JANUARY MINGLE

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: January 17th - January 23rd
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers and some new construction!
NOTES\WARNINGS:

⏵ arrival ⏴ Welcome to Etraya! Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital. A coat rack is situated by the doors leading out of the hospital, covered in warm clothing that fits the new arrivals just right - whether it's to their preferred style or not is something else entirely. Some of them appear normal enough. Others? Well. Looks like someone was trying to improve on last month's designs. Outside the windows, the grass is covered in a couple of inches of loosely packed snow. We hope you enjoy your stay. ⏵ passion for fashion ⏴ As the newcomers find themselves leaving the hospital as per their usual arrival, they will find that not too far from it is a small boutique. Newly added, just as they have been, though they lack the context to know this. Companion bots will encourage them to go in and meet the particularly unique bot inside, dressed to the nines in line with the fashion the boutique itself is offering. While small, it's clearly been decorated to emphasize the loose era and taste of the particular fashion it's advertising. The building itself is also petite, and made to feel more personal rather than a commercial experience. It has a single dressing room, and outside of it has an area with mirrors where one might take in their lovely visage from nearly all angles. There is a little waiting area with seating in the front, for those who are not being molded through Theobold's vision, or simply waiting for whoever is. The tastes and aforementioned era of this little establishment is decidedly Victorian, with a bold splash of neon trimming, cog-like adornments, and other accessories that brighten up the otherwise neutral fabrics typically used in the style of dress. Theobold, as he has named himself and will not let anyone forget, has taken to a three-piece suit, a deep emerald in color, with a black vest, and matching black gloves. He will take it upon himself to judge each person's attire (which he will unabashedly hate), then restyle them into something more along his tastes (even if it takes him a while, he will find something you don't ruin). There are, of course, many different combinations to pick from, all hearkening to a very loud style of dress that seems as much neon as it is punk or steam. One might even name it steampunk with a splash of neon. Neon Steampunk? Something like that. An interesting combination to say the least, Theobold insists as much. This is, of course, not simply limited to newcomers, though they will likely be exposed to this boutique more quickly than the others. Any who come near the general area of the hospital (thus the boutique) will find themselves being encouraged by the other bots to come inside, and they will likewise be judged and restyled to Theobold's tastes—which are as bright as they are bold. He really doesn't take no for an answer, though he can't truly stop anyone from leaving any more than a pushy grandmother fussing over her grandchild's clothes might. He has obviously discovered his passion, why not indulge him? ⏵ trending or treading ⏴ After enjoying the privilege of being restyled by Theobold, he will also insist that you take the outfit for a spin around the city! See what people say, take note of how many looks you catch, how many eyes are on you. He wants to hear about it as well, clearly to validate his own artistry, and who can blame him? Does not every artist strive to hear a little bit of praise for their hard work? Do they not yearn for recognition from the public? Theobold may be a bot, but he is also an artist honing his craft! His boutique is not above critique, though he hopes the critique isn't too harsh... Should one indulge him, telling about what others thought, he will gladly gift the outfit to the wearer. A humble act of his endless generosity! Or if they fancy another outfit of their own taste from his boutique, then that will suffice as well. Even if it breaks his heart that you don't like the outfit. No, no. It's fine, really. It's perfectly okay. Everyone has their tastes, and yours just happens to stab him in his mechanical heart. He'll get over it. In time. Probably. ⏵ leaving tracks ⏴ Companion bots have taken to building train tracks, as well as what appears to be a train station, in the South Eastern island of Etraya. The area is, for the most part, blocked off from Etrayans. After all, it is a construction zone, and the companion bots are ever vigilant with safety. At least they try to be. However, if people wish to lend their aid in the construction, well, they won't necessarily stop them. However they will assure them that they are not in need of assistance, and might intermittently remind those especially helpful Etrayans of that fact. Those who wish to simply watch the construction may do so, but nothing especially interesting is going on beyond the mystery of what this these tracks and the station might be for. Besides a train, of course. After all, since when has there been any mention of a train? Asking the companion bots about it will yield little results. They won't be able to give any further details besides the obvious: when this is done, it will be for a train. It seems even they might not know the full extent of what this entails, or maybe they cannot say. Regardless the reason of their lack of explanation, it seems patience might be the key to the answer. ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Some may notice that in the area Gorgug's friend had gone exploring outside of the environmental bubble, there is a message written on a massive piece of fabric, which is tied to two large rebar poles. The message is in an alien language, but the earpiece will automatically translate it: DID YOU THINK YOU WERE THE ONLY ONES? On the bottom of the fabric are four vertical lines. Every Friday, a vertical line becomes crossed through with a horizontal one. For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[cantilevers]

