i don't know if i believe that last part. i'm the most dangerous thing in my world. i'm one of the most dangerous people here. but i'd like to think you can help me. you, jayce, or some combination.
[He's been doing better here than he ever was at home. Calm, comfortable, able to pull himself back the few times he's lost his temper or his nerve. And able to talk to Viktor at all, past the point where he feels like he'd normally be seeing red.
There was the incident with Esikko on Christmas, but that's... well, a backslide doesn't mean a complete lack of progress.]
i'll come visit you on my birthday. hopefully i'll be doing alright. and if not, i'll go talk to henry afterward.
[Not that Henry's really had to deal with Dodger's temper yet, but he finds the man calming, and that has to count for something.]
It is our sincerest desire to do just that. To help you. How have the newer versions of the potion been working for you? Is there any progress at all?
[ He's been making minor adjustments based on Dodger's feedback and what has and hasn't worked for him. But something Dodger types makes him curious. Henry...and not Esikko, hm. ]
You need not push yourself for me, especially on such a day. If you wish to visit, then we might perhaps go somewhere you feel comfortable. Henry? We have spoken in the past. I asked him if he would be able to make me some pieces for my...projects. But not Esikko? Interesting. I had thought you two were close, unless I am mistaken?
last time i used it, i still panicked. and i burnt henry. but... i don't know, it's getting somewhere. if you haven't talked to john doe, he might be able to give you some pointers.
[Granted, the fireproofing potion he got from John is much simpler than what he's asking Viktor to do. But he's fairly convinced John is able to make anything possible.]
fuck esikko.
it's complicated. it's been complicated for a while. i don't know. but, i've got henry. he's been keeping me sane lately. he's great, i'm sure whatever he makes for you is gonna be good.
Something more calming then. I will note that as well as speaking to John. We are...close so I will ask him his thoughts on the matter.
[ Perhaps they could make something together. But his eyebrow does raise at that. Words, they might be better, there is no denying the vehemence in the ones Dodger types out. ]
Complicated does not mean it's inherently bad. But without knowing the circumstances, I can't exactly say much more than that. I hope you two can figure it out.
[ Hm. ]
He seems honest and hardworking. I look forward to seeing the results of what he produces.
[He does briefly consider elaborating on exactly what's going on with Esikko. But... on top of being genuinely complicated, involving things Dodger barely understands himself, it also just... paints him in a really bad light. And he's already sick of hearing everyone talk about Esikko like he can't defend himself.]
if we can figure it out, viktor, i'm sure esikko and i will sooner or later. things are easier here than they were at home. for better or for worse.
honest and hard-working are good words for him. he's pretty great in bed, too. he's been teaching me how to blacksmith, or... i guess how to do more than just those metal charms.
Have we? Figured it out, I mean. But your willingness to do so is appreciated nonetheless. [ There's still many things left unsaid between them and the fact that meeting in person is still difficult doesn't exactly paint the picture of having things figured out. But Viktor is patient and will wait for when Dodger is ready. ]
I hope that you both do, regardless. He seemed to be quite important to you. It would be a shame if that were broken due to some unintentional argument caused by this place. [ But he is smiling softly on his end as he fiddles with the gear charm. ]
It was quite well made for your first time. You should also try asking Jayce. He is quite good with a forge, and it could allow you both to get closer too. I hope you two have...settled your differences since we all last spoke.
we WILL figure it out. you have to pick some things to believe in or you're just going to tie yourself into knots. and i'm choosing to believe you're still the person i've known since july. powers or not.
[It's a much bigger show of good faith than Dodger's used to, and he hopes Viktor can appreciate that. Maybe self-serving, because he mostly doesn't want to believe he's this bad a judge of character, but the logic doesn't matter if the end result is keeping his friendship going.
He is fully ignoring the second part of that, though, because he doesn't want to admit the argument was caused by Dodger screwing Esikko's crush after being told not to.]
jayce does smithing? i'll have to make sure he and henry meet then. and yeah, we're getting along better. he seemed... worried about me, after the last time i talked to you.
[Which Dodger still isn't entirely sure what to do with. At the time, he'd just assumed Jayce was being a guard dog again, but it seems like Jayce genuinely cares about Dodger's well-being. As much as he finds that deeply confusing.]
I do not doubt that with both of our tenacity towards facing and overcoming adversity, we will figure something out, beyond speaking like this. But I am still the same man you spoke with and will continue to be, that I am certain of.
