RP:When the Truth Hurts

Kelay Way

Fallen leaves and drying sprouts crunch underfoot, as the tamed walkways come to a halt, buried beneath the motley-colored blanket. The veil of nature closes in at the edge of the woodland town of Kelay. Through an outcropping of deep verdant tints, smoke rises from the chimney of a stately home just east of here, while a narrow dirt path juts off to the north. Southward, you spy the beginning of a well paved road heading east.

Skylei :: Arms piled high with books, Skylei makes her way along the path. After several hours in the library, she was heading back into Kelay Tavern to continue her studies in the warmth and minimal comfort of her and Tyler's room. Dressed in lighter clothes than her usual leathers, the half elf sports a white blouse and leather leggings. In spite of this attire, the girl is sweating from the exertion of carrying the books. There is a smile on her face though; the end of the day means that she is likely soon to be reunited with Tyler and that makes her incredibly happy. As she reaches the boundary of the town, the half-elf would drop the books to the ground in exhaustion. A hand would reach to her back and massage her aching muscles and the other into her bag to obtain a drink of water. It wouldn't be too much longer until she reached her destination, she would assure herself, then she could rest.

Tyler moved silently behind his target. The illusionist who was covered by his newer, much darker attire of robes took long and light steps as he came ever closer. Upon reaching his destination the man would slowly wrap his arms around Skylei's waist and whisper into her ear; "You should be more cautious when traveling alone, y'know." His voice would be in a calm and assuring tone as he didn't wish to frighten the half blood before she realized who the embrace had come from. The man had been stalking Skylei for quite a while now simply waiting for her to take a moments rest. He felt a bit bad about not simply moving up to help her carry the books but he had wished to test her attention as even though he was no powerful being himself, he worried for her when she traversed the lawless town alone, despite being capable of holding her own.

Skylei :: It is fortunate that Tyler is so careful with his approach. As unknown hands reach around her waist, the half-elf readies herself to dig her elbow deep into his stomach in an attempt to wind him and then make her escape. As his words reach her ears however, the, suddenly tense, girl would calm; shoulders would fall and fists would unball. Turning around in his embrace, Sky would place a joyful kiss upon his lips. In a mock scold she would chide, "And what are you doing following me? Watching me struggle with all those and not offering to help? What kind of a gentleman are you?" Her own hands would settle on her hips and her face is a made-up picture of unimpressed disappointment. She cannot hold the facade for long though and it fades into a grin. She would continue in her usual tone, "But seriously, what are you doing here?"

Tyler offers a smile as the wood elfs lips touch his and he enjoys the tender moment. As she accuses him of lacking manners the man would simply chuckle and shrug as if he had no idea what she could possibly be talking about. However, as she asks what he had been doing the man reaches into his pocket and digs around for a moment before pulling out a piece of parchment. "Looking for you of course. Firstly, I missed you." The human winks to the elven kin before turning back to the paper. "Secondly, I found out who I will be facing against in the tournament." The male unfolds the parchment and he squints his eyes to try and read the name he had scribbled down. "Ja... Ja..." He pulls the paper closer to his eyes for examination before it clicks. "Ah, a man named Javier." Shaking his head as he lowers the paper from his eyes he speaks. "I've yet to meet this one and I was curious if you knew who he was and what to expect... though that's not all." Tyler seems to look a bit concerned as his hand reaches up to scratch at the back of his head. His mind curious if Skylei would even believe his next statement. "Well, Thirdly... erm... thirdly..." he trails off as he tries to not only ready himself to try and explain what had happened to the wood elf but also recall the entire ordeal as it almost seemed as if it were a dream.

