The next morning, Talia visited her guildhall to set specific instructions with her new second-hand. She left a small amount of gold to ensure that things would continue running smoothly. He'd managed to find decent help in cleaning the place, and the floors and walls were scrubbed cleaner than Talia suspected they'd been in years. The amber color of the walls glowed against the gleaming floors, and someone had managed to find or purchase beautiful rugs for the main rooms. The thief stopped in her private quarters before leaving, and something on the bed caught her eye. There, amongst the fresh linens, was a single rose, its petals red as blood. Talia lifted it, looking at it for a moment, and considered placing it in her pack. In the end, she decided against it and left it lying on the desk.
She had just finished checking her pack when Minsc ran through the doorway, carrying a prostrate Jaheira in his arms.
"Talia!" The ranger's booming voice called.
"Minsc, I'm right here. What's happened?"
"Minsc and Boo were just leaving the Sea's Bounty next door, Boo needed some biscuits for the journey, and as we walked out to meet Jaheira, an evil wizard man pushed past us and began shouting at her! Our nice druid friend! Minsc did not understand what he was yelling, but Boo says that the bad man blamed Jaheira for ruining his slave trade and that he wanted to make her pay! He said a spell and she collapsed right there. We had to catch the lady but the bad man got away! We have to find the bad man and make him pay for this!"
Talia had him set the druid on one of the plush couches in the library and looked over the woman. MInsc was still ranting as she checked Jaheira's vitals; her skin was pale, pulse fast and a feverish sweat was beginning to dot her hairline.
"I'm no healer," Talia murmured, "Where's Anomen?"
Yoshimo, who had run into the room upon hearing all the noise Minsc was making, said, "I can go find him, if you'd like."
"Yes, please do that," Talia answered, sitting next to Jaheira and smoothing some of the druid's braids away from her face.
No more than ten minutes had passed when Yoshimo returned, Anomen beside him. Talia filled him in, with interjections from Minsc every so often, and the squire checked over Jaheira.
"She's been cursed, but I can't figure out how, exactly," Anomen said, eventually. "She's formed a fever and her body seems to be trying to force whatever he put into it, out. Unfortunately, the way most curses work, is by binding to the body, so hers is attacking herself. We need to find the cure, and without knowing specifics, that could take weeks."
"We don't have weeks!" Talia shouted.
Anomen was unfazed by her anger, and replied, "She doesn't have weeks. She only has a few days, at best."
Talia charged Minsc and Anomen with watching her before storming out of the room.
Talia had spent hours roaming the city, but it felt like days. She had spoken with Bernard at the Copper Coronet, but other than minutia, he had no information for her on Ployer's whereabouts. Rylock at the Harper's Compound all but slammed the door in her face, which was maddening, considering all she had done to save his friend.
She hated to ask for help like this, but at this point, Talia was getting desperate. She headed for the Shadow Thieves building and hoped Renal would see her. The woman at the front, deceptively small like Talia, gave her a dubious look when she heard the request, but agreed to find Renal.
Renal's guards opened the door to his study for her, shutting the doors after she entered. It was a small room, bookshelves lining the sides with a desk at the end. Though there were no windows, Talia imagined that there were most likely several passages in and out, besides the door. Renal sat at his desk, tinkering with a trap spread open before him. As he looked up to see her, the trap swung shut and he cursed.
"Problem?" Talia asked.
"It was supposed to release a poison when it did that, but the vials are intact." He prodded the sides with a pen, but gave up and set it aside as Talia walked towards him.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Renal asked.
"One of my party is injured. I have spent hours tracking down the man who did it, but I keep coming to dead ends."
He nodded. "The druid."
Talia gaped at him, but he waved it off.
"Seriously, who are you talking to, little thief? Anyway, though I am a bit hazy on the details of your friend's problem, I think that visiting a certain…gentleman…in the Council of Six building may be able to help you. It is a magical malady, after all, no?"
Talia felt her blood boil as she left the government building. It had all been a waste of time! What had Renal thought, sending her out here? Now she had even less time to save Jaheira, and still barely anything to go on. So consumed was she in her rage, that the Bhaalspawn did not notice the man in the shadows until he spoke.
"Somebody said you were looking for Ployer."
She snapped her gaze to his face, the mage leaning against the wall. He was around Renal's age, a good decade on her, with a well styled beard that reminded her distantly of an old companion. His skin was brown, darker than hers, even darker in the dim light.
"Yes," she answered simply, hoping it would prompt him to continue.
"I know the man quite well," the stranger said, "and I know who you are, daughter of Murder. He has started something that he cannot finish, and I have no wish to perish in the coming fight, though he will expect me to aid him."
"What do you propose, then?"
He smiled, even white teeth, and said, "I may be persuaded to not appear when I am called."
"I see. How much is this persuasion going to cost me?"
He pretended to mull it over before answering, "1000 gold pieces."
Talia looked the man up and down again. He seemed to be fit, and if he were an agile magic user, a good hand to have in a fight.
"I will give you 2,000, if you help me, instead."
After a pause, he reached out a hand and they shook on it.
