abraxaslogs | OPEN: We Vow To Keep Pressing Forward

Entry tags:

OPEN: We Vow To Keep Pressing Forward

WHO: Jayce Talis and you
WHAT: Jayce is new, come meet him!
WHERE: Cadens and the Horizon
WHEN: April, will add event stuff later

Starters Below!

If you want a specific starter message waftingcurtains on plurk or go wildcard!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's as Jayce is taking out a box of supplies, the crowd down the way parts as a familiar and hard to miss figure strides towards the lab. As Goro nears, his eyes narrow at the apparent stranger lingering around his lab (Viktor works there, but the lab was secured by Goro, ergo to the Shokan prince it is, indeed, his lab. He simply lets Viktor make use of it), but recognition settles in quickly. Now this was a young man who had promise.

...And an old research partner. Much like Viktor's missing research partner.

Onaga be praised, some luck had finally dropped into Goro's lap. An upper arm is raised. "Hold a moment. Master Jayce, what a pleasant surprise." The words are kind, but said in Goro's usual booming voice that betray no hint of emotion other than his usual stoicism. But it does mask his secret delight at how well this works out. Two of them. By the Elder Gods, there's now two of them.

"You and Viktor's missing research partners. Not a coincidence after all, it seems."

Jayce pauses as the crowd parts, and he can tell why, he was impressed with Goro's physical presence from the moment they met at the barracks. While Jayce is not good at hiding his emotions which can be a problem, his conversation with Viktor about the situation means that he's trying to be open-minded and not make emotional judgment calls. He's heard conflicting reports of Goro's politics here, but he promised to give this a chance, and he means his promises. He's wary but also open at the moment. He is a politician himself, after all, underneath everything. So his nod to Goro is genuinely respectful as he comes over.

"It's just Jayce, Goro, and yes, no coincidence at all. More like luck, I guess." He uses Goro's name as it is because that was how he was introduced to him, without titles or anything, so he assumes it's fine. Jayce is back to dressing similarly to his old style, only with a short-sleeved white shirt and humorously, a red vest over it with a black tie of all things tucked into it. It should be easy to note this is how Viktor dresses a lot of the time too; apparently they are holding on to their academy styles even in a desert.

"Viktor filled me in on the work you two discussed so I'll be assisting as well on top of other projects. You can consider us a package deal." Which means it's not as if Goro has to give any extra funds to have both minds, he provided Viktor the money and the space, and that covers the partnership. It is really that simple.

"Yes. I was just thinking that myself." Goro replies as he stops a short distance away from Jayce. Definitely a kind of luck. Remains to be seen what kind. He nods towards Jayce's outfit. "You are already settling in." He notes. "And yes. I foresee no difficulties in that." He nods. "I had already offered assistants to Viktor to help share the load, but he proved rather...stubborn in his refusal."

He glances towards the door of the lab, then back to Jayce. "Six months is an aggressive schedule. Five now." Four and a half, really. "Knowing he was without a long-term partner, I had...concerns about his ability to take on a full workload by himself." Truth be told, he still does. Humans always look frail and weak to Goro merely on the grounds of not being Shokan, but even he can see Viktor is not well, and showing no signs of improvement. "Your arrival so soon afterwards can only be a sign of favour from the Elder Gods themselves."

"Viktor was pretty stubborn about us getting an assistant too, once upon a time, so I'm not surprised." They both like Sky a great deal, although she really is more Viktor's assistant than his these days, with Jayce having other duties. She's brilliant on her own too, so that always helps. Viktor is more neurotic than he is about keeping secrets, which should be an obvious thing for any good scientist to worry about, but Jayce is a little too oblivious sometimes. It's good one of them pays attention to that.

Jayce can't blame Goro for having concerns about Viktor taking on too much and not being able to deliver. His friend was newly arrived here and probably forgot what it was like not to have a partner to cover the places he can't. But he also thought six months was a potential death sentence, so it was all that could be offered at the same time.

