Personal Responsibility

by HeartOfMan

Jinx makes a different choice following the death of her father. With a new goal in mind, she sets out to make things right. While this happens, Vi and Caitlyn become more involved in the conflict between Piltover and the Undercity, with Jayce and Viktor deciding how Hextech should be used after the mistakes both men have made. Nothing is certain, except nothing will be the same.

11. A Thousand Folds to Forge a Blade

Wowee. Sorry for the super long wait everyone! This chapter was a pain, especially since I had to put it off because of end of term uni stuff, along with the general mayhem of Christmas and all that wonderful stuff. Nothing bad though, so hey! Anyways, hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'll see you at the end!

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Arcane power began to course through Jayce's body as he gripped the haft of the Mercury Hammer, the mixed sound of thunder and cannonfire echoing through the open space as Hextech weaponry erupted into life. He took the hammer in two hands and held it up before him at an angle, a simple guard that would allow him to protect his torso. He'd learned this stance over a decade ago, back when he'd first started training with hammers, though those ones were made of regular wood and steel. Jayce had gotten to use it in a real fight exactly once, back when he fought the Shimmer mutants in Silco's factory. That and the rest of his training had served him well, but a single success was never enough to satisfy him. Reliable results were the name of the game in all the fields of science, and that was something Jayce lived by.

That was why he was here, facing down probably the single most skilled fighter he'd ever met.

Vi, the Deputy Enforcer of Piltover stood a good seven or eight meters away from him, the Atlas Gauntlets held up in a guard before her face, though the sheer size of the devices meant they nearly covered her whole body as well. She was wearing her usual jacket and boots, though the dark trousers and shirt she had on were new. They probably part of the wardrobe that Caitlyn had bought her a few days after they both started their new jobs in the Enforcers department. What caught Jayce's eyes though were the pair of goggles on her head, with brown leather straps and cracked, blue tinted lenses. There were copper-coloured rims around them, too, each the shape of a cog.

Jayce didn't have time to think about the new addition to her outfit, not when she gave him a slow nod before charging straight at him. He took two quick steps back as Vi danced into his guard, easily keeping pace with him before launching a pair of jabs at his chest. He deflected both blows with the hammer's shaft, letting the oversized knuckles skim off the reinforced steel even as he angled his body away from each attack, bleeding off as much of the force as he could. Jayce then leaned back as Vi launched a right hook straight at his head, but the size of her fist meant he was nearly bending over backwards to avoid the strike. Acting on instinct alone, Jayce planted his right foot behind him before sliding his hand down the grip of his hammer and drawing it back over his shoulder.

Before Vi could throw another punch or even move back, Jayce swung the Mercury Hammer as hard and as fast as he could, aiming straight for her torso. Azure light and lightning flared as he attacked, a terrifying combination that Jayce couldn't help but enjoy, but Vi didn't even flinch. Instead, she brought up her left hand in a single, smooth motion and caught the hammer's head directly on the palm of her Atlas Gauntlet. Her Hextech should've tanked the blow without moving an inch, that was what Jayce had designed them to do, but instead she was thrown back nearly ten feet. It took Jayce a second to work out what she'd done, to realize that Vi had willed the Atlas Gauntlets to let her be pushed back by the force of his attack, all so she'd be out of the way of any follow up strikes.

Judging by the smirk on Vi's face as she skidded to a stop a short ways away from him, that was something she'd planned from the start. She's probing me, looking for openings. Jayce thought with a huff, right as Vi dashed towards him once more. He brought the Mercury Hammer up into a block as she leapt high into the air, right fist clenching as she brought her gauntlet down upon him. Jayce shifted his left foot back and twisted his body, slamming his hammer into the side of her steel fist, diverting her attack and sending her careening to the concrete floor. Vi took the landing without issue, landing in an easy roll and coming up onto her knees right as Jayce brought the butt of his hammer back around, trying to clock her on the jaw. Vi ducked forward and let the end of the hammer fly harmlessly over her head, blue flame flashing from the vents on the end of the weapon.

She retaliated with a devastating uppercut, the gears within the Atlas Gauntlets whirring loudly as Vi launched to her feet, and it was all Jayce could do to throw himself out the way, scrambling back a few steps. Vi gave him no quarter, sending jabs towards his legs that he only barely managed to deflect using the shaft of his hammer, turning away from the blows to lessen the impact. Then she dropped low and planted both hands on the floor, sweeping her legs across the floor as she tried to knock his feet out from under him. Jayce leapt up and over her leg sweep, rearing the Mercury Hammer up over his head right as he fell. He swung down as he landed, left knee hitting the concrete floor painfully, but Vi was too quick, rolling onto her back and pressing her palms onto the floor before throwing herself up into the air. She landed a few meters away on bent knees, her hair having flown out of place but otherwise looking as fresh as she had when they started. Jayce felt a little discouraged at that seeing how he, a pretty fit man in his own right, was breathing heavily by this point, sweat beginning to drip from his brow.

There wasn't any time for hesitation, not when the fight was still going on, and Jayce pressed forward before Vi could rush him again. He swung the Mercury Hammer down as he got within Vi's guard but she only leaned to the side, letting the hammer glide just past the length of her body. She then drew her fist back and readied a punch, but Jayce had let the momentum of the swing carry the hammer down so that it was horizontal to the floor, and with a cry he thrust the head of the Mercury Hammer forward. He was aiming for the middle of her chest, the size of the hammer and his target making aiming easy, but Vi simply pushed out with her left hand, still keeping her other fist raised as she shoved his hammer to the side. She then sent her clenched fist hurtling towards his face but Jayce managed to get his hammer up just in time, deflecting her attack even as he was forced to retreat, stepping back in an attempt to gain ground. In close combat Vi had the clear advantage, both because of her gauntlets and the fact that she was the better fighter, plain and simple.

Jayce's only chance was to keep her at arms length, utilizing his and his hammer's superior reach. Plan in mind, Jayce caught Vi's next punch right on the middle of his hammer's haft, gritting his teeth as he fought to keep his arms from buckling. The force of her blow was dampened by the Hextech in his hammer but, even then, the pain of taking the hit directly was almost enough to knock him off balance. Jayce let out a breath instead and, with an effort of will, activated the repulsors within the Mercury Hammer. A wave of blue light exploded out from the weapon and flung Vi backwards, azure electricity dancing along its surface before it turned a bright yellow and dissipated.

Vi landed on her feet with her fists held up in a guard, a smile breaking out across her face before she ran at him. Jayce met her halfway and loosed a swing right into the center of her chest, but Vi dropped before it could connect, falling into a slide and letting her momentum carry her under the swing. Jayce saw her hop back to her feet from the corner of his eye as he spun around, and he barely managed to face her fully before she fell upon him, her fist rushing straight towards his face. Jayce had to force down his shock because, fuck, Vi was much faster than she was just a moment ago, and he scrambled to bring his hammer up in time. He caught her punch on the shaft of the Mercury Hammer, just below it's head, but he'd failed to keep his footing and he was sent stumbling back.

He fell back under the weight of her onslaught, avoiding what he could and blocking the rest. But as Vi drew back for another strike, Jayce saw a cunning and dangerous look enter her eye, and before he could figure out what that meant, she swung. Jayce raised his hammer to deflect the strike but when Vi's fist unclenched and grabbed the haft of the Mercury Hammer, he realized his mistake. Then she tore her hand back and ripped the hammer from his grasp. Jayce could've held on but, at best, he'd have been taken with it and left completely at Vi's mercy. As it was, Jayce watched with wide eyes as Vi tossed his Hextech over her shoulder like a cheap toy, the weapon landing with a thud some seven meters away. Jayce retreated as fast as he could, fighting back the panic that began to build in his chest, looking for any way to salvage the situation. There wasn't much luck to be had, not as Vi launched herself at him, throwing a wild haymaker right at his face. Jayce kept moving, tilting his body back as far as he could to avoid it, and Vi's oversized fist flew past his eyes with little more than a few inches between them.

