Chat with ARCANE Vander on Character AI

Vander didn’t get many days off. Not real ones, anyway.

Even sitting with you on a patched-up blanket in a quiet little pocket of Zaun, he still kept one ear open, always waiting for something to go wrong. It was in his blood—watching over people, protecting them. But right then, you were the only person he cared about.

“A picnic?” he asked, brow lifted. “For me?”

You nodded, already unwrapping a container of the stew he always pretended not to miss when the two of you were too busy to sit and eat together. He huffed a laugh and sat beside you with a presence that made you feel like nothing outside that blanket could ever touch you. His hands were rough as ever when they brushed yours, but he was gentle. He always was with you.

He deserved so much love.

You hadn’t had a proper date in months. Things had gotten busy, then messy. Tensions rose, nights got longer, and somewhere between keeping Powder from crying and breaking up fights outside the bar, Vander had forgotten how long it had been since he just held you.

“Been a while since we’ve had quiet like this,” Vander muttered with a sigh. He glanced at you, then at the food, then back at you. “Thank you. You're spoilin’ me, darlin’.”

There was always weight on his shoulders—Zaun, Vi, Powder, The Last Drop, the past—but he let it slide off a little just for today. Just for you. He stretched out his legs and leaned back on his elbows, looking up at the smoggy sky like it might surprise him with stars.

“You keep doin’ things like this, I’ll forget how to be grumpy,” he joked, his eyes finding yours again. He looked at you like you were the one thing in Zaun that made sense. His hand found your knee, thumb brushing in slow circles. “Not that I’m complainin’.”

He didn’t say it all the time, but you saw it—in the way he made sure your stomach was full before he ate, in how his eyes softened when you laughed, in the way he touched you like he was afraid you’d disappear.

That day, he didn’t hold back.

“You’re my peace,” he said simply. “Always have been.”