Skylei steps away from Tyler for a few seconds to rearrange the pile of books that had collapsed from the stack she had thrown down upon the floor moments earlier. Piling the books into two neat stacks; presumably, one for her and one for him to carry back to the tavern when they did leave this place, the half-elf would look back to Tyler and offer some explanation as to her absence. "Aye, I have finished my work from the books that I brought over with me already. I went to the library in Cenril to obtain some more. It's the most accessible source of knowledge. I'm loathe to break into Craughmoyle library alone and the boat to Rynvale takes -so- long." Stepping away from the tomes, the girl would look upon the paper in Tyler's hands, though she cannot read his writing. She is forced to wait until he can translate his own scrawl before she can respond, "Javier?" She would wrinkle her nose as she tries to recall whether name fits a face she knows. It does not. "That name is not known to me, but I can speak to people. See what I can find out if you would like?" As to the third thing, the half-elf simply raises her eyebrows at Tyler, "And thirdly? Do continue." This isn't a question, more a command.

Tyler remains motionless for a moment as his mind struggles to recollect the events though the demand in Skylei's voice seems to aid in jogging it a bit quicker. The man moves his hand from the back of his head and with an open palm sort of shrugs as he tries to explain the event. "Uh.. Well... I..." His eyes move to face the north and his tongue runs across his lips as he inhales as if he's got it. "Well, this is going to sound like non-sense but, erm, last night I was moving heading home from Larket..." The man conveniently leaves out that he was in Larket for a theft in search of some coin. "I was passing through the forest, actually near where you had found me the other day all bandaged and what not..." Idle hands had begun to motion at his torso as if mimicking where the bandages once held the man together like tape. He takes a deep breath and sighs before rubbing at his temples. "A thing came out of nowhere and spoke to me. A uh, uh, um, demonic looking thing. It almost looked like a fox." Tyler reaches into his bag and digs around for something but seems unable to find it, he gives up and turns back to Skylei. "The details are clouded for some reason... but the beast asked me to aid him in some work." The man looks to Skylei as he scans her face looking for reassurance that it was alright to confide in her, he seems to agree with himself. "By work, I mean a robbery. A large one." His hands would fall to his sides and he would bite his lower lip before speaking two words so soft that they were almost at a whisper. "I agreed."

Skylei is perfectly calm until the last two words. The pause between the whisper and the angry tirade that was about to fall from the half-elf's lips feels as though it lasts an age, although it can only be a matter of seconds. Half of Kelay is likely to hear the explosive remarks that fall fly from her mouth, as she is shouting at near full volume, and the half-elf isn't quiet to begin with, "What it Sven's name were you thinking you bloody idiot!?" Birds fly from their roosts around them at the sound of her voice and, as they disappear over the treetops, the silence becomes deafening. There is nothing to be heard but the wind rustling the newly fallen leaves. Is he dared look upon her after that angry outburst he would see only irritated frustration etched onto her usually soft features. When she does speak again however, her voice is low and, having only human hearing, he would likely have to strain to hear it, "By the gods, I never thought you were so stupid. What kind of idiot agrees to assist in a robbery with a stranger they meet in the forests of Kelay. What is it that you called this place, Tyler, when we first met? A lawless town, right? We there's a damn good reason it got that name and it would seem you're part of that reason." Fire blazes in her eyes and in her fury tiny sparks begin to jump from her finger tips; the girl's control over her pyromanical gifts had never been the greatest, but this fury that blazed inside of her had sent her mana control spiralling downwards, "I ought to bloody slap you."

Tyler lowers his head as Skylei shouts in his direction, the humans eyes closing tightly and releasing with each fierce tone. His posture dropping to a slouch and his right hand moving to place on his neck until the wood elf was finished shouting. His ears ringing he indeed struggled to follow her last few words though he understood them. If the slap indeed came into contact with his face the male would of shown no emotion though it didn't seem to. Once Skylei had fallen silent, Tyler couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes out of fear of her disappointment as his stomach churned at her insults. The man allowed a full minute to pass before he felt he was able to speak again and even then only two words would be offered once more; "He knows". Tyler's left hand would raise from his side and an illusionary display would fall from his palm in the familiar blue cascade of mana. The image presents Tyler pinned against a tree while the Kitsune held close to him with a blade drawn followed by the demonic creature presenting his own illusionary art that showed Tyler's blue mask in his grasp. The foe knew Tyler was the ninja in the Chartsend tournament and it was unclear how. The man wouldn't allow himself to speak again and instead would allow the illusion to fade as his left arm fell by his side once more and his eyes remained locked to the leaves and dirt below.

