The sun rose, its rays reflecting off the beautiful ocean water. Giving the morning a wonderful start, and a spectacular scene. When the rays touched Lucan for the first time that day, his eyes slid open. He saw the wonderous scene before him and smiled. A very rare thing for Lucan, but he did anyway. He had found the upper part of a wharehouse to sleep in that night. It had been easy breaking in, and he had found a good place to sleep.

He stood, shuffled his ragged clothes so that they were smooth. He practically wore rags, but on him it almost had a certain... style. He was not aware of this but then again, he wouldn't have cared either way if he knew. He went to where had broken in, a second story window. He opened it and slipped out, and relocked it. He stretched on the ledge and saw the rope that he had used to get to the ledge. He leaned back and jumped. He did a midair flip and twist and was able to grab the rope.

He swung down to the alley below. Easy. As he walked down it to the main street, he checked his secret sheaths to make sure all his knives were there. As always, they were. He strolled down the mainstreet looking everywhere. He knicked a peach from a fruit vendor easily and began eating it as his breakfast. Perfectly ripe and deliciously sweet. He walked down and passed a couple merchants.

He was feeling lucky today, and thought of what he needed. He desperatly needed new clothes, but that meant stealing money. He hated that more then anything but it was something you just had to do. He walked along the street and bumped into one person. His hand had slipped in, cut the purse loose with a small blade, and back out. He apologized for his clumsiness and went on his way.

Three more people with purses like this and he could get any type of clothes he wanted. Five minutes later, he needed one more fat purse. He scanned the crowd and saw a big sailor. He recognized him from the docks. He had a big ship and Lucan smiled. He knew this one would require running from. He wasn't in the mood for fighting today. So Lucan tailed the man. He wanted a good exit plan ready.

After five minutes of thinking and tailing, Lucan had it. He started to walk faster and then tapped the man on his left shoulder. He went for his purse, got it. He started to run off into an alleyway. He heard the man shouting curses and knew he was being followed. Smiling Lucan turned the corner. There was a fence about his height. He saw a box that was half the height.

It was his lucky day, he ran, jumped, then used the box as a leverage and jumped again. He did a twist flip and dissapeared on the other side of the fence. Easy. He would have to go to the other side of town to let things cool down. He decided to have a good breakfast. He turned and suddenly bumped into somebody. They both hit the floor and Lucan was startled.

He jumped back up knife in hand. "Who are you!?" he exclaimed.

It had not been a particularly pleasant day at the Three Moons, the inn that Oriana worked at. There had been a lot of customers – a lot of rowdy, annoying customers, for one. She supposed that she was lucky. There were plenty of other inns in Maloren that were not so clean or so “respectful” as the Three Moons was. Jerome told her that she was lucky the innkeeper had even allowed her in. Today was one of the days that she felt like cursing her uncle with all the sailor’s curses she knew – and she knew a lot of them, having grown up around all of them. Her father hadn’t been around lately, and that was even more frustrating. Evan was busy trying to make sure his children (and even his grandchildren, now) were fed. Oriana helped out when she could, but gods, sometimes it was hard.

She’d barely gotten any sleep the past night, due to several loud (and likely drunk) residents in the inn who had decided that the night served better for celebrating than sleeping. Of course, unlike them, she was expected to rise and make sure that their breakfast was on the table when they woke with their headaches. She grumbled to herself in irritation. Headaches, paw! She’d show them a headache… She’d hardly had a drink in her life, due to the pounding ache that stayed at least for twenty-four hours after the slightest sip of one of their “celebrating” drinks. So perhaps then, they would understand her bitterness at carrying out their linens to wash in the back alleyway, after having served several breakfasts, gotten only complaints in return…

She muttered to herself as she stepped outside. The sun was beginning to rise higher in the sky, as the morning passed. Yawning, Oriana lugged the basket full of cloths to the wash tub waiting for her in the back. Thankfully, since she had been busy, the innkeeper had set someone else to fill it up for her. She absolutely despised lugging the buckets back and forth from the well. Gods, she hated this work! Not for the first time that morning, she cursed the storm that had taken away her ship, and her grandmother too.

The basket thumped to the ground with a thud as she let it drop, arms aching from carrying the whole pile of it outside. Nobody washed any of her linens! Or made her breakfast either! She hadn’t even had time for a loaf of bread yet for the day. Stretching out her arms and backs she supposed that the sooner she got started, the sooner she would be done. She was just about to kneel down when something flew across the wall. She frowned in surprise, until whoever it was bumped into her – hard. “Oof!” she fell to the ground with the person next to her.

The man jumped up and pulled his knife. “Who are you?!” Maybe if he hadn’t been so rough looking (likely from prowling the streets), he might have been decent looking. Looking at the knife in his hand, a moment of fear passed through her. Oriana, however, did not have a single weapon on her, considering working at an inn was supposed to be relatively safe.

“Who are you?” she retorted, hardly in the mood for threatening knives that morning. She did take a step back to her linens though. “I work at the inn right there,” she said, gesturing back there, though unable to take the irritation from her voice.

