Common Bond
Jace bit his lip nervously as he finished signing the last of the day's paperwork. Any minute now—
"Is that everything, Guildpact? Do you need anything else?" Lavinia asked, gathering up the papers in front of him.
Jace remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and spoke. "Actually, um, there is something else," he said quietly. "But, ah, not—not as the Guildpact."
"Oh, I see," Lavinia said, with a small smile. "Then wait just a minute till I've dropped these papers off, and I'll come back in an unofficial capacity."
Jace fidgeted slightly as he waited, rehearsing his speech in his head, reminding himself it would be completely fine if she said no, or if she initially accepted and then changed her mind, the same way—
The door opened to let her back in. She had pulled back her hood to reveal her chin-length hair, which was pinned neatly to the top of her head. "I would have taken off my armor, but you seemed nervous, so I elected not to take the time," she said.
Jace took another deep breath and then spoke. "Um, well, really, it's a few things, sort of, I mean. I was thinking that maybe, if you didn't mind, and you were interested—you might consider filling out more than just the single-liaison paperwork we have currently? I mean, I don't know what all the paperwork is for two romantic partners, or for a threeway romance, if you were interested in—though I know you and Ral aren't exactly—"
Lavinia raised an eyebrow. "I have the paperwork right here," she said. "I thought this might be on your mind. Fortunately, there is paperwork for a tentative romance of the type Zarek and I might be expected to embark on."
"Oh, good," Jace said and paused as Lavinia slid the heavy sheaf of papers across the desk. "There's—something else I have to tell you as well, though, before any of us sign anything." He took a deep breath. "It's a little complicated, and you might not react well, so—"
"Is this about you being a planeswalker?"
Jace stared at her and let out the rest of his breath. After a long moment, he inhaled again and tried to speak. "What—how—how did you—"
"Zarek told me last night. He seemed to think you might be concerned about my reaction."
Jace scrambled for some sort of counter. "W-well, did you know that Ral is also—"
"Yes, he told me that last night as well."
"Oh," he said, fully deflated.
"Other planes are not exactly unheard of on Ravnica, you know. And this answers so many questions. Even better, now we can fill out the paperwork about your birth accurately, and—"
"Lavinia," he began. He had expected something like this, but it had to be stopped. Preferably immediately.
"I can find the paperwork easily, and the fact there are no birth records of you has been bothering me for some time now, but—"
"Lavinia!"
"Yes, Jace?"
Jace put a hand to his forehead. "Lavinia, I know the birth records are something of a sore point for you, and I know how much you enjoy paperwork, and I'm very sorry to say this, but—"
"Oh no. Don't you dare."
"Many of the people of Ravnica, including several of the guildmasters, already view me with distrust."
She didn't bother saying anything in response to this, simply narrowing her eyes into Glare Thirty-Seven.
"How do you think they would react to finding out that the incarnation of Ravnican law and order is not even natively Ravnican?"
A muscle twitched in Lavinia's jaw. She shut her eyes for a moment. "All right," she finally managed. "Just for you, Jace."
"Thank you," Jace said, and hesitantly reached out and touched the back of her hand.
She smiled and slid it out from beneath his palm. "I need to file this paperwork first, though."
He smiled back.
"So, now that you two lovebirds have finally gotten everything all legal," Ral drawled, "shall we plan on a romantic dinner for three?"
"Ral, we always have dinner together," Jace pointed out, as the Izzet mage looked up from signing what Lavinia had referred to as the 'tentative' declaration of interpersonal relations.
"And now we can do it romantically."
"Ral, you play footsie with me under the table."
"And now I can do it with Lavinia as well."
"You do that anyway," Lavinia pointed out, with an amused smile.
"Well, now when you refuse to respond it'll be because you're standoffish, not because my foot isn't a registered party for contact with your boots."
Jace opened his mouth to object again, but Lavinia spoke first. "It does seem appropriate as a way to inaugurate the submission of this paperwork," she said.
Jace shut his mouth and looked from her to Ral. "I…suppose I could dress up," he said slowly.
"In what, Guildpact? Your extra-blue cloak? With your matching blue booties?"
Jace glared at him. "I could—purchase some new clothing. For the occasion."
"Will it be blue?"
"N-no! It won't. I'll find something very fashionable and you'll be begging—"
"And won't you enjoy that," Ral cut in, dancing around the desk and pinning Jace down in his chair with a smug grin. A soft sound escaped from Jace's throat as Ral leaned over him, and his eyes slid shut. "Well, then," Ral breathed in his ear. "Make sure you do find something…appropriate."
"Hagkh," Jace said intelligently as Ral stood up again.
"There, now he'll be nicely dressed for you," Ral said to Lavinia, who raised an eyebrow.
"Thank you. I think," she responded. "Shall we plan on meeting at seven in Pivliccino's as usual, then?"
