Opposites Attract

Planning

Molly woke up a few hours later, finding Jax sleeping fitfully next to her. She'd figured out, over the month or so spent living with him, that he was heavily prone to nightmares, and woke up screaming on a regular basis. She'd also figured out that it wasn't good to wake him, as he usually woke up fast and panicky.

Instead, she moved away a few inches and rifled through her bag, checking her provisions. She hadn't thought much about food, so she still had enough left for about another day. With that in mind, she figured she should probably look around for some place to fish, or maybe some way to make a net. However, she'd barely moved a step when Jax woke up, panting and shaking and sweating.

"Morning," she told him, turning and sitting back down.

"How long have you been up?"

"Few minutes."

"What's the plan?"

"Hm?"

"The plan. What are we gonna do?"

"Um..."

"No plan. Wonderful. We'll just wander in and get attacked like the rest of them."

"What's your plan then, know-it-all?"

"We need to get some information from some nearby towns. There's one a few miles East."

She crossed her arms, thinking for a bit.

"Alright. I guess. What then?"

"We're both moderately powerful magicians, yes? If there's still any danger, then we can deal with it?"

"Like... hurt people? I've never done that..."

He looked at her blankly.

"This is for your people."

"I guess. But fire is... unpredictable. And hard to control."

He shot her a flat look. 

"Well figure it out. We don't have time to wait while you readjust yourself."

She frowned, but he'd already started walking away. With a sigh she followed him, letting her arms swing by her sides. 

"I can control it a bit. But... the second the fire touches someone, they're doomed. I don't want to-"

"People hurt people, Molly. You either get hurt, or you fight back."

"Yeah, but killing people is..."

"You have to decide what's more important to you, people, or your morals?"

---

They stopped to rest that night a few miles outside the city Jax had told her about. He told her that he'd been once before, with his father, and that it was best to go during the morning market so they could get the best information. With that in mind, they set up a fire and set up their things to go to bed. They sat at the fireside having a dinner of apples and spring water.

"So what's the town like?" she asked after a few minutes of tense silence.

He kept his eyes on the flames as he answered.

"It's... large, but sprawling. The people are too curious for their own good, and the sheer amount of humans packed into one space is incredible. I was young when I came, but from what I can remember, the market sells so much food that it could feed a smaller town for months, just with what they have daily. The main street, where the market is, is loud and cramped, but everything smells so good, and the next few streets in every direction smell just the same, until the whole town smells like cinnamon and meat cooking, and fresh baked bread and all the things that make you feel welcomed."

"Sounds a lot like home," she said with a wistful grin, "but the people seem friendlier."

"I wouldn't say friendly. More intrusive."

She laughed, rolling her eyes, "You just don't like people."

"You're right, I don't."

She took another bite of her apple, feeling a bit of juice run down her chin. She rubbed it away impatiently with her sleeve.

"We should get some sleep."

He nodded, taking one last bite of his apple and tossing the core over his shoulder. He stayed where he was for a moment, watching her as she arranged herself with an old blanket wrapped around her, before he lied down on the other side of the fire, closing his eyes.