Chapter Text
“You can come out now.”
The girl slowly climbed down from her spot when the coast was clear. Despite earlier encounters, she was still a bit nervous in her new surroundings. The people here weren’t like the people back where she came from. Everyone was serious, adults she couldn’t relate to.
She glanced up at her savior, his mismatched eyes staring at her.
“Come over,” he said. “It’s okay.”
She slowly went over to him, hugging her arms close to her chest.
“I got you something,’ he said. “Close your eyes, hold out your hands.”
A small smile creeped over her lips, and did as she was told. Something was placed into her hands.
“You may open them.”
It was a small parcel. She slowly opened the paper, her smile growing into a grin. “Where did you get these?!” She asked, pulling out the blue marker and looking for the nearest thing to draw on. He offered her his mug, sliding it across his desk to her.
“A friend,” he said. “Do you like them?”
She nodded. “They’re great, thank you,” she said, her smile slowly falling as she looked away from him.
The man sighed quietly. “Come here, Jinx.”
Quietly she approached him, and he pulled her into his arms. She dangled her legs over to the side, resting her head against his chest as he softly ran his fingers through her
hair.
“Did I ever tell you the story of the Crow and the Doves?” he asked.
“No,” she answered.
“Well–” he put his feet up on the desk, letting her get into a more comfortable spot. “There was once a family of doves, you know, feathers so white it made snow look dirty. They could sing beautifully together, and they flew through the skies with grace.”
“Where does the Crow fit in?” Jinx asked, glancing up at him.
“Well, the youngest dove wasn’t the best at flying, and crashed into an oil barrel. When her family came to rescue her, they were horrified.”
“Oh no, did she die?”
“No, but, she was changed. The oil had turned her feathers to a pitch black. She didn’t look like her family,” he said. “But, she promised she was still one of them. So, the family flew off, but the young dove didn’t fly right anymore, her family didn’t like her for this.”
Oh, this story was sad.
“They tried to sing, but the dove didn’t sing right anymore. The oil had gotten into her lungs, and she couldn’t do anything more than crow. Her family made fun of her for this.”
“Why would they make fun of her for that? She was in an accident.”
“She was, but her family didn’t understand this. They eventually grew tired of her, and abandoned her.”
“No-” Jinx was upset. “Why?”
“They didn’t like her anymore,” he said. “But you know what she did?”
She shook her head.
“She went out and found a new family, one that respected her for what she was.”
Jinx smiled. So it was a good story.
“And you know who this story reminds me of? Us,” he said, softly bringing one of her hands up to his, the pads of her fingers touching the middle of his long fingers. His hand was much larger than hers, long and thin.
“Really?” She glanced up at him. He nodded, and she thought she saw him smile.
“Two crows that didn’t fit in, and what did we do? We made our own family,” he hummed. “Do you understand Jinx?”
She nodded. “I think I do.”
“Good girl.” He placed a kiss on her forehead, unlatching his legs from his desk and letting her slide off. “Now, I have things to attend to. Go make use of these.” He rolled one of the markers under his finger towards her.
~~~
She hated the bugs.
They crawled around, not knowing what they were or why they were here. They simply existed, and they did not care.
Disgusting bugs.
She stomped one with her shoe.
“You know, I’m working on the specimen you brought me today,” came a voice from below. She glanced over the edge of her perch, seeing him slowly pushing the needle of a syringe into a bottle. “Once he wakes up.”
“Good-“ she dangled her legs over the edge. “I’ll watch.”
“You could help, if you wanted,” the doctor said, slowly pulling in liquid to the chamber.
“No, no,” she said. “I don’t think I can look at him…that close.”
“Very well,” the doctor tapped the chamber, pushing the end. The needle secreted a small drip. “I will not force you. But, it could be nice.” He glanced at her. “I don’t believe in revenge, but there’s something satisfying about watching someone who wronged you wiggle like a worm on a hook.”
He held out the end of the syringe. “Especially the man who killed your father.”
She gritted her teeth.
Her boots made a violent thunk as she landed on the ground, slowly taking the syringe from his hands.
“What is this?”
“Only a mild tranquilizer to move him,” he said. “But the needle is long, and blunt.”