Skylei feels bile rise up from her stomach and push against the back of her throat. Suppressing her gag reflex and the overwhelming desire to burst into tears; after all, it's awfully undignified for one of elven birth to start crying at the slight provocation and in public, Sky would bend her knees and it on a mile of fallen leaves. Idle hands, no longer sparking uncontrolled mana, would reach for a couple of the browning leaves and began crushing them to dust. Her physical stance says it all. Sky feels utterly defeated. Of her two options, neither were favourable. The fisrt was to kick up a fuss so that Tyler agreed not to go through with this robbery. That would lead to whoever it was that knew Tyler's secret exposing him and the human getting crushed to a pulp - not ideal. The second, was to back down and allow him to take part in this criminal act. He would potentially get caught, and if caught, likely executed. Skylei feels the bile rising in her throat again at this thought, and the harp acidity causes unwanted tears to form in her eyes. She only speaks one word, but it is a cry of sheer desperation, "How?!"

Tyler found himself staring at Skylei as she stressed about before him, the man feeling near hopeless to aid the upset elf. As she released the plea he shook his head slowly. "The beast mentioned something about mana signatures, how he could smell them." Shrugging with a sigh he moved to Skylei's side and his open palm reached out to touch her neck. He would find the nerve to make eye contact with her despite his guilt. "As I said, Sky, the details are very clouded. Everything seems so... blurry. But I know he wanted me for my art. A lot of planning had been put into this. The creature didn't seem like a fool." Disgust rushed over the man as he found himself complimenting the Kitsune. Unable to recollect the memories of the plan that had been laid out before him just hours ago due to the enchanted nature of the journal Alphonz had presented, Tyler grew frustrated. These emotions were pushed back as his heart ached for the woman before him. His opposing hand moved to be rested upon her shoulder. "I didn't feel like I had much of a choice in the matter, but I feel confident that in the end, it will work out." The human daren't speak of his will for the job. Despite being intimidated by the Kitsune his longing for wealth and to get out of the Kelay Tavern is what sealed the deal between the demonic soul and himself. Though with a blade to his side he didn't feel that saying no was an option. Tyler hadn't felt any negativity to the plan since he had departed from Alphonz and he had been more worried on his upcoming battle with Javier, though seeing Skylei distressed brought him into a different state of mind. His eyes would drop to the ground though his hands would remain on the elf; "I'm sorry, Sky". He states with a dried throat.

Skylei puts her head into her hands at his words and doesn't remove them until he finishes talking. Had she known that Tyler does not feel the way that she does about the plan then she might have reverted to her original angry state. But she is naïve and stupid in spite of her vast knowledge of the world and thinks that everyone looks upon life with the same inner goodness that she possesses. Eyes are closed tightly as she searches her brain desperately for some way out of this predicament. But she cannot find one. Eventually her hands let go of her face and one punches the ground with tumultuous frustration. Below the leaves she is sitting upon is hard concrete and, as flesh and hardened ground meet with a dull smack, leaves fly in a flurry around her. Retracting her hand, she would look on the damage with dulled eyes. Bleeding knuckles and cracked skin mean little to her now that she is filled with hopeless desolation. If there are words that should or could be spoken, they do not reach her tongue.

Tyler feels useless as Skylei slams her fist to the concrete below. The anxiety that he so suffered from began to converge on the man in a manner that made his body shake lightly, though it would be possibly for him to play it off as merely a chill from the now autumn night that they inhabited. Tense moments would come and go as Tyler stared at Skylei's bleeding knuckles. He swallows loudly as he shakes and finally decides on what to say to his beloved. Tyler had found himself lying to her before, only to spill the truth moments later, and here he was withholding the truth yet again. His memory set to just minutes ago when Skylei had been screaming at him and for some reason the man found this a preferred alternative to seeing the one he loved so defeated. "Actually... I did have a choice..." He sighs and would lower to his knees before her and try his best to make eye contact. "The fox told me to think on the offer. While I feared to refuse, I was not under direct threat from doing so." A nod is given to the west towards the great tavern. "I agreed to the job at the thought of money... The same reason I'm in this tournament... I thought with the funds of them combined, if, I manage to pull both of them off I could finally get a home." A pause is given as he feels the idiocy from his own logic but reassures himself that it is what he believes. "To get us, a home." Patiently, Tyler now waited beneath a sea of stars for what was to come, be it a fist, a shout or something far worse he had made his choice and was prepared to live with it. At least he hoped.