It had been many years since they had associated with each other with any kind of frequency. Age and experience meant different things to different people; Sevika was one of two people here who understood what he might be capable of if he applied himself. He could make life very difficult for her through the other hip she happened to be joined to.

How she decided to approach that was on her.

"He killed my kids," he said flatly. "He'll know when I come for him, and he'll know all the reasons why I do. Your information won't be part of it. That's on you to break the news that you eclipsed him and experience the full weight of his temper tantrum."

He happened to like the barcade because it wasn't the kind of place that anyone he knew would associate with. Besides, the bar was serious enough, and the drinks were made good enough from his more critical eye. He didn't care about the silence; his own enthusiasm had died down to a conservative level as he walked them to where they would share a drink. Inside was nice enough and he picked a table where both of them would have a full view of the room and their backs protected.

He pulled out a chair and settled himself into it, watching her silently for a time after her question. Asking his opinion, hmm? He considered it as he reached into his vest pocket and pulled half pack of cigarettes. He lit one and even made a point to offer her one to replace the one lost in the alley.

"I'd consider the politics of the undercity and who I thought would do the best job. If it was me, I'd take it and then I'd pick several younger people to mentor so I could step aside as soon as I could. When the fighting started..." he trailed off as he considered. He took a drag of his cigarette. If he had been then? He'd smooth things over. If he was now? "I'd give them a voice where I could, put them in line where it went against what was best for most. And I would never, ever take bribes."

[ascarylady]

For once, Sevika will turn down a cigarette. It didn't happen often, but she ran the numbers mentally and decided she had smoked more than a few today already, even if he had made her lose that last one in the alley with his outrageous show of exuberance. She did join him at the table, though, pulling out the chair opposite his and taking a seat.

"I already don't take bribes," Sevika said with offense coloring her tone as if Vander was trying to suggest she might. Maybe he wasn't, but there had already been one or two who had tried back home once the news had spread, and it pissed her off. So, sore subject. What a fucking pain in the ass that had been... and she doubted they'd be the only ones, assuming there was a Runeterra to go home to after all of this.

Mentoring, though... Yeah, she only continued making a face at his advice. Oh, she had asked for it. She couldn't complain or blame him for what he offered, but, shit, she needed a drink if she was going to listen to this.

"...sure, the mentoring thing would work for you, but I can't see me being able to. I could barely handle helping with Jinx."

[cantilevers]

Ah well, Vander was smoking and drinking more than usual as well, a hazard of this place he supposed. He tucked the pack away when Sevika decline the offer and he leaned back his chair, which creaked precariously under his weight. He blew smoke from his nostrils and lifted a hand to attract the waitress over for them to order their drinks. He asked for a simple beer at this point; he figured he should be sharp for this continuation of the conversation.

"Then you're ahead of the game on that front," he said simply. He didn't know how she operated after all. He expected that the business was run rather differently with Silco at the helm, and the more power one gathered, the more likely that people were going to try to bribe for favours, special treatment or information. "You never struck me as the bribe sort. Hopefully future councilors continue that stance."

He sucked a drag on his cigarette and watched her, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "You don't give yourself enough credit, so here's the pep talk: you can. You're fully capable, skilled and probably have a good disposition to call upstarts on their bullshit." He reached up to take the cigarette from his mouth and tapped ash into the tray on the table. "Find motivated young people, give them opportunities in jobs that you're familiar with. Correct them, give 'em feedback but let them fail now and again. You work for Silco; you know the inner workings of that enterprise. Give them the opportunities he gave you little by little and they'll develop up."

[ascarylady]

Screw only getting a beer. Sevika ordered a whiskey sour because this conversation had been stressful for her, and she deserved something nice.

