video, un: hopscotch

[clavesregni]

[Caitlyn enthusiastically shows off a small wooden box. Visible on the lid is an insignia of a Minaras governmental medical facility. Over Caitlyn's shoulder is a redhead looking wholly uninspired by this discovery.]

This was found following an altercation with a group of drunk individuals. One man was tall, must have been a little over six feet, with a blond beard, head shaved, and some sort of tattoo visible on his neck. Another was a few inches shorter, clean-shaven and close-cropped black hair, wearing a rather ostentatious, if tattered, blue coat. The third was a few inches shorter still, also clean-shaven, with long brown hair tied in a ponytail and several scars along the length of his forearms.

[Vi rolls her eyes as Caitlyn rattles off these descriptions. Caitlyn, oblivious, continues:] Does anyone know who these men might have been? If they could be identified, they could perhaps be located and questioned as to how a box belonging to a medical facility came into their possession.

[Vi mutters,] Probably going to sell whatever it is to the highest bidder.

[At the interruption, Caitlyn glances over her shoulder to respond to Vi. Her tone is less critical and more like she's excited to brainstorm possible motivations.] We can't assume that.

[Caitlyn turns back to the contents of the box.] Yes. Um. There are herbs inside, they smell-- [She takes a whiff, wrinkling her nose.] --earthy. Musky. And faintly of fruit. And... [She smells again, and a horrified look crosses her face, as though she's just smelled the most odious smell imaginable. She quickly moves the box further away from herself, looking at it as though it's done her a great personal wrong.] Urine.

[Vi shouldn't look so amused at the posh description, but she does.

Caitlyn holds up a few of the whole dried leaves and flowers: foxglove, wisteria, passion flower, and valerian. There is a small sack visible inside the box containing more herbs ground up.]

Are there any herbalists in the group who might be able to identify these? What purpose could these serve, either individually or in combination?

[Vi leans in closer and says,] And by the way, I need to talk to the resident hextech genius.



[ooc: for the herbalists out there, this combination of herbs leads to memory loss]

Comments

[techmaturgy]

[The look on his face says that he already knows all this--Viktor seems thoroughly defeated, sinking onto a stool as soon as Caitlyn is fully inside. It's clear he's been wrestling with the same questions.]

No, I don't.

[He's still trying to wrap his head around it, himself, but deep down he knows that Jayce is suggestible. Eager to please. Viktor can easily imagine a scenario where his partner felt so impotent that he jumped at the chance to do something, without thought for how disastrous that something might be. The added detail of Jayce in a Council meeting advocating for an attack on the Undercity is devastating. Viktor is quiet for a moment, as if deciding what he wants to say.]

We fought, Jayce and I. That was our last conversation before I found myself here. [There's a tinge of regret, that the last time he'd ever see or speak to Jayce would be an argument about the very purpose of their work.] Given the...situation, in the Undercity, Councilor Medarda proposed Hextech defenses as a potential solution. I told him no, I told--I told him that nothing good could possibly come of weaponizing our technology, that it went against everything our work stands for.

[The distaste in his voice is evident, though it's hard to tell if the loathing is for Jayce, or for himself, for not being able to stop this.]

I suppose I wasn't convincing enough.

[clavesregni]

[There are so many questions swirling around in her head, but she lets him tell the whole story without interruption, crossing her arms and leaning back against the table as she listens quietly. Viktor's demeanour and tone make it all too clear that this isn't easy for him; whether the trouble is rooted in his relationship, or perhaps falling out, with Jayce, or in the broader question of hextech weaponry, she's not sure. The likely answer is 'both.']

My last proper conversation with him was a fight, too.

[She says it quietly, offering sympathy. The tiff she'd had with Jayce can't really compare to the nature of Viktor's argument with him; the feeling of betrayal at hearing that he'd joined the Council, the resentment of a young adult who's still a child in her family's eyes... She knows it's not the same as a fundamental disagreement about one's life's work.

Still. She would give anything to speak with Jayce again.

Right now, though, there's a more pressing problem at hand. They can both worry about Jayce once they've gotten home. And all her questions about how Jayce ended up where he did, what happened while she was gone, the gauntlets themselves, Councilor Medarda's involvement, they can wait.

She turns her head to look at him, her expression shifting to something more focused and determined.]

Will you fix the gauntlets for Vi, if she asks? [It's obvious from her tone that she's anticipating a 'no.' But she has to ask.]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor likes to think that he knows Jayce the best, but Caitlyn practically grew up with him. To hear that she'd also been fighting with him is troubling--not that either of them can do anything about it right now, beyond commiserate. He nods, but otherwise doesn't say anything else. He's been given a lot to think about over the last few hours.

The more immediate problem is the gauntlets. He can't, in good conscience, let her keep them, but he also doesn't want to leave her defenseless. He also needs to cannibalize the parts for his own projects, but that's a bit more complicated a pitch.]

