It is difficult for Jayce to think right now that his father would be proud. Of Hextech, absolutely. Of their hopes and dreams and the work they put into it, yes. He always cared that Jayce never gets lazy, never forget where he came from and the value of a hard day's work, and that is something he does still carry to now. But Jayce is not proud of himself right now let alone able to think his father would be. He knows eventually this conversation will have to happen, but it is not something he is ready for. The very thought of it makes him nauseated right now, as they both know Jayce can be when stressed or overwhelmed. Some day.
He knows Viktor well enough to know he is aware they are intentionally not talking about something important. All he can be is grateful that it isn't time to press that particular button yet. Jayce wishes he knew why he was supposed to destroy the Hexcore so he could explain, but that will have to stay a mystery.
"Oh good, I'd love to see what the office you'd make for yourself would look like." It isn't hot in here now but it's still beautiful and cozy, the fire from the forge bright enough to keep light and not need them to squint to see one another. It's nice to think of Viktor creating areas for himself, filling them with his choices, what he wants. Jayce will take anything he can get to observe details about his friend and what he values.
Jayce does not mention that the overlook was the last place they spoke, when Viktor nearly jumped and they had a heartfelt if painful conversation, he just nods. "Of course I know it. It's where you go to think." Thus where Jayce knew to find him in the first place, when he wasn't in the lab or anywhere else. "Like this place is for me." Although Jayce would say it is more a place for him to feel than it is for him to think, but same difference in the end.
"Show me. I haven't decided what else to add." He already thinks maybe the council room, not because he wants to be there, but it might be good to have in case they need to have bigger conversations with other people. A conference room of sorts.
"It isn't as though there's a deadline to add more." Their domains are meant to change and evolve almost indefinitely--he's sure that Jayce will come up with plenty more to, but he knows what this is really about. "Back to the lift, then."
There's no real getting around the whole "pet" situation--it's written all over Jayce's face, and by now he's run out of excuses, so he tries to tell himself that everything will be fine and there's no reason to worry. He should be proud of the things that he's made here, just as he's enjoyed watching Jayce fill in his own spaces, and he gives the forge one last look as they head back out into the hallway and step into the elevator. As it moves, Viktor does a little rearranging in his own mind. Jayce seems the most interested in his study, so that's where they'll go.
Maybe, in another lifetime, Viktor makes his own breakthrough and rises through the ranks of the Academy until he holds some position of power there. A real professor, or a dean of one of the various disciplines taught there, maybe. Someone with enough sway to remove the logistical barriers that keep most Zaunites out, fostering a new generation of innovators who aren't held back by where they came from, who do good work and make sure the Undercity reaps the benefits. A glimpse, perhaps, into what Viktor may have imagined for himself if not for Hextech.
The room is sunny thanks to the vaulted windows, and it's lined with bookshelves and worktables full of little clockwork projects, things Viktor tinkers with to keep his hands busy. It's more inviting than the lab proper, with a certain lived-in quality and various creature comforts: house plants, a coffee pot, plush furniture. And, of course, Rio, curled up near one of the chairs, taking up a not insubstantial amount of floor space. Despite the fact that Viktor literally conjured her here, she seems to act of her own accord, looking up to see what's happening as they enter. Viktor, for his part, heads to her immediately, reaching out to pet her not unlike one would a dog--if said dog was very large and amphibious. He looks back at Jayce, offering an upward quirk of his mouth, a little half-smile.
Jayce joins him on the lift and does know that there's no time limit, which is why he wants to consider the other things he'll add before creating them. He has some more obscure ideas that take more focus, especially if he's still making heat mistakes. And really, he just wants to learn more about Viktor's space and new pet. He genuinely has no idea what to expect since Viktor's uncertainty is new to him.
It is fascinating to step into Viktor's study, the one that he would have chosen for himself given the chance. Whereas Jayce is creating something that already existed, the sentimental person he is, Viktor had vision for something he wanted. He said his life's ambition was not to be the professor's assistant, and Jayce doesn't know what his trajectory would've been if not for Hextech. He hopes one that would be fulfilling with or without him.
Jayce is distracted by hungrily looking around, taking all the details he finds interesting and open about his partner, and then his searching eyes drop on Rio. And he is startled but fascinated. The funny thing is Viktor's made up stories about the Undercity from time to time, to poke at Jayce and he knows it, but this seems more surprising than any of that. In typical Jayce form though, it only draws him close to the creature, eyebrows furrowing as he takes it in.
Oh there's a name for it, one he's never heard before. A waverider. Jayce follows Viktor, drawn close, and offers out a hand to her to sniff. He has no idea if you should be treating a waverider like a dog, as if all animals adjust to people the same way, but he still is not assuming he can just pet her like Viktor.
"No, I never have." He's in awe. "Hi there, you're adorable." Jayce loves animals, even ones he couldn't have expected. "You had one of these as a pet in the Undercity?"
Now that it's all playing out in front of him, Viktor isn't sure what he was anxious about in the first place. Of course Jayce is thrilled with this turn of events, though he does not some hesitation, like he's asking permission. He holds out his hand and Rio leans in to meet it, nudging his palm experimentally, as if feeling him out. Viktor, kneeled down beside the creature, palm splayed out on her head, smiles a little.
"Not a pet, exactly."
It feels like the wrong word to use, given the unique circumstances involved (and also the fact that Rio did not, like, live in his house). Trying to explain that is also too much, so he decides to keep things simple, for now.
