RP:Our Sanctuary

Summary: Despite the power of a Blue Rose, Tyler and Skylei are reunited.

Night had drawn across the sky several hours ago and yet still Skylei sits alone at her desk, attempting to complete yet another academic task. Across the wall in front of her bowed head, a hand-drawn map of Hollow’s solar system is splayed wonkily, mostly obscured by the large piles of tomes that loom in front of it. The half-elf yawns. It’s too late to be studying. Surely the sleep deprivation will throw off her calculations, right? Sky would go to bed, but alas she has company in the form of Josleen and Kelovath and, with the kindness of her heart, had offered them with use of her bedroom. And so instead, Skylei goes to couch. Pushing off the random crap that has accumulated on her sofa in the last 12 hours, the half-blood climbs on, is engulfed by squishy cushions and pulls her blanket over her body. Then she lies on that musty couch for a solid twenty minutes with her eyes wide open. Eventually, accepting that slumber is unlikely, she re-emerges and steps over to the set of drawers that sit just behind her dining table. In the bottom drawer, wrapped in an old piece of blue fabric, Skylei finds a necklace. Of course, Skylei knew that that was exactly where she would find said necklace, should she look. It is, of course, the amulet that Tyler made for her, back in the days when they had been stupidly in love and desperate to never spend more than a few days apart. Having committed to the exact opposite i.e. never, ever seeing Tyler again, Skylei is pulled into foolish sentimentality. Alongside the crystal pendant she wears, Skylei slips the old amulet, admiring herself briefly in her bathroom mirror as she does. It still looks good; one could argue it looks almost right. She hears a stirring from the bedroom and, knowing that Josleen would never approve of such frivolous sentimentality when it came to Tyler, Skylei stuffs the amulet inside her shirt and goes to sit back on the couch. A conversation, an hour of reading and then eventually a sitting slumber occur, all with that amulet safely pressed against her chest. Then, she is drawn from sleep to restlessness by a quiet hum from the amulet and a pale glimmer of light. Still, mostly asleep, Skylei bats at her chest in a feigned effort to stop the disruption and then attempts to fall back into a more comfortable position.

Tyler lays on his back across an endless surface of calm water, his hair sprawled out in a mess just above him as he stares up into the endless black void watching the millions of twinkling lights high above his head. His hands are laced together at rest upon his stomac as the illusionist manages to find an odd feeling of content and peace in this dark dream he has created. Unlike Skylei, though he constantly feels exhaustion, Tyler could never find the warm embrace of sleep, an unfortunate curse for the dead, so instead he remains motionless in his meditative state until a splash is heard in the distance causing his ears to perk. Figuring it to be his imagination running wild he quickly eases the tension in his body and returns to his rest, that is until he feels the surface of the water below him lifting his body up and down multiple times while waves push against him. Slowly propping himself up on his elbow and turning to look over his shoulder, he's quite surprised to find a single couch resting a hundred or so feet away in the middle of his infinity, and even more so that someone using it as their personal bed. Coming up with caution he's pushing himself when he notices the faint glow around his neck causing his heart to skip a beat. "No" he whispers with his gaze returning to the couch, hundreds of thoughts running through his head to explain the phenomenon until he finally decides to investigate. His approach is silent even though the ocean beneath his feet moves with every single step and once he reaches the lone piece of furniture he heaves a heavy sigh before standing over the sleeping woman for what seems like an hour but in reality is no more than a minute. Running his hand across his face and then propping his chin onto his index finger he finally speaks, "Either I've officially lost what little is left of my mind or you've been feeling very, -very- nostalgic for a certain piece of jewelry..."

Still in semi-peaceful slumber on the sofa, Skylei doesn’t realise what’s happening. Heck, she has no idea just what she will ‘awaken’ to. Whatever has just happened doesn’t wake her. Still asleep with one leg hanging out from the blanket, Skylei remains, oblivious to the world that happens around her. His silent steps don’t even cause her to stir. Either his voice permeates her sleep or he’s the feature of her dream but, without waking the half-elf would mutter, “Stop it, Tyler. I told you we’re going to the library before the beach today.’ She snuffles, rolls her head to the side and continues her sleep muttering, though by now she’s entirely incoherent. Still, through her clothes that unmistakable outline of a glowing amulet shows. Tyler’s right, nostalgia had been in the air.

Tyler's entire body goes limb as he tilts his head to the right and his shoulders fall completely, the sound of her voice and the sentiment of her statement causing his heart to absolutely shatter into a thousand pieces. Swallowing the massive lump in his throat he continues to look over her and spots the amulet beneath her shirt, he contemplates taking it from around her neck and sending her back to her own reality - if it even worked that way - but as soon as his hand goes out it falls once again, he can't do it, not to himself. Instead he turns on his heels and slowly lowers himself onto the very edge of the couch and places on hand on her hip as he stares at her. "Why Sky...", he whispers before picking up his hand and turning to face the infinity then dropping his head into his hands, lifting his hair back and propping his forehead up with the edges, his mind rattled and confusion about what to do setting in.

The half-elf groans as though pained to be pulled from her slumber. The blanket falls from across her legs and, instead of trying to recover it and resume her sleep, she stretches and begins to wake. As she opens her eyes wide enough to see what lies before her, Skylei nearly falls from the couch, “What in the name of Sven?” Then she sees Tyler perched on the edge of the chair, “Is this a dream… a really lucid dream?” Skylei pinches herself, part for effect and part to truly try and wake herself if this did happen to be a dream “Or were you trying to mess with me with that stupid rose thing – you said I’d never see you again?” She’s still not fully ‘awake’ and so, fighting back a yawn and the need to stretch, the half-blood attempts a sleepy glare, “Did you kidnap me?” She looks down, “And my couch…? What is this??”

Tyler doesn't move his hands as Skylei stirs from her slumber instead readying himself for one of three possibilities - cursing, screaming or confusion and it's the understatement of the year to say he's relieved it ends up being the last. All things considered he finds the idea of kidnapping Skylei -and- her couch only to bring them back to his personal infinity rather humorous and can't stifle the snort like laugh that escapes from him just as he let's his hands fold before him and turns to rest his gaze upon her. "I hope so" he remarks ever so casually, still clinging to the idea that his mind was playing tricks on him... though with that faint glow beneath her clothes he finds it harder and harder to believe "but I doubt it and don't go trying to pin this one on me, dear. I didn't tell you dig out old charms though I'm flattered, honestly." He nods towards her shirt while sliding his thumb beneath the chain of his own, lifting it up to show her the active connection between them as the light becomes accompanied by a very soft, barely audible hum.

Skylei manoeuvres herself so that she is simply sat on the couch rather than splayed in her semi-sleeping state. Fortunately, the hour of waking dulls her reflexes and thus she’s not quite in a state to verbally spar with Tyler, at least not yet. Instead, she burbles a series of excuses about how this entire situation couldn’t be her fault, “I fell asleep with it on. It wasn’t intentional… just seeing you the other day made me think about it and I wondered if I could find it – I wasn’t even really thinking about you.” At least half of the excuses are lies, but she’d never admit that. Crossing her hands across her lap the half-elf would look around and attempt to take stock of her surroundings. Then she looks back to Tyler and the glowing light that he shows her. Her hand slips inside her shirt and pulls out her own amulet, “You must have been thinking about me for this to happen, anyway. Takes two to…” - ‘tango’ doesn’t seem like quite the right choice of word - “soul travel, right?”

Tyler catches the 'wasn't even really thinking about you' line and takes it as an opportunity to roll his eyes and refocus on the endless horizon. While he was known to be quite emotional he doesn't get offended or upset instead managing a smirk out of her view as he clings the fact that she is -most likely- lying, after all she wouldn't be here with him if she didn't track down the amulet. It's the second half that gets to him, when she remarks that he must have been thinking about her in order for the link to work. In a split second of pity he mutters beneath his breath so low that she isn't likely to catch it"Always", he then turns to face her with a smile as a short laugh escapes him "Yeah, I guess but I mean what else am I supposed to do? I'm dead, don't you remember?"