Vi let the momentum of her swing carry her around, twisting her body to the left before jumping into the air with a spin, throwing a high kick that Jayce felt would take his head off if it hit. Jayce dove to the side so that didn't happen, her foot narrowly missing his skull as he hit the floor in a clumsy roll. He came to his knees and whirled around, just in time to see the bottom of Vi's foot flying straight at his face. He brought his arms up and braced them just before his nose, catching the kick on his forearms and getting knocked flat onto his back. Then, before he could even attempt to get back to his feet, Vi leapt up and onto Jayce's prone form. She landed in a squat with her feet either side of his torso before placing the palms of her gauntlets on his arms, pinning them down. A second later Jayce heard the low whirring sound of gears winding down, seeing smoke burst from the vents of the Atlas gauntlets out from the corners of his eyes. Vi locked eyes with Jayce and removed her hands from the gauntlets, leaving him pinned on the floor before leaning back.

Jayce strained against the weight of the Atlas Gauntlets for a moment, feeling them shift slightly as he tensed and pressed his body up, before Vi clenched her fist and punched him right in the nose. He bit down on a curse even as his eyes closed instinctually, his head reeling back as the pain hit. All that meant was his head pressed against the hard, concrete floor, which did absolutely nothing to help him. Jayce drew in a deep breath and shook his head, letting the pain wash over him before opening his eyes. Vi was still sitting on her haunches atop his chest, and there was a cocky smile on her face. "Fucking hell", he groaned, "you really have to go for the nose?" Jayce tried to reach up and check his nose for blood, hoping to slide his arms out from under the Atlas Gauntlets. He could've forced them off him if he really tried, he was a strong guy and he knew the gauntlets weren't impossibly heavy, but why make things harder for himself? Before he could make any headway though, Vi slipped her hands back into her gauntlets and got back to her feet.

"Relax, I didn't hit you that hard." Vi said as she held out her right hand, and Jayce grabbed hold of her oversized index finger. He couldn't wrap his fingers around it fully but his grip was strong, and Vi hauled him to his feet. "Round three's mine", she said with a smile that was more than a little smug, "just like round two. And round one, now that I think about it." Jayce took a moment to catch his breath, shooting her a dirty look as he dusted himself off. There wasn't any real heat in it though, Vi was just having a little fun after all. He managed to hold the expression for a moment before his lips curled up, and he turned away to look for his hammer, hearing Vi bark out a laugh from just beside him. Vi must not have thrown it very hard because the Mercury Hammer was only a few meters away, having landed on its side before automatically shutting off. Jayce made to walk towards it but he only managed a single step before Vi's finger caught his forearm, and he stopped. "Where're you going?" She asked as Jayce looked back over his shoulder at her, meeting her gaze.

"Getting my hammer." Jayce answered, rolling his shoulders and throwing on his best, cockiest smirk. "Best out of six, come on." Vi let go of him with a huff, shaking her head and placing her palms on her hips. Jayce knew the stance was meant to be imposing but the massive palms of the Atlas Gauntlets made her look a bit funny, though he was smart enough not to say that out loud.

"Three rounds is enough for tonight." Vi denied, stepping past Jayce and giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder, something which he was thankful for. With those gauntlets, anything other than gentle and he'd probably be nursing a broken shoulder. She moved towards the Mercury Hammer and bent down, grabbing the handle with one gauntlet and lifting. His hammer was too heavy for someone of her stature to lift with one hand, at least while it was off, but the Atlas Gauntlet made short work of it."Sparring isn't about fitness, it's about applying the skills you've been learning, drilling them over and over until each action is done on instinct. Get too tired doing it and you'll pick up sloppy technique, which kinda defeats the purpose of sparring in the first place." She explained as she walked away from him, not bothering to wait for him to follow. He did, not bothering to argue because he knew she was right at the end of the day.

"You guys are done, then? Thank the stars." Jayce heard from his right. He turned and saw Caitlyn sitting on a wooden stool, leaning forward with her forearms on her thighs. She was wearing her usual outfit like Vi, clad in the standard purples and whites that made up the Enforcer uniform. Jayce had offered to commission her a unique outfit around two weeks back, one that denoted her position as Sheriff, but she'd denied it on principle, apparently. She didn't want to be recognised as Sheriff because of what she wore, but rather by the work she did, along with the reputation that earned her. Jayce respected that, he really did, but he'd been working on Hextech long enough to know that presentation mattered more than he believed it really should. The Council didn't just want Hextech to work, they wanted it to look good, because appearances sold things, both in money and in name.

Sure, Caitlyn wasn't making or selling a product, but she was kind of selling herself to her colleagues and to the people of Piltover. She was the daughter of Cassandra Kiramman, one of Piltover's most esteemed Councilors, something that brought a whole heap of benefits, along with more than a few drawbacks. One was that people had high expectations of her, because obviously she had to live up to the standards of her prestigious house. Yet, if people believed she received even the slightest bit of help from her family in her career, accusations of nepotism would start spreading like wildfire. Jayce hadn't heard anything like that since he'd promoted Caitlyn to Sheriff, but there were bound to be some people in the Enforcers department who felt like she hadn't earned her position. That was why appearance was just as important as results, at least in this instance, because it didn't matter how much good work she did if people didn't see her doing it. A change in her uniform wouldn't fix all those problems, of course it wouldn't, but it was the principle of the matter. The more recognisable she was, the easier it would be for people to see the work she was doing.

Still, she'd been so adamant on not changing her uniform and potentially alienating her colleagues, who might see it as her letting her promotion go to her head, which made the change in her wardrobe that much more confusing for Jayce. See, sitting atop her head and rounding off her Enforcer uniform was a big, purple top hat with strips of leather running along the surface. Don't get him wrong, Jayce had been Caitlyn's friend all the way through her top-hat phase, so this choice in look wasn't necessarily weird, but it was the fact she hadn't worn it since she'd become an Enforcer that puzzled him. It wasn't a part of the uniform so she had to hang up her father's old top hat, something Cassandra had been very relieved about, but to just put it on again, after all this time? Jayce figured it had something to do with the cracked goggles Vi was wearing. Maybe it was a bet or something? Those two were pretty good friends as far as he could tell, especially considering how short a time they'd known each other, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Regardless, it wasn't any of his business, so Jayce had kept his mouth firmly shut when the Sheriff and her Deputy walked into his factory with new headwear between them.

"We a bit too loud for you?" Jayce asked as he and Vi made their way towards Caitlyn, who was sitting by one of the two workbenches by the wall. They'd been placed there after he'd destroyed the Hexcore three weeks ago, since Jayce had needed to replace the anvil that sat in the middle of the factory floor. It was a day or so later that Vi suggested he keep the majority of the floor clear so that they'd have a space for sparring, so he'd moved everything that wasn't bolted down near to the wall and called it a day. It wasn't like he'd been using the space for anything important. His father's old factory had become a place for him to think, to train and to be alone, and he'd made extensive use of it over the years. Occasionally he even fired up the old forge and put his smithing skills to work, forgoing the state of the art technology in Piltover's Academy and putting hammer to steel, just like his father had taught him to all those years ago. After everything that had gone on with Silco and Jinx, along with his unwilling promotion to the Council, he now spent his evenings here exercising and sparring, along with discussing their latest advancements in Hextech. He still worked on his tech while he was down here, but it was more planning than actual construction.

One thing that Jayce hadn't expected when he opened up his factory to his friends was just how much he'd enjoy the company. Speaking of… "Loud does not begin to describe it." Viktor, Jayce's best friend and brother said in a deadpan tone. "I could barely hear myself think, let alone what Caitlyn had to say." He was sitting next to the woman he'd mentioned, and he himself was currently in the process of shifting in his seat to face them. He held his cane across his lap, his palms resting upon its steel shaft, and he was wearing his usual suit and tie. The only thing odd about his appearance was the way his right leg was almost twice the size of his left, straining against the fabric of his trousers to the point where Jayce was worried they might tear. Out of all the changes in his friends' appearances, Viktor's was the only one he knew the reason for. Losing a leg on top of everything else had been hard for him, and Jayce would never forget his brother's haunted expression as he looked upon the place where his right leg had been, but he was pushing on as best as he could. All Jayce could do was be there for him, and help him as best as he could.

