing the weighted dust to hold her down, the other held the crystal above her as the darkness began to seep and pour out, swirling around and pulling at the combined lives of Talyara and the Patron. “You will cause no trouble with this.” He stated in a damning tone, focus settling on that darkness in an attempt to hold it in check and deliver it correctly.
Talyara screams in frustration as the amber dust is enough to push her back and cause her to stumble to the ground. She attempts to right herself, but Linn’s body comes crashing atop hers and she finds herself pinned. Bucking her hips and thrashing about proves unsuccessful as Linn is able to pry the crystal from her hands. She growls at him and those violet eyes narrow. She breathes heavily as the darkness from the crystal begins to seep out and swirl around, pulling at not only the patron but Taly as well. “You’re making a huge mistake Enchanter. You are making a BIG mistake. End this nonsense now!"
Linn looked back down at Talyara with a fiery intensity that gave away exactly what he was about to do. “You’ve already killed her. Which leaves you as the only thing that can die here. The mistake was yours.” Words of damnation spoken he lowered the crystal towards her as the darkness continued to seep out, enveloping her until she looked like a misty silhouette. The masculine scream was all he heard before the darkness retreated, its task complete. Linn looked down over her stilled body once again, catching her eyes in particular. That emerald green, gazing upward, unfocused. He killed her. And with that shattering realization, the dream instantly vanished as Linn bolted up in a cold sweat, heart pounding in his ears before his exhaustion caught up with him again, his elbows that came to prop him up buckling and leaving him to collapse against the pillow. It was easy enough to tell he was in a panic just from the hyperventilating and the way he looked at the real Taly to ensure she was still alive and breathing, but with her newfound empathy it practically radiated from him; whatever he had just been through, it was harrowing.
Talyara is blissfully asleep, lost in a world where even dreams don’t dare touch her as her body continues to heal from the ordeal she had been through. Vaguely, she felt Linn stir beside her, felt him move and collapse on the bed; however, that is not what pulled her from her slumber. The overwhelming feeling of sheer panic seeped into her unconscious and suddenly her green eyes fly open and she pushes herself up on one shoulder, breathing heavily herself. It took her a moment to orient herself and realize the panic was not coming from within her but rather someone else. Quickly she turns to look at Linn and her eyes widen in concern. “Linn! Linn what’s wrong?!” She comes, reaching up a hand to cup his cheek.
Linn continued hyperventilating until his head hurt and his vision began to blur with it. When he looked Talyara in the eyes that panic doubled up for a split second before slowly, ever so slowly leveling off and eventually subsiding. He remained fixed, looking at her the whole time, searching for life, for kindness, and even for anger. “I…” he tried to speak, but his ragged breathing continued to get in the way, “I…” More inability to choke a word out. “Dream.” He tried to explain, “Dream.” Closing his eyes he reached out as if to hug her, though he left the action unfinished, allowing her to complete it on her own will.
Talyara did he best to focus on Linn but his panic was overwhelming her and her head began to spin. She tries to decipher what he is trying to say, frowning slightly at the intensity in which he looks at her and his inability to articulate fully what happened. As he begins the motions to hug her, she immediately moves into his arms, folding her body against his in an embrace. “Oh Linn, it’s okay,” she says softly. “It -was- just a dream. You’re here. I’m here. We’re together. Shh…"
As Taly moved into Linn’s arms he clung tight to her as if his life depended on it, threatening to crush her for a second before he remembered her condition and relaxed his grip (He still held on tight though). His panic began to come out in tears that streamed continuously down his face and into the pillow. “I…” he tried again to speak, but the words just didn’t come. As his shock at the nightmare wore away, it was steadily replaced by the one thing he had always fought so hard against: Fear. He was positively horrified of himself and what happened in his dream. Despite it being nothing more than the wanderings of his mind, multiple things in it resonated with him in ways that sent him backwards into a babbling mess. And so he continue to lay in Talyara’s arms, silently and weakly crying until he could get a hold of himself.
Talyara did not attempt to push Linn away when he held onto her tightly, only wincing which was most likely unseen at his angle. She simply continues to hold him, one hand slipping to his face to softly wipe his tears away. "You're scared," she says matter-of-factly after a few moments. "Linn you don't have to fight being afraid, everyone gets afraid," she says in an attempt to soothe his anxiety. She nuzzles her face against his and presses her lips against his brow.
