abraxaslogs | [ OPEN ] split tomorrow from today

[Viktor doesn't begrudge anyone for late or missed visits--he has more than enough to occupy him even without the most recent happenings. With Libertas in its current state, the new portal to Nocwich, and, well, everything else, he hasn't exactly been available, either.

It is nice, however, to have Claude stop in, and he looks up from his current task, setting his tools down momentarily so he can reach for the envelope without missing a beat.]

The first iteration is ready for you to take a look at, if you like.

[No greeting necessary, apparently--Viktor appreciates someone who can get right down to business. He gestures to a side table, apparently a holding space for completed or near-completed jobs. Claude is welcome to inspect them.]

I'm open to suggestions.

[That's his answer to the question. Yes, very busy, always.]

[ Someday, he'll stop being surprised at how quickly Viktor works. Or - maybe more accurately, get used to things being done at speeds beyond Fodlan's abilities considering it's been a couple months since commission plans were laid in place. For now, Claude blinks first at Viktor as that and the following option for suggestions follows, then looks to the side table. His bag is set down nearby to get back to later and to free up his hands as he picks up a pair to examine. They're well made and his admiration is apparent while looking them over. ]

Impressive. These are more lightweight than I'd imagined. Not that I really knew what to imagine outside of the ones in Nocwich, but they already feel sturdier than those. Much less like they'll fly off my face, which is what kept me from using them out in the hunting grounds.

[ Running commentary which may or may not be helpful, but it also won't keep Claude from holding them up to look through the lenses and then immediately squinting when light filters through. A lot of it. And really clearly - something common sense should've told him, so he'll focus on any part of the workshop in relative shadow. ]

Looks like they'll work quite well in low light even just based on being inside now. Do they need any special maintenance?

Yes, I heard the devices in Nocwich were a bit…fragile, so I hoped to improve the structure while keeping them lightweight.

[Viktor says that casually, not at all like he’s accepting a compliment—but rest assured, he hears it. The running commentary is, in fact, helpful, as evidenced by the fact that he grabs for a spare sheet of paper and starts scrawling some notes on it. When he’s finished, he looks up, as if to further gauge Claude’s reaction. He’s asking the right questions, at least.]

Regular cleaning. No more than you might do with the rest of your equipment. Keep them clear of dust and the mechanisms lubricated. I can show you how.

[When he’s ready to take them home, anyway. Viktor is sure that the glasses aren’t the only thing that Claude is here about.]

Anything else?

Fragile's the same impression I had of them. All I could picture was being in the hunting grounds and having something hit me in the face, and then there'd go any visibility I had if something happened to them. The same problem exists in the desert here, I'd imagine. I've started taking on some small hunting requests so once these are paid for I can report back with more detail.

[ Which will be soon enough, hopefully, and sooner if Petra and Sylvain join up so they can combine forces on that. If so, then the goggles he's commissioned for them along with these will be a further welcome surprise - and more feedback for Viktor.

For now, Claude absorbs the maintenance instructions Viktor has to keep those in mind for when the time for the demonstration comes and sets the goggles back down gently. Immediately following that he offers the other man a grin, since, well. He's onto something with there being other things he has in mind. ]

Well, I was hoping to get your input on something since I'm back to my 'small projects to stay busy' ways and I thought I'd repair a clock that'd stopped working in my apartment. Unfortunately for me, the mechanisms are slightly more advanced than I'm used to so I was hoping to seek some advice from an expert.

[ He means that expert part sincerely. While talking, Claude retrieves his bag and pulls said wooden mantel clock from inside of it. The bag itself doesn't really look like it's big enough for the clock to fit inside but he removes it without any issues. Thanks for possessing it for a while now and it now seeming normal to him, he's conveniently forgotten someone else might have a different reaction. ]

Exactly the scenario I'd like to avoid, yes, though I imagine that heavy, unwieldy equipment will pose a similar problem.

[Ergo, his focus on finding the correct balance between durable and lightweight. It seems like he's accomplished that goal, though of course there will still need to be a round of field testing. He's sure Claude will take care of that.

On to the next. Viktor makes a gesture to indicate that Claude should put the clock in front of him. He's quick to peer into it, barely offering a may I before taking a screwdriver to pry off the back casing.]

