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// still my favourite Jayce edit I think //

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As Viktor relaxes, Jayce mirrors this without even realising. His words cut him deep. His own mother has always been the most important person in his life. He couldn't imagine what he would have done without her. The lengths he would go to to find her if she went missing.

He vaguely knew about Viktor's lack of parents. He's only ever spoken in bits an pieces of his past. The fissures, Heimerdinger taking notice to him, but Jayce had managed to fill in the blanks. Not exactly a casual topic to bring up out of curiosity, after all.

Jayce is both saddened for him and honored for his openness. His admiration for all that he has endured only grows. " Viktor - I didn't know . I'm sorry . " He says, the words as sincere as can be. " ... Do you want to tell me about her ? "

 His sharp eyes almost immediately lose their edge when he sees that hurt look on Jayce’s face. Regret rears its jagged maw, biting at his heart. He swallows, blinking the last remnants of anger from his face.

 He listened to Jayce’s words with his eyes pinned on the floor between them. It makes sense, doesn’t it? The road needed to go both ways. He knows so much about Jayce's life, partly because his house was quickly becoming one of the more prominent ones in Piltover, but also because Jayce actually talks about it.

 So, he takes a steadying breath, looking back up at his partner as he admits, “Today is my mother’s birthday, but I cannot visit her.” He sighs and rubs his temple with closed eyes. “She is missing, Jayce. She has been for years. I do not even have a grave.” Blunt and simple, but noticeably painful to for him to say out loud.

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" Oh . " Despite the violence he just witnessed, the casual description of the wound still throws him off. The moment quickly passes as his wound gets treated. He hisses in pain at the attention to the torn skin. The throbbing of a flesh wound feels odd. There is something about his injuries being worse in an attack on a memorial than when a rocket hit the council building. Something he can't quite put his finger on.

During the council meeting, it was him who had called everyone there. Without him the building would have been empty. Now again, without him there would have been no murdered child to take revenge for. How much longer will he keep hurting the people he cares most about?

" I'll try . Uhm , by the way . Do you have any leads about the people behind this ? " Jayce knows for a fact they're not connected to Jinx, but he doesn't feel quite keen to share that information, as the obvious follow up question would be how exactly he knows this.

Out came the shears, methodically cutting so as to only remove what was needed. Habit even if the attire would be deemed trash later; setting aside the cut away fabric and slowly freeing any stuck into the wound.

Glancing up a little at the head turn; the joking getting a brief flutter of his ears. "Think rocks, dust in a scrapped knee but it was multiple stab wounds." Casual about it, like it wasn't a blatantly odd incident that spelled only in Zaun.

"More likely to be an memorable outlying circumstance; if you take care of it and don't try to top it." Finishing closing of the wound, pulling out some white bandages. "But if you do, try to do it during the day." It was a joke, but he would rather not get an late hours summons when off shift if he could help it.

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heavy is the crown

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He wants to believe her, he really does. He had already been concerned for her when he heard her speak with such hatred at the wind fountain. Rage is an enemy to rational thought. But she's right about one thing, after everything, it always comes back to Jinx.

Will he ever know what happened to Silco, to their deal? They had been so close to progress, not just the speeches and demonstrations, but real progress. If it hadn't been for Jinx, Zaun would be independent now. Her mother would still be alive, Viktor wouldn't be suffering lifelessly in that coccoon...

No, he can't think like that. Jayce knows better than anyone what a weapon like this could do to the people living down there. Every casualty of her vendetta leaves just as much blood on his hands.

He remembers her words at the fountain, about her mother, about Jinx... About Vi. " ... Have you talked to Vi about this ? " He asks. If anyone can remind her that this mission needs to be handled with care, it's her.