"A childhood companion, of sorts. Her name is Rio." Viktor nods to a vase nearby, filled with trumpet-shaped purple flowers, glowing softly--also clearly from the Undercity. "You can feed her one of those, if you like."
He will not warn about the three-pronged, incredibly slimy tongue. Some things you just need to experience for yourself.
Oh that is not what he expected the texture of Rio to be but it's so interesting and he smiles, petting her head gently. Jayce assumes with Viktor naming the type of beast that it's something that lives in the Undercity, or possibly in the water surrounding it since it seems amphibian-adjacent. So she's unusual to him but not in general.
"Oh I'm sad now you couldn't bring her up to Piltover, she's sweet." Jayce assumes that's why, not that any other reason could have changed that. But it is reality that there's no way one of these could be in an assistant's room or stay with him. That would have gone over badly. He immediately grabs one of the flowers.
And yes, some things you need to experience for yourself, her tongue curls out and takes the flower from him, leaving saliva behind and Jayce is startled at first, but much like child Viktor once upon a time, he laughs. "Oh boy, we're going to need to have a towel ready for visitors if she gets licking." Jayce wipes it off on his otherwise perfect Talis clothes but it doesn't last there, one of the things about fixing the way you look making it easy.
"How did you meet her?" Jayce knows to tread a little carefully with Viktor's discomfort with talking about his childhood, but it's a carefully innucuous start.
Viktor straightens, leaning against the closest desk and watching all of this with poorly-disguised amusement. There is, however, something sad about his little smile, especially when Jayce assumes that he just left Rio in Zaun when he came to the Academy. He did, technically, but there were, obviously, extenuating circumstances.
"No, I don't think this would have gone over well at the Academy, but I knew her a long time ago."
He hopes that the past tense and the emphasis on childhood will help Jayce fill in the blanks. Rio simply wasn't around for Viktor to bring her along. At the suggestion of a towel, he shrugs--clearly he finds it unnecessary, especially in a place like this where people can just will themselves clean, like Jayce is doing now. Rio gives a little trill, clearly pleased by this development, then bumps her head into Jayce's side, apparently in approval.
"There was this, ehn. Cave system. At the base of the wall, where my overlook is. I used to play there as a child. That's where she was."
"Oh, I see." If this was a childhood friend, that makes sense, although Jayce has no idea what the life expectancy is. That's too bad, but it's good that Viktor can have a version of her here. It may not be entirely real, but it's as real as everything else in here. She feels real, and Viktor is clearly not consciously controlling her. It's fascinating, all things considered.
Jayce laughs when she bumps up against him and beams at Viktor, pointing at her obvious affection. She likes him, success! Yes he counts it as a win when figments of the imagination in this magical space like him too. He looks forward to sharing their space with her, she's far less annoying already than Heimerdinger's yappy little creature.
Then Viktor is opening up a little, explaining where he met her, and Jayce is hungry for any crumbs of his past. "Is that why you like going up there to think?" It reminds him of where he came from. Jayce wondered why that place in particular appealed to him. "I think we would've gotten along as kids too. I'm not all that different." Obviously he is in a few ways! But some elements will always be the same.
Viktor, too, is having something of a Time processing the fact that he created a living being--something from his past--that thinks and behaves on its own. It's a lot to take in, but it's also heartening, especially when he considers the Hexcore. That had been an adaptable device, and it's likely that if he brings it here, it will act as it would in the real world without Viktor needing to guide it.
Of course Jayce is pleased that Rio seems to like him, but why wouldn't she? He just fed her. Viktor laughs and shakes his head a little, content to watch.
"One of the reasons," he says, finally. "It's also as close as we would get to Piltover, as children. I didn't venture up into the wall until I was a little older. That's where I met Heimerdinger."
He can vividly imagine Jayce as a child, which certainly says something, though he imagines the same is true of himself. It may not be hard to guess that Viktor didn't have many friends--the other children unable to keep up with him mentally, just as he was unable to keep up with them physically. The thought elicits a small smile, though there's something a little bittersweet about it.
"Perhaps. I was, uh. Something of a loner." As evidenced by the fact that he spent his time crawling around in a cave making friends with a giant pink lizard. "You might have scared me off."
Jayce imagines Viktor and other Undercity kids, looking up at Piltover and it seeming so close and yet so far. These are the kind of details he really took for granted, being from there, not knowing the full scope of the other side. Viktor got out because he had a sponsor, a very powerful one with Heimerdinger being the head of the council. And that's a very low possibility for anyone else.
As usual his heart hearts thinking about their mentor. He doesn't regret the things that he said, he believed every one of them, but he regrets how it went down. How it had to go down. And since he'll never see him again, there will never be a backup conversation, either for them to apologize or just try to see one another's point of view. Viktor and Jayce were both cared for by him, in his own detached way. "I can see how you would draw him in."
Heimerdinger likes to shape minds but he also likes to control them, in Jayce's opinion. Uncharitable, probably, but he has mixed feelings.
"I would have been annoyingly persistent." Jayce smiles, petting Rio. He can imagine young him following after Viktor, trying to get his attention. "I didn't have any friends." People think that Jayce being the way he is, confident and friendly, means he was surrounded by admirers even before Hextech. But it wasn't the case. He was too smart, just like Viktor. "Nobody has ever appreciated my rock collection." He smiles wryly.
A shrug. They both know Viktor has never been one to follow the rules, if he thinks the rules are wrong. Perhaps, venturing up to Piltover had been one of those instances. He can't deny it changed his life, so he'd probably do it all over again, if given the chance.
