Ty was rocking back and forth on his heels, waiting. Eventually, Candence showed up and greeted herself. "Hey," Tyler smiled and leaned on the wall. Now they had to clear the air about what's been a problem since the start. "So, I wanted to talk about this thing that has been going on almost all year. Umm," Ty choked up a bit. He really wasn't sure how to explain this. "I know I've been like messed up to you, in a way, but I really don't mean to. It's just hard for me to choose bewteen my girlfriend and my friend because it's just not my thing.

"And just because Lucy doesn't like us talking, it's not going to stop me from talking to you,"

Cadence forced a smile at Tyler when he said hello. Woah, okay, and apparently they were going to jump right into this. Her heart immediately started hammering in her chest as she just stared at him, her eyes glued to his, trying to take in what he was saying. Why was she so nervous to talk to Tyler? Maybe it was just... the atmosphere? Or the fact that Lucy would probably show up any moment, like she always did, and freak out about them meeting in some shadowy secret passage. When he said he didn't want to have to choose, she opened her mouth to respond, but Tyler just kept talking. And there were the words. The ones she had been waiting for him to say all term. A part of her wanted to throw her arms around his neck and hug him, but that probably wasn't allowed.

She just stood in silence, trying to figure out what to say, finally she looked down at the ground and began playing with the ends of her hair. Quietly, she said, "Tyler, I really appreciate you saying that. I've been waiting on you to say that all term, but, you know, I really care about you, and I want you to be happy, and I... I don't want something bad to happen between you and Lucy because of me because... because I know she makes you happy. The decision is yours, but I just want you to know that I don't expect you to take a chance at making Lucy mad just to talk to me." And even after getting that off her chest, she still couldn't look at him.

"It's not like Lucy won't get mad at me other times as well," Ty said and looked at his feet. Should he take the risk? But Ty still didn't understand why they didn't like each other. It was all fustrating to him. Two people he cared about not liking each other because of him...? NO, there had to be something else. "But my friends make me happy too, and you're one of them,"

Cadence should know by now that Tyler was a risk taker. "I think I might take a risk at that," he smirked.

Cadence fought the urge to laugh when Tyler made the comment about Lucy getting mad at him. So all wasn't well in paradise, hm? And then as he continued to talk, she began to smile bigger and bigger. Then there was that smirk, and Cadence couldn't help it anymore. She crossed the short distance between herself and Tyler and hugged him. "Thank you, TyTy," she sincerely replied.

When Cadence hugged Tyler, he was actually a bit surprised. Why? Because he thought she'd be afraid to if Luce popped out of nowhere and began yelling. But nonetheless, Ty smiled and hugged Cadence back. "Thank you? I'm not sure what you're taking me for besides explaining things just now," he asked, in confusion obviously.

Cadence stepped away from him with a similar air of confusion. "Tyler, I have been waiting all term for you to say those things... about thinking being my friend would be worth the risk of making her mad and all of that. All term, I have felt like I was just..." and now the words came out almost agitated, not with Tyler, but just with herself for struggling to put into words how she had felt, "...like I was just some ugly, lost little puppy that you pitied and felt bad for because I was just so pathetic but that you didn't want to keep around because I was the... the ugliest little puppy dog in the world..." Yeah, nice simile Cadence. A lost, ugly puppy? Really?

That was probably just going to make him even more confused.

"So you're considering yourself a ugly, lost little puppy?" Ty asked in confusion. Cadence was just full of surprises right now. "But you're neither an ugly puppy or a lost one. I just think you haven't found your way around things. But everyone's like that. Even me," he nodded and smiled. But then again, not everyone had a famous designer mom who made her child model for her.

Cadence giggled a little at how absurd that sounded. "No, no that's not what I'm saying. I don't think I'm ugly or lost or a puppy. I'm just saying... I felt like... I was this person you just tolerated because you felt sorry for me but didn't really care to be around, that you didn't really.... care that we weren't speaking. Does that make sense?" Cadence asked with a questioning look on her face. She sure hoped that made sense because she was running out of ways to explain it.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Now it makes sense. But it's still not true," Ty said and leaned his arm on her head. "You're just a veryyy hard-headed girl who basically let people put her down. I tried getting you out of it, but I guess it went wrong," he shrugged and put his hands into his pockets, as usual.

Cadence sighed a little and tucked her hair behind her ear. They were back to the topic of Cadence not being the kind of person Tyler wanted her to be. "Look, Tyler, everyone is different and deals with things in their own way. When people put me down, I just accept it and forgive them. That's just how I am. I will give someone chance after chance even when everyone else is telling me that they'll never change. It's just who I am and who I've always been. I am a Hufflepuff in the truest sense of the word. I mean, if someone was being mean to a friend of mine, I'd be all over them. But if they're just being mean to me... I don't know. I just take it. Turn the other cheek or whatever the saying is. Standing up for myself does not look good on me. I have a huge heart, and all I want to do is love people and be nice to them, even if that means getting walked over. I know you may not understand that, but it's just who I am. Maybe one day someone will hurt me enough that I stop being so willing to open my heart to people over and over, but for now... this is just me." And maybe she had finally explained herself. Maybe Tyler would finally accept that Cadence just is who she is, and she isn't going to change herself because she likes who she is.

"I know, I know," Ty said and leaned on the wall again. "I'm not trying to change you. I'm just trying to give you some confidence, I guess. Who do you think I feel when you get pushed over all the time? I may not show it, but it urkes my nerves," Yes. Even when Luce treated Cadence bad, which was almost everytime, Ty would get upset, but he was one who didn't show his feelings just like that. "But I still like the way you are,"

Cadence just looked at Tyler leaning against the wall and smiled at him as he spoke. Who knew Tyler ACTUALLY cared about her? Cadence certainly hadn't. "Well, I do have confidence. I have confidence in who I am. Just because I don't lose it every time someone is a little snotty with me, that doesn't mean I'm not confident. I just... know that I'm a good person no matter what people think. And I guess you're right. At the beginning of the year, I didn't know that I was a good person or that I was fun to be around or anything like that, but that's something I've learned this year. I am who I am and just because a few people don't like me, that doesn't mean the whole world is against me." She just looked him steadily with the same warm smile. She was glad he wasn't going to try to change her anymore, and she was also glad that he liked her the way she was. "I'm glad you like me the way I am because I like me the way I am, too."

Carter stirred when he heard voices. He slowly opened his eyes. Was it the morning already? Had they fallen asleep there? He couldn't tell. The dungeons were too dark. He looked over. Marie was still asleep on his shoulder. Although he felt stiff he didn't move. She looked far too peaceful to be woken up.

"I guess everyone has confidence in their own way," Ty nodded. He couldn't really think of anything else to say to her right now. They had cleared the problems between them. But he knew something else was about to happen. "Good. I'm just sorry I tried to change you," he added and sat on the floor. He sighed and let the hood fall over his eyes.

"Things are going to get ugly from here on,"

When Tyler sat down, Cadence's smile started to fade. Something was bothering him. She sat down on the cool stone floor next to him. "It's okay. You just... wanted to help. And I needed help. I just... needed help being comfortable with who I am instead of trying to be someone else, and in an odd sort of way you did help with that." She leaned forward and tried to look at him under his hood with a confused expression. "What do you mean? Lucy or is it something else?"

"Yeah. If she finds out about me talking to you, she'll flip. But it's not like she told me to not talk to you," Tyler's amber eyes looked at Cadence and away again. After this, he might seriously had to choose between his friend and his girlfriend.

What a lovely life...

Cadence grimaced slightly and looked away from Tyler's eyes the moment he looked away from hers. And then she just sighed, tucking her long brown hair behind her ear. This wasn't her decision to make, and yet, she didn't want Tyler to lose Lucy over her. She didn't feel like she was worth that. Several times, she opened her mouth as if about to speak, but the only words that finally came out were a quiet, "I'm sorry."