RP:Whatever It Takes

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 pressed his way into The Slippery Eel with Skylei's hand gripped tightly in his. The human seemingly less frantic than usual as he traversed Chartsend. Garbed once again in only a pair of beige shorts and a plethora of bandages that covered his wounds from the duel with Javier he quickly made his way to a chair, ignores it and proceeds to lay on the table as he releases Skylei's hand. A groan is given as he aches from the night before and mutters on and on about just wanting a drink. Obviously, in a hyper mood yet again.

Celinia had leaned back again, her brows furrowed, "It's cause your drunk. " She stated before heaving a sigh and standing. " I need air." She then glanced at Tyler and his wounds, an apologetic glance was sent his way, another contestant it seemed.

Skylei rolls her eyes at Tyler's behaviour, chooses to ignore it and instead makes her way to the bar to buy the drinks that Tyler was muttering about. Leaning across the bar, still pretending that she did not know the human, the half-elf would order her usual ale and, after paying the required coin, would lean against the bar until the drinks are brought to her. Drinks in hand, she would make her way back to the table and take a seat. After the drinks are deposited on the table besides him, the girl would take one hand and press it gently against his side to make sure he knew that she was there.

Eliason casts a glare at the bottle of whiskey on the table. "Knew I should have stuck with the ale..." he comments to himself. Pushing himself up from his chair, the big man wobbles on his feet for a moment before finding his balance. "Maybe I should go lie down in my bunk.." His gaze turns to fall upon the man laying on the table. For a moment, he considers doing the same, but realizes that it wouldn't be good for hid men to find him passed out on a table in the tavern.

Tyler moans as Skylei presses against his side and rolls off the edge of the table, colliding with a thud to the ground that would be followed by another audible grunt before he rises back up and takes a chair beside the wood elf. Hand quickly grasping the drink and popping the cork he begins to chug at the contents. The human was fighting a severe case of the sniffles and continued to make childish whines as he snorted in snot. His caramel gaze caught sight of Eliason and Celinia seated across the room and would offer either of them a corny wave, cheesy smile with a gaping mouth and arched brows before going back to his drink. A sigh is given as he looks to Skylei and offers her a playful wink. "Tryin' to get at summin', buyin' a man a drink so quick?"

Skylei places her head in her hands and tries to hide her face from the other patrons in the taverns, including Eliason. How awkward. Tyler was in a strange mood today. As he takes a seat beside her she would nudge him lightly in the ribs and hiss under her breath, "Come on, Tyler. Don't embarrass me." After all, this was her town. It was where she lived and worked and she had no desire for Tyler's peculiarities to get people talking about the kind of company she kept. Her own drink was taken and great swigs were taken in the hope that the alcohol would dull her senses to Tyler's behaviour, "Tryin' to get me a drink nice and quick, love. Some days, you just need one."

Celinia rested a hand on his side before she let a laugh escape, "Alright, I'm going to make sure you get home first. " She said before moving around the chairs and grabbing the bottle of whiskey. "Let's go you over grown giant." She teased, sticking her tongue out at him.

Tyler twists his face into a displeased expression as he notes Skylei's upset with his actions and decides to tone it down by once again taking his bottle and chugging the contents. As he sets the bottle down his hands move to rub fiercely at his eyes. His elbow takes a place on the table and his head goes into his hand as he stares to Skylei in an attempt to ignore the other patrons in the pub. "So, when does something interesting happen here? Like... something not to do with water, fish and work." His tone was playful as he picked fun at Skylei's home town, his own recollection of Kelay coming to remind him that he'd likely been stabbed on the way to the tavern there.

Skylei would rest her head against Tyler's shoulder in forgiveness as his behaviour calms down to a level that she deems appropriate. One arm would wrap around his waist affectionately as the other pulled the bottle to her lips. In response to his insult of Chartsend the half-elf would roll her eyes, not bothering to respond until she had finished the laboured sip of her drink that she was taking. "Aye, you mean interesting like near being stabbed to death? Or how about finding a dragon in a cave? If you ask me, Tyler, I'll take beaches and work any day." Sky was tired of exciting and of adventures. She just wanted a nice relaxing drink.

Tyler chuckles at her mention of the adventures between the two. "Aww, c'mon, you know you enjoy it. It's so exciting and such!" He would wrap his arm around her to return the comforting embrace and nuzzles against her for a moment. "I suppose it is nice to have a decent heart rate once in a while. Also, a full torso is something I'm coming to appreciate."

Skylei would shakes her head in utter dismay at his suggestion that the 'adventures' the two had were fun. So far they had nearly died from their respective injuries, been near frozen to death, ended up in a dragon's lair and she had had to watch him in severe pain more times than she care to remember. So, no. The half-elf would not have listed their adventures as 'exciting'. As she placed the bottle down on the table, the girl would lift her free hand to his chest and place it lightly above his heart, "I appreciate it too, y'know. Not best keen on you being torn to pieces before my eyes."