The thought of a young Jayce without any friends is slightly surprising to him, but he supposes it makes sense. For a moment, he looks a little sad, thinking of them both as lonely kids, but then Jayce mentions a childhood fixation and he has to admit that yes, maybe they would have been friends after all.
"Okay. I would have appreciated your rock collection. That's fair."
"A rebel from the start. He probably shouldn't have been surprised when we made trouble." He sounds fond, again, there are a lot of mixed feelings he has for their mentor. But Heimerdinger did favor students who were bold and brilliant, who pushed the envelope and didn't always follow the rules. He never would've expected that pushing Viktor and Jayce together, even briefly, would have led down the path it did.
And Jayce is grateful, how else would they have met? They'd been technically in the same place for years and never crossed each other's path. Jayce was very absorbed in his illegal study, after all. He let no one in on it, but he was always the top of his class, he managed to juggle all of his studies well. It didn't exactly afford himself time to make friends. Story of his life. But it was all a choice. His work over his life.
It's no wonder he ended up really bad at balancing the two when he suddenly had a life outside of science. No practice.
"Rock and crystals." Jayce chuckles. "I was in the forge early, already making tools, so I would've wooed you with them." His father was serious about getting him skilled at tool making as a child, and he appreciates that a lot of it is natural to him now. But it was another way that made him different from other kids.
"I was an excellent assistant. I just didn't want to be one for longer than I had to."
It also (fortunately? Unfortunately?) helped that Heimerdinger was largely oblivious to a lot of the things going on right under his nose. Running off with Jayce to complete Hextech was, perhaps, a very dramatic way of submitting a resignation letter, but, given the chance, he would do it all over again. Just...perhaps with less of a time limit. He'd been aware of Jayce before that fateful assignment, and finds it somewhat surprisingly that they'd never crossed paths, in the few years they overlapped at the Academy, in the end he supposes he's glad it all played out the way it did. They might have been caught, if Viktor had been in on the research much earlier.
Hearing about Jayce as a child is endearing, of course. It makes him want to share a little more, in turn.
"How old? I thought Piltover had laws against that sort of thing."
Viktor pulls up a stool, reaching over for something on the workbench. When his hands emerge from behind a pile of books and other gadgets, they're holding a small clockwork boat (though, perhaps large enough for a child), which he hands, gently, to Jayce.
"These are the kinds of projects I worked on. You probably would have liked them."
"Of course you were an excellent assistant, you're excellent at everything you do." Viktor is a literal genius, there is no end to what he's capable of. Jayce may be biased but he also thinks it's pretty obviously true. Jayce knew generally that Heimerdinger had an assistant, but he didn't know anything about him. When Heimerdinger visited him, he didn't bring anything other than his pet along with him. Jayce was very absorbed in his own life and work.
Jayce shrugs. "Technically they do, but it's a family business. Training your own kid young is just smart." Kids take in tons of information and they learn well, so by the time Jayce was older, it's all become second nature. He isn't at all sorry about it, he loves that he knows the trade. "I was already interested. I was playing with hammers as far back as I can remember."
Jayce's eyes widen and he takes the adorable clockwork boat, smiling as he looked it over. The cranks and wheels could turn, he sees that, perfect for putting into the water. "I would have. You were already inventing things even then." His mind is so beautiful it actually hurts Jayce to think about it sometimes.
"Unfortunately, neither of us would have been where we were when we met if we always had each other." They wouldn't have been lonely. Maybe they would have come up with incredible things earlier, but so much of who they are is also defined by what they didn't have. Their drive to be better, to prove themselves. Having a childhood soulmate would have changed that. "But I like the idea anyway."
But, for all Viktor is not an egoist, he's fairly self-assured when it comes to his own abilities. He has to be, when he also has to deal with significant limitations--not that he's ever let that stop him. There's a joke to be made here, about child labor in Zaun, but he lets it go. Not the time or place. Instead, he rests his chin in his palm and listens to Jayce talk about his formative experiences. When he takes the boat, Viktor's expression becomes a little fond.
"Clockwork toys made of scrap metal." Impressive for a ten year old, maybe. "It did work, after a few iterations."
Maybe, meeting Jayce as a child, they could have worked on these things together. The possibilities of what they might have accomplished seems endless, and almost pointless to dwell on, considering he isn't even sure whether or not they'd get along, not having grown into their adult personalities yet--but it's a pleasant thought exercise, regardless.
"Maybe we would have been expelled together." Maybe that would have been more bearable, for Jayce.
"It's not flattery, it's the truth. Try being less competent if you don't want to hear it."
Jayce rolls his eyes at him in a playful way, he's going to keep flattering him because he can and he always means it. Jayce is not actually prone to giving a lot of compliments that aren't legitimately what he thinks. He had to try that out a little bit while sucking up to the Council and while he found he's pretty good at it when he needs to be, he doesn't like it. Both Viktor and Caitlyn get annoyed when he showers them with praise though, they'll have to live with it.
"If you think I was protective of your reputation when we were strangers, imagine already having been my friend." Jayce immediately tried to refuse Viktor's offer to sneak into Heimerdinger's office to continue their illegal experiments. He couldn't justify hurting someone else's future like that. After thinking of that though, Jayce's eyes brighten and he grins.