Tyler has clearly forgotten that Skylei possess the superior hearing of elven blood. It’s quiet, basically little more than a breath and, she would later spend time mulling over whether she had actually heard it or whether she too was losing her mind, but there it is – ‘always’. She ignores it. “Why do you think we ended up” Skylei pauses and gestures around them, “here. Is this significant?” She looks at Tyler then looks back down to her lap and attempts to keep the conversation on light, fluffy tones, as though she hadn’t agreed to never see the dead-man-walking ever again merely days earlier. “And why do you think that my couch came with me? Would it have been my desk if I’d fallen asleep there? I didn’t realise that soul-travelling had the ability to mess with furniture too, but hey! You learn something new every day. Perhaps I need to do some more research on that at some point, maybe experiment and see what can and cannot be transported….” She would go on, lest she’s stopped.

Tyler doesn't stop her instead watching her go on and on while holding onto each and every word, those caramel eyes of his shuffling between her own while occasionally shifting to examine every other feature about her while treasuring the moment. It had been ages since the two of them sat across from one another without some type of argument going on, no matter how big or small, and the man didn't plan on ruining what would likely be short lived anyway. He's sure he'll find a way to screw something up, he'll say something to scare her or piss her off or maybe he'll end up being an emotional child per usual but even though he knows it's going to happen, he doesn't know exactly what -it- is and he didn't plan on pushing it. So instead of rushing the inevitable he opts to remain silent for once and let Skylei do all the talking until she's finally run out of juice or stopped to make sure he's still listening at which point he finds himself smiling at her again. "Even though I'm the one that made the amulets, I don't think I completely understand the magic behind them myself. The creepy old man at the mage tower handled all the arcane specifics and I just dumped my blood.. uh, and yours... into the hearts." His eyes break away from hers as he wonders if he ever included that little detail about using her own DNA in the process of crafting the amulets. Unsure if his ever fleeting memory was failing him or if he had left that bit out on purpose he shrugs to himself and then motions with an open palm to the infinity, "I'm not exactly sure where here is but it's where I stay. At least while the other guy is driving the carriage so to speak. When I gave you that rose I didn't really have much reason to leave anymore so he's basically been in control full time since then and I've been here. This is my home, if one would call it that... basically I think of what I want it to be and well, here it is." Pressing his feet against the ocean beneath them he manages to break the surface of the water so he can dip his toes in. "As for you, I imagine that you're still safely resting on the couch wherever you fell asleep, but I don't really know. I know you can sever the connection by taking the amulet off..." he pauses and refrains from finishing the sentence with 'if you want' in an attempt to -not- make it seem like he wanted her gone and in hopes that she didn't want to leave - at least not yet.

She runs out of things to say eventually, finishing with a slight flush across her cheeks from talking too much and breathing too little. Fortunately she knew all about the mixing of blood – in fact she had given Tyler a serious lecture about what could happen should the jewellery fall into the hands of someone who wanted to hurt them – and thus sees no need to lecture him for his confession that he wasn’t entirely sure what magical forces were at work here. Blood magic was complex to say the least. As Tyler explains exactly where they’ve met, Sky looks around again, trying to understand what would motivate Tyler to choose this place. His eternal un-death seemed kind of bleak and lonely, though she at least has enough tact to avoid telling Tyler she felt that way. It was bad enough to be condemned never to cross over into the afterlife, worse to know that those who still had the opportunity to do so were judging the one thing that you -had- chosen. “You chose this, huh?” She tries not to sound judgemental and does a mostly good job. “You know, the last time my soul was pulled away from my body by someone else, I ended up in a pool full of blood, bones and body parts and a creepy tunnel filled with the faces of those who blamed me for their deaths, not to mention a deserted pirate ship…” She stays quiet for a few moments, toying with the heart shaped amulet around her neck, “I think this is much nicer than that.”

Tyler smirks with a sharp exhale then he leans back on the couch to relax and stare out into the void, "You know, I could make it similar if you'd like", he jokes before quickly following up, "Thanks. I like it here for the most part. It can get pretty boring but I've always loved star gazing and here, I can do it without worrying about when the sun's coming up. Whenever I've seen all there is to offer, I just think up a new palette and start throwing the lights around until it's new again..." He falls silent for five seconds or so then his eyes drop from the sky to the water "I'm stuck here until the gods decide to let me pass so there isn't much else to do." An odd proclamation considering the Tyler Skylei knew in the past life was very much an athiest.

As Tyler, jokingly, offers to transport Skylei back to the Labyrinth, she would shake her head with fervour “Please don’t. I never want to be baptised in warm blood again…” She would fall silent for a few moments after Tyler mentions the gods. She knows Tyler well. He has never shown any inclination in believing that the gods exist, much less that they have any sway across his, or anyone’s life. On the other hand, is Skylei. Deeply religious and spiritual, falling to prayer and evoking the gods almost every day. “You can always pray, Tyler.” Skylei lays out what she would do, should her soul every be trapped in this bleak purgatory, and makes a note of which gods she will call on the next day to watch over Tyler’s soul. “Sven, of course, to grant you wisdom to understand why your soul has been denied passage. Arkhen - he offers forgiveness to those who have sinned and then Cyris, for freedom and independence… and Vakmatharas, of course, for he is the only one who truly understands death.” She smiles, pleased with her compiled list. “Oh and any of your ancestors who have passed over, to watch over you passage when you reach that point.” There is no doubt in Skylei’s mind that the gods will eventually forgive Tyler and allow him to pass to the next life.

Tyler appreciates the sentiment of Skylei's expression but isn't suddenly filled with hope and excitement from the idea of being at the mercy of deity's he'd spent his entire mortal life damning. "I can pray all I want Sky but there is only one who would hear the call. I, well we, believe Vakmathras is the reason for our purgatory. I don't believe any pity will be had on my soul from any higher being, not until we gain some kind of favor I suppose." He rolls his head against the cushion until he is facing the woman once again, "Why did you put on the amulet?"

Skylei shakes her head and swings her legs, clearly uncomfortable with Tyler’s revelation about Vakmatharas. “You don’t know which gods are listening, nor when they are listening, Tyler. If you are stuck in this place, I don’t see the harm in asking for the favour of any god who might happen to take pity on you and your damnation… nor do you know who condemned you to this fate.” It’s notable that neither have made any effort to move further apart nor closer together in the time that they have been sat on the sofa, despite the fact that there is a clear possibility to do either. “I don’t know. I Just wanted to see it. I planned to take it off and to put it back where I keep it before I went to sleep, but” Skylei gestures to the endless space that is Tyler’s purgatory, “That plan clearly went a little awry.” She shakes her head and asks him a question, keen to take attention away from her choices regarding the amulet, “So what do we do now? We just sit on my couch and talk in the space in our heads somewhere?”

Tyler remains realistic yet surprisingly open minded about Skylei's claims for the gods, in theory he supposed it is impossible for him to tell which gods were and weren't responsible for his limbo state and which would listen to his prayers yet he knows all too well that Revan would hear none of it and after all Tyler did agree with his other half on most topics involving their odd predicament. When she moves the conversation to their next action he offers a light shrug, "I don't know. It's all I've done for the past... I don't even know how long I've been dead... A month? A year? Eight? Of course, I never thought to make up a couch to lay on." A laugh helps removes the pain of the topic then he's looking at the amulet around her neck again and reachs out to touch it's cool surface with his thumb and index finger. "I'm glad you didn't" he comments on her putting the enchanted jewelry away before falling asleep. As he says this the world around them begins to shift in a quick and violent turning of gears until the vast ocean and endless sea of stars is replaced with a perfect replication of the fountain in Kelay they had visited on the first night they met, his eyes never leaving the amulet as he works. "The last time we spoke, I said if I could do it all over again I would", two silhouettes appear before them and it isn't long until the scene from that night, orc and all, takes place like a play before them. "It's odd isn't it? How for that first month or so, I actually managed to make you believe I wasn't absolutely nuts?" He's looking at the two of them from the past, Skylei launching the arrow the pierced his shoulder on night one. The soft smile on his face leaving reason to believe that he's genuinely content for the first time in a long, long time.