"He did accomplish a lot in his time, I'm sure he would have found a way to keep his promises." It would have just probably killed him or pushed him right into a sickbed. That is not Goro's fault. "But I'm very glad to be here, it will be easier with both of us on it." Jayce and Viktor are incredibly well-balanced as a partnership, their weaknesses and strengths are opposite which makes them a perfect duo.

Jayce looks up at him, he's so used to looking down at people from his height, it's interesting. "You're a direct person, from what I can tell, and so am I. Can I talk to you about a concern?"

"I am certain of that, and yet, I must ask an unpleasant question regardless." Goro nods, cocking his head at Jayce. "Viktor has not disclosed the nature of his ailment. I suspect if I were to ask him directly, he would not answer." Everything Jayce has told him simply reinforces that. He is an intensely private man, and normally Goro would not care one way or another, but there is a significant amount riding on him now. Jayce being here eases that burden somewhat, but Goro does not like to take chances.

"I will ask plainly. His health will continue to deteriorate. Yes?"

A question for a question, but this was to be expected. His upper arms fold over his chest.

"You are concerned about my politics." He answers plainly. "Viktor has already shared his doubts with you about me." And perhaps others, too. No doubt the good Captain has been by already as well.

He doesn't seem offended, by Jayce wanting to know, or that he's aware Viktor does not trust him. He is direct, and appreciates people who likewise do not dance around issues.

Edited 2022-04-18 06:53 (UTC)

It is a completely reasonable question for someone to ask when they employ someone. The fact that he hasn't pressed it with Viktor despite having good reasons for it was either wise or kind, although he's guessing the former. Jayce really tries to protect Viktor's privacy at all costs, but he cannot deny Goro has a right to ask.

"Yes. It is chronic." It is fatal, actually, but he is trying to avoid saying that. Except he was shouting it at the barracks not that long ago, which he's hoped no one remembered. "I am studying medicine and healing magic here in my free time, so he can devote his energy to work. The plan is to halt the deterioration until a long-term solution is found." Jayce is determined and it shows in the passion in his eyes, the strong jaw clenched. He will find a way to pause the illness so they can buy more time for a cure.

Jayce is relieved at straightforwardness, honestly. He is a terrible liar and he's not good at being subtle or beat around the bush either. "I told you that I was a politician, I had a high position of authority back home." He claimed he was about to secure a peace between the warring factions, and that was the intention. And he had the power to do it. Strange, when he's really just some scientist, but it happened.

"I'm not going to comment on your politics because I don't know enough of the situation here to make an informed opinion, but I do know first-hand how easily good intentions with technology can be warped. It's important to both of us to keep our work from doing harm." Jayce is speaking from experience because he is the one who warped their good intentions. He turned their work into a weapon and killed people with it. He's not in any real position to judge, just to try and do better this time. "Please understand I'm not accusing you of doing that, I'm trying to get ahead of any concerns."

Goro nods. Jayce's chooses his words carefully. Chronic...ongoing. In other words, as long as Viktor is alive, his condition will deteriorate. The end result is unsaid, but obvious all the same.

"There is an apothecary at the Academy." He says, rubbing his chin. "Nadine Ross. Another Summoned. She is...capable. And willing to experiment." As she is with Goro. "I trust her to be discreet. If working with her proves useful, you may send me a receipt for any costs you incur. I will see them looked after." There might be some grumbling from Sterne, but keeping Viktor and Jayce healthy and focused is paramount. This renewal project will earn them a great deal of goodwill, and Sterne will need that by year's end.

"I understand." Goro replies solemnly. "I would urge you to familiarize yourself with the politics of the Free Cities out of necessity, however." No matter what Viktor intends, politics are going to be an inescapable part of this endeavour, a fact Jayce is doubtless already keenly aware of. "Not just my own. That being said." He glances back towards the laboratory door. "Viktor has spoken about sharing this technology outside the Free Cities. That may not be possible by the time the work is complete. Since the failure of the peace summit, I fear tensions will only continue to rise. Five months from now, the situation may be radically different." The way things fell apart at the end still bothers Goro. It all seemed to happen too...neatly. Like he was not watching talks break down but a carefully choreographed performance.

