Chapter Text
Mel Merdarda was not a woman who was easily rattled, and of this Elora was sure.
It was one of the many things that Elora found so admirable about the woman. Mel had this uncanny, almost ethereal ability to remain perfectly serene even when faced with life or death situations. It was incredibly useful when brokering any kind of agreement, a fact the Merdarda used to its fullest extent, and Elora had witnessed it many times. Of course, many lesser men found it all together intimidating and ‘unladylike’, but Mel was as charming as she was terrifying when she wanted to be, and such people never stayed particularly sour for long…certainly not when Elora was sent to do anything about it.
Elora had worked for many powerful individuals even before she had joined Mel and subsequently chosen to be banished alongside her, but none could so much as hold a candle to the youngest Merdarda. She’d watched Mel step effortlessly across the corpses of men and women that were, by all accounts, far more powerful than she in six inch stilettos without so much as an unsure wobble.
So perhaps that knowledge was what made Mel’s current behavior so peculiar.
Elora watched Mel cautiously from where she stood beside the Merdarda’s desk. To the untrained eye, Mel looked as unbothered and comfortable as she always did, but Elora knew better. There was a faint pinch between her brows, a slight clench to her jaw, and a tightness in her shoulders was barely perceptible beneath the glittering bands and bright fabric she was wrapped in.
…She had also been staring at the exact same word on the same page of a rather average contract for the past five minutes, but that was just the final nail in the coffin for Elora. Something had ensnared Mel’s thoughts, and it had to have been rather serious if it continued to bother her as it did.
For a moment, Elora considered just leaving it be, excusing herself from the room to avoid creating any further distractions for the busy counsel-woman, but she had a rather good idea of what may be holding Mel’s thoughts captive to such a pressing degree. She had a hunch it had something to do with why she had been roused during the late hours of the night a few days ago. Mel had originally sent her home once the opening party she was throwing for her mother had been successfully set up, citing her assistant’s need for rest after spending many late nights attending to each and every detail for the great Ambessa Merdarda’s arrival. Elora took great pride in the fact that she was the only other person Mel dared to outsource matters relating her mother to, and she had taken great care to assure every single item given to her could be held to the highest standard at the worthwhile cost of her sleep. So, she hadn’t thought twice about bidding the woman goodnight and taking herself home for a cozy, well-earned night in.
However, after many hours had passed and Elora had just gotten dressed for bed, a message arrived bidding her to rise at once and make for the Kiramman estate, then to the depths of Zaun. She was to fetch Caitlyn Kiramman, and a young woman referred to only by ‘Vi’ which Mel was certain would be with her. Elora, as she always did, immediately dropped what she was doing and left at once. While it took some time to navigate Zaun, she was out and back within two hours thanks to Mel’s explicit directions. Once she’d completed her task and returned home, she’d sat up and waited for further instruction. Oddly enough, she heard nothing else from Mel for the rest of the night, but it was abundantly clear whatever had warranted such a call and subsequent trip was deeply troubling.
Elora cleared her throat, branching out carefully. “So, how have things been with your mother? Have her accommodations been satisfactory…or at least as pleasant as they can be?”
Mel let out a long, frustrated sigh, letting the paper drop immediately and making it clear that Elora had hit the nail right on the head. Mel sat back in her chair, tsking irritably. She pinched the bridge of her nose and gave her head a little shake.
“Every time I think she can’t possibly get any worse, she manages to exceed my expectations.” Mel groaned, various jewels jingling gently against one another. “If it weren’t so infuriating, I think I’d be impressed.”
Elora nodded knowingly. “Perhaps Piltover’s, and by extension your, success has her rather rattled, and she chooses to take it out on you.”