Jinx looked down at the syringe in her hands and then back up at him. “I’ll help move him, but I just want to watch.”
“Very well, as you wish.”
As she moved away, Singed watched her go with a bit of pity.
Before his death, Silco had made him promise that should something happen to the man, Jinx was to go to his lab and stay put, in which he would watch her until they figured out what to do next.
It was less of a business exchange, and more of a promise between two fathers, Singed understood the fear all too well.
What he didn’t expect, however, was for Jinx to bring along a gift with her.
Much like a cat presenting its owner with the body of a mouse, Jinx had presented him with the body of a councilor.
Perhaps, one of the most important councilors, Jayce Talis.
He didn’t ask how she got it, he could piece two and two together. She merely stated he had, somehow, killed her father, and she asked that he hurt him.
Bits and pieces of the story gathered slowly from the little Jinx told him, and from the bits of glass that had become embedded in the Man of Progress’s back. He could thread together some sort of competent story, but one could only assume so much.
That also didn’t help him figure out what exactly to do with the man. He hadn’t expected such a pristine specimen, and Talis was in superb health. He chewed over ideas in his head as he poured hours of careful precision into individually removing the glass shards from the Talis boy’s back.
The idea hit him while tending to his other creation, looking over the new tubing he had installed along his back.
He had always wanted to try the process again, and Jayce was much younger than his first subject. He had breathed Piltover air his whole life, he had not been poisoned by the filth of the Undercity.
He had learned much from his first experiment, and now he would do it again, but this time, better.
Slowly the scientist followed after her.
~~~
The first thing he noticed was how he was strapped down again.
Or, rather, tied up. Something was stuffed into his mouth, and when his tongue passed over it he felt it to be a long thick band of fabric.
He tried to get up, but his body still felt heavy from blacking out, and there was great restraint on his wrists and ankles, and a thick rope around his torso.
The chair itself was heavy, almost as if it was secured to the ground.
The world was blurry, slowly coming into focus as his eyes searched around.
“Ah good, finally waking up-“
A hand pulled the fabric from his mouth.
“I’m sorry if it isn’t comfortable, but safety comes first,” the doctor said, going to his equipment and looking over a book.
“Who are you-?” Jayce pulled again, this time with a bit more give from the restraints. “What did you do to Warwick-?!”
“Oh? Have you met him?” He asked, slowly pushing together the parts of a syringe.
“Yeah, I have.” Anger replaced what fear there should have been, or maybe his fear was disguised as anger. “People are going to come looking for me, and when they do, they’re going to find your entire operation. You’ll be rotting in Stillwater.”
“Of course,” the doctor said, and Jayce felt as though his captor hadn’t heard him. “Did you not—“
“Let me ask you this-“ his captor interrupted, turning towards him. “Do you believe in monsters, Councilor Talis?” He paused. “And not the kind you see in people.”
“What kind of monsters?” Jayce tugged on his restraints again, hearing the ropes creak, but not give.
“Oh, I don’t know. One’s with sharp teeth and claws, perhaps?” The doctor looked back at his workstation, taking a small vile that Jayce instantly recognized.
Shimmer.
“No, I don’t–” he began to struggle even more, tugging and pulling against the ropes.
“Maybe you should start,” his captor said, dipping a needle into the vial. “It might make this process easier.”
He sat the now full syringe down, turning back to Jayce. “Forgive me, I never told you why you were here.”
Jayce paused. “To test shimmer-?”
“No.” He pushed something into Jayce’s arm. He hissed at the painful pop of it going under his skin. A quick glance proved it to be a long tube of some type, it almost reminded him of the IV drips he saw being hooked up to Viktor a few times.
Only this one was much larger.
“You’re a man of science,” the doctor said, slowly circling around the chair. “Correct?”
Jayce didn’t answer.
“In experiments, you need to repeat the process a few times,” he said. “Repetition, to ensure that the outcome wasn't a random chance.”
“And what experiment is that?”
The doctor picked up the syringe full of shimmer. “I think you can figure it out.”
Jayce swallowed. “...Warwick…”
“Maybe you are smart–” The syringe dug into his neck.