"Sounds fine to me," said Ral.
"Don't you dare be late," Jace put in darkly.
Ral gave him a wounded look. "Would I do that to you and Lavini-poo, Guildpact?"
"That depends entirely on how funny you thought our reactions would be," Jace said, as Lavinia, not even looking up, made a remarkably obscene gesture in Ral's general direction.
Ral gave him a supercilious smirk, but did not appear to have an answer for that.
Pivliccino's seemed noisier than usual as Jace walked in, not to mention busier. He had to wait for nearly fifteen minutes for a table, which was practically unheard-of. When he finally did get seated and began looking around, he felt self-conscious and naked without his cloak, and frustrated at the apparent lack of Lavinia or Ral. It was vaguely disquieting for the Azorius arrester not to be here—Ral might be expected to be late, but Lavinia was punctual to a fault.
Bored, Jace started flipping through the menu, but stopped after he realized he knew exactly what he wanted anyway. He was starting to look up when an incredulous voice spoke in his ear, "Jace?"
Startled, he turned, and found himself staring at a woman in a long, guildless-style skirt and an off-the-shoulder top. "Uh-um," he said intelligently, his eyes slowly moving up her frame to her face, which was surrounded by gentle waves of light-brown hair. "L-Lavinia?" She had been sitting at the table opposite, and he hadn't realized. "I didn't recognize you."
She stared at him, then started laughing. "I didn't recognize you either," she admitted. "In my defense, I don't believe anyone else did either."
"What?"
"You know, Living Guildpact, you are the reason we usually don't have to wait for a table here."
"What?"
"Did you honestly never consider that Pivliccino's is one of the most popular establishments in this part of the district?"
"Er," said Jace.
Lavinia sighed and shook her head. "You are one of the most oblivious people I know." She pulled out the chair beside him and sat down. "Zarek, however, appears to be one of the most non-existent people I know."
Jace ducked his head in frustration. "He's probably trying to annoy us," he said irritably. Unfortunately, it was working a little too well. Jace's usual almost pleasant feeling of exasperation was evaporating into something closer to actual anger. He shook his head to clear it and turned back to Lavinia instead.
They were briefly interrupted by the waiter coming to take their order. Once the slightly out-of-place looking minotaur had departed for the kitchens, Jace turned back to Lavinia, trying to avoid letting the conversation devolve into an awkward silence again. "So, were you arrested by something on your way to the guildhall?"
Lavinia gave him the most contemptuous-yet-deadpan look Jace had ever seen. "Guildpact, I am forced to inform you that you have just violated the Humor Code of 3209 Z.C., section 12, subsection 34.b 'On the Usage of Puns in Romantic Engagements'."
Jace, who had started to take a sip of his water, spat it back out. Lavinia stared him down for another few seconds before giggling, reaching out and ruffling his hair. "I'm joking, you dolt."
Jace was forced to laugh as well, and her casual touch made him comfortable enough to reach out and take her hand. "Am I breaking any regulations now?"
"I'm sure I could find one if I tried hard enough." But she was smiling. Jace smiled as well, and squeezed her hand. He felt helplessly awkward, but nevertheless rather pleased to be around her.
"So how was your day?" Jace asked. Having spent most of his own in and out of tailors' shops, he had no idea what had been going on in New Prahv.
"Interesting," Lavinia said.
"Oh dear?"
"We had a party of ten wojeks appear out of nowhere and demand to speak with you. It was rather difficult to get them to reschedule."
Jace groaned. "And by difficult, you mean—"
"Don't worry," Lavinia said brightly. "The anti-fire wards in your office held. And one of them set off an old lightning trap."
Jace blinked. "I thought we convinced Ral not to put any of those around."
Lavinia raised an eyebrow. "Firstly, I do not think it's ever safe to assume we have convinced Zarek of anything. Secondly, as I said, this was quite old. Almost certainly from before the festival."
Jace sighed and put a hand to his forehead, but dinner arrived at that point to interrupt the flow of conversation. Once they had both started eating, the conversation moved on to less frustrating topics, such as how plans for increased security at the rescheduled Festival of the Guildpact were progressing far more smoothly than either Jace or Lavinia would have anticipated.
Jace was about halfway through his meal of dumplings, when he saw Lavinia pause with her spoonful of tomato soup just below her chin and then drop it. He was, therefore, marginally prepared, when a hand fell onto his shoulder and Ral's tired drawl said, "Good evening. Sorry I'm late."
He was not, however, prepared for when he looked up. Ral had obviously been wearing a rather nice doublet—at some point. Most of it was currently non-existent, and the tattered shreds of cloth that remained were—
"Are those—"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"What on earth happened?" Jace demanded.
