Chapter Text
"I can't decide if the factories or the wilds were worse," Chandra laughed, a bitterness well aged to being almost managed. Talk of childhood certainly arose from the spiced wine she drank slowly. While not a liar by any means, she wasn't a very open person- not about her childhood especially.
Her companion drank a little, only out of politeness of the offer. He'd imbibed little, though a warmth had nestled in his stomach as he amusedly watched Chandra finish off her second glass. Here, Jace was still nursing his first and she was about to finish off the small bottle.
Her small story, vague as it was, interested Jace. It was so rare to know much about another planeswalker. Such an opportunity was as likely as seeing an Orzhov thrull handing out money. "I remember I was a young boy…" He trailed off, his eyes glowing lightly.
"No really?" Chandra scoffed with a smirk.
"That statement was a luxury," Jace bit out quietly, though a little harsher than he meant to.
She was taken aback, not expecting such a burst of emotion from him outside of battle. His face remained calm, but his eyes gave way that a very sore spot had been more than touched. She offered him more wine by lifting the nearly empty bottle, staying silent for lack of knowing what he would possibly want her to say.
Receiving a disinterested shake of the head, she corked the wine, placing it back in her bag and saving it for another day. Getting drunk wasn't the goal of the night. Taking the edge off after a stressful day had been what she'd convinced Jace with to get some company.
Rubbing the back of her neck, Chandra awkwardly began," Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."
Before she could develop a more profound apology, Jace shook his head, sighing deeply and saying," I shouldn't have yelled."
"You call that a yell? Pal, you barely broke a yelp."
His lips were pursed, a clear sign his mind was not at ease, perhaps at the fact he'd let his mind break strict discipline.
She finished her small cup of wine, spurring him to take another meager sip. Grinning a little, she guessed," Spiced wine not your poison of choice?"
"I don't generally drink," he dismissed. "It was… adequate."
"Ooh, adequate you say? I'll make sure to fetch you another bottle next time I'm through Theros," she joked.
He looked to her with a quirked eyebrow, the hint of a smirk on his lips. That was better than the crinkled brow and straight lips of moments ago.
"You were saying…" She made eye contact, than awkwardly diverted her gaze. "You remembered as a boy…?"
"Just…" He swirled the little wine left in his cup, suddenly conscious of what he'd been about to freely say only a minute ago. "Tea…"
"Tea?" That was perhaps the most straightforward, unriddled thing she'd ever heard him say apart from the spinning of his magic.
"I drank tea in a quiet place when I was tired."
"What do you mean a quiet place? Your room, tree house…?" Now that the words left her mouth, she couldn't actually imagine Jace as a child participating in the folly of a tree house and its secret club rules.
"I don't know," Jace admitted. "But it wasn't loud, no other minds pressing on mine. I've never come across the tea again in all my 'walking…"
Chandra felt a big deal of trust being pressed into her hands, a quiet plea not to share something so uncertain and private to another living soul. Looking back and trying to gauge what the reserved mage was feeling, she asked," Do you feel minds around you all the time?"
He gave a weak smile and said," I've some practice under my belt, these days. Even a stroll through a bustling city isn't overwhelming."
"That's not what I asked."
His face darkened and he spoke quietly," Yes. All the time, all hours of the day and night. I feel the town below us, the tribes south of us…" They were so far away, that the presence he felt was merely a blur of consciousness, but the fact remained that their minds were always pressed against his.
She met his eyes, breath caught in her throat at the very real exhaustion he carried. "I think I know a place you'd like. Button up!" She barely gave him the time to finish his drink and pull the first drawstring on his jacket tight as she grabbed his hand and 'walked with him in tow.
He was gripping her hand tightly, his other hand clutching to her bicep for support. Such an unexpected 'walk rattled his control, and he felt an onslaught of emotion against him. It hit him sooner than the brisk chill that warned hypothermia in mere minutes if he wasn't careful.