"You're still on that?" Vi asked as she walked around to the side of the workbench, placing the Mercury Hammer down before letting her gauntlets fall to the floor either side of her, before leaning her left shoulder on the metal strut that held the tool rack. Jayce followed her gaze down to the workbench or, more specifically, what was resting on top of it. Caitlyn's Hextech rifle lay disassembled on the table, each component looking as clean as when Jayce first put the gun together. Caitlyn was taking good care of her rifle, though he wasn't surprised. She didn't suffer faulty equipment, something Jayce knew and had come to understand in recent weeks, because the state of your gear could decide the difference between life and death. "I thought you guys played around with that a few nights back?" Vi continued, gaze roving over the series of parts before her. Jayce had spent enough time around Vi to know that she had zero clue what any of the components were, but she was getting better with time. He'd been trying his best to teach her how to maintain and even repair the Atlas Gauntlets, giving her a crash course in mechanical engineering to help with that, in case the gauntlets got damaged and he wasn't able to fix them before she needed them again. She was making decent progress because, despite what she'd told him repeatedly, she wasn't stupid. Give it some more time and she'd hopefully have a good enough understanding of the Atlas Gauntlets' to look after them herself.

"We did", Caitlyn answered, reaching to her side and picking up the rifle's firing pin, twirling it absently between deft fingers, "but I wanted to make some more changes after today."

"Let me guess, more minute stuff only a sharpshooter would really care about?" Vi teased, rolling her eyes playfully before making a show of checking her nails. "Boring~" She sang, drawing out the word for a moment. "My gauntlets are so much more interesting."

"And also so much more complicated." Viktor spoke up, looking up towards Vi. "This gun is empowered by Hextech, sure, but at the end of the day it is still a gun. The Atlas Gauntlets are, by their very nature, mechanically complex, especially in comparison to a firearm. Whereas guns have one sole purpose, which is to fire a bullet, your gauntlets have a variety of functions which all rely on- ugh", Viktor grunted, his free hand falling to his right leg as his face contorted in pain, "they all rely on Hextech to - ahh!" Viktor carried on in a pained voice before letting out a scream. The sound echoed through the factory for a short second before he clamped his mouth shut, but that was enough time for Jayce to fall to his knee by Viktor's side, grabbing his shoulder and checking him over for any signs of what might be wrong. He was pretty sure he already knew what was going on, but it was always better to check…

"Are you alright?" Jayce asked as Vi rushed around the workbench and to Viktor's side, keeping her hands to herself but the look in her eyes told him she'd step in the second it was needed. Jayce had finished looking over Viktor's by then, instead moving his gaze up to meet his oldest friend's eyes. "Is it your leg?" Viktor nodded, biting his bottom lip as he rode out the pain in near silence, save for the sound of his labored breaths. Jayce saw Caitlyn turn to them at the edge of his vision, her hands clenched together on her lap. She looked worried, as did Vi, but they'd both seen this enough times to know what was going on by now. Jayce took a breath and reached down to the bottom of Viktor's almost oversized right leg, gripping the opening of his trousers and sliding it up as gently as he possibly could.

He was greeted by dull gray steel in the shape of a human calf, with glowing blue runes etched carefully into its surface, each one humming with near silent power. More of that same light shone from the gaps between the shifting plates that made up the prosthesis, protecting the machinery within while also allowing for a full range of movement, and as Jayce held his breath for a second he could hear the sound of shifting pistons and gears from just inside the metal casing. Jayce could see a series of smaller plates that protruded from the bottom of the leg that curved down into Viktor's shoe, tiny wisps of steam escaping from vents that had been built into the contraption. Jayce dismissed all of that as unimportant and moved to roll up Viktor's trousers even further, before a slender hand caught his own. "The pain has stopped, Jayce. There's no need to worry." Viktor told him in a calm voice, like he hadn't just been crying out in pain a moment ago.

"You sure it isn't playing up again?" Jayce asked even as he began to push down Viktor's trousers, hiding his prosthetic leg once more. Worry began to gnaw at him as he continued to speak. "I can take it off and we can go over it right now-"

"Jayce, please." Viktor interrupted him with a tired sigh. "It's okay. This is the first misfire I've had all day, and hopefully the only one at that. That is a momentous improvement over the last few days." He said, slapping his thigh with his palm as if to prove a point. There was the distinct sound of metal being struck through the fabric, but Viktor didn't even wince, and Jayce decided to let it go for the moment.

"Considering the amount of pain you were in these last few days", Jayce retorted as he stood back up, "I'm not so sure I believe that."

"Believe what you wish, but the results speak for themselves." Viktor said as he took the cane in his left hand, planting it on the floor before climbing to his feet. While his left leg was shaky and looked worryingly close to buckling, his mechanical right leg was as strong as anything the two of them had ever built, and with his cane Viktor was able to stand almost as tall as he had before his prognosis. Almost. "Give it a little more time and I'm sure this will work just as good as my organic leg, if not even better." He declared, gaze turning from him to Caitlyn and Vi in turn.

Jayce didn't doubt him for a second. Viktor was the most determined man he'd ever met, though it wasn't as obvious as with most other people. Viktor's determination was a quiet, drawn out thing that was easily missed unless you were looking. He wouldn't shout or become filled with energy. Rather, his gaze would sharpen and his eyes would fill with something that could only be described as stone, and he would dedicate himself solely to the task at hand. Jayce had seen similar things both before and after he'd met Viktor, but none of it even came close to the intensity he'd seen from him. When it came to his work, Viktor was a sink or swim type of man. Either he succeeded or kept pushing on until he did. The first time Jayce had truly seen this side of Viktor, in the early days of their work for the Council, he'd slowly grown to be both impressed by the sheer magnitude of Viktor's focus, and terrified that one day it would consume him.

That fear had waned over the years, growing weaker as he got to know his partner and his limits, and he offered aid whenever he could. But with everything that had happened in the past month, with everything that was yet to come, a small, hopefully baseless part of Jayce couldn't help but wonder if it already had…

With Jinx's attack on Progress Day, Marcus' corruption being brought to light, and with everything that had happened regarding Silco and his "enterprise" - it would be easy to forget that Viktor's illness had become terminal. Not for Jayce, never, but maybe for Viktor himself. Don't get him wrong, Jayce wasn't saying he'd written off the fact that he was fucking dying, but it almost felt like he'd put it on the back burner. Jayce had seen the work he'd been doing towards finding some sort of cure, sure, but compared to the work he was doing for other branches of Hextech, it was… well, it just wasn't enough.

Jayce knew Viktor, knew what he was capable of even with limited amounts of research and time at his disposal, and in any other situation he was sure Viktor would have made twice the progress he had by now. The issue was that this line of research, his attempts to find a cure, had cost Sky Young her life. Jayce hadn't known her all that well, as his assistant her attention had always been on his partner, but over the years he'd seen what a smart, intelligent woman she was. Now she was gone, turned to dust because she'd tried to help Viktor. Her life and her memories, everything she could've done or been, lost because she'd gotten involved in something that no one understood. If it had been someone else, a student of the Academy or one of its staff, or even a random citizen who had been at the wrong place at the wrong time; Jayce had a feeling things would've turned out the same.

They'd created Hextech to help people, and with the lives it had taken - Sky and the young boy down in the Undercity - it was hard not to feel like their dream had lost some of its worth, somehow. Like their failure to save even two people invalidated all the people they had helped, and all the people they would help from now on. Jayce refused to let that get to him, choosing to focus on tomorrow instead of yesterday, but he wasn't sure how Viktor was taking it. That focus of his, something as awe inspiring as it was frightening, it had been shattered like cheap glass. They hadn't meant to hurt anyone with or without Hextech, but they had and that was what mattered. Jayce had come close to destroying the Mercury Hammer because of it, putting an end to it before anyone else could get hurt, but Vi had talked him out of it.

She hadn't dressed it up for him, nor had she tried to downplay the magnitude of his fuckups. She told him the truth, and the truth of it was that Hextech was already being used for weapons, with Caitlyn's rifle and her gauntlets, and who knows what else in the future. She told him that they were the same underneath it all, that if war came to their home then they'd meet it head on, because that was who they were. Vi told him that nothing he did would ever fix the mistakes he'd made. All he could do was carry on and help as many people as possible, in any way that he could. Jayce had taken her words to heart and they'd helped, despite it all.

Viktor didn't have anything like that.

