[open] january/february catchall

[techmaturgy]

Who: Viktor and special guests and YOU
When: January through early February
Where: Cadens, the Horizon
What: open stuff, closed stuff, dangerous and illicit magical surgery, the usual
Warnings: the usual references to terminal illness including a steep decline and medical procedures/surgery. will list additional warnings as needed.

[open and closed starters in comments! This is also a general catch-all for Viktor’s do-or-die attempt to cure himself, and the events leading up to it, and his recovery (to come later). If you want a custom starter or something specific, just hit me up. full horizon details are here for any and all wildcarding needs. For everything else, I’m on plurk at whitticus and on discord at whitticus#8139.]

Comments

cadens & the horizon (february)

[techmaturgy]

i. viktor & jayce’s apartment but maybe sometimes the workshop, 1st & 2nd weeks of feb

[It works—the procedure works, and barring any sudden decline, Viktor’s prognosis is good. He’s not in much shape to enjoy that, at the start, sleeping for most of the time in the days following the surgery—he and Jayce send out a broader round of messages about the situation, but for the first few days they keep visitors to close friends.

After the first week or so, however, he’s in better shape to receive visitors, perking up at the sound of Jayce opening the apartment door to greet guests. Viktor calls out from the bedroom, which has become overrun with books and writing utensils and various spare parts.]

I hope you’ve brought something to entertain me.

[A newspaper, a puzzle, something interesting to fix. He still seems a bit tired, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

Shortly into the new month, visitors to the apartment building might pass Academy officials on the way in or out, and find Viktor, still bedridden, fully distraught at whatever just transpired. On the other end, those that pay attention to various Academy affairs might notice officials letting themselves into Viktor’s laboratory there, leaving with notes and equipment. It’s probably not hard to deduce what may have happened here.]

ii. the workshop, 3rd week of feb

[By the time Viktor rounds his third week of recovery, he’s feeling well enough to return to the shop. It’s possible he could use some more time in the apartment—he spends more time in a wheelchair pulled up to his worktable than not, but for someone who has fairly recently undergone a highly invasive, experimental magic procedure, he appears well. There’s a bittersweetness to it—his lab at the Academy has been ransacked, and though Jayce destroyed the Hexcore and tried to destroy everything related to it, they’d found enough. Viktor isn’t sure they’ll be able to piece his work together from the confiscated notes and the remains of the device, but the government seizing everything that was left and doing who-knows-what with it will be the price he has to pay, sooner or later.

So he throws himself back into his work, glad that he’s able to distract himself, at least. In contrast to his surly, harried demeanor over the last few months, Viktor appears to be in good spirits. Makes for a friendly greeting, should someone enter the shop.]

Don’t tell Jayce I’m in here.

[Maybe that’s a joke? Possibly he should still be in bed. Being forcibly laid up has given him some time to get back to various commissions abandoned when the Hexcore took priority, and that much is evidenced by the half finished projects absolutely everywhere.]

iii. the horizon

[This is what the Horizon is best for, Viktor decides. He’s cogent enough to enter it after the first week or so, and being able to meditate his way into his domain and free himself from the pain of healing is a welcome relief. Things in his domain feel brighter—the lab is well lit, the study is warm and sunny, and even the vines at the overlook show budding green leaves.

Viktor can usually be found in his study, slightly more serene and less harried than usual. He might even invite you in for some tea. Once again, after everything he’s been through, perhaps silent company is enough.]

Horizon

[cryptsleeper]

[Sometimes, one needs to send a note to someone else's Horizon to invite one over.

Which is what Alucard has done, suspecting that Viktor should enjoy an environment that isn't just a workshop. And to his credit, Alucard has made a point to shift away from some of the autumnal darkness that dominates. There is still fog that covers the forest grounds now, but brighter sun has chased away the rain in most places, and more leaves are on the trees.

Alucard has since added a small porch to the depression hut, with rocking chairs, foot rests, and a table to hold drinks. And that is what much of the day has become - sitting in those chairs with a pot of mulled wine tea coffee whatever has been requested, feet propped up on the footrests and the occasional creek of wood. Alucard has draped a dark wool blanket over his lap, and his eyes are focused on the forest.]

I think you're cursed with my hair now.

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor spends the first handful of days after the procedure sleeping--too exhausted to even meditate his way into the Horizon, even though he knows that this is the best time to benefit from it. When he finally does make it to his domain, he's not surprised to see the note. They should talk, and Viktor isn't one to put it off.