I need the power sources. The gemstones. [He'll explain further if she needs, but Viktor has the feeling she already knows what gives the gauntlets their functionality.] I can't let her keep those.

[clavesregni]

[Caitlyn's well aware of the gemtones and what they're capable of. And she wouldn't trust anyone here other than Vi or Viktor with them. Even letting others know of the gemstones' existence seems inadvisable.

Her fingertips tap idly against her arm as she works through the potential ramifications of Vi having fully functional hextech gauntlets in this world, trying to decide whether she should push back against Viktor or agree that he should have them.

She does trust Vi. She knows Vi would never purposefully misuse the gauntlets, and she believes Vi would do everything in her power to prevent the gemstones from falling into the wrong hands. And this isn't their world, this isn't Piltover. No one here understands the technology, and it's unlikely anyone here could recreate it. And if Viktor needs the gemstones for something, that means that he hasn't been able to find and refine any in this world to suit his purposes. Which means only two gemstones exist in this world.

Allowing Vi the gauntlets, therefore, is unlikely to unleash a wave of hextech weaponry on this world, even in the worst case scenario of someone else getting the gemstones. And the gauntlets would provide Vi a great deal more protection than her bare fists.

She should have them, Caitlyn decides, her frown growing even more determined than it was before. At least until they return to Piltover.]

What do you need them for? [Perhaps a compromise can be reached.]

[techmaturgy]

[The conflict is evident in her posture, which is not necessarily heartening to Viktor, who barely knows Vi at all and knows Caitlyn much less than he probably should. He's naturally suspicious--in fact, much of he was doing with the Hexcore he never even made clear to Jayce.

It's tempting to obfuscate, but unfortunately that isn't going to help get him the gemstones any faster. He has the slightly uncharitable thought that she might not like what he wants to do with the gemstones, either. Still, he needs to try.]

There was something I was working on, back home. An adaptive conduit for arcane forces, with potentially limitless applications.

[He sounds proud, though it lasts only a moment, because the next part is much harder to say.]

I'm...not well, Caitlyn. [Viktor knows what everyone thinks, when they look at him, but admitting it out loud is not something he likes to do. He would rather, in fact, collapse in the lab than outright say that he is sick. Now, he doesn't think he has a choice.] My hope is that the device will provide a potential solution to that.

[clavesregni]

[Once again, Caitlyn stands silently, waiting for him to finish talking, her expression falling as he admits to something that, from his tone, must be difficult to say aloud.

This changes things.]

The hexgems could cure your illness. [She's always known that Viktor had health issues. She noticed the cane the first time she met him, of course, which over the years became a crutch. The dark circles beneath his eyes, the hunched posture, the sallowness of his complexion... She'd thought it was stress, Viktor overworking himself.]

I'll talk to Vi. If she knows that you're ill, she'll understand. The gauntlets shouldn't come at the cost of your health.

[techmaturgy]

The device that would be powered by them, yes.

[He doesn't know if that's entirely true--there's tweaking that still needs to happen, as Viktor hasn't yet managed to not kill all of his plants while subjecting them to the Hexcore, but this is the best chance he has.

What he doesn't like is the idea that someone else advocating for him. Despite his reluctance to talk about his illness, he understands that he needs to make some concessions if it means getting what he wants.]

I can speak to her as well. If she's the kind of person you say she is-- [His tone seems to doubt that, but for as little as he thinks he knows Caitlyn, he knows he has to be able to trust her. --then I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement.

[clavesregni]

She is. [Said with the utmost conviction. Caitlyn has no doubt whatsoever that Vi will understand once she hears what Viktor needs them for. Perhaps they could even find a way to share the gemstones.

A course of action decided upon, she straightens up, away from the table.]

I've got to go up to Minaras to investigate the origin of these herbs. If there's anything you need...

[She hates to leave him here on his own.]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor is less optimistic, but he also knows that’s a direct function of having to grapple with the truth of what Jayce did. Maybe they can all reach a compromise. He’s not sure he wants to keep fighting about it—too exhausting. At Caitlyn’s assertion that she has somewhere to be, he offers a nod. He can tell she’s reluctant to leave, but Viktor is nothing if not fiercely independent. She can run her errand and he’ll be fine, even in a place like Minaras.

(Perhaps, especially in a place like Minaras).]

I’ll let you know. Thank you for telling me this.

[It’s certainly given him a lot to think about.]

[clavesregni]

[She nods.]

Thank you. For telling me about Jayce.

[She's got an awful lot to say to Jayce once they make it back home. In the meantime, the important thing is that she and Vi and Viktor need to look out for each other.

She looks back over her shoulder one more time as she passes through the door.]

We'll speak again soon.