[Vi had been out and about, definitely avoiding that fun house that she'd been hearing about. she didn't want any reminders of anything, thank you, and she's quite had enough excitement to last the next few months.
there'd been some people that were participating in the witch hunt already, but she didn't really pay a whole lot of attention. it didn't really seem like her thing, after all.
but then she comes across Viktor, holding out the hat. he'd misunderstood that she was playing somehow -- maybe because she'd been watching so intently. it must've been mistaken for interest.
she shakes her head, but she takes the hat. maybe more or less if someone were to barrel into one of them trying to take their own, she'd want it to be her.]
Not playing, but don't really want you to get into the crossfire, either. Not unless you're really good at defending yourself with that crutch, since some of it's getting a little intense.
Oh, [ he says, eloquently, because now he's apparently gotten this young woman mixed up in this whole hunting game, which wasn't his intention — and he can't help but wince as she talks about defending himself, because, hah. ]
No, [ his answer is rather wry, ] Where I come from, the best defense has been to go unnoticed.
[ in the undercity, his best bet had always been to not call attention to himself — not that he'd have done so regardless, but the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to fight back had just been added motivation to become really good at blending into the background. and in piltover, well, why would people pay attention to a poor cripple like him, anyway?
he shrugs one shoulder. ] That doesn't seem to be a principle compatible with this game.
[ he sounds distinctly wry about this, though. and as she talks about the good sides to this place, viktor takes a moment to really look at her — at the way she looks, and especially at the tattoo on her face. he thinks of caitlyn, of what she told him — three others, they're all zaunites, and i broke vi out of stillwater, and he can't help himself. maybe he's wrong... but he has a feeling he's not. ]
Forgive me, but — you wouldn't happen to be Vi, would you?
[there's a minute as she's surprised about her name being used by a stranger. but then again, there's a few people who know her here, and a few that are really close to her. she'd... venture to guess her name comes out of Jinx and Caitlyn's mouth the most, though.
she takes a closer look at him, too. there is... something distinctly Undercity about him though, isn't there? but it could be just a coincidence.]
Depends on who was talking about me. There's probably a couple people here that would've put something stupid in your ear.
[ his mouth quirks up into something of a half-smile; he can already hear caitlyn's exasperated sigh over his use of her last name instead of her first. ]
I can't say if what she told me was something you would consider stupid or not, but it seems I've missed quite a bit.
[oh, okay. Cait. her shoulders relax a little bit here, though Cait or Jinx would've both been acceptable.
well. maybe Jinx. it kind of depends for her.]
Nah, Cait's good. She's keeping up with most of that shit, so if you're curious about what's going on... good thing you ran into her. Or about me. Whatever.
[ the wryness persists — not least over everything she told him, about what had happened back home, what she last remembered of everything; and then everything here, too... it had been a lot to take in.
still, ]
It seems our paths, hm, never managed to cross. I'm Viktor. [ then, after a pause, ] I'm Jayce's partner. [ because he doesn't think caitlyn would have had much reason to talk about him, but if she knows vi she will surely have spoken of jayce... which would give vi the context required, here. ]
[ the fondness confirms what caitlyn had told him — not that he ever doubted her, but it is nice to see it for himself. ]
She has always been impressive. One of the few people I did not mind socialising with, on the earlier days when I could not avoid the events. [ that had been where they primarily saw each other; he had never been close with her, not like jayce had, but back when jayce still used to drag him along to the events, back when they didn't have enough influence and funding for viktor to simply stay behind in the lab, well. caitlyn had been his favourite partner for sane conversation.
and then, as vi speaks her opinion honestly and without artifice, viktor does something he hasn't done in a long while — ducks his head and laughs. ]
Jayce is... an acquired taste. [ don't mind the way his amber eyes seem to light up for a moment as he lifts his head again and says, ] But don't be fooled. He is singularly brilliant. An idiot, yes, but also brilliant.
Yeah, she's the sort of person that'd like the misfits. Maybe especially the people from Zaun.
[they were... a little more down to earth than the rest of Piltover, she supposes.
she's interested by the way he laughs about Jayce, and shakes her head too. but at least it's not really in a bad sort of way... she's just amused, also.]
Yeah, you two made the gems, right? So... book smart, just no common sense. It happens with some of the smarter people.
Eh, he's idealistic. [ naive, someone might call him — viktor has done that on occasion, during the few arguments they'd had over this or that, when jayce's particularly optimistic opinions had clashed badly with viktor's own, more pessimistic outlook on, oh, everything... but in the end, jayce's idealism is one of his best features. the belief that he can do something good in the world. ]
Hextech would not be a reality if he had had common sense. [ a shrug; that is just a fact. ]
[ that gets her a look that's halfway between surprise and offense — not the calling jayce naive part, he is fine with that, actually, but the other thing. ]
Why would it be a bad thing? There are incredible things we can achieve with Hextech! Truly make it better for the people. All the people. Our miners, artisans, workers who the Council would not even think of as an afterthought. Imagine an improved air purification system for the fissures... medical equipment more precise than anything even our most talented doctors can do. The ways to use it are endless. How could it not be good?
