continuation of a meme thread (closed)

[perfectpower]

BEEP BOOP see tag below (I'll add memes here later)

Comments

[becomerobot]

[Brad gets himself up and out of bed quickly, so Viktor attempts to follow suit. He sits up and swings his own legs over the edge of the mattress, though cannot stand so easily. There is a leg brace he pulls over to himself and begins to latch into place. The crutch is taken when offered, with a nod of thanks, and set within reach for when he's ready for it.

Should he change his clothes, shower, anything like that? Sure, but he's already late. It isn't like they worked up a sweat, anyways. Just... slept. Peacefully. He watches Brad raid his kitchen set up while he's fiddling the brace on,]

A ride on what, might I ask? Because if it is magic, you better not do so in public. This is Piltover and you'll start a riot. The people here... they are afraid of mages. [Not Viktor though, nothing much frightens him]

[perfectpower]

Ah, so it's like the East then, got it. Guess we won't be flying in on any brooms then.

[Brad can quickly make toast and eggs at least, to make some kind of a sandwich. Any ingredients Viktor doesn't have on hand Brad will just magically summon to the kitchen (teleported from Nero's kitchen, which will cause the chef to have a fit later, but that's not Brad's problem right now).]

A cab then?

[Brad doesn't usually ride in cars, as he prefers methods he has control over. But he has made exceptions in the past on trips to the Eastern region of his country, as they are strictly anti-magic there too. Not that he could blend in with humans there anyway, everyone in the East knows who he is and most barely tolerate him. There's a reason he only goes there to fight darkspawn.]

[becomerobot]

It is only across the plaza from here. I will walk. [Viktor tightens the last strap on his brace to punctuate, before adjusting the crutch to lift himself up. It is good for him, to keep as active as he can in his health.

He crosses to the kitchen space and stands, watching Brad rummage for breakfast. Viktor is stocked with the basics the man is looking for; bread, butter, eggs, salt, pepper. Nothing more complicated or involved than that. Even just those things... they were such luxuries where he grew up.]

... a broom sounds like a rather undignified method of transportation, if I'm being honest. [that can't be real, that's childhood storybook stuff]

[perfectpower]

Now see, that's where your inexperience is foolin' you. Riding brooms is awesome.

[Not that he could take Viktor for a broom ride around here, but he sticks that thought away in the back of his mind. Should the opportunity arise, he will be prepared.

He finishes one of his toast and egg sandwiches and shoves it in his mouth while he works to finish Viktor's. Once he's done, he'll hand over Viktor's sandwich then start eating his own. It's not much, but it serves it's purpose.]

It's not a dangerous walk, right?

[becomerobot]

[Everytime Brad opens his mouth it causes 100 more questions. So, when he stuff it with a sandwich, Viktor feels some relief. He moves beside him to take the offered sandwich once his own is done. Feeding himself as the guest before the host is something Viktor would have insisted on anyways, so it slips by him as a power move... just seems like correct manners to him,]

Why, are you worried I won't make it? Or are you just looking for an excuse to tag along?

[perfectpower]

Moreso the latter.

[At least he's honest.]

It's not like I have anything better to do here anyway. And if someone gets in your face I can stab 'em for you.

[becomerobot]

Not one to be left at home like a sad puppy, I see... [a joke, but also that would be the vibe, wouldn't it? Except Viktor is certain this mage would not keep to himself. He'd either be roaming around the city unsupervised... or follow after Viktor. Which is preferable?

Moreso the latter, indeed. Viktor bites into his toasts, chews, and swallows before answering further.]

The work I do is held in the strictest of confidence. I cannot simply invite you in on tour... but if you are my new muscle, to move things about for me, e-e-eh... [he make a yes-no wave of a gesture. It would be a shoddy excuse, but if he kept Brad to his office and the common areas, there shouldn't be much fuss made. He takes another bite of toast,]

[perfectpower]

[Brad is more cat-coded than dog-coded, but this works.]

Hey, I was a day laborer when I was out on work release from prison. I can act the part at least.

[The way he just says things is amazing.

He will indeed follow after Viktor when Viktor leaves though. Good luck confining him anywhere.]