"Oh I have an idea." He pets Rio one more time, unsure if she'll be following them from now, although she's welcome. Jayce sets the boat down and reaches out to tug on Viktor's sleeve. "Come on." He goes back to the lift, waiting for Viktor to join him, and in the process of it moving, he creates another floor for them to stop on, not straight to the forge. It takes him some focus, he closes his eyes to get it right, since the forge going cold was difficult for him to make sense of. This time he'll be on top of it.
Jayce opens a door to a familiar hall, where Viktor once said this is not my room, and he opens Heimerdinger's door to show the lab exactly as it was on that special night for them. It's glowing beautiful blue and Jayce winks at Viktor before intentionally stepping inside and floating up into the ceiling.
"Just as well. There would have been even more allegations of favoritism."
Heimerdinger's favorite, palling around with the Dean's Assistant. People talked enough about Viktor's position. Just as well they didn't over-complicate things, as interesting a hypothetical as it is to consider.
Rio will not be coming with them--she bumps Jayce's hand again and then flops onto the area rug, seemingly content to stay exactly where she is. Viktor imagines he'll find her back in the caves soon enough, though he's still getting used to having an ostensibly living thing in here with a mind of its own. For now, Viktor follows along, letting Jayce take the lead. Once they're out of the lift, though, it's very easy to see where this is going.
Jayce smiles almost as wide as he did that first night. It's nice to see.
"You're sentimental."
Viktor stays on the ground, just for the time being, but he leans against the door frame and folds his arms, taking in the view.
They were definitely favored by Heimerdinger, Jayce in particular had been told multiple times by their mentor that he reminded him of himself. And for someone like him, that was the greatest of compliments. Jayce does hope there comes a time when he can remember Heimerdinger again without so many mixed emotions. That he won't be angry or guilty or sad, that it'll be a person who was special and important to him, even if things went wrong. But that's the sort of thing people in their 50s manage to do, not their 30s. Alas.
This was the best moment of his life, floating in this space, their discovery finally realized, a partner in science crime, the endless possibilities ahead of them. It was pure in its beauty and importance and sweetness. Jayce swims into the air and he does look lighter in more ways than one, but good memories are worth being stuck in.
"You know that about me," Jayce says with a laugh. He is very sentimental. He keeps everything for years. He plucks a gear that looks exactly like the one from that night, making it in the air, and pushes it toward Viktor who is still standing there. Maybe as an enticement, or as a reminder. It was the last time he saw Viktor smile that wide, although for those good years, they did smile and even laugh together. But they were both so free that night.
There was never really any question as to whether or not Viktor would join Jayce in his recreation of the night they changed the world--it's just that, perhaps, he likes playing a little hard to get. Maybe it's more satisfying for Jayce, if he puts up a fight and then eventually concedes, and Viktor can't deny he likes the look on his face when he realizes that, yet again, Jayce has won him over. Still, he doesn't do it without a slight roll of the eyes. For effect. To pretend he isn't enjoying this just as much.
Viktor leans his cane against the door frame and then takes a step inside, closing his eyes and allowing the blue glow to take him just as it had seven years ago. He'd never forgotten what it was like, to be suddenly unhindered by gravity--weightless, painless, overwhelmed with possibility.
He doesn't smile quite as wide--he's not sure he remembers how--but he does get close.
There is definitely something thrilling about when he gets Viktor to give in, knowing that he can get through his friend's armor and convince him to let go. He feels like those are victories so the playing hard to get works. He knows Viktor likes giving in when he does too, otherwise he wouldn't do it. He waits and takes in the look on his face as Viktor floats up too, his eyes closed, his healthier face from the Horizon soft.
The amazing thing about that night was there was a physical manifestation of the glory of their discovery. Proving any theory is incredible, but it is particularly thrilling when it looks exciting too. And having an entire weightless room, glowing blue, as a monument to what happened, makes this special for them. Jayce made this and he's going to keep it.
Viktor's smile is the biggest victory he could ever ask for and Jayce beams right back at him. His chest feels full and warm and he's so happy in that moment. "Maybe we should come down here when we get frustrated in a project and remember that we are brilliant and will always figure it out."
Jayce does a roll in the air because he never got to do that before, and he's always wanted to. Now he can. He's a kid again. "This is exactly what it felt like with the mage, you know. Everything was blue and weightless as we teleported. It was beautiful."
Viktor, for his part, simply drifts for a moment, enjoying the feeling of it and trying not to think of the realities that await them outside of this room--this strange realm that allows them to perfectly re-create a memory. He wants to comment that they are frustrated by a project, but he doesn't want to ruin the moment. Maybe Jayce is right. Maybe they will figure it out, even if it feels impossible. Out of reach and out of time, but it's better, now that it's both of them.
Jayce has told him about the mage countless times, of course, but it's not like Viktor gets tired of hearing about it. He hadn't expected to fall so in love with magic, and everything about it--but after experiencing this firsthand, how could he not?
Jayce's own passion for it certainly helps, too.
"You've told me." A contented sigh. He opens his eyes--he's upside-down, not that it matters when gravity has lost its hold on them. "How lucky we are, to experience it for ourselves."
Jayce thinks they have a better chance here than at home, and in that, he finds his hope. There was too much in their way not to mention they can't turn back whatever Viktor did to make himself sicker, but he is doing okay so far here, and there's magic, there are ways maybe to pause it until they can cure it. That's the plan in Jayce's mind. Step by step. It does feel in this room like anything's possible.