He's only been to Alucard's domain invited, but this is such a stark contrast from what he's used to that he's almost surprised. Still, he's not one to decline hospitality from a close friend (to whom he owes his life), and the chairs and drinks are of course more than welcome.]

You would call it a curse? [A tacit admission, maybe, though of course his hair in the Horizon does not necessarily reflect its state in the real world (right now, unshowered, as Viktor is mostly bedridden and hasn't quite made that step yet).] I suppose I'll have to live with it.

[Ha ha! He gets to live with it!]

[cryptsleeper]

I doubt Jayce will complain.

[Since well, that's the other part of this, isn't it? It's not just living, it is living with someone else.]

Do you think there will be any other long lasting effects from our earlier experimentation?

the apartment, 2nd week

[theidlemaiden]

[ When she had met Viktor on board the Arcanis, Hilda hadn't had any idea that he had been weeks away from an intensive, possibly life ending surgery. She hadn't picked up any sort of notion that that had been weighing on his mind, and even if she had, a first meeting after watching her puke her guts overboard didn't seem like an opportune time to bring something like that up.

She wasn't certain what the protocol was around visiting someone you had just met who was recovering but after a week or so, she had politely asked Jayce when a good time would be -- only to show up at what she immediately realized was a Bad Time.

Hilda hovers uncertainly at the doorway holding a large basket filled with a whole damn tea set, some sweets (you could eat those after a surgery, right?), her sketchpad, and a number of other various bits and bobs she thought might cheer Viktor up. After a beat she knocks on the slightly ajar door. ]

Viktor...? I can come back if this is a bad time.

[techmaturgy]

[Just because he knew it was coming doesn't make it any less distressing. Perhaps, he'd hoped that he could continue to hide is work, or that they wouldn't have noticed anything--but that was naïve. Now his only hope is that the thing he built and then destroyed was far too esoteric and beyond the current technology. for the government to reverse-engineer.

It's not much, but he'll hold onto it, and try to focus on better things, like visitors.]

No, no, it's not a bad time.

[Despite everything, he finds himself welcoming the attention, if only because it gets his mind off everything else. He offers her a pained smile, sitting up a little in bed.]

I could probably use the distraction, honestly.

[theidlemaiden]

[ Hilda can't help but think that Viktor is lying a teensy little bit. But even without all the details, she isn't the type to leave when someone - let alone someone that she likes - is clearly in a need of some cheering up. Her voice is suddenly bright, filled to the brim with enthusiasm. It's like any hesitation that had been there before never existed in the first place. ]

Good thing I'm the expert at distraction then.

[ She breezes in, pulling up the chair to get closer to the bed and begins pulling out the various objects in her basket. ]

I brought some tea, some treats, this puzzle book that I hate but you'd probably like, and oh! I started working on some design ideas I wanted your thoughts on. [ With everything laid out she waves her hands out over them not so unlike the merchants in the markets. ] What do you want to start with?

jayce (throughout the month)

[techmaturgy]

Viktor sleeps. It's impossible not to, given everything he's been through. Following the procedure, the group locked away the Hexcore and transported him back to the apartment, cautiously optimistic despite the harrowing experience of their untested, experimental intervention. His vitals are good, and with no indication that he'll decline, they decide that they've done their best, and they'll monitor him closely from here.

He stays asleep for at least a day, then drifts in and out of consciousness for a few more.

When he finally awakens, it's not without a great deal of pain, and his prone position in a white-sheeted bed immediately makes him think the worst. That would be familiar, after all, waking up in a hospital bed, a poor prognosis, Jayce seated in a chair next to him, exhausted and despairing. After a moment, however, everything comes into focus. He remembers the procedure, and being moved from the lab to his room, and that must be where he is now. His apartment--their home, with Jayce waiting for him to wake up.

"Jayce--" His voice is little more than a whisper, at this point, but there's no question in it, this time. Of course Jayce is here. Where else would he be, but at his bedside? That's enough for Viktor to know that everything is okay. "Hi."

[hextechhead]

Viktor is moved safely and comfortably to their apartment and there are plenty of things for everyone to do on their end while he rests. Jayce checks on him frequently and it's been agreed to wait one more day to observe his recovery before destroying the Hexcore. After what happened, he really wanted to demolish it as soon as it was over, but it was important to observe if his stability continued and if his healing went up. It is locked away for now, and he will happily burn it into ash first thing in the morning.