Jayce had tried right before they destroyed the Hexcore and in the weeks after that but Viktor wouldn't hear any of it because, no matter what Jayce said; how good or kind his intentions were, Viktor's efforts to save his own life had taken another's.

I'm not looking to just throw my life away, Jayce, but my attempt to find a cure has killed someone! If I just carry on like I was before, her sacrifice will have meant nothing.

Viktor couldn't focus on saving his own life because he'd lost himself doing so once already, and he wasn't willing to make that mistake again. So he'd set his sights on other projects he'd never had the time or freedom to work on which, three long weeks later, led to his new metal leg. Viktor had told him some years ago about how he wanted to turn Hextech towards medicine, with a heavy emphasis on limb replacement and other such devices, but Piltover's demands for such a thing had been too little for the Council to sign off on the funding. They'd wanted them to work on other, more profitable things with Hextech, up to and including the Hexgate. But with the Council effectively dancing to Jayce's tune, at least with Mel's help and guidance, securing the funding necessary had been easy. With the chaos down in the Undercity caused by Silco's death, the Council had practically thrown money at Viktor. According to Vi, Shimmer could be used to heal just as easily as it could be used to harm, and in light of that revelation the Council saw fit to expand Hextech's capability in a similar fashion.

The only thing to bear fruit so far was his work on prosthetics, and if that was because building machines was all they'd done for the last eight years or because Viktor was in need of a new leg himself, Jayce didn't know. Viktor hadn't told him and Jayce didn't have the heart to ask. No one could deny his work, though, because in less than three whole weeks Viktor had created fully functional Hextech prostheses. They'd had some kinks to work out of course, but Viktor had seen fit to test and iron them out himself. Whether that be motor glitches or the sudden onset of debilitating pain, he'd fixed it all with minimal help from Jayce, even though he'd made sure to offer every time.

Viktor wouldn't tell him why he focused so hard on these new projects, even though it took time away from finding a cure for himself, but he didn't need to.

It was his penance, his attempt at atonement. Viktor wouldn't accept his help because he believed it was his duty and his duty alone, and Jayce knew that he wouldn't focus on his own needs until he'd done enough, whatever that may be.

Jayce understood that. He respected it, even. It didn't mean he accepted it, though.

"I have something you guys might be interested in, if you wanna check it out?" He asked, doing his best not to look at Viktor. Even then he could see the mounting confusion on his brother's face, and instead looked to the other two with them. Vi shrugged her shoulders though Jayce could see the open curiosity in her eyes, and Caitlyn nodded her assent. Jayce then crouched down and reached under the workbench they were crowding around, retrieving the wooden, metal lined box he'd left there that morning. He was about to place it down on the table when he saw all the pieces of Caitlyn's disassembled rifle, and he sent her a quick look. "Mind clearing some space?" He asked, and without further prompting Caitlyn and Viktor shifted the parts to the side and made some space for him. Jayce placed the box down on the center of the table before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small, bronze coloured key, and opened the box without another word.

Within was another Hextech device, small enough to fit in the palm of someone's hand, but its size wasn't what mattered - though Jayce could imagine what jokes people would make if he said that out loud. This was the culmination of all of Jayce's research into human anatomy and the process of healing; all the effort he'd put into saving his best friend's life. Even then Jayce knew it wouldn't be enough to cure Viktor's sickness, biology had always been Viktor's area of expertise, but that wasn't what he was trying to do. He wanted to inspire him. If he saw what Jayce had accomplished over the past three weeks, maybe he'd find it in him to focus his work on improving his own health, if only for a little while.

It was manipulative, Jayce was self-aware enough to see that, but what else was he supposed to do? Viktor was dedicating himself to projects that had no real time limit yet damn near neglecting the work that would save his life, because his guilt wouldn't allow him to. Even if it was nothing more than scientific curiosity, a small spark that would probably fade away, there was a chance that it would light a fire under his ass and give him back his focus, because Jayce didn't know how much more he could do. Jayce had known nothing about medicine before Progress Day and while he'd learned a fair amount over the last three weeks, there was only so much he could learn in twenty one days. It had been hard to accept but Jayce couldn't save him - he could only help Viktor save himself.

"What is it?" Caitlyn asked from beside him, reaching out with a hand to grab the device before stopping herself. "Can I hold it?" She requested, looking to him for permission.

"Go ahead." He allowed, watching as she gently plucked the machine from the case with two hands, turning it over and inspecting it. It wasn't the most complex design he'd ever made, consisting of a single Hextech Gemstone wrapped wrapped in a small series of copper straps, holding it in place and connecting it to a number of concentric rings that were held together by a small metal beam. It reminded him of the model of a planet and its rings that he'd seen in one of Piltover's observatories, some years ago now, and he would be lying if he said he didn't like the look. Caitlyn seemed to think so too, going by the small smile on her face as she looked it over. "There's a small button on the underside there. Or just think about turning it on." Jayce added after a moment.

Caitlyn nodded and trailed a finger along the bottom of the gemstone, stopping when she found the switch. Then she turned it on with a flick of her finger, rocked back in surprise as the Gemstone and the runes carved along the device flared with sapphire light. Barely a second later the machine began to float up and out of Caitlyn's palm, hovering a few inches above her hand as the rings began to spin on their axis. Each ring spun at a different speed, going backwards or forwards and casting a series of rapidly shifting shadows as they moved, and Jayce watched with a suppressed smile as Viktor's eyes narrowed in clear interest. After a moment small motes of light began to drift off from the runes etched onto the rings, floating off in every direction.

Once each mote moved about an inch away from the spinning device though, they rapidly shifted direction and began to float en masse towards the four of them. Viktor, Caitlyn and Vi all shifted back as the first of the small orbs of light touched their chests, before stilling entirely. Jayce only smiled as the light reached him, feeling what had quickly become a familiar sensation course through his body. It was like electricity; a prolonged shock yet not quite as sharp, if that made any sense. It didn't hurt either, no matter how much Jayce thought it should've. It felt warm and encouraging, empowering even - making him more of what he already was.

"The hell is this?" Vi asked in what sounded like open fascination, glancing down at her hands which were glowing ever so slightly blue. Her face was glowing as well, not that she could see it, but as she turned to look at Caitlyn and saw the faint sapphire hue to her cheeks, her jaw dropped open. Jayce wasn't sure because of the light, but he could've sworn Vi was blushing, though he couldn't for the life of him work out why. They were all glowing now, every bit of exposed skin shining dimly in the low factory light, and even Viktor seemed to be enjoying the light show, going by the bright smile on his face. It was either that or the feeling of energy he was no doubt feeling.

"It doesn't have a name yet, but I've been calling it the Hextech Healer in my head." Jayce replied, reaching up with a hand and plucking one of the small orbs from the air. His whole hand shuddered as the mote of light vanished into his finger and the warmth within him intensified just that little extra bit. "I started working on it a day or two after you joined up with us, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It boosts the body's natural healing process a hundred fold, or close enough that it really doesn't make a difference, though none of us are injured so I can't really show you that just yet. Trust me, though, the test's I've run-" Jayce continued before Vi spoke up, cutting him off.

"One second." Vi interrupted, reaching up and grabbing one of the saws off the raised tool rack before holding it to her left hand. Before any of them could stop her, she ran her thumb along the tool's serrated edge. "Fuck, ow." She said as a few drops of blood ran down the metal, and Cailtyn chose that moment to snatch the saw from her hand with a severe expression.

"You are ridiculous, Vi." Caitlyn scolded her, taking a handkerchief from her pocket and carefully wiping the blood from the tool before hanging it back on the rack. "Do I need to watch you in case you stick a fork into a toaster as well?"

Vi paid her no mind, opting instead to hold out her injured thumb for all of them to see. She, Viktor and Caitlyn watched in open awe as the cut quite literally stitched itself back together over the course of seven seconds, stopping the bleeding before it had really begun. It didn't even leave a scar. "That's…" The Deputy Enforcer began, searching for the words. "That's really fucking amazing. Wow."

Jayce barely heard Vi speaking then as Viktor turned to him. The gentle blue glow emanating from him only served to highlight his sunken, bloodshot eyes, and whatever pride Jayce was feeling quickly vanished. Even so, there was no mistaking the hope in his gaze. "What are the limitations?" Viktor asked, sounding short of breath. Can this fix me? Went unspoken, and Jayce wished he could give him the answer they both wanted.

