Chapter Text
The first thing Viktor noticed walking into the apartment was that it was missing a wall, part of the roof, most of a balcony, and yet the blackboard and notes littered with the offending research somehow remained intact. A pinnacle of irony. The second: Jayce Talis, a man well known in Piltover’s academy as friendly, ambitious, and apparently horrendous with children.
“What in the world did you do?” He yelled, attention shifting between the enforcers prancing around his apartment and the child sobbing on his floor.
“We- I just wanted to help! I didn’t know t-they’d explode!” The little girl cried, eyes wide with fear as her hands struggled behind her back. Viktor frowned, realizing she’d been cuffed, though he was certain she was 10 or 12 at most.
“You shouldn’t have been here in the first place!”
“Neither should all this illegal equipment,” Viktor interjected, stepping between Talis and the girl. He turned to the sherif, leaning on his cane, “what in the world happened here?”
The woman looked up from her clipboard, pointing her pen to the girl, “A break-in. Though that doesn’t explain all the restricted items here, and I don’t see any permits.”
“Nor was this approved by the academy… Who authorized your research?”
”It was an independent study.”
“Of course,” The sheriff sighed, scribbling something on her report and finally ushering the girl to a less collapsed room for interrogation.
“Who are you anyway?” Snapped Talis, pacing over the remains of his apartment.
“I’m assistant to the dean of the academy, who it may serve you to remember is also head of the council.” Jayce did look at him for that, probably surprised. Not many knew Heimerdinger had an assistant, many less even knew of Viktor.
”He sent me here to ensure anything dangerous is removed safely.”
According to his list, that included Talis.
Reasonable enough, though the man in question didn’t seem to see it that way. Now, as for the girl…
“The council needs someone to make an example of. An explosion crossed the line, and people need to feel safe.” Said Grayson, nodding to Viktor.
“Surely someone so young didn’t act alone?” He pressed, staring meaningfully at the blue haired child. Upon closer inspection, her hair, clothes, demeanor… she was definitely Zaunite.
“No! It was really just me…” she insisted. The sheriff sighed, crouching to her level.
”Listen kid, this really rattled the people upstairs. Someone’s taking the fall for this, and at this rate it’ll be you.”
”…I already told you! It was just me,” she repeated. The prospect in itself was ridiculous, but the council would look no further than her Zaunite origins, nor would anyone else. Unfortunate, but seemingly unavoidable. Yet, as Grayson took her away, the girl peered back at Viktor with wide, watery eyes. For a moment, he was young again, watching his loved ones be dragged away by enforcers.
“Wait” he said suddenly, “perhaps it would be best to bring her to the academy. There were a lot of dangerous materials here; we need to make sure she’s not, eh… contaminated.” Viktor cringed as he lied, out of all the things he could have said— still, Grayson released the child into his custody, at least until the trial. The sheriff looked amused, and not in the least bit convinced, and the girl looked at him incredulously, but cooperated. After all, children of Zaun seldom liked the enforcers. Perhaps the sheriff understood that as well.
The girl took his free hand and they rushed away before anyone could protest. She was quiet nearly all the way to the academy, speaking only to finally offer her name, “Powder”.
“My name is Viktor.” She stared at him for a bit, waiting for him to continue.
“…Don’t pilties usually have surnames?”
“Yes. Though I am also from the undercity.”
“Oh,” Powder stared at his clothes with scrutiny, looking slightly unconvinced, “…is that why you helped me?”
“Eh, perhaps? Maybe I have another building for you to blow up.” Viktor didn’t often jest, but he had heard humor helped build trust.
“…it wasn’t my fault! Mouser didn’t even work.” She pouted.
“Mouser?” Viktor inquired. Hesitantly, Powder pulled the contraption from her pockets, letting go of Viktor’s hand for him to take it.
“He’s supposed to be a grenade; I can’t get it to work though.”
“Ah, you made this? On your own?”
“Y-yeah.”
“It’s very intricate for someone your age. But if it didn’t go off, how did the explosion occur, exactly?”
“Um, I found some weird blue gems. They fell and went KABOOM!”
“I didn’t see them at the site…Do you still have those with you?”
“Oh. Um. Right.” Powder patted her pockets, feeling for a shinny blue rock. Eventually, and carefully, she handed it to Viktor to squint at. The rock buzzed slightly, emitting light through its unrefined cracks. He gently wrapped it in a cloth handkerchief, and they hurried the rest of the way to the academy, where they met with Heimerdinger in his lab.