The presence only came from one source though.
Jace looked around the bleak landscape around them. No hill or valley for as far as the eye could see.
"Found here by accident. I don't know its name; never came across a single living soul."
"It's remarkable," Jace commented, though his nose already stung in the cold.
She laughed as he righted himself, finally collected enough to stand on his own. "There's some pretty cool ruins below. I mean, there must have been people at some point, but they're long gone."
"You never struck me as the archeologist type," he commented wryly.
"I'm still an explorer."
He felt the rise in her, quickly doused before it could even lift a lock of hair to flame. They had a similar limitation, both leery of intense emotion for very different reasons. He only realized he'd been staring as she broke eye contact nervously.
"Well, you know your way back, I bet. Guess I'll leave ya' so you can enjoy complete silence."
Her chuckle now was forced, and he assumed it was because she still didn't really know how to talk to him one on one when they weren't antagonistic to one another.
"Actually, the presence of a friend is quite nice," he said, raising a hand slightly to lend pause before she carried out her intention.
Despite actively avoiding opening his mind, he could feel the surprise. Was it so surprising he would call her his friend? He looked on curiously. Any further questioning was brought to a close as he began to shiver.
"Here," Chandra said with a small giggle, leaning close and sharing her warmth. He didn't move away, but he surely didn't lean in. "Tell me about that tea."
He briefly regretted saying anything, not wanting to make one of his few intact memories shared. It didn't feel fair that he should give away something he had so little to go around. On the other hand, he decided as he silently let their shoulders meet, sharing the memory meant he couldn't lose it.
"I couldn't tell you the flavor, I don't even know the plane it was from. It was sweet, maybe not of fruit, but the bark of a fruit bearing tree." The spices were what made it, dry and warm in contrast with the sweetness that made one feel even warmer than the liquid's heat could lend itself to.
Chandra pondered under her breath," Sweet, but not a fruit itself…" Her words almost mimicked how one would repeat a riddle, though he'd intended to be as clear as possible.
"I could share it with you," he offered.
With a lopsided frown, she debated whether or not to accept, finally nodding. "Okay, how do we do that?" She only knew of his abilities in battle, both offensive and supportive.
He pulled away from her side so that he may face her directly and readied a hand to press against her face. As he almost made contact however, she flinched away. Looking back moments later, her brow synched in guilt at the expression opposite her. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
He took a few steps back, instantly drawing his arms across his chest and scrunching in on himself for lack of heat. "No," he interrupted," I've hurt you. I've trespassed your mind. I know what it is to have one's mind violated with magic such as mine. I shouldn't have been so reckless, so rash when such history has already been made…"
A large laugh interrupted the solemnity, and Chandra burst," If you call that rash, I have news for you, buddy!" Another howl of laughter broke out over his scowl in response.
"I'm cold enough," he huffed, trying to maintain an air of unaffectedness, but settling for calm discontent. "I've lost a toe to arctic planes already, I'm 'walking somewhere warmer."
"Oh, I didn't know." Her eyes automatically dropped to his feet, trying to discern from how he held his weight which toe was missing. She looked back up to his face embarrassedly as she caught herself doing it, grateful that he seemed mostly amused.
Shrugging, he simply said," Let's return whence we came and call it a night."
She bit her lip, feeling like there was some kind of misstep between them she couldn't remedy overnight. Holding out her hand, she smiled as he took it, this time the both of them much more in tune as they arrived back where they'd started the evening.
"No hard feelings, right?" She lightly planted a punch to his shoulder, and smirked as he looked down at his shoulder in confusion. It was like he was used to living in his own little personal box and was surprised every time something made it through the intangible barrier.
"Right," he confirmed as he began to back away, taking a few steps before turning about and carrying on. His voice sounded so much more closed up than it had earlier, and Chandra was left wondering if that was liquid courage wearing off or him frantically raising his barriers after realizing how open he'd left them.