Caitlyn's words do little to convince him. In fact, they make him even more certain that this is a bad choice. He has already tried this. Vi, ironically, having been the one to convince him back then. He can't stop thinking about the face of that child as he shot him. Gods, he never even learned his name. " No , Cait . This was your choice . I want you to know I think you're making a mistake . " He says. Viktor would have never wanted this for their invention, for their dream. Especially not in some revenge plot in his name. Caitlyn is grieving, he doesn't even know what he would do if his mother had met a similar fate at Jinx's hands. He couldn't judge her if he wanted to. But he knows she shouldn't be in charge of any militaristic action. Not that his opinion matters anymore, not since he resigned as counselor. " Promise me this instead , please . That you'll only use it as a last resort . The people of the undercity ... They have seen enough hardship at our hands . "

// unfortunately for him, caitlyn doesn't really listen to what he says. she frowns at his remark of how she's making a mistake. some part of her still understands that it's because hextech was never meant to be used in war, but peace and progress requires war. survival requires war, caitlyn has learnt.

with jayce out of the way as a conselor, noone really had the strength, or really would want to stop her from being the forefront of militaristic decisions. the house of kiramman calling for war has a certain kind of ring to it that most people would just agree with with no second thought.

" and what of the hardship we've seen? " caitlyn speaks, unempathetically, so unlike what she would've said not too long ago. " we need to speak to them in their language, jayce. " they asked for this, is a thought that goes unspoken.

but, she sighs, biting her lower lip, tapping her finger on the rifle. " I only want jinx. noone else will suffer. " that's a lie. the lie lays so easy on her tongue it makes herself a little uncomfortable.

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" It's not about what chance we have . It's about what choice . " He retorts. His arms crossed across his chest. Her flattery might have worked at putting him at ease before, but not anymore. Not after what he's been through. He may have put on new clothes, brushed his hair, but the edge the months in the future timeline gave him goes right to his bones. The golden boy he once was is dead and buried in that canyon. The mission is all that matters to him now. Nothing will come between that.

If Ambessa is willing to underestimate their desperation, that only serves in their favor.

" What is it that you really want , miss Medarda ? Burning Piltover to the ground can't be what you came all this way to do . Are you really willing to risk Mel's life for ... What ? Power ? To what end ? " He questions. He hasn't told anyone about where he had been, about the other Viktor, the future they were really preventing. Not even Mel. He can't imagine anyone would believe him. Let alone Ambessa.

Jayce watches her carefully. Not sure whether to believe her words to be genuine. Mel never spoke much about her mother or Noxus, and never positively. When they saw each other before, in Piltover's bathhouse, her advice had felt like a verbal battle. It seems like a lifetime ago now, it might as well be. He would question her how she managed to sneak past Piltover's defenses, how she knew where to find him alone, but he knows that would be futile. None of their guards have even half the experience she does in war. Could they really avoid an all out battle? Even if they succeed in stopping the future he was shown, the casualties will be devastating. Avoiding this is worth the risk. " I trust you realise killing me wouldn't stop our resistance . " He says. Not delusional enough to believe he could beat her in combat, even without weapons. " You should know nothing you say will convince me to let you at the hexgates . You can't begin to conceive the cost . " The visions still haunt him, he doubts they ever won't.

// she's almost surprised he's willing to talk to her. seeing how the battle is panning out, it's not that ambessa is worried about her chances, but the casualties that she would like to avoid. piltover isn't quite as incapable as she'd first assumed it to be, she'd hate to have to run it into the ground.

ambessa is a woman who knows war. she may not be small and agile, but she knows her way around guards and she knows how to avoid their watchful gazes. it was not difficult to find jayce on his own.

her hand slowly raises to rest on her own chest, giving him an almost bow of respect. " no. but I think you are a much more reasonable man. I believe we could figure something out that benefits both of us. "

the noxian woman laughs, at the mentioned resistance. " you don't truly believe you've got a chance against a real, noxian army, do you, future boy? "

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@miscelliany said: " we're friends . friends tell each other things . " , from viktor, @potpourris

" That's rich coming from you , V ! " He retorts lightheartedly. Usually, Jayce is the one needing to coax Viktor into voicing his worries not the other way around. His assesment hadn't been incorrect, though. It really shouldn't surprise him how Viktor can read him like an open book anymore.

Not that he's every been great at hiding his emotions.