Linn’s closed eyelids fluttered in an attempt at a surprised blink at Talyara’s matter-of-fact statement, but any questions he may have had were lost as he kept trying to let himself settle. Eventually his eyes opened again to look into hers for a few seconds before they closed again and that weak crying renewed itself, the release from that fear and panic letting his psyche disintegrate without anything holding it together anymore. It would take some time until he recollected himself, but he’d eventually manage to mutter out a few soft, defeated words. “I killed you… I killed you in that dream.” He continued to hold tight to Taly, finding the embrace comforting, reassuring as the physical act countered his horrible thought.
Talyara simply holds Linn, running her fingertips along his back while the other gently wipes his tears away. She allows him to cry, without interruption, and only gives a curious expression when he mentions what happened in his dream. "What did you kill me?" She asks quietly, no anger or malice in her voice, only interest.
Linn took a deep breath to steady himself after Talyara’s question, trying to sort through the recent nightmare and his thoughts in it. “You were possessed again… And… I thought you really were dead. I let that… that darkness I’ve held on to destroy that spirit. But…” Another deep, labored sigh. “I felt like I killed you too with it.” That feeling of self-blame and failure came back to haunt him with the statement. “I need to take it away, to some place safe. I’ll figure out what to do with it later.”
Talyara tilts her head to the side slightly as she considers Linn's nightmare. "Well, if that was the only way to get rid of the dark spirit you did the right thing by killing it, even if I meant I perished, too." Taly smiles at Linn gently and gives him a squeeze. "Patron is the one who was trying to kill me, not you. And he almost succeeded. You and Lanara and my mother are the ones who saved me."
Linn weakly shook his head as those tears continued to flow. “I know myself enough. If it wasn’t for Lanara… that was what would have happened. I would get pushed too far, lose hope… and I would have killed you.” A long silence followed, eventually breaking with another weak sigh. “It almost killed you anyway after you were free.” He returned with a matter-of-fact statement of his own. “There has to be a better way… a better way to protect ourselves from these spirits… and the things that can destroy them.”
Talyara gently leans her forehead against Linn's as he explains his predicament. She's quiet for a long time before pulling back her face so she could look into his eyes. "Please don't say anything to Lanara because I want to tell her this myself. But that day during the exorcism, I did die. I--I went to the afterlife and I saw my mother." A small smile creeps onto her lips. "And she asked me if I wanted to leave Lanara." A beat, "and if I wanted to leave the man who loved me so much. I felt it Linn. The exorcism may have ripped Patron from my soul, but it was the power of love, yours and Lanara's, which brought me back from the other realm."
Linn remained silent for a long time as well as Talyara explained, eventually fiving her an affectionate squeeze before he spoke. “I can’t say if you died for sure. You were certainly on the very edge though. Maybe things could come that close in that moment.” Weakly he shook his head, dismissing the details in his mind. When she made her statement about the power of love he leaned in for a soft kiss. “It takes a lot to turn back from death. Maybe we had a role in it, but it was still your choice. And… and I think you for it.” Another pause as he blew out a sweet sigh before turning to curious note. “You did sound rather… certain about me loving you. More than I’ve ever heard from you. Was that it?”
Talyara smiles and returns the sweet kiss, nestling down in the the bed once more as things seem to be calming down. She draws her bottom lip between her teeth as Linn observes her own conviction in his love for her. Does she want to admit what's been going on with her? Does she even know what's been going on with her? She had an inkling but she had to talk to Lanara first to be sure. "My mother seemed pretty serious about how you felt, and how else would she know? You two have never met before."
Linn snuggled up with Talyara back into the bed, pausing when his face hit the pillow before flipping it over to turn away the tear-stained splotch. “It may have just been your mind. Or maybe she did know. I don’t know. The dead can know a lot more than we’d think. But I do love you, and I did even in those moments where everything was about to collapse. I wanted nothing more than to have you back and for you to be well.” Another pause as he took a deep breath. “We can talk more in the morning, okay? About getting that… thing, out of here. But for now, we can rest again. I’ll… deal with those nightmares if they come back.” Should she consent he’d be happy to go out right there in her arms back into a peaceful sleep. Echoes of that nightmare may wake him once or twice, but they carried nowhere near the shock the first one did. He was ready to face that darkness, and failure meant nothing in a dream.