[those were designed for the miners in the fissures.
Vi remembers it from when she'd had the conversation with Jayce, when she'd taken up the gauntlets, and she shoves her hands into her pockets.]
Yeah, but from what I've seen? They've been busier turning it into ways to line the rich's pockets and making weapons.
[she can tell he's passionate about it though, and her usual vehement words that would be directed at someone like this isn't as barbed. it's because she can tell that he really is passionate about this, that he really does want to make people's lives better.
coming from Viktor, that means a little more than when it came from Jayce.]
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, right?
[it doesn't negate the fact that she saw what it could do. what it was doing, when she left Runeterra.]
[ as quickly as the fire is lit, it is extinguished — viktor almost visibly deflates, like vi's words are enough to pierce whatever armor he wears on the daily. ]
... Yes. Yes, it is.
[ and isn't that the perfect way to put it — in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. his words to jayce come back to haunt him, with the way they mean the exact same thing... and he'd never, ever be able to make it right, either. ]
We had such dreams. And yet... [ he sighs. he could make excuses — for the longest time, they had to do as they were told, to be able to secure the funding, the materials, the equipment... they had nothing on their own, and they'd thought maybe, once they had satisfied the conditions set upon them by the council, they could finally do what they actually wanted.
and look what had happened.
excuses won't change any of it. ] I know I failed. I do not need to be told it.
[there's a long silence, and Vi softens. she can tell that he's genuine in his regret, and she understands. understands trying to do something good and fucking it all up -- maybe not in the grand scope of what he'd been a part of, but a problem nonetheless.]
You're not the only failure around here.
[if she hadn't fucked with those gems to begin with, if she hadn't made that mess, would they all still be in the same position? Silco still had his experiments, sure, but her and her siblings had sent off such an intense butterfly effect that it'd hurt. Piltover coming down hard on the Lanes, Silco acting out and accelerating his Shimmer production, Vander dying, the list goes on and on.
she shakes it off, eyes focusing back on Viktor.]
C'mon, you hungry? Or I could take you to the inn until you find somewhere to live, or something.
[ he would never assume to know what has happened to someone else — what there might be in vi's past, what failures she is truly speaking of. and yet... he can't help but wonder if those can, in any way, measure up to the magnitude with which he's, pardon the language, fucked it all up.
he doesn't say as much, of course. instead, he gives her a quiet, hopeless look and shakes his head. ] That is not a comfort, Violet.
[ it only means there is even more suffering out there in the world that could have been avoided.
still, he attempts to answer her with a tone that is no longer quite so desolate, ] The inn is good. I suppose if it keeps me from sleeping on the streets, it is good enough.
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expiationlogs2024-10-14 08:59 am
hunt
there'd been some people that were participating in the witch hunt already, but she didn't really pay a whole lot of attention. it didn't really seem like her thing, after all.
but then she comes across Viktor, holding out the hat. he'd misunderstood that she was playing somehow -- maybe because she'd been watching so intently. it must've been mistaken for interest.
she shakes her head, but she takes the hat. maybe more or less if someone were to barrel into one of them trying to take their own, she'd want it to be her.]
Not playing, but don't really want you to get into the crossfire, either. Not unless you're really good at defending yourself with that crutch, since some of it's getting a little intense.
no subject
No, [ his answer is rather wry, ] Where I come from, the best defense has been to go unnoticed.
[ in the undercity, his best bet had always been to not call attention to himself — not that he'd have done so regardless, but the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to fight back had just been added motivation to become really good at blending into the background. and in piltover, well, why would people pay attention to a poor cripple like him, anyway?
he shrugs one shoulder. ] That doesn't seem to be a principle compatible with this game.
no subject
Oh, I'm never able to go unnoticed. I'm too damn loud for that.
[too hard-headed, too loud, too in your face. that's how she'd been since she found her footing in the undercity.]
You new here? I don't think I've seen you around before.
no subject
You haven't, [ he confirms, dryly, ] Unless I have a doppelganger I don't know of.
[ ha, ha... anyway. ] This seems an intriguing place. Certainly different from what I am used to.
no subject
[she says this so casually... lmao]
It's okay, sometimes. It's been a little intense lately, but... there are some things I can't really complain about.
[the fresh air, the relative peace between herself and Jinx... etc.]
no subject
[ he sounds distinctly wry about this, though. and as she talks about the good sides to this place, viktor takes a moment to really look at her — at the way she looks, and especially at the tattoo on her face. he thinks of caitlyn, of what she told him — three others, they're all zaunites, and i broke vi out of stillwater, and he can't help himself. maybe he's wrong... but he has a feeling he's not. ]
Forgive me, but — you wouldn't happen to be Vi, would you?
no subject
she takes a closer look at him, too. there is... something distinctly Undercity about him though, isn't there? but it could be just a coincidence.]