"I tell you this not to sway you." He carries on. "But I am concerned things may continue to get worse in the coming months. Viktor is an idealist, but his expectations about the use of his work may need to be...managed. As you know, reality often disappoints where ideals are concerned." As both a politician, ND Viktor's long-time associate.

"I've met Nadine, actually. We ran into each other, literally, and she's helping to steer me in the right direction for classes in medicine. She's very kind and focused." The fact that he knows Nadine raises Jayce's estimation. It's not that he expected the worst right away, but Alucard made him nervous, and Viktor himself made him nervous. Nadine however seems like a genuinely good soul, and an independent source who wouldn't be swayed by political concerns. Alucard did suggest he speak to multiple people rather than trusting only him.

The problem is that Jayce knows exactly what Goro is talking about. He also already had some concerns having heard about the conflict between the three nations. It felt uncomfortably familiar right away, and it is a credit to Mel Medarda's influence that he started to think about potential results. But Mel believed in peace even more than he did, she and Viktor were on the same side in that regard in the end.

"We can discuss what is or isn't possible when it's done, I know the peace summit didn't end the way everyone wanted, but the fact people are still trying to find common ground is a good sign." It is not idealism that Jayce is speaking from though, it's not that same certainty that there will always be a solution. Viktor told him once that there is always a choice, and Jayce's first-hand experience is that sometimes all you have are bad choices. This is indicating though that Jayce did get the skinny on what happened in the summit and the end result. He says he's trying to avoid politics, but some part of him never really can.

"Viktor's idealistic but he's not naive. If for now we can only help the Free Cities, it is better than helping no one." Viktor's experience is harsher than Jayce's by far, he lived a charmed life in comparison. So he knows his partner is deeply cynical on top of being idealistic, a weird blend that he loves about Viktor.

"Good. Then I hope your association bears fruit. As I said, you may send me the bill for any costs for treatment that arise. I will see them taken care of." He again offers with a wave of an arm.

Goro does not share Jayce's idealism about the international situation. Coming from Outworld, co-operation between nations or factions is usually limited, aimed at either crippling a greater threat, or when forced by a greater power, usually the Kahn. In a world of monsters built on conquest, a reputation as a peace-maker is a death sentence, the blood in the water that heralds a frenzy. Even Kotal Kahn, the would-be reformer knows that Outworld must be ruled by an iron hand.

Abraxian politics are woefully frustrating since his instincts tell him they all want the same thing, yet insist on this dance of back and forth where there must be justification for a first strike. Where whichever country must make the first move must appear to have the moral high ground for doing so. The desperate search for a "just" war, a completely ludicrous concept. Strike, and strike hard. When the dust settles, the victor will rewrite history to favour them anyway, and gradually, people will come to accept it as so. They will have no choice. So it has always been, so it always will be.

However, Goro only nods. "It may prove to be an irrelevant concern in the end, as you say. I admit that this political landscape is...strange, to me at times. Your partner is an interesting mix of hope and pragmatism. I find the two often incompatible, yet Viktor balances both. An intriguing man, to say the least." He cocks his head to the side in curiosity.

"May I ask how the two of you came to work together?" The two men seem to walk in vastly different spheres and differ in personality so, it's difficult to imagine how they came to know each other, let alone form.a partnership.

Piltover isn't at war but in a way it has been for almost all of its existence. They simply ignored what was right in front of them in exchange for this image of it as a perfect city of progress. And Jayce was guilty of seeing it that way too, of not noticing the rot as he was absorbed in his own life and plans. Now it's all he can see. He should have listened to Mel. He didn't know war and now he nearly started one. He thought he was doing the right thing, and no matter who makes the first move here, they'll all have convinced themselves they were doing the same.

But that's the thing about the Summoned. They're all bringing their own baggage and priorities from home here, and it informs their actions. In Jayce's case, it makes him back away from what he might have been more invested in a week ago. The only thing that really matters is Viktor.