The pain of the needle was nothing compared to the feeling pumping through his veins. His body felt warm, his mind was filled with complete euphoria that bubbled through him. He couldn’t help but giggle under his breath, clenching his hands into fists as an elated sigh escaped him that morphed into a strange giggle. His small giggles only grew louder by the second as the glowing veins crept over his body, leaving small violet webs behind them.
He could move mountains like this, he could lift buildings–
He couldn’t stop LAUGHING. The surge of dopamine in his mind made his entire situation a joke.
This was it? This was all shimmer could do to him?
His captor didn’t say anything, only returned to his workbench, turning a knob on a canister. “The strand I’ve given you is to make this next part easier,” the doctor explained, turning back around to him. “To help survive the transformation.” He explained the process almost like a teacher addressing a student.
Jayce could only respond with his soft giggles, his awareness of his body dulling, replaced by a strange concoction of euphoria.
The familiar purple substance slowly began to creep down the tube in his arm.
“S-stop-” laughter passed by his lips. “-stop-” his soft pleas were cut off when the rag was stuffed back into his mouth.
The moment the new strand hit his veins, his dulling awareness of his body turned into hyper awareness. Suddenly, he could feel every tick of his heart, every pulse of a vein, every breath of his body–
The euphoria was completely ripped apart by the feeling of searing hot pain, like hot metal digging into his skin.
His teeth dug into the cloth, gripping and bracing as his body trembled and jerked and spasmed, the ropes keeping him back against the chair. His hands were balled so tight he thought his knuckles would rip through the skin.
It wouldn't end, it felt like it would go on forever. The ropes became tighter around him, strangling him like snakes around struggling prey, digging into his warping body.
This body was too small, it felt so impossibly small. This pain inside of him was growing and swelling, and this expanse of a body wasn’t enough to contain it.
He tossed his head every which way as if to escape the torture and torment of his body.
Finally…it subsided into a sickening afterglow, his body still smoldering from the transformation. When he looked down…
He didn’t recognize this body. It was much broader and stronger, more painfully warped, with his ribcage awkwardly jutting out and his stomach dipping in.
Thick glowing veins webbed over his skin, making themselves known by bulging from underneath his epidermis.
His head was pounding, his body hurt.
“Very good, we’ll start the next step tomorrow,” the doctor shut his book. “This is a much better template to work with.”
~~~
When they dumped him in his room, he didn’t have the strength to get up. It was painful, far too painful.
Even if the floor was filthy, he turned his head down and quietly let tears roll down his face.
“Jayce…?” Warwick’s voice echoed from the vent.
“I-It hurts…” he gasped, his throat becoming tight. “It hurts…it hurts so bad…”
“I know, I know lad–” Warwick’s voice was apologetic, gentle. “I’m sorry. It will wear off soon.”
The tears burned his face as they continued to fall, with the only comfort being Warwick's voice coming from the vent. With a great push of effort, followed by the cramping of sore overworked muscles, Jayce turned himself over, and pushed his upper back to rest against the wall.
“You have to be strong,” Warwick’s voice echoed. “You have to remain strong.”
Jayce swallowed thickly, a sharp inhale squeezing between the gaps of his teeth as he pulled himself further up.
His eyes slowly looked around the room that now seemed much smaller. He felt like a dog stuck in a cage that was far too small.
Please, someone, please, hurry–
He swallowed thickly.
Please don’t leave me here, please come find me.
He hoped, by some cosmic force of the universe, they could hear him.
“‘Ay,” Warwick said, and Jayce pulled up from his daze. “What was this about a technology you made?”
“Technology…” he muttered to himself, looking up at the ceiling, at the flickering lights above. “Hextech, it was called Hextech…and it harnessed magic through science.”
He could explain it to him, all the numbers and equations and runes, the science behind the crystals, the math behind the gates.
But at this moment, all he could see in his mind was his and Viktor's first breakthrough. It was almost crystal clear to him, and when he stared up at the flickering lights, he swore he could almost see it playing out again.
Being weightless, looking down at their pseudo lab at the time, being surrounded by stars and magic. But not even the magic of the crystal or the excitement of the breakthrough made him savor this memory, it was looking across the way and seeing Viktor, experiencing the same thing Jayce was.