Talyara nods her head and snuggles against Linn closer. "Yes, we will figure something out in the morning," she assures him with a gentle squeeze. When the enchanter mentions dealing with those nightmares if they come again, she looks into his eyes. "Wake me if you need me. In the meantime..." Taly quickly whispers a spell under her breath and soon the light scent of lavender fills up their makeshift bedroom, an herb used for calling the mind. "Get some sleep," she whispers quietly before her own eyes shut. She would wait until Linn's heavy breathing indicated he was asleep before she drifted off herself.
Linn was certainly still suffering from his exhaustion, and didn’t take long to fall asleep once again. A couple times his eyes would snap open with a gasp as his mind continued to haunt him in spite of whatever calm made its way into him, but the panic was gone, replaced with disappointment more than anything. He made no scene of it, letting himself fall back asleep in Talyara’s arms. Morning would take a long time to come for the enchanter, who would probably sleep well into the next day as he recovered. Should he somehow manage to wake up before Talyara, he’d stay with her until she was up as well, turning his thoughts over and over in his mind, what they meant both now and in the future, and what might happen to him. It wouldn’t take empathy to read the apprehension and conflict on his face; whatever he was thinking about, it was serious to him.
Talyara eventually drifted off herself, easily waking up when Linn did throughout the night. Due to the fact she was still recovering from her ordeal she got plenty of sleep during the day and thusly, woke up well before Linn the next morning. She didn't move, however, instead she contents herself with running her fingers through his hair and studying the details of his face. Despite the anxiety and apprehension that seemed to seep from his person, Taly offers a sweet smile upon his waking. "You should eat something before you get to scheming about that crystal."
Linn only cracked a wide grin when Talyara insisted that he eat something, still groggy as he was waking up; it was a long process right now. “So, you’re the one to say that, huh?” he teased with a sleepy slur, eventually letting out a sigh. “You’re going to need something too. But yes, a little food before… everything, would be nice.” A small pause as he sat up in the bed, shaking his head to try and further wake himself. “Is there anything in particular you might want?” Nothing would mean stew… again, something she had to deal with a lot back during the possession if she never made anything herself. That Linn managed to willingly deal with his own rather bland cooking for so long could be considered impressive.
Taylara’s grin becomes more pronounces as she bobs her head. “Yup, you’re looking a little thin in the cheeks, you need your sustenance,” she comments with a wink. She was certainly one to talk. Even as Linn sits up and works on riding himself of the lingering tiredness, the witch shifts in the bed to rest her head in the enchanter’s lap, an affectionate gesture. “I don’t care, anything you feel up to making,” she says. She still didn’t have the strength to cook so whatever Linn made was fine by her.
Linn just smiled and shook his head as Talyara teased him about looking thin himself. So long as she was eating he’d play with it. “Yeah yeah yeah… at least I actually get hungry when I need food…” he muttered in return with a playful roll of his eyes before climbing his way out of bed to make the usual stew. “I think you know what that means then.” A pass was made by his discarded armor, leading him to scrunch up his nose. Yeah, that smelled. Dressing himself in his lighter common clothing he threw the armor doublet outside as he went about cooking the stew. Eventually he’d come back with a couple bowls full of the stuff, though Talyara’s was mostly broth with some finely-cut veggies in it. Light food still. The main seasoning was weak, but markedly salt and pepper; Linn was no chef, but it did well in a lot of situations. Settling back down with Talyara he distributed the food, idly stirring his own to let it cool as he continued to think on what was to happen, and just how to explain himself and how he wanted to fit into it.
Talyara giggles at Linn, clinging onto him for a moment before he gets up out of bed and fetches some food. She would have to start cooking sooner or later, but for now she was enjoying Linn spoiling her with it, even if it was always stew. By the time he returns, the witch is sitting up completely in bed, knees tented under the covers and back pressed against the headboard. She graciously accepts her meager portion of stew and blows at the steam from the top. The silence was deafening and Taly could easily tell that Linn was preoccupied thanks to her newly acquired empathic powers. “Well, just come out and say it."