He found himself looking at a beautiful young woman. At his first glance she had seemed nothing special. But as he looked more carefully, her red hair flowed like fire and her eyes seemed like... emeralds. He could not think of any other way to put it. "Who are you?" she answered him. “I work at the inn right there." she said gesturing to the building behind her. She sounded irritated, and for good reason. He had pushed her, and even pulled a knife on her.

Realizing he still had his knife out he eased up and flicked his wrist. The blade went back to its hiding place and he gave her a hand up. "I apologize..." he said, not really knowing what to say. "I'm Lucan Issod, gentleman thief at your service..." he said letting his tounge do the talking. He knelt down and help her pick up her things that she had dropped. "I am sorry about running into you..." he said trailing off.

He looked up, and their eyes met. She had sharp features, and tried to have cold eyes, but they were a glowing warmth. He liked them. Not like anyone else's eyes which were looking for profit. "Look, would you like to go for a walk?" he asked. Then he looked up, saw linens and winced. "Hmm, you probably have work to do huh?" he added. He thought. He had nothing else to do. So he tucked the recently stolen purse, hid it with the others and stood.

He helped her back up and gave an awkward smile. "Seeing as how you have some work... I feel obliged to help you seeing how I knocked you down. Mind if I do?" he asked. Feeling unease creep up, he added one thing more. "I Swear I want steal anything. I'm done for today, and probably this week." he said softly. "What in the bloody hell am I doing." he wondered. He was never so bloody uneasy or open with anyone.

He looked around and saw her staring at him. He felt like he was being judged. She wasn't saying anything. He was the one beginning to feel uneasy. "I can understand if you don't want help from a thief... I'll just leave you be..." he trailed off. "Unless you want me to stay and help..." he again trailed off. "Jeez Lucan, your doing a grand job here." he thought. He sighed and looked around. He shifted his weight and shrugged. All the bloody woman did was stare... "What?!" he finally asked, very confused.

((OOC: This probably won't be very long because I'm supposed to be leaving for camp within the next fifteen minutes... Eep! But I wanted to give you something to do.))

Oriana watched the knife disappear deftly up his sleeve and blinked. It was a good thing, then, that she would not have to cross that weapon. By the way he handled it, he was probably good at it, and a knife slash was worth more than a punch to the face any day. "I apologize... I'm Lucan Issod, gentleman thief at your service..." Oriana was hardly surprised about the thief part, though she had not expected him to say it outright. "I am sorry about running into you..." At least he's a polite thief... Unless he's going to steal something. Then he's a very dumb one. I've got nothing. Well, she had the linens, but it wasn't as though rich people stayed in Maloren. "Look, would you like to go for a walk?" She was about to add a sarcastic remark to that, like Wouldn't that be lovely? Some people couldn't steal for their living. Some people actually worked.

"Hmm, you probably have work to do huh?" Oh, brilliance. He stood up and then even helped her back to her feet. She brushed herself off momentarily as he said, "Seeing as how you have some work... I feel obliged to help you seeing how I knocked you down. Mind if I do?" Ahh, so perhaps it is the linens. "I swear I want steal anything. I'm done for today, and probably this week." Gods, why did he want to help her? He was a thief - knocking someone over shouldn't make him feel bad. "I can understand if you don't want help from a thief... I'll just leave you be... Unless you want me to stay and help..." He paused for a moment, probably waiting for her to say something, before he burst out, "What?!" She blinked in surprise - she was making a thief uneasy!

Unable to not laugh at that, she quirked a smile. "You can stay and help if you want to," she said, shaking her head in amusement. But if he steals anything, I'll cut off his hand myself! "Oriana Lark, by the way." She bent to begin scrubbing the clothes. "What were you running from anyway?" Probably someone who had caught him thieving...

(OOC: Not a problem. ^^)

"You can stay and help if you want to." she said. She started to shake her head with a smile. She was amused... "Oh Great... Now you gone and made a fool of yourself Lucan. Good job." he thought. "Ya, I'll help, least I can do." he said. He sighed to himself. He was having a good day, now he was turning into quite the fool. Oh well, at least it wasn't the general public.

"Oriana Lark, by the way." she said to him. He nodded and he saw her bend down to start scrubbing. He tilted his head and picked up one that she had finished and put it on the line and added pins to the ends to keep it there. "What were you running from anyway?" she asked. He looked at her and shrugged. "I needed clothes and stealing those is harder then stealing money. So I was pickpocketing purses. I was running from a big Sailor Captain. Might be big and brawns but no brains and no speed." he said.

He took another linen from her and pinned it to the clothes line. He saw her look away for a second and he went around her, slipped a couple gold coins secretly into her shoe. He picked up a linen and gave it to her. As she scrubbed the linen, he looked around. He looked at her and asked, "You don't seem like a person who likes working at an inn. So why do you?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking that is." he added softly.