“I have never seen anything like it!” he exclaimed, jumping down from his stool,”But, my boy, it’s a miracle that you made it here intact! That crystal is clearly highly unstable. Of course, it will remain in my lab until further notice.”
“I see…”
“Now, as for this young lady-“ Powder peaked from behind Viktor’s leg,“I hear she may be, aha, contaminated?” Heimerdinger teased.
”Ahem,” Viktor shrugged, “possibly?”
“My name’s Powder.” The girl offered, quietly observing the yordle. He chuckled fondly and offered his hand.
”I am professor Heimerdinger, dean of this very academy!”
“But you’re so small…” Powder mused, gently shaking the dean’s hand. Viktor chocked, Heimerdinger just laughed.
“Don’t let it fool you! I am hundreds of years your senior, miss Powder.”
”Hundreds-”
“-Ah, if I may, professor? In truth, I was hoping you could extend Powder some leniency in tomorrow’s trial.” The professor paused, a bit surprised.
“But of course! She’s just a child,” he turned back to the girl, “And I trust you already learned your lesson, miss Powder?”
“Uh, yes sir!” She saluted nervously. Viktor smiled a little, despite himself, but schooled himself back to the seriousness of the incident.
“The other councilors may not be as forgiving,” he said.
“Perhaps, but the primary blame of this incident certainly falls on Jayce. Moreover, this young lady is far too young for any standard disciplinary measure! At my discretion, I am confident we can send her home in, say, a day or so.”
And that was that.
“Powder of Zaun,” someone announced. It was cold, in the council room. Dark, and extravagant, and cold. Powder blinked, nervously looking between the councilors as a single ray of light momentarily blinded her. Under the scrutiny of so many people, she felt her eyes begin to water.
“You broke into one of my workshops, setting off an explosion that severely injured five people. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I-I’m sorry,” the blue haired girl shook, keeping her eyes on the floor as she tried to respond, “I just- I wanted to h-elp… Please don’t send me to Stillwater!” She cried. For a moment, there was near silence as the council looked among itself, only the sharp sound of clicking cutting through the dark.
“…How old are you, child?” Inquired a mechanical voice.
“I’m e-leven.”
“And you acted alone?” Asked the honeyed voice of the woman centerstage.
“Yes! Just me…”
“Bollocks!” Yelled a balding man, “You expect us to believe a little girl did this on her own?” Grayson slowly stepped into the light, a few paces to Powder’s left.
“Councilors,” she addressed, “there was no sign of any other suspects at the scene. Nor any witnesses confirming other involvement.”
“Well,” said a weasly blond, “Stillwater… may be too harsh. But we cannot let a little thief out in Piltover streets.”
“She’s just a child,” stated a gentle woman with brilliant golden nails. She carefully watched Powder as she inquired, “why did you steal, Powder?”
“B-back at home, we needed money.” The blue haired girl fiddled with her fingers, still shaking.
“…So, the little Zaunite turned to thievery? Typical. Still she is quite young, so only a month or two in the local cells should do nicely.” At the statement, there was murmuring among the trial audience. Many in the council looked ready to protest.
“-If I may, Salo, throwing a little girl in jail is far from standard,” cut in a heavily accented voice, “the Kirammans can cover all costs related to this… accident, and in return, I suggest we offer the child leniency.”
“Especially, might I add,” said Heimerdinger, relieved, “when the fault here lies primarily on Jayce! With the reactivity of those materials, I’m certain an explosion would have occurred eventually.”
“Well, then what do you suggest?” Complained the blond weasel.
“As Miss Kiramman said, we can afford to extend leniency! Sheriff Grayson will send word to her family, and miss Powder will remain at the academy, under my watch, until a guardian comes to take responsibility.”
“…Relations with the underground remain… at an impasse. This may be the best course of action.” Said the gentle woman.
“Well, councilors,” said the lady centerstage, “shall we vote?”
By a count of five to two, Powder was released into Heimerdinger‘s care, and Viktor nearly toppled in relief. He was certain Kiramman would sway the vote otherwise, but perhaps the girl reminded her of her own child. Such sympathy carried over to Jayce as well, who, rather being exiled, was simply banned from the academy, despite the many illegal materials in his possession. As far as Viktor was concerned, it was a far lighter punishment than Talis deserved.