Perhaps that’s what made them grow so close together, knowing this powerful memory didn’t exist in only one mind, but two. No one else understood the beauty and freedom of that night the way the other did, because they went through it together.
And that in it of itself, was more beautiful than the magic.
It was once so pretty—
— what a pity.
“It was going to change so many lives…but I guess that didn’t matter in the end. All it did was end up hurting people.” He made a small yet pained sigh.
“My partner Viktor said it best, I think…in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good.”
Warwick was silent for a moment, and for a moment Jayce thought he had grown disinterested.
“But your hearts were in the right place, weren’t they?”
“...yeah, at first. But…we lost our way when, when it became public I guess. When the world saw it. It wasn’t ours anymore.”
“The world has a way of corrupting the things that start out pure,” Warwick said. “It likes to chew up innocence and goodwill, and spit it back out as a twisted version of what it once was.”
When Jayce didn’t respond, Warwick spoke again. “You have a good heart Jayce, you and your partner. Don’t let the world turn you into a monster.”
Softly he rubbed his thumb over the knuckles of his hand, studying the pulsing violet veins. “...I’ve done horrible things, and I thought it was for progress but…I partook in the very corruption I tried to stop…”
“You do what you must in this world to survive,” Warwick’s voice was comforting. “But, you can’t take back what you did. You can only improve going forward, and I think you know that, don’t you? You wouldn’t feel guilt if you didn’t.”
Jayce swallowed thickly. “I guess I do…”
“And with a partner like Viktor, I think you’ll be okay.”
With a partner like Viktor.
A small smile cracked over Jayce’s face. He couldn’t wait to see Viktor again. “Thank you…”
“Of course.”
~~~
Caitlyn had dressed in something a bit more informal for this. Already a bad feeling was brewing in her stomach, making her play with the cuffs of her sleeves.
She took a short breath in, and rang the bell outside. “Ms. Talis? It’s me, Caitlyn Kiramman. I needed to talk to you.”
She heard the turning of locks, and the door slowly opened. There she stood, her hand clutched to her chest.
“Um.” Well, she had practiced what she had said before coming over here. But now, met face to face with her, she couldn’t meet her eye. “There’s, been an explosion-“
Her eyes met her, glistening softly. “Caitlyn…” She said, almost as if she knew and understood.
“I’m sorry.”
The picture in her head portrayed Ms. Talis as a loud grieving, her eyes red and tears falling from her face. But she was quiet, she only looked down with a soft expression, her hand still clutching her chest.
“Please come in,” she said, opening the door a bit wider.
Caitlyn slowly stepped inside, making her way into the parlor and slowly sitting on the couch. Ms. Talis slowly followed her, her gaze still tilted down. “May I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?”
“No thank you,” Caitlyn said. She slowly nodded, walking almost like a ghost across the room, sitting beside Caitlyn.
Her free hand rested on the arm of the armchair. “I knew something was wrong the moment I heard the blast.”
Eyes wouldn’t meet hers, but Caitlyn didn’t know if she could bear the look that would be in them. “I…he went too far, didn’t he?”
“I’m sorry?”
Ms. Talis’s eyes drifted towards a clock on the mantle above the cold fireplace.
“He spoke to me, talking of…doing something he was afraid to do. I was confused at first but—“
The hand resting on the armchair tightened into a fist. “I know my Jayce, he was never made for the world of politics.”
Caitlyn looked down at the patterning of the rug. “He died bravely Ms. Talis. According to Viktor, he died protecting him.”
She thought she could see that thought bring a smile to Ms. Talis’s face. She slowly stood up. “Let me…bring you some water.”
“Oh, please no-“ Caitlyn said, standing. “Please, I’m alright-“
“No, no, it’s fine…” Ms. Talis’s voice got quieter. “It was a long walk over here.”
She slowly left the room, her fist still clenched over her chest. Caitlyn stood in the empty room, slowly sitting back down and slowly clasping her hands between her legs.
Ticks from the clock was all the noise that filled the room. She slowly went into her pocket, pulling the crest into her hands, running her thumbs along the golden accents.
A crash suddenly disrupted her thoughts. She stood, stuffed the crest back into her pocket. “Ms. Talis-?!”