He took the washed linen and pinned it further along the line. The wind began to pick up, the sky began to darken. At the dock, the water began to swell, and the sailors began to secure their ships. He almost began to suspect not only a storm was comming, but trouble He shrugged it off and listened to Oriana's answer.

He decided to stay and help, and it was nice to have someone doing half the work. He took the linens from her once she washed them, hanging them to dry. "I needed clothes and stealing those is harder then stealing money. So I was pickpocketing purses. I was running from a big Sailor Captain. Might be big and brawns but no brains and no speed," he explained in answer to her question. Well, she supposed that if he already had money for clothes, her linens would be safe then. As far as Ship Captains... Well, she had had her own experiences. "I know that feeling," she remarked, her back aching at the memory. Gorgan Baldabiew and his brother were hardly honest, good men, so she figured that if Lucan Issod had to be a thief, he might as well steal from the likes of them. Oriana had no liking for those sorts of ship captains. Even her uncle Jerome was not the best of fellows, though stealing from him meant less money for her family.


"You don't seem like a person who likes working at an inn. So why do you?" asked Lucan. She looked at him and blinked. "If you don't mind me asking." Well, certainly, he was a polite thief. She said dryly, "The extra perk of ale..." She shook her head, giving him a sarcastic smile. "My family's ship was destroyed in a storm," she explained. "I'm just working to support myself until we can save up enough money for a new one." Like we ever will... With Neith gone, it was difficult to maintain the hope (and even sometimes the cooperation) to keep striving for that goal. The three brothers couldn't seem to get along without their mother watching over them. Even her father and Uncle Evan had trouble not arguing sometimes... Gods, things had been so much easier before.

As if thinking of storms was a calling, she looked up to see the sky darken and the waves getting stronger. Her breath caught. A storm. She tried to tell herself that it was nothing to worry about, but she couldn't stop herself from scrubbing faster, eyes not leaving the sailors tieing up their ships and making it to safer places. "Gods," she breathed, scarcely audible. It was a stupid thing to be afraid of. It was stupid for her to act this way. She tried not to. She had told herself not to be afraid that day too, but it had been the last time she had seen her grandmother.

"The extra perk of ale..." she said dryly. "Ouch" he thought. Then she smiled sarcastically and replied, "My family's ship was destroyed in a storm, i'm just working to support myself until we can save up enough money for a new one." He nodded. He knew boats didnt come cheap. So he figured ships were far from it. Not a good one anyway. The winds kept picking up and she muttered something. He didn't catch what.

The linens were now blowing in the wind, and the sky was almost as dark as night. He whistled. "Maybe we should find some shelter?" he asked. The door shut behind them. He went to it, locked. "Bloody hell. They locked us out." he said out loud. "Do you know of a place to go?" he asked. She looked nervous, almost scared. "Look lets find some place warm and we can wait it out." he added.

He looked at her and held out his hand. "Come on, unless you want to get rained on, then lets go now." he said. "We can come back to the linens, they've no place to go." he said reasurringly. She seemed almost out of it. He was becoming frustrated. He knelt down and got into her line of vision. "If you don't want to get caught in this storm then come with me." he said. He didn't want to get caught in it. It seemed like it was going to be a bad one.

"Lets go!" he said urgently. He held out his hand, waiting. He was considering to just leave her there. But something from his childhood said not to. That it wasn't the right thing. He grinded his teeth. "Lets go!" he said louder. He seemed to get her attention that time. He put out his hand. "Lets go find a warm place to wait this thing out." he said.

The storm grew darker, to Oriana's fear. It's just a storm... It's just a storm. She hardly heard Lucan comment that perhaps they should find some shelter, but she did notice when the door was locked. Fear seized her again. Just a storm... just a storm. Her heart was pounding faster than it should have, she was sure that she had grown paler than usual. Lucan was talking at her, but over the howling of the wind and the blood in her ears, she couldn't hear much of what he was saying.

She could remember Neith, looking over the bow of the boat. It's just a few waves, she said, laughing as lightning had crackled overhead. Oriana had hardly been scared then, even when she saw a look of concern cross over her uncle's face. Her father was as brazen as ever, laughing alongside his mother. It had all happened so quickly then. A wave had swept over the side of the boat, forcing water into her lungs, sending her spluttering and coughing, grabbing for anything sturdy to hang on to, plucking children from the water, if they were near her to grab on to a board, a remaining piece of their ship so they didn't drown. It was a wonder they didn't. They reached the shore, frazzled, exhausted, without a grandmother, and penniless. Everything had been lost at sea.

Finally, Lucan crossed into her line of vision, and she blinked at him. He spoke urgently, trying to get her to go with him. Oriana wanted to say something back or to move, something, but she couldn't bring herself to. Now her mind was not just muttering about storms, it was screaming at her to move. It was dangerous outside, no matter what she felt like telling herself. He continuously stuck his hand out, and her mind willed him just to drag her along... Gods, he could leave me out here... Oriana wouldn't have been surprised - he was a thief after all.