"Oh please, first? I'm giving myself the exact amount of credit I deserve," Sevika disagreed. "It was barely possible to pull everyone together and get shit done after Silco died. If it weren't for Jinx playing hero half the time, we'd have gotten nowhere, and she didn't even want to do that."

Which Sevika couldn't blame her for, if she were to be honest. It was too much for the girl; too many expectations, too much stress for someone so unstable, just... too much. All of it. And still, Sevika had pushed her to accept the role, because what else could she do?

"Second? Silco's enterprise was criminal from top to bottom. It was necessary work, but I won't pretend it wasn't what it was. Do you want to know what the younger generation wants? Anything but that. Half of them joined Piltover for the fight even before the rest of us did. They want something different. They'll still fight for it, sure, but they're... I don't know. Tired of all the violence? Which is all I know. It's all I've ever known."

[cantilevers]

Vander looked nonplussed by her self deprecation. She had grown up in the shadows of others, it was true. Silco, Felicia, and himself had mastered very unique skill sets when it came to leadership, and so did most of the Chem-Barons that he knew. "Ohhhhh," he started, surveying her, "so you didn't lead a gang, huh? You weren't known for your no-nonsense brisk efficiency to get things done? That must have been your identical twin?"

He leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on the table and looking her dead in the eye. "If you can't do it, then why was the big seat offered to you? Did everyone else in Zaun just happen to not want that kind of power?"

Vander snorted and their drinks arrived in short order. It wasn't that busy at this time of the day. "You think I didn't have criminal activity in the background even to the day I died? It's Zaun; criminality is part of what makes us who we are. We break things to make it better and more efficient. We wheel and deal... but maybe, I'm out of touch. War changes people."

He dragged on his cigarette, ignoring his drink. "If you can't or won't mentor, find someone who will. Until then, you're in the hot seat, Councilor."

[ascarylady]

"That's different. We grew up together. I kept them all alive."

Sevika couldn't say the same for all of Zaun. There was an implicit trust between those from the undercity who came up that way, finding a gaggle of similarly wild children running the streets. Vander knew it. Hell, everyone did. Most of the gangs in Zaun started that way. To take that and apply it to... everyone? Everything?

She stared him down, refusing to waver, at least when it came to a staring contest like this one.

"...and I took it because there wasn't anyone else worthwhile to hand it off to."

Yet.

"If there's anyone who is better suited, it'll be one of those damn Firelight kids, but the fact remains that they're still kids."

Or young enough compared to Sevika for her to consider them such.

"As much as they've been a pain in my ass all these years, I wasn't going to let them walk into that tower and realize no one in there is on their side. You should see them, Vander. Most of that council still looks at me like I'm some rabid dog they've let in."

[cantilevers]

"And the kids of their generation grew up together, formed their own little gangs within their communities. They are less different from us than you think; we all tended to have humble beginnings." The fact remained that adults and kids died frequently in the undercity. There were plenty of industrial accidents each day, disease, malnutrition and every other hazard that lived under the industry fog.

"Your job is to convince them that a united Zaun is better for them, and it seems you already had help with that from Po-er, Jinx." However, he was long dead - maybe? - to offer that kind of advice. That was her show now. If she wanted someone to replace her, she was going to need to look out for rising stars.

"In all of Zaun, there was no one else? Who decided that?" He inclined his head a little like it didn't matter. He was pushing her to try to realize that Zaun had a massive population and there was always someone else. She took it because she was the best choice.

"So I guess you need to pick a Firelight and let them tag long to watch proceedings," he said simply. Mentorship was guidance. If she wouldn't do it, at least let them see what they could.

He actually chuckled at her description of the Piltover elite, not all surprised. He hadn't met them, but he'd seen how they treated him in his brief little overnight in Stillwater. At that time, he may as well have been a rabid dog. "So you're going to have a good time staring at their prettied sour faces. Just remember to smile with the blood in your teeth; it did me wonders that one time."