She rushed to the kitchen, finding the woman hunched over at the counter, her head in her hands and the pitcher of water broken on the floor.
Caitlyn took a small breath in, going over to her and reaching out slowly, softly clutching her shoulder.
“I could have stopped him.” She whispered slowly. “I had a bad feeling and…”
“No, you couldn’t,” Caitlyn said gently. “You know how Jayce is…” She went into her pocket again, slowly pulling the crest out and holding it out to her. “We recovered this from the site.”
Ms. Talis’s eyes slowly looked over, slowly her hands cradled the fabric as she looked over it.
Her face was still sullen, still flushed with tears. She looked up at Caitlyn, and in an instant had her arms around her.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m glad he had you.”
Caitlyn quietly returned the hug. “Of course,” she muttered.
When Ms. Talis finally pulled away, she composed herself in a melancholic stance. “I suppose…I should make funeral arrangements.”
“Oh no, I think the Council will help you cover it,” Caitlyn said, though she wasn’t certain. At least she knew she and her father would help. “You’re welcome at our home anytime you need anything.”
“I appreciate your kindness Caitlyn,” Ms. Talis said. “I’ll stop by later tonight perhaps?”
Caitlyn nodded. “Of course.”
~~~
“Mom?”
Viktor slowly opened the door to the drafty bedroom, picking the book back up off the floor as he slowly stepped in.
Carefully he pulled a stool over to the small bed, sitting down and resting his cane on the wall.
There his mother laid, sick in the bed. Her hair was tangled against the pillow, and her eyes were closed shut. Her skin was clammy and pallid, and he could just barely see the dried blood on the corner of her mouth.
“Do you…want your water?” Viktor asked, trying to be of help as he reached for the small thermos of water.
She didn’t move, she only laid there, lifeless. “No? Okay…”
He sat the water back down, slowly opening the book he had brought.
“I thought I’d read to you tonight,” Viktor said to no reply. He showed her the cover. “It’s the one you read to me before, the Velveteen Rabbit?”
When she did not reply, Viktor sighed quietly to himself, and slowly began to read to her. Every so often, he’d glance up. She remained the same, almost like stone, set in place and unmoving.
He made a small sigh to himself, glancing back down at his book, then back up at her.
Her eye was open. Looking at him.
“Mom-!”
Low rumbling sound escaped her lips, almost like a groan. Her fingers slowly curled into fists.
Viktor hated to see her this way, he hated the way this sickness distorted his mother’s body and face into something unrecognizable. He slowly took his cane up in his hands, approaching her with caution as his fingers slipped over her hand. She was stone cold and he could feel the pulse of veins under her thin skin.
“I’m here,” he said. “Is there anything I can do?”
Her bloodshot eyes stared up at him. She made that awful sound again, she slowly pulled herself up.
Hair twisted down in front of her face, blocking streaks of her face as she stared at him.
“I-I…do you want me to get you anything? Water? More blankets?”
Viktor took a step back. She seemed impossibly tall. Her lips pulled up into a snarl as she pushed herself off the bed. “Get OUT!” She wretched. “Get OUT!”
Fear spoiled in his chest as he slowly tried to get away, falling onto his back and winding himself.
Her spindly fingers clawed her face as black bile dripped from her mouth, spewing across the floor.
“Mom, stop! Stop it! Stop it!” Viktor pawed his hand around, trying to find his cane in the darkness of the room. “Please stop!” He begged, tears dripping down his face as black painted the floor.
“ GET OUT !” She screamed, so hard that the house almost seemed to shake. Viktor pulled his arms over his head, gritting his teeth and hoping she would settle on her own.
A hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away from his mother as she began to wail.
His cane was brought back into his hands and before he knew it his father was over him, pushing him out of the door and into the hall. “You can’t come in here son,” his father said. “She doesn’t want you to get sick.”
Viktor didn't reply, he shuddered as breaths caught in his throat.
His father gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to look for a doctor tomorrow.” Slowly he pushed the book back into Viktor’s hands. “You just have to hold on a bit longer.”
The door closed, and Viktor was left in the dark hallway.
~~~
He had been sweating. His eyes slowly pulled open as he looked around the dark room.