The changing of world’s is violent to Skylei’s stomach and leaves her clinging to the sofa with her eyes tightly shit. When she opens them she sees the image that Tyler has created for them to look upon. It’s a familiar sight. “Two years and four months. I remember the day you died as though it was yesterday.” She sits a little longer, listens and then turns away from the new scene to look upon Tyler, a smile, though a sad and sorry smile, on her face, “Tyler, a man who attacks a woman he’s just met, disguised as an orc, really isn’t one that I would personally describe as sane, y’know? I… I think I just didn’t want to see anything past the illusion that you were a nice man, with a good heart, who cared about me – me - Skylei Lucindio; sullen, book-obsessed, terrible at cleaning, bad breath in the morning and all.” She laughs at her own joke, falling silent for a few more seconds taking her own amulet into her palm and turning it over and over as the light continues to glow, “Sometimes I do things that I know are stupid because being with someone insane is better than being entirely alone.” It may sound cruel, but it’s probably the most reasonable explanation about why, after all this time and all this pain, Skylei continues to find herself sitting alongside Tyler.

Tyler agrees with her statement completely, he'd come to terms with the fact that he had been absolutely out of his mind when he was among the living and often found himself wondering if things would be any different if Hildegarde had spared his life. In those last fleeting moments he found himself filled with pain and regret and the pain wasn't just from his neck that had been literally snapped in two but also for all the wrongs he never got to right. In all honesty, the man just wanted attention in the end, so much so that it caused him to use his magic to create abominations far worse than the dead body he now inhabited. He tried letting go of the regret and self blame and every so often it got a little easier to do so and he could find true peace but still often found himself at odds with his own emotions over the hateful acts he'd committed. Looking at Skylei now, he felt a weight pressing down on him and knew that if he didn't talk to her with all honesty now then it would just continue to push on him until he was crushed flat. "I get that. I didn't want to become what I did and to be honest, I didn't even really realize what was happening until it was all over. Since I came back as this... thing, I've tried to find people from my past and make amends including Hildegarde. She was my friend and I treated her like dirt... Looking back it seems so odd, I never wanted power yet I chased it to fill the void in my head that I wasn't good enough for some reason. All that self-doubt and genuine awkwardness came together in a cry for attention that morphed into anger and the next thing I know I wanted to watch the whole world burn. I mean, what human in their right mind would run off and put blue paint in their hair?" He laughs at his own idiocy as the scene continues before them following a replay of their entire time together. It lands now on the night on the ledge where Tyler first confessed his love to the wood elf, he can't help but blush a bit at the scene and his hand instinctively reaches out to rest in Skylei's lap with an open palm facing upwards in offering. "They say hindsight is always twenty-twenty but I don't think they ever knew how true that is. Well, at least for those of us forced to play it over and over again." He turns to offer her a soft smile, "I'm thankful that you took a chance on me and I'm sorry for the hell I pulled you through. I know how hard loneliness can be but I'm damn sure you're going to find someone who can make you happier than I ever could. Yes, you're book obsessed and messy and could always use with an extra brushing here and there but you're still miles ahead of the other self obsessed goons and gals that inhabit the mortal world." He scrunches his nose at her and makes a funny face "Just make sure you leave the human's alone. We're all crazy."

In the world that plays out before them, the half-elf and human are sat upon the edge of the cliff. Skylei’s face is pressed into Tyler’s neck, his arm wrapped around her. Both shaking slightly from the cold, or perhaps from nerves at the monumental words they are about to exchange for the first time. Distracted, Skylei places her hand in Tyler’s as they watch their former selves play out the earliest scene of their love story. She remembers some of the other things they had spoken of that night and tears the conversation away from Tyler’s apologies, “I told you all about Sage and how much I wanted to go home that night. Do you know the things I did to get home, Tyler? I snuck into Trist’oth and killed people. A lot of people. Important people, nobles, civilians… children too, though that was never intentional. All for the forest that I loved. All for my people. And yet, even though the war is over, I’m still in Cenril. Funny how it works out…” It’s not funny at all. Skylei’s certainly not laughing. She’s silent again for a long while just watching the past version of themselves pack up her bag and head down from Xalious to the cramped room in Kelay Tavern that had housed so many of their biggest life moments. Eventually, she would look back to Tyler and raise one of her eyebrows, “And, watch yourself. You know I’m half-human. And definitely not crazy.”

Tyler knew all about unintentional accidents and for some reason the thought of Skylei killing children doesn't phase him much, he simply looks to her with a slightly widened gaze as he felt it to be the appropriate response. He's watching their doppelgangers take off from the scenic view and head towards Kelay and knows that they're getting closer to the bad parts of their relationship, his mind badgers him to cancel the show yet when he feels Skylei's hand in his own he remembers why he started it in the first place. Suddenly, they're watching Tyler, wearing that ridiculous blue outfit and fighting a dragon in the Chartsend tournament, something he'd initially kept secret from her. He can't help but laugh at the absurd outfit he'd selected to keep his identity a secret in the tournament and his free hand reaches up to palm himself in the face, "God..." he mutters with a shake of the head before looking back to her to follow up on her remark, "Oh, sorry dear. That must be why you're only half crazy and I got to take the whole cake." He nods to the show and and twists his lips to the side "Can you believe I actually won that fight? It was probably the only worthwhile thing I managed to accomplish during my run... Hell, I got throttled the next round and all but for one minute I felt invincible... Probably good I got knocked down a few notches." He allows just a second of silence before following up on her comments, "And yeah, I remember the Sage... I slept there for months, remember? Don't beat yourself up over what you've done, I can feel your pain here, y'know?" A lie but one he figured to be believable enough to pass for the time being. "You fought for what you believed in and you may have made a few mistakes along the way but beat yourself up over it and you'll stay black and blue forever."

Skylei’s horror may not upset Tyler, but it upsets her. It’s the first time she’d truly confessed the terrible thing she had done to anyone outside of the people she had recruited to execute the plan and the elven council that had given her the go ahead. Tyler tells her not to punish herself for the actions, but how can she not. Deep down Skylei knows that her incarceration in Trist’oth, the subsequent coma and yearlong rehabilitation, the fear of unknown people, her need for security protections on her home – the list could go on – are all the gods punishing her for her actions. She knows it and yet, in comparison to Tyler’s punishment… well, she can’t complain. Instead, she turns back to the scene, “I always hated that outfit.” The half-elf mutters. Then follows up with, “But I keep my necklace in a scrap of that suit.” Way to go Skylei, confess all of your dirty little secrets – the big, the small and the inconsequential - to Tyler in one strange night. She wonders what will come next; Tyler falling out of a tree in Kelay before gifting her with a rose (black that time, and seriously Tyler, what’s the deal with the roses?) or maybe the two of them trapped in a cave with a dragon. Perhaps it will be that night they spent on the beach in Chartsend – that singular perfect night. Or maybe, and here is where her face turns to a frown, where the fighting begins. She knows as well as he does that they are nearing the end of the joyous part of their relationship and moving towards darker territory.

Tyler doesn't need some magic super power to tell that the admission is hurting Skylei and that she feels pain when she thinks about her actions but in truth the man had no idea what to do or say without tearing them apart or thrusting them into a fight. So instead, he just remains with his hand in hers in a likely futile attempt to offer comfort through companionship - something he should have picked up on all those years ago. He snickers at her remark of the suit and then finds a mess of butterflies fluttering around his stomach in response to her latest admission. He didn't want to excite himself but found a great deal of happiness in the idea that Skylei didn't just toss him out of her mind the minute he died or in the years after, their encounter in the alley had left that impression, but then again Tyler is known to read to much into things and decides to stop himself before he gets too far into his own mind. "I don't know why it stuck out to me so much. I guess I just really like the color blue." His hand moves from his cheek to rustle his mop headed hair that is permanently colored that faded blue unless he was to change it with an illusion. Skylei's prediction was off but not by much, the next scene shows their fight near Kelay where Tyler talks about helping a Kitsune, another embarrassing moment for him that forces his head to drop back against the couch with a groan. "You know, I've watched these scenes hundreds of times and the cringe inducing actions of myself never cease to get a shutter out of me. To be honest Sky, I don't have the faintest clue as to why you even approached me in the first place." Another moment of silence and he finds his thumb running across the back of her hand "Do you believe me?" he asks with a curious look as he gently bites at the inside of his lip "That I was sick. That I didn't mean for it to end up this way..."