[ascarylady]

But bridging the gap between all those little gangs would be the hard part. Vander was good at it. Silco was, too. Sevika only had to make sure everything kept working once it was all set up. That wasn't the case anymore and there was the smallest part of her that was scared she would fumble it all. That was the hard part of being her, though, wasn't it? She couldn't admit that. He might be able to guess it, but he wouldn't bring it up, and she would never confirm it.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the whole fact that everyone else from our generation who could have is dead or missing is what decided that," that part Sevika could say with extreme sarcasm. They were gone. All gone. Part of that was her or Silco's fault; the rest was either thanks to Jinx or the Enforcers. If Kiramman's crew hadn't swept up the ones Sevika hadn't killed, they certainly dug themselves in deep to hide, and she wasn't planning on letting them get their foot back in the door if they ever did show their faces.

She took a moment to pick up her drink and, you know, actually drink it, because the thought of picking a Firelight to follow her around was... awful. She could hide her grimace in the glass and once she swallowed past the irritation, she set the drink back down.

"...you are not going to believe this, but the only one I can even picture taking my place in the future is that shithead kid of Benzo's. He's the Firelights leader."

[cantilevers]

Vander had already decided what the issue was and why she was even talking to him about this. She wasn't actually after his advice he expected but the affirmation that she could, not that he expected her to ever admit it. He was a good judge of character, and he knew she could cobble together some charisma when she wasn't looking like she was bored or ready to kick someone's teeth in.

"Oh, how unfortunate. Wiping out a generation does limit your options," he agreed without sympathy. They had their reasons for consolidating power in the way that he did, and he had no doubt that it was a finely tuned machine that worked effectively. There were draw backs to every methodology. "Sounds like you're stuck with the youngings. Deal with it. You have what it takes."

He was still nursing his cigarette for that nicotine kick, all of the previous enthusiasm completely vacated. He was simply an old guy having a drink, and while his body language was open, there was a tension along his shoulders that few would pick up. Her. Him. Benzo.

"Ekko," he said with a slight incline of his head. "No surprise. He had the spark for leadership young, just not the means to apply it until older. That one believed in hope where he could." He snorted smoke. "Surprised your take-over didn't kill him, but that one is slippery like an eel."

[ascarylady]

Bad move, Sevika realized too late. Benzo's death was still an open wound for Vander. He didn't have the years to let it close up into a jagged scar on his heart, but she also knew she couldn't speak of Zaun's future without including Ekko. It was inevitable. So while she recognized the tension, she wouldn't react to it.

Yeah, he had no reason to offer sympathy. She hadn't wanted much of that, anyhow.

"No point in chasing after him until he made himself a problem," she shrugged that off. Ekko had made himself scarce in the aftermath. It wasn't until recently that she even knew he was in charge of those brats on boards, and now they had an unsteady peace. It could shatter at any second, fall back into Sevika's side fighting against theirs...

She also couldn't imagine any of them were thrilled to have her sitting on Piltover's council in their shitty golden tower across the river.

"...but the real question is if he'll want to work with me. He has enough reasons not to, that's for sure." They'd been enemies, thwarting one another whenever they could. "I don't think I'd bring him to the council, though. I'm going to try and rebuild the chembarons--"

Well, not really. She paused there, considering her drink instead. How else could she even explain it?

"Or more like... form a council of our own. Something to replace them."

[cantilevers]

Benzo's death was not even two months old. They had been friends and allies a long time, and he could still smell his blood and see it pooling on the cobblestones when he closed his eyes. Mingling with the coins that Silco had given to that little shit, Marcus. His expression had completely closed off as the topic remained on Ekko, and he took no pleasure in the boy making a nuisance of himself for the ruling party.

"Hmmm, murdering his adoptive parent does tend to set people against you and your cause," he agreed coldly. The tension had risen to being extremely obvious and he finally just butted out the cigarette a bit more aggressively than he normally would. "And you know poisoning the people, stepping on their throats and what other methods of control you all used. Leaves a bad taste in the mouth."

There was a time and a place for harsh methods. He agreed with that, and he had used them plenty in his youth. Things could be done quietly, of course. Even he and Benzo had in the twilight of their reign, but both of them preferred peaceful influences to keep the community intact.

"Ah, and will you be at the helm of this council of Zaun as well? I imagine you'll have to be in close contact with them to bring the voice of Zaun up." He lifted his beer and took a mouthful from it, swallowing. "Seems like you have bridges to build, and you have your choice."