And yet…
Viktor could not help but be intrigued by his ideas, his research. For magic to be controlled by science; it could revolutionize everything they knew. So, in the night, while the professor was occupied with Powder, he found Jayce; standing among the ruble of his own making.
“Am I interrupting something?” He said, as though Talis was not seconds from throwing himself off a building. Viktor knew the feeling well, being a poor, cripple from the undercity; there were many moments where eternal sleep seemed more appealing than life.
But that was then, and this was now.
“I was intrigued by what you said at the trial,” he added and Talis finally looked at him, just a smidge of hope in his eyes. But it was enough. In the dead of night, they finally “cracked” magic, though they could not test their theory without the confiscated materials… Perhaps it was foolish, and driven by desperation, but in the dawn of dawn, they scurried into Heimerdinger’s lab, much to the amusement of councilor Medarda. And together, Viktor and Jayce breathed life into a new dream, into the era of magic. They laughed, floating above the lab under the influence of the arcane, though Heimerdinger was much less amused. It was beautiful in every way, and, to add insult to injury, Jayce, who had not even known Viktor’s name a few hours previous, now looked at him with such adoration it made Viktor’s chest ache.
Needless to say, the next few weeks were spent in blissful and perfect sync. Working together, they were akin to one, thoughts and ideas nearly always in the same wavelength. In fact, Viktor was certain that if he asked him to jump, Jayce would need not ask how high.
Sometimes, they even talked about the little girl, Powder. Talis still felt guilty for yelling at her, and often inquired about her wellbeing. Viktor was still fascinated with her “Mouser”, tinkering with it as though to understand how a child with no formal education could get so close to making a grenade. The engineering was certainly inspired, and Viktor and Jayce both longed to ask the girl how she’d come up with it in the first place. Neither man had seen her in quite a while though, so work carried on, night and day endlessly fading into one another.
It was in one of those sleepless nights that Viktor finally heard from Powder. How she sneaked into the lab would be anyone’s guess, but as suddenly as arrived, she clinged to Viktor’s good leg.
“They never came,” she said, voice tinged with desperation, “I went to back; to find them but—they’re gone.” Viktor’s chest ached in a completely different way, understanding, pity, and sorrow all mercilessly squeezing at his heart. He placed his free hand at the child’s shoulder, and looked up at Jayce, who had paled just a bit. A horrible and unfortunate outcome, but in the very least, they both seemed to be thinking the same thing.
“A mentorship?” asked Heimerdinger, ”are you two quite certain you can handle it?” Pacing outside the hextech lab.
“Professor, if it weren’t for Powder, hextech may have never even happened! We owe it to her, and we want to help,” said Jayce, determined.
“The girl has proved herself quite ingenious as well,” added Viktor, “she's traditionally too young for the academy, but with your backing, professor, surely an exception can be made?” The yorkle paused, skeptically looking between the two men. They were quite nearly pleading, and miss Powder really did have nowhere to go…
“This is quite precarious indeed, my dear boys,” he started, fiddling with his mustache, “but what of her living arrangements? You two have a habit of losing track of time in that lab of yours.”
“As you know, I have an unused room in the academy, professor. After her classes, and daily mentoring quota, she can return there.”
“And what of her nourishment?” He asked, knowing his protégés skipped more meals than not.
”I have that covered, professor,” said Jayce, “I’d be happy to cook for her, and it’d be good to pause for food. You know how scientists can get,” Jayce countered quickly. Evidently, they’d given this more thought than the yorkle expected.
“Ahem, I do indeed, which brings me to my next point. Do you have the time to truly care for her and your research?”
“Professor, I assure you,” Viktor began, a certain fire in his eyes, “we’re willing to make this work. You took me in much the same manner, once. Let us return the favor... Please.” And how could Heimerdinger say no to that?
“…Very well,” he sighed, “I can see how much this means to you both. I will get the paperwork.”
The first few weeks with Powder in tow were… hectic, to say the least. In all fairness to her situation, Powder was surprisingly well behaved, grateful even, for their taking her in. But enrollment into the academy mid semester proved difficult, when she had no birth certificate, documents, or legal guardians. So, while Heimerdinger took care of the bureaucracy, Powder wandered about her room, the library, and the lab. Every day a different mood; sometimes she was happy to watch quietly as Jayce and Viktor worked away; sometimes, she would not leave her room for hours on end, only breaking her isolation to begrudgingly eat whatever Jayce prepared; and sometimes, she snapped, lashing out at whoever was in her vicinity, be it Viktor, Jayce, Heimerdinger, or even Sky.