He closes his eye and thinks about that defining moment, the mage, looking around in the middle of it, how beautiful it was, how significant. "All we could do was mimic it before, and we did that well." They created the Hexgates, and then went on to create other technology that had yet to be laid out. "But we can touch real magic here. Maybe not the same as his, but something real."
Jayce is so hungry for it. His focus is on healing magic first and foremost, and it's not as if that's him settling, any magic is amazing to him. He's always liked to fix things, so being able to fix injuries is right up his alley. But once Viktor is cured, who knows what Jayce could accomplish with magic at his fingertips.
"We won't have to settle for crystals that are hard to come by either." He is mirroring and paralleling Viktor above him, smiling up at him.
It's easy to be awash with possibility, in a place and time like this, where it felt like they had the whole world at their fingertips, and there was no limit to what they could do. It feels like that, now, even though Viktor is fully aware of everything that awaits them outside of this room. Jayce is optimistic, and it's at least a little contagious. He opens his eyes to find that he's floating upside-down, Jayce smiling at him.
"You've been dreaming about this your whole life."
Magic--real magic. Some measure of happiness bubbles within him, at the thought of Jayce finally being able to harness the ability for himself, not just fake it or channel it through a carefully-constructed mechanism.
Jayce has been mostly shuttling his joy about the magic to the side, since they have to focus on Viktor's health, it's the priority. And since he's going to be studying healing magic right away, he will get to experience magic, it'll be beautiful, he's excited about it. But now they're in this room and all opportunities hang between them, Jayce lets it settle into him. He is going to be able to do real magic. His dream. He has come the closest he could to it through Hextech.
His smile then is pure joy. "I have been." Waiting his entire life for this. He takes this as permission to be happy about it, to think only about magic for a few seconds and not the rest of their projects. Jayce has never had the talent, only a mind. Viktor knows how much it means to him, and he can feel his support in the way he says that.
"I'll probably cry the first time I do a spell," Jayce says with a laugh. It's also likely true. "So emotionally overwhelming, yes." But exciting. "Have you used any of it since getting here?"
All he can do is watch fondly--it's the same kind of passion from the trial, and Viktor can't help but be taken up in it, just as he was that very first night. The fact that it's going to be reality sooner rather than later, well. Viktor can't wait to see it.
"If you cry, I won't hold it against you."
Well, he might. A little. His smile says as much.
"I haven't tried," Viktor admits. It all seems a bit overwhelming, to know that he can, so he's put it off by immersing himself in his own work, as usual. "I'll be honest, I'm...not sure I know where to begin."
Jayce brings another gear to him and playfully flicks it at Viktor. Of course it's moving very slowly so it won't actually hit him unless he lets it. "You chose an emotional partner, you have to live with it." And if that includes crying, so be it! Sometimes he's a little embarrassed about the extent of his feelings, especially when they get out of his control, but it's also one of those things that are part of his personality.
He can't say he's surprised that Viktor hasn't used it yet. For one, he would have already shown it to Jayce, since he knows how excited he would be. For two, he has more pressing matters. If magic can help finish the Hexcore and get where they need to go, they'll definitely have to use it, but Jayce is more than happy to dive into that part.
"I've only just started looking into it, but they have academic magic which is not that dissimilar from learning science through our texts, there are books you can read and memorize spells through. I figured that would be an easy first step."
Jayce may have gone immediately to academia upon having a few minutes to himself to find out how to start. He is predictable. But that is probably the easiest start for two people who have always been academics at heart. Books!
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He knows Viktor well enough to know he is aware they are intentionally not talking about something important. All he can be is grateful that it isn't time to press that particular button yet. Jayce wishes he knew why he was supposed to destroy the Hexcore so he could explain, but that will have to stay a mystery.
"Oh good, I'd love to see what the office you'd make for yourself would look like." It isn't hot in here now but it's still beautiful and cozy, the fire from the forge bright enough to keep light and not need them to squint to see one another. It's nice to think of Viktor creating areas for himself, filling them with his choices, what he wants. Jayce will take anything he can get to observe details about his friend and what he values.
Jayce does not mention that the overlook was the last place they spoke, when Viktor nearly jumped and they had a heartfelt if painful conversation, he just nods. "Of course I know it. It's where you go to think." Thus where Jayce knew to find him in the first place, when he wasn't in the lab or anywhere else. "Like this place is for me." Although Jayce would say it is more a place for him to feel than it is for him to think, but same difference in the end.
"Show me. I haven't decided what else to add." He already thinks maybe the council room, not because he wants to be there, but it might be good to have in case they need to have bigger conversations with other people. A conference room of sorts.
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There's no real getting around the whole "pet" situation--it's written all over Jayce's face, and by now he's run out of excuses, so he tries to tell himself that everything will be fine and there's no reason to worry. He should be proud of the things that he's made here, just as he's enjoyed watching Jayce fill in his own spaces, and he gives the forge one last look as they head back out into the hallway and step into the elevator. As it moves, Viktor does a little rearranging in his own mind. Jayce seems the most interested in his study, so that's where they'll go.
Maybe, in another lifetime, Viktor makes his own breakthrough and rises through the ranks of the Academy until he holds some position of power there. A real professor, or a dean of one of the various disciplines taught there, maybe. Someone with enough sway to remove the logistical barriers that keep most Zaunites out, fostering a new generation of innovators who aren't held back by where they came from, who do good work and make sure the Undercity reaps the benefits. A glimpse, perhaps, into what Viktor may have imagined for himself if not for Hextech.
