RP:Walk Away, Tyler.

The Slippery Eel

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

Tyler sits alone at a vacant table for four near the scattered message board at the back of the eel. The man dressed in some dirty, stiff and faded black robes has his eyes holding a blank stare across the room floor. The sound of casual dining and idle chit-chat ringing to fall upon deaf ears as he sits in a world of his own. A torn bloody hand rests atop of the crude wooden table as his fingertips rise and fall in a rhythmic thump. A nearly full bottle of ale sits close to the human but is left mostly untouched as his teeth chew on the inside of his lower lip. No attention is offered to fellow patrons of newcomers as the loner remains near motionless upon his battered throne, lost within his own mind.

Linken softly pressed his hand against the door of the tavern, a soft creak signaling his entrance as the door slowly swung ajar, the elf stepping into the establishment before catching the door behind him, sending it on its way with another gentle push. Only his second trip to the town of Chartsend, the elf determined that the tavern would be an adequate starting point for his foray into these yet unexplored lands, but not without sampling its fine ale first. As he carved a path toward the bar, his gaze temporarily met Tylers, examining the quiet figure in his meditation. His eyes fell down to his wounded arm, the most prominent of the mans features at the moment, and the elf could not restrain his feelings of concern for the wounded, as was his nature. Arriving at the bar, he ordered a bottle of whiskey from the barkeep, and once it was presented to him he retrieved it and walked away from the bar, a few coins left in his wake as payment. Striding quietly towards the other more prominent patron, he placed his free hand against the back of the chair, drawing it out from under the table and lowering himself halfway before pausing to ask, "Mind if I join you?"

Tyler wouldn't notice Linken's approach until he was already moving into the chair before him. Caramel hues snap from the distance and fall upon the elven kin as the blank stare resumes for a moments time until Tyler finds that he is the man in question. Blinking to refresh his blurred sight the ragged looking human shakes his head and holds his arm to extend an open palm to the chair. "N-No sir. Feel free." He found himself beginning to observe Linken's most basic features and quickly noted him to not be of human blood, nor did he look to be the violent type which allowed a moments relief to what was a quickly raising bout of anxiety. It is now that the nearly untouched ale finds some attention as Tyler moves his left hand, also ripped and covered with dried blood to the beverage and wraps his fingers around it though keeping it planted on the counter as his jaw opens and shakes a few times before he is able to speak. "I-I-I didn't mean to stare, I kn-know that's rude. Sorry." A forced smile is presented as the small framed male finds trouble in maintaining eye contact with the stranger for more than a moments time.

Linken emits a soft chuckle beneath his smile, lowering himself fully into the seat and scooting forward, arms coming to rest upon the table top. "Pay it no mind, Sir, our eyes are meant for looking." Wrapping his digits about his own bottle, the glass is raised to his mouth, molars crunching down on the cork as it is removed with a resounding 'pop,' retrieved from his mouth and set before him. "Would you mind me asking about your arms?" said the elf, an uneasiness underlying his tone as his brow furrowed. "How fresh are those wounds? Have you not saught a healer's touch?" Raising the bottle to meet his lips, a single gulp of whiskey is withdrawn, exhaling sharply through his teeth as he waited for the familiar burn to set before continuing with his questions. "...I could take care of those wounds for you, if you so needed."

Tyler would take a bit of comfort in Linken's friendly demeanor and seemed to let some of his tension decease. At the mention of his wounds, the humans eyes would fall to the defiled appendages and raise them closer to his visage for inspection as he began to shake his head slowly while he rolled his sleeves back to reveal the complete self-inflicted damage. "I'm af-af-afraid I was a bit rough at the train-trai-training field yesterday." Recollection of bad memories from the day previous rushed over the man like a tidal wave and the blistering pain of his hands would return. If Linken was upset by the sight of Tyler's hands, he'd find it hard to drink if the man revealed his torso which was so badly beaten despite countless healing hands work. In the matter of three weeks he'd manage to get himself shot, stabbed, clawed and struck by lightning, it was quite the miracle that the human was still breathing after the deathly encounters he'd faced through the Chartsend Tournament guised as the blue suited ninja. The offer is taken into account as Tyler runs his tongue across awful chapped lips. He rotates his hands a few times to aid in his consideration of Linken's gesture before replying; "I haven't any money for se-se..." A sigh of frustration is provided at his inability to speak properly to strangers. "services..."