Ral leaned against the back of the chair, clearly more than willing to talk about it. "There I was, just walking down the street and minding my own business—" Jace and Lavinia made simultaneous skeptical noises, and Ral glared. "—no, really! I was! I legitimately was! I—I was even waiting to cross the street!" Jace stared at him, but waved a hand for him to go on. Ral did so, rather prickily. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I was minding my own business when two wojeks ran at me, waving their swords in my face, and—"
"Okay, what were you doing earlier today?" Jace asked.
Ral raised an eyebrow. "I think you know what I was doing earlier today. Guildpact," he drawled, and Jace partially subsided. "Or, rather, who."
"That last bit was unnecessary," Jace muttered. "It was already clearly implied."
"Perhaps over the last week—" Lavinia suggested.
Ral puffed himself up. "I have done nothing! Not since the Forum!"
" 'Nothing' is a strong word," muttered Jace, rubbing at the back of his legs, and Ral leered at him.
"In any case," he continued. "There I was, on the street, with two Boros bumblefu—officers," he corrected himself, "charging at me. Afraid for my life, I did what any responsible citizen would do. I—"
"Oh, Krokt," groaned Jace, visions of having to tell Aurelia that two of her soldiers had been fried on duty dancing through his head.
"—I ran away. Will you please stop interrupting me?" Ral asked, pulling out a chair and collapsing into it with a theatrical sigh.
"You ran away?" Jace repeated stupidly. Ral glared daggers at him.
"What, did you think I'd call down lightning and destroy an entire city block?"
"Do you really want either of us to answer that?" put in Lavinia.
"I am deeply wounded," said Ral. "Truly, deeply wounded that neither of my Officially Legal Romantic Partners trusts me. I ran away, all right? I'm not completely without a sense of self-preservation, and I don't really want to deal with Aurelia in a bad mood."
Jace opened his mouth and closed it again before speaking. "Well. Well, good thinking, then."
"I thought so," said Ral, somewhat smugly. "Anyways, I accidentally ran into an Orzhov processional, which meant that…"
Jace, having trouble processing all of this, found himself zoning out as he stared at the tattered remains of Ral's shirt. It took him a minute to regain focus, during which time he had clearly missed—something. "—through Vitu-Ghazi, and apparently they don't like it when people crash through their fences being followed by half a troupe of Rakdos."
"Is that when you were attacked by bees?" Lavinia asked, in a slightly awestruck voice.
Ral looked down at himself. "I was pretty much covered in them. How could you tell?"
"The sting-marks were a hint. And there are still one or two in your hair."
"I'll be a balloon by tomorrow," Ral said somewhat sadly, making his eyes large and pathetic.
Jace sighed harshly. "All right," he said. "You can pick the position tonight. If Lavinia is all right with that."
Lavinia smiled amusedly. "I think I'd rather read a book tonight," she said. "I hardly have to be involved in everyone of your sexual encounters simply because we have made things official. I'd rather not get friction burn, thank you."
Jace went red. "I—sorry—I didn't mean—"
Lavinia patted his hand. "You will notice I did sign the paperwork. But I am not you or," she eyed Ral, "Guildmage Zarek, and we'll have to figure out things as they progress. I don't have to be included in everything you two do, and presumably the same holds true for your interactions with me." She gave Ral a bland smile. "If I ever become insane enough to want a one-on-one session with you, naturally."
Ral sniffed grumpily. "Your distaste for my company notwithstanding, everything you've said is—reasonably well-thought-out. Except that Jace and I have a multifaceted relationship. Not everything is about sex, you know. I actually quite care for—"
Jace choked on his water and started coughing wildly. Lavinia came round the table and slapped him on the back as he watched Ral's face go from smug to dawning horror as he realized what he'd just said. Once he had recovered his breath, Jace, trying very hard not to laugh, spoke again. "Of course, I'm sure it's mostly about the sex," he said, with a wink at Lavinia.
"Yes," Ral said stiffly, trying to regain whatever scraps of his bizarre dignity that he could. "Just trying to defend your honor, Guildpact."
"Of course you were," Jace responded smoothly.
As they left the restaurant, Ral wiggled his fingers at Lavinia. "Hand," he said.
"What?" said Lavinia. Ral reached down and scooped up her right hand in his, and, after a moment, Jace took her left. "This is—" Lavinia sputtered. "I thought I told you—"
"Official paperwork," Ral said. "Official date. Official handholding."
"B-but," Lavinia said, slowly reddening.
"He's right, it is definitely official," Jace said happily. "Very official."
Lavinia made a face that Jace interpreted as How have I been outmaneuvered by these two idiots? but she did not pull away. "I suppose I must admit," she began stiffly, and Jace, in concert with Ral after a brief mental consultation, leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
Lavinia squeaked and hunched her shoulders inward, but she was smiling. "You—you idiots," she said finally. "You are both idiots."
"Official idiots," Ral said smugly.