[ But they'll get there when they get there. ]
It was intrinsic to his house name, Talis. His family crafted and created multipurpose tools for others to use, but the hammer is what they are most known for inventing. [ A smile forms on his lips. Nothing but affection in his stupid eyes as he reads that!! ]
That is good to hear. Jayce is very protective of— [ most notably him ] people he becomes close to. It is one of his more defining traits, I think. The fact that he wishes to help you and is worried about you is proof of this.
[It still sort of surprises him that Viktor thinks he faces things head-on. But he's flattered, that he gives that impression, and he's not about to correct him.]
then i've got an idea of something i might ask him for, but it can wait.
[More accurately, he sees an opportunity for Jayce to help Henry figure out the butterfly knife that Dodger's been wanting. Just in time for his birthday, too.]
he's got a hero's instincts. it used to piss me off, meeting people like that, but i'm coming around to it. and y'know, i can't fault him for being a loyal dog. i am one too.
for me. but if i tell you it's not gonna be exciting when i get my hands on it.
[It will certainly be exciting when Dodger starts doing butterfly knife tricks as a fidget again, though.]
hero instincts isn't just helping people. it's seeing shit that needs to get done and jumping in, without thinking about what'll happen to you. jumping in front of a car to save a dog, that sort of thing. or seeing a friend getting hurt, jumping in without a weapon and getting your ass beat.
[This is how Dodger differentiates himself from heroes. Because he does want to help, but only if it doesn't take anything from him.
[ Poor Dodger doesn't know Jayce's stance on weapons yet, so this might not go as planned!! ]
Inventing hextech was similar in the way you are explaining it. Inventing things to help others when magic was feared, attempting to show people that it could be used for good and could make a difference. Things that need to get done, and doing them no matter what happens to you. In that was it is something similar to heroics.
[ A pause as he ruminates. ]
Those who are willing to put others before themselves, to do great things, those are the heroes that many could benefit from.
it's not a split decision, though. that's all i meant.
[But maybe that's a moot point, because Viktor did lose his human form to advance science. That's probably more heroic than any example Dodger gave.]
putting others before themselves and doing great things aren't always the same thing. sometimes the path forward NEEDS a trail of blood. i don't think i was a good person back home, but i was doing something great. better than letting things stay the way they were, at least.
Does it? Need a trail of blood? I have gone down such a path, and it did not save anyone, nor was it the beginning of something great.
[ It also wasn't him directly but something parading around as him. But it had still used his dream and his all-consuming need to help others to do terrible things. ]
I tried to do something great back home, and it...brought nothing but suffering. And had I succeeded, there would have been nothing left.
[ Seas of endless solitude he had said. ]
I think there are better ways forward than with bloodshed. There is always a choice, of course, and I tend to try to choose the least violent one if possible.
if you're going to change the world, you can't ask for permission. people in power don't listen to petitions and sob stories. you need to rip out the infestation and cauterize the wound. you need to make an example out of people that push back.
[He knows this is a dicey thing to bring up to Viktor, even if he doesn't know the exact shape of Viktor's past. But more than anything, Dodger needs to believe this. He needs to believe that there is no other way, or he was just killing innocents and worsening the perception of mutants. Fuck that.]
violence isn't always avoidable. and sometimes it's a moral obligation. i'd rather have blood on my hands than stand by and politely ask the police to stop brutalizing my people.
Using my own words against me when you are choosing acts of violence is not as clever as you think. I spoke those words because violence between Piltover and Zaun killed many of my people and Piltover's as well. The divide between us is great, but offering something that could help Zaun build and gain the infrastructure to be its own entity and stand on its own outside of Piltover was the first step needed towards healing.
The cycle of violence is not one that will ever get decent results. You will never be rid of the infection if you continue to cause wounds.
It might not always be unavoidable, but there are better ways to use one's powers than to cause more harm. All those people you have killed...what do you think they see mutants as because of it?
well, humans in my world invented a shock collar that saps powers. that was *their* solution to the conflict. you know what i was doing before i showed up here? helping out a 17 year old forced to wear one of those collars 24/7. getting electrocuted every time his mutation acts up. forgive me if i dont give a shit about the lives of people who condone shit like that.
