continuation of a meme thread (closed)

[perfectpower]

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

Comments

[becomerobot]

[Brad speaking up about their cover does make Viktor hand off the pile of note and textbooks back to the man, filling his arms with it. A good thing, too, so Viktor can take his crutch from nearby the door and be ready to leave, just like that-

Oh, right- he gestures vaguely between the two men, tall hunks that they both are,]

Jayce- Bradley. Bradley- Jayce. He is helping me carry things. I'll work the rest of the night from home. ["night" when it's still midday, but Viktor is making it clear he won't be back,]

Call if you need. [just like that he's already leaving, whoops, saying as little as possible sounds best to him!]

[perfectpower]

[He now has the papers, and he's holding them carefully as he gets ready to go. But as he's walking out the door, he'll pause to nod at Jayce. Then he nods his head towards Viktor before raising his eyebrows a couple times, like he's saying yeah, he's mine tonight. Then he's out the door, following after Viktor.

While he's hurrying out, he'll call out to Viktor (but also say loudly enough for Jayce to hear) something in particular:]

We should get drinks too! Does your academy salary get you wine or beer?

[Let it never be said that Bradley Bain isn't a good actor.]

[becomerobot]

[Viktor answers quickly and doesn't restrain his volume.

He also means this quite seriously, a very natural response of sternness from him.]

I need you sober tonight.

[He'll realize how it must sound only after they walk out of the building,]

[perfectpower]

[Oh nooooo that's so great, it gets a bark of a laugh out of Bradley.]

Sure thing.

[It isn't until they're out of the academy and in the courtyard that Bradley speaks again.]

You might have to apologize to him later, he looked liked a kicked puppy there.

[becomerobot]

[Viktor smirks right back for a moment, realizing he was a bit clever there. People will talk. It's almost... fun to know.

The look fades into confusion at the next comment,]

Apologize for what?

[clueless, too focused on science to consider why Jayce might be so concerned with all this]

[perfectpower]

[Ah. Too distracted by his thoughts to notice those around him. Brad knows the type.]

I'm sure you'll figure that out eventually.

[They're friends, right? Strong friendships survive someone having sex a few times. Or not having sex, as they are right now.]

He's your co-worker, right? Are you gonna share this "amazing breakthrough" with him?

[becomerobot]

[Viktor... really doesn't like to feel like there's something he's not getting here. He gestures with one hand as they walk,]

Of course! He is a brilliant mind, believe it or not. And he knows how to present our findings outside the lab. Little can be accomplished if we cannot secure the funding to actually build it.

[perfectpower]

Right, I figured. So at what point do we rope him into all of this?

[Probably once Bradley has shared his knowledge and sneezed away, for the safety of both of them.]

[becomerobot]

I... will decide on that later. There is much to learn before I can determine that.

[And Viktor is definitely rushing, because the idea Bradley could just disappear is an ever present ache of uncertainty. He must extract as much knowledge from the mage as possible in this window of time. It isn't like Viktor himself has all that much time himself,

His apartment is at least easy to get back to, though Viktor looks very tired going through the door. He pivots to Bradley and takes a few books off the top of the pile the man is holding, spreading them out over his kitchen table/working space, since that's clearly the duel use it has. Immediately back to work! This guy... he is a diligent one.]

[perfectpower]

[Home sweet home!

Viktor may have taken some of the books, but Bradley will set the rest on the table before he turns his attention to Viktor. He saw how tired he looked after just a short walk, so!]

Oi, pick a seat already. I'll hand you whatever you need.

[becomerobot]

Pull up a seat beside me. I want to ask you more questions. Now-

[Bradley is truly in for it, Viktor diving right into his notes. He will absolutely be testing the mage's patience for entertaining his curiosity. The man is not going to break for food unless it is put in front of him, in which case he will eat and work at once.

Viktor's avarice is for knowledge and discovery, all else can be ignored.]

[perfectpower]

[They talk for hours, going over the magic Bradley knows and how it works. Fortunately Bradley is something of a braggart, and is all too happy to share his genius in developing some of the magic he uses. Duplication spells so he never runs out of ammo for his gun, temperature control spells so that he feels comfortable regardless of the climate he is in, teleporting spells so he can keep all of his gear in a locked room and just bring it to him at will, even a transformation skill to change his features if he needs a quick escape, though admittedly that one takes a lot of mana to do and is difficult to hold for a long period of time. He demonstrates any of them that Viktor asks him to, up to the most recent one being the sugar spell that he used to sweeten Viktor's tea, also providing him some energy should he choose to drink it.]

That's actually one of the first ones I learned, as it's pretty easy to do and a safe one for kids to practice.

[But by now hours have passed and Bradley has already teleported dinner in for them to eat. It's dark outside, with them relying on light sources (or a light spell from Bradley) for Viktor to keep taking notes.]

Got any other questions? I think I've talked about everything I know.

[He has not, but there's some secrets he will not tell any non-wizard, including Viktor.]

[becomerobot]

[He is definitely asking for demonstrations and jutting down notes rapidly as they go. The wonder in Viktor's eyes is so energetic, so impossibly enthused by each new discovery. He's greedy to try and understand, demanding in his focused attention, but Brad is being generous with him.