Skylei would squeeze Tyler’s hand, just lightly. It’s a ‘thank you for being here and not judging me’. She can’t help but question what their life would have been like if they’d always been able to be like this. Rational, sane, heck, even forgiving. Is it because all that is present is their souls in this place? That all of the surface level drama, the hurt, the hatred and the betrayal can be left behind when they come here? She couldn’t say, but she likes to think that it would have been. That at least is some comfort. As she watches the scene flicker in front of them, Skylei almost wants it to speed on through, through to the parts where he hurt her, where he broke her heart, the fake suicide, the attempts to move on. She needs to remember how they got to this stage and why sitting here with him is so wrong, no matter how much sense it seems to make. As for his question, well there’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Did she believe he was sick, or was it simply a facet of his twisted personality? She sighs, “I don’t know, Tyler. None of it made any sense and I was too blind to see that the things you were doing… they just weren’t right. But I saw that thing that infested your mind, I saw the way it tortured you. But I couldn’t say. I’m no healer.”

Tyler doesn't grow angry or saddened when she answers his question with complete honesty instead he nods with acceptance and offers a soft smile to thank her for speaking what was really on her mind. "I can't say I blame you. Half the time I'm not sure if I believe myself anymore. Things were so different then... that thing inside of my head was always taunting me but I know that I'm the one who created it, so really I guess I can't fault you for not believing something I don't even know is true or not. I do find it ironic that the tables turned so much that I'm the one stuck on the inside now." He chuckles softly and picks his legs up to cross them on the couch then watches his anger get taken out on Skylei as the two argue over the stupid contract he had accepted. "You should have left me then and never looked back" his states with a matter-of-fact tone and an expression filled with disappointment.

It feels as though they may be here for the long run and so, Skylei lets go of Tyler’s hand. Then she curls her feet up and underneath herself, letting her body fall slightly sideways so that her head is resting on his shoulder. It’s totally counter intuitive to her next words, “I should have. There were so many times that I should have left.” She sighs, “Do you remember when Josleen took your amulet to prevent you from contacting me again? Everyone knew – even you - knew that we shouldn’t be together” She flushes, though their relationship is and was no secret it seems strange to reference it after all this time, “Well, not even together in the romantic sense, just spending time together. Everyone but me. I just couldn’t see it.” She keeps watching their images argue over something so small and petty, “Why didn’t you leave me? If you knew there was… something that would make us… difficult. Why would you stay?”

Tyler tilts his head to the side so that it's resting on the top of Skylei's and they both watch that chaos unfold together, he hardly blinks as he watches the love between the two become fractured and broken over time - every small detail they had missed before, painfully obvious in the third person recap. He allows some time to think on her question before he speaks, "I loved you, I still do. I always did and I always will. Even when I knew things weren't going to work out you were still the only person who cared about me enough to hang around through all of the insanity. I was selfish and didn't care about how things effected you, which I suppose further proves the point that I know nothing about love, but I just wanted to be with you even if it meant going through hell - at least we would go through it together." A shaken sigh escapes as he thinks about Josleen prompting a stupid smile to fill his features, "Josleen. I remember everything about that woman. With it all said and done, I don't blame her for anything she's done except maybe smacking me with her purse that one time... though I guess punching her was a bad retaliation... I hope she's doing well." He leaves out the details of Josleen's haunting and the fact that she was the sole recipient of a blue rose prior to Skylei, despite the two bickering and hating one another in the past life Josleen and Tyler did have some favorable history including her saving his life at one point - a debt he hopes to be considered returned even though he technically saved her from himself. "As I said, I've watched these scenes countless times. Each time picking up a new flaw that would have been easily corrected and yet it means nothing now. You still walk the earth and I'm trapped here. Of course, if that weren't the case it's unlikely things would be any different from what we're seeing now. I didn't feel regret until Hildegarde broke my neck and the world turned black. If I were still among the living I would still be just as heartless as I was then... just as stupid too. Funny that the walking corpse version of me has more consideration than this one." His eyes follow the images before them and the smile on his lips slowly fades away. Sometimes, he wished the tales were true and that the dead feel no emotion. But right now he relishes the pain and regret as it fills him with hope that he still clings to his humanity.

Skylei watches herself more than she watches Tyler. She watches the expression in her face change from lovesick, to irritated, to furious, to broken and round and round in a never-ending cyclic pattern. She understands why Josleen hated Tyler now. Understands why she was happy following his ‘death’. It all makes so much sense in hindsight and yet, still Skylei sits on her couch in the middle of nowhere watching a play-by-play of their disastrous relationship, “Were we ever happy? Like, truly happy?” Skylei turns her head to the side to look up at Tyler but, with his head resting on hers, all she gets is a view of his nose and a little bit of hair. She laughs. It’s ridiculous.

Tyler picks his head up shortly after and lightly laugh along with her before answering the question with his eyes locked on hers, "No. I'm afraid we never came close to being anything more than an idiot and an elf that cared for one another very much." Then his eyes drop to her lips and for a brief moment he considers kissing her, the emotion pushing the action so powerful and so demanding but he knows that this single move could break everything they've built here on this couch in the middle of nowhere, that it could bring the civil reflection of times gone to a bitter end and cause Skylei to flee back to the mortal world, that it could sever every possible connection between them and leave him alone for eternity in this personal hell to suffer and drown in lonliness with no hope of ever reconnecting to anyone on the outside - he does it anyway.

In that brief moment that Tyler is trying to make his mind up as to what his next action should be, Skylei would exhale through her nose, humouring the statement he makes. “Probably true.” She’s almost about to turn her gaze back to memory lane when he kisses her. It’s familiar; comforting; tempting. And she had known loneliness so intimately, perhaps not as poignant as Tyler’s; but a constant companion since his death. So without thinking further, she reaches a hand for his cheek, pulling him further into the kiss. It’s a desperate, hungry attempt to push away all of the sadness and the darkness and pretend that there is nothing that matters but the two of them. It’s a solid thirty seconds before she pulls her lips away from his and looks at him, confusion littering her features. When she speaks her voice is soft and sad, without even a hint of accusation. It seems being little more than a soul softens her. “What are we doing, Tyler? I... I don’t see any good that can come from this… it’s not like we can turn back the clock and just be” Skylei gestures to whatever action is occurring “them again. I’m different. You’re d…-ifferent too.” Sky had been going for ‘dead’ but that seemed a little insensitive. She runs both her hands backwards through her hair attempting to comprehend exactly what happens next. “Should I… go?”

Tyler grows lost in her touch, the half-minute kiss becoming the sole focus of his entire world so much so that the illusions in front of them freeze in their place. His expression is the opposite of the wood elf's when they pull away, her confusion met with a look of adoration as he listens to her rightful worries and only breaks his sight line to steal a glance of their past selves when she motions to them before it returns to Skylei. Pushing his palms into the couch he uses them to lift himself so he can turn to face Skylei directly while maintaining crossed legs, taking both of her hands from her hair he lowers them onto her lap and then places his own over them. "There is nothing in heaven or earth that could ever make me go back to being the boy over there" he claims with a side nod toward the illusions "I'm not here to mess with your head or emotions. You're free to leave whenever you want, I don't blame you for questioning what's happening or for being worried of the outcome... but as for what we're doing here..." A familiar look appears in his eyes and a faint shimmer of light signals another shift in the illusions as a smaller screen lands directly in front of the other, this time showcasing the past hour the two of them have spent together on the couch. "We're building better memories." His voice is lacking desperation, pity and anger - three key traits the man has long been known for. A hint of content is seen in his features as he seems relaxed and at ease. The soft smile returns and he leans forward to place a soft peck onto the woman's cheek then pulls back to speak quietly, "I never thought I would see you again. This single moment will stay with me forever, overlapping the bad memories with one that is amazing. I don't expect you to linger on the past nor do I want you to feel any obligation to be here. I had my chance and I blew it, there's no reason for you to pay for my mistakes." His hands gently squeeze her own "...but I will never turn you away and I would love nothing more than for you to stay just a bit longer."

Skylei lets him allay as many of her fears, concern and questions as anyone possibly can, meeting them with sane judgement, kindness and understanding. She doesn’t understand. She used to be able to read Tyler so well. Almost everything she said would make him angry, irritable or pull away. But this? This is different? “I was right” Skylei murmurs, “You -are- different.” Is it strange to say that death has been good for Tyler? He is a far nicer, far kinder, far easier person than Skylei remembers him to have ever been… either way, perhaps she is easier too. She doesn’t object when he takes her hands, when he kisses her cheek or even when he says that he wants her to stay a little longer. She makes brief eye contact with him - “I’ll stay” – before taking a second to look at the second conjured screen. Surely one good night can’t make up for everything that has already happened between them and, despite this change in Tyler, Skylei still doesn’t entirely trust him. She also doesn’t confess that half of her reason for staying is that she’s not actually entirely sure how she would ‘leave’.