[Sylas also... is a danger to the public, if his powers aren't contained. He cannot control them and they cause paranoid hallucinations for everyone around him. Dodger knows this, but it doesn't serve his point, so he's keeping it to himself.]
i don't need humans to like me. i don't need humans to like mutants. i just need them to understand they're sticking their hand in a bear trap by pissing off super-powered beings. that is what the violence is for.
[He stops himself short from the last thought in his head - that humans belong under his heel, that is the proper world order. But he's thinking it, and only keeping it to himself because Viktor is technically human.]
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no subject
i'm the most dangerous thing in my world.
i'm one of the most dangerous people here.
but i'd like to think you can help me.
you, jayce, or some combination.
[He's been doing better here than he ever was at home. Calm, comfortable, able to pull himself back the few times he's lost his temper or his nerve. And able to talk to Viktor at all, past the point where he feels like he'd normally be seeing red.
There was the incident with Esikko on Christmas, but that's... well, a backslide doesn't mean a complete lack of progress.]
i'll come visit you on my birthday.
hopefully i'll be doing alright.
and if not, i'll go talk to henry afterward.
[Not that Henry's really had to deal with Dodger's temper yet, but he finds the man calming, and that has to count for something.]
no subject
How have the newer versions of the potion been working for you? Is there any progress at all?
[ He's been making minor adjustments based on Dodger's feedback and what has and hasn't worked for him. But something Dodger types makes him curious. Henry...and not Esikko, hm. ]
You need not push yourself for me, especially on such a day. If you wish to visit, then we might perhaps go somewhere you feel comfortable.
Henry? We have spoken in the past. I asked him if he would be able to make me some pieces for my...projects.
But not Esikko? Interesting. I had thought you two were close, unless I am mistaken?
no subject
if you haven't talked to john doe, he might be able to give you some pointers.
[Granted, the fireproofing potion he got from John is much simpler than what he's asking Viktor to do. But he's fairly convinced John is able to make anything possible.]
fuck esikko.
it's complicated.
it's been complicated for a while.
i don't know.
but, i've got henry. he's been keeping me sane lately.
he's great, i'm sure whatever he makes for you is gonna be good.
no subject
[ Perhaps they could make something together. But his eyebrow does raise at that. Words, they might be better, there is no denying the vehemence in the ones Dodger types out. ]
Complicated does not mean it's inherently bad.
But without knowing the circumstances, I can't exactly say much more than that.
I hope you two can figure it out.
[ Hm. ]
He seems honest and hardworking. I look forward to seeing the results of what he produces.
no subject
if we can figure it out, viktor, i'm sure esikko and i will sooner or later.
things are easier here than they were at home.
for better or for worse.
honest and hard-working are good words for him.
he's pretty great in bed, too.
he's been teaching me how to blacksmith, or... i guess how to do more than just those metal charms.
no subject
I hope that you both do, regardless. He seemed to be quite important to you. It would be a shame if that were broken due to some unintentional argument caused by this place. [ But he is smiling softly on his end as he fiddles with the gear charm. ]
It was quite well made for your first time. You should also try asking Jayce. He is quite good with a forge, and it could allow you both to get closer too. I hope you two have...settled your differences since we all last spoke.
no subject
you have to pick some things to believe in or you're just going to tie yourself into knots.
and i'm choosing to believe you're still the person i've known since july.
powers or not.
[It's a much bigger show of good faith than Dodger's used to, and he hopes Viktor can appreciate that. Maybe self-serving, because he mostly doesn't want to believe he's this bad a judge of character, but the logic doesn't matter if the end result is keeping his friendship going.
He is fully ignoring the second part of that, though, because he doesn't want to admit the argument was caused by Dodger screwing Esikko's crush after being told not to.]
jayce does smithing?
i'll have to make sure he and henry meet then.
and yeah, we're getting along better.
he seemed... worried about me, after the last time i talked to you.
[Which Dodger still isn't entirely sure what to do with. At the time, he'd just assumed Jayce was being a guard dog again, but it seems like Jayce genuinely cares about Dodger's well-being. As much as he finds that deeply confusing.]
no subject
But I am still the same man you spoke with and will continue to be, that I am certain of.
[ But they'll get there when they get there. ]
It was intrinsic to his house name, Talis. His family crafted and created multipurpose tools for others to use, but the hammer is what they are most known for inventing. [ A smile forms on his lips. Nothing but affection in his stupid eyes as he reads that!! ]
That is good to hear. Jayce is very protective of— [ most notably him ] people he becomes close to. It is one of his more defining traits, I think. The fact that he wishes to help you and is worried about you is proof of this.
no subject
then i've got an idea of something i might ask him for, but it can wait.
