[Was gonna say fling the boy in space, but I guess that's exactly what happened here.]
Yes. Well--my partner and I did.
[Viktor tucks the crutch under his right arm and starts hobbling over to sit near Shoma. Tired, must sit. But out of the way so Shoma can still work, so he isn't hovering. Close enough to watch, though. He's a NERD.
He rests the crutch against his chest and over one shoulder.]
He wanted to harness the power of the arcane, something only people born with the ability could do. I wanted to help him make things to help others have a better life. To make living and working easier and efficient.
[ sit, sit! shoma sort of tucks his limbs closer to himself to give viktor room, and roboji turns so that it can both face viktor and still be close to shoma so he can work. it means viktor gets a front row seat to what shoma's doing, which is really just touching up panels and tightening screws as best as he can with this lil multitool.
but he's very much listening. ]
The arcane. So, like...[ this sounds stupid a little but he can't think of a better word. ] Magic? Like a power that's a part of your genetics. That doesn't sound like a bad idea. If you have something powerful that could make things better for people without that ability...[ well. it makes sense.
so what went wrong? ]
It sounds like you were successful with it. [ but shoma knows how these things go, and he still has to wonder that same questions. "what went wrong?" maybe it's the natural skeptic in him. ]
[Ah yes, maintenance. Viktor watches with idle interest, but not in a prying or hawkish way.]
Yes, like magic. We used it to power technology. It's like... [thoughtful] Harnessing the magic of the world. Some people are conduits, and they can funnel the magic through themselves.
[He nods, though his smile is weak.]
Yes, after trial and error. We made the Hexgates, the Hex Claw, the gauntlets for the miners.
[ this all makes sense to him. he has zero exposure to magic but he can understand being a conduit and how it might work to flow through people. even if it sounds a little questionable to use them. still...]
Were you or your partner a conduit then? How exactly did it work to generate enough to power other objects?
Heh. No, though I imagine Jayce would have loved to be. That was his life ambition, to find his own magic. [Stupid jock.] He claims he saw it when he was young. A mage using the arcane. The mage gave him something, a piece of a crystal with a rune on it.
So he studied it and tried to recreate it, to make the piece into a full crystal. They were all unrefined, unstable. I helped him stabilize them.
If it's as amazing as you make it sound, I could see why someone would find it appealing. [ ...this is about the point he stops working entirely to stare at viktor curiously. ]
You knew how to get down to its molecular level and work with the magic to duplicate and stitch it back together. [ this is just what he's taking it as. ] But you aren't a conduit yourself.
[ forgot his robot, that's actually pretty impressive. ]
Heh. Jayce just needed a little push in the right direction. So something like that, yes. We were able to figure out the language of the runes. The crystals were easily combustive, and to refine them we had to exert... um, a lot of pressure to force it to stabilize. We built a machine to do that for us.
Jayce had the dream and perseverance, and I had the math and the building skill.
[ he's being watched because...he's a nerd. and introverted. and he doesn't always connect with people in general. shoma's not much of a talker on a good day, tending to keep to himself unless someone forces him to communicate or it's a topic that catches his interest.
so this of course is the latter, and he's interested in hearing what viktor's accomplished. ]
One wrong move and you'd lose resources. But fine-tuning a machine to exert the right amount of pressure each time to maximize the output of arcane power means being able to continually create new things. [ ... ] Was it something you had an interest in doing yourself before you even met Jayce?
He glances up at Roboji and smiles small, but appreciatively.]
I was about your age when I was building things, too. The other kids... didn't want to play with the cripple. I couldn't go where they went. I was slow. So I made things. I loved... having an idea and then seeing it be real.
It was easier. I didn't have to think about... what to say to someone, or interpret the hidden meanings of what they weren't saying to me. What I made never judged me, or pitied me, or shunned me.
[ the robot doesn't have a face, but it does seem to perk up a little with that expression. wild.
but he listens, and...there's a little ping of sympathy from that because he kind of gets it. not necessarily in the same way, but in the sense that kids are assholes and if you aren't exactly "right" or "cool" or anything it's easy to get left behind and left with nothing.
when you're building something with your own hands and using your own brain, you don't have to worry about being misunderstood. the communication is clear and you're able to do exactly what you've envisioned. you don't have to wonder about why the things that you once were aren't good enough anymore or why certain things happened to you and only you or why no matter what you said to people things didn't get better. you can focus on something more remarkable.
so anyway he's thinking all of this which is why he's still staring at him for a minute before his gaze drops. ]
It was easier when everything was already in your hands instead of having to figure out how things outside would work with or against you. Like...a reflection of what you wanted without having to fight to get it. [ or maybe he's just...misinterpreting a little. either way. ] There's something kind of cool about accomplishing things you weren't sure you'd be able to anyway and knowing that other people couldn't.
Viktor has decided Shoma is very smart, but instead of being concerned about that like he should be, he thinks it's the best thing ever. Because he was the same. Terrible.]
Mm. I enjoy... creating things that will help others, but especially... people like me, or people from the place I was born. The Undercity. Making something that will... have a legacy to live on even when you're gone.
I don't think that's a bad goal to have. [ decisively. why wouldn't you want to let your creations advance and improve the lives of others? ] ...what was the Undercity like then? It sounds like it needed some help.
There are two cities divided by a river. Across from Piltover is Zaun. That was the Undercity because so much of it ran beneath Piltover. It's Piltover's dumping ground, a place forgotten. People have always struggled to survive there, but now it is full of gangs and drugs, more pollution.
You wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at Piltover. Clean and innovative. I would never be able to create anything of value where I was. So I left the Undercity to try to get into Piltover's Academy.
[ this description makes him frown because it really sounds like piltover just does not give a fuck about Zaun at all. Like an "out of sight out of mind" situation. he's from a really big city and it's not nearly as bad as what viktor's saying, but he kind of gets it. you don't make something of yourself without either the money to back you up or the spite and means to do it yourself. and in cases like theirs, the latter is all you have. ]
And I'm guessing you managed to get in? [ it's mostly a gentle prompt for viktor to tell him more about this story. this is literally the most of anyone's backstory he's ask for so far i hate you. ]
[HELP ME. Not the speedrun. Except I'm being digiku'd again and learning nothing about Shoma because he is too busy talking.]
Yes. I believed in myself. It took a little more work than people who have money, or a sponsor. But I did it on my own. I became the Dean's assistant. He was head of the Council, too.
[ hehe. LOOK IT'S FINE viktor telling him this much at least means shoma will be slightly less resistant talking about himself if prompted. but this is the introvert curse...sometimes you just like to hear what people have to say when it's a topic that interests you. ]
That's almost more impressive than buying your way in. [ he just says this. ] ...did something happen to force the Dean to step down?
[ i'm half-expecting this to end with "he was murdered" actually. ]
The question draws a dark and pensive pinch to his brows. He glances away; his fingers drum quietly on the bar of the crutch in front of him.]
My research partner, Jayce, became a councilor at the behest of another one. They voted to make him oversee security since we were the ones who made the Hexgates. We had been... working... on something new. A Hex Core. Head Councilor Heimerdinger [don't laugh] was... apprehensive about studying it. He thought the Hextech we were creating should go through years worth of testing before being put to use, and he thought research of the Hex Core should be abolished.
[He pauses to try to think of what to say.]
But the Council thought differently and voted in favor of him retiring his position.
[ give me a new pc binch unless you want me to start it.
oh. it seems as though he's tripped into something that's not exactly a good topic. but he watches viktor, monitoring his reactions and listening to the story as it plays out. ]
...what made the Hex Core so dangerous that the Head Councilor wanted to push back? [ and more importantly: ] How would you have voted?
There is apprehension at the edge of Viktor's face. It's difficult. It's difficult being a loose end on big political matters. Being friends and partners with someone who instigated this.]
I don't know.
[He answers the last question first, but honestly.]
I was the Dean's assistant. Without Mister Heimerdinger's approval, I'm not sure how long I would have lasted at the Academy even after getting in. But... I knew Hextech could help others immediately. I... couldn't wait for years' worth of regulations.
[...]
The Hex Core... was different. It was different than anything we had created so far. It was... It had the potential of being the single most marvelous invention to humankind. But I understand now... He was right. The Hex Core... I should have never worked on it.
this is a lot to process, and he knows it's a lot for viktor to say. he almost feels bad he's asked this much, but. ]
...but you were focused on the goal of helping other people. So it was harder to see why it needed to wait, because waiting still meant people would suffer until it was ready. [ ... ] Sorry. You don't...have to keep explaining it if you don't want to. I was just wondering.
...It's alright. It's a little... much to be dumping on someone who should have a clear, optimistic mind for invention. Just be careful... how far you go with what you make. Don't be afraid to set boundaries for your work.
And, yes, even if... things are dire, you should put your work through rigorous testing to make sure it is a benefit, not a detriment to people's lives.
...right now, I think my work is all still a work in progress. There are things I want to do in the future maybe, and I've thought about trying to go to school to learn more the proper way but it might be hard to manage that. I want to push limits, but I do have reasons to be careful.
[ but he doesn't elaborate on that either. ]
Was that the last thing you remember before coming here?
[That's okay, lil buddy. We will save some lore for later. Your lore. Because Viktor talked too MUCH.]
I'll admit, the Academy was hard. But not impossible.
[He would also say "you have plenty of time," but how long do some people truly have...? The question makes him frown slightly again.]
I was in the council room. Jayce was trying to get them to broker a deal of peace between the Undercity, Zaun, and Piltover. There had been some violence between them recently which had grown worse.
But... something had come through the window. I don't know what it was. It shattered it... and exploded. And then I was here.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Yes. Well--my partner and I did.
[Viktor tucks the crutch under his right arm and starts hobbling over to sit near Shoma. Tired, must sit. But out of the way so Shoma can still work, so he isn't hovering. Close enough to watch, though. He's a NERD.
He rests the crutch against his chest and over one shoulder.]
He wanted to harness the power of the arcane, something only people born with the ability could do. I wanted to help him make things to help others have a better life. To make living and working easier and efficient.
no subject
but he's very much listening. ]
The arcane. So, like...[ this sounds stupid a little but he can't think of a better word. ] Magic? Like a power that's a part of your genetics. That doesn't sound like a bad idea. If you have something powerful that could make things better for people without that ability...[ well. it makes sense.
so what went wrong? ]
It sounds like you were successful with it. [ but shoma knows how these things go, and he still has to wonder that same questions. "what went wrong?" maybe it's the natural skeptic in him. ]
no subject
Yes, like magic. We used it to power technology. It's like... [thoughtful] Harnessing the magic of the world. Some people are conduits, and they can funnel the magic through themselves.
[He nods, though his smile is weak.]
Yes, after trial and error. We made the Hexgates, the Hex Claw, the gauntlets for the miners.
no subject
Were you or your partner a conduit then? How exactly did it work to generate enough to power other objects?
no subject
hey]
Heh. No, though I imagine Jayce would have loved to be. That was his life ambition, to find his own magic. [Stupid jock.] He claims he saw it when he was young. A mage using the arcane. The mage gave him something, a piece of a crystal with a rune on it.
So he studied it and tried to recreate it, to make the piece into a full crystal. They were all unrefined, unstable. I helped him stabilize them.
no subject
If it's as amazing as you make it sound, I could see why someone would find it appealing. [ ...this is about the point he stops working entirely to stare at viktor curiously. ]
You knew how to get down to its molecular level and work with the magic to duplicate and stitch it back together. [ this is just what he's taking it as. ] But you aren't a conduit yourself.
[ forgot his robot, that's actually pretty impressive. ]
no subject
[Oh. He's being Watched.]
Heh. Jayce just needed a little push in the right direction. So something like that, yes. We were able to figure out the language of the runes. The crystals were easily combustive, and to refine them we had to exert... um, a lot of pressure to force it to stabilize. We built a machine to do that for us.
Jayce had the dream and perseverance, and I had the math and the building skill.
no subject
so this of course is the latter, and he's interested in hearing what viktor's accomplished. ]
One wrong move and you'd lose resources. But fine-tuning a machine to exert the right amount of pressure each time to maximize the output of arcane power means being able to continually create new things. [ ... ] Was it something you had an interest in doing yourself before you even met Jayce?
no subject
He glances up at Roboji and smiles small, but appreciatively.]
I was about your age when I was building things, too. The other kids... didn't want to play with the cripple. I couldn't go where they went. I was slow. So I made things. I loved... having an idea and then seeing it be real.
It was easier. I didn't have to think about... what to say to someone, or interpret the hidden meanings of what they weren't saying to me. What I made never judged me, or pitied me, or shunned me.
no subject
but he listens, and...there's a little ping of sympathy from that because he kind of gets it. not necessarily in the same way, but in the sense that kids are assholes and if you aren't exactly "right" or "cool" or anything it's easy to get left behind and left with nothing.
when you're building something with your own hands and using your own brain, you don't have to worry about being misunderstood. the communication is clear and you're able to do exactly what you've envisioned. you don't have to wonder about why the things that you once were aren't good enough anymore or why certain things happened to you and only you or why no matter what you said to people things didn't get better. you can focus on something more remarkable.
so anyway he's thinking all of this which is why he's still staring at him for a minute before his gaze drops. ]
It was easier when everything was already in your hands instead of having to figure out how things outside would work with or against you. Like...a reflection of what you wanted without having to fight to get it. [ or maybe he's just...misinterpreting a little. either way. ] There's something kind of cool about accomplishing things you weren't sure you'd be able to anyway and knowing that other people couldn't.
no subject
Viktor has decided Shoma is very smart, but instead of being concerned about that like he should be, he thinks it's the best thing ever. Because he was the same. Terrible.]
