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Of course. Bring something to go with tea then, if you'd like.

[exclamations marks? a huge win. though he knows better than to insist she doesn't need to bring anything. some things he doubt will ever change in the world of chizuru.]

I'll send you the address, I don't believe I've had the chance to show you where we're living now.

[which he does send, a place now in the willful machine and a house rather than a bunker. a very colorful house, because viktor made the extreme mistake of asking pal to find the house and forbidding it from being grey. rookie move. at least it's pretty easy to spot.

but when times are figured out and said time comes rio will be sitting on the porch, intensely excited to have company and that company be chizuru.]

[ The new address does mean she needs a few moments longer to find the new place. Chizuru is used to the city by now, at least, but there are some streets she hardly ever comes - and this seems to be one of them, leaving her to need those moments to find the right house.

.. thankfully Rio sitting there on the porch makes it a whole lot more recognizable. She has never seen anything else quite like Rio in this place, which means that Chizuru is more than happy to jog up to the creature and give her the pets she so deserves. ]

Oh, you look so happy with your new place!

[ Is she shamelessly talking to Rio out in the open?

Yes, yes, she is. But to be fair - look at Rio. Who can ignore that. Not Chizuru. It makes it very apparent she's arrived, since she can probably be heard even inside the house.. ]

Are you happy to not be living in a bunker anymore? Or do you like all the colours, huh? [ Chizuru is not even stopping to question whether that's even.. really Viktor's style...

Maybe she's just assuming he goes along with all of Pal's whims, given. You know. The entire bunker situation before and all. She won't judge you, Viktor. ]

[rio is pleased as heck to be chatted to, so she has made the right decision. it also means viktor hears her and can make his way over to the door as rio's tail thumps harder in a resounding agreement to her words and he buts her head against chizuru's hand.]

Rio is very happy to be out of the bunker, she has much more to terrorize out here. [he says with a quirk of his lips when he reaches them, pulling the door fully open.] And frankly I am happy to be out of Gaze. The Willful Machine is much better.

[he looks way healthier since the operation, no wheezing breathes or uncomfortable pallor. a very new thing is he's wearing a glove over one hand and doesn't seem to be leaning on his cane as much. inside is a warm, spiced scent as he smiles quite genuinely at seeing her.

not terribly typical, most people get fainter smiles or smirks but chizuru? well she's chizuru.] Please come in, tell me how you have been faring. I'm afraid I've been remiss in keeping up with people.

( old habits definitely die hard with this girl. when she is out and not working on getting her business up and running, she travels around trench overhead -- rooftops or in trees. if she is on the ground, jinx swoops around in the shadows, alleyways or corners. and today is no different than the rest. jinx is up above when she spots some familiar faces down below. there's a unsettling tickle at the back of her neck with whispers overlapping. they hiss out questions, concerns, and for her to take a closer look.

'why are they meeting up?'

'you know why'

'he's going to warn her about you.'

'he is going to take her away from you.'

'you should kill him.'

'right now, right now! do it right now before it's too late.'

'she's going to hate you if you don't do something.'

'chizuru will get upset if you kill......'

'what will you do? better do something.'

her slender fingers grip hard onto her locks; growling in agony and begging for them to be quiet for one moment so she can think clearly. they're not letting up unfortunately, so in sheer impulse, she slithers closer in the shadows. and thank goodness for shimmer being on her side. jinx can very quickly dash in the home before the door is shut once they're both in and immediately bounce up in the rafters. if... he has any. one can hope. )

Edited 2022-12-05 16:24 (UTC)

[ When Chizuru notices the door opening and Viktor appearing, she's quick to turn towards him with a smile - even as one hand is still idly giving Rio headpats, because it's so hard to ignore her when she's just such an adorable creature who clearly wants said headpats with the way she's bumping her head against Chizuru's head...

But her focus is entirely on the man for a moment now. Taking in the sight of him - mostly the differences, which are very visible to someone who's seen the way he used to look a few months ago. ]

That's okay. I think you have good reasons for it.