Linn just kept staring at his own food for a little bit before blowing out a sigh as Talyara pushed him to speak his mind. “I know… what I want to say. Just not how I guess.” That silence seemed to close in on him for another period of time before he just decided screw it: Things couldn’t get any worse. “Maybe with how all this is coming about. I… knew about the possession for a while.” A note of guilt rested on the statement before he turned to face Taly. “You remember the corpse-girl who saw you? I was trying to work with her to sort something out. I’m not sure if you ever got to see it, but she respected life in some ways, or at least the dead. We were trying to learn enough to let her do an exorcism of her own and then… things went the way they did.” Another pause as he looked seemingly through the walls of the house with a sigh, right where he remembered tossing his pack. “I don’t know where she went. But she wasn’t there when we had to conduct that exorcism. We were lucky Lana had what she needed.” Another pause as that conflict and worry rose up within him. “I don’t want to be caught off guard again. Either by spirits, or the things that can fight them. And a lot of evil has come from those who would twist them. Frostmaw’s the way it is now because of that. That girl… I’ve worked with her here and there for a while now, and she had some good ideas. I’ve seen death as a release before, and sometimes it’s necessary.” Another silence before he finally capped off the statement. “I want to understand it. Know that darkness that tried to kill you. Both to protect ourselves… and the way things should be.” Part of him was surprised that he actually managed to say everything he wanted to in that moment, but he was more anxious than anything at Talyara’s potential reception about where he might be going.
Talyara feels her passive attitude begin to fade slowly, her lips hanging in a frown as Linn begins to explain. She's tempted to interrupt him but she bites her tongue until he's said his piece, her own bowl of untouched stew being placed on her bedside table. "So...you knew I was under attack by a dark spirit and your first thought was to...learn more about it?" Her green eyes seem to flash with rage. "I was suffering, Linn! Drawing closer to death everyday and your curiosity was what won out?" Taly throws back the covers and walks to her chest of drawers, angrily throwing them open in search of clothes. That stupid corpse girl and her stupid teapot! "If death is a release than maybe you should have killed me," she says rather coldly, tugging off her night dress and slipping on a shirt and comfortable leggings. However, his comment about wanting to learn more about the darkness has Taly spinning on her heel to face the enchanter once more, her expression and mangled mess of hurt, anger, and disbelief. "Ah, well you have fun with that. Maybe you and patron can have a nice little chat about what he did to me when he took over my village, how he murdered my mother in front of me, kept me as his personal slave. Oh yeah, I'm sure you two will have a grand time." With a huff Talyara tugs on her boots and seems to be making her way towards the exit of their makeshift bedroom.
Linn remained sullen as he waited for Talyara’s response, initially accepting what he never expected to be a favorable response. It was only when she mentioned Patron again that his mood spun around into that anxious tension. Quickly he set the bowl aside and sprung up from the bed to follow the witch. “No! Not the spirit! I’d never bring him back to this world in any way. I…” he pursed his lips, trying to figure out how to describe that void that consumed Patron. “I meant the thing that destroyed him, and almost killed you too. That crystal. I’m sorry.” Another pause. “And about what was happening during that possession… all I was trying to learn was to try and save you from him. To make an exorcism where things didn’t blow up like they did. And I failed at it… all of it. I’m sorry…” he was left standing there in a mess of anxiety, pain, and guilt, unwilling to reach out to Talyara out of respect for what she might be feeling at his confessions.
Talyara does halt when Linn abandons the bed to pursue her, although that scowl is still prominent on her face. She folds her arms across her chest and falls silent as he tries to further explain his predicament. “I see, so if the patron isn’t bad enough, you want the investigate and learn more about the thing that is so bad it destroyed him. And that’s supposed to make me feel better?!” She practically screeches. When Linn apologizes she’s tempted to soften, especially when she feels that anxiety, pain, and guilt radiating off of the enchanter. But her own anger wins out and she simply scoff and turns from him once again, moving towards the living area of their cavern home.
Linn chased after Talyara, desperate to try and salvage what he was trying to say as it seemed to all fall apart around him. “It…” the words caught in his throat, leaving him silent for a long time. When he finally spoke again he was back to that sullen, sad mood, broken both by her and himself. “It kills evil just as it does good. I just… believe it can be used for good. It’s death. Nothing more, nothing less. Whether it’s good or evil is what is made of it.” He stopped again with a sigh. What the hell was he saying? “I want to be clear with you, that’s why I’m saying what I am right now. I’ll take it away to where it can’t do any more harm. I’m sorry…” Yeah, it felt like everything he said would just dig the pit deeper, but everything he didn’t say held even worse potential.