Tyler looked down to the woman as she moved to his chest and he took her emotions into account. He thought of what it would be like to watch Skylei go through the troubles he had. A two-handed blade being stabbed through her stomach before his very eyes? He didn't like the thought much at all and began to understand why she was so fond of the simple life. Though it was something that didn't suit him, being around her did indeed bring him happiness. He offers another chuckle and promptly places a swift kiss on the top of her head before mutter; "Alright, fine. I'll stop getting stabbed, shot and beat up for a while."

Skylei doesn't move her hand from his chest, though she very much craves another drink. Instead she stays where she is, not caring that anyone in the tavern; friends, strangers and enemies alike, might witness the tender moment that the two are sharing in the most public of places. She would place a kiss on the shoulder on which her head currently rests before tightening her grip around his waist. This is her way of thanking him for his promise. Lifting her chin so that she might look into his eyes, the half-elf would raise a singular brow as if to say 'Really? That's all you're going to give me - a while?' She might not speak, but the meaning in her expression is clear. Sighing, her head would be lain back down on his shoulder.

Tyler looks down to his wood elf and locks eyes with her, a moments thought given to allow contemplation of her meaningful words. He almost felt as if he could actually read her underlying tone for once, and bit on his tongue to suppress his initial response. Though he would begin to nod and offer her a warm smile. "Yeah, I'll give you a bit. I can't promise to be boring forever!" He chuckles and leans in to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "But I promise, despite however mangled, ripped, beaten or torn I might become I won't leave this realm without you." A wink is given in reassurance to the wood elf as he hints that he had no plans of dying anytime soon.

Skylei shakes her head in despair. She wasn't boring! She simply didn't want to live the entirety of her life feeling as though she was about to walk into a death trap. Still, she cannot help but smile at his naïve reassurances that he will not leave her through his death in the near future. She would lock her eyes with his in silent thanks before reciprocating his earlier kiss with a much longer one. As the two come apart, she would gaze into his eyes and smile again like a lovesick teenager before turning the conversation onto much easier ground, "So, when do you think you'll be ready to head back over to Kelay? I can tell you are already growing restless of my beloved Chartsend and I'm loath to keep you trapped here any longer than I have to."

Tyler returns the kiss with a familiar passion before offering a shrug and "eh" in response to her question of Kelay. Leaning back in the chair while keeping his arms tightly around Sky he thinks of the lawless town while biting at his lips. "I dunno', I don't much look forward to the crummy bedding nor Mesthak's attitude. Besides, it's nice to be able to walk freely at night." His arms tighten around her in a squeeze and he wrinkles his nose; "Besides, I really enjoy being with you... all of the time. Maybe it will keep me out of trouble a bit longer." He sticks his tongue out at her in a playful mocking.

Skylei was surprised by Tyler's response. She had been expecting him to bounce up and down like an excitable puppy at the talk of heading back to Kelay. Was he not the same man who had forced her to sneak him out of the clinic to sleep in a cave only two days earlier? Sky would never be able to keep up with his changing attitudes and opinions. "As that may be, we cannot continue sleeping in the apartment. It's a state." That was an excuse of course. Skylei was just ever so aware of Josleen's absence when she set foot in that apartment; even with Tyler's presence it still felt overly big without the bubbly bard. She would sigh and offer another, more valid excuse, "Besides, I have work to do in Cenril. I'm supposed to be making contact with the Cenril Guard in hope of one day forming an alliance between Chartsend and Cenril." She didn't note that she was meant to be doing this for several weeks now. She had been slightly distracted.

Tyler nods at the notion of the apartment in agreement. "I've felt like an imposition to begin with." A sigh is given as his head falls over the back of the chair and he stares to the ceiling of the eel. "I guess I've got to get back to work soon. Honest work, I'd hope. Less I be turning back to taking coin where I see fit." His outlaw actions seemed like they were so long ago, he felt as if he were above the petty thefts and he couldn't help but feel worried that he hadn't heard from the Kitsune about the bank job in quite some time. A sigh is given as he reaches to rub at his eyes once more in thought of where he would go once he departed Chartsend. "I'll find something I s'pose..."

Skylei had not intended to make Tyler feel as though he was imposing on her and Josleen's space. But in truth, she was imposing on the bard's space and she could only imagine what she would say if she found out that she had a man staying there with her. The thought alone causes a flush to rise from her neck, turning her cheeks a bright scarlet. Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case may be, she is quickly distracted from these thoughts by thoughts of Alphonz and the 'job' he had propositioned Tyler with. She still had not made her peace with it, but it was not the time to bring that back up. She would shrug and smile up to Tyler, "You'll find work soon enough love. Then we can work out what we want to do next, aye?"

