[ It's difficult to pull himself away from the work of the brace, not only because it's so important to exponentially improve the one Jayce has been using for months beyond the expiration date, but also because of the sense of normalcy that came from the act of creation. Viktor has always loved tinkering with items to improved them, but he vastly prefers the art of making things from scratch, starting with identifying a problem to solve and finishing with an end product that fits the bill perfectly. There's also the part of him that finds comfort in having a task to perform with Jayce, a foundation for their interactions that could otherwise feel awkward or even strained at times. It's selfish, like so many other parts of Viktor, to want an excuse for Jayce to be near him when it was quite possible he had other places to be, people to see. They don't talk about their social lives, or whatever constituted one in this odd realm, and for Viktor it's because he doesn't have one. He goes out on his own sometimes, yes, but it's to escape the pressure of being around the others, the guilt that he's placed on his own shoulders. Sometimes, he still looks at Jayce and thinks about his leg snapping and his muscle succumbing to atrophy and his wounds infecting with multicolored fractals. Maybe a different Viktor from a different time had allowed that to happen, but it was still Viktor in the end.
All that is to say, the issue of finding runes is right up their alley, least of all because Viktor's magic centers on them. It's good to have a goal that take them outside of the museum, stretch their legs both literally and figuratively, and their new equine friends make it all the easier to travel long distances without putting unnecessary strain on Jayce's leg. Viktor has been making a study of them, too, eager to learn more about the creatures who seemed to have bonded to them. Stepping forward to his, Viktor gives her a soft greeting and strokes her muzzle gently. Jayce's comment is so unexpected that Viktor turns to look at him fast enough to nearly startle his mount. ]
Why is that? [ His hand moves to pat the side of the mare's neck, soothing her to continue the ritual of asking for a ride. ] Sans the horse.
[ Jayce comes closer to both partner and mares— his, in particular, is quite expressive in her inner filly's excitement for a little taste of nostalgic adventure. Using her outstretched snout as a bridging point for his support, he rests his final step and weight on his stronger leg, though wincing when it suffers the strain of overcompensation. Every other time, he forgets a little too late to throw his weight to the crutch.
Even though he'll swear up and down, countless times, that he knows how to use it. One cannot blame him for trying to not count on it for every waking moment, stubborn part of him still tangent. ]
Ah, before we met. [ There are times when Viktor forgets they haven't known each other their entire lives, especially given how intertwined their existences have been. It may not have been the same Viktor that stands here now that had rescued young Jayce and his mother from the blizzard, the mage who had shaped the trajectory of their lives and the future of Piltover. But it stands to reason that Jayce traveled as much as possible in his pursuit of magic, of answers to replicating and then utilizing the runestone, searching for a partner.
And he'd found one in his apartment. All it took was an explosion. ]
Look at you now. [ Chuckling as he pats the side of his mare's neck, Viktor turns towards Jayce with a mental smile. ] Turning into a dragon and hunting for magical runes.
[ He nods towards Jayce, his crutch, his mount. ] Would you like any assistance getting up?
[ Hold on now, he's in the process of throwing his belly onto the mare's back and trying to worm his way into the correct positioning. The Nightmare helps in her own right, standing still with the utmost patience and throwing the weight on her legs where it would most help his momentum, before he's able to swing his good leg (and tail) to the other side, and work his way into a seat. Crutch at her neck, he's easily able to pull it up and rest it over his lap.
[ It's far from the most graceful display that Viktor has ever seen, but he doesn't move even an inch to help; he knows this behavior well. There had been plenty of times in his life when Viktor had struggled unnecessarily just to prove to himself, and sometimes others, that he could do things without help. The results weren't always pretty, but it was this ability to stubbornly rely only on himself that got him quite far in both life and Piltover. In the end, he should have been more trusting in others, in Jayce, to ask for help earlier on. Maybe things would have ended up differently, or perhaps they would have found the same ending through entirely different routes.
There are no quips, no sassy remarks, just Viktor nodding and then mounting his mare as well. She was quite tall compared to some others he had seen, an issue in the dream and yet perfectly suited to his long and lanky limbs in reality. They truly had been meant to find one another. ] Any opinions on where we start?
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All that is to say, the issue of finding runes is right up their alley, least of all because Viktor's magic centers on them. It's good to have a goal that take them outside of the museum, stretch their legs both literally and figuratively, and their new equine friends make it all the easier to travel long distances without putting unnecessary strain on Jayce's leg. Viktor has been making a study of them, too, eager to learn more about the creatures who seemed to have bonded to them. Stepping forward to his, Viktor gives her a soft greeting and strokes her muzzle gently. Jayce's comment is so unexpected that Viktor turns to look at him fast enough to nearly startle his mount. ]
Why is that? [ His hand moves to pat the side of the mare's neck, soothing her to continue the ritual of asking for a ride. ] Sans the horse.
no subject
[ Jayce comes closer to both partner and mares— his, in particular, is quite expressive in her inner filly's excitement for a little taste of nostalgic adventure. Using her outstretched snout as a bridging point for his support, he rests his final step and weight on his stronger leg, though wincing when it suffers the strain of overcompensation. Every other time, he forgets a little too late to throw his weight to the crutch.
Even though he'll swear up and down, countless times, that he knows how to use it. One cannot blame him for trying to not count on it for every waking moment, stubborn part of him still tangent. ]
The hunt for something . . . Magical.
no subject
And he'd found one in his apartment. All it took was an explosion. ]
Look at you now. [ Chuckling as he pats the side of his mare's neck, Viktor turns towards Jayce with a mental smile. ] Turning into a dragon and hunting for magical runes.
[ He nods towards Jayce, his crutch, his mount. ] Would you like any assistance getting up?
no subject
[ Hold on now, he's in the process of throwing his belly onto the mare's back and trying to worm his way into the correct positioning. The Nightmare helps in her own right, standing still with the utmost patience and throwing the weight on her legs where it would most help his momentum, before he's able to swing his good leg (and tail) to the other side, and work his way into a seat. Crutch at her neck, he's easily able to pull it up and rest it over his lap.
He looks quite proud of himself. ]
Got it.
no subject
There are no quips, no sassy remarks, just Viktor nodding and then mounting his mare as well. She was quite tall compared to some others he had seen, an issue in the dream and yet perfectly suited to his long and lanky limbs in reality. They truly had been meant to find one another. ] Any opinions on where we start?