You tried to wind it?

I have, yes. It took me a little bit to find the key for that, [ which would also help Viktor so he reaches into one of the bag's pockets to place it onto the table alongside the clock, ] though winding it that didn't seem to change anything. Before it stopped working it was making some strange noises as if something in the gears inside had shifted in a way they shouldn't, if that helps.

[ There's a chair nearby so Claude pulls it out for himself to take a seat near where Viktor's examining the clock, close enough to watch but not to hover. Just to take mental notes, possibly so if the clock stops working again he can fix it himself, but there's also more he has in mind. ]

I - perhaps mistakenly - thought it'd be a good step into looking at more advanced... well, anything, to get ready for what awaits in Libertas. In terms of repairing what equipment's around there, that is, dubious as my clock repair skills may be. [ Since even Claude's aware he has only the tiniest understanding of what Viktor can create, repair, or do, which makes him all the more curious. ] Just to break up moving construction supplies around though I plan on doing that as well.

["Did you wind it" is just the analog clock version of "did you try turning it off and back on again", and Viktor seems pleased when Claude says he was unable to diagnose the problem. He loves a project.]

It does, yes. Sounds like something might be misaligned.

[So, he'll get right to it, starting to pry off bits of casing and unscrewing tiny, delicate pieces. Viktor's fingers are long, precise, and well-practiced. He doesn't seem at all distracted by conversation.]

I had an affection for this kind of thing, as a child. Clockwork. [He offers a small, tight smile, one that might be sincere, given the mention of Libertas and what awaits them there.] Deceptively simple, but elegant, in the way all of the pieces work together.

You did, did you. [ Claude has no trouble picturing this, particularly as Viktor deftly disassembles parts of the clock in a way which speaks to that experience, and any parts removed are ones that he immediately leans in to get a better look at. Much easier than trying to peer into the clock at the dining table when combined the recognition he didn't really know what he was doing with this specific clock. ] I always liked them for the same reason myself. Those or pocket watches, though those were far more delicate and often required more patience than I had while spreading my attention through other projects at the same time.

[ A shame there's no way of bringing the last one he'd particularly struggled with as a way to keep himself occupied during the war here so Viktor could also inspect it. Claude has a feeling he'd be willing to bet a lot of money on that the other man could've solved it in no time at all. In the meantime, he picks up a fragile pair of gears gently to study them closer and with great care while considering something else they'd talked of briefly. ]

Were those clock projects the start of what led you towards academia?

I had a great deal of time to work on mechanical projects.

[As a child, anyway—he couldn’t really keep up with his peers, physically, so he’d spent his free time on more intellectual pursuits. Learning the basics of engineering, building toys and contraptions for himself, and then, once he was old enough (but still too young, probably), he’d cut his teeth doing repairs for factories.

Viktor lines up the innards of the clock in organized piles next to him, sorting by type of mechanism and size until he has a little spread of cogs and gears. With most of it gutted, he starts the process of cleaning out the casing—might as well, while he’s in here. All things he can do while carrying on a conversation.]

Yes and no. I’ve always had an interest in the sciences. I would have found a way to apply that interest no matter what, though academia did afford me the chance to leave my circumstances. [What those circumstances were, well. He doesn’t elaborate.] It brought me to Jayce, eventually, so it must have been worth it.

[ Mechanical projects - that much he could've guessed what with everything here but as a child? That part stands out to Claude, along with being paired with circumstances and leaving them. The latter is a familiar enough path he knows of many others traveling since it's difficult to not think of his friends. But. Even that's likely still different than here, and not a topic for prying into past surface level without an offer of more information first.

The last part though will absolutely get a grin from him. ]

I'd say it was. It has to help that he's here with you then. [ Maybe. Or possibly makes it more complicated, something he knows all too well as of late, and last month certainly hadn't helped with that and so, in that same light tone - ] or so I'll hope for your sake, anyway.

[ Since the reality of that for Claude is entangled in far too many things, and something also better left perhaps for another time. Another second goes by of his gear inspection before he sets the ones he has back down onto the table to swap for others. ]

Schools in Fodlan were often thought of in the same way of being a path to something else. Any number of paths, really, though the common ones were schools for sorcery or the trades, and then possibly using those to end up in academia somewhere along the way.