Tyler can't argue with her about being different from when he walked among the living, sitting in the ground for a few years while staring at absolute nothingness is enough to change any man or woman. He's relieved when she agrees to stay and wastes little time picking himself up off the couch and then turns around offering a hand to help her up. The screens both fade from existence as quickly as they had come and the scenery changes to a picture perfect replica of the lush Sage Forest free from any signs of war. "I suppose it would be rude to ask you to stay and simply laze about... Would you mind taking a walk with me?" The illusion is powerful in that it doesn't just provide a visual scene of the forest but also indulges the other senses - the scent of wildlife potent in the air, the warming sensation of the sun bathing their bodies and the light summer breeze chilling their arms a sure sign that fall is quickly approaching, the sound of rustling leaves and the calls of various birds all help create a world that seems real.

Looking down at herself, the half-elf laughs, “I’m not really dressed for a walk, Tyler.” In a long length white shirt, dark coloured legging and no shoes or socks, Skylei is definitely far more ready for bed than she is for a stroll through Sage. Even so, she lets Tyler take her hand to pull her up from the couch, but refuses to let him drop it once they’re both standing. It’s yet another throwback to their past but, again, it’s comfortable and familiar and Skylei doesn’t know when the next time she’ll get to do this again. Looking around at the newly formed Sage, she would look up to Tyler and smile “You know, I like these illusions far better than some of the others you’ve created in the past.” She would laugh, briefly drop Tyler’s hand and spring forward in the direction of spray of bluebells at the foot of a great oak tree, feeling the grass beneath her feet as she does. Crouching to the ground, she would let the flowers rest against her palm and inhale the soft sweet scent, before looking back up to her company, “You’ve got really good, you know. These almost smell completely real.”

Tyler had taken notice of Skylei's clothing the moment she arrived but figured a wood elf would be at home in the woods regardless of dress. He's smiling when she takes off to appreciate the flora he has created, his pace slower than hers but he manages to catch up and crouches by her side to take note of the scent himself. "Heh, yeah, I suppose you would since they aren't off being harmful or gross." Reaching out he brushes one of the flowers with the back of his knuckle, savoring the feeling on his skin despite knowing it's purely artificial. "Thank you. I'm not entirely sure it's me though. Something about this place makes creation much easier than before and without the limitations of my physical form I don't grow beyond the point of exhaustion from dreaming things up." He was always tired, always aching and always praying for a single nights sleep but despite this he was still able to craft entire worlds in his infinity and often found himself curious as to how it all worked. "I'm curious about something. If the gods ever granted me passage into the afterlife, do you believe they would allow me to keep my powers? I mean, like, does everyone get set to the same standard? Are people diversified among similar souls or what? I always assumed when I died I'd just become one with the ground... which, I guess I kind of did but taking recent events into consideration I'm forced to wonder how it is exactly that the afterlife works."

Skylei really is enjoying the flowers; the colour, the scent, the realness of the petals. But even so, she’s forced to talk about something that she always holds in the forefront of her mind, “Do you want to know what I believe? Y’know, about the afterlife?” Skylei would assume that he does, and she knows full well that this isn’t the first time that she has told him, “We believe,” – we are obviously elves in this case, “that when a person dies, their body must be committed to the earth. All of life springs forth from the earth, after all. So first, we honour her by gifting her our physical form so that it may be born anew as trees or grass or even a flower.” She would pause and look up from the flowers, briefly aiming to make eye contact with Tyler “But the soul? The gods and your ancestors watch over you in life and in death and, when you’re ready and they’re ready for you, your soul will pass over, guided by them.” Skylei laughs, “You think I give thanks at my father’s grave with such fervour for no reason? I want to ensure that when I die I’m granted passage by the elves and not by the humans…” she laughs again, it’s a joke – honest – but a joke that falls a little too close to her truth. “I believe that the afterlife is where you’re united with those who came before you and those who will come after. You will feel no pain. No time. Just peace and honour.” Skylei smiles, “I believe that your time will come. You just have to appease… someone first.”

Tyler would have laughed and mocked Skylei's beliefs if they were revealed to him a few short years ago but here he listens and watches with an interested expression then nodsin silence once she's finished to allow time to digest the information. Slowly his features fill with a grin as he makes a joking comment, "I guess I got half of it down then. I'm sure certain pieces of me exist as grass in this forest but I couldn't really tell you which ones. After all, -most- of my skin survived the rot." His eyes divert from the wood elf to the tree before them and he picks himself up to run his thumb across the bark. "It's hard to accept that the gods have been in control of it all from the very beginning and I guess it's just selfishness that I want their attention now. If I weren't trapped as a walking corpse or stuck here all of the time I doubt that their existence would ever cross my mind. I never made any tributes or attended a religious gathering or ceremony or the like and maybe that's why I wound up in this situation. Maybe I'm stuck here because none of the gods want me, I mean I certainly wouldn't bring me home" He laughs at his final piece and leans against the tree with his shoulder. "I think you're going to be fine Skylei. When you pass, I mean. They'd be crazy to stick you with mankind or leave you in purgatory."

It makes Skylei uncomfortable to think of Tyler’s body rotting into the ground of the forest; even if she does believe that it’s the natural cycle of things. “Maybe I should have put you in a casket rather than just in the ground… you’d have rotted slower. I’m sorry.” Normally, Skylei would make some kind of disparaging remark towards Tyler’s kindness. It’s uncomfortable for the half-elf to take these remarks as genuine and not toying with her faith, but she does it. Instead of jokes or cruelty, she simply nods twice and steps up and away from the illusionary flowers, “I hope so. When it happens.” She’d slip her hand back into his and lean the side of her body against the same tree that he was against. Her chest rests gently against his shoulder and her hip brushes his – there’s a level of physical contact that she’s just comfortable with in this place, “Do you want to walk further? Or we can stay here. I don't mind.”

Tyler smiles at her apology "I only wish it would have gone all the way or not at all. I feel coming back as a skeleton or as a slightly more pale body would be less inflicting on the confidence than the half and half." He claims before sticking out his tongue playfully. When her hand finds his again and her body pressing against him his cheeks flush and the butterflies fill his stomach again, his mind pleading with itself that all of this be real and not some twisted episode of mental hysteria, his eyes shifting to spot her amulet once more to bring him a bit of relief. Her offer is accept and he reluctantly moves away from the tree keeping her in hand held firmly in his own while feeling a sudden cold spot where she had been against him, he longed for so much more, to be able to be with her without the amulets, to be able to hold her in reality and forget the world... as they walk he finds himself wishing he had this sense of clarity long ago. Not far from the tree they stumble across a small stream that a herd of deer are bowing into in order to quench their thirst by lapping up the crystal clear flowing water, the stare the human gives to them hinting that he's himself surprised at the realistic illusionary display, "Huh... I guess I have gotten better at this" he whispers oh so quietly as not to startle the lot of them.

Skylei doesn’t like to think of Tyler’s new form. She’s much happier living in fantasyland, where he still looks like he did in life and she can pretend that he never died, was never buried and never partially rotted in the soil. It’s uncomfortable to think of anything else whilst she walks hand in hand with him. That’s why we he cracks a joke about wishing to have gone either way a little more, she doesn’t respond. She simply squeezes his hand as a signal that she was listening and that she heard him. Fortunately, they soon come across that herd of deer. It’s a majestic sight and one that Skylei would happily stand and enjoy for a while. Dropping her own voice to a whisper, Skylei responds, “Very realistic. You could absolutely mistake this for Sage.” Maybe a little too realistically as, within seconds of their arrival, the herd come to notice that they’re not alone and scamper off to hide within the forest. Skylei raises her eyebrows and turns to Tyler, a smile drawing across her face, “Can’t you illusion them less skittish?” She’d hold eye contact for a few seconds before turning away abruptly. It’s this setting. Too romantic. Too risky. “I’m thirsty.” Her brow furrows, “Or, at least, I think I am. Can the soul even get thirsty? Can the soul experience anything physical? I really am confused by this whole thing, y’know…”

Tyler is slightly disappointed when the herd make their retreat but finds himself fascinated by their movements, their long leaping bounds are perfectly replicated down to the muscles tensing and relaxing beneath their short coat of brown fur. "I don't know" he admits before turning to face the wood elf, catching her smile just in time before continuing "I guess being stuck here allows plenty of time for practice." He's smiles back at her when she questions the properties of a soul, in truth, he had no idea how it worked. He had never needed food or drink since he'd been in the infinity yet that could be explained by the fact that out of the two of them, he's the only one who's properly dead. Then again, as Revan, he did eat quite often but not aything that the two of them would consider normal by any means. "Well, as I see it, there's a stream right here and you -are- a wood elf. So how about you teach this slow learning human how one drinks from a stream without a cup or dunking their head under?" His grin is a dead giveaway that he's teasing but he stands by to see how she reacts, his caramel eyes loving in their stare and void of the malice that once resided in them.