“It’s not that, Elora. While that may be true, I can handle my mother’s slighted comments. Were they just against me, I wouldn’t have an issue, but this time she’s chosen to target the one thing I fear she may very well be able to snatch out from under me…Goddess, I should’ve foreseen this. He’s exactly the kind of person she would pursue, and I’m sure the fact he has ties to me makes him that much better of a target for her. I should’ve planned for it, it was so obvious…” Mel pressed the pads of her fingers against one another, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the edge of the marble, staring straight ahead at the wall while she continued to murmur to herself.
Elora frowned, racking her brain for some semblance of understanding. “Are you referring to Jayce? He doesn’t seem like your mother’s type.”
“Jayce…? No, no, Jayce is in no danger. As lovely as he is, he’s far too thick-headed to ever fall for my mother’s advances. Besides, he’s not her type. No, it’s Viktor whom I’m concerned for.” Mel glanced at Elora.
Immediately, it all clicked and Elora paled, letting out a pained hum of understanding. It was so clear now, why hadn’t she seen it sooner? “Oh dear.”
“‘Oh dear’, indeed.”
“I see, that is rather unfortunate…I apologize.”
“What for?”
“I should have also seen this coming. It was, indeed, rather obvious. Viktor fits nearly every category she’s ever been known to look for, but I neglected to realize it, forgive me.” Elora shook her head shamefully, clasping her hands tightly in front of her and offering a deep bow.
Mel waved her away. “Please, Elora, none of that. It wasn’t on either of our minds, and why should it have been? My mother has visited more than once, and Viktor has never ventured out long enough to catch her eye. This is, unfortunately, uncharted territory.”
She sighed once more, standing up to begin pacing back and forth in front of the large, floor to ceiling windows. Mel trailed her fingers across the beam that ran across one of the panes to stabilize it. Quietly, she divulged. “...As irrational as it may seem, I worry for him. Viktor is an intelligent individual, but my mother is cunning, I fear she may get her hooks into him before he even realizes it…Both Jayce and I are often occupied, we can’t always be there with him to act as a buffer, and I know my mother will take full advantage of that.” Mel paused, gazing down across the heights of Piltover to where the lab sat unobtrusively tucked between a sea of other sloped roofs. “...the world must continue to turn, but I wish I could pause it for just a bit, for my own peace of mind.”
Elora nodded. “Would you like me to check on him? I’ll be near the lab this afternoon in order to finish up some errands.” That wasn’t technically a lie, but a thirty minute detour for Mel’s peace of mind was something Elora was more than happy to do. “It’d be no trouble to step in for a moment.”
Mel paused, a smidge of the tension held between her shoulder blades bleeding out in a soft exhale. “Would you? Jinx is meant to be keeping him company this afternoon, but…perhaps you could just see if they need anything while you’re there.”
“Of course, I’ll leave right away.” Elora nodded respectfully. “Do you need anything before I go?”
With a shake of her head, Mel waved her away. “No, that’ll be all.”
Elora bowed her head, and made her way out of the room to leave Mel to her pacing.
–
Elora wasted absolutely no time in making her way down towards the lab as soon as she stepped out the door and onto the cobbled streets of Piltover. Her professional heels clicked rhythmically against the road as she strode down the sidewalk with both hands clasped behind her back and a look of cool determination on her face. While she could’ve easily taken one of the many cable cars running throughout Piltover, or even a small airship if she were feeling particularly fancy, she found she much preferred to walk if at all possible. After all, she was Mel’s eyes and ears, how could she hear what the people were muttering about if she wasn't among them?
Today was no such exception. If anything, her presence on the streets was more important than ever. As she strolled through the streets, popping into the occasional shop and delivering letters to their designated lords and ladies, she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Ambessa or her confidants. They weren’t particularly hard to spot, their brutish nature and clunky armor proudly blaring their designation to anyone who so much as glanced at them, but she looked carefully anyway. And it was a good thing she did, for who should she find as she approached the lab, but the great General herself.
