"Does anyone need to ask any questions?" Dr. Jaya Ballard was as ancient and intimidating as Chandra remembered asking this in aged yet powerful voice. "Good. Now, time for a little exam." The class erupted in a symphony of muttering as was standard for any pop quiz and Chandra could tell from the massive stack of paper her teacher had pulled out that there was nothing little about this test.

Someone asked the obligatory question, 'is this for marks?' Which was something Chandra never understood. Her pride was worth more than her grade so the quantifiable value of any test was never a factor in the work she put in – though that effort could vary.

Professionalism was clearly the only thing stopping Dr. Ballard from rolling her eyes. "Of course it's for marks. I need to see what you've all learned and if this is meaningless, half of you won't put in the effort and then we're all just wasting time. No one is to leave until the time is up, so you all may as well put your whole asses into this."

A quick skim of the test reminded Chandra of how much time she had missed and her complete lack of studying. Once her mood had picked up over the break, she did get back to work with psychology but even Liliana agreed studying for this class was not an efficient use of time with the possibility that the entire curriculum getting discarded.

Worry clouded Chandra's mind and it was her least favourite kind – the fear of fear. She knew her current situation had some potential anxiety triggers and the idea of having a panic attack horrified her. If it happened then she'd know that - even with everything set right - she still couldn't handle being here and that was a daunting possibility. Ignoring the exam for a minute, she paused to take deep breaths and even though her eyes were closed, she knew Liliana was noticing it.

I guess fucking up one test isn't that big a deal and even if this is worth something, she's not cruel. It's probably not going to count for much. Chandra fumbled her way through the test, understanding about half of it – taking some solace that Liliana seemed to be hesitating as well. When their hour and fifty minutes were up, no one in the room seemed overly confident.

Jaya circled the room, collecting exams; she had started at Chandra's table and seemed to be skimming her test specifically as she rounded up the rest. Everyone was dismissed with an exception, "Ms. Nalaar, if I could have a word." Shit, was it that bad? To Chandra's surprise, she added, "Ms. Vess, you as well."

When everyone else was gone, they both stood at attention in front of their teachers desk – something Dr. Ballard brought out in people. She was now skimming what Chandra assumed was Liliana's test. Does she think I was cheating? It was almost a full minute before Jaya finally looked up. "Chandra, It's a joy to see you again." It was hard to tell if she really meant this, given her demeanour, though she never struck her as someone prone to sarcasm or mockery. "I wanted to discuss something with you."

"That bad, huh?" Chandra asked, gesturing to the tests while she could feel her sister growing antsy next to her.

"Not up to your standards, but that's not what this is about. I wanted to inform you that if you ever want to discuss something with me out of class, we'll be doing it in a public setting."

"Uhh, okay... Why?"

Dr. Ballard look stuck trying to find the right words and seemingly failed. "I just think it would be best."

It was then that the situation went further south than Chandra could have imagined. Before she could say, 'okay,' her sister reached down and grabbed Jaya's collar. "What are you so worried about?" Chandra knew what Liliana was getting at. The only reason she could think of why their teacher was saying this was to avoid an incident and there was no reason Jaya would be worried about an incident unless she knew there had already been one.

The problem with their current situation was that there were only two people that could have told Jaya what had happened – Pia or Rashmi; Chandra knew her mother wouldn't have said anything and she figured Liliana came to the same conclusion. That could only mean she heard it from Rashmi – heard Rashmi's side of the story.

"I spoke with Rashmi about why she left." Here we go. "She said it was an emergency that required her immediate attention" I guess mother phrased her threat right. "Though she didn't specify what and my curiosity got the better of me, so I followed her." Jaya didn't bother to pause to give the girls a chance to react to that bizarre reveal as if she thought it was a reasonable thing to do. "Whatever she was doing was no emergency."

"You spied on her?" Chandra's fear had quickly shifted to intrigued shock.

"Of course. Frankly, I'm surprised how easy it was given her position in your rebellion. It was clear that she wasn't pulled back to Kaladesh so I concluded she was pushed out of Dominaria and the only one capable of such a swift and damning push is your mother."