Skylei is lucky that Tyler doesn’t feel the need to share Revan’s food habits with her. If there’s any way to really ruin a nice moment, it’s by talking about undead feeding habits. As for the stream - “You really have no idea what wood elves do, do you?” Still, she would humour him. She drops his hand, hops over to the other side of the stream so that she could face him and drops down to her knees on the bank. Bending her back, Sky leans over the stream and cups her hands to fill them with the chill water before drawing it up to her mouth. It’s not the most elegant and there’s certainly a little bit of leakage both between her hands and down her front. But still, she manages to get a decent mouthful of water from her cupped hands. She would tilt her head to the side and raise her eyebrows in challenge, attempting to ignore the droplets of water travelling down her chin and the splash on the front of her shirt and remain graceful. “You think you can do better?”

Tyler watches Skylei move to the other side of the stream with a sense of satisfaction, his curiosity winning him over as he becomes engrossed by her demonstration and is hit with the sudden realization that during all of their time together he had never really seen the woman in her natural environment. He knew Skylei more for her human side and in his memories of her she was often found with her nose buried in a book out in the grand library of Cenril - not in cupped hands as she gathered water to sate her thirst. It's nice really, to see her at peace and not stressing out over the 'problem of the day' that she often found herself in, usually by the company she kept a.k.a himself and a select few others. Her words snap him out of his admiration and he perks up before agreeing once he takes notice of the water dripping down her chin and spilling onto her shirt. While he was useless at most things, Tyler did spend a good deal of his time sleeping under the branches of the Sage Forest and learned a few tricks during that time. Making his way to the nearest tree he plucks a large leaf from it's hold and moves to kneel by the stream where he would use both hands to bend the leaf before dipping it in the cool water. A cocky expression is given to Skylei with a smile as he raises the leaf to his lips and takes a drink from his tool though he manages to spill quite a bit as well causing him to glow red with embarrassment, "You can use broken bark as well if there's enough and it's in the right shape but you'll usually choke on chunks of... well, whatever that stuff is all over the backside." His eyes fall from her to focus on the leaf that he fiddles with idly.

Sky laughs at Tyler’s attempts to bring the water to his mouth, even though he’d had the goodness of heart not to laugh at her. “Here’s what you’re doing wrong. To truly live like an elf, you have to think like an elf. The water is a part of nature, as are we. Thus to truly connect with the water, there can be no barrier.” She would flick the bottom of Tyler’s leaf, causing the water droplets left to bounce upwards, “Even natural barriers.” Skylei shook her head and rolled her eyes, “I have to be honest, I never truly believed that philosophy entirely, but when it’s what you’re raised on.” She shrugs. Then attempts to excuse the fact that she, despite her elven blood, has water drippled down her front with “Y’know I honestly haven’t lived like that in at least five years. First I was in Rynvale, then it was Cenril, then Chartsend, then back to Cenril, then Frostmaw, then the dark dungeons of Trist’oth for a brief stint, then Josleen’s parents house in Xalious and, by the gods, if I’m not back in Cenril again now. None of them are really ideal for water scooping, tree hugging, natural elven living. Maybe one day, though. My father actually left me his old place when he died so I guess when I get bored of worrying about rent payments and living near people, I’ll just move back there.”

Tyler returns the favor of laughing by giving a good one as the reality of a wood elf paying rent sets in. He nods and releases the leaf from his grasp allowing it to be carried off by the stream, "You could always leave it all behind. Go more primal or natural or y'know, whatever the word I'm looking for is. I'm sure you could figure it out. See, a human would cut the forest down and build an ugly little house that deteriorates over time but an elf, more specifically a wood elf, knows better than to kill their home to make a crappy one and even if they did I'm sure it would last." Picking himself up he moves to the other side of the stream and looks down to her with a wrinkled nose, "I wasn't much of a fan of Chartsend and while I'm sure the dungeons of Trist’oth had their downsides I can't begin to imagine a worse hell than living with ma and pa Josleen..." His tone is light as he wrinkles his nose again "Speaking of, have you seen her recently? Jos, I mean. How is she?" His expression is curious and genuine, the human worried about her since their meeting in Revan's hell... or maybe it was here?

Skylei attempts to defend her stay at Josleen’s family home. “Hey! Ky’loriel and Jessa were very good to me whilst I was in their home.” Skylei pauses and then concedes, “I wasn’t conscious for most of it, mind. I stayed in their guest room until I was conscious and able to walk and then I went back to Cenril – and Josleen’s home was much nicer than Trist’oth. Regular meals, an actual bed to sleep in and not being afraid of routine torture.” She says it as though it was a joke, though it definitely wasn’t. If Tyler saw the new security devices she’d installed on her crappy flat in Cenril, he might understand just how deeply Sky wanted to avoid ever going back to Trist’oth. She pauses, “Anyway, then I didn’t see Josleen for months until she showed up on my doorstep dragging boyfriend number 37 or whatever it is now. And they’re sleeping in my bedroom, hence the couch.” If Skylei’s trying to disguise the hurt that comes with not seeing Josleen in months, she’s doing a terrible job; or maybe she’s still thinking about Trist’oth. “Anyway. She looks happy. Not that you really care, I know you always despised her, Tyler.”

Tyler is paying very close attention to Skylei as she speaks, an effort to pick up on any ticks she makes based on the particular topic. He notes her overly casual mention of torture and feels a stake driving through his heart while checking Trist’oth off of the list of acceptable topics to bring up to her. He's genuinely surprised that Skylei and Josleen had gone months without speaking to one another but even more so when she admits to being unconscious for most of her stay in Xalious, "Unconscious? Why?" he's quick to chime in, a look of worry spread across his face but he shakes his head and assumes that she would have included the details if she were comfortable sharing them, another mental check mark before he's smiling at the reference of Josleen's destiny to have her way with every man in Hollow - Tyler excluded of course. Shaking his head a bit he releases a heavy sigh, "That's not true. I didn't get along with Josleen for sure but I always cared about her. Her and that one fellow did save my life after all. Like I said earlier, she could see what I was from the get go and only wanted to protect you. I'll admit, she's a bit vain and full of herself but honestly so was I. I may have wanted her to fall off the edge of Frostmaw a few years ago but I still would have cried at her funeral." A smile as he finds relief in hearing that the woman seemed happy, hopefully she'd been able to recover from Revan's hauntings with no lasting effects and so long as she had the blue rose, Tyler knew she'd be safe from the undead and himself. Casting his gaze to the clouds above he reaches out to take Skylei's hand in his own and continues, "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I mean. It's not like I could tell anyone even if I wanted too... but on top of that, I don't want you to feel like you have to keep anything from me or that I would judge you... for anything."

Three strikes and you’re out, Tyler. And this makes two for Trist’oth. Skylei swallows visibly, “When I was in Trist’oth they beat me so badly that I thought I was going to die, Tyler. I spent the six months after the elves liberated the prisoner’s unconscious.” Again, she tries to make light of the situation, “Honestly, I was lucky to have a friend like Josleen willing to take me in, or it would have been the medical tents in Frostmaw and, let’s be real, the frostbite probably would have taken my toes and most of my fingers. It’s not like I had anyone else left.” She shrugs. “It was bad.” She drops Tyler’s hands just for a few seconds to take another handful and thus mouthful of water. This one she manages with much more grace, leaving her with only a single trickling drop of water moving down her chin. Then she would offer him her hand again, even though it’s cold and wet. “Well, if you want to talk about things I can’t tell other people, let’s talk about how Josleen and Kelovath are wanted criminals right now, bringing their dodgy dealings – apparently Kelovath killed a man – to my doorstep.” Skylei looks back around the forest. “Hey, you know Sage always smelt incredibly when it was raining.” It’s a hint. A big one.

