He felt a light blush creeping across his cheeks and he grinned. "Ah, well good to know that seeing me on my death bed didn't make you think any less of me," he joked with a slight chuckle. Ok, so apparently eye contact made his stomach feel funny. Lovely. Apparently he wasn't just crushing...somehow it felt like more than that. Which was scary. And he knew it would never work out. But it was nice to hear that Anya thought he was good looking, even with his scars. He'd never heard that one before, and it was nice to hear. He would normally just get awkward if he was complimented...no one ever did that...and coming from Anya it seemed even better. Surprisingly, however, all he did was blush. Well, that and feel all warm and fuzzy. He didn't break eye contact though...it was almost like her eyes were mesmerizing. Shit. This wasn't supposed to happen. But he couldn't seem to look away either, which only made him blush even more.

Anyas face lit up when she saw his blush. She wasn't sure why, exactly, it but made her heart jump a little. Even if her complementing hadn't quite gone to plan, she was glad to see him mirroring her own flush. The eye contact didn't help, though. Sage, his eyes... they were gorgeous. She recalled him saying they were odd at some point, and they were, but not in a bad way. She hadn't really seen anything like them. Anya couldn't look away. Every little detail within his gaze, she wanted to know. She found that her face just got hotter the longer she stared into them. What the hell was she doing? Her heart started thumping, did that mean she was scared? Or exited? Or maybe nervous? The girl let out a soft breath before forcing herself to roll onto her back again. She chuckled inwardly, placing her hands on her cheeks, attempting to cool them down. "I have to admit, seeing you covered in your own.... gunk... wasn't exactly attractive, though." She chuckled teasingly, completely aware she had just ruined the whatever was just going on... she had meant to. This, whatever it is, couldn't happen. No matter how much she wanted it. She had so much going for her... but one day, she would have to leave him, forever, and she just couldn't build something with him just to destroy it again.

Sage chuckled at her comment. "I wouldn't imagine so." He knew what she was doing, and he was somewhat relieved she did it...only because this ....thing...they had couldn't go anywhere. Sure, it hurt, but he was used to that. It all hurt...her life, Luther, all of it. But she was continuing to push him away, and that was good, because it was getting harder and harder for him to push her away. He settled back down on the grass again and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The night air was crisp and cool, and that just made him realize how close winter was. Everything got harder in winter. Heck, he didn't even have shoes. Granted that was because he hated them, but they were practical when snow was covering the ground. That brought a whole new load of worries on him. He needed to somehow get enough wood to keep Lizzie warm, and the tavern warm, and somehow still do everything else he did.

Anya took a few breaths until her heart finally stopped pounding so hard. She felt awful. Her whole life, she had accepted the fact she would end up with Luther. That one day, they'd be married, and she would become queen. Now, though... she was questioning it slightly. Sage, he was right next to her. He was so close to her, and she had managed to get herself all wrapped up with him. A tavern boy. Someone who she wouldn't be accepted to be seen with, never mind in love with. In love? Was that it? It seemed like a lot, very soon, but it seemed fitting to how she was feeling. She tried to keep her eyes away from, staring up at the stars.
(kinda messy, lots ot traveling about right now xD)

(lol you're all good)

Sage busied himself naming constallations in his head to keep his focus off of Anya. They had known each other for what .... A few months? And he already felt such a strong pull towards the girl. It seemed so odd, and he almost wondered if it was real. No one else had ever loved him, except for Lizzie but that was different. So why should she? She had everything, including a future husband she was sure to marry. The thought hurt, but it was just truth. The truth often hurt. And besides, he had worse things to worry about than a girl he could never be with. That he shouldn't be with. Besides, even if Luther wasn't a thing, and everything would work out between them, he couldn't do anything for her or give her anything. Heck, he couldn't even say he was just hers because of his work at the tavern.

The girl eventually closed her eyes, trying to black everything out. She was so confused. Did Sage feel the same about her? It seemed like it... but it didn't matter weather the boy did or not. They were stuck where they were. That was that. A soft breeze ran over them for a moment, sending a shiver down her spine. It meant winter was coming... slowly but surely. Anya had always loved the season. Snow, feasts, parties and of course gift giving for Christmas. Though, she was aware that winter could be a curse for the lower ranks... less food, cold and wet, sounded more fitting for them. She took a breath, remembering what the village looked like from her balcony during the winter months. It was gorgeous on the outside... lanterns, the market... it looked like something straight out a novel. She sighed, remembering she had said she would take Sage up there at some point... why not now? It would be safer up there anyway, and they could be out again by morning. "Want to up to my room?" She paused for a moment, wrinkling her nose at how that sounded. "I have a balcony. You can come see what the village looks like through my eyes."

Sage looked down from the sky, and over at the girl. He pondered that for a moment before shrugging. "Why not," he chirped. She had mentioned the balcony before, and he had to admit he was curious about it. Besides, just sitting here they kept making things awkward between them. Neither of them could seem to make their feelings get under control, and he had no idea how she felt about him, but whatever it was, the air was getting....heavy almost.

Anya grinned and jumped up, offering her hands to help him up. Only, she grabbed his wrist rather than his hands, refusing to to get in the same position where she was reluctant to let go again. "Come on then!" She chirped lightly, leading him a few steps along the path before letting go. She knew they would have to go past the bloody sight of murdered men to get there... but it would be fine. It wouldn't take very long. She was pretty exited to take Sage up to the balcony, to finally get to show him something he might not have seen before... something different. She was more looking forward to getting out of the stiff air though. She was aware she had made it a little awkward, with her complementing not quite going to plan, but still.

Sage followed Anya willingly, curious as to what it would be like. He had climbed trees, of course, he did that all the time, but trees were very short compared to the castle. He wasn't sure what floor her room was on, but it was high enough to be able to see the village. He looked around as they walked, still a bit on edge after the attack earlier, even though now was probably the safest part of it. He could smell the snow coming, and started mentally preparing for what needed to get done. He'd have to get plenty of firewood cut and dry before it came, but by the smell and dampness in the air, it wasn't too far away. Sometime in the next day probably. Lovely. He never really liked winter ... The snow was fun but it cause more issues than what it was worth.

Anya led him happily along the path an past the lake, making a slightly longer curve around the bodies so they wouldn't have to deal with them just then. They wandered past the tavern and through the little woodlands until they got to the tunnel. She gave him a soft smile, lifting a finger to her mouth, signing for him to keep quiet. She didn't need to, Sage had been in the castle, and he was smart enough to stay silent anyway. They would have to avoid people the best they could... Anya was careful anyway, but if she got caught sneaking someone into the castle, she'd be done. They both would. They went up a few sets of stairs, long, winding ones, until they came along a long corridor she slipped through the door and pulled Sage in before shutting the door. She pointed to a little glass door with a grin, "Just over there!"