I prefer having him here with me than the alternative.

[Not that it matters, really. Jayce is a few days ahead of him, which more-or-less proves the existence of alternate timelines. This is not, technically speaking, his version of Jayce. In the end he supposes it doesn't matter, because here there is nothing and no one getting between them. It's selfish of him to enjoy that, but he's only human, after all.

It's something of a relief to have Claude talk about himself, rather than ask questions about Viktor's own experiences, and he listens with interest. He knows a little--that Claude is learned, but ultimately his education was in warcraft. Not necessarily something Viktor has an interest in.

Though it would be easy to lament the way Claude's apparent interest in engineering was set by the wayside, he decides to focus on what he knows.]

You did mention an academy.

[ The alternative is a sobering reminder. One Claude knows well, considering the many implications it has that he's learned the hard way from things he'd never dreamed was possible before arriving here. Something to turn over literally and figuratively with the gears as he moves on to comparing two different ones like they'll reveal more to him that way. ]

I'd say that's better than anything else then, yes.

[ Not that Viktor needs confirmation of that, but - for whatever it's worth. The smaller gear in his hand is set down back where the other man had placed it originally, and Claude turns the remaining one between a couple fingertips by its teeth. At the mention of the academy, he glances up without lifting his head all the way. ]

I did. Petra and Sylvain attended the same one, and we were all there at the same time. [ On the topic of people they know from home, or a slight tangent back to it briefly since it feels relevant as Viktor's met them also. Now he does sit up the rest of the way, contemplating for a moment. ] One of the better parts of the academy was that it brought a lot of us together from all different locations and backgrounds in a way that probably would've never happened otherwise. Not to say it was perfect since there was a lot about it that could've used improvements, but I'm hoping those can be made when it reopens someday.

[He's not going to pretend it isn't for selfish reasons, but elaboration on the subject might have to wait for another day. Now that he's successfully turned the conversation onto Claude and his friends, Viktor sees no need to speak on it further.]

Reopens?

[It's always slightly strange, to talk about homes they might never see again, but learning more about the unique circumstances of each Summoned is never a waste of time. Viktor has a curious mind--of course he's going to ask questions.]

What happened to it?

[ It's not until Viktor asks that Claude realizes - yes, he will have to explain that, won't he? But where to start; he continues turning the gear a bit longer like it's holding his attention rather than needing a bit to sort through the finer details of how to summarize what happened to the monastery, to Fodlan, everything tied to both. A simpler explanation's for the best. ]

There was a war, back where I'm from. The academy was set at the main monastery of Fodlan's religion, and that Church in particular was under attack when the war started. The monastery fell the day the war began and suffered immense damage. We worked on rebuilding what we could when we were stationed there but there's a long way to go.

[ Time to put the gear down. What parts are on the table are what Claude considers now, though they don't offer him any answers in return for his consideration about clock repair or otherwise. ]

Much of what's come to pass recently between Thorne and the Free Cities is familiar to me in ways I wish it wasn't, for everyone's sake.

[It's a story he's heard half a dozen times, by now, and it's hard not to draw similarities to his own situation, back home. Piltover and the Undercity aren't at war yet, but given what he knows Jayce has done, he can only guess it will be a matter of time. And then, to hear about similar conflicts all across vast, innumerable worlds...well. It's disheartening, to say the least.

Viktor's expression seems a bit solemn, which he tries to disguise by turning his focus back to the screws and gears in front of him.]

Yes, war seems to be a universal constant.

[Depressing. It makes his job so difficult.]

Has anyone approached you about joining the military, given your background?

[ Universal constant finally gets Claude to look up with a wry smile since that's a vast understatement. It certainly is; he's learned as much from talking to others about what they've lived through and makes the impending war here that much more painful. Even if they - theoretically - aren't the ones in the direct path of it all, it doesn't change that the citizens here are. ]

No, fortunately. If they're aware of my background, which I feel they almost certainly have to be as the reason I'm here at all, they're keeping it to themselves. And whether they're pretending or someone don't know? I'm not inclined to bring it up to them or get involved.