He sighs in resignment. He can't hide anything from him. " It's about the hexgates . " He admits, shoving some notes aside to show him the poster for its upcoming opening ceremony. " I told them it was a collaboration , that you were my partner on this like you always are . Seriously , it's like they don't even listen ! " He exclaims, referring to the big text proudly proclaiming Jayce Talis as the invention's creator. " I didn't want you to feel bad about this , I was hoping I could resolve it without ever needing to bother you about it ... " He admits further

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Anaïs Nin, Delta of Venus, originally published: 1977

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@ly-kos said: ❛ i came to talk this out. ❜

Jayce watches her carefully. Not sure whether to believe her words to be genuine. Mel never spoke much about her mother or Noxus, and never positively. When they saw each other before, in Piltover's bathhouse, her advice had felt like a verbal battle. It seems like a lifetime ago now, it might as well be.

He would question her how she managed to sneak past Piltover's defenses, how she knew where to find him alone, but he knows that would be futile. None of their guards have even half the experience she does in war.

Could they really avoid an all out battle? Even if they succeed in stopping the future he was shown, the casualties will be devastating. Avoiding this is worth the risk. " I trust you realise killing me wouldn't stop our resistance . " He says. Not delusional enough to believe he could beat her in combat, even without weapons. " You should know nothing you say will convince me to let you at the hexgates . You can't begin to conceive the cost . " The visions still haunt him, he doubts they ever won't.

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" That is only the 5th time I have heard that joke today . " The hammer cannon is looking tempting right now.

“What if instead of HEXtech it was SEXtech and it was good for the body—“ somebody shoot him, please.

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" Remember the distinguished innovator's competition ? - everything made sense then . "

Lev's JAYCE TALIS from Arcane and League of Legends. Primarily Arcane based.

Rules under the cut, for bio you can read his wiki

RULES -

basic ettiquette is expected: no godmodding, ic is not ooc, etc.

common triggering themes will be tagged

I am non selective, which means I am open to writing with anyone. Please don't feel like you have to know anything about my muse's canon to write with me. Feel free to send me a dm if you have questions about my muse or wish to plot first.

the best way to start writing with me is by sending me rp memes.

if you decide to unfollow me please (soft)block me

Mun is 23 and Belgian. Feel free to add me on Discord (aluminerd) or League (alltheleviathans in both NA and EUW)

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@mxchineherald said: ❛ i said leave it alone! ❜ (between s1 act 1 and 2)

Jayce pulls his hand back as if burned. He knows his partner well enough by now to know the pattern. Viktor is the type to bury his emotions until they demand to be let out. The opposite of his own tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve.

He's never snapped at him quite like that before. It has him really shaken.

He'd found the other sulking. Nothing necessarily surprising. But Jayce could tell something was wrong. With this reaction to his prying, that initial thought has only been confirmed. " Viktor , think of everything we've achieved together . You've always been there for me . What will it take for you to let me in ? I want to be here for you too , but I can't do that if you shut me out . "

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// finished all my drafts ! lemme know if i missed anything :3

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Caitlyn's words do little to convince him. In fact, they make him even more certain that this is a bad choice. He has already tried this. Vi, ironically, having been the one to convince him back then. He can't stop thinking about the face of that child as he shot him. Gods, he never even learned his name.

" No , Cait . This was your choice . I want you to know I think you're making a mistake . " He says. Viktor would have never wanted this for their invention, for their dream. Especially not in some revenge plot in his name. Caitlyn is grieving, he doesn't even know what he would do if his mother had met a similar fate at Jinx's hands. He couldn't judge her if he wanted to.

But he knows she shouldn't be in charge of any militaristic action. Not that his opinion matters anymore, not since he resigned as counselor. " Promise me this instead , please . That you'll only use it as a last resort . The people of the undercity ... They have seen enough hardship at our hands . "

Jayce feels his jaw set before he realises the question made him grit his teeth. His eyes had been on the rifle he had made for her this entire time. The one she ordered him to make. Despite his protests. Upset doesn't begin to cover it. Still, his mind is on Viktor, unconscious while the last thing he ever wanted for hextech is being brought into reality. It feels like a betrayal. Would his partner ever forgive him? Instead of answering her question, he starts to explain. " When Viktor and I created Hextech , we had a dream that it would make the world a better place . " He says. His eyes still on the rifle, now in her hands. " Before ... " He sighs and shakes his head instead of naming the event. " - he told me we'd lost sight of that dream . That we had to make it right . " Finally, he raises his eyes to look at her. Where had the little girl that used to follow him around gone? " This is a mistake , Sprout . Hextech was never meant to be used in this way . "