Linken smiled and shook his head at the mere mention of payment, placing the bottle on the table before lurching forward and gently placing his hands upon the strangers. "I find no value in coin, friend. Now, please hold still." Drawing in a deep, hesitant breath, the elf's mind lingered on what he was about to do, having not partaken in these forbidden magicks for some time, the immediate cost being enough reason without even considering the long term effects. However, Linken was tempted with this power for a reason, that being he is one of the only people in the lands selfless enough to commit to these actions. His eyelids fell shut as he finally exhaled, a pulsating, violet-green glow stirring out from within his veins. This aura spread through Tylers skin from the point their contact was made, his wounds engulfed in the radiant aura before the injuries dissolved from his arms as paper tossed upon embers, revealing beneath them only bare, unscathed flesh. The elf's hands began to tremble, however, a pained grimace painting over his formerly calm expression. As the aura began to fade, with the procedure finished, the elf quickly withdrew his hands into the air, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he collected himself. "...I apologize, I...have not done this in...quite a while..."

Skylei wander into The Eel looking fairly carefree. She misses all of the palaver with the magical healing and instead walks in to spy Linken sat with Tyler. Well, that was an odd combination. The half-elf would make her way over to the two with a smile on her face. However, for once, this smile wasn't for her beloved human. In fact, she doesn't even spare him a glance. The grin that spans her face is directed straight at the elf whom she did not expect to see in Chartsend. Reaching the two the girl would call out jubilantly, "Linken, my friend! I did not expect to see you out in these lands." She would wiggle a single finger at him lightly whilst offering a teasing scold, "And I was expecting to see some form of note announcing your arrival in my town!" Pulling up a chair, the half-elf would take a seat, Tyler still not having been spared a glance or a word. She continues conversing with the elf, seemingly not noticing his heavy breathing, "What are you doing here? It is so wonderful to see you." Finally she would look over to Tyler and offer him a casual smile, "Oh and hello to you too." It would seem as though the half-blood was pretending as though she and the human had never met before.

Lydrain walked into the tavern shortly after Skylei, though, not having noticed her yet. It was obvious from his facial expressions that he was almost absolutely lost. Having never been to Chartsend before, it was all foreign to him. Looking around at the tavern, as this locale was atleast a familiar atmosphere. Taking one glance over the room, he smiles, a rather broad smile. Closing the distance in between the door and Sky, rather quickly, he taps her on the shoulder, "You really should have warned me how easy it was to get lost in this town before inviting me here... you know that?" He chuckled slightly, not in the least perturbed by the fact that he was lost.

Tyler held his eyes shut as Linken performed his art, the swirling in his stomach a side effect of his fascination and disgust of the healing arts. Caramel optics appear once more as the elven kin releases his hands and they set to examine the work. The nausea in Tyler's stomach doesn't settle well as he feels as if the wounds are still visible yet he clearly spots only his own flesh. As he motions to thank the man before him he is cut short by Skylei's sudden arrival. Attention shifts between the two elves as Skylei greets the stranger as if they were the closest of friends. Eyes narrow as her focus finally lands upon his person and confusion and a sense of hurt wash over the man as the woman treats him as a complete stranger. As her stormy eyes stare to him with a placeholder smile Tyler finds himself looking to Linken and then her once more before releasing his expression. A now healthy hand is quick to find it's way to his ale and he simply tips the top towards Skylei and mutters, "Hi.", before bringing the bottle to his lips and taking a heavy hit. His teeth bite down upon his tongue as his gaze drops to his feet as he allows Skylei and Linken to interact with one another. The voice of another is audible and the human begins to feel somewhat of an outcast and is found forcing himself to resist the urge to simply up and leave without offering Linken a proper thanks. The bottle is pulled to his lips once more, though as the smell of the liquid within hits his nostrils he simply places the container to the table once more and crosses his arms before letting his eyes set to his feet as he desperately tries to return to his zoned out state that Linken had found him in.