[ Just to make that clear if it wasn't already - regardless, it's worth repeating. Claude's not particularly under any disbelief that some form of supposedly voluntary contribution from them couldn't be mandated at any time should the officials decide it's necessary. After the attack on Libertas and the retribution following, it's seemed even more like a matter of time for when it might happen.

Which - that brings him to another important thought. ]

What about you? I expect there's plenty of eyes on what all you've created and from organizing the operations at the mine.

[Viktor wants to argue that they must be, because if not then they really are just casting magic spells to see what sticks. It's never made sense to him, that the officials bring them here only to more-or-less let them do whatever they want. They're being watched, he's sure of that, but otherwise it's unsettling how not coerced they are. He expects that to change, sooner rather than later, but why wait so long?]

No, it's best not to invite their involvement.

[Which is the fine line that he and Jayce walk--they're altruists by nature, but advancing this world's technology too much, in the way that he knows they can, will prove disastrous, given the militaristic nature of Cadens' government. Still, he's not blameless in this department.]

I'm attending the Grand Academy on recommendation from one of the city councilmen. They know what I'm working on. [A lie--he hopes they don't know what he's doing with the Hexcore.] But I try not to give them any indication that I could advance things far past what they're able to do themselves.

[ The agreement to not invite any involvement - and along with it, scrutiny about what it is any of them are doing or capable of, Claude assumes - gets a slight hum from him as he considers that. The same applies to backgrounds and histories in his mind, even more so after a couple conversations with others about it, but. There's nothing they can do about that now besides stay wary of what they're asked or offered, and share that where they can.

With that in mind: he does raise an eyebrow slightly at Viktor mentioning attending an academy he's heard of in passing, and it raises a little higher at the mention of them knowing what's being worked on there even with the clarification of not advancing technology past what's already here. ]

And they don't suspect anything based off of that? That's fortunate. [ Even if his question is mildly skeptical, the sentiment of it not attracting unwanted attention is rather genuine. ] Given how the military infiltrates what feels like every part of Cadens, I'd hate to think what they can do with additional resources on top of their own.

[ Though he means in general, there's a good chance a bit of further detail's required there. ]

For the record, I'm not interested in sharing anything with them that might speak to others' capabilities, whether that's inventions or whatever else they've come here with, at any point. [ Powers, abilities: Claude's heard references to both and that feels enough to encapsulate whatever's in question may be. ] How did you begin attending the academy, if you don't mind my asking? I've never looked into it myself.

[He makes a noncommittal noise that indicates he’s not going to say much more about the secret projects. Thinking he’s getting away with this unnoticed is probably optimistic of him, anyways, and it’s for the best that he doesn’t drag anyone else into his under-the-table research. Fortunate is right, though Viktor can’t necessarily claim that he’s as lucky as Claude things.]

I’m sure they have some idea of what Jayce and I managed to accomplish. Why bring us here, otherwise?

[Yes, it’s strange they haven’t been asked to reproduce any of their work yet, but to think they can simply run a shop and do what they like is naïve. He’s waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. In the meantime, he needs Academy resources, so he has to take the risk.]

I attracted the attention of one of the inventors there. He asked for a demonstration of my abilities, so I devised a telemetric device for him. He was suitably impressed, and recommended my admission.

[And the rest, is, well. Under-the-table research.]

That's true. I've never really been one to believe the Free Cities simply guessed at knowing how to find us or bring us here. I've heard the first summonings in Thorne might've been that to a degree, considering some of the Summoned were told they were 'mistakes' and jailed.

[ A distinct air of disdain can be heard in the last part, considering no matter how many times he's heard that from Summoned here far longer than him it never sits right. That was before he'd connected the dots that for them to have somehow been brought in error meant those in charge had an idea of who they wanted, and then it seemed only logical to connect all the rest together.

Or it did to Claude; whether it's based in actuality or will remain a bunch of theories he's strung together to mean something remains to be seen. It'll likely stay that way without any further information or chats with those who know more or share the same thought processes. Claude leans forward to absently prop his chin in one hand to continue watching Viktor work, though not without an eyebrow raised at the explanation of getting into the academy. ]

Not a bad way to get in, then. Far better than Fodlan's academies usual method of asking for sums of money in varying amounts as a qualification for admission to different schools, or a large amount in the case of the academy I attended. I'd assumed the same would be true for here.