Chandra was now so enthralled in the brilliance of this story that she forgot her teacher was still in the grips of her sister.

"If Pia did such a thing, it would have had to do with either herself or you, which leads us to now. The difference between your test score and Ms. Vess,'" She said, casually gesturing towards the woman still holding her, "is much wider than your GPA gap which leads me to believe you missed quite a bit of class and from what your mother has told me about you, it would take something of great proportions to keep you at home. I don't know exactly what happened, nor do I need to, but the pieces are all there."

There was finally a hold for applause but Chandra was too awestruck to move. If this were a cartoon, she knew there would be stars in her eyes and she was surprised any words were able to come out of her mouth. "What does this have to do with us speaking privately?"

"I know you feel you can trust me and I know you have confidence in your self-awareness, but it doesn't matter how sure you are or how much faith you have. The fact of the matter is that if you stood in front of my office, all the strength in the world would not guarantee you the courage to come in."

In dramatic fashion, Jaya stood to finish – so seamlessly that Chandra was starting to wonder if her teacher even noticed the hold on her. "You are a remarkable woman, Chandra and I refuse to risk losing you to treacherous demons. Now, Ms. Vess, if you don't mind."

A frantic flailing of limbs released the old woman. "God, Dr. Ballard, I forgot I was-"

"Don't fret, child."

"You were telling that story and I just go so wrapped up and-" Chandra was enjoying her sister's violent act of love as well as seeing her flustered.

Jaya raised one of her now free hands to silence Liliana. "The multiverse can be a dark place. I'm glad you two have each other."

"Thank you, Dr. Ballard."

Before today, Jaya had been Chandra's favourite teacher; now it was clear that record was never going to be broken. It made the heartbreak of being happy Rashmi was gone just a little bit better.

"You're welcome and Ms. Nalaar," she flashed Chandra's exam, "If the next thing you hand in isn't your best work, your mother will be the first to know."


Okay, first class coming back was a little emotional. Hopefully Psychology is a little more chill. The two descended the stairs of the lecture hall with only a minute to spare. The auditorium was larger (or maybe the class was smaller) than she remembered and the heat was turned up higher than it needed to be. The awkwardly large steps felt like a maw and she became frustrated with herself as she passed rows of empty brown chairs.

You know there's nothing to be anxious about, so quit being anxious, you idiot. Liliana casually slid into a seat next to their friends who were already there, but Chandra paused. In the usual order was Gideon, Jace and Nissa, but between the hooded pretty boy and her bundled up, sleepy friend, there was an extra body; Narset – Jace's crush was sitting next to him. Oooo what's this?

They said their hellos and Chandra asked in a joking tone, "Uh-oh. Have I been replaced?" Oh, god, have I?

Nissa said with uncanny swiftness said, "Narset is way too grounded and responsible to replace you." Oddly enough, the new girl seemed uninterested in the conversation which made it impossible to get a good look at her. Chandra sat and asked herself, Did Jace actually ask her out? Maybe they're just friends – if they were together someone would have told me, unless I really am being pushed out. She fought to shake out the irrational thoughts.

Just focus on class. Doing just that became taxing as Chandra was damning how late in the day this class went. With their original, now deceased teacher, the class was at a healthy time but as a rule, she avoided classes that lasted into the evening as this one did.

For the second half, she only registered 5% of what Bruse was telling them about the applications of qualitative analysis – though she was writing down each word per vadum. She mistakenly looked over at Jace and Narset a few times looking for clues, condemning herself each time. It's not like they'd be holding hands or something. We're not 13.

When everything wrapped up, Chandra wasn't called to the front so she considered psychology to be a big step up from physics. She appreciated Dr. Ballard's kind words but she found no words at all to be more appealing. As her friends all stood, she tried to keep her eye on any indication of what brought Narset into the fold but when Jace and Gideon excused themselves quickly, there were no clues to be found.

Chandra cycled through joyous inhales and exhales, revelling in her first completed day going well; along with Liliana, Nissa and Narset she slowly and silently made her way out, but once they were out into the relatively empty evening foyer, she felt Nissa tug on her sleeve. "I need to borrow you for a minute." As she turned to her friend, Chandra saw the other two carry on unphased.