Tyler remained silent as all emotion seemed to leave the man who had just been all over the place moments ago. Caramel hues stay stuck to the ceiling as a deep breath is taken in and his jaw tenses. The truth was that Tyler had no idea what he was going to do now. He was so caught up in the job with Alphonz and the tournament he had just been slapped with the realization that one had failed and the next was in limbo. As he exhales, his eyes fall shut and his lip falls victim to his piercing teeth once more. He had already exhausted all options of work in Cenril, Kelay, Larket and even the mountains of Xalious. His mind raced as he began to think of falling back to petty thefts in order to survive or perhaps even worse. He makes a silent agreement with himself to keep these thoughts his own, unwilling to worry Skylei any more than he already had. Sometimes, he truthfully hated it in Hollow.

Skylei has no idea what is going through his mind. So she cannot offer him any practical comfort or kind words or reassurances. Instead she simply strokes her thumb lightly against his chest where her hand still lay and nuzzles her head in closer to his neck. She could tell that something wasn't exactly right, but knew well enough that she probably shouldn't pry. Besides, in her thoughts she would reassure herself that she made enough money to keep the two warm and fed. And, in all truth, that was all that mattered. Right?

Tyler allowed himself to wallow in his thoughts for a bit longer. Skylei's touch noted as his chest gave rise and fell in a rhythmic manner, with each breath a different worry would come and go. Unknown to Skylei, Tyler suffered from a constant battle within himself over one of the seven deadly sins and unfortunately it was the one he failed to please; Greed. As money had become the subject he found it hard to break free until he convinced himself that he would be forced to brave the streets of Kelay once more in order to find quick paying work. His recollected the time Skylei paid for his room and even offered him more to move from the tavern and it hit his pride hard. A sigh is given as he finally picks his head up and allows his gaze to fall back to the wood elf before him. He had made a choice, only a few short days ago on whether he would tell Skylei of his choices or allow her to keep a free mind. He holds true to his choice as his teeth grit tightly and his tongue holds steady within his mouth, instead choosing to simply run his hand through the woman's hair in silence and keep his troubles to himself.

Skylei , naïvely, has no idea what is running through Tyler's mind. She simply assumes that the stresses of the past few days have played as heavily on his mind as they have on hers. She would remain still, enjoying the repetitive motion of his hand running through her hair. Eventually, she would remove her hand from his chest and reach out to regrasp the long abandoned ale on the table. Now warm, she would drain the last dregs and attempt not to gag as the vile, tepid liquid seeps down her throat. Resetting the bottle of the table her arm would quickly retreat back to Tyler's chest. Only now that he has been silent for a fair while does the girl feel the need to question it, "Is there something wrong?"

Tyler shakes his head from side to side in a slow manner to decline Skylei's query on his state of mind. Despite the instant feeling that wrecks havoc upon his stomach for telling even the smallest lie to the woman, for the first time he manages to hold through the guilt and plays the entire ordeal off. "Simply ready for bed I think..." He sounds defeated and due to his over emotional nature this could be played off as just another moment of rapid change. Picking himself up after pressing Skylei away, in a gentle manner as not to upset her, he nods to the door and pauses. "Would you like to come back with me or shall you stay for another drink?"

Skylei , soppy git that she is, doesn't like the idea of being away from Tyler's side for even a few moments when she might be beside it and would shake her head at the suggestion that she might like to stay for another drink. Offering him one of her rare, brilliant smiles in the hope that it might raise his spirits, the girl would quickly press herself back to his side and take his hand in her own. Though her actions are clear enough, she would offer words anyway, "That's not really a question, is it?"

Tyler takes the woman's hand and as if magic, a smile would spread across his features as he pulled her close to his side. To her statement he merely chuckles as he begins to make his way to the entrance of the Eel. On the outside, he showed emotions a bit brighter though this is merely a ruse to mask the troubles he had begun fighting within his own mind. He was honestly happy to be with Skylei and it brought him great warmth and joy to be in her presence, it even helped keep him smiling after he had his torso pierced by Javier's blade for god sakes. However, it took only one mention of Kelay from the half elf to send him down a path he hadn't thought of in quite some time. For now, he presses to fight his battle another day and would simply give Skylei his full attention. What was one more night of relaxation? He counts his blessings as he makes his way back to the apartment with Skylei in hand.

Skylei remains completely oblivious to the inner turmoil that plagues Tyler as the couple make their way to and out of the door. She's simply happy to see him smile again; to her it feels like a small victory after the countless defeats of the past few days. So she walks on into the night, turning the conversation to something menial and dull; probably her hair, or what they should do about tidying some of Jos's stuff in the flat so that they had a little more space for the two of them. But all the time she makes sure to keep her hand tightly interlocked with his and her gaze on his face as they stroll back to the apartment.