Tyler doesn't like what he hears and it's reflected in his expression when his glow fades as Skylei details the sufferings she'd endured during her stay in that damned drow city, the very same that he now frequents in his physical form under the direct training of Gevurah. He doesn't mind the water on her hand and is quick to take it back into his own while granting her request immediately with heavy clouds rolling in accompanied by cracks of thunder that are soon followed by a constant light rain that isn't enough to wash them out. "Kelovath..." he mutters beneath his breath as the name triggers the memory of the paladin cornering him in an attempt to free Josleen from the debt of her black rose. Tyler is only out of it for a second or two before he seems to come back to reality, or well, comes back to whatever here is. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I don't know what I could have done but my whole..." he stops, certain that she doesn't want a reminder that he's deceased "... predicament can't be any better. I should have been there for you, you shouldn't have had to face any of that and I'm glad she was there for you, Frostmaw isn't exactly a medical marvel." The humor in his voice is gone until he turns to raise a brow at her statement "Killed a man? Hmm... that's quite the big one, isn't it? Wait... You said those two were at your house? And they're sleeping in your bed? Please tell me you plan to wash the sheets." There it is, the humor and his smile along with a slight bump of the shoulder before another brief pause precedes his next offer, "Well, if anyone comes looking for trouble just let me know. I'll talk to the other guy and see if we can't go give them a good scare or two."

Seemingly, whatever Skylei wants today, Skylei gets. First she got Sage and then she got Sage in the rain. If only Tyler could have been this considerate when he was her boyfriend, she might have been the luckiest woman in all the land. Skylei would keep hold of Tyler’s hand, but lie back in the grass to look up to the newly clouded sky. She wanted to watch the way that the rain dripped from the leaves to the ground and, more than anything else, she didn’t want to see the way Tyler looked at her now that he has heard of what became of her after her time in Trist’oth. “It’s okay, Tyler. You were gone. I couldn’t have expected anything from you. And I was the one who chose to fight. That war.” She doesn’t want to speak any more on that topic, far happier to discuss the doings and misdoings of Josleen and Kelovath, “Yes, apparently that was what he was accused of. But he’s so upstanding, I can’t even see him killing a Priest, or whatever it was that they accused him of.” Skylei shrugs. Shrugging is hard when you’re lying down. “And yes, they’re in my bed. What else was I supposed to do; ask the Lady Josleen to slum it on my floor with her shiny boyfriend?” The pair are hit by Skylei’s mockery, though shiny is the perfect adjective for Kelovath. “And yes, I imagine I’ll probably have to throw out those sheets when they leave.” She’d roll her head to the side to look back at Tyler, “Anyway, the last time I slept in a bed with any degree of regularity was… well, when,” Skylei makes a gesture towards him, “Y’know, when we lived together. Must be nice for mine to be, uh… seeing some action. In the sleeping sense.” Now she flushes. "And please don't send the other guy. Ever. I'm trying to avoid trouble."

Tyler bites his tongue to prevent himself from asking about the war that he knew nothing of figuring that Skylei didn't need anymore bad memories floating around in her head though he's curious if that's even possible with him sitting beside her. He follows her lead and lays on his back to stare up at the branches and leafs, his left eye squinting shut with a jolt as a drop of rain splashes into it. "The sleeping sense, huh? I feel it's going to get far more than that. Might as well just burn the whole thing when they've taken their leave." He's joking while rubbing his eye to try and get the water out "Don't worry about him. He, or I, well... we can't come near you so long as you keep that rose around. Hell, with Jos in the house I suppose that protection is doubled. I'm actually surprised the amulets worked but I guess this is some sort of sancutary from reality or something..." A casual slip of the tongue but not one the human tries to hide, he wonders if she'll pick up on it or not but proceeds to word his comment on Kelovath "You never know about some people. I believe everyone is capable of murder but downing a priest seems a bit darker than I'd expect from anyone, even someone in Josleen's company."

Skylei rolls onto her side and rests her head on her hand, levied up by an elbow on the ground. She looks at Tyler in an attempt to gage his reaction and see if he’s messing with her, or simply being honest. That, and this position protects her from the raindrop in the eye phenomenon that Tyler has just experienced. “You really think they’d… y’know, whilst I’m asleep in the next room? That’s so awful!” Skylei is honestly appalled by the idea that this is probably happening in her house and her bed – it had never crossed her mind beyond that of making it a joke. So innocent, so foolish. “Maybe I should just do as I always thought I would, move out of the house and back to Sage. Then I could just get rid of all of my furniture.” Pushing her elbow forward, she allows her head to sink downwards so it just rests on the crook of her arm. “Josleen likes her men to be morally-upstanding, preferably rich and obviously attractive. I wouldn’t have let them into my house if I honestly believed he’d killed a priest.” Then she swallows, again very visibly, “And by the doubled protection, I take it you mean you’ve seen Josleen recently…”

Tyler rolls his head to the side so he can look at her with his eye still shut tightly and smiles when her innocence is suddenly violated by the idea of Josleen and Kelovath making paladin babies in her own bed. "Sounds like a plan to me. I believe nature would ease your mind much more than a filthy city. But that's just my point of view." As she puts the pieces together about Tyler encountering Josleen he doesn't make any attempt to cover it up and his expression fails to show any hint of being nervous or shocked, he hadn't lied to Skylei this far and didn't plan to start now. "Yes, though it's been around four months or so if I've got my time right. It's easy to lose track of when's when in here... Those blue roses I created serve as a protective ward to keep people safe from Revan and myself. I'll spare you the more... disturbing details but we weren't playing very nice with her so I made the very first to give to her and after the rose worked, I created another to offer you. To be honest, they're rather exhausting to make... If Jos hasn't told you about the encounter, I wouldn't get upset with her. It'd sound like she's off her rocker and coming up to you detailing that your ex-boyfriend is haunting her wouldn't go over too well." He chuckles and moves to prop himself up on his elbow like she had, "I agree that it seems unlikely Kelovath killed anyone of innocence. He ambushed us once when we cornered Josleen... a real upstanding citizen of the light and exactly Jos' type. You're right to trust your instincts on him I think."

Skylei’s answers quickly fall from long and rambling to quiet and monosyllabic. As he explains the ‘haunting’ of Josleen in minimal detail, Skylei would ‘mhmm’ and ‘okay’ in all the appropriate places and, once Tyler had finished speaking would only say “I see.” Then she rolls over so that her body is facing away from his. Her body language speaks volumes.

Tyler must have gotten that third strike and though he isn't quite sure what he's said or done he can't escape the feeling that it's completely and utterly his fault. His lips twist into a sort of disappointed frown but he isn't willing to let it go without trying to patch the problem up. Moving himself to be seated directly behind Skylei in a criss cross style again he reaches out to rest his hand softly on her arm, "I'm sorry if I said something wrong." he states with concern laced in his voice, "Are you alright?"

Skylei can’t even quite place why she’s upset, or who exactly she’s upset with. Tyler for not telling her sooner that he’d seen Josleen? No, that doesn’t seem quite right… Or maybe Josleen, for not telling her that she’d seen Tyler? Closer, but still not the thing that’s eating her up inside. Eventually she rolls over, nearly bashes her face off of Tyler’s knee and pulls herself into an upright position. Her forehead is furrowed and her lips turned downwards. It’s a picture of unhappiness, but not anger, “You saw Josleen four months ago. But you waited until now to see me?”