Yes, it seems to have taken the mages some time to refine the ritual.

[Viktor sounds similarly disdainful--surely he wouldn't be so sloppy, with that kind of information and resources. It's all moot now, however, as it seems that not only has the summoning been fine-tuned, but stolen by the other two factions.

As far as his admission to the Academy is concerned, he shrugs.]

It's the least they can do, after they kidnapped me.

[ For a second, Claude pauses from where he was about to lean over to study an unfamiliar clock mechanism in Viktor's hands, blinks, and looks up almost as though he's not sure whether he heard that correctly. But he did, and when it sinks in there's nothing to do but laugh. Actual, genuine laughter at that too rather than anything forced or pretend. ]

When you put it that way, it is difficult to argue with. You'd think they could offer all of us more than being soldiers in return for the kidnapping thing, really. Maybe we should all be asking for more.

[ He's not serious about that, given it'd attract the exact kind of attention none of them seem to want in terms of being shuffled towards the military rather than staying (relatively) out of its reach. That wouldn't be of any assistance to anyone he's interested in helping, not when there's still others who need it more than the Free Cities needs someone else in a uniform. ]

Speaking of that, kind of. I've been helping out at the orphanages here when I have the time, and many of them could use more help than is being provided. I'm not sure of what the logistics behind it would be exactly, but have you heard of anyone organizing something for that aside from what you're doing with the rebuilding in Libertas?

[There's another story here, one about how Viktor more-or-less elbowed his way into a position at the prestigious academy back home, but that also requires an explanation of how and why he would have been barred from attendance in the first place. He finds it refreshing, that he can simply exist on his own merits here.

Speaking of--Viktor makes a few more tweaks, and gets to work putting the casing back, apparently satisfied with his repairs.]

Cadens would rather outfit the military than provide the necessary resources to civilians. Jayce has been orchestrating some of the rebuilding, but you're right that it isn't enough.

[Frustration creeps into his voice, at that--what is the point of this level of technology if not to mitigate human suffering?]

I believe the representative from Libertas is named Quilleth Kaur. She might be worth seeking out. Jaskier and Alucard have had dealings with her in the past.

Yes, I've noticed as much as well. [ Half-murmured, half said to himself as what could almost be an afterthought, if it wasn't for this being a topic Claude's chosen to bring up on his own. ] It's curious to me that a nation which seems to have formed so that each city could benefit from each other has yet to totally fulfill that here, at least from what we can see.

[ There's things going on none of them would be privy to - that much Claude knows from running a nation himself, but it's also not the sort of topic he's about to casually reveal. Easier, in some ways, to just be a guy who needs help fixing a clock he can't figure out but might be able to next time thanks to watching Viktor work from disassembly to reassembly. But some habits are hard to turn off. ]

Quilleth... I've heard her name before. At the art walk, maybe, since I met Alucard there as well. [ That's an important possible connection to consider. Something to keep in mind if things advance to a point where he has actual plans consisting of something to present for larger and grander things, but it's a start to see what can be done now while rebuilding starts its slow process of moving forward. ] Thanks, Viktor. Both for that information and for fixing the clock, since I think my roommates would've been upset if I took it apart only to break it in the end.

Politics bore me. [He sees no reason not to be honest about it.] Pointless quibbling and covert deal-making. Enriching themselves and amassing power while ordinary people suffer.

[Viktor is certainly speaking from experience, here, and sees no reason not to apply his own dealings with the political sphere to whatever's going on with Cadens and Libertas and the rest.

He screws in the final piece of casing, then pushes the clock across the table for Claude to inspect. He'll find that it seems to be working properly, now.]

Just try to keep it in order, this time. [Despite the gravity of their discussion, he manages a quirk of the lips.] But if you do break anything else, you can bring it to me.

we can wrap here if that works!

godshattering - 2023-01-07 22:00 (UTC) - Expand

[ OPEN ] split tomorrow from today

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we can wrap here if that works!