Linken issues a surprised smile as he briefly rises to his feet in order to greet his old friend, offering a curt nod as he placed his left hand welcomingly upon her shoulder. "Ah, well, at your behest I took it upon myself to see what these lands offer with my own eyes." As Lydrain approached, issuing a remark about the difficulty of not knowing the landscape, Linken felt compelled to agree with him, continuing,"And I had not alerted you to my arrival being that I wished to surprise you. A task made more difficult than it would seem, being that you never informed me where it is here you actually reside." With a snicker, the elf lowered himself back into his seat,cturning his attention back to Tyler as he pressed a hand against the table, leaning toward his patient with a still somewhat concerned expression. "How are they? It turned out proper?" As the elf reached out toward his bottle of whiskey with his left hand, a small drop of blood trickled out beneath his glove, dripping pto the table below as his fingers tenderly grasped the bottle of alcohol.

Skylei would shrug at Lydrain and Linken's criticism of the landscape and her directions. She would gesture haplessly in the air and find herself briefly lost for words. Eventually the hand would recede back to her hair, running through her locks as she tries to come up with some witty retort. She is finding herself in a rather tricky situation. She's surrounded by the man she loves, one of her oldest friends and a new friend she had only encountered once. How is one supposed to deal with all of these people from every part of her life in one place and all wanting some part of her attention? The girl would eventually begin speaking, "Aye, I probably should think my plans through before I invite all of my friends to visit me here." To both the elf and dragon she would ask, "Have you been here long? Do you like it?" The girl speaks with great passion and pride about her town and to insult it would surely upset her. To Tyler she says nothing, only turning her eyes to fall on him. She hopes she understands why she is behaving as she is. Her gaze would be held upon him for longer than one would look upon someone who was truly a stranger, but she quickly turns back to her friends, the smile returning to her face, "Do you plan to stay long? I would offer to host you, but I am currently sleeping on a sofa…" She didn't see fit mention that she was also rather preoccupied with Tyler…

Lydrain chuckled as he pulled up a chair. Motioning to Cara to bring him a drink, he simply smiles, still oblivious to the all too apparent tension in the room. He brushed a few loose strands of blue hair back over the tips of his pointed ears. Smiling as his drink is brought to him, he downs a glass and pours himself another. Now, carefully nursing this one, he continues his conversation, "I haven't been here long at all. I really don't have enough information to form an opinion. I may be very well adapted to 'human' life, but I am still a giants, lightning breathing monster at heart, and 'human' settlements confuse me at times."

Tyler finds it difficult to maintain eye contact with Skylei and once she turns away he isn't quite sure what he feels. His makes a best effort to ignore the feelings that tugged at his gut and moves to place both elbows on the table top. His ears perk and burn each time Lydrain puts emphasis on the word "Human", and though it's not the strangers intention it begins to irk Tyler as if his kind were being talked down upon. His expression offers little to show for this as Linken successfully claims his attention once more, a swift nod provided in confirmation at the progress on the hands that sat mangled merely moments ago. Though as the human goes to speak to Linken and offers thanks something catches his eye. A single drop of crimson liquid that he knew all too well, eyes shift from the table top and immediately lock with the elf just across from him. Tyler seemed to be the only one to notice the splatter and though he offers Linken a severely disgusted and angry look as he pieces together the cost of his act, the man moves a napkin that had acted as a coaster for his drink to cover the stain. His silence prevails as he allows Skylei to socialize with her friends that seemed to take priority over him though he feels his stare to Linken would speak plenty.

Linken 's faciall expression briefly mirrored the desired effect of Tylers glare, his eyes tracing his movements as he shifted the napkins location. It was then that the blood droplet was brought to Linken's attention, and with Tyler's discreet action in mind he weakly smiled, a sincere look upon his quiet features, half apologetic and half grateful. After treating himself to a final drink, the bottle was placed upon the napkin to ensure it remained there, and upon his rising from his seat, he bid his farewell to the party. "I truly hate to have to do this, but it has grown rather late, and my children expect me at home." Turning to Skylei he would smile brightly, "I promise I will come visit you again soon, as soon as you actually inform me how to find your residence." Then, turning to Lydrain, he would continue, "I apologize for having to cut our introduction so short," still unsure himself if they were introduced at all, before finally turning his attention to Tyler, placing his hand gratefully upon his shoulders. "And it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you ever find yourself in Kelay, seek me out." After waiting for his friends' responses, the elf would swiftly make his exit and begin his long journey home.