Tyler wasn't quite expecting the response he received, his jaw drops quickly as he gets ready to start spitting off some lie that could save his skin though ultimately his mouth closes and he's staring at Skylei during a few brief seconds of silence before he begins nodding slowly, all the while never breaking eye contact with her. "I've always been a coward, Skylei. I wasn't ready to face you. I was scared that when you saw me it'd fry your brain or something..." A slight hesitation before he shakes his head, "That's not true... I was afraid you'd see what I've become and hate or fear me. I always act and speak without thinking but this time, I wanted to do it right. I didn't want to screw everything up again." He stops to sigh and run his hands across his face in a sobering realization that this memory has the potential to quickly turn into another one of the bad ones. "I'm sorry. You have every right to be upset with me. I should have come to you before anyone else but I didn't want to cause you anymore pain. But my own selfish desire to see you won over and I finally built up the courage to find you. I didn't... I mean... If you had forgotten about me and moved on, I wanted you to be happy but I couldn't keep myself away when their was the smallest possibility that we could make amends and I could spend time with you again." He knows better than to reach out to her and despite the ache in his hands he neatly folds them in his lap. "Like now."

Skylei just sits and stares at Tyler has he offers an explanation for why he had stayed away so long, “I know, I know, I understand.” Skylei rests her head in her hands, “I know why you did it, I do. I just… it hurts.” Skylei lets her body flop back down to the ground and her head rest in Tyler’s lap. She’s not angry with him, but this one moment of disappointment has put her on the path of questioning everything that is happening and has happened between them, “It doesn’t matter how much damage we repair because in the end, I’m going to leave this place and go back to my life and you’re going to stay here and we’re both going to spend our time wondering ‘what if’. But we don’t get a ‘what if’ Tyler, because you’re dead and off haunting people and I’m very much alive and apparently you can’t even haunt me, so what does that say about us...?” She buries her head deeper in Tyler’s lap as if trying to hide herself away from the reality of the situation.

Maybe it's a bit rude and selfish but when Skylei says she understands, Tyler feels that familiar weight rise up off of his shoulders leaving him so very, very relieved. Her head crashes into his lap and he's almost immediately running his fingertips through her hair while she speaks and he waits until she's done before chiming in. "I know dear, I know. You have to trust me when I say that I would give anything to be with you in the mortal world again... the real me. I think about you every day and the pains of regret for the choices I made are constant. I know that no matter what I do, I can't change things from what they are... but I don't want you bearing that constant worry. You've done nothing wrong and you deserve to find happiness without worrying about what if..." His hands burrow beneath her hair to begin tickling at her neck with his nails. "I'm very well aware that I'm dead... or undead... or whatever the hell kind of abomination I've become. But by some brilliant stroke of luck, you've been allowed to visit me here in my sanctuary..." Sanctuary. He's grown fond of that name. His own infinite sanctuary "... free from the worries of the outside world and so long as you're willing to have me then I'm going to be here for you. I love you Skylei Lucindio and I always will. Who knows, maybe one of these days the gods will have mercy and lead me to the other side and assuming I don't end up in one of the hundred or so hells then maybe we can be together again then though I doubt a full bloodied human would be allowed to sit with such gracious elves." He smirks even though she can't see it before taking a more serious tone "But I refuse to hold you back. You don't owe me anything."

If people could purr, Skylei would be purring when Tyler strokes her hair and neck. Even so, the conversation at hand does no befit purring, rather it is another serious discussion of what they are and who they have become. “I just don’t know how I go on living in the real world, knowing that there’s some whole other world that’s just hidden behind a thought and an amulet… How in Hollow do I reconcile that with my real life?” As for where they’d end up in the afterlife, Skylei has some feelings on that too. Rolling so that she is on her back and can look up at Tyler, the half-elf raises a single eyebrow. “Well, you should have married me when you had your chance, then you’d automatically be granted the right to sit with my ancestors in the afterlife. Or I yours, but, let’s be honest, it would have been mine we ended up with.” It’s only a half-joke – they’d definitely have ended up with Skylei’s elven ancestors.

Tyler flashes a wide grin when she jokes about where they'd have ended up in the afterlife, "Yours for sure. Mine would be too busy boozing up and partying to even notice we'd arrived." With her on her back his hands move to the sides of her neck to continue their rhythmic motions, "As for reality, I don't know... I guess you just have to. Hell, I don't even know how time passes here. Josleen could be freaking out thinking you're a corpse at this point -or- standing there with that smug look while tapping her foot waiting to question you about the amulet... or it could literally have been like five seconds. Like I said, it's hard to keep up with when's when here. But you can't just give up your life and stay here with me... unless y'know, you -really- wanted too but I don't even know how it'd work out." He does that thing where he wrinkles his nose again, "and yeah, I should have." He says without humor in his tone on the topic of marriage.

Skylei looks down at her chest and instantly pushes the amulet away so that it sits between her damp shirt and her chest bone. It won’t make much difference if it’s slipped into view on her real form back in Cenril, but she has every desire to avoid explaining to Josleen just why she’d decided it was time to re-wear an old piece of jewellery. No one needs that kind of drama. Skylei wrinkles her nose, “The last time my soul went travelling, we were gone for a matter of seconds even though it felt like we’d been gone for hours. Good job too, or those pixies probably would have sacrificed us and I had much grander plans than dying in ritual slaughter for some Gualonian pixies.” Another story for another time, perhaps. She’s able to look right up at him without getting water in her eyes thanks to his face obscuring the sky. “I figure eventually I’ll know when it’s time to leave, right?” She’s relying on her soul, or body back in Cenril or even Tyler himself to give her some kind of sign that this meeting is over and that it’s time to return to her real life. She certainly doesn’t want to be the one to make that call.

Tyler arches a brow when she goes on about some hoodlum pixies roaming out in Gualon causing some havok among the orcs and barbarians but apart from the smile that he fails to suppress there is no comment on the incident. When she tucks her amulet away he takes note that the glow can still be seen through the fabric of her shirt and imagines it would do little good to hide it from Josleen there but much like her own thought process Tyler knows no one needs that drama and doesn't bring up his observation either. Reaching up to take his own amulet in his fingers he flips it around a few times allowing the both of them to examine it closely, "Well, as far as I can tell, taking it off should do the trick or if we both agree it's time to sever the connection that should work as well... at least that's what the creepy old man told me. As for -when- it's time to go, I hope you don't expect me to give a hint or something. As far as I'm concerned you're welcome to stay here forever and keep me company." The rain is still constant around them but Tyler must be working his magic because a massive hostas leaf suddenly grows from behind him and extends over the two of them to provide perfect cover from the rain seeping through the trees. The pattering sound of water colliding with their new roof is soothing and Tyler's shoulders drop lower as his muscles relax. "Of course, I imagine your physical form would get pretty pathetic from laying around like you've OD'd on orc powder or something all the time."

Skylei snorts at the idea of Josleen coming across her body in the morning slumped over the couch as though she’d got her hands on some heavy narcotics. “I’d rather not get a reputation as a powder user, y’know? There’s some pretty powerful stuff going ‘round Cenril right now and I don’t need my reputation tarnished any further. Besides, no one would believe the truth if I told them what I was actually doing so it would be almost impossible to refute.” Though she hadn’t been getting wet from the rain – Tyler’s body was doing its job and shading her face from the rainfall, she appreciates the new bower of leaves that appears above them. The leaves are the perfect shade of green and, what little light is left in the sky permeates them causing a dazzling array of patterned veins to blossom into sight. It’s exceptionally beautiful to say the least. “Soon” she murmurs, barely audible over the sound of the raindrops falling on the leaves, “I’ll go soon.” She’s almost drowsy; the comfort of resting her head against him, the cool breeze and the quiet pitter-patter of raindrops are hypnotically calming.

Tyler finds the visualization of Skylei's body in the real world along with the idea of her being strung out to be an entertaining combination causing the left side of his lips to peel back into a shy smile. His hands run down Skylei's arms from her shoulder to the bend where he begins making soft circular motions with his thumbs to help ease her muscles further. He can see the exhaustion in her eyes and watches as she struggles to stay awake with a few flutters of her eyelids causing his soft smile to grow. The duo sit in silence beneath the rain for a short while, five minutes or so, before it's clear that the wood elf has drifted off into the warm embrace of a deep slumber. While his lips move to mouth out something short, no audible noise can be heard as the faint glow of their amulets flickers and eventually dies, taking Skylei and the Sage Forest with it. Tyler is still seated in the void with the smile firm on his features when he looks up and slowly waves an open palm spawning a small screen, no bigger than a bathroom mirror, before him - on it, a boy laying alone on top of the ocean when a girl sleeping on a couch appears a hundred or so feet behind him.