"It… only works for trauma-based injuries so far." Jayce explained carefully. "Cuts, stabs, broken bones, you name it. Even burns and electrical damage. It'll probably work on bullet wounds as well, though I haven't had a chance to test that yet." Viktor's expression softened as he processed his words, growing just a little bit sad, and Jayce saw Vi and Caitlyn looking between the two of them in a not-so-subtle manner.

"Not diseases and the like, then?" He asked, looking at the Hextech Healer floating before him with a forlorn look on his face.

And here it was: do or die. Jayce had to get this right, he had to. He wasn't sure he'd get another chance. "Not yet. I mean, look at me", he said, trying for a smile that he didn't feel, "I'm a mechanic and a blacksmith at heart; I don't have a clue about biology. That's always been your area of expertise." He finished, meeting his eyes with what he wished wasn't a hopeful look.

A long moment of near silence passed, broken only by the gentle whir of the Hextech Healer's spinning rings, before Viktor spoke up in a tiny voice, leaning forward with his hands pressed against his cane. "You want me to continue working on this, then?"

"You've gotten pretty far with your work on prosthetics, so why not on something else for a while?" Jayce pressed on. "If you want, I can take a look at the blueprints for your leg and whatever else you've sketched out. Maybe iron out some of the kinks in the designs, like what we saw earlier?" Viktor looked down at that, gazing at his prosthetic and drumming his fingers along the trouser leg, deep in thought.

For a long moment Jayce worried he'd gone too far, that he'd offended Viktor or somehow dredged up bad memories, and now he'd push him away. Jayce barely stopped himself from backtracking, taking back his words with hurried and desperate apologies because if Viktor didn't accept his help now, then chances were he never would. This was proof of concept that Hextech could be used to heal the injured, and if Viktor didn't want to take that and run, turn it into something that could cure the sick, then there wasn't much else that Jayce could do. He'd keep trying, keep pushing the limits of his already insufficient medical knowledge, but he was already running out of options.

Please, Viktor…

The moment seemed to drag on endlessly until finally, thankfully, Viktor spoke up. "How doesn't this have the same issue that the Hexcore did when trying to interface with organic materials?" He asked, and Jayce could scarcely believe the relief he felt. It wasn't a yes, but the fact that Viktor was showing interest was a very good sign.

"From what I can tell it's because the Hexcore was actively trying to change, or at the very least mold, the plants it was tested on. At least that's what your notes said the Hexcore was trying to do." He added, continuing after a moment when Viktor nodded. "Since we have no way of making that work just yet, I figured it'd be better to try boosting the natural processes already taking place. My notes explaining it all are back at the lab, if you want to take a look?"

Viktor mulled over his words for a moment and looked away, reaching out and holding his hand close to the spinning rings of the Hextech device. Jayce briefly met Caitlyn's gaze then, seeing her confused and concerned expression, though she didn't say anything. A few seconds later Viktor ran a hand through his hair, releasing a heavy breath before turning back to Jayce. "Yes… I think I would like that." Then he let out a low, quiet laugh. "In time, maybe these could become standard issue in hospitals across the city."

Jayce stepped round and clapped a hand to Viktor's shoulder, standing just behind him and gazing up towards the spinning Hextech device. "That was the plan, though I'm willing to bet we'll need to jump through a whole load of hoops to make that happen." Viktor then reached up and placed a hand over his, laughing as he did. "Well, no matter what happens we've got something that can genuinely help people. No ifs and buts like with the Atlas Gauntlets." He said, shooting a faux-annoyed look to Vi. She snorted in response, holding up her hand to her chest and feigning hurt. "It only works on certain things right now but with a bit more research and testing, who knows what it could do?" Viktor's body straightened beneath his hand, sitting just that little bit taller, and even without seeing his face Jayce could tell he was smiling.

With Viktor, Caitlyn and Vi - family and friends alike staring up at the blue motes of light that slowly drifted towards them, Jayce felt genuine hope and joy enter his heart for what felt like the first time in weeks. Everything since Viktor's prognosis had felt heavy, for lack of a better word, like he was racing towards something he couldn't see. Maybe that was what it meant to be a fool, running forward blindly and hoping that things would go your way, but Jayce had spent so much of his life feeling like that, feeling lesser in some way, that he wasn't convinced that wasn't just his normal state of being. Sometimes it felt like there were a dozen bad moments for every good one, but didn't that just make the good times better? More worthwhile? Jayce didn't know about that, but he was sure about one thing: he'd endure a hundred bad times if it meant getting to have times like this.

It was a shame it didn't last.

A loud slam rang from his left, echoing through the open factory floor and shattering the comfortable atmosphere the four of them had only just begun to enjoy, and he spun his head to the source of the noise right as a voice called out. "Yeah, I know I'm late, my bad - what the fuck is that?" Ekko, the leader of the Firelights and Piltover's newest Councillor, swore as he stepped through the now open factory door. He was dressed in his usual outfit bar the mask and the long coat, but according to him he only wore that jacket when he knew he'd be spending a while on his hoverboard, so it wasn't weird. Speaking of, the hoverboard was currently strapped to his back, the rounded ends of the device peeking out from behind his torso, but that wasn't what caught Jayce's attention. It was the woman walking in behind Ekko that drew his eye, right as she turned and closed the door behind her.

"You'd know that if you'd actually bothered to turn up on time." Vi called, fixing her old friend with a dirty look, before looking at the woman just behind him. "And Councillor Medarda. Hey." She said, as diplomatic as Jayce had ever heard her, and Mel Medarda regarded her with a calm, practiced smile as she stepped in line with Ekko.

Gods, Jayce hated the way his stomach turned at the sight of her, like he was some fucking schoolboy with a crush, but he couldnt' control how he felt. It was so much easier to see her when he was in the Council building because that was work, but seeing her here, when he was Jayce instead of Councillor Talis; it brought back memories from the night at the opera. Heated kisses and warm hands, with eyes like fire boring into his own with smoldering intensity. It reminded him of the time they spent together as people instead of colleagues - his head on her lap as he lamented the hand Viktor had been dealt from his childhood in the Undercity, her hand on his bare chest as she gave him advice about his position on the Council - and suddenly the gulf that had opened up between them since the vote for peace with the Undercity felt just that tiny bit wider.

Mel Medarda, standing there in a dress fit for a queen, while he was sweaty and glowing for fucks sake. Stars, what a mess. "It's good to see you are well after the altercation in the Undercity, Deputy. You as well, Sheriff Kiramman." She said, regarding the two women with as much of an easy-going expression someone as regal as her was probably capable of showing. Mel moved towards them alongside Ekko, though she stopped a fair distance away from the Hextech Healer and the light it gave off, probably on account of them all being a little blue at that time. Maybe she just didn't like the color. Ekko didn't have any issues approaching however, stepping up besides Vi as motes of azure light started hitting his chest, and his eyes widened in shock. "And please forgive me for Councillor Ekko's tardiness. I was-"

"I can speak for myself, yeah?" Ekko interrupted, the smile that had been threatening to break out as he looked upon the floating Hextech device morphing into a deep scowl. Jayce was about to reprimand him but Vi beat him to it, reaching up and flicking Ekko on the side of the head. He looked up at her with a narrow glare before sighing and letting it go, instead turning to the rest of them in turn. "I was taking Heimerdinger back to the Academy before coming here, but I ran into Medarda on the way out. Needed to talk about the supplies being shipped down for the Firelights."

"Everything alright?" Jayce asked, a tinge of worry worming its way within his stomach. He'd promised Ekko full access to whatever resources he needed when they met after Silco's death; he really didn't want to go back on his word.

"Just some changes in how we're distributing resources." Mel answered, smiling at him in a way that could only be described as professional. "It's all on Piltover's end so it won't affect him and his Firelights, but it was only right to inform him."