[becomerobot]

[The way Viktor just doesn't react to hearing Brad was once in prison is astonishing. He just chews his toast and considers that like it's any kind of small talk.

Who in the Undercity hadn't caught a case, after all? Viktor nearly did, impersonating a student in the Academy... it was only be good grace that he amused and impressed Councilor Heimerdinger with his antics and skill.]

That is a humorous notion. Trying to keep a man who teleports when he sneezes locked up, I mean.

[perfectpower]

Yeah, it's part of why they put me in work release. They couldn't keep me locked up any longer.

[That's a wholeass story that Brad is sitting on there too, but for now he's snickering about it like it's a fond memory.]

At least being on work release I'm not violating the terms of my prison sentence if I end up in the weeds somewhere.

I'll keep all of this quiet too, no need for your co-worker to hear that you've got a felon in your home.

[becomerobot]

[Viktor swiftly finishes his toast and eggs as Brad speaks. He eats quick, habitually taking very little time because there are better things to do with those precious seconds... but also because that's how he grew up. If you didn't eat everything you were given, and quick, then someone would take it.]

A felon and a mage, sheltered in my own bed no less. Described like that, you're a true terror to the people here. [He straightens up and gets his crutch beneath him, moving towards the door. Viktor grabs his coat and slides it on, before slipping his shoes on,]

We can keep all that a secret between us. How should we have met, if either of us are asked?

[perfectpower]

The hired muscle isn't such a bad idea. Just say you need another pair of hands around your lab, and that's what I'm here for.

[He's certainly strong enough for it, even without his magic.]

As for how we met? Well, that co-worker of yours is already assuming we fucked, so you could say we met at a bar.

[He worded it like that specifically to fluster Viktor. But yeah, the "I boned him and now he's my lab assistant" seems like the path that will get the least prying questions asked, because everyone else would be too embarrassed to ask about it.]

[becomerobot]

[Flustering Viktor is... quite difficult. He's also taking the idea of decent cover story seriously. People would talk like that. He contemplates with a focused look on his face,]

Playing into a more scandalous angle would detour further prying. [Brad meant to fluster him, instead he just made Viktor scheme more thoughtfully,]

Eh, it is too unlike me, Jayce would see right through it. Picked you up at a bar... no. Picked you up from a gutter? Perhaps... [Viktor does have a soft spot for those in need, so that's more in his character than trying to pick a man up for sex]

[perfectpower]

[Well. Brad has been found in gutters before, so.]

Drunk in a gutter, let's go with that. And the job is to help me get back on my feet.

[Bouncing ideas off of Viktor for a backstory is actually kind of fun! Hopefully he doesn't slip up in the explanations at any point.]

[becomerobot]

That will do, yes. [Viktor gestures for Brad to follow along with him, ready to go out and hurry along as he promised his co-worker. Going outside reveals a lush courtyard, Viktor's apartment on the lowest floor of a nice complex, just across from the Academy. Professor and scientist accommodations, nothing as nice as the major families of Piltover had, but still swanky for what they were. The city is truly gorgeous, everything paved and plastered and painted cleanly.

To find a man drunk in the gutter here would look odd. Definitely not impossible or even improbable, just odd against the pristine backdrop of such an affluent place. He locks the door behind them and begins his usual walk out of the complex and through to the plaza. Once they enter a space with more people, Viktor seems to get recognized rather often, though never stopped.]

[perfectpower]

[For their whole walk there, Brad is a good hired muscle man. He doesn't cast a single spell, not even little ones like a locking spell or anything, and he tries his best not to show how interested he is in the lab. Actual work sounds boring, but the thought of getting rid of his curse is enough to keep him on board.

Brad actually hums as they walk along, keeping a slow pace so he's right by Viktor the whole time. Brad's magically-inclined mind is already thinking of ways to help Viktor move faster, but he keeps those thoughts to himself in this anti-magic city. It's best if he just looks like an odd companion and nothing more. He won't try to strike up conversation here, instead leaving any potential hellos for Viktor to deal with.

The walk is quick though, and soon they're at the academy. As soon as they're through the doors, Brad takes a few steps forward so he can take in the view. It sure is something, especially to someone who never went to school.]