He had books ready and stacked to the side for them to read, and also many of Viktor's non-Hexcore related notes if he decides to work once his brain is less loopy. Viktor isn't ready for real visitors outside of him and Nadine, but sooner or later others can come in here. For now, it's better for it to be just the two of them, on the other end of this.

He does remember the last time when they were in this situation, but all of those horrible memories have now been superseded by Jayce watching Viktor sleeping now in positive recovery. Not awaiting the worst. He watches Viktor's chest rise and fall, he has food and water ready, everything is ready for his comfort when he needs it.

Jayce is now most of the time by the bedside. Rio Enterprises is closed until Viktor is on the mend, and everyone can wait. Customers, Libertas, other Summoned, it can all wait, there is no where else he needs to be. He is writing in a journal, secret things, but looks up as soon as he hears Viktor's whisper. He gets up from his chair and immediately goes to the bed, sitting on the mattress next to him. He stayed off the bed so he wouldn't wake him. He's a big man, even a lean one way or another could do that.

"Hi to you, V." He reaches out to touch his forehead and then his cheek. "How do you feel? Do you need anything?"

[techmaturgy]

Things are still hazy--everything after the procedure is something of a blur, for Viktor, but what matters the most is what he sees now that he's opened his eyes. Jayce looks hopeful, not at all despairing, so although he finds himself dazed, he can tell there's reason to be optimistic. That said, he isn't going to sugarcoat how he's feeling.

"Terrible," he replies, though there's a smile pulling at his mouth. "But that's to be expected."

Viktor apparently feels well enough to reach for Jayce's hand as it brushes over his face, searching for fingers to entwine with his. He takes it, and moves it in front of his mouth so he can press lips to the palm. It's weak, still, but he hopes the sentiment is clear.

"I can breathe."

The surgical incision hurts, sure--the residual pain of the procedure, but underneath that, there's a marked difference. Things feel clearer. Cleaner, almost. Like a weight on his chest has lifted, literally rather than metaphorically.

Horizon

[blackeyedprince]

[It's a week of harrowing wait. Especially after the letter Victor has left him. It just doesn't feel right to respond to it any other way than in person. Though, even that is more metaphorical than Kell would have liked. Still, most likely it will take time until Viktor is able to risk travel, and Kell doesn't have patience. So Horizon visit it is.

Once he's there, Kell cannot help but notice that all around him are subtle, but obvious, changes to the domain. Everything feels more vibrant, lively even. He goes straight to Viktor's study. There are two boxes under his arm. A smaller, colourful cardboard in bright colours and gilded edges, and bigger, a multicoloured cube made of surprisingly smooth, polished wood. He knocks on the door frame with his free hand. ]

May I? I think I promised you a card game.

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor knows that the notes were distressing, but he would have been remiss to just leave things in the ominous way he did, to say nothing of making Jayce have all of those conversations. It’s with relief, then, that he reaches out to his friends to tell them of his success. For the first week, he isn’t necessarily up to visiting the Horizon, but as he starts to feel better he’s able to concentrate enough to visit.

That’s when Kell finds him. Viktor, like the rest of this place, seems brighter, and he smiles genuinely.]

I believe you did. [And he hasn’t forgotten, either.] You’re lucky that I have all the time in the world, right now.

[blackeyedprince]

[Kell waves the small box, but hands Viktor the bigger one first. It's a perfect cube, fashioned out of dark polished wood, with rounded corners. Each side decorated with complex pattern inlaid with lighter wood.]

This is more of a concept. If the carpenter won't murder me or bankrupt me for having outlandish demands, I will be able to give you a real one in person.

[Kell can't hold back a content smile any longer.]

It's a puzzle box. Back home, I brought one from another London. It was so intricate, it took me a month to figure out how to even open it. I don't know if I was able to recreate it fully here, but well, I tried.

[Now, he's fully grinning.]

I'm really curious what you will think about it.

Workshop, 3rd week

[preferscuffs]

I'd be quite surprised if he doesn't already know.

[Caitlyn's tone is mildly teasing, with a levity that shows even she's felt the difference in their apartment. With how things have changed as he's recuperated.]

Doesn't take a detectives skillset to figure you'd be here. Coffee?