To her fortune however, her brain finally seemed to make some connection with her legs and her hands. She was able finally to grasp his hand, cool already from the rain that was coming in. "I'm afraid of storms," she told him quietly, before allowing herself to be led along to wherever he was going. I'm such an idiot. I'm going to get us both killed.

She finally took his hand and he held it tight. "I'm afraid of storms." she said. If it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't already looking for a place to get out of it, he would have teased her about it. But at the moment he just ran with her through the streets. He was thinking of where to go. "The wharehouse? No, to close to the water." he thought. He cursed under his breath and headed away from the water, deeper into the city. It was a dangerous idea, the gangs were centered more in the city center.

He sighed. He was trying to remember where he had stayed up here before. Then he looked behind him and it seemed like a sheet of rain was comming for them. He cursed, and looked at Oriana. If she didn't like storms then this would make things turn for the worse. He took of his shirt, or what he called a shirt. "Put this over your head!" he said above the wind. When she did he went out into the street, and into the rain.

They ran for a few minutes untill he saw an old wharehouse. "Yes!, That's it!" he said to himself. He motioned for her to follow him. Still holding her hand they ran over to the side of the wharehouse. He took out a knife and deftly removed the already broken lock. He smiled thanking that nobody had noticed it. He opened the door with a loud creaking noise and let her inside. He closed it and followed her to the middle of the wharehouse.

"It's abandoned. We should go into the far right corner. It's warmer there." he said with a smile. When they got there his fire pit was still there. He found some old boxes and broke them. He looked everywhere and finally found the kindle and flint. He started a fire and smiled at Oriana. "There, much better. Nice warm fire." he said. Then the wind whistled and howled. He winced. "Sorry, can't do much about that noise..." he said trailing off.

He lead her through the streets then, for which Oriana was thankful, for she was feeling rather numb, though rather from the wind and rain or the fear, she could not be certain. The rain began to get heavier, until finally, he stopped and took of his shirt for her to put over her head. It wasn't necessary - just as scary as it had been before - but she obeyed him anyway, as he seemed more set on finding a shelter than anything else. If Oriana hadn't been so afraid, she might have been upset with the innkeeper for leaving her out in the rain. There would be time for that later, however.

Lucan found a building that must have been familiar to him (though too far inland for Oriana to have ever visited it) and worked his way into it, the doors creaking loudly in the rain as he opened them. She went inside gratefully, turning to watch him close the door, shutting out the storm. She stared numbly at the door for a moment, before removing his shirt from her head, wincing. He was probably far colder than she was. She shouldn't have accepted his shirt... The wind howled outside, and she gave a bit of a jump. Foolish girl.

"It's abandoned. We should go into the far right corner. It's warmer there," he said, smiling at her. She gave a shaky smile back and said a quiet, "Thank you," before wandering over to where he had suggested. He began to light a fire, to her pleasure. It was a wonder how cold it could suddenly get with storms rolling in and out. "There, much better. Nice warm fire." She nodded and began to wring out his shirt, looking at him apologetically. The wind gave another howl, and she shuddered again. "Sorry, can't do much about that noise..." She shrugged, knowing how ridiculous she must be acting. Instead, she busied herself with drying off his shirt over the fire.

Feeling even stupider than she had before, she figured she could at least attempt to rationalize her fear. "My grandmother died in a storm," she explained. "The rest of us almost drowned."

Lucan sat against the wall. He closed his eyes for a second. He had been cold, but the fire was coping with that. He began to dry off. He opened his eyes to see Oriana wringing out his sorry excuse for a shirt. She looked at him in a "I'm Sorry" kind of way. He smiled in a way that meant, not a problem. Lucan sat up and fished around in a box near him. He smiled.

"My grandmother died in a storm," she explained. "The rest of us almost drowned." He nodded slowly. "I see, well, it can't be helped. Someday you'll realize it and come to terms with it and won't be afraid of storms." he said quietly. He was trying to push his own past down but it wasn't going to happen. He sighed. "I don't know what family is." he said and she looked up. He shrugged.

After an awkward silence, he pulled out two cans of corn beef and hash. "Well, its not gormet, but it is good." he tossed her one and then tossed her a spoon. "Been on the streets since I was 10. I steal to live. I never like doing it, but right now its necessary for me to live. If I don't, I die. Simple as that." he said quietly. He took a spoonful of the hash and put it into his mouth. He ate it slowly. It certainly wasn't gormet, but it wasn't bad.

He looked around the old abandoned wharehouse. He stretched and closed his eyes. "You ever feel alone out in this place?" he felt her look up. "Nevermind... I'll be quiet and leave you to eat in silence." he said and began to eat again. He became quiet and shut out. His facial expression no longer held a smile. But a lost and pensive expression. He ate slowly, and with much thought.

OOC: Sorry if its short

"I see, well, it can't be helped. Someday you'll realize it and come to terms with it and won't be afraid of storms," he said. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine not feeling the anxiety in her heart that she felt then. It was so far from the truth that she couldn't begin to remember what it had been like not to be afraid. I'm so stupid, she thought bitterly at herself before opening her eyes. "I don't know what family is," continued Lucan. How can you not know what a family is? she wondered. She had never known anything else.