[More accurately, he sees an opportunity for Jayce to help Henry figure out the butterfly knife that Dodger's been wanting. Just in time for his birthday, too.]
he's got a hero's instincts.
it used to piss me off, meeting people like that, but i'm coming around to it.
and y'know, i can't fault him for being a loyal dog.
i am one too.
no subject
So lucky for me to have two that I can call on.
[ Viktor stop. ]
A hero's instincts...yes I think that is appropriate for him. After all our dream was to help and save people with hextech.
[ But Jayce had also saved him in more ways than one. ]
no subject
but if i tell you it's not gonna be exciting when i get my hands on it.
[It will certainly be exciting when Dodger starts doing butterfly knife tricks as a fidget again, though.]
hero instincts isn't just helping people.
it's seeing shit that needs to get done and jumping in, without thinking about what'll happen to you.
jumping in front of a car to save a dog, that sort of thing.
or seeing a friend getting hurt, jumping in without a weapon and getting your ass beat.
[This is how Dodger differentiates himself from heroes. Because he does want to help, but only if it doesn't take anything from him.
Usually.]
no subject
[ Poor Dodger doesn't know Jayce's stance on weapons yet, so this might not go as planned!! ]
Inventing hextech was similar in the way you are explaining it.
Inventing things to help others when magic was feared, attempting to show people that it could be used for good and could make a difference.
Things that need to get done, and doing them no matter what happens to you.
In that was it is something similar to heroics.
[ A pause as he ruminates. ]
Those who are willing to put others before themselves, to do great things, those are the heroes that many could benefit from.
no subject
that's all i meant.
[But maybe that's a moot point, because Viktor did lose his human form to advance science. That's probably more heroic than any example Dodger gave.]
putting others before themselves and doing great things aren't always the same thing.
sometimes the path forward NEEDS a trail of blood.
i don't think i was a good person back home, but i was doing something great.
better than letting things stay the way they were, at least.
no subject
I have gone down such a path, and it did not save anyone, nor was it the beginning of something great.
[ It also wasn't him directly but something parading around as him. But it had still used his dream and his all-consuming need to help others to do terrible things. ]
I tried to do something great back home, and it...brought nothing but suffering. And had I succeeded, there would have been nothing left.
[ Seas of endless solitude he had said. ]
I think there are better ways forward than with bloodshed. There is always a choice, of course, and I tend to try to choose the least violent one if possible.
no subject
people in power don't listen to petitions and sob stories.
you need to rip out the infestation and cauterize the wound.
you need to make an example out of people that push back.
[He knows this is a dicey thing to bring up to Viktor, even if he doesn't know the exact shape of Viktor's past. But more than anything, Dodger needs to believe this. He needs to believe that there is no other way, or he was just killing innocents and worsening the perception of mutants. Fuck that.]
violence isn't always avoidable.
and sometimes it's a moral obligation.
i'd rather have blood on my hands than stand by and politely ask the police to stop brutalizing my people.
no subject
I spoke those words because violence between Piltover and Zaun killed many of my people and Piltover's as well. The divide between us is great, but offering something that could help Zaun build and gain the infrastructure to be its own entity and stand on its own outside of Piltover was the first step needed towards healing.
The cycle of violence is not one that will ever get decent results. You will never be rid of the infection if you continue to cause wounds.
It might not always be unavoidable, but there are better ways to use one's powers than to cause more harm. All those people you have killed...what do you think they see mutants as because of it?
no subject
that was *their* solution to the conflict.
you know what i was doing before i showed up here?
helping out a 17 year old forced to wear one of those collars 24/7.
getting electrocuted every time his mutation acts up.
forgive me if i dont give a shit about the lives of people who condone shit like that.
[Sylas also... is a danger to the public, if his powers aren't contained. He cannot control them and they cause paranoid hallucinations for everyone around him. Dodger knows this, but it doesn't serve his point, so he's keeping it to himself.]
i don't need humans to like me.
i don't need humans to like mutants.
i just need them to understand they're sticking their hand in a bear trap by pissing off super-powered beings.
that is what the violence is for.
[He stops himself short from the last thought in his head - that humans belong under his heel, that is the proper world order. But he's thinking it, and only keeping it to himself because Viktor is technically human.]