[While she's still not become a convert to the drink, she's aware of his fondness for it. So of course she can't help but bring him some. With her own ubiquitous tea as well of course.]

I thought you might appreciate a little pick-me-up.

[techmaturgy]

[The joke is that Jayce was the one who wheeled him down here, but that's going to be his little secret. They've agreed, after two weeks in his bedroom, that the fresh air and being in the workshop will probably be good for him, so he spends time in here as he feels able. It's good for him, he's decided.

And, yes, it's probably not hard to guess where he'd be, especially while he's fairly limited.]

Yes, thank you.

[He's not going to say no, and in fact, seems pleased by her thoughtfulness.]

Are you well, Caitlyn?

[He's missed a week or two, understandably.]

[preferscuffs]

[Would Caitlyn be surprised by this news? No. She'd be more surprised to find Viktor made it here without Jayce being involved in some way honestly. But that's completely beside the point.]

It's my pleasure.

[If tested, it'd probably be determined that acts of service ranks fairly highly on Caitlyn's love language list. Not that she loves Viktor or anything, but she does care, in her own way, for Jayce's partner. So the coffee is placed nearby, where Viktor can reach it, but also hopefully somewhere that won't be in the way.]

I am, thank you. [A small smile, geniune.] I know, I know. It's probably called the Free Cities for a reason, but there's something incredibly feeing about this place.

[She's never been this far removed from Obligation and Duty before. Caitlyn's honestly still trying to adjust to it. It's a big change after a lifetime.]

second week of feb.

[wiedzminka]

[ It's not the first time Ciri's come over since the procedure. As soon as Jayce gave her the go-ahead, she was there to offer her congratulations and support to Viktor, and has since been a frequent visitor, bringing Viktor pastries and bread from Kol's bakery and checking on his progress with the puzzle she'd given him -- even if he probably finished it pretty quickly. One time, she even showed up with a huge bottle of vodka, which she was surprised and mildly annoyed to find deferred for a later time rather than opened in celebration. Something about needing the energy to heal (as if vodka isn't helpful for that; ridiculous).

This time is about the same as most of the others. Ciri arrives with a basketful of still-warm sweet rolls, about to make her way up to Viktor and Jayce's apartment -- when she is nearly shoved aside by a cadre of grim-faced people she doesn't recognize, dressed not exactly in uniform and yet in such a unified, stiff fashion, it's unmistakable they're some sort of official group. Not city guard, nor soldiers, as far as she can tell, but no more trustworthy at first glance.

Ciri's first instinct is aggressive. Her metaphorical hackles rise at once, and she grips her basket of bread hard enough to feel it creak beneath her grip, ready to make a weapon out of the flimsy wicker at a moment's notice. But the man who bumped into her stiffly apologizes and they move past all hurried and official-looking, leaving Ciri baffled and a little stunned.

A few seconds of silence pass before she realizes she's just standing in front of the still-open door looking like she's about to threaten somebody with a bunch of cooling rolls.

Eventually, she steps inside. ]

Jayce? [ Had those suspicious weirdos come in here when no one was even home? ]

Viktor?

[techmaturgy]

[Just because he knew it would happen doesn't make it easier to swallow. All he can do is consider themselves lucky that the Hexcore is already destroyed, though now that the Academy has confirmed their suspicious, they're going to investigate all of it. The hope has always been that his work was too esoteric for anyone to make sense of, but his luck was bound to run out sooner or later.

If someone has to walk in on such a scene, he's glad it's Ciri. Much less embarrassing, though it's a long moment before he answers her.]

I'm in here.

[The bedroom, he means. Viktor seems to have made an attempt to get out of bed, though by the time she enters he'll be seated on the edge of the mattress, unable to keep himself upright, much less prevent government agents from leaving.

For the first time since the immediate aftermath of the surgery, Viktor looks truly exhausted.]

Those were Academy officials. Off to ransack my laboratory, I'm sure.

[wiedzminka]

[ With some relief, Ciri follows his voice to the bedroom. She sets the basket down on the bedside table, wherever there's room (on top of the pile, if there isn't).

Academy officials? Her brows furrow. It doesn't take much to realize what he means. ]

--want me to throw a few knives out the window as they walk past?