Lucan passed her a can full of food and a spoon to eat it with. "Well, its not gormet, but it is good." She opened the can, hungry from a days work and from running through the streets to find this warehouse. The storm gave an awful howl as she did so. She barely stopped herself from flinching. "Been on the streets since I was 10. I steal to live. I never like doing it, but right now its necessary for me to live. If I don't, I die. Simple as that." She supposed that was good enough reason, but she never would understand. Why couldn't he find work? She supposed however, that after he had just dragged her to safety and given her a can of food, that it might not be her place to ask. Mostly, she just didn't have the will do it. She felt like crumpling into a ball and waiting for the storm to blow over.

"You ever feel alone out in this place?" She looked up and blinked at him. Alone? "Nevermind... I'll be quiet and leave you to eat in silence." Lucan continued his own eating and looked like he was in thought. Oriana thought for a moment before she answered. "I feel alone now that my grandmother's gone," she said, hugging her knees up to her, shuddering a bit at the cold. "When we had the ship, everyone was together, but now I work at an inn and hardly see my family at all."

((OOC: Sorry this took me awhile, and sorry it's short!))

"I feel alone now that my grandmother's gone, when we had the ship, everyone was together, but now I work at an inn and hardly see my family at all." she said. He looked up from his pensive state and saw her hugging her knees. He finished his can of hash and put it down beside him. He poked at the fire to make it grow. The area that they were in grew warmer. He sat back down and looked at Oriana.

"I had a grandma once." he said quietly. She looked up. "Well, a grandmother figure. She took care of me untill I was ten. She taught me to read, and to write. She taught me math and the like. Then she died when I was ten. Her husband was a sailor. He had his boat recked out at sea. He didn't come back." he said quietly. He looked up and saw her face. It seemed sad. "I'm sorry, I will stop talking of grave things and ..." he trailed off. Something was coming through a crack in the wall.

It was sunshine. He smiled. "Lets forget of grave things. Lets get back to the waterside. The storm is over." he said. He stood, and held out his hand for Oriana to hold. When she did, he pulled her up. As she came up he slipped the purses into hers. He could get more, she could not. He put out the fire and put on his shirt. It was nice and dry. He smiled and motioned for her to follow. "We should leave quickly. I don't wish to be in the midst of a gang war." he said with a motion of his head.

They left the building and walked quietly yet quickly down the streets. The traveled in silence and soon they were walking down along the docks, in sunshine. "Where do you need to go? I can take you anywhere in the city. I know it like the back of my hand." he said with a smile. "By the gods, i've never been so open to anyone. What in the name of the three stars is going on!?" he asked himself.

Lucan began to talk of his own grandmother-figure. "I had a grandma once," he began. "Well, a grandmother figure. She took care of me untill I was ten. She taught me to read, and to write. She taught me math and the like. Then she died when I was ten. Her husband was a sailor. He had his boat recked out at sea. He didn't come back." It was surprising to her that Lucan knew how to read. She had assumed that most street slums (herself including) just weren't educated. She wondered if he ever used it for anything. Nevertheless, she knew the pain of losing family to the sea. She gave him a sad smile, but he broke that moment by saying, "I'm sorry, I will stop talking of grave things and ..." But he stopped, looking at the wall.

The wind had stopped howling, and light began to peek through the wall. Lucan gave a smile that was not sad at all. "Lets forget of grave things. Lets get back to the waterside. The storm is over." He pulled her to her feet. Still awfully polite for a thief... I've certainly met a strange assortment of people lately. First Shem and now him... He slipped on his shirt and then smiled at her again. "We should leave quickly. I don't wish to be in the midst of a gang war." He was certainly right, and Oriana had no desire to be in the middle of that either. She had had her share of adventure for the day.

"Where do you need to go? I can take you anywhere in the city. I know it like the back of my hand." She wondered why he was being so kind to her, once again, and wondered if he had other motives. I've got nothing of value on me for him to take. She shrugged. "I'll probably have to return to work soon. Those linens are likely ruined..." The innkeeper wouldn't be happy about that. But then again, she wasn't too happy with the innkeeper either - shutting her out in a storm for the gods' sakes! Shaking her head with fury at the thought, she changed her mind. "Never mind - surprise me."

She shrugged. "I'll probably have to return to work soon. Those linens are likely ruined..." she trailed off. He was about to take her that way when she shook her head. He stopped and looked at her quizzically. "Never mind - surprise me." she added. Lucan thought for a couple of moments. "You like the water yes?" he asked. She nodded in response. He smiled and said, "I have the perfect place." he said.

He motioned for her to follow him. They went through alleyways and dark streets. The sun peaking up over the rooftops every so often. He guided her through a maze of back streets and the like, till they reached the temple of the gods. Compared to most in the world this was small, but it was one of the biggest structures in Maloren. He turned, winked at her and motioned her to follow.

