Completed Take My Hand (Marxander)

[Tallis Ishtari]

Tallis had been up and down every canal in the city at least once in his entire life. He knew the city like the back of his hand, and the ride back down the canals toward the docks seemed short. He chose a landing that was to the north of where his apartments were and there they parted form the boat.
Thankfully the boatsman was someone he knew and did not charge him for the ride thanks to a few free ones that Tallis had given him a few times.

As they walked a different path to their apartment Tallis tried to make it look like he was not busy scanning the area for anything that looked out of place. Normally he would have been looking about for someone who looked like they needed to be parted with their wallet, but after last night things were different. Ravok was different for him. It had become a dangerous place for the young man that had been so at home until the night he left the city of his birth.

“I won’t do anything stupid. I promise.” He said trying not to sound defensive. “I’m just going to check out The Temple of the Black Sun. I’m sure there will be a few things of interest there.” He said with a sparkle in his eye. A few pockets picked could mean a very nice meal for when they got together for the evening.

[Marxander]

Black Sun. There it was again. If only she could remember why it was so important. She bit her lip, rubbing his arm "I'm sure there will. Just, be careful, ok? I worry about you too." Of course she worried, he was her bondmate. This would the second time they were separated from each other. She'd have to get use to him not being around her all the time, though she did so enjoyed it when he was with her.

"I have a weird feeling about that place." She would have to ask her father why he had told her of the Black Sun when she got back to Zeltiva. There must be some reason that her stomach was a little irked just by hearing the name.

[Tallis Ishtari]

As they walked up the stairs to the apartment noticed that the odor that was once there when they left had now dissipated to just a soft scent. It made him feel less on edge although still concerned for Marx’s safety. Things were looking up.

“I’ll be safe. I’ve been to the Temple many times and the found the hunting to be good. You just have to be a bit more discrete than on the docks. I’ve learned to leave the area when there are more Ebonstryfe than I can handle.” Tallis was being a bit cocky about his assessment about the Black Sun guards. He had never encountered too much trouble with them. Normally some of the weaker of the guards could be bribed.

Tallis opened the door for Marx to enter the apartment. To say that he was getting nervous about being separate from her was an understatement. He didn’t like it. There wasn’t a sense of foreboding in them going their separate ways but he was uncomfortable.

[Marxander]

She walked in, immediately stripping off her dress. Feeling his anxiety, she commented "Everything is going to be ok. You just worry about you, and I'll be fine." She folded up the dress nicely, placing it on top of the other clothes on the bed, she picked out a pair of of simple pants and a shirt "I promise. No one will even think I'm a Kelvic." She slipped into her clothes, buttoning up her shirt "Just make sure you don't get too tired for tonight, alright?" She purred, finishing dressing herself. Her arms wrapped around his neck kissing him.

[Tallis Ishtari]

Through her hug he could sense the trepidation over what he might do. Granted he had done some crazy things to get what he wanted, but it was only done for his best interest. Now he was looking after Marx’s best interest. Being concerned over someone else’s welfare over his own up until a day ago it would not have ever have entered his mind. This was something new for him.

Her sweet kiss was the magic he needed to sooth his uneasiness over not being near at hand to help Marx if she needed him. He could change his him and not go to The Temple of The Black Sun. Surely a closer hunting ground would be appropriate to be nearer to her, but old habits in him were hard to break.

This time of year was perfect for tourists wanting to see the Temple. What he could collect in coins could sustain himself and Marx for a month or more. It was an opportunity that he could not pass up. Sure there were dangers for himself by going to the Temple. Security would be high making heists that more difficult, and people in Ravok knew his face. They might not associate him with the theft, but they might. It was a challenge that the old Tallis reveled in. Two months of lying low in another city were making him itchy to do something daring.

Tallis returned her affections by returning the kiss and smiling a crooked smile. “I’ll make sure I have plenty of energy for tonight. Don’t you worry.” His arms slipped around the small of her waist. “And don’t you worry about me going to the Temple. I know my way around. And… maybe sometime in the near future we’ll both go there as tourists ourselves and I can show you the inside of the Temple.”

[Marxander]

"Maybe." She gave him a final peck on the lips and slipped out of his arms. Like a ghost, she was gone, not saying goodbye. She would not say goodbye, because in the back of her mind there was some sort of ending in that. So simply, she left. The door clicked behind her and she went down the stairs by herself.