Mm. I enjoy... creating things that will help others, but especially... people like me, or people from the place I was born. The Undercity. Making something that will... have a legacy to live on even when you're gone.
no subject
I don't think that's a bad goal to have. [ decisively. why wouldn't you want to let your creations advance and improve the lives of others? ] ...what was the Undercity like then? It sounds like it needed some help.
no subject
There are two cities divided by a river. Across from Piltover is Zaun. That was the Undercity because so much of it ran beneath Piltover. It's Piltover's dumping ground, a place forgotten. People have always struggled to survive there, but now it is full of gangs and drugs, more pollution.
You wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at Piltover. Clean and innovative. I would never be able to create anything of value where I was. So I left the Undercity to try to get into Piltover's Academy.
no subject
And I'm guessing you managed to get in? [ it's mostly a gentle prompt for viktor to tell him more about this story. this is literally the most of anyone's backstory he's ask for so far i hate you. ]
no subject
Yes. I believed in myself. It took a little more work than people who have money, or a sponsor. But I did it on my own. I became the Dean's assistant. He was head of the Council, too.
Well... for a while.
no subject
That's almost more impressive than buying your way in. [ he just says this. ] ...did something happen to force the Dean to step down?
[ i'm half-expecting this to end with "he was murdered" actually. ]
no subject
Heh. It's very fulfilling, yes.
[The question about the Dean makes him look surprised, and then the expression softens into something more somber.]
...The Council voted in favor of his retirement.
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...oh. [ hum. ] Why were they trying to get him out of the way?
[ again, making assumptions. i really do not know anything about arcane please help. ]
no subject
The question draws a dark and pensive pinch to his brows. He glances away; his fingers drum quietly on the bar of the crutch in front of him.]
My research partner, Jayce, became a councilor at the behest of another one. They voted to make him oversee security since we were the ones who made the Hexgates. We had been... working... on something new. A Hex Core. Head Councilor Heimerdinger [don't laugh] was... apprehensive about studying it. He thought the Hextech we were creating should go through years worth of testing before being put to use, and he thought research of the Hex Core should be abolished.
[He pauses to try to think of what to say.]
But the Council thought differently and voted in favor of him retiring his position.
no subject
oh. it seems as though he's tripped into something that's not exactly a good topic. but he watches viktor, monitoring his reactions and listening to the story as it plays out. ]
...what made the Hex Core so dangerous that the Head Councilor wanted to push back? [ and more importantly: ] How would you have voted?
no subject
There is apprehension at the edge of Viktor's face. It's difficult. It's difficult being a loose end on big political matters. Being friends and partners with someone who instigated this.]
I don't know.
[He answers the last question first, but honestly.]
I was the Dean's assistant. Without Mister Heimerdinger's approval, I'm not sure how long I would have lasted at the Academy even after getting in. But... I knew Hextech could help others immediately. I... couldn't wait for years' worth of regulations.
[...]
The Hex Core... was different. It was different than anything we had created so far. It was... It had the potential of being the single most marvelous invention to humankind. But I understand now... He was right. The Hex Core... I should have never worked on it.
no subject
this is a lot to process, and he knows it's a lot for viktor to say. he almost feels bad he's asked this much, but. ]
...but you were focused on the goal of helping other people. So it was harder to see why it needed to wait, because waiting still meant people would suffer until it was ready. [ ... ] Sorry. You don't...have to keep explaining it if you don't want to. I was just wondering.
no subject
...It's alright. It's a little... much to be dumping on someone who should have a clear, optimistic mind for invention. Just be careful... how far you go with what you make. Don't be afraid to set boundaries for your work.
And, yes, even if... things are dire, you should put your work through rigorous testing to make sure it is a benefit, not a detriment to people's lives.
no subject
...right now, I think my work is all still a work in progress. There are things I want to do in the future maybe, and I've thought about trying to go to school to learn more the proper way but it might be hard to manage that. I want to push limits, but I do have reasons to be careful.
[ but he doesn't elaborate on that either. ]
Was that the last thing you remember before coming here?
no subject
I'll admit, the Academy was hard. But not impossible.
[He would also say "you have plenty of time," but how long do some people truly have...? The question makes him frown slightly again.]
I was in the council room. Jayce was trying to get them to broker a deal of peace between the Undercity, Zaun, and Piltover. There had been some violence between them recently which had grown worse.
But... something had come through the window. I don't know what it was. It shattered it... and exploded. And then I was here.
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