Lance walked silently into the tavern of Talas City, looking around a bit at his surroundings. This was the first time he'd been in this particular tavern, so he figured he'd get used to it a bit before sitting down somewhere. After a few minutes, and taking in his surroundings and the people around, he sat down over at the end of the bar, leaning back slightly in the seat, but not ordering anything yet.

It began to rain very heavily and the wind howled around Xylia as she ran down the cobble stone street. She spotted a tavern, one she had never seen before. She decided that she would take shelter there. She scurried over to the door pulling her scarlet hood low around her face.

She pulled open the door and stepped inside. She then battled with the wind to shut the door. It seemed like it wished to rip it right off of the hinges. She won in the end and the door slammed shut. She sighed heavily while pulling her scarlet hood lower once more.

She turned around without facing anyone and headed straight for the bar. She leaned with one hand propped up on the counter resting her head on her hand.
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Lance heard the wind blowing through the door and looked over to whoever it was that had entered, spotting Xylia. Truthfully, to this day, he still found it odd that they had fallen in love with each other during their first meeting, and that fate had had them together throughout different lifetimes...but he'd given up trying to think about that. He then got up and walked over to where she was, sitting down next to her and kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Hey, you sleepy or something?"

Xylia was in her own world. She was completely dazed. "It has been such a long while since I have seen a friendly face. Traveling to and fro never once running into a friend." She gazed down at her hand. The tattoo that broke into five branches at her wrist and continued to her finger tips was barely visible.

Xylia was suddenly shaken back into reality feeling a warm kiss on her cheek she instantaneously knew who it was. She wordlessly embraced Lance and kissed him. She had been missing him horribly the last couple of weeks.

Lance blinked in surprise, noticing this rather sudden response, but nonetheless kissed her back, wrapping his arms gently around her, and chuckled softly after he broke it after a little while. "Well, it's good to see you, too, Xylia."

Xylia smirked as she responded, "Nice to see you as well."

Xylia winced a little as she bumped her arm against the counter top. The tattoo that she had recently acquired was still raw and sore. She was still puzzled of where it had come from, it haunted her constantly.

Xylia pushed these thoughts from her minds and decided to enjoy the content atmosphere. She took Lance's other hand in her good hand on the table top. " I have not seen you in a while. Where have you been gallivanting of late?"

Lance tilted his head slightly in curiosity, not entirely sure what 'galavanting' meant, but figuring it must've basically been like travelling. "Ah, you know me...just going whereever my feet happen to take me, no matter where that may be."

Xylia threw a couple of silver coins on the table top signalling the barmaid to bring her a drink. She smirked as she said, "Seems like the gypsy in me is rubbing off on you."

The barmaid brought Xylia her drink and she absent mindedly picked it up with her bad hand. She dropped the drink as she winced. The glass did not shatter but her ale spilt all over the counter top. She apologized repeatedly as she helped the barmaid clean it up.

Lance chuckled softly, and nodded. "Maybe...but I've always been a wanderer," he said, then watched her curiously as something in her arm seemed to pain her, causing her to drop the glass, then noticing a strange tattoo across her forearm, which looked almost like a vine. "Hey...what's that?"

(oh, and I came up with something good for our rp at Terra, so if you'd post there, that would be useful)

Xylia tried to cover the tattoo with her large scarlet sleeve.

Xylia had no idea where she acquired the strange tattoo. It consisted of an ancient writing to swirled and crawled up her arm. At her wrist the writing broke off into five branches and continued on her palm to the tips of her fingers. The tattoo was a deep scarlet red, almost black.

Xylia stuttered, "Oh.. Oh... It's nothing."

Lance looked over the tattoo for a moment, his eyes flashing red for a moment, which they did when he was tapping into his demon powers. "Well, it certainly doesn't look like nothing...looks like a little something more from the Sorceress Rose. Like some sort of spell, or something," he said, his outfit strangely reverting to Landen's suddenly.

Xylia look strangely at Lance. Or should she say Landen. Lance's garments had changed suddenly. The people in the bar stared in bewilderment at him.

Xylia spoke softly, "Lance, what is happening?" She winced once more clutching her throbbing arm. The pain was becoming more intense. She pulled back her sleeve revealing the entire tattoo.

Lance looked down to his clothing in surprise, not really sure what had happened there...usually he'd had control of the transformation, but somehow he didn't seem to know. He also noticed everyone staring at him, which made him somewhat nervous. "I'm...not sure...usually I have control of this change, but it came out of the blue this time..." he said, although he was strangely sensing a group of people nearby that he'd met once before, who'd called him 'Landen', which, naturally, he hadn't understood until recently.

Xylia raised her eyebrow in curiosity. Suddenly her arm throbbed more violently this time and she winced and gasped. She laid her arm on the table gazing at the markings.

Xylia saw Lance looking around the tavern. She sensed that something was on his mind, "Are we in danger? Is anything wrong?"

She winced one more. "I really am in no condition to fight, but if I have to, I will." Xylia thought to herself.

Lance shook his head in a no, looking over to the entrance to the tavern. "No, just...sense some people that I've met before a while ago, in a place called Eden..." he said. It couldn't be them...could it? After all, it would be strange for them to have come here...

Xylia sighed in relief as she took her good hand off of the hilt of her sword. She suddenly had a jolt in her memory, "Eden.. Eden.. Why does that sound familiar?"

Xylia's thoughts were wiped from her mind as she gasped once more clutching her arm. She thought angrily, "Horrible tattoo! Cursed thing! Why do you haunt me! I do not even remember where you have come from!!"

Lance shrugged slightly, continuing to look to the entrance. "I'm not sure...but I'm sure I know just who's out there. The people that called me 'Landen' before, which of course I never understood until somewhat recently..." he said, getting up and walking toward the door.

(just putting this at the top of the list...haven't gotten a response in a while)

The pain in Xylia's arm became unbearable. She staggered to her feet and placed her hand on the bar counter. Her chest heaved as if she was unable to draw sufficient breath. She started to walk but fell to one side knocking down some chairs. She rose to her feet once more.

If one looked closely at Xylia's face the would see that in this moment after she blinked a few times her eyes were no longer their piercing green colour. It was if her pupil had consumed the whole of her eye causing them to be pure black. She clutched her tattoo that was searing painfully.

She looked at Lance near the door and whispered, though barely audible it reached Lance's ears, " I’m sorry. I cannot do this... I must leave.... It is written this way...... I'm so sorry... I do not want to hurt you.... I cannot be with you any longer... I am not Rose... I am, but I am more than that.... I'm sorry..... "

We these finally words a dark energy surrounded Xylia's body. She became a pure black being and began to shrink. After a few moments a black raven stood were Xylia had once been. On the raven's right wing Xylia's tattoo was in silver markings on the feathers.

The raven took flight and crashed through one of the bar's windows. All people in the bar ran to the windows and watched this raven fly across the sky. Its figure could be seen against the bright full moon but then disappeared. She was gone.

If one looked at the bar where Xylia's had placed her hand, a silver ring was placed there.

Lance looked back to Xylia in surprise, unexpectedly seeing her turn into a black raven, and thinking slightly about her words. "You know I won't let you go, Xylia...we've been through too much together for me to ever think of doing that. I'm coming after you as soon as I'm done here, I promise you that..." he said, and walked outside to meet with that caravan of gypsies he'd met so long ago, in Eden.