They really are kicking me out of the group, aren't they? "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just personal. Can we go somewhere quieter?" While the entryway to the university wasn't swarming with the thousands of people it would be in the morning, it was still too loud for an intimate conversation and even if it were empty, it was vast enough that even whispers would echo all around.

Where Nissa lead them was an empty hole hidden under an old concrete staircase. It was deserted and windowless – the perfect place to give bad news, though the shallow, almost nonexistent breathing coming from Chandra's chest was more in line with someone being brought here for an execution.

As tense as Chandra found the situation, she was surprised to see her friend even more shook up. Her hands were alternating between clinched tight and stretched apart and her normally droopy eyes were out in force, wrinkling her forehead. They were subtle signs that Chandra could only spot from experience and she knew Nissa thought she was hiding her nerves well. "Okay," Nissa said as she steadied herself. "Do you...Okay, you know I'm not at all judgmental, right?"

Confused and curious, Chandra responded, "yeah, I'm pretty sure someone could mug you and you'd respect it as freedom of expression."

"Exactly," Nissa said – either not noticing or not caring about the disapproving tone of her friend, "So, what's happened is... Narset and I are dating."

Dumbfounded, Chandra found nothing more than the will to blink as she waited for the 'psyche!' She held her breath, trying to keep herself together, but when it was sure beyond a doubt that no punchline was coming, she erupted in profound laughter that turned into a combination of wheezing and cackling. Nissa asked for an explanation multiple times, but every time Chandra tried to speak, her laughter was rejuvenated

Losing time of how long she had been at it, Chandra, still struggling said, "Jace really can't catch a break." With that, her laughter became infectious, alerting anyone on this floor to their presence.

They took turns assuming they were finished before their last gasps finally passed, Nissa wiped the tears from her eyes. "I did feel guilty about that, but apparently he's found someone new to pine for." This news wasn't shocking in the slightest.

Not waiting for an invitation, Chandra wrapped her arms around her friend as she forced herself not to say anything condescending along the lines of, this is so cute. They held each other for a while before Chandra asked, "I guess this is a big secret, huh?" Nissa pushed her away as soon as she said that.

"That's the other thing I wanted to say." Nissa's eyes shifted with guilt. "Everyone else already knows."

Chandra felt offended despite not knowing entirely what she was offended by. "Oh, I guess because..." Pondering, she couldn't actually think of a reason Nissa would keep this from her. "Why?"

"Maybe this will sound a little foolish but I was afraid you'd get upset and-"

"Hold up." There's only one reason she'd be worried about that. "Do you think I'm still in love with you?"

"I figured not, but how could I know for sure?"

"By asking? Nissa, it's been years. Have you just avoided dating for my sake?"

"No! When I told you I had no interest in it, I was being honest and even if you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have sincerely said the same thing."

"Was that seriously the only reason you didn't tell me?"

"Not entirely, I guess. I know how your brain operates, Chandra so I was worried you'd interpret this as something personal – like the only reason I turned you down was because there was something wrong with you. Honestly, that was actually the main reason."

"That's nu-," actually a fair point. "I guess that actually makes sense" Reaching out to grab Nissa's arms, Chandra said with as much sincerity as she could, "but even if I did take this personally, even if I was still madly in love with you, I'd be way too happy for you to give a shit."

"Okay." Her relief was evident. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Ah, don't worry about it. You were just trying to help me. What changed your mind?"

"Now I know for a fact that you have feelings for someone else."

In a flash, Chandra suddenly longed for discussing her assault with Dr. Ballard. "I do?" She knew her face was doing such a poor job lying that she didn't know why she bothered asking. When all Nissa did was stare blankly back at her, she asked the only thing that mattered now. "Fuck, does everyone know?"

"Don't worry. No one else has a clue. Jace always has his head in the clouds and Gideon always has his up his ass."

Fair. "What about Liliana?"

"I really wouldn't worry about that. She thinks you're straight."