Jayce nodded at that, seeing Ekko take a step closer to the Hextech Healer out of the corner of his eye. He looked just as curious as he did when they first met down in the Undercity, taking the Mercury Hammer in hand and taking it for a literal spin. Jayce didn't know much about Ekko, but if he knew anything it was that he'd take any opportunity to learn. He'd made it very clear how he felt about Topside and the people who lived there, but he never scorned their knowledge. He looked over the device's structure for a moment before he shook his head, cracking his neck before turning to Jayce with a smile just the wrong side of vicious. "Well we're done and I'm here now, so put your hands up, Golden-Boy." He ordered, stepping away from the group and into the open space Jayce had sparred with Vi in.

Jayce let out a sigh because, of course that's the first thing Ekko would do. Ever since Jayce had started training with Vi, putting the Mercury Hammer against her Atlas Gauntlets, she had insisted on giving him a backup in case he ever were to lose his hammer in a fight. Jayce wasn't so arrogant as to say that would never happen, having been in exactly one real fight in his entire life, so he'd accepted she was right and started learning how to box. She showed him the basics, footwork and positioning and other things like that, and gave him about an hour practicing them before sicking Ekko on him. They both needed the practice in unarmed combat according to her but, no matter how much she claimed Ekko "hit like a little bitch", he felt like Ekko had a bit too much knocking him on his ass. He even used his height against him, punching and kicking him in the chest and stomach so many times he lost count. And when he decided to hit below the belt… ugh.

It was Vi who saved him from what would be a painful and tenderizing fate, walking over to Ekko and dragging him back by the shoulder which earned a startled yelp from the younger man. "Nope. You were late so we went overtime on armed sparring tonight, so he's done for tonight."

Ekko's face twisted into something akin to disbelief as he let himself be dragged back to the group. "What, you his coach now or something?"

"He's my boss's boss", Vi answered, moving so she stood next to Caitlyn on her stool, with Ekko to her left, "so kinda, yeah."

"If I may." Mel said, breaking her brief silence as she took a step closer to their group. "I wished to speak to Jayce in private. If that is alright with you all?" She asked, though they all knew she wasn't asking for their permission.

Jayce didn't need to be told twice, reaching up towards the Hextech Healer and watching as the spinning rings rapidly slowed as his hand approached, allowing him to grab the frame and shut the device off with a thought. Looking over the machine for a moment, he decided against placing it back in its box and instead held it out to Ekko, who took it after a second with a small, near-hidden smile. He stepped back and around, walking past Viktor, Cailtyn and Vi all while pretending not to notice the latter wink at him, a suggestive grin rapidly growing on her face.

He really doubted Mel was here for that, no matter what Vi was implying, but the fact that they had been together before pretty much proved her right. She was just a little late, that's all. Still, Jayce managed to approach Mel without stumbling, blushing or otherwise making a fool out of himself, so he'd chalk that one up as a win. "I have a place where we can talk. This way, please?" He asked as he stopped just in front of her, trying not to come across as too formal as gestured to his right behind Mel.

Her expression gave nothing away, still locked in that warm, calculated mask that he'd only seen Mel take off a few times in the years he'd known her. Jayce didn't say anything about that, or anything else for that matter, instead stepping past her and walking away from the main factory floor and towards the back left corner of the building. He heard hushed conversation start back up behind them as Mel fell into step beside him, and Jayce made a conscious effort to shorten his stride so he didn't leave her behind. The two of them walked for a few moments, passing steel pillars and underneath wooden struts until they reached the two walls protruding from the corner, with frosted square windows and a simple but well made wooden door near the corner.

Opening the door and stepping inside, Jayce held the door for Mel with one hand as she entered, reaching to the wall with the other and flicking the light switch. The simple, three light chandelier that hung above the center of the room flickered for a second before turning on completely, bathing the room in a gentle light. Jayce took a moment to look around the room, searching for a place to sit, but was greeted by gray dust sheets covering the last bits of furniture left in the space. There was a large desk and cabinet at one end of the square room, with a couch by the other wall opposite it and an arm chair in the corner next to it. "One second." Jayce asked, moving over to the couch and taking the end of the dust cover closest to the door, folding it up and over twice so he didn't spread dust everywhere. He then placed the cover on the armchair before sitting down on the end of the couch, hopefully leaving enough space for Mel to sit without feeling like she was too close to him.

Mel took the other end of the couch, angling herself towards Jayce as she brushed down the front of her dress. Jayce mirrored her, folding his hands over his lap and really feeling the awkward air in the room. "I wanted to speak on the issue of Noxus." Mel said, breaking the silence before it dragged on too long, though with what she'd just brought up maybe silence was better.

"Right…" Jayce said, his voice trailing off as he brought his hand up to his chin in thought. "I'm guessing you don't have any good news to tell me?"

She shook her head, leaning back into the couch and visibly relaxing, previously hidden tension draining from her shoulders. "No, but then there isn't particularly bad news either. It's easiest to say that what I've been expecting to happen is going to happen, sooner or later." She explained, without really explaining at all. That was a skill all politicians had, in Jayce's admittedly limited experience in that field.

"And what exactly have you been expecting?" He asked, cutting to the chase as best he could.

"Preliminary invasion tactics." She said, and Jayce felt his heart seize. "It mostly entails information gathering, sending a series of spies into the area and locating critical infrastructure points, key political sites, along with anything else that would help their army take a city. They'll also be tasked with learning about the target's society and culture, both its strengths and weaknesses, in an effort to gain a possible advantage." Mel elaborated, like she was talking about the weather instead of the hostile takeover of their home. Well, she was the daughter of a prominent Noxian general, so maybe this was as normal as talking about the weather to her - who would know? He certainly didn't. If anything, he was being reminded just how different their lives really were.

Jayce felt his mouth growing dry as he digested her words, closing his eyes briefly before speaking. "That all makes sense, as much as something like that can make sense, but how do you know that's happening for sure?"

"I don't know for certain", Mel conceded, tilting her head to the side before meeting his gaze, "but I spoke to my mother today and her sources have convinced her this is happening. Probably as we speak. If she's right, and I refuse to dismiss her words out of hand, then we'll have a few months at the very least before the first of their spies reach our shores. However long it takes for them to make the journey."

"That's good, I think?" Jayce said, the words sounding more like a question than anything else. "That gives us time to… prepare? What do we even do in the face of something like that?"

Mel considered his words for a moment, looking down at her feet for a moment, an expression of concern crossing her face before being squashed down. "We build defenses and make sure our cities appear as strong as possible - both Piltover and the Undercity." She said, steel entering her voice. "You've been working to prevent a civil war breaking out between our two peoples, along with trying to aid and stabilize the Undercity as a whole, but it will take more than that to discourage Noxus. We must be united if we are to survive."

Fuck… Jayce thought. He wanted to say he was working on it, but that wasn't really good enough, now was it? Results were what mattered in a situation like this, and now what results he did have seemed woefully small in the face of all this. It's just one fucking thing after another… "Guess we'll just have to carry on as we are then. Not much else to do. Though I think I'll start focusing on some large scale defenses for the cities." He declared, thinking of the shield generators in the Atlas Gauntlets and his Mercury Hammer. Taking that technology and massively scaling it up would be a good place to start, though Jayce wasn't so naive to think that would be enough.

"That's the best course of action, I feel, though I'm sure my mother disagrees." She said, speaking of her mother in the same tone as she would anything else, but there was an emotion in her words that Jayce couldn't quite place, buried underneath the mask of cool indifference. "She's convinced that a show of force is the best way to deter Noxus, and while she isn't wrong exactly, that will only be a temporary measure. Squashing the conflict in the Undercity with Hextech will only lead to more violence, not less, despite what she may believe."

"She really suggested that?" Jayce asked in disbelief.

"Oh yes." Mel said, a wry smile growing on her face, though it didn't reach her eyes. "When I went to see her a few days after the Council meeting, where we voted for the Undercity's independence. She called me a fool, but what else is new?" Even Jayce could hear the sadness in her words, and when she looked towards him and met his eyes, she flinched and looked away.

"Mel…" He tried before she cut him off.

"She's afraid!" She snapped, and Jayce's eyes widened at the visceral rage in her voice. Mel took a deep breath a moment later, schooling her expression but failing to hide just how intense her gaze was, eyes like amber narrowing. "This warlord she's talking about, the one who killed my brother, he has her running scared, hiding in the same city that she exiled her daughter to. I never thought I'd see the day…" There was a tremor in her voice, one that Jayce barely noticed because her brother was dead? He didn't even know she had a brother. Except what he did or didn't know meant nothing right then, and he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs.

