A Long Visit (Semi-closed RP)

Deep inside the laboratory Jayce found himself before resided the very man who had made him what he was today, for if it had not been for Viktor's hostile abduction of the arcane crystal many moons ago the Defender of Tomorrow might be yet another wrench-monkey to the leaders of Piltover. In the office located far from the entrance the Machine Herald sat, contemplating what to do next as he oversaw a simple evaluation of his autonomous shoulder-arm that acted as one of his most trusted and even deadly instruments. He had no idea that a certain someone would have the gall to come here once more, nor was he aware of the situation surrounding a certain former Enforcer.

The laboratory seemed dull and lifeless, save for the roar of the machinery that had somehow managed to elude Jayce's wrath, and Viktor's own disinterest in securing the perimeter of his personal sanctum did nothing to circumvent that. As far as anyone was concerned, the augmented Zaunite revolutionary was as alone as a kitten amongst a litter of puppies.

Having watched the entire thing via the surveillance drones he had recently constructed - marvelous little things, able to record visuals and audio before them and nearly instantaneously project them to a receiver that was set up in the office - Viktor sat upon the chair in the office deep within the facility that was his laboratory, his arms folded across his chest. It was quite concerning that the Defender would have the nerve to set foot in Zaun once more, let alone approach his laboratory without even the tiniest shred of worry or fear. If he didn't know any better, he might even assume that Jayce had come to finish what they had started long ago - a final battle to end their conflict and decide who was the superior inventor.

But he wasn't the assuming type, and was quite intrigued at this turn of events. He spoke into a small node nearby, a microphone, which caused his voice to blare on some intercom system the two at the entrance would hear. "Please direct the Defender to the office, Ozzy. A fight ending in either of your deaths would do nobody any good at this time."

Viktor watched the three progress through his laboratory via the surveillance droned he'd set up at various vantage points, as he himself sat at the desk staring at the miniature screen displaying the imagery the little constructs projected back. Suffice it to say, the Machine Herald watched over all that happened within the confines of his facility. After a few minutes the three men made it to the office at the rear of the building, the knocking causing Viktor to push himself up from his seat.

The time had finally come for him to face his anti-thesis once again, but he was certain that things would not turn out the same as before. Jayce was treading on thin ice as it was, and if he intended to cause any further hindrance to the Glorious Evolution's fruition then he would be sorely disappointed. Viktor opened the door to the office slowly but surely, revealing his entire form before the three who stood at the door - nothing had changed at all about his general appearance, though his mask appeared to be somewhat tarnished. "Welcome back, Andrei. And thank you, Ozzy." he addressed his two acolytes - one of his Brotherhood and the other a lesser follower - with clear familiarity before setting his masked gaze upon the man who had risen up against his goals.

It was quite the surreal experience, standing face to face with the man who had not only raided your laboratory and destroyed the most promising power source ever discovered, but also saw fit to swear opposition to your goals and represented the very ideals you decided to disregard entirely. This was the man who had become associated with him as a personal rival, a man who had been considered by the general populace to be Viktor's total foil. Where Viktor was seen as a villain and criminal, Jayce was hailed as a hero and protector of the very same city-state that had lost a valuable asset. The Herald's autonomous arm curled its fingers one by one restlessly as it sensed its owner's tension, and a gentle hum was its way of not only reassuring its master of his safety but to warn the potential threat posed by the Defender's mere presence. Viktor said nothing about this, instead deciding to greet his opponent with a single nod of his head. "Defender of Tomorrow....The pride of Piltover....A hero to your people for thwarting the nefarious Machine Herald's vile machinations....Jayce, to what do I owe the honor of your visit...?" There was only a hint of bitterness in his tone, and there was a rather obvious emphasis on the word 'honor', but overall Viktor's voice retained its monotonous demeanor.

A pleasure. The very notion of any pleasantness between the two of them was laughable at best, utterly ridiculous at worst. Viktor possessed no fondness, no acclimation to the man before him, though he did accept that he was in part at fault for the rise of the well-received Defender of Tomorrow. Had he not done what he did at that time, in that moment of pure and unfettered desperation....Viktor shook his head to clear his mind of such thoughts. Reminiscence was unnecessary at this juncture, more important was Jayce's reasons for being here. "There is no need for such formality, Jayce. We are both inventors, tinkerers at heart although I have made some choice modifications to mine. And we are equals as far as the League is concerned, so you are free to act casually here and now as long as you do not mean any harm to myself or anything else." the Herald said, his artificially inflected voice attempting to sound reassuring.

The mechanically augmented Zaunite moved back from the doorway as he let the door open fully, allowing the three men before him access to his office. Unfortunately, there were only a pair of chairs to be seen once inside, though Viktor himself didn't seem to mind going over to lean back against the wall next to the single desk opposite the entrance. His arms were folded across his chest as he stared with intensity at his self-made rival through tinted lenses in his false face made of reinforced metal. "Feel free to have a seat, Jayce. One of them is yours if you wish, or you can stand too. Either makes no difference to me." The aforementioned chairs were simple in design, made of metal with thick legs and a modest leather cushion.