Skylei wishes that she had punched Tyler rather than the ground as he speaks. She forces herself to become more aware of the throbbing pain in her fingers and watches intently as blood trickles forth from the cuts. It is a distraction technique. She focuses her attention on something that is not Tyler, in this case her injured hand, until she feels calm enough not to scratch his eyes out in rage. This silent stare at her hand would continue until the tension between them comes so unbearable that even Sky cannot remain silent. Her voice is emotionless, and the half-elf feels utterly drained of all feeling, as she speaks "I would rather spend a million nights, on that worn down chair, in that cramped room, in that drunkard's tavern with a man I love and believe to be honest." There is a real physical pain in her chest and the half-elf feels as though she might burst into tears at any moments. Still she forces her face into a visage of emotionless elven clarity. Slumping forward the half-elf pushes her head back into her hands before the façade fades and her face betrays her true feelings.

Tyler allows himself a quick bite of the tongue in a small bout of anger and regret before reassuring himself, yet again, that honesty was the best thing he could offer Skylei. Though his lips shook as his teeth chattered together lightly he was able to maintain some form of composure and speak. "I am a man, and I am honest." The moment is still and everything around Tyler, besides the wood elf seems to fade to black. His voice opposite of his company, full of emotion and packing quite the punch. "Sure, I've lied. But was it not a mere matter of seconds before I tried to right the wrong?" Nails began to nervously scratch at his robe bottoms as his body convulsed in fear, his own eyes beginning to water as he fought back the pressure inside of him. "I-I... Uhm... I don't know what I'm supposed to do... I've never had an-anyone to c-care about, m-much less c-care about me." Hands gripped tightly at his robes as his jaw pressed together with great force as he tried, to no avail, to steady his cracking voice. "I've b-been alone, for a really, really lo-ong time. I... I don't know what to do right now, n-nor did I know what to do i-in the woods. I've never had to con-con..." A curse is muttered beneath his breath as his condition worsens and he finds himself pressing his hands to the ground to stand himself up and he begins to sway as he shakes and his complexion turns a pale white as his breath becomes rapid. "Consider other people when I mah... made my c-choices. Since I can remember it's been m-me and only m-me." In an attempt to ease himself once more the man swallows the ever present lump in his throat and takes a deep breath. He only imagines how much of a fool he must look like in front of Skylei. "I m-mean it when I say that I l-love you." It's at this point that the tears he'd been fighting back begin to fall against his will and he closes his eyes tightly a few times to try and suppress them. "I m-mean it with everything I have. Y-you're the -ONLY- thing I t-think about. Yet, I've ma-ma-... managed to upset you without even k-knowing it was coming. I'm not g-good at this, Sky..." The mans chest lifts as if he is prepared to keep speaking but quickly deflates as he bites on his tongue. His personality so wildly varying on a moment to moment basis, Tyler could only find himself wishing he was normal and able to account for his actions in a better manner than breaking down like some lost child, but alas, he had no other way. One minute a warrior, the next a fool.