Grief is truly unpredictable, and they had come to learn that she had lost many; her sister, friends, parents, and guardian. Whether they were dead or not, she didn’t even know, but they were gone, with no trace left behind.
“If they were alive, they’d come for me. I know it. Vi would never… leave,” Powder often said. It was difficult to tell if she really believed that, but they offered her hugs, snacks, and books all the same.
Then, the nightmares started. Nearly every night, Powder would barge in the lab, shaking, and crying, and needing immediate comfort. They dropped everything to suffice; Jayce would pull her into a hug, letting her cry until she could speak. On some nights, Powder was quick to share her troubles, letting the scientists comfort her, but some dreams she simply refused to describe. Those days, Viktor offered her sweet-milk, and he and Jayce took to distracting her with some book, tinkering, or even hextech. Powder always calmed eventually, often falling asleep on a lab counter, as she refused to go back to her dorm. But soon, it became blatantly clear that the girl needed more than just a room in the academy, she needed a home.
And so, they eventually found themselves moving into Viktor’s apartment; Jayce’s was, after all, mostly ruble.
”Surprise!”, Jayce exclaimed, throwing the front door open. Excitedly, Powder stepped inside, looking around in awed silence.
“It’s eh, a bit dull, I admit, but it will have to do.”
“Dull?,” asked Powder, “it’s an actual house! It’s so much bigger than the dorms!” The girl spun around, clearly pleased with all the new space. Jayce chuckled fondly, placing a hand on Viktor’s shoulder as they shared a look.
“Why don’t you go see your room, Powpow? Last door at the end of the hallway!” And she rushed off, nearly tripping on her way to open the door. As Powder managed it open, she nearly exploded from excitement. Her very own room, and it was totally pink! In the center was a square canopy bed, adorned with pink and white lace, fairy lights, a baby pink blanket set, and white pillows. The windows next to the bed lit up the rest of the room beautifully; there were two cream nightstands, a white desk with a round and fluffy pink chair to the right wall, and a closet to the left.
”Woah!” Powder exclaimed. And that wasn’t all, on her new bed sat a fat bunny plushie, and a brand new pair of the academy uniform. Surprise after surprise, the blue haired girl could cry from happiness. Really, she could scarcely believe that the men she met only two months ago would do something like this… just for her.
”So,” Jayce started, approaching with Viktor at his side, “do you uh, like it?” Powder turned, incredulous for just a moment, before she all but jumped to embrace him. Jayce laughed, relieved, and dragged Viktor into the hug as well.
“Thank you,” Powder whispered, ”I love it!” Then she threw herself on her new bed.
After that, the three fell into a sort of routine. Powder had class now, at the academy, so Jayce woke early in the morning to prepare all of their lunches, while Viktor helped Powder get ready. After breakfast, the three headed to the academy, and went their separate ways, Powder to her first period, and Jayce and Viktor to the lab. Later in the afternoon, when Powder was released, she did her work at the library, then headed to the lab for mentoring. For an hour or so, Jayce and Viktor alternated between catching her up in their research. It slowed their progress somewhat, as did Powder’s general addition into their lives, but it was incredible how quickly the girl understood. Soon, perhaps she could even join the team! Well, when she was more acquainted with the math, at least.
Regardless, after mentoring, Powder wandered about the academy grounds with Heimerdinger, who was happy to have an assistant of sorts after Viktor’s departure. On lighter days, they headed back home at around nine, for Powder’s sake, and continued their work in the living room, while she slept. On heavier days, Ximena Talis was the one to take the child home. She insisted, seeing Powder as her granddaughter. Not far off, as Jayce and Viktor soon began to see her as theirs. What that implied between themselves was another issue, which Ximena was keen on bringing attention to.
“When are you getting married?” She’d ask, and Jayce had no response beyond the blushing.
“Mom-“he groaned, face in hands.
“-You already live together, with a child, for goodness’s sake!” She had a point, Jayce had to admit. But he swore there was a perfectly logical reason for how they’d been sharing Viktor’s bed.
“It’s- convenient!”
“Don’t give me that!” It was embarrassing really, but at least she never said such things in front of Viktor. Powder was quick to report to him though. Unfortunate, but Jayce wouldn’t have it any other way.
And okay, maybe he did see Viktor as more than just a research partner, but who wouldn’t, raising a girl together as they were?