Depends on who was talking about me. There's probably a couple people here that would've put something stupid in your ear.
no subject
[ his mouth quirks up into something of a half-smile; he can already hear caitlyn's exasperated sigh over his use of her last name instead of her first. ]
I can't say if what she told me was something you would consider stupid or not, but it seems I've missed quite a bit.
no subject
well. maybe Jinx. it kind of depends for her.]
Nah, Cait's good. She's keeping up with most of that shit, so if you're curious about what's going on... good thing you ran into her. Or about me. Whatever.
no subject
[ the wryness persists — not least over everything she told him, about what had happened back home, what she last remembered of everything; and then everything here, too... it had been a lot to take in.
still, ]
It seems our paths, hm, never managed to cross. I'm Viktor. [ then, after a pause, ] I'm Jayce's partner. [ because he doesn't think caitlyn would have had much reason to talk about him, but if she knows vi she will surely have spoken of jayce... which would give vi the context required, here. ]
no subject
I wouldn't doubt it.
[... ah. there's a bit of recognition in her expression at the mention of Jayce.]
Yeah, met him at least... sorry your partner's kind of an idiot. And since you already know who I am, I guess I don't have to repeat it.
no subject
She has always been impressive. One of the few people I did not mind socialising with, on the earlier days when I could not avoid the events. [ that had been where they primarily saw each other; he had never been close with her, not like jayce had, but back when jayce still used to drag him along to the events, back when they didn't have enough influence and funding for viktor to simply stay behind in the lab, well. caitlyn had been his favourite partner for sane conversation.
and then, as vi speaks her opinion honestly and without artifice, viktor does something he hasn't done in a long while — ducks his head and laughs. ]
Jayce is... an acquired taste. [ don't mind the way his amber eyes seem to light up for a moment as he lifts his head again and says, ] But don't be fooled. He is singularly brilliant. An idiot, yes, but also brilliant.
no subject
[they were... a little more down to earth than the rest of Piltover, she supposes.
she's interested by the way he laughs about Jayce, and shakes her head too. but at least it's not really in a bad sort of way... she's just amused, also.]
Yeah, you two made the gems, right? So... book smart, just no common sense. It happens with some of the smarter people.
no subject
Hextech would not be a reality if he had had common sense. [ a shrug; that is just a fact. ]
no subject
[she'll say it for him. her amusement shifts somewhat into something a bit more irritated before she shakes it off.]
And that remains to be seen on whether that's a good or bad thing.
no subject
Why would it be a bad thing? There are incredible things we can achieve with Hextech! Truly make it better for the people. All the people. Our miners, artisans, workers who the Council would not even think of as an afterthought. Imagine an improved air purification system for the fissures... medical equipment more precise than anything even our most talented doctors can do. The ways to use it are endless. How could it not be good?
[ sorry he's a bit passionate about this — ]
no subject
Vi remembers it from when she'd had the conversation with Jayce, when she'd taken up the gauntlets, and she shoves her hands into her pockets.]
Yeah, but from what I've seen? They've been busier turning it into ways to line the rich's pockets and making weapons.
[she can tell he's passionate about it though, and her usual vehement words that would be directed at someone like this isn't as barbed. it's because she can tell that he really is passionate about this, that he really does want to make people's lives better.
coming from Viktor, that means a little more than when it came from Jayce.]
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, right?
[it doesn't negate the fact that she saw what it could do. what it was doing, when she left Runeterra.]
no subject
... Yes. Yes, it is.
[ and isn't that the perfect way to put it — in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. his words to jayce come back to haunt him, with the way they mean the exact same thing... and he'd never, ever be able to make it right, either. ]
We had such dreams. And yet... [ he sighs. he could make excuses — for the longest time, they had to do as they were told, to be able to secure the funding, the materials, the equipment... they had nothing on their own, and they'd thought maybe, once they had satisfied the conditions set upon them by the council, they could finally do what they actually wanted.
and look what had happened.
excuses won't change any of it. ] I know I failed. I do not need to be told it.
no subject
You're not the only failure around here.
[if she hadn't fucked with those gems to begin with, if she hadn't made that mess, would they all still be in the same position? Silco still had his experiments, sure, but her and her siblings had sent off such an intense butterfly effect that it'd hurt. Piltover coming down hard on the Lanes, Silco acting out and accelerating his Shimmer production, Vander dying, the list goes on and on.
she shakes it off, eyes focusing back on Viktor.]
C'mon, you hungry? Or I could take you to the inn until you find somewhere to live, or something.
no subject
he doesn't say as much, of course. instead, he gives her a quiet, hopeless look and shakes his head. ] That is not a comfort, Violet.
[ it only means there is even more suffering out there in the world that could have been avoided.
still, he attempts to answer her with a tone that is no longer quite so desolate, ] The inn is good. I suppose if it keeps me from sleeping on the streets, it is good enough.
no subject
I'm not good at pulling my punches or pretty words to make people feel better. But you're not alone, so. Sometimes that's a little bit of relief.
[she nods, motioning for him to follow, before she starts to walk off.]
Yeah, no street sleeping here. Unless you're one of those weirdos that prefers that.
🎀
[ as he suspects would she. perhaps they have that in common, too. ]
Lead the way.