The room is sunny thanks to the vaulted windows, and it's lined with bookshelves and worktables full of little clockwork projects, things Viktor tinkers with to keep his hands busy. It's more inviting than the lab proper, with a certain lived-in quality and various creature comforts: house plants, a coffee pot, plush furniture. And, of course, Rio, curled up near one of the chairs, taking up a not insubstantial amount of floor space. Despite the fact that Viktor literally conjured her here, she seems to act of her own accord, looking up to see what's happening as they enter. Viktor, for his part, heads to her immediately, reaching out to pet her not unlike one would a dog--if said dog was very large and amphibious. He looks back at Jayce, offering an upward quirk of his mouth, a little half-smile.
"Have you ever seen a waverider before?"
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It is fascinating to step into Viktor's study, the one that he would have chosen for himself given the chance. Whereas Jayce is creating something that already existed, the sentimental person he is, Viktor had vision for something he wanted. He said his life's ambition was not to be the professor's assistant, and Jayce doesn't know what his trajectory would've been if not for Hextech. He hopes one that would be fulfilling with or without him.
Jayce is distracted by hungrily looking around, taking all the details he finds interesting and open about his partner, and then his searching eyes drop on Rio. And he is startled but fascinated. The funny thing is Viktor's made up stories about the Undercity from time to time, to poke at Jayce and he knows it, but this seems more surprising than any of that. In typical Jayce form though, it only draws him close to the creature, eyebrows furrowing as he takes it in.
Oh there's a name for it, one he's never heard before. A waverider. Jayce follows Viktor, drawn close, and offers out a hand to her to sniff. He has no idea if you should be treating a waverider like a dog, as if all animals adjust to people the same way, but he still is not assuming he can just pet her like Viktor.
"No, I never have." He's in awe. "Hi there, you're adorable." Jayce loves animals, even ones he couldn't have expected. "You had one of these as a pet in the Undercity?"
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"Not a pet, exactly."
It feels like the wrong word to use, given the unique circumstances involved (and also the fact that Rio did not, like, live in his house). Trying to explain that is also too much, so he decides to keep things simple, for now.
"A childhood companion, of sorts. Her name is Rio." Viktor nods to a vase nearby, filled with trumpet-shaped purple flowers, glowing softly--also clearly from the Undercity. "You can feed her one of those, if you like."
He will not warn about the three-pronged, incredibly slimy tongue. Some things you just need to experience for yourself.
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"Oh I'm sad now you couldn't bring her up to Piltover, she's sweet." Jayce assumes that's why, not that any other reason could have changed that. But it is reality that there's no way one of these could be in an assistant's room or stay with him. That would have gone over badly. He immediately grabs one of the flowers.
And yes, some things you need to experience for yourself, her tongue curls out and takes the flower from him, leaving saliva behind and Jayce is startled at first, but much like child Viktor once upon a time, he laughs. "Oh boy, we're going to need to have a towel ready for visitors if she gets licking." Jayce wipes it off on his otherwise perfect Talis clothes but it doesn't last there, one of the things about fixing the way you look making it easy.
"How did you meet her?" Jayce knows to tread a little carefully with Viktor's discomfort with talking about his childhood, but it's a carefully innucuous start.
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"No, I don't think this would have gone over well at the Academy, but I knew her a long time ago."
He hopes that the past tense and the emphasis on childhood will help Jayce fill in the blanks. Rio simply wasn't around for Viktor to bring her along. At the suggestion of a towel, he shrugs--clearly he finds it unnecessary, especially in a place like this where people can just will themselves clean, like Jayce is doing now. Rio gives a little trill, clearly pleased by this development, then bumps her head into Jayce's side, apparently in approval.
"There was this, ehn. Cave system. At the base of the wall, where my overlook is. I used to play there as a child. That's where she was."
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Jayce laughs when she bumps up against him and beams at Viktor, pointing at her obvious affection. She likes him, success! Yes he counts it as a win when figments of the imagination in this magical space like him too. He looks forward to sharing their space with her, she's far less annoying already than Heimerdinger's yappy little creature.
Then Viktor is opening up a little, explaining where he met her, and Jayce is hungry for any crumbs of his past. "Is that why you like going up there to think?" It reminds him of where he came from. Jayce wondered why that place in particular appealed to him. "I think we would've gotten along as kids too. I'm not all that different." Obviously he is in a few ways! But some elements will always be the same.
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Of course Jayce is pleased that Rio seems to like him, but why wouldn't she? He just fed her. Viktor laughs and shakes his head a little, content to watch.
"One of the reasons," he says, finally. "It's also as close as we would get to Piltover, as children. I didn't venture up into the wall until I was a little older. That's where I met Heimerdinger."
He can vividly imagine Jayce as a child, which certainly says something, though he imagines the same is true of himself. It may not be hard to guess that Viktor didn't have many friends--the other children unable to keep up with him mentally, just as he was unable to keep up with them physically. The thought elicits a small smile, though there's something a little bittersweet about it.
"Perhaps. I was, uh. Something of a loner." As evidenced by the fact that he spent his time crawling around in a cave making friends with a giant pink lizard. "You might have scared me off."
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As usual his heart hearts thinking about their mentor. He doesn't regret the things that he said, he believed every one of them, but he regrets how it went down. How it had to go down. And since he'll never see him again, there will never be a backup conversation, either for them to apologize or just try to see one another's point of view. Viktor and Jayce were both cared for by him, in his own detached way. "I can see how you would draw him in."