They entered the Temple, and he led her up many stairs, and through two doors. Then he opened what seemed to be a trapdoor and smiled, "Careful, it might be a bit windy." he said and came up. As he did so, the wind caught his hair and blew it out of his face. He helped Oriana up and led her to the ledge. He put his hand on the stone railing and gestured to the scenary. "Maloren, m'lady." he said jokingly.

"I know many places like this, because these places are good to think and to be alone when doing so." he said adding to some small talk. Lucan looked out over the city, and beyond that was the docks. The ships, and the water that went throughought the horizon.

Lucan led her to the temple of the gods, a place that Oriana had visited just once - for a funeral at her grandmother's death. She was rather glad when he did not pause long in the temple because it brought up sad memories that she had hoped to forget. Instead of stopping in the temple though, he led her to the stairs and out some doors... finally outside for a view of Maloren. It was quite a breath-taking view, actually, for a city so mistrusted and frightening at times. "Maloren, m'lady," he said, jokingly, and she paused to look at him for a moment before looking back at the city view. Why do men suddenly seem to call me that? she wondered to herself. Shem had called her "lady" too.

"I know many places like this, because these places are good to think and to be alone when doing so." She nodded, though not completely understanding what he meant. When she had been younger, she had thought that being alone might be a good thing, but since her grandmother had died and she was by herself a lot, Oriana had decided that the dream of being alone and being alone were completely different things. "Do you like being alone?" she asked him wonderingly. She missed her grandmother, and her father, and her cousins, and her uncles, even Jerome sometimes.

Looking out at the city though, she wondered if she would ever leave. It seemed to her that she belonged in Maloren, and that she wouldn't have a place elsewhere, but her father had said otherwise. If her mother was Olencian, why couldn't Oriana be too? Saxen had said she was born there... But he named me 'of Maloren', she reminded herself. I live and die here. Sighing, she looked back at Lucan, waiting for his response. It really was a nice view - she supposed both him and the city. He could do with a bath though. Such random thoughts...

"Do you like being alone?" she asked him. She sounded curious and he looked at her. He looked down and then out to the view of the city. He sighed. "Oriana, all I know is to be alone. I've always really been alone. I don't know if I like it, but since I've lived with it, I don't mind it so much." he said. "I do wonder what its like to have a family though." he said with a sad smile.

The wind howled, and leaves bustled in a circle, ironically around Lucan. Making him seem all of what he said he was, a Loner. Lucan turned to face Oriana. The sun starting to set. "Lets go, lets go down by the docks." he said. He hadn't been down there lately. Not actually on the docks. He missed it, so he figured why not. "Unless you need to get back to your inn..." he said.

Lucan held the trapdoor open while she went down. The walked through the doors, and back down the stairs. They came out and went down the steps of the Temple. "So, Inn, or docks?" he asked. He had hoped they would walk down to the docks, but if she had to go back to the inn, he would understand. How could he not? He felt the emerald crystals gazing at him. He then listened to what she had to say.

Oriana listened to his words, but she couldn’t really understand them, having never been in that position. There were periods when she was alone now, but she wasn’t really alone. Her relatives were still in the city, of course, and even if she didn’t see them as much as she liked, she knew that they were alive, and she still cared for them. Frankly, Oriana couldn’t imagine being without them, though she’d have a lot more money for food and such things, since she wouldn’t be putting it towards paying for the younger children. They needed nourishment and even education more than she did.

The sun was beginning to fall in the sky, the remaining rays glittering off the blue ocean. She sighed, wishing that she could be back out on the waters with her ship and family again. In spite of her fear of storms, it would have been worth it. She missed the gentle rocking of the waves, the smell of the air out there, and even fish for meals. She missed her grandmother. Oriana wasn’t lonely, she supposed; she was just missing things. What a foolish way to spend her time.

“Lets go, lets go down by the docks,” Lucan said, interrupting her thoughts. “Unless you need to get back to your inn…” Gods, Oriana would avoid the place for the rest of her life if she were able to make money elsewhere. But that was always the trouble though, wasn’t it? Money. Out on the sea though, money was not the current thought. Sailors thought of loved ones left behind on the land, the storm to come, and the serpents at the distance. Who cared about a trinket of gold?

“So, inn, or docks?” Lucan asked her again, once they entered outside again on the steps of the temple. She regarded him for a moment, and then smiled, “Docks.” She’d likely lose a day’s pay for sure, but who really cared? The children weren’t eating off of only her wages.

He saw her smile, “Docks." she said. He nodded. "Right this way Oriana." he said warmly and led her down a mainstreet this time. It was crowded, so he took her hand and led her through the crowd. It was a game to Lucan, weaving in and out of the crowd. He would usually be looking to steal, but something was changing. Something told him that he just did not need to do it anymore. So he didnt.

They turned left into a side alley and they walked down it and came out at the end of the wharf. He led her to the edge and let go of her hand. He looked over the water, the gentle waves going to and from the docks. He always felt peaceful here, always letting the tempo of the waves direct his mood. He smiled slightly and opened his eyes. He looked at Oriana, who was gazing at the water.