"Terrece."
"Talia. It is a pleasure to meet you."
With the addition of Terrece, Baron Ployer was discovered and dispatched easily. Talia destroyed the bag that held Jaheira's curse, and when she returned to her building, the druid was sitting up, awake. Anomen was checking her pulse and handed her a glass of water when the thief entered.
After Jaheira fell back asleep, Talia crept out to the Copper Coronet. She had just finished a glass of mead when she felt a hand at her elbow, urging her out of her seat. She did not look at the hooded man, whose black cloak blended in with many other individuals of the establishment, but allowed him to escort her after his gloved hand dropped a few coins on the bar for her drink.
Talia allowed herself to be guided towards the back rooms of the Copper Coronet, weaving through doorways and narrow halls, into one of the Lotus dens. He walked them to one of the alcoves sectioned off by dark wood paneling, carved in an intricate design that allowed the spicy aroma of Black Lotus to drift through but allowing those within privacy from outside. The cushions lining the wood benches were numerous and plush, appearing much newer than most in the common area, and Talia saw a deep red one tucked in the garish purple and gold pillows. A platter of fruits, cheeses and other delicacies was set on the table, as well as a bottle of wine and two glasses. Talia noticed chocolate confections arranged next to strawberries, and tiny bushels of grapes. In the center of the table was a lotus pipe, colorful glass globes arranged in a tower above a lit brazier.
"Is this your personal space?" Talia asked Renal after he pulled back his hood.
Renal smiled, but did not answer. He uncorked the wine and poured, offering a glass to her. She accepted and sipped, enjoying the crisp flavor. He doffed his cloak and took Talia's, setting them down beside him. Though neither wore any obvious armor, Talia was sure that between the two of them, both had an impressive array of hidden knives.
"It is a safe enough space. We will be undisturbed here," he said, leaning back, enjoying the wine in his glass.
After a few moments had passed, Talia said, "Thank you, for sending Terrece."
"Little Thief, I am not sure I know this person, but if I did, and encouraging them to be in a certain place at a certain time benefitted you, then surely it is a good thing they were there."
She smiled wryly, but said nothing. He busied himself with the pipe, eventually taking a draw from it, colorful smoke escaping from his nostrils. He offered the mouthpiece to Talia, but she demurred, instead asking inconsequential things about his operations, relaxing into the seat. She picked at the food after watching him grab a handful of grapes, and he began educating her on the exotic fruits and cheese from the arrangement, handing her slices of cheese to eat.
He sliced off another piece of cheese and handed it to her on the knife, "This one come from Maztica, aged, though younger than myself, of course."
"How much older are you, anyway?"
"More than ten years, but less than twenty." Renal answered, holding a strawberry out for her to taste.
Talia leaned forward to bite the fruit, letting the sweet flavor bloom in her mouth as she chewed and swallowed. He held up another, but as she leaned forward, he dropped it back onto the table as he reached for her with his other hand, bringing her lips to his. His kisses were deep, and she could taste the smoky flavor from the pipe as his tongue stroked hers.
He set her back, laying amongst the pillows and leaned over her, bracing himself up as he kissed her. Talia drew her fingers through his hair, grasping at him as she became more forceful, feeling his hands opening her shirt, caressing her skin underneath.
Talia could barely stand the attentions Renal lavished upon her, rolling her hips against his when he rose up to continue kissing her. She could feel his own desire as she did that, and he stilled her, whispering for her to have patience as his teeth grazed her earlobe.
He had just kissed down to her shoulder, inching her blouse down, when a loud noise outside the alcove stopped them. They bolted upright, and Talia righted her clothing as Renal checked behind the curtain.
"A gnome and a Halfling are fighting and one of them has knocked over a pipe," Renal explained. "They're drawing a crowd. We should leave."
Talia nodded, and they quietly left the den, skirting around the growing crowd and making their way down the back steps. Renal led the way through some alleys, and they passed the bottle of wine between them as they walked. The hour was late, and by the time they made it to the docks, Talia knew she had but few precious hours of sleep before leaving for the small town in the hills the next day. Renal walked with her towards her guildhall, and before they reached he pulled her by the waist into the small space between buildings. He kissed her senseless, leaving her heart pounding before pulling her into an embrace where he kissed the top of her head. He murmured a farewell into her hair before he left, seeming to vanish into the shadows.
Talia walked through the entry of the guildhall, which still teemed with activity as the front man displayed goods for sale, and she made it back to the upper levels. She had just made it to the section with their rooms, when she passed Anomen, who was sitting at the desk in the library, reading a book. He was not wearing the heavy armor Talia had grown used to seeing him in, and his broad shoulders strained the fabric of the shirt he wore. As he looked up, the light from the candle highlighted the scar that ran down his face, over his right eye.
"It's late," he said flatly.
"I know," Talia replied, hoping he did not take in her lips, raw from kissing Renal all night. She passed the desk on the way to her suite, and knocked the book out of his hands, smiling as it fell closed.
"You should really be asleep," she added, smirking at his indignant face before dancing into her room, shutting the door tight behind her.