[ It's mostly a joke. Almost entirely. ]

workshop

[aquilus]

[Altaïr had considered coming by sooner, once he'd heard what had happened and, more importantly, that Viktor had survived it. Mostly, Altaïr is impressed; he's no doctor and he hadn't even known just how ill the man had apparently been, but the fragments of explanation he'd gotten were enough to make it clear that this could have, and perhaps should have, been the end for the man. That he survived and perhaps may even thrive so no small thing.

But while he respects and even likes Viktor, Altaïr knows they're not close enough for an unsolicited visit, and he definitely can't pepper the man with questions, so he'd waited a bit. Today seemed as good a time as any to check in.

(He could pretend he's come to buy more knives, but that would be a transparent excuse.)]

What's my silence worth to you?

[techmaturgy]

[The joke is that somebody had to bring Viktor down here, and it was probably Jayce. Still, it's possible he's been in here for longer than originally agreed, which is where the secrecy would come into play. All of this, however, is in good fun. Viktor seems to be in good spirits.]

The cost of at least a half dozen knives.

[That's not serious. Or is it?]

Is there something I can do for you today?

[aquilus]

Convenient that I'm here, then. I could just give it back to you immediately.

[Not that Viktor looks to be in the mood for sales right now, maybe ever. And Altaïr doesn't currently need more knives. (But they both know he probably will eventually. He appreciates that they have not yet asked why.)]

I thought I might come say hello and congratulate you on your recovery.

apartment, 1st week

[assembles]

[ News had traveled quickly that Viktor's procedure had been a success, that he was alive and breathing with a healed set of lungs. He's bought himself who knows how many more years, and that's something to celebrate.

If it was business as usual, Steve would have waited longer to come visit. Post-op, Viktor's going to be in a lot of pain, bedridden and most likely aggravated as a result. Sure, he has his whole life ahead of him now, but being confined to your bedroom is never a fun time. (Steve would know.)

It's not business as usual, though.

Sending a message on the neural network wouldn't have felt right. Not when it's this important. Steve's confirmed that Tony's gone now, even checking the Horizon to see that Avengers Tower was conspicuously absent. He worked his way out of the lease and is back at Mag's now. Sam knows and he's most likely going to pass the news on to the others.

Viktor needs to know, though. He's going to wonder where Tony's been, why he hasn't been by to visit when he was there at the operation itself. It isn't too difficult for Steve to track down Viktor and Jayce's place, Tony having mentioned it a few times, and so now he's here.

Having explained the reason for his visit to Jayce in hushed tones, he's then allowed into Viktor's room, though he pauses at the doorway and shakes his head. ]

I should've. [ He raps his knuckles against the doorframe, an errant nervous act that might give away that something's wrong, if the crease in his brow doesn't. ] Congratulations, Viktor. It's good to see you here on the other side. [ He'd like to focus on that first, before getting to the bad news. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor isn’t quite ready to accept visitors outside of Jayce and Nadine until the end of the first week, and even then he spends more time asleep than not. It’s almost as if his body is making up for all of his many years of poor habits now that it has the time, so perhaps thankfully he isn’t thinking too hard about who is visiting and when. Jayce gets to handle all the interpersonal communication in the aftermath of the procedure, and Viktor trusts that he’s alerting relevant parties to appropriate developments.

So maybe he is a little surprised when he has a visitor who is not his immediate circle of confidants, though he’s not going to say no to company (especially when all of his time awake is teetering on the edge of boredom). And he isn’t so out of it that he doesn’t hear the murmurings of Steve having some kind of conversation with Jayce before he enters, so Viktor can quickly guess that this is not necessarily only about wishing him well.]

Thank you.

[Because that seems an appropriate response, even if Steve hasn’t brought anything to entertain him.]

We’re optimistic. The hope is that, with further monitoring and magical healing, I’ll be on my feet after a few weeks.

[assembles]

That's a quick recovery time, all things considered.

[ It had been experimental, after all, with no guarantee that Viktor would even survive. But between those odds and a certain death, there had really been no choice. Given that he'd had some other kind of more-than-human blood, maybe it had done its job and ensured that he wasn't completely wiped out by the operation.

Because a few weeks in bed is a small price to pay for your entire life ahead of you. Steve's mouth twitches, not quite a smile because his reason for being here is still in the back of his mind. But he knows what it's like to have a new lease on life and know you won't have death coming to collect sooner rather than later.

After a pause, he steps forward to take a seat in the chair near Viktor's bed. ]

It must be pretty surreal.