Ambessa was comfortably reclined outside one of the nearby cafes, sun glinting off her armor as she sipped on a cup of something dark and hot while casually observed the comings and goings of the lab. Her trusted guard–Rictus, if Elora’s memory served–stood silent and still as a statue behind her. Elora spared them only a glance, smoothing out her blouse and continued past at the same speed she’d happened upon them with. It was only a matter of seconds before she could feel Ambessa’s cold eyes on her, but she resolutely ignored them and continued past the main entrance to the lab without so much as a stutter in her step.
She weaved in and out of another three or four blocks before she felt confident she wasn’t being followed, and was thus comfortable hanging a sharp right to begin making her way back towards the lab from the opposite side. Instead of the main road this time, she slunk through the shadows and across back alleys until she finally reached a little wooden door at the base of Jayce and Viktor’s lab.
It was tucked away behind a small descending staircase, built into the foundation and partially obscured by a few planks of debris and some empty pales. The door was also locked, but that didn't matter. There wasn’t a door in the city Elora couldn’t find a key to, and she just happened to have this particular one tucked away in her pocket already. Pulling out the large, brass key, she made quick work of the lock and pushed the door open with a rather obnoxious creak. Elora slipped inside, shutting the door firmly behind herself and re-engaging the lock as soon as she’d stepped all the way through.
The hallways were large and winding, a veritable maze for anyone unfamiliar. They were also rather dusty, but that was mostly because she shared the space with an army of boxes, half-made inventions, and a variety of other parts that looked like they hadn’t been touched in years. Elora made her way out of there as fast as she could manage, but not before it had succeeded in pulling a few sneezes from her. She quickly made her way up the stairs, the tapping of her footsteps echoing all the way up the winding staircase.
When Mel had requested the building to be built for Jayce and Viktor many years ago, back when Hextech had just received its first round of funding, Jayce had made it clear he wanted the top floor to be exclusive to those authorized to work with Hextech. Thankfully, the counsel had happily obliged, and thus the very top floor had become sealed and locked with several doors and coded elevators, making the entire thing rather difficult to get into. Elora knew that, on paper, the reason was just that Hextech could be very volatile and it wasn’t safe to have anyone who wasn’t well aware of its dangers around. However, Elora had a suspicion it was mostly because Viktor absolutely hated anyone–save for a few specific people–being around him while he was working and Jayce almost always folded to any of Viktor's whims without so much as a peep.
Regardless of the reason, it served them very well in this situation. Ambessa wouldn’t be able to bully her way in without making quite the commotion, which was probably why she had planted herself outside the door for the day.
Elora couldn’t help but huff a laugh, shaking her head as she made her way through each of the heavy doors. “Quite the game of chess we’re setting ourselves up for, aren’t we?”
As she approached the gates to the lab itself, she slowed her pace and quieted her footsteps, tuning her ear to the hum of the laboratory. The door to Viktor’s private workshop was slightly ajar and Elora could hear the faint sounds of chatter through it. Almost immediately, she picked up a slightly childish, but distinctly feminine, voice amongst the clanging and rattling of the machines. Elora relaxed her shoulders, folding her hands loosely in front of herself as she peeked through the crack to catch a glimpse of the two scientists at work.
Viktor was hunched over his desk, a position Elora had only seen him leave a handful of times in their entire acquaintanceship. His signature cane was leaning against the table, just a few inches away from his elbow. He had thick goggles over his eyes, which trapped his hair at odd angles, and was carefully maneuvering a soldering iron across something Elora couldn’t quite see. There was some soot smudge across his face, but it seemed too intentional to be by accident, and when Elora shifted her gaze just to the right she found the likely culprit.
Jinx was sitting crosslegged on his desk, chewing on gum and twirling her pistol carelessly around her fingers. The signature, bright blue braids that heralded her appearance pooled around her frame and draped across her knees and stomach. Her fingers were black with soot, which she seemed to be using to intermittently doodle on her bare skin. To no one's surprise, the constant babbling was coming from her. It escaped in incomprehensible waves that barely broke for breaths and seemed to blend together into one big long sentence. Though she tried, Elora could barely decipher what they were talking about, but Viktor seemed rather content with the situation so she didn't bother to pay any further attention.