Heimerdinger likes to shape minds but he also likes to control them, in Jayce's opinion. Uncharitable, probably, but he has mixed feelings.
"I would have been annoyingly persistent." Jayce smiles, petting Rio. He can imagine young him following after Viktor, trying to get his attention. "I didn't have any friends." People think that Jayce being the way he is, confident and friendly, means he was surrounded by admirers even before Hextech. But it wasn't the case. He was too smart, just like Viktor. "Nobody has ever appreciated my rock collection." He smiles wryly.
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A shrug. They both know Viktor has never been one to follow the rules, if he thinks the rules are wrong. Perhaps, venturing up to Piltover had been one of those instances. He can't deny it changed his life, so he'd probably do it all over again, if given the chance.
The thought of a young Jayce without any friends is slightly surprising to him, but he supposes it makes sense. For a moment, he looks a little sad, thinking of them both as lonely kids, but then Jayce mentions a childhood fixation and he has to admit that yes, maybe they would have been friends after all.
"Okay. I would have appreciated your rock collection. That's fair."
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And Jayce is grateful, how else would they have met? They'd been technically in the same place for years and never crossed each other's path. Jayce was very absorbed in his illegal study, after all. He let no one in on it, but he was always the top of his class, he managed to juggle all of his studies well. It didn't exactly afford himself time to make friends. Story of his life. But it was all a choice. His work over his life.
It's no wonder he ended up really bad at balancing the two when he suddenly had a life outside of science. No practice.
"Rock and crystals." Jayce chuckles. "I was in the forge early, already making tools, so I would've wooed you with them." His father was serious about getting him skilled at tool making as a child, and he appreciates that a lot of it is natural to him now. But it was another way that made him different from other kids.
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It also (fortunately? Unfortunately?) helped that Heimerdinger was largely oblivious to a lot of the things going on right under his nose. Running off with Jayce to complete Hextech was, perhaps, a very dramatic way of submitting a resignation letter, but, given the chance, he would do it all over again. Just...perhaps with less of a time limit. He'd been aware of Jayce before that fateful assignment, and finds it somewhat surprisingly that they'd never crossed paths, in the few years they overlapped at the Academy, in the end he supposes he's glad it all played out the way it did. They might have been caught, if Viktor had been in on the research much earlier.
Hearing about Jayce as a child is endearing, of course. It makes him want to share a little more, in turn.
"How old? I thought Piltover had laws against that sort of thing."
Viktor pulls up a stool, reaching over for something on the workbench. When his hands emerge from behind a pile of books and other gadgets, they're holding a small clockwork boat (though, perhaps large enough for a child), which he hands, gently, to Jayce.
"These are the kinds of projects I worked on. You probably would have liked them."
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Jayce shrugs. "Technically they do, but it's a family business. Training your own kid young is just smart." Kids take in tons of information and they learn well, so by the time Jayce was older, it's all become second nature. He isn't at all sorry about it, he loves that he knows the trade. "I was already interested. I was playing with hammers as far back as I can remember."
Jayce's eyes widen and he takes the adorable clockwork boat, smiling as he looked it over. The cranks and wheels could turn, he sees that, perfect for putting into the water. "I would have. You were already inventing things even then." His mind is so beautiful it actually hurts Jayce to think about it sometimes.
"Unfortunately, neither of us would have been where we were when we met if we always had each other." They wouldn't have been lonely. Maybe they would have come up with incredible things earlier, but so much of who they are is also defined by what they didn't have. Their drive to be better, to prove themselves. Having a childhood soulmate would have changed that. "But I like the idea anyway."
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But, for all Viktor is not an egoist, he's fairly self-assured when it comes to his own abilities. He has to be, when he also has to deal with significant limitations--not that he's ever let that stop him. There's a joke to be made here, about child labor in Zaun, but he lets it go. Not the time or place. Instead, he rests his chin in his palm and listens to Jayce talk about his formative experiences. When he takes the boat, Viktor's expression becomes a little fond.
"Clockwork toys made of scrap metal." Impressive for a ten year old, maybe. "It did work, after a few iterations."
Maybe, meeting Jayce as a child, they could have worked on these things together. The possibilities of what they might have accomplished seems endless, and almost pointless to dwell on, considering he isn't even sure whether or not they'd get along, not having grown into their adult personalities yet--but it's a pleasant thought exercise, regardless.
"Maybe we would have been expelled together." Maybe that would have been more bearable, for Jayce.
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Jayce rolls his eyes at him in a playful way, he's going to keep flattering him because he can and he always means it. Jayce is not actually prone to giving a lot of compliments that aren't legitimately what he thinks. He had to try that out a little bit while sucking up to the Council and while he found he's pretty good at it when he needs to be, he doesn't like it. Both Viktor and Caitlyn get annoyed when he showers them with praise though, they'll have to live with it.
"If you think I was protective of your reputation when we were strangers, imagine already having been my friend." Jayce immediately tried to refuse Viktor's offer to sneak into Heimerdinger's office to continue their illegal experiments. He couldn't justify hurting someone else's future like that. After thinking of that though, Jayce's eyes brighten and he grins.
"Oh I have an idea." He pets Rio one more time, unsure if she'll be following them from now, although she's welcome. Jayce sets the boat down and reaches out to tug on Viktor's sleeve. "Come on." He goes back to the lift, waiting for Viktor to join him, and in the process of it moving, he creates another floor for them to stop on, not straight to the forge. It takes him some focus, he closes his eyes to get it right, since the forge going cold was difficult for him to make sense of. This time he'll be on top of it.