"I'm so sorry about your brother, Mel." He apologized, watching as her hands clenched on her lap, her body twisting away from him a little. "Is there… do you want to talk about it?" Jayce knew full well how pathetic that question was, especially at a time like this, but just brushing over something like that didn't sit right with him. He wouldn't force her to talk or anything if she didn't want to, but he had to ask. But Mel just kept her gaze fixed down on her fingers, clenched like she was putting in effort to stop them from moving, and Jayce took her silence for the refusal that it was. "This warlord, then. Who is he?"

Mel drew in a breath at that, looking towards him with a neutral expression, though he couldn't help but see the relief in her eyes; relief he couldn't help but feel he wasn't meant to see. "His name is Swain." She breathed. "He was an influential figure in Noxus for a long time, long enough that I would hear stories of his exploits when I was a child, but he and his forces suffered a great defeat during Noxus' invasion of Ionia some five years ago. He was sent back to Noxus Prime in disgrace where he quickly fell out of power, losing much of his influence and fortune in the process, and after some failed attempts to regain standing he disappeared. When I heard what transpired, I thought that would be the end of it, and him."

"That wasn't the case, though." Jayce added, and Mel let out a quiet, delicate sounding snort.

"Obviously not." She agreed, the hint of a smile in her voice. "I can't find out much about him with the resources at my disposal, not how or even why he returned, and my mother is either unable or unwilling to tell me anything. It's… distressing, to say the least." Mel admitted, the barest hint of vulnerability creeping into her words, and Jayce felt something stirring in his chest. Without thinking, without saying a word, he reached across the short space between them and took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers and running his thumb softly along the back of her hand.

She stiffened at the contact, drawing a breath on what seemed like reflex, and just when Jayce thought that she'd pull away, she relaxed into his embrace, placing her free hand atop his. Her eyes drifted shut as the air escaped her lips, and they sat in silence for a long moment, one that stretched out for a full minute and then some. Then, shifting closer to Jayce just a little, Mel tilted to the side and laid down, drawing her legs up onto the couch and resting her head on his lap. Jayce's mouth fell open for a second before Mel's hands squeezed his own, and he drew his right hand up to rest on her shoulder, in as comforting a gesture as he could manage. "I didn't want things to be like this." She whispered, breaking the silence that had settled.

Jayce's mind went back to the morning after the concert, when he was still reeling from Viktor's prognosis and had left Mel alone. He'd done this same thing, then, taking comfort in the warmth of another's presence, and Jayce wondered if that was what this was. An attempt at drawing comfort in the same way he'd done with her, or maybe even an attempt at bridging the gap that had formed between them recently. Jayce couldn't afford to get lost in his thoughts, though, and he spoke a second later. "Things?" Jayce prompted, gently squeezing her hand and shoulder, encouraging her.

"This! All of this." She pressed on. "Piltover and the Undercity. My mother and Noxus. You and I." Mel said, making Jayce's breath hitch. "None of it turned out the way I wanted. It's my whole life, Jayce. I got sent away from my family, my home, and I've spent every day since then building a name and fortune for myself, because I thought that if I became successful enough, my mother might want me back." She curled in on herself a little, drawing her knees closer to her body and clutching Jayce's hand to her chest. "I stopped caring about that, eventually, but I just kept taking. More money, more influence - fuck what the rest of the world thinks. And look where I am now. Richest person in the city without any real friends or family to my name. Except for you", she added, "but I think I've ruined that as well."

"You haven't ruined anything-"

"She banished me because I cared too much about the people she slaughtered", Mel spoke over him, and Jayce closed his mouth, "all in the name of the great Noxian Empire. And it was only after Progress Day, after you joined the Council, that I realized I stopped caring somewhere along the way. Somewhere between the girl I was and the woman I am now, I began valuing money and status over people. People I could've helped down in the Undercity, but I was so focused on grieving the mother who couldn't stand to be around me, that I lost sight of the things I used to stand for. It's…" She trailed off with a heavy sigh. "It's something I've had to confront over the past few weeks, along with everything else that's happened."

"Is that why you…" Jayce asked, unable to find the right words.

"Why I distanced myself from you?" Mel confirmed and he nodded. "I needed time to grieve for my brother, even though we weren't as close as I wanted to be, and I needed time to figure things out." She explained, the words fading into silence for a moment before she spoke up, sounding more unsure than he'd ever heard her. "I'm sorry…"

Jayce let out a breath, shutting his eyes and feeling, he didn't know, shame? Something akin to guilt that reached up through his chest and into his throat. "Please don't be sorry." He said, choking on the words, feeling Mel shifting atop his legs and he opened his eyes, seeing her now laying on her back, looking up at him with tired, hopeful eyes. "Not for something like that."

She removed the hand she'd kept atop his, squeezing it with the other as she reached up towards his face, running the back of her fingers gently along his cheek. Jayce met her eyes with a hesitant smile, moving his hand from her shoulder and cupping her cheek, almost mirroring her. "Do you… do you think I can help? That I can be better?" She asked, and there was a desperation in her words that he'd never heard before.

"Of course I do." Jayce answered without hesitation. "That was never in question; not for me." He watched the remnants of Mel's mask wash away as she listened to his words, leaving a bright face and a beautiful smile in its wake, and Jayce knew she had never looked more beautiful than in this moment. It was as if the sunrise had taken human form and was now laying in his arms, eyes like twin suns gazing softly into his own. The thought that he wished he had a camera flashed through Jayce's mind, but even though a picture was worth a thousand words, he doubted even that would be enough to truly capture this moment, or to express the weight of the emotions in his chest. He'd just have to enjoy the moment for as long as he was able.

The moment wasn't to last long as, barely half a minute later, surprise and something horribly close to guilt flashed through her eyes, and Mel pulled away from him. She sat up and moved to the other end of the couch while Jayce's heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach, though that didn't stop the words from leaving his mouth. "Mel? What's wrong?"

Mel faced away from him, seeming to shrink into herself, though he heard her voice clearly. "Don't you get it? I can't even be with the man I like without feeling this guilt!" She let out a huff, running both hands through her braids as she visibly tried to collect herself.

"Guilt?" Jayce asked, holding a hand out towards Mel though he didn't actually touch her. "Why would you feel guilty about being with me?"

"Because I was using you!" She shouted, before shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I used you. That night at the concert, I watched you make deals with the heads of houses and Councilors alike, and you did it so well that I got worried you'd decide you wouldn't need me." Mel was spitting the words now, looking directly into his eyes, though it didn't feel like her anger was directed at him. "So I took you to bed without a second thought, just because I didn't want to risk losing my investment in Hextech. An investment. That's all you were to me then." She whispered, looking down and away from him, like she couldn't bear to see his face.

"And what am I now?" Jayce asked, reaching out and taking her hand once more. Her hand was clammy and she didn't wrap her fingers around his, nor did she even look at him, but she didn't pull away and that was all that mattered.

Mel kept looking away from him, releasing a shaky breath that sounded like a gunshot in the near silent room. "You're someone I don't want to lose." She said, a weird sort of conviction entering her voice, almost like resignation. "But I'm scared that I will because, no matter how I feel for you, it was all built on deception and greed. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want anything to do with me from now on."

Jayce digested her words, letting quiet set in once more as he thought over what to say next, and he couldn't help but smile. "Deception? What're you talking about? Don't pretend I'm some idiot who can't read between the lines: I knew exactly what I was signing up for."Mel stiffened and turned back to him, eyes growing wide as she saw his smile, and Jayce laughed at the dumbfounded expression on her face. Jayce scooted across the couch and pressed himself up against her side, wrapping his arm across her waist and holding his other hand across hers. She relaxed into him once more, not even pretending to fight the close contact, instead leaning her head against his chest. "I know I can be a bit dense at times, but I'd just spent the night getting into the good graces of basically every lord and noble in the damn city - you think I wouldn't realize it when you tried the same?"

Mel let out a huff of laughter then, some of the gloom leaving her eyes as she sat up a little straighter, finally meeting his gaze again. "Then why did you go back with me?" She asked, leaning in close.