Elora had heard much about Jinx, just as everyone in Piltover had, but she’d only gotten a chance to meet her a few nights ago when Mel had sent her in the dead of night to fetch the Zaunite.
It wasn't a particularly pleasant trip. Anyone from Piltover that ventured into Zaun at the hour she did was bound to get a few stares. And Elora had been quite a sight to see as she strolled confidently through the Lanes in her neatly pressed Piltoverian uniform, bearing the colors of arguably the most powerful counselor. She’d drawn a sea of looks, and even more sneers, while she stepped daintily around puddles of bodily fluids and dirtied water. However, that hadn’t deterred her and she'd soon come upon the old bar at the center of town that Mel had mentioned by name in her note. Elora had stopped outside, compared the note to the sign, and then carefully tucked it away in her pocket and confidently shoved the door open.
Inside, she found a bustling establishment that was ripe with games, smoking, dancing, and a sea of alcohol. It smelled strongly of smoke and a sweat, but not unpleasantly so and so she found it easy to maintain her cool, unbothered demeanor. After all, Elora had experienced worse walking into one of Salo’s houses after sundown, but she still walked quickly to avoid disturbing the hearty rabble that was taking place. A symphony of drunken laughter wafted through the air, but started to die as Elora walked across the bar, weaving between staring patrons until she reached the counter.
A burly man stood behind it, carefully drying a cup and chatting with a few people. He caught her eye, and held up a single finger. Elora nodded respectfully in response, clasping her hands in front of her while she waited for him to finish his conversation. It only went on for a few more minutes before the bartender respectfully excused himself and made his way over to her, tossing the towel over his shoulder.
“What can I do for you, miss?” He’d asked gruffly, though not unkindly. “What’s your poison?”
“I’m here to see Jinx.” She said simply, and was met with a blanket of silence. It was like someone cut through the chatter in one fell swoop, leaving only their faint breathing. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see groups of patrons glaring angrily at her and leaning over to grab their weapons. However, she kept her eyes firmly on the bartender and waited.
He looked around the room, shaking his head just slightly.
“‘Fraid she’s not around tonight, sorry miss. Would you care for a drink before you go?”
“Where can I find her?” Elora pressed. “This is vitally important, I need to speak with her.”
“‘Vitally important’, huh?” A breezy, unconcerned voice called from the rafters. "Man, that sounds really serious, huh?"
A blur of colors descended from the ceiling to thud loudly on the counter. If Elora were a weaker woman, she might’ve jumped, but she held her head high and met Jinx’s twisted stare. Jinx kept one leg up on the counter, letting the other dangle down over the side as she blew a stray piece of her bangs out of her face and remained completely unfazed by her violent landing. Resting her head on her hand, Jinx grinned manically at Elora, twisting her head at an unnatural angle to inspect Elora carefully.
“What 'unfortunate accidents’ are they trying to pin on me tonight, Piltie? Armed robbery? Third-degree murder? Horse-napping? Tax evasion?” Jinx asked, swinging her leg back and forth carelessly. "Ooooh, did they finally get a warrant? That'll be the day..."
“I’m here at the behest of Counselor Merdarda.” Elora replied, entirely unbothered by the teen’s antics. “She’s requesting your presence at a meeting.”
Jinx whistled, long and descending. “A meeting huh? At this hour? That’s not suspicious at all. Thanks, but no thanks, tell the grand counselor that I’m not stupid enough to go to a ‘meeting’ at stupid o’clock in the morning. She’s gonna have to try a little harder than that to frame me.”
Elora shook her head. “I assure you, this isn’t a trick. She was very clear that you were in no danger.”
“Yeah, like I haven’t heard that one before.” Jinx rolled her eyes. “What’s she want?”