[ As her hand slowly slides off Rio, Chizuru moves to follow Viktor into the house, carrying her tin with the snacks she promised to bring. It's Chizuru, so of course it's some baked goods..

It's not like she's got any idea that they might have a little bit more company than expected. Chizuru is totally clueless as to someone else's presence here. ]

I mean, look at you..! You're in a new place, and you look like you're doing so much better.. I'm so glad to see all of that.

[so is viktor for the moment, though rio glances around, vaguely alert before she's crawling on one of the couches to curl up. viktor thinks nothing of it, given she would chase dust motes when bored enough.

the kitchen opens to a little dining area with a table and a handful of chairs, his cane thumping against the tiles as he goes to check the kettle.]

I admit I wasn't optimistic the operation would go as well as it did. Yet here we are. I owe you a great deal for the medicine you supplied me with those days. [and staying with him during one of his fits, that's something he never forgot. he gestures for her to put the tin on the table as he pours them both a cup of whatever spice-heavy tea he's made.]

I can make you something different if this is too much. Palamedes hates it but he also hates flavor in general I find. [dry.] Well? How have you been, Chizuru?

Oh, it's alright! I'll have it.

[ .. granted, she is saying this before even having actually tried the tea.. but the girl seems committed all the same to trying it out. If this is the tea Viktor likes, then she will drink it, no matter how it turns out..! ]

And I've been.. um. [ It seems like it's not an easy question to answer. She pauses, audibly and visibly, and then seems to busy herself with opening the tin, revealing the cookies in it. She just leaves it there on the table like that, so either of them can take from it if they want to have some alongside the tea. ] I guess I've been alright. Though I'm not sure if I've been as alright as you..

[ Viktor basically looks like he's shining compared to before, after all. Chizuru admits it with a semi-shy smile. ]

I guess some difficult things have happened here and there over the past few months.. but I'm just doing my best! [ She sounds a little more resolute about that last part, smiling at Viktor. ] Though even after all these months, no one else from my home has shown up here. I'm kind of figuring it's just never going to happen by now, if I'm entirely honest.

[be assured viktor will be eying her reactions to make sure she doesn't just politely drink something she hates. classic chizuru, really.

he brings the pot over to the table, then cups. it's kind of like a chai tea, heavy on whatever spices the trench manages. chasing the thrill of strong coffee and failing.

regardless his attention goes to that pause, glancing over a moment before focusing on pouring her a cup rather than openly assessing her. privacy, and all that. his cane hangs from his elbow as he pushes the tea towards her, taking a seat to pour his own.

the shy smile gets a quirk of the lips back though. yeah, not dying? rad as hell.]

Would you like to discuss it? And no, it would not be a burden if you did. [he knows your games, chizuru. the last bit gets a thoughtful pause.] I would call it unlikely rather than impossible. Look at my world, I was the only one here for... hm, at least half a year I believe, if not more. Now there's several people, and all the drama it brings.

[like maybe someone hanging out above them, sh.]

[ Viktor, you are way too smart.. Especially when it comes to Chizuru. You're way too much onto her, because she truly believes that she could actually get away with this around most other people.

The upside is that apparently Chizuru is at least used enough to spices - call it a side effect of the men you're living with sometimes insisting on taking over cooking only to dump way too much into any given dish because they have absolutely zero idea about how cooking is supposed to work - that she doesn't wince as she drinks it.

A real trooper.

Which gives her the ability to focus on what matters more here. No - not the question Viktor asks her about her wanting to discuss it. Please. Like Chizuru is going to dump her trouble onto someone else.

No, instead the thing that draws her attention is obviously what he's saying about himself, making her eyes grow wide with surprise. ]

Drama? [ Chizuru's fussiness senses are activating. ] Did something bad happen between you and these people..?

(...)

