Curious eyes snuck a peak whenever they could. It was not every day that the recluse Viktor made an appearance in the populated Entresol Level. Everywhere the scientist was greeted with whispers behind his back. He let them gossip. Their words meant little to him. He was here for one being and one being alone; Blitzcrank.

They had planned to meet at the Morning Mill Café. It was safe, not far from the Yawn, and most importantly, possessed a doorway wide enough to accommodate the golem's size. Viktor stepped inside and was wrapped in the multi-colored light that filtered through the stained glass windows of the café. Even through his filters, Viktor could tell that the air here was clean. None of the patrons coughed, but instead breathed deeply the warm aromas of freshly brewed beverages.

Beneath the largest of the windows at the back of the café, Viktor found Blitzcrank. The golem was sitting as close to the counter as he could without putting himself in the way of the busy baristas so that he could listen to the various pipping whistles of the kettles. Viktor took a moment to admire his creation. The light, rich from the dyed windows, reflected brilliantly off of Blitzcrank's golden body, making it look as though the golem was glistening with jewels. Blitzcrank turned his attention from the whistling kettles and waved Viktor over. The golem extended his arm across the table to pull out a chair for Viktor as he approached.

"It is good to see you again," Blitzcrank said with all the warmth his metal voice could muster.

"As it is to see you," Viktor responded as he took a seat.

"I was pleased when Moyna delivered your letter," Blitzcrank continued, "I have felt a longing for your companionship. None of the other mechanics who have aided in my maintenance are as skilled as you."

"If you ever require maintenance, you are always welcome at my workbench."

"Your offer is noted and appreciated. I would have come before but I wanted to honor your desire for solitude and privacy."

"Thank you, Blitzcrank. Know that in the future, my offer for you remains."

"Affirmative."

Blitzcrank waved over one of the baristas.

"Please bring the order I placed earlier," the golem requested.

The barista nodded and went off to prepare the drink. Viktor gave Blitzcrank a questioning look. Even though his face was covered by him mask, Blitzcrank could tell when the scrutinizing gaze of his creator was upon him.

"I arrived an hour earlier than our agreed meeting time so that I could observe the behaviors of the patrons here," Blitzcrank explained, "purchasing refreshments for one's companion was the common behavior."

Viktor gave a quick look around the café. It was filled mostly with couples. Viktor gave a short, dry chuckle.

"What is so humorous," Blitzcrank asked.

"You are attempting to behave like a human," Viktor responded.

A puff of steam arose from the golem.

"I could never be like them," he insisted, "they are more squishy than I and require different resources to sustain existence. However, I have found that mimicking their behavior puts them at ease. This has proved advantageous in preforming my duties to keep them safe. Humans are more willing to listen to a friendly golem than a cold one."

"One would hope that they would listen to anyone attempting to assist them."

Blitzcrank mimicked a shrugging motion.

"Organics are strange, interesting creatures."

At that point, the barista had brought over Blitzcrank's order; a plate of anisette cookies and a cup of tea that smelled of peppermint and lemongrass.

"They are for you," Blitzcrank stated proudly, "some of the people I aid insist on giving me money. I have little use for it. It is nice to use it on a colleague."

"Thank you, Blitzcrank," Viktor said, though he made no motion towards the offered food.

A silent minute passed.

"Do you not want them," Blitzcrank asked, "I believed you enjoyed the taste of anise."

"I do," Viktor answered.

The scientist had no viable excuse to give Blitzcrank about why he didn't want to eat. True, he could say that he didn't like how people starred at his bare face, but he didn't care what they thought of him. What actually annoyed him was how these people chose to waste their time gawking at him rather than do any more productive. And so, with great reluctance, he removed his mask and pushed the sounds of the whispering patrons from his mind. He repressed a final urge to threaten one especially dim looking gawker with eye injections, and took a bite from a cookie.

The light, floury cookie crumbled in his mouth. They were simple and sweet, just as they should be, with most of the flavor coming from the rich glaze on top. The anise extract gave the sugary coating a licorice taste, while the sprinkles in the glaze added a fun but, in Viktor's opinion, unnecessary texture and color. Overall, Viktor enjoyed them. He took a sip of the accompanying tea before continuing to talk.

"I have seen your name appear in the newspapers recently," he said, "you aided a crew in replacing an air pump, stopped a crashing elevator, and saved all the poros from a burning pet store."

"The small creatures produce pleasing noises when pet."

"I am pleased to see that you are capable of preforming your duties with such a success rate."

"I was made to aid Zaun. It is what I enjoy doing."

Blitzcrank gave a quick look over the other patrons, remembering what he had observed them doing.

"I have been meaning to ask," he said, mimicking something he had heard earlier, "what have you been doing recently. I have not read about you in the news."

Viktor paid no mind to how stiff the casual conversation sounded coming from Blitzcrank. Speaking was never the golem's strength and now the conversation was moving in the direction he wanted.

"I have been occupied with a project," the scientist answered, "it has been to improve on my designs for a highly mobile leg augmentation. The prototype has proven to be stable, so I have begun testing it on the body."

Blitzcrank's lenses scanned Viktor's legs.

"Your limbs appear to be the same as before," he commented.

"Correct. My body is not the one it is being tested on. I have a willing subject aiding me."

"I detect a small shift in your tone. Is this subject different from the others? Have the results exceeded your expectations?"

"He is. Instead of leaving after augmentation, as many others have, subject N-12 has consented to remain so that I may monitor his progress and make adjustments to the limb as needed. It has been beneficial to us both."

"That sounds exciting for you both," Blitzcrank said. After a pause he added, "what is the subject's name so that I may better identify him in later conversations?"

"The subject is N-12."

"I do not understand. I thought that N-12 was the designation of the augmentation."

"It is, but it is also how I have been addressing him."

"Does his anonymity need to be retained for protection?"

"No, the boy has nothing and there is no one he needs protecting from."

"Do you not know his name?"

"I know his name. His name is Renatus."

"But you do not address him by it. Why is that?"

"Our relationship must remain professional. He is a test subject, an extension of the augmentation, and must be nothing more."

Blitzcrank was silent for a minute. He released a long puff of steam before speaking.

"You gave me a name."

Now it was Viktor's turn to be silent.

"I was a different man then," he said silently.

"If you had created me now, would you have named me?"

Viktor took another sip of his tea as he gathered his thoughts.

"I believe I would."

"Why?"

"You are more than a prototype."

"Only the boy's leg is a prototype. The rest is Renatus. Please forgive my many questions. I am curious by design."

Viktor put down his finished drink.

"I know," he admitted, "and that is why I wanted to meet with you today. I would appreciate it if you could meet with the boy. He admires you and I believe that you can assist him in his training. You are one of the few beings I trust enough to ask."

"I would be delighted to assist. I will await meeting this Renatus with eagerness," Blitzcrank replied without hesitation.

"May I expect you the day after tomorrow," Viktor asked as he put his mask back on.

"You may."

Blitzcrank put the remaining cookies into a box and handed them to Viktor.

"Farewell until then," he said as he held out his massive hand, "please assist me. I have been told that my handshakes require practice."

Viktor's entire hand could only just wrap around the tip of one of Blitzcrank's fingers, but he gripped it anyways. Blitzcrank pinched Viktor's hand between two of his fingers with utmost care and shook it slightly. It was a stiff good-bye to be sure, but both parties departed happier than they had been in days.