So much is written down that he ends up unable to even hold his pen, rubbing at his wrist to sooth how locked up he made it in his persistence. A good enough time for Brad to teleport in dinner and insist they stop to eat it, but Viktor just... looks at it. Contemplating and then hesitant to ask,]

... You teleported this here? Who did it belong to? [and then he looks sternly angry and ungrateful,]

I will not eat food stolen from someone else's pantry.

[perfectpower]

[Viktor...]

Nah, this is all from my place. It's actually a good thing we're eating this, the chicken would've gone bad after a couple'a days.

[He will also bring a whiskey bottle, just because.]

I've been dealin' with this for years, and I always need stuff I can cook on the fly. So my fridge is full of meat, eggs, and other things that'll keep ya goin' on the trail. Any time I make it back home, I make sure to keep the fridge 'n cupboard stocked.

[This is somewhat true. He does have a well-stocked pantry. But the fridge belongs to Nero, and he is definitely stealing some chicken Nero left in the fridge. Not that he'll admit to that, his poker face is strong and he wants Viktor to eat.

He tries to pull a couple of glasses too, but he frowns when his gesture produces nothing.]

Damn, Owen must've taken my cups again. Bastard.

[becomerobot]

That better be true... [Viktor is hungry and wasting food is also not something he wants to do. Still, the idea of taking from someone when he has what he needs is... against his morals. Against what he stands for,]

I have my own means, after all. To take food from someone when it might be all they have... that is unspeakably cruel. I'm sure you understand.

[if he grew up fighting for scraps, like Viktor did, then Brad knows. He's felt hunger and known strife that many in Piltover shield themselves from,]

[perfectpower]

Yeah, I get it. I wouldn't take from the needy either.

[He did grow up fighting for scraps, which is also why he has no shame in stealing from the rich.]

Actually, did I ever tell you what I went to prison for?

[becomerobot]

Did you ever-? [the over familiarity is rather bemusing]

I've known you one day... but no. You did not yet say.

[Viktor wasn't about the ask, it was not his business so long as he didn't believe it a danger to himself or those around him. He's a bit weary of Brad, but fear.... Viktor is not a fearful man. And he senses no illwill from this man who is being so open and generous with his time, his magic, his attention-

He eats some of the food, as a show of good faith in Brad,]

[perfectpower]

[He pauses to think about it, then he shrugs.]

Whatever, one day is enough time. I ain't ashamed of what I did.

I broke into this rich guy's house to steal back some money he took from a town in the North, and I got arrested while doing it. It wasn't the first time either, I'd been doing it for a long time by that point, so they just threw the book at me for it. I woulda only done like a year for that theft charge but those bastards locked me up for nearly a century.

["locked up for a century" Just Wizard Things.]

[becomerobot]

A century-?

[he sounds absolutely baffled, fascinated, and at awe all at once,]

You are truly a long lived man, then... And here I am, a fleeting cough of air.

Ah, a sneeze, perhaps.

[perfectpower]

Yeah, I'm about 600. That's not too old for a wizard even, some of the others on my team are over two-thousand years old.

[He's grinning with pride, but that soon melts into more of a nostalgic smile.]

...y'know, my mom was human. When wizards and humans have kids, their kids are almost always humans. I'm one-in-a-million in that regard. Or one in two-dozen, if you just count my siblings.

[becomerobot]

Your mother seems to have been the truly gifted one, to have twenty four children- unless you are exaggerating for effect.

[He doesn't even consider half siblings, whoops, that Brad's father was just fucking all around]

[perfectpower]

Oh nah, most of 'em were half-siblings. Could you imagine if she had that many kids? She'd be so tired all the time.

[At least he finds it humorous.]

My dad wanted a wizard kid so bad he just slept with a bunch of women until one of the kids turned out to be a wizard. I think he liked my mom though, since I have two full-blooded siblings. But I knew the rest, we all lived in a mix of five of the same towns in the North. We caused so much trouble back then...

[two dozen kids, two dozen mouths to feed. They really were trouble.]

[becomerobot]

[It does sound like trouble, but Viktor only has one real take away,]

It is good you had each other. [he shovels the last of his provided meal down, always eating hastily out of habit, Brad gets a small smile,]

Thank you for the meal and the... company. I know I have asked a lot of you in exchange for very little.

[perfectpower]

Hey, you're keeping a roof over my head, a warm bed for me to use, and warning me away from anything that would get me in trouble. That's plenty for me.

[Yes, he plans on borrowing Viktor's bed again.]

Plus you're looking for a way to break the curse on me, so that in of itself is worth the work.

[becomerobot]

Yes! I mean... Yes. [let him stifle some of his big enthusiasm for that- but he pushes aside his plate to grab some of the notes he made, flip through, and show Brad urgently,]

Our hextech devices have a stabilizer that dampens what they draw from the Arcane to controllable levels. From what you have showed me, I believe I can make you a device that can counteract your curse. [he stretches his hand out again, too shaky from writing literally all day to make any more notes. It's obvious he wants to, though!]

What form it could take I do not yet know. I will think carefully on it.

[he doesn't want Brad to go as soon as he's arrived, his knowledge feels invaluable already. Viktor needs more time with him,]