So this is where you work?

[Brad, thinking Viktor works for the whole building.]

[becomerobot]

[Viktor would say he works for the whole city, so his answer is nonchalant,]

Yes, impressive, isn't it? A true monolith. [there is some wryness in there, something about it clearly not sitting fully right with Viktor. There is hubris and privilege to such monuments, even if they are places of work. Good work, even, or so he likes to think of his Hextech dream...

Viktor will not show him deep into the facility, opting to go to his own more public facing office rather than the lab. He walks in and hears the phone ringing already, trying to get to it quickly to answer, but missing it. A huff as he redials...]

I just got in. There is work for me at my own office and I have a... guest. Helping me today. [right, their cover-] If you need anything moved about, I can send him to assist. He should be plenty capable.

[perfectpower]

[A guest, he says. A cocktail grin appears on his face as he thinks of an excellent way to keep up the charade and be a menace at the same time.]

If you pay extra I'll do the work shirtless too.

[He says that during a pause in Viktor's conversation, so the person on the other line hears it too.]

[becomerobot]

[The comment makes Viktor's eyes go wide a moment before he rolls them, smirking,]

... On second thought, I really shouldn't send him anywhere unsupervised. We will remain in the office. Call me with any questions.

[He hangs up, quickly, so Brad isn't getting any more quips in.]

Do you find this so amusing? People talk. [judging from the lingering quirk to Viktor's expression, his quietly bemused tone, it doesn't actually bother him. He's just... surprised that a man like Brad would lean in to far to the ruse.]

[perfectpower]

Let 'em talk. I ain't showin' anything I don't want others to see.

[He means his magic, but he doesn't know if anybody could be listening in here, so he winks.]

The best parts are in the pants anyway.

[becomerobot]

Keep your best parts to yourself, won't you? I have work to do.

[Viktor dismisses that, but his smirk speaks to his general amusement with Brad. He moves towards the central desk, littered with various stacks of papers and odd tools, but the chaos is organized. Somewhat. Seems Viktor has pulled many the items in here he no longer has a need for and just left them around because, well, they're a hassle for him to lug in and out.

He's about to delegate such a task when a coughing fit catches him. It's severe enough his manners aren't really on the mind to cover it, instead gripping the table with both hands just to not fall over from the force of it. Several long, wheezing coughs later and he seems to collect himself. Bleary eyes, he's simple glad to see he didn't hack blood onto his notes this time...]

[perfectpower]

[Whatever silly comment he had been about to make, it slips right out of his mind when he sees Viktor coughing. This is far more than a cold a dust cough too, with how long and severe it is.

Without realizing it, he moves over to Viktor and gently places a hand against his back to steady him.]

Need some water?

[He won't ask if Viktor is alright, because clearly he isn't.]

[becomerobot]

[He is far from alright and he's glad to not be asked about it. Too much to explain, too self pitying a tale to tell. Viktor can't afford to let his health stand in the way of his goals and ambitions.

That doesn't mean he can't look after himself when he should-]

That-.... y, yes. Please. [he's disoriented for the moment so the hand against his back is appreciated to ground him. There should be a table with fresh water and glasses for guests set out in the office,]

[perfectpower]

[For a moment he's about to raise his hand to get a glass of water via magic, but he thinks better of it and just walks over to get it. Then he brings it over to Viktor and sets it on the table near him.]

Here, this'll help.

[He knows he can't do much else to help either. He's just not that good at healing magic. There's others on his team that could do something, but they're thousands of miles away.]

[becomerobot]

[Viktor steadies himself out from a lesser fit of coughing, clears his throat as much as he can, then hastily drinks a couple gulps of that provided water. The last mouthful he swishes around and spits back into it, sneering that it's tinged with blood. He pours that out into a nearby potted plant, which was already dead from whatever tests he'd been running... couldn't hurt it, now.]

Thank you. [said curtly, not because Brad annoyed him in any way, but he's frustrated at the state of himself. He needs to find his own solution-

That doesn't mean a mage couldn't help. Even if just- maybe, give him more time-]

... I've heard of magic being used to heal, but I always presumed it was... wishful thinking. Fairy tales. Is there any truth to that?