"I thought I told her I was bi."

"The first week you were away, before your episode, Liliana was desperately trying to figure out what was wrong. I told her you were probably depressed or anxious but she seemed to be looking for some hidden secret like we were in a medical drama."

She was trying to find something other than herself to blame. "What does that have to do with my sexuality."

"She asked me a bunch of questions one of which was if you'd been with any guys. When I said no, she didn't ask me if you had been with any women, so unless she was was trying to figure out if you were pregnant." I did tell her about it while we were drinking. Maybe she really did forget. "If I had to guess, I'd say she probably asked your mom about it. I guess you not coming out to her has finally paid off."

"I guess as long as she doesn't know, that's all that matters."

"Maybe you should tell her how you feel."

"Hell no. I finally have her living under the same roof as me. I'd literally rather die."

Nissa shrugged. "If that's what you think is best."

"Yeah, so how did this thing with Narset happen anyway?" Chandra was full of questions that mostly revolved around her own ignorance. She didn't understand much about Nissa's asexuality – though not for lack of trying. Anytime it came up, Nissa dodged the subject.

"It was a couple weeks ago." Nissa paused and Chandra could see drowsiness setting in. "You know what? Lets walk and talk." The sun had already been setting when they came down here, so Chandra wasn't going to argue. "We needed a fifth person for a group and, oh hey, I guess we did replace you with her." Not funny. "Anyway, something about the way she spoke was..."

"Dude, it's okay. Just go ahead and let it out."

"Anytime she said anything, it was the most profound thing I'd ever heard. It's like some wise, ancient spirit possessed a beautiful girl." Nissa was more open with Chandra than anyone else, so there was a good chance this was the first time she had ever spoken about another person like this outloud. "We ended up talking after class, she asked me if I wanted to go on a date and I said yes."

"It went well I take it?"

"I missed her the second it ended."

Ah to hell with this. Chandra ruffled Nissa's hair with vigour. "That's the cutest thing I ever heard; her friend fought to break free yelling, "yeah, yeah, my mom made that very clear." When Chandra finally gave up, Nissa asked, "As happy as you seem, I have to ask, are you sure you're not mad or anything."

"I'm not going to lie. It would have been nice if you had told me right away, but I get why you didn't. I'm pretty unhinged on a normal day and I've had some pretty shitty days in the last little while."

"Speaking of which, are you really okay? Liliana said you were in doing well, but I know you have a tendency to hide these kinds of things."

"I really am." They finally walked through the main doors into the chilly evening air; Nissa instantly began shivering and Chandra removed her sweater, wrapping it around her friend. "Has love made you stupid, you maniac? You only have two jackets on and no scarf."

There was no chance of turning down the act of kindness, so Nissa didn't bother. "Don't try and change the subject."

"Right, I'm fine. My first day back was a little tumultuous, but-." Chandra pulled her phone out to distract herself from how cold she was now, seeing a notification. "Huh. Vivien sent me a friend request." We have a mutual friend and we hung out for almost an hour. People have sent friend requests for less. She pressed the accept button.

"That's Liliana's friend, right?"

"Yeah." I'll have to snoop when I get home

"The one you thought was making fun of you when she said you were cute?"

"Yeah, I get it, I'm stupid."

Nissa giggled. When she was in a good mood, her laugh was almost mystical like she were a faerie. "I'm sorry, I was drunk. I never should have said that."

"No you shouldn't have."

"Seems kind of out of nowhere though. Didn't you talk to her for about ten minutes three weeks ago?"

God, has it been that long? "I actually ran into her today." Until now, she had forgotten the image she had painted in her head of what getting to see all of Vivien's tattoos would look like and she found herself wanting a turn to gush as Nissa had. "We had a beer; she seems nice, though I don't really get the vibe that her and Liliana are actually fr-"

Both Chandra's legs and lips were stopped in their tracks when her phone vibrated with another notification. It had been a turbulent day and each time something weird happened, she had figured that was the end of it, but was proven wrong again. "Uh, she just asked me out."

Without hesitation, Nissa responded, "you should say yes."