He saw a nurse by her stand, writing things in his chart. She glanced over at him as she heard him stir. “Oh, everything’s alright, I’m sorry if I woke you. You can go back to bed.”
“It’s…fine,” Viktor said, slowly pulling himself to sit up.
“Gave us a bit of a scare. We thought you were getting a fever,” the nurse said, going over and checking the levels of the new IV bag that had been inserted into his arm. Slowly she pulled the insertion from his arm. “But you were just dehydrated. Make sure you’re drinking water.”
Dehydrated…
A memory teased him of Jayce setting a bottle of water beside him while he worked in the lab, saying something along the lines of: “ You need to drink water. ”
The nurse sat a full thermos on his nightstand. “Do you need anything else?”
Viktor paused for a second, passing his hands over his eyes. “What of the others…? The other councilors?”
“Oh, most of them are doing okay. Councilor Medarda was concussed but…she’s awoken, and is being overseen.” The nurse slid his chart back into place. “I’m sorry about…Councilor Talis,” she said quietly.
“Oh, it’s…it’s fine. Thank you,” he said. “I think I’d like to get back to bed.”
“Of course, I’ll see myself out.”
He laid back against the pillow, watching her slowly leave. After a few moments, he sat back up again. Slowly he pushed his legs over the edge of the bed, pushing his crutch under his arm as he got up.
Carefully he went over to the window, looking outside at the city.
It was nearing dusk, the sun threatened to sink in the horizon.
But he was concerned about that. His eyes drifted elsewhere. They settled on the tall building peeking out over the skyline, a chunk blown away.
~~~
Her fist collided with the hard fabric swinging at her. The heavy bag swung like the pendulum of a clock, swerving this way and spinning the other.
Hit. Duck. Hit. Hit. Dodge.
“You’ve got a good heart. Don’t ever lose it.”
The bag swung backwards, coming back around.
“I thought you could love me like you used to…”
“Vi, she’s too far gone.”
Hit. Hit. Swerve. Hit.
“Powder’s gone Vi. All that’s left is Jinx, and she belongs to Silco.”
“Take care of Powder.”
“Are we…still sisters?”
“Vi-“
She only got a quick glance of Caitlyn before the bag swung back and hit her in the face.
Vi took a few steps back, rubbing her fingers along the hit spot. It would probably bruise.
“Oh gods, I’m so sorry-“ Caitlyn slowly moved over to take her face, gently rubbing the spot.”I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine…” Vi shooed her hand away. “How was Jayce’s mother?”
“Fine, she’s coming over later.” Caitlyn said softly. “You don’t have to be there, if you don’t want to.”
Drawing in a small breath, Vi pulled away, slowly unwrapping her hands and looking at the bloodied knuckles.
Caitlyn quietly came over, gently holding one of her bloody hands, softly rubbing the raw skin. “I have some lotion at home for these, it might help…”
A small huff that served as a laugh escaped Vi’s lips. She let Caitlyn examine the raw skin, thumbs passing over it so tenderly. “I’m fine,” she promised.
Her eyes didn’t meet Caitlyn’s, but she could tell her attention turned from her knuckles to Vi. “…you know, it wasn’t your fault. None of it is your fault Vi.”
She bit the inside of her cheek, squinting hard. She wouldn’t cry. Mylo used to make fun of her when she would cry, then she’d pummel him to the ground.
“She was alone…”
“You couldn’t have changed that.”
“Yes I could have. If I had just stayed, if I hadn’t—“ Vi turned away, pushing two fingers to her eye. “—and now…now look where we are.”
Caitlyn took a small breath in, going over to Vi. She gently put her arm around her, leaning against her and pressing her mouth to her temple. “Shh…”
Thankfully, Vi didn’t push her away. She accepted the comfort, leaning into Caitlyn shakily.
“You’re not alone anymore,” Caitlyn whispered quietly. “There’s two of us now.”
Vi’s shoulders relaxed visibly. She didn’t say anything else.
“What we should do is think of a plan, instead of going in blind,” Caitlyn suggested.
“A plan?” She saw a small smile pull up on Vi’s face. “You’re such a dork. Okay, yeah…let’s make a plan.”