"So, shall we walk down the dock, or did you want to go swimming?" he asked with a slight smile. He looked away down one way of the wharf, then the other. "Nobody around but us." he said teasingly. He laughed a bit and then tilted his head and looked at Oriana. "Well Oriana? What be your choice?" he asked with a slight grin.

“Right this way, Oriana,” he said, again leading her down the street. The crowds were out again after the storm, and for a moment, Oriana wondered if he might lose her in the crowd. It wouldn’t be a huge problem, she supposed. She knew where the Three Moons was from here. Nevertheless, she was rather enjoying the time that she had spent with the thief thus far, aside from the storm part. He was… different… and although Maloren was constantly changing, always with something dangerous going on, it was nice to have someone different around. Besides, she still didn’t want to go back to work, not after they had shut her out in that storm. Her anger was still flared up about that, though she figured that she’d have to return soon. Anyway, she didn’t have to worry for long because Lucan surprisingly reached back and took her hand to lead her through the crowds. She raised her eyebrows at his back. Different indeed.

As they went on, Oriana realized that she actually knew his general path towards the docks. Oriana and her family had usually taken a different side street when they had needed to attend to business in the city, but the navigation was really all the same. She didn’t need him to lead anymore, but she let him anyway. As they reached the docks, she glanced at the place where they had formerly kept their boat. Abandoned. Trying not to sigh, she followed the thief towards the ocean. Finally, he let go of her hand as they reached it. She looked at the sun setting across the ocean and smiled at it. Neith had always liked the sunsets. The woman was as hard as rocks and as cold as a clam, but she did have certain soft points, just like everyone else.

Lucan smiled at her and asked her, “So, shall we walk down the dock, or did you want to go swimming?” Her cotton skirts had actually finally dried from the earlier ran and storm. "Nobody around but us." He had even looked around to prove it – but he was joking of course. Swimming would have been nice, had she had decent clothes for it. She had a lighter dress underneath her serving skirt, but it would be best not to get that wet again… She took off her shoes though and took a few steps into the water, figuring that she might just walk around in it for awhile. The water was cold. She let out a curse, but she didn’t step back. The sand felt good beneath her toes, and the cool water lapping at her ankles was nice as well. It hadn’t been apparent to Oriana how much she had missed the water until now.

"Well Oriana? What be your choice?" Well, he did need a bath… She unpinned the blue cotton skirt that served as her uniform at the Three Moons and tossed it back to the sand. Her skirts underneath were still perfectly decent, and the blue skirt would have taken centuries to dry… She sighed and wandered out further into the waves. “Swimming,” she called back at him.

She had taken off her shoes and slipped into the water. Her feet in the water. He saw her curse, probably because of the water. Probably very, very cold. He smiled. "Well Oriana? What be your choice?" he asked. She looked up at him. She unpinned the blue cotton skirt that served as her uniform at the Three Moons and tossed it back to the sand. He tilted his head a bit curioius as to what her decision was.

He saw her wander further out. "Swimming." she said. He laughed. He took off his shirt, and put all of his knives under it. He took off his boots and then started to run off of a dock that came out from the wharf. He had done this many times before, he loved swimming. He jumped off the dock and dove into the water. "By the gods! Its freezing!" he thought. As he came up to the surface, he was already adjusted to the cold.

He dove back under and swam over to Oriana, he stood up right next to her. "Well, well, well, looks like I found a fish!" he said. "I thought we were going swimming, now wading." he said grinning like a devious little child. Before she could say anything he picked her up, and got back up on the dock. He carried her to the edge. "Hope you like to swim." he said with a laugh. Then jumped off the dock, and both of them went into the freezing cold but soothing water.

When they came to the surface, Lucan was a foot away. "Now thats better is it not?" he asked with a laugh. "Something odd is going on, i've been so open with her. Oh well, better to have a good time then a bad one." he said to himself.

Lucan laughed at her, and for the second time that day, he took of his shirt, setting it nearby her skirt. Then, he removed his boots, much like she had taken off her shoes. But unlike her, he must have decided that it would be best to take the cold all at once, for he jumped off the end of the dock. She hoped for a moment that he was able to swim because she wasn't too keen on plunging into the water to save him. But Lucan didn't strike her as the sort of person who would just dive off a dock if he couldn't swim. When he came to the surface (he did come to the surface, to her relief), he wasn't spluttering either. Good, because she was sure that the cold would send her a spluttering if she'd had had to jump in like that, especially if she was trying to save his skin.

Apparently, it wasn't as cold for him as it was for her, for he dove back in while she was wiggling her toes in the icy-ness. She bit her lip as she did so. Gods, she couldn't remember it being this cold, ever. It must have been the storm earlier or something. She glanced at Lucan to see if he had turned blue or something and noticed his scars and his tattoo as he swam towards her. She wondered what his scars were from, since she had some on her back just like it, and for a moment she marvelled at his tattoo (though making sure that he didn't see her stare). He stood up next to her though and started talking, so she was forced to stop wondering about it.