// the rifle sits a little too comfortably in her hands. she holds it as if it was always meant to be in her hands. it fits her, too well. jayce had been looking at her as if she was an entirely different person, but she wouldn't blame him, she feels like an entirely new person, truthfully.

or well, he's barely looking at her. he's looking at the rifle that sits in her hands. that he'd so hesitantly agreed to building for her. she tilts her head, following his gaze when he looks up at her. " hextech was meant to help the people. " , she says, coldly. " what better way to help the people than to bring justice and peace? "

caitlyn has always admired jayce. but piltover needs someone stronger. piltover needs someone who is willing to sacrifice, who is willing to bite into the sour apple to protect their people.

" I promise. you made the right decision. I'll help you make it right. in a way that benefits us all. "

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" Huh ? Oh , yeah . Go ahead . " He hadn't even considered the jacket yet. Oh well, not that it would have been salvegable otherwise. With the giant slash already in it and the blood through white fabric.

He visibly relaxes at the mention of Mel's safety. The child's mother's voice keeps ringing in his ear, losing a loved one. The feeling of helplessness in that moment, of his heart sinking, it won't be forgotten for a long time.

His head turns just slightly so he can look at the man behind him. " Not the strangest , huh ? What ? Someone got hit by two chainsaw swords before ? " He jokes back. " Just wait a few days and see if I can't top it after all , this has been some week . "

Taking in the movements of turning around; studying over the blood on the jacket. "It's stuck to the wound, I might need to cut it if that's alright?" Waiting for the response before making any move to start working on it and actually tending to the slash.

"Not the strangest injury I have encountered." Help lighten up the circumstances a little; give a bit of distraction. Not that he could say even where it made more sense- he'd ever treated this exact sort of wound. People usually didn't survive such weaponry being used after all or lost limbs.

"I helped escort her to safety, the council building but it's been a while since." Of time spent in triage, so busy tending to what people let him tend to and focused on his work. "She's safe, with very minimal injuries."

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Jayce's leg hurts, but that isn't anything new. After his lower left leg bones were crushed they never healed quite the same. Nothing will compare to the pain of climbing out of the canyon and to the top of the hexgates on it though, his mission is too important to let anything stop him.

Including Caitlyn.

He primes his hammer's cannon. Takes half a moment to steel himself, then lifts and fires at a soldier who tried to charge her. With a loud thud it falls to the ground again. He uses it as leverage. He's so tired. It feels like his body is against him. His mind fractured.

He doesn't have the energy to argue with her. " Once we're safe , you can do whatever you want to . And I will tell you what needs to be done . " He says, readjusting his hold on the hammer as he starts to move again.

He wouldn't even know how to begin to explain anything that happened to him. From the anomaly to the alternate future, the months he spent there. It feels like a lifetime. The golden boy, the man of progress, whatever he was before is gone for good. " Please , Cait . Don't fight me on this . Something much worse is coming . "

The scent of blood reeked around them, she could basically taste in her mouth as she inhaled the heavy air of battle and death hanging around them. Her head was spinning, eyes focused on the figure which was not that familiar anymore.

Jayce was- truly not the same Jayce she remembered from months ago. His hair was longer and untamed, his beard left to grow, his features sharper, his whole persona as if wasted away by something Caitlyn could not grasp. He had seen his

It wasn't his appearance that had left the young Commander speechless for seconds, neither his words that sounded as weary as time itself- it was his eyes. The further he looked at them, the more uncomfortable her stomach felt. The gold that once shined brighter than stars, it was barely there, almost as if a black hole had threatened to swallow his whole soul.

She had seen a similar look before, a torment in her own reflection whenever she would dare to face a mirror.

"How am I supposed to understand if you won't even tell me what I should believe in?!" her feet were quick to move, gun pointed to cover his back from enemy's attack.

"War?" her voice was loud above the screams and noises she still tried to get used to when in battle "Jayce we are already in war!" Could he even walk by himself?! There was another scream, the back of her gun clashing against someone's jaw as she looked even more concerned at her best friend - her brother, her family.

"I will come with you on two conditions! You will have to explain to me what the hell happened to you and you will let me treat you."