"It's an understatement to say that politics are complicated anywhere you go. If there is a perfect society out there, I'd love to see it." Jayce used to think he knew how everything worked and he was terribly wrong. It's funny that despite his back and forth about his role, he does consider himself a politician. It's not been very long, but he's been playing the game for years before the title was his.

"Viktor arrested me." It's a fun story and not one Jayce minds repeating, they often tease each other about it. "Our mentor was the head of the council, Viktor was his assistant at the time so he sent him." Heimerdinger was mentor to both of them, although he always favored Jayce shamelessly. "I was doing illegal experimentation on arcane crystals to prove my Hextech theory, that magic and technology could be combined for the greater good." He's not sure if it was clear before now that Hextech was Jayce's brainchild first, although it wouldn't exist without Viktor's help.

"Viktor was at my trial when I got kicked out of the academy and he was intrigued by my idea so he helped me complete it. We ended up changing the entire trajectory of technology in our world, seven years later the advancements branched from Hextech are many." Not all are as obvious as Hexgates, and it's all carefully controlled by the Council, but it's clear that they only got to where they were because of their work. More trade, more money, more tech. "We're opposites in a lot of ways, but not when it comes to the things we value most."

Goro listens to the story, and it's clear from the way Jayce tells it he's had practice doing so. Apparently he and Viktor's partnership is something of a novelty to most people. But what the Shokan finds more interesting is that it involves the two of them thumbing their noses at the dominant power in their city, and being rewarded for doing so.

"Curious that your city would fear what the Free Cities had already managed, to a certain degree." Goro replies, stroking his chin. "Why did your rulers fear it so?" In Goro's eyes, the merging of technology and magic is the only way magic should be harnessed, when it is made to obey the rules imposed upon it by technology. "I'm surprised there wasn't more backlash when you proved them all wrong. Most rulers in Outworld would not care to be so publicly shown up." Ah, but it sounds as though once perfected, Hextech increased the flow of money into the city's coffers. That would be a sufficient explanation.

Many advancements from Hextech, is it? "If we can achieve even a fraction of what Hex-Tech did for your city here, then we will all still reap great benefits." He muses. "No one ever tried to copy your success for their own homes?" Once Viktor and Jayce had proven it was possible, surely there must have been others who set out to try and replicate their journey, know that it was known to be possible. The pride of any ruler would certainly take a beating if they had to rely on an outside nation for their continued prosperity, regardless of the benefits. In Outworld, that sort of weakness could, and often did, get you killed.

"There were wars against and using magic in the past, in other places. A member of the Council said his entire race was nearly destroyed by it, and our mentor had witnessed enough of it to be fearful of what it could do." And Jayce is understanding, to a point. Those are logical reasons to fear something, but not logical reasons to refuse to ever revisit the idea again. "But progress requires pushing against what you fear." That's true of him. He may be more cautious now than ever before, but he still thinks Hextech was the right thing. He can't regret it just because it was misused (by him).

"No, they wanted it for themselves, once they saw the benefit. And they can't exactly punish the creators of what they coveted." They could, sure, but it wasn't a smart idea. So instead it was spun around, that these prize students of Heimerdinger made something incredible, and the Council could give them the funding and space and power to use it. "The benefit of it was obvious once it was proven and not a theory. Everyone agreed on that." It was stretching the mind to the possibility that was the hard part.

"They wouldn't be able to. I had gathered all known crystals at that point, and you can't work any of it without them. Which I'm guessing is true here of the New Magic, it's a natural safeguard." Jayce will have to learn more by going to the academy, but it makes sense to him. If he wants to replicate Hextech or learn what New Magic is, it'd have to be through academia and that route. Honestly, that may be one of the things Heimerdinger was correct about. Safeguards over something that powerful are necessary. "I'm sure it's the type of thing they've already thought through here, since they're ahead of us that way."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

OPEN: We Vow To Keep Pressing Forward

Workshop visit

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject