Completed Won't Back Down

[Tallis Ishtari]

He finally had a chance to get a good look at the woman and now that he did she was younger than he originally thought. There was something slightly different about her but his mind was too filled with the coins he just came into. He touched the bag that was in his pockets to make sure that he wasn’t imagining that he had them.

“Well Marx… I brought you here to give you your share of the coins we just came into. It’s the very least I can do for your help there at the docks. I would have found a way without you but you made it so much easier.” He smiled again and pulled the bag out and started to count the coins. It was far less than it felt like when it was in the bag. He wrinkled his nose in disappointment. He let out a long breath realizing that it was better than nothing.

He held out four coins to Marx. “Here… it’s not much but you deserve something.” He smiled warmly. "She is young, but pretty."

[Marxander]

Marx was young, probably looked to at be around 17, maybe 18. She had been growing at an excelerated rate, but as she was coming into her maturing years, she was slowing down.

She took the coins, adding them to her own bag. She really had no concept of money. She had no concept of a lot of things, but that was an entirely different matter. She rolled her eyes at him, patting his shoulder "Yes. I'm perfectly sure you would have found your own way without me." Sarcasm dripped off her words, but she did return to him the favor a a true smile as well.

Smiling at him made her look at the young man in front of her. He was taller by several inches. His hair was brown and looked to be soft. His eyes were a human hazel, and it seemed, without his knowledge, he was smiling quite charmingly at her after he gave her the money. She wondered what Tallis was thinking.

The feeling arose again, sharper this time. It had been there, but she only choose to listen to it at certain times. This was coming to the very forefront of her mind at the moment. She nose twitched and she leaned right into him, invading his personal space and sniffed at him, unable to help herself. Not that she wouldn't if she could. Personal space was something made by a society that wasn't made for her.

[Tallis Ishtari]

Tallis was caught up in the moment. He was feeling good with the success of the pickpocket with someone as beautiful as Marx so when she crossed the space between them his heart started to race. He placed his hands on the sides of her upper arms. At first it was a reflex action to stop her. He had never met a woman so forward. He looked into her eyes as she lifted her head. It still had not donned on him that she was Kelvic. All he saw were lips that begged to be kissed.

They were full and near perfect. The heat coming from her body and mixing with him was creating a magic all its own. A nervous chill ran across his shoulders as he told himself that he shouldn’t, she was young. Then he thought over what was happening and that it was she that had crossed the line.

Tallis inclined his head and closed his eyes. He intended only to give her a chaste kiss but he magic of the moment took over and he laid his lips fully on hers. The grip on her upper arms tightened only slightly. What were meant to push her away were now holding her in place, preventing her from escaping only to let his passion run for the moment.

[Marxander]

When his hand held her, she looked up at him. All she could think was "What was the word?" She knew there had to be a word, but such things always escaped her. He kept looking at her, and she knew, she knew something.

Tallis seemed nearly conflicted. She was about to ask him why he looked so confused when the grip on her arms tighten and his lips were on hers.

Bondmate.

That was the word. She didn't think she'd find one this early. She thought it'd at least be a few more weeks. But Marx didn't care. Marx's eyes fluttered shut and she kissed him back. Her hands wrapped around his waist as much as hold would allow.

She could feel that old magic, tethering her to him. He felt so hot. Like his skin was bubbling with the magic, but she knew it was much more likely from the heat of the moment. The heat of kissing her and not taking a breath yet.

She pulled away, cheeks red. She breathed, looking up at Tallis "You're hot." She stated, placing her hands on his where they still held her.

[Tallis Ishtari]

He felt her lips pull away and his heart fluttered for a brief second. Blinking his eyes open he found himself wishing that their lips where still fused together in that moment of pure heaven. He lessened his grip on her upper arms and looked into her eyes as she spoke. He smiled warmly as he wanted desperately to hold her in his arms.

A bit of uncertainly clouded his eyes for only a moment as he tried to make sense of what just took place. There had never been a woman that could charm him the way Marx just did. Never.
“I guess I am a little warm.” He said softly as he noticed that her cheeks were flushed. “Are you warm?

His mind was starting slowly function again and he was adding things in his head. He couldn’t put it all together yet. She had no shoes and her eyes were different, but that didn’t really mean anything. There were plenty of humans in Ravok that were different.

[Marxander]

"Very." She replied, soaking him in, like the stubble on his chin, how his eye color swirled "But I don't mind." If she was an in her animal right then, she would have wagged her tail madly, then perhaps chased it in her excitement. She leaned up on her toes and gave him a much more chastise kiss.