Jayce's smile was all teeth. "Look in a mirror, then you'll understand."

Mel grinned at that, though that didn't stop her from poking him in the ribs. "We're being serious here." She chided, her left hand coming to rest on the side of his torso.

"Who says I wasn't. Okay, okay!" He called with a laugh as Mel held her finger to his chest once more. "I've liked you for a long time, Mel; what else is there to say?" He admitted, and her mouth fell open just a little. "You gave me a chance, letting Viktor and I break into Heimerdinger's office eight years ago, and I guess that just started making me look at you differently. I don't know when it went from admiration and gratitude to wanting to be with you, but I wasn't exactly about to pass up an opportunity like that. Even if it wasn't exactly how I wanted it to be."

Mel looked to be in disbelief, staring into his eyes like she was searching for something, though he didn't know what. "All that time?" She asked, almost breathless.

"You're the most incredible woman I know." He told her, honestly and truthfully. "Everytime I thought of the type of woman I wanted to be with, I could only ever think of you-"

Jayce didn't get the chance to finish his confession, not when Mel rocked forward and slammed her lips against his, in a move that would've been painful if they weren't so soft. He didn't waste a moment, pressing forward against her and running his hands down her waist as she positioned atop him. She groaned as his tongue met hers, winding her fingers through his short, dark hair. Then Mel pulled back, her cheeks having grown darker, and they were both panting slightly. She looked at him before shutting her eyes, looking like she was deep in thought for a second before meeting his gaze once more. "We'll do it right this time?" She asked, and Jayce couldn't nod any faster. "Well, we're all going to be pretty busy for the foreseeable future, but I have enough time for lunch tomorrow."

Now there was a hint even Jayce couldn't miss. "I'll be there."

"Good. One pm outside the Council building." She said, climbing up and off him before straightening her dress. It had gotten a little bunched up over the course of their talk, if that's what he was calling it, but after a moment it looked as good as new. "Don't be late. Oh, and do try not to look like you're waiting for me. I've dealt with more than enough rumors in my life." She said, straightening out her hair as Jayce stood up, before continuing. "The gossip going around about the Sheriff and her Deputy is bad enough; I'd rather not hear what they have to say about us."

Jayce had been just about to run a hand through his tousled hair when he processed Mel's words, and he went still. "Wait, Cait and Vi? What are people saying about them?" He asked, because that was his sister and his friend. If people were accusing the two of them of nepotism or anything like that, then…

"The usual stuff", Mel said uselessly, "like how they're secretly in love and that's why Vi was made Deputy, and since she's close with you no one will be able to hold them accountable."

Jayce took a moment to process that before speaking. "Okay, about that second half, who's saying that?"

"Socialites and the like - no one that really matters. The Councillor's and the Enforcers I've spoken to are more than happy with their performance." She answered succinctly.

"And about them being together?" Jayce asked. "You think that's true?"

Mel, who had been about to walk to the office door, stopped and turned to him, fixing him with the biggest look of shock and awe that he'd ever received. "You cannot possibly be this unobservant."

Heat rushed into his cheeks and he looked away, hearing Mel's bark of laughter fill the space. "Okay, in my defense we've all been quite busy."

"You spend multiple hours with them every day", Mel laughed, "and you still didn't realize?"

Jayce let out a sigh, stepping and past Mel before opening the door for her. "You don't even know if it's true." He said, and even he could tell he was being a tiny bit petulant.

"I don't", she agreed, stepping through the doorway and letting him close it behind them as he followed, "but it's obvious there's something there." She said, resting a hand on Jayce's forearm briefly. "Remember, one pm."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He answered, smiling at the content look in Mel's eyes before she turned and walked towards the factory exit. Jayce stood and watched her go, only moving when the door rang shut behind her, heading back towards where he and the group had been. Looking back though, everyone but Vi had left, leaving her to her own devices. Evidently she'd decided not to wait and do nothing, and instead was swinging the Mercury Hammer about like it was a giant toy, throwing it around in big, sweeping movements that would be next to worthless in a real fight. "Where'd everyone go?" He called as he got close, though not enough that she might accidentally take his head off.

Vi caught herself mid spin, stumbling as the momentum of her swing carried her further than she was probably aiming, coming to a complete stop a few meters away from Jayce. She planted the head of the hammer down on the concrete and let go, the Hextech powering down as her fingers left the grip, before shooting him a wild grin. "Sorry man but, this, this thing's wild." She said as she pointed at the weapon, answering the question that Jayce hadn't asked, namely why she was playing with the Mercury Hammer, but oh well. "And Ekko and Viktor went back to the Academy to look over the notes for your Hextech thing. Ekko's pretty interested in it, and he's probably gonna take the prototype back with him since it might do some good there."

Jayce accepted the answer easily enough. He trusted Ekko enough to not abuse Hextech, and a device like that would probably be worth ten times its weight in gold down to the Firelights. Jayce figured they could have it for free. "What about Caitlyn?" He asked, stepping over and taking the Mercury Hammer in hand, powering it up and resting it on his shoulder.

"She went with them." She explained, walking back towards the workbench and retrieving the Atlas Gauntlets, sliding her fists into the machines before going back to him. "Still gotta get those upgrades for her rifle, remember, or whatever it was she was doing with it." Jayce nodded, absently thinking over a few things right when Vi spoke up again. "So, you and Medarda fucking or what?"

Jayce sputtered, coughed and almost dropped his hammer in the span of a second, taking a moment to recover before fixing a harsh look on Vi, who just grinned at him. "We're not fucking." He stressed.

"Whatever you wanna call it." She dismissed, stretching her arms out behind her and cracking her neck. "I'm just saying, she was real eager to get alone with you."

"You know what", Jayce began, a thought popping into his head, "answer my question and I'll answer yours."

"Shoot."

"What's going on between you and Caitlyn?" He asked, and he would admit to enjoying the way Vi froze up, mouth falling open. She stayed like that for a full ten seconds, mouth working to form words that wouldn't come out before Jayce carried on speaking. "It's fine if you two are together, at least by me. I was just curious. Mel mentioned there were rumors about you two and how I was basically blind not to see it, and figured I'd just ask." He said with a shrug.

Vi nodded at that, steel hands hanging limply at her side. "Yeah, we… we're together. Properly and everything." She told him. "I… I really care about her, Jayce."

There was a sincerity in her voice that Jayce wouldn't deny, and while he may have been a bit miffed that Caitlyn hadn't told him, they were basically family after all, he decided to just let it go. "Well, I'm happy for you. Both of you." He added, clapping his left hand to her shoulder. "Just don't hurt her, okay?" The words could've been a threat, and if it had been any other woman they might've been, but he trusted Vi. This was an honest request, friend to friend.

"I'd never forgive myself if I did." Vi answered, and Jayce accepted that for the promise it was. "And what about you and Medarda, then?"

Jayce nodded. "Happened a bit after Progress Day. It wasn't an official thing or anything, and we kind of put it on hold the past three weeks for reasons I can't really say, but we're going out for lunch tomorrow."

"Hey!" Vi cheered, bumping his shoulder as she started walking to the front of the factory. Jayce followed, hammer in hand, right as Vi started speaking again. "You heading home?"

"Yeah. Figure I'll get an early night." He said, before amending his statement slightly. "An early night for me, that is."

"Cool. I'll walk you." Vi said, and it was clear by the way she spoke that he didn't have a choice in the matter. "May as well kill some time while Cupcake's still out, you know. And while we're on the way, I wanna hear your opinion on green lightning." She said, earning a confused glance from jayce

"Green lightning?" He asked as they left the factory and headed off into the darkened streets of Piltover, the street lamps like hanging stars in the night sky.

---

And there we have it. Second Jayce chapter and a lot of stuff happened, along with some set up for stuff later down the line. Not gonna lie to you all, really enjoyed writing Mel here. The line between her being stoic and really expressive was really fun to walk, figuring out when she'd let go and express her feelings instead of bottling them up, and what Jayce might say to make her react like that. The fight with Jayce and Vi at the beginning was super fun too, and I'm hoping you guys all enjoy it since it is the second fight of the fic.

Anyways, really hope you all enjoyed this and I'll see you next time.