[he's learned the ways. like how chizuru focuses on his troubles rather than turn to her own. he considers pushing but decides to let it be for the moment. another chizuru manner, he doesn't think she'll be comfortable if she's distracted by someone else's problems.

impressive lack of wince too. she escapes being given a different drink for now.]

Eh, one of them. [kind of an understatement, really.] Though we never met before now. It is... eye opening, to be forced to confront the reality of a situation that you were only able to see in stark black and white before.

[a long pause and he sighs] I'm trying not to be spiteful, I suppose. It does not come particularly easy. Frankly I envy your ability to see good in people.

...

[ There's a tiny moment where Chizuru silently takes in what Viktor is saying, even after the other is done talking. She sips from her tea, just to have an excuse to be quiet and mull on it, but then she speaks up once more. ]

I.. don't really think I have any special ability.. I think I'm just doing the same thing everyone else does. [ Of course Chizuru would say that, immediately deflecting a compliment being thrown her way - but in this case it's mostly because she doesn't want Viktor to think he's inferior to her in any way. ]

Maybe it's more that I don't have any reason to be spiteful against anyone here, because everyone is so kind to me..

[ .. another slight pause, but then she adds, looking over at Viktor: ] But in your case.. um, I don't know much about the situation, so I could be wrong.. but if you're feeling that way, then I'm sure something happened to make you feel it. You've never been spiteful towards me, after all.

It takes a certain kind of bravery to put that sort of trust in people. [is viktor's answer to that.] Not everyone is capable of it.

[he suspects chizuru will continue to deflect, so he leaves it at that for now. he supposes she has a point about her own spite, and hell if he isn't glad she has no reason for it. then again he thinks she's likely more forgiving than most, but the trench has always been surprisingly generous.

he sits back, considering her words as she did his.] Something did happen. [he wonders if he should tell chizuru the truth. the whole truth. some of the truth. he's probably dead. a war is likely coming. hextech weaponry. centuries of boiling tensions coming to a head.

he sighs, lifts his cup.] Have you ever been truly wronged by someone in your own world?

[viktor has uh. opinions. of what he remembers of her father. but he'll keep that to himself. there's a point to this question, after all.]

[ Thanks, Viktor, for cutting off the compliments and then moving on to something else. It may just be the only way possible to get Chizuru to actually accept one of those rather than downplaying it as some inherent quality everyone has..

Especially when his question gives her so much to think about. For a moment she thinks about Viktor being truly wronged by someone - because that's where this has to be leading somehow, right? - and that thought kind of.. hurts. Viktor has been so nice to her, so of course she wants nothing but the best for him..

But then her thought instead moves towards the actual question. Her own experience. Chizuru stops sipping the tea for a moment, instead leaving the cup sitting between both of her hands, warming them up as she thinks. ]

Maybe.. you should definite 'truly wronged.'

[ Is Chizuru hesitant about aiming any sort of blame at people?

Yes. Yes, of course, that's exactly why she's asking this question in the first place, rather than giving some more straightforward answer. ]

[that's a good question really. in a lot of ways he hasn't been delving too deeply into why his feelings about jinx are complicated. was he wronged? it was hardly personal vendetta, just a series of increasingly terrible events that culminated into what it did. he was never the target, even their work was never the true target, he can only assume piltover was and he... has come to accept his own frustrations with the place. he can safely, easily say piltover wronged him.

a beat and he tries,] Has anyone ever done something that hurt you and those you cared about, regardless of their intentions? Something that spits in the face of so much of what you believed and tried to achieve.

Someone you can safely say your life was made worse by, whether that was ever their goal or not. [close enough, he supposes. heavy but they're already traveling down this road so they may as well see it through to the end.]

.. yes.

[ It's a bit of a slow agreement, but it's an agreement all the same, the girl's head dipping into a faint nod at the same time as that verbal answer spills across her lips. ]

I suppose I could say I know a person like that. [ And that's putting it very, very mildly. Kazama showing up in this place is absolutely right there at the top of Chizuru's list of nightmares, and it's his face that immediately pops up in her head at the description Viktor gives here.