Jayce opens a door to a familiar hall, where Viktor once said this is not my room, and he opens Heimerdinger's door to show the lab exactly as it was on that special night for them. It's glowing beautiful blue and Jayce winks at Viktor before intentionally stepping inside and floating up into the ceiling.
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Heimerdinger's favorite, palling around with the Dean's Assistant. People talked enough about Viktor's position. Just as well they didn't over-complicate things, as interesting a hypothetical as it is to consider.
Rio will not be coming with them--she bumps Jayce's hand again and then flops onto the area rug, seemingly content to stay exactly where she is. Viktor imagines he'll find her back in the caves soon enough, though he's still getting used to having an ostensibly living thing in here with a mind of its own. For now, Viktor follows along, letting Jayce take the lead. Once they're out of the lift, though, it's very easy to see where this is going.
Jayce smiles almost as wide as he did that first night. It's nice to see.
"You're sentimental."
Viktor stays on the ground, just for the time being, but he leans against the door frame and folds his arms, taking in the view.
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This was the best moment of his life, floating in this space, their discovery finally realized, a partner in science crime, the endless possibilities ahead of them. It was pure in its beauty and importance and sweetness. Jayce swims into the air and he does look lighter in more ways than one, but good memories are worth being stuck in.
"You know that about me," Jayce says with a laugh. He is very sentimental. He keeps everything for years. He plucks a gear that looks exactly like the one from that night, making it in the air, and pushes it toward Viktor who is still standing there. Maybe as an enticement, or as a reminder. It was the last time he saw Viktor smile that wide, although for those good years, they did smile and even laugh together. But they were both so free that night.
"Come on, V. You know you want to."
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Viktor leans his cane against the door frame and then takes a step inside, closing his eyes and allowing the blue glow to take him just as it had seven years ago. He'd never forgotten what it was like, to be suddenly unhindered by gravity--weightless, painless, overwhelmed with possibility.
He doesn't smile quite as wide--he's not sure he remembers how--but he does get close.
"Okay. This is fun; you've convinced me."
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The amazing thing about that night was there was a physical manifestation of the glory of their discovery. Proving any theory is incredible, but it is particularly thrilling when it looks exciting too. And having an entire weightless room, glowing blue, as a monument to what happened, makes this special for them. Jayce made this and he's going to keep it.
Viktor's smile is the biggest victory he could ever ask for and Jayce beams right back at him. His chest feels full and warm and he's so happy in that moment. "Maybe we should come down here when we get frustrated in a project and remember that we are brilliant and will always figure it out."
Jayce does a roll in the air because he never got to do that before, and he's always wanted to. Now he can. He's a kid again. "This is exactly what it felt like with the mage, you know. Everything was blue and weightless as we teleported. It was beautiful."
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Jayce has told him about the mage countless times, of course, but it's not like Viktor gets tired of hearing about it. He hadn't expected to fall so in love with magic, and everything about it--but after experiencing this firsthand, how could he not?
Jayce's own passion for it certainly helps, too.
"You've told me." A contented sigh. He opens his eyes--he's upside-down, not that it matters when gravity has lost its hold on them. "How lucky we are, to experience it for ourselves."
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He closes his eye and thinks about that defining moment, the mage, looking around in the middle of it, how beautiful it was, how significant. "All we could do was mimic it before, and we did that well." They created the Hexgates, and then went on to create other technology that had yet to be laid out. "But we can touch real magic here. Maybe not the same as his, but something real."
Jayce is so hungry for it. His focus is on healing magic first and foremost, and it's not as if that's him settling, any magic is amazing to him. He's always liked to fix things, so being able to fix injuries is right up his alley. But once Viktor is cured, who knows what Jayce could accomplish with magic at his fingertips.
"We won't have to settle for crystals that are hard to come by either." He is mirroring and paralleling Viktor above him, smiling up at him.
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"You've been dreaming about this your whole life."
Magic--real magic. Some measure of happiness bubbles within him, at the thought of Jayce finally being able to harness the ability for himself, not just fake it or channel it through a carefully-constructed mechanism.
"It's an almost overwhelming prospect, isn't it?"
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His smile then is pure joy. "I have been." Waiting his entire life for this. He takes this as permission to be happy about it, to think only about magic for a few seconds and not the rest of their projects. Jayce has never had the talent, only a mind. Viktor knows how much it means to him, and he can feel his support in the way he says that.
"I'll probably cry the first time I do a spell," Jayce says with a laugh. It's also likely true. "So emotionally overwhelming, yes." But exciting. "Have you used any of it since getting here?"
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"If you cry, I won't hold it against you."
Well, he might. A little. His smile says as much.
"I haven't tried," Viktor admits. It all seems a bit overwhelming, to know that he can, so he's put it off by immersing himself in his own work, as usual. "I'll be honest, I'm...not sure I know where to begin."
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He can't say he's surprised that Viktor hasn't used it yet. For one, he would have already shown it to Jayce, since he knows how excited he would be. For two, he has more pressing matters. If magic can help finish the Hexcore and get where they need to go, they'll definitely have to use it, but Jayce is more than happy to dive into that part.
"I've only just started looking into it, but they have academic magic which is not that dissimilar from learning science through our texts, there are books you can read and memorize spells through. I figured that would be an easy first step."
Jayce may have gone immediately to academia upon having a few minutes to himself to find out how to start. He is predictable. But that is probably the easiest start for two people who have always been academics at heart. Books!
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