Caitlyn smiled, letting go of Vi. She went to a small cupboard in the cellar corner, pulling a pen from an old cup and rummaging through the drawers for scrap paper.
Vi indulged her, carefully walking over and leaning against the wall.
“First…um, well, there's dinner tonight.” Caitlyn listened. “And then…the funeral arrangements and such-“
“Right right, moving on, once all that stuff is over.”
“Right,” Caitlyn agreed. “We need to ask Viktor to repair your gauntlets.”
“…what’s going to happen to him?” Vi asked. “I mean, the way you put it, it seemed like Jayce did all the public speaking. What’s going to happen with…Hex-whatsit now?”
“I…I don’t know. I guess Viktor will figure it out…” She rubbed her forehead. While she and Viktor weren’t as close as she and Jayce, she still looked up to Viktor. Caitlyn could recall many times sneaking into their lab, Viktor would always be happy to see her, even let her poke around a bit, answer any questions she asked—
While he was smart, she knew being thrusted into the spot of both maker and speaker of Hextech was going to be a lot for him. Even then, it would be a disservice to Jayce to leave Viktor to face that on his own.
“We’ll…get to that once Viktor is in better shape. Hextech can wait…” she muttered, scribbling something out on her pad of paper. Vi nodded. “Right.”
“Well, I guess after fixing your gloves, we can head into the Undercity, track down your sister. We’ll start at the spot we last saw her, work our way out from there.” Caitlyn wrote that down. “Do you know any spots she could have gone…?”
“A few…but knowing my sister, she goes where she feels safe when she’s scared,” Vi said quietly.
“Okay…okay, this is good-“ Caitlyn tore the page out from the notebook. “I have to go get ready for dinner, but…do you need anything? Anything at all?”
Slowly moving from the wall, Vi smiled gently. “No cupcake, I don’t. Go have your dinner. I’ll…just be down here. Working on our plan, in my head.”
Caitlyn smiled back. “Right…” She slowly went towards the stairs. Vi followed her to the bottom, watching her go up. “Bring me back something to eat though.”
“Mhm, of course,” Caitlyn called over her shoulder. She shut the door.
Vi was alone.
~~~
Jinx was alone.
At least, physically she was, but she knew, she knew the others were there, watching.
She looked at the small stone in her hands, twirling it between her fingers, eyes darting from the blue glow to the ground below her.
“ She’s still out there. ”
“I know. I know-“ She hissed, her fingers rubbing her forehead. “I know…”
“ She hates you now for what you did. They all hate you. ”
“Shut up-“ She squeezed the crystal between her fingers.
“ You couldn’t kill the Piltie. You couldn’t kill the Piltie. Weak. ”
“I’m NOT WEAK !” She threw herself back against the ground, strands of her bangs entering her mouth as she gnawed on them, squeezing harder on the crystal and passing it between her hands, almost as if to crack it like a walnut. “He’s taking care of the councilor guy.”
“ Couldn’t even help with that— “
“SHUT UP!” She sat up again, pressing her palms into her eyes. “Shut up shut up shut up—“
“ Daughter- “
She paused, looking up into the empty air. She could almost his presence behind her, maybe if she looked into a mirror, she would see him standing there, carefully braiding her hair like he used to do.
“ Look at you, so worked up. Over what? Missing girls? ”
“I’m fine,” she pulled her legs into her. “It’s nothing…”
Tears fell from her eyes. She was quick to wipe them away. “I’m fine…”
“ You need to focus. The Councilor is in our hands .”
“I know, I know. We got him, Mr. Causes-Problems, hehe-“ she laughed nervously. “The doctor is dealing with him…”
“ You know this is your business too. ”
She hugged her legs to her chest.
“ That man ruined everything. Are you really not going to give him what he deserves? Simply watch from the sidelines? That’s not the girl I raised. ”
She swallowed thickly, dropping her head into her knees. “You’re right…”
“ You’re doing it for us… ” his voice grew further away. “ Deal with him. Make him hurt .”
Slowly exhaling, she stood up. She looked at the crystal again, before pushing it back down into the satchel on her side.
Quietly, she hopped down from her perch. Making her way to the doctor, she found him hunched over his work desk.
He turned when he heard her approach. She stared at him.
“I want to help.”