When she was back on her heels, she took his hand, pulling him out from between the buildings "Show me where the outskirts of the city are, Tallis." She demanded, dragging him in a random direction. It was probably the wrong one. She had an awful sense of direction during the day. She found she could only read guide herself with the stars out. It was too bad that she wasn't a nocturnal animal or she would have had a must easier time getting around.

Oh well, you couldn't pick them all.

[Tallis Ishtari]

“Wait wait… it’s not that way.” In actuality they get to the outskirts of the city the direction she was pulling him in but it would take longer. Plus they would have headed straight toward the part of the dock that they should be avoiding after picking pockets. He was known in the city by the guards and one of the first on their list to interrogate if something went wrong. He could always bribe a guard or two but right now he only had the four coins he kept from the man he robbed. It would not be enough.

“Marx… we need go this way to avoid the guards.” He tugged her gently down another alleyway then another until they came to a canal. Just off in the distance he spotted a crossing bridge and started in that direction. “So what is your interest in getting to the outskirts of the city?” Tallis asked as he kept walking and holder her hand.

He was setting a quick pace but he was alert. Not only did he not want to see any guards but there were others that he wanted to avoid as well. As of yet they didn’t know he was back in the city. He was not sure what to expect when they did find out.

[Marxander]

He let him lead, sighing in relief as he did "I haven't been in my other form for a while. I've been traveling, you see. And I've had to carry around this backpack for months. Thought a little run would be nice. Can you run very fast? You know, when there isn't people in the way."

She did pick up that he was tense. He kept looking around as if something, or someone rather might see him. She thought the little prodding joke would set him at ease. She honestly didn't know why he was so afraid of the guards.

Then again, when she thought about it, humans couldn't really run away like that. They had to follow the rules and be human. She could just slip down to four legs and speed her way out. She doubted they would even remember her face. If they saw her animal form, they would have thought it looked like a fox or a wolf and gone after some other Kelvic, and when they couldn't find just the right face, they'd give up. They had more important things to do.

Humans didn't have the luxury, she supposed. And she couldn't run away now. She had her bondmate to protect. She'd have to follow some of the rules at least. A bit more than she was use to, but everything had it's price. It was worth it, she concluded.

[Tallis Ishtari]

Kelvic. The word reverberated throughout his body. He could not believe that he did not see the signs right in front of him. Right from the moment when they had first met he should have known. It was in her eyes. The intelligence behind the uniqueness of her pupils when she first stared at him was a giveaway behind what she was. Tallis could now see the playfulness in how she reacted to what he was doing and how easily she moved through the crowd in the square.

He retraced their steps in his mind right up to the point he had kissed her. The kiss. It had been totally spontaneous, a reflex action that he could not have prevented even if he wanted to. The nearness of her body to his created a spark that was beyond his comprehension. In that very moment when their lips touch she became the most important thing to him.

The image of her being a Kelvic caused havoc in the moral compass that he had created for himself. After what had happened to his sister he was wary of the subspecies of humans on Mizahar. What had happened in the alleyway was totally unexpected and was forcing him to look at his prejudices he had. Marxander was unique, and he could never put any meaning behind those words. He would have to adjust his prejudices, Kelvics were now fine to associate with. At least the one he was bonded to.

“I can run fairly fast when I need to.” He replied still struggling with his recent revelation. “The only place you’ll be able to have a good run would be off of the island. I could take you to temple and the large square in front of it but that would raise to many eyebrows of people you want to stay away from.” He envisioned the few slavers he knew and what they would do to Marx if they caught her.

Tallis lead Marx over the bridge and on the upper arch he looked around to see if they were being followed by anyone. When he saw no one and continued onto the other side. “I’ll get us off the island. There’s a place just north of the Southern Trading Post that you can have a good run.”

[Marxander]

She smiled, squeezing his hand. She was glad he could run. She wasn't a big enough Kelvic for him to ride on. She loved running. She didn't run to get away, she ran towards things. Kelvic left things that were in the past, in the past because that's where they belonged. They always had to move forward.

"You know your way pretty well around the Ravok. Have you ever been anywhere else?" She knew traveling for humans was dangerous, only salesmen and slavers really did it and they stuck to the roads. Marxander didn't when she came here. Then again, that might be why it took her months to get here. At least it was a nice view.

It was a nice view here too in Ravok. She leaned her head against his shoulder. She had hear about this place from travelers from her home town. She knew that there was water all over, which was such a good advantage for her. Her kind, Dhole, liked to drag their prey into the water. It was a much fairer fight there when she faced a larger enemy.