Skylei has been too distracted by the presence of friends to realise the absence of a drink in her hand. It is only as Lydrain orders one that she feels the emptiness in her hand and considers beckoning the barmaid back. But she is quickly swept back up into conversation with the two men. To Linken she turns first, "Aye, give my love to your children as always. I will come and find you all soon, and before that I will send you directions to my home. You are always a welcome guest, my friend." She would bid him farewell with the elven traditional of her home enclave, "May your paths be clear and your trees be green until the same sun shines upon us again." With a gentle incline of her head she would turn back to the dragon and continue their lively conversation, "It's not just a human settlement. There are all kinds here; mainly humans, admittedly. But more and more there are elves, and we even came across a dragon the other night didn't we, T-… erm." The half-elf had turned to gesture towards the human sitting in silence during her spiel. Once she realised her folly and the fact that she had admitted that the two knew each other she would trail off and simply stand their awkwardly adjusting her hair, hoping that none would question her.

Lydrain stifled a chuckle with a cough, not intending any insult, Skylei's aversion simply caught him off guard. Looking back towards Sky, he smiled, "I didn't mean it in a racial sense. I simply used the word human to avoid sounding like I was much more. Would small people have been better? Being a creature of the size that I normally am, it makes settlements of most kind difficult to navigae, from the ground anyway. I apologize if you took any offense, " Looking past Skylei to Tyler, "either of you." Turning to face the exiting elf, "Linken, was it? It has been a pleasure, what short conversation that it has been, though, do try to take care of yourself." He hadn't reacted to the blood earlier, it wasn't his place, but he could smell it nonetheless. Finishing off his glass, he pours, yet another, drink, and turns his attentions back to Skylei, "A dragon? What color?"

Tyler manages to glance up long enough to see Lydrain's offered remorse for any offense he may of caused, a hand waves in dismissal to the claims as he speaks in a low tone "None taken". Adjusting himself and rising to his feet he moves over to Linken, unwilling to look to Skylei or acknowledge her despite the near slip up of his name. "I actually live there. If you don't mind, I think I'll accompany you on the journey back. I've had my fair share of this place for some time." Tyler doesn't await confirmation from the elf before him, instead he begins making his way towards the door of the eel and exits without much fuss, his ale is left warm and worthless on the table top. Despite his bag filled with most of his belongings laying on the floor of Skylei's apartment, he couldn't bring himself to spend another night in Chartsend. The past few days had taken their toll on the human physically, emotionally and more importantly mentally. He even found himself questioning his association with the wood elf that he so deeply loved, the most common thought that rushed through his mind seemed to be set on repeat; "You didn't hurt when you were alone." The filth covered human would wait outside the Slippery Eel for Linken to appear, if he didn't within a moments time Tyler would begin the journey home alone, though if he did he would accompany the elf and badger him for aiding the illusionist with no care for his own well being.

Skylei feels as though her heart is breaking as Tyler gets up and leaves. In a few seconds the half-elf has gone from being surrounded by friends and her love to feeling as good as alone. She would mutter a few words in response to Lydrain's question, "Blue… I think. It was dark and she wanted to eat us." Her hand would point in the direction of the door in reference to Tyler. With that having been said, the half-blood would push her elbows and forearms against the table and push her head into her arms. After staying silent for a few minutes, the half-elf dropped the guise that she had been holding for the extent of the conversation and gesture back at the door. To Lydrain she would mutter a few comments and raise her head to meet his gaze, "And out of that door walks the love of my life without even a second glance." She didn't care who knew what anymore. She had been trying to protect him. That sweet, shy human she so adored who couldn't cope in social situations and always gave a false name. She hadn't wanted to blow his guise and yet now she felt as though she had blown everything. Gods, did the girl need a drink. Her head would flop back to the table, forehead bashing off the wood with a loud crack. Sky doesn't even wince.