"Well, well, well, looks like I found a fish! I thought we were going swimming, now wading," said Lucan, grinning at her. She was about to tell him that she liked easing her way into the water, but he just scooped her up. She squeaked in surprise, suddenly back in the warm air versus the water... But not for long. He carried her off the dock with him, into the cold cold water. For a moment, the shock of it stopped her lungs, her heart, everything. She pulled herself to the surface though, giving a gasp once she reached air. "Now that's better, isn't it?" After she had recovered for a moment, she shot Lucan a glare, but then couldn't help but laughing. It did feel nice, however cold it was.

In retaliation, however, (for such an act did require retaliation) she reached over with both hands and dunked him into the water. She had had plenty of experience dunking her cousins, and he was no different (except if older than cousins she usually pushed under). "Yes, I think that's better," she laughed while he was under.

She shot him an intense glare. Then she started to laugh. He chuckled with her. Then she came at him and plunged him under. He heard her voice, "Yes, I think that's better." then he heard her laugh. She let him up and he came up. He smiled and laughed. He then used his arm to splash her with the cold water. Then he dove under the water and swam away from her, far out to a rock that served as a marker.

He looked back and laughed. Then he pushed off the rock and back under the water. He swam back to her, and then pulled her under by her feet. He came to the surface the same time she did. The sky was beginning to darken. He mused, time flew when one had fun. He got a faceful of water and then he coughed. She stopped. "Its getting dark, I don't wish for you, or I to catch a cold. So lets go get warm." he said smiling.

He got out and as she was getting out, went into the nearby shed and came out with towels. He handed one to her and started to dry his hair. When they were both dry they put on the clothing they had discarded and then he looked at her. His hair was clean, as was his face. His features now showing more then they had before. His eyes soft globes yet determined. He smiled and spoke, "Oriana, allow me to take you back to the inn?" he asked.

He hoped she would let him. It had felt good to not be alone today. Then he suddenly remembered the purses he had slipped into hers. He had estimated a hundred gold coins were in there. Plus some coppers and silvers. He had chosen the people to steal purses from well. He held out his arm. "May I?" he asked.

When he came back up (after she let him of course), he splashed her and laughed. Before she could splash him back, he swam out to a nearby rock. She wasn’t going to follow him – he’d be able to dodge her more quickly than she could catch up. Her skirts would slow her down. Before she could even yell something smart at him, he laughed and dove back to her only to pull her under by her feet. Oriana almost caught a good lung-full of water, so she splashed him when she got to the surface. "Its getting dark, I don't wish for you, or I to catch a cold. So let’s go get warm." She smiled back at him and nodded in agreement, a slight breeze making her shiver. The water seemed warmer than the air now.

In a shed close by the water, Lucan fetched them both towels, which she gratefully used to dry out her hair and wipe her face. She pinned her skirt back on, though the rest of her was still rather damp. She looked at him, though there wasn’t much light left from the suns. He had sharp features, and his eyes were gray, like smoky crystals. She found herself remembering how she had liked Shem’s eyes too. Can’t I be attracted to two at once? she thought to herself. It’s not like they’ll last. Shem was there for work, and Lucan was a thief. Then why do I trust them? he gave her a smile, and she almost wanted to look away. Almost. "Oriana, allow me to take you back to the inn?” he offered. Then, he even held out his arm the way Shem had. “May I?” he requested. She nodded and slipped her arm into his the way she had done with Shem. Only tonight, she was glad for the extra warmth of him next to her.

The streets still had a few lingering people in the shadows, and Oriana (though she would never had admitted it) was glad that she had someone who knew the shadows by her side. She would never walk around in the streets alone at night, and now that her family was spread across the city, she rarely even left the inn. So perhaps for that reason, she may have subconsciously moved closer as they walked by a particularly dark alley. (Not that she was scared of course. She had braved Maloren all of her life after all.)

“May I?” he requested. She nodded and slipped her arm into his. He smiled and led her through the dark streets of Maloren. He went the long way, which meant the safest way. The night began to cool, and Oriana went closer to him. As they walked there were a few people in the shadows of the streets, but Lucan wouldn't let anything happen to them. He smiled at Oriana. "Only a bit further." he said.

Two minutes later, they were back at the inn. He looked around and saw one or two people who had fallen asleep on the street from drinking to much. He looked back at her. "Well, here you are. Maybe we'll meet again some time Oriana. The Gods will decide if it be so." he said with a smile. He winked at her in the dark and slipped away. He smiled and then turned around to walk up the near vacant street.

As he walked away he wondered what to do. Maloren was becoming to dangerous, especially when nearly every merchant knows what you look like. So that night, he decided to pick pocket some more gold the next day. Then to buy some clothes, and to head away. He had read of Olencia, and of how grand it was. He wanted to see if it was true. He looked back and saw Oriana entering the inn. Something told him he would see her again.

OOC: Sorry I took so long and that its so short...