Talyara sighs as Linn chases after her and she turns to face him, placing her hands on her hips as Linn continues to try and explain himself. When he’s done she’s quiet for a long time, simply looking at him with a blank expression. “And what if I don’t want you to examine it? What if I don’t want you to learn from it or try and find it’s good potential, hm?"
Linn hung silent for a –very- long time at Talyara’s question, his gaze directed towards the ground as he tried to think and think on it. “I understand why you don’t. You saw what it did. I saw what it did. It’s dangerous. Extremely dangerous. But after what I’ve seen spirits do to Frostmaw, to you… I don’t want to be at their absolute mercy.” A beat. “And I’ve seen how others in this business have turned out. I don’t want to be like them. Necromancers... they see life in a way that almost always leads to its defilement. Other servants of Vakmatharas… they’re often fanatics, so much so that they do the same thing. I guess I think I can just do it differently… enough to use that power for good.” Still finding himself without a straight answer, he searched through his mind for one after what he said. He still couldn’t find one.
Talyara goes completely silent at Linn's words; in fact, her entire body stills. Her anger radiates through her body and her heart beats loudly in chest, echoing in her ears. "Other servents of Vakmatharas? As in you're one of them?" she asks in a dangerously low voice, one that she is trying to keep calm although it's very hard to do so.
Linn stood there, staring at the ground, embarrassed and guilty as charged. “I had to spend time with them before and I’ve seen horrors from them, and I’ve seen good.” Nervously he swallowed. “And I’ve seen the same things in the lighter walks of life as well. It’s just what I’ve come to know. If it’s not possible to do what is needed without evil in that sect, then I’ll have to just break away from it.” He never really was rigid in his beliefs of good and evil, and it was showing here.
Talyara bites the inside of her cheek so hard that soon the metallic taste of blood fills her mouth. She even manages to develop a slight twitch in her eye. “I see…” she says slowly and then without so much as a warning she spins on her heel and perhaps surprisingly heads back into the bedroom. Assuming Linn is going to follow her, he would see her getting one of her enchanted bags and beginning to stuff various magical items and articles of clothing into it. “You know Linn, you don’t need to lecture me on good and evil. I am a witch, I believe in the balance of the light and the dark. But this…and you’re a servant of Vakmatharas? And you didn’t even think of telling me?!” The anger and hurt was coming out in her voice as she continued to pack. When she seemed content with what she had stuffed in her bag she turns to face Linn and points an accusatory finger at him. “You have to make a choice, Linn. I can’t do this, I can’t support this. So you need to tell me whether you want to pursue this…” Taly swallows hard. “Or you want to be with me?"
Linn followed Talyara at a distance to watch her pack, hanging in the doorway nervously until she spoke again. Why DID he never say anything about this? “I’ve made mistakes. Mistakes I didn’t know until a few days ago, until last night, until now. I’m sorry.” Given the ultimatum, he seemed to choke on his own words. “I… I don’t want to lose you. But…” he sighed and shook his head, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. “I need some time to think. To figure this out. I’ll take that force away but… I’m sorry. I just don’t know.” His eyes went to the bags she was packing up. “You can stay here while I figure this out. You need this place more than I do.” Accepting, or just trying to delay his defeat, he went off himself to grab his armor doublet and stuff it into his pack, stacking and hitching the plates to the outside before looking around for what else he might have left. A crate full of gems, but not much more. So little he personally owned…
Talyara visibly takes a step back, her legs banging against the bed. She was fully confident that Linn would had chosen her; hadn’t he confessed his love? Hadn’t he helped save her from the brink of death? Tears immediately well up in her eyes and her rapid blinking doesn’t succeed in ridding them, instead a few roll down her cheeks. She watches in disbelief as Linn begins to pack his own things before slowly shaking her head. “I can’t stay here, in the home you built for us.” She walks towards the bedroom door, but before she disappears she peers over her shoulder at the enchanter. “I hope you find what you’re looking for Linn,” she says in a broken voice. “And that it’s worth it.” Taly turns quickly then as she chokes out a sob and quickly leaves the cavern home.
Linn couldn’t help but remain silent as Talyara left. What was left to say? Eventually he blinked a few more tears out of his eyes and onto the ground, grabbing his pack and its contents to begin his march out to the nameless desert, where he knew he could put the dark force away and think on what was to come. It was going to be a long, lonely walk. Perhaps it was best to be alone though. Death never lent itself towards relationships.