Skylei bites down on her lower lip, hard, as Tyler forces himself through his speech. The taste of blood fills the inside of her mouth as the Halfling realises, much too late, that she has broken the skin. The pain in her throbbing lip echoes that of her battered hand and, yet again, she forces herself to focus on the physical pain rather than the emotional trauma that she is being thrown through. In spite of her hurt and anger, when Tyler says again that he loves her, a breath catches in her throat and she does not inhale again for a good few seconds. It is clear that she too loves the man, in spite of all of the faults that he lays down before her. Her own tears begin to fall at much the same point as his and silent oceans begin pouring down her face and onto the autumn leaves on which she still sits. What could she say to this? There are so many things that she wants to say to him. Part of her still wants to hit him across the face and forbid him from ever engaging in anything like this ever again. Another wants to fall upon her knees and beg for the same thing. Another wants to get up and simply walk away before her heart becomes ever more entangled in the intoxicating and confusing man that Tyler is. But she does none of those things. Instead she simply holds out her dirty, bloodied hand, with newly bruised and swollen knuckles. If he wanted to take it, he could.

Tyler stands idle beneath the moonlit path to Kelay, the man nearly frozen in time as his body brings itself to a calm manner as he lets everything out. As Skylei presents her hand, Tyler simply ignores it. Two steps are taken towards the wood elf before him and he lowers himself back to her level and without a moments hesitation would throw his arms around her in a tight, loving embrace. Having spoke enough he presents his emotions in a physical form as he holds onto her as if he would never let go. Though as the moments pass, he would pull away to take her injured hand and rub his robe sleeve across the bloodied flesh to wipe away the excess before bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the wound. Caramel eyes would raise to stare to Skylei with a pleading look as he hopes for confirmation that things would be alright.

Skylei warps her arms around Tyler as he embraces her. If the two could have just remain locked in that moment forever, then the half-elf would have been happy. Burying her head in his shoulder she would let out two huge sobs, as her tears are yet to quell and elven sensibilities refuse to let her cry so viciously in the public eye. As the embrace ends and robe is rubbed across separated flesh, the half-elf would be forced to bite her already bleeding inner lip to prevent herself from wincing. She feels utterly pathetic. The pain of fabric upon ruptured flesh is nothing, at yet with her temperament as fragile as it currently was, even that is enough to force more tears from her eyes. Pale face has become red and blotchy and eyes, usually so clear and bright, are dull and inflamed. Still no words pass her lips. How can she tell Tyler that it will all be alright when she, herself, does not know yet? Eyes would lock with his and she would pray a silent prayer to the gods that they might convey the way she feels so that her tongue may lie still.

Tyler allows the gaze to hold between the two for a while. The breeze rushes over them and aids in soothing his hot skin from all the stress. As Skylei offers only her stare it seems to be more than enough as the man allows himself to form a smile, unable to explain the feeling of reassurance he simply leans in slowly and places a tender kiss on the woman's lips, soft enough to prevent pain as some blood had managed to drip out and down the side of her chin. Only pulling away a few mere centimeters the man would speak in a soft voice; "I love you, Skylei, with everything I have. I'm not ready to leave you alone." A transformation could be heard in his tone as the one whom was just in tears mere minutes ago now sounded nearly defiant as he referred to the challenges that lay before him. Another swift kiss is placed before he moves himself to his feet and pulls his robe top off and offers it to the elf in order to keep herself warm from the now chilled temperatures. Extending a hand to help her to her feet before moving and gathering all of the books she had laid before them and lifting them into his own arms unwilling to cause her injured hand any stress, his gaze turns to Skylei as a hopeful smile is offered and Caramel hues slowly turn blue to take place of his occupied hands and the usual disguise would cloak the two from harm of those who'd have surely heard their confrontation.

Skylei hasn't been aware of the cold. It is only as Tyler offers her the robe top that the girl notices the goosebumps that have spread across her skin. It had been fairly warm when she had left Cenril and now, it would seem she was freezing cold. She is too drained and her head to full of thoughts to think of Tyler's wellbeing and so she accepts the robe without a thought or offer of thanks. She would take the proffered hand with her uninjured one and uses it to pull herself from the now phenomenally chilled ground. The only sign of emotion is the slight scowl across her face as he takes her books into his arms, but she doesn't even want to open her mouth to object. Eyes are closed briefly as she moves closer to his side out of habit. She misses that hopeful smile of his and her mouth remains in an emotionless line.