“That, I cannot say, she didn’t divulge that information to me. She only said that if you were hesitant to attend, I was to tell you that ‘It concerns Viktor’.”
Clearly, Mel had known exactly what would spur Jinx into action. For, as soon as Viktor’s name left Elora’s mouth, the smile vanished from Jinx’s lips and the gleeful air dissipated. Tucking her gun into its holster at her side, she disappeared for a brief moment only to reappear at Elora’s side and grab her by the arm. Without a word, she began dragging Elora across the room and out the door. Honestly, Elora was convinced that, had Jinx known where she was supposed to be going, the Zaunite would’ve dragged her across the entirety of both cities without realizing it. Thankfully, as soon as they were out of the crowds and up into the lower levels of Piltover, Jinx released her bruising grip on Elora’s arm and let her lead the way.
They hadn’t exchanged any further words, which had been fine with Elora, who had done her due diligence by dropping the teen off right outside the designated location and then taken her leave. However, their silent trek had told Elora everything she needed to know about Jinx and why Mel had requested her presence that night. And, as she peered through the door into the lab, that realization was only further supported.
As Elora shifted just slightly, Jinx’s head snapped up, cutting herself off mid-sentence. The smile vanished from her face and she ceased her spinning to get a solid grip on her gun. However, once she caught sight of Elora outside the door, she immediately relaxed her grip on the weapon.
“What is it, Jinx?” Viktor asked, looking up at her.
“...Nothin’, V.” Jinx replied after a beat, watching Elora carefully. “Just saw a dustbunny roll by and thought it might’ve been Heimerdinger’s pet.”
Viktor sighed, going back to his project. “Jinx, how many times must we discuss this, you cannot steal his pet, he will notice and rather peeved. You have enough counselors attempting to pin crimes on you, you don’t need to give the people of Piltover another reason to dislike you.”
Jinx laughed, blowing a raspberry and continued to chatter. Elora gave her a respectful nod and a faint smile as thanks for not outing or shooting her. Jinx gave a tiny shrug in return, and pointed to the windows with her thumb and a raised brow where Viktor couldn’t see. With a tilt of her head, Elora gestured to the outside and then mimicked the Noxian salute. Jinx stared at her for a minute, but eventually stood up and wandered over to the window without even breaking her sentence to peer out. She made her way back over and gave Elora a thumbs up and a rather maniacal grin. Elora finished the silent conversation with a final nod and slipped away, leaving the two to their rather intense debate about Heimerdinger’s pet and whether or not he could be replaced with a ball of fuzz without the professor realizing.
Elora quickly made her way down the stairs and out the back entrance. She was smart enough to realize that any event that proceeded a look like that–from Jinx of all people especially–was not something she wanted to be around for. Whatever Jinx had planned would likely not be pretty, at least not for Ambessa, and plausible deniability was never a bad thing to have. So, beating a hasty retreat was probably the best option at this point. Plus, Mel would want to hear a report as soon as possible. However, before she mad her way back to the counselor, she was sure to stop by the enforcers station to humbly request that they steer traffic away from that area around eight PM. No need for civilians to get startled because of Ambessa’s uncouth practices, and the fewer escape routes the General had the better.
She may have also made sure that there was an empty tram waiting for Jinx that evening after she saw Viktor safely to his apartment and into a frantic Jayce’s care, but there was no way for anyone to trace that particular orchestration back to Elora, so technically it could've been anyone. It was true that Elora wasn’t much of a fighter like Ambessa, but she’d learned enough from Mel to know that there was more than one strategy in a game of chess. If Mel had deemed Jinx a suitable piece on her board, Elora would see to it that she had as many resources as she needed. Just little things, of course. A change in the tram schedule here or a waiting map of the city ducts there, Elora couldn’t risk incriminating herself but she would see to it that all of Mel’s chess pieces remained elusive and on the board.
…But if she happened to have dropped a key to where Ambessa and her compatriots were staying in full view of Jinx one afternoon, well, that was just a happy accident.