Her grip on the cup of tea she's holding grows a little bit tighter. ]

Are you saying there's a person here who's like that..? [ A pause, and then Chizuru can't help but add her immediate concern at that idea-- ] Someone who would hurt you..?

[it probably would have been a lot nicer if she could have honestly said no, and viktor looks over with a grim look to know that's not the case. he tucks that information away, just to be careful, and resists the urge to pester for more information.

at the very least he can say,] I don't know if she would hurt me again. I was never her target, I was... collateral, you could say. In truth? I rather like her, when I ignore everything around it. Which is impossible to do for long.

[a sigh] I haven't been sure what to do about it, I admit. She could be very dangerous, but is it right to potentially ruin what chance she has here on a what if? You've seen how this place can be when it's feeling righteous, or if it's waiting for someone to make a mistake.

[he likes sleepers a whole, just... yes, sometimes tempers get a bit much huh.]

[ Chizuru seems to mull the words over in her head, still holding her cup of tea. Maybe even taking a sip from it, though her facial expression is very much a face full of thought, accompanied by a tiny frown. ]

Honestly.. I'm not sure why you say you envy my ability to see the good in people, Viktor. I mean.. I'm listening to you right now, and you're doing the same.

[ That's the easier part to get out of the way. Didn't see that compliment coming, did you, Viktor. Chizuru always finds a way to turn compliments back onto people!! ]

It sounds to me like you want to give her a chance. [ After all, he sure is saying nicer things about whoever this person is than Chizuru feels she ever would about Kazama. ]

[viktor almost chuckles at that, sitting back with amusement stabbing at his expression. well, she had him there on all counts.] Ah... I suppose it would make me a hypocrite to argue that for the sake of arguing it.

[he'll never win this battle if he denies compliments back in an endless cycle between them. he must take this loss to win the war.

still it really is a good point, one he takes a moment to consider. about giving jinx a chance.] I suppose I do, beyond what is simply rational. It's daunting, I'll admit. I didn't survive this long taking risks like this with people.

Though I suppose taking risks with people here is exactly how I survived as long in the Trench as I have. [a shake of his head.]

[ It's not too surprising to hear Viktor talk about it this way. She knows he's far from emotionless, but it's true that the other does tend to look at things from a more logical point of view first and foremost - something Chizuru herself isn't quite as used to doing, being such an emotional person.

But she can try to go along with it. Maybe it'll help him figure it out better if she can get him to look at it from that point of view after all..? ]

Then.. [ Her voice trails off for a moment, having to think about it, but then she speaks on. ] What do you think is the worst thing that could happen?

[ That's viewing it logically, right? ]

And how big do you think the chance of that exact thing happening is..?

I suppose that the person in question hurts others that may have been able to prevent it if they were forewarned. [he settles on after a moment, tapping his fingers against his cup.]

As for the chance, it's hard to say. One who knows her far better than I has faith, but also a great deal of attachment. And the circumstances that led to the attack... they were far greater than any of us.

[it is good to flesh it out this way, makes the whole picture easier to examine. he offers chizuru a grateful smile quirking at one side of his mouth.]

.. it sounds complicated.

[ That's Chizuru's very careful assessment - or perhaps it's sympathy, judging by the look in her eyes when she looks at Viktor. Chizuru hasn't had to deal with this sort of thing at all, the dangers of home brought to this place instead, but she can imagine that it's difficult to weigh those against everything else here, difficult to decide on how to deal with them.

Especially since Viktor is so responsible. She's glad he can even smile a little bit at all, given the circumstances.. ]

I'm sorry you have to deal with it all. I can imagine it's.. a really difficult decision to make. Thinking about what to do here..

[ Her voice trails off for a moment, but then she shakes her head, snapping herself back to reality. ]

But-- Viktor, if you need help with anything at all.. You know you can always ask me, right? I.. um, I know there's not much I can do, especially when it comes to things like these.. but whenever there's anything I can do to help at all, I don't mind doing it.

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