[ascarylady]

"Ha, bridges to build..."

Always coming back to that fucking bridge, even in metaphor, but she knew what Vander actually meant. It wasn't the bridge between Zaun and Piltover, literally, although the trust between the two needed to be built as much as Zaun's trust in her had to be. Daunting, that was what it was.

She could feel the tension from Vander. In turn, it made her tense. It was a bad topic to dwell on, but how could she discuss the future without including the Firelights leader? If he even wanted to help. He could easily decide to continue frustrating her operations, and, no, she wouldn't blame him. She would hate him for it, of course, but blame him? Hardly. She wondered how much of that would rely on the decision to restart shimmer production or simply let it stall out forever, never to begin again at any large scale.

"Shimmer isn't a poison," she changed the topic with a roll of her eyes, although she doubted it would be any better. "What you had was, sure. That version was a fucking mess, but you're underestimating how much it's changed over the years. What about the version of it that can power chemtech better than ever before? Longer than before? Or the smallest dosage that can speed up healing? Fight an illness? Manage your pain? Keep an eye from going blind?"

He had already seen Silco's eye. That was on the more severe end, strange burning mutation and deformed pupil included, but that wasn't how everyone ended up. The worst were those who had once roamed the sumps, having taken far too much of the worst shimmer they could find, but Sevika's thoughts swerved away from them. Thinking about that cult that had consumed them was still a knot of confusion for her, not truly understanding it but remembering all too well what came of it.

"Not that it matters much anymore. Whatever refineries Talis and your girl Vi didn't trash, Noxus dealt with. Shimmer's been off the streets for months now, although I imagine we'll see independent gangs trying to revive it soon enough."

[cantilevers]

Oh look, a sardonic laugh. Vander was not one to let such an opportunity pass him by, and even in a sour mood, he still smiled cheekily. It was, of course, a ruse as much as the words were truth.

It had occurred to him how much the landscape of their little world group would shift and change if people like Ekko, Vi, Benzo or even some other members of Piltover arrived. He didn't have much care or hope for Piltover unless it was Grace and what a sight for sore eyes she would be. At this point, it felt as if he was struggling to contain what he knew was coming, and he was so used to Zaun business remaining Zaun business that he wasn't yet willing to let the overt and undercurrent politics be spread. It was a frustratingly lonely position to be in: friends and allies with no one.

He was drawn back to the conversation as the topic switched to Shimmer. There was a swimming disjointed conversation between them about it while he drank cooking sherry and she called him a walking overdose. "How many people lost their lives to those mutations, the growths, the misshapen limbs or just going wild and killing others for you all to refine it enough to the 'not poison' part? Experimenting on our population for your miracle drug," he said with a shake of his head.

Unconsciously, he rubbed a hand over his left forearm, picking at the edge of his shirt sleeve as he thought of Shimmer. How good it felt. How bad the withdrawal symptoms were. How he had spent weeks with the subtle tug of want for another hit. He did not have an addictive personality, but even he could feel it now slithering through his flesh. That tug of want, of hunger.

"Bring back people from the brink of death," he added. Him. Jinx. How many others? Oh right, him again apparently. "So you two need it here then."

Refineries, he thought. The base ingredients and technology to manufacture it. No doubt if it was a cornerstone of Silco and Sevika's power, they knew how it was made, what was necessary to kick start it, even if under the guise of saving Silco's vision. "Will you let them revive it?"

[ascarylady]

How many people? How many people, he dares to ask? Sevika couldn't fight the sneer of contempt that twisted her lips when she looked up at him again from across the table.

"Want me to count how many more lost their lives to all the shit not related to shimmer while we figured it out? All the cancer, all the lung disease? All the crushed limbs from mining? Lost hands from factories? All the disfigured children born because our water is full of fucking poison half the time?"

They had needed something. Anything! A miracle! And Silco had delivered. It wasn't perfect. It was crusty, cruel, and sharp, as any blade all Zaunites kept close to hand. It was a gamble enough were willing to take compared to the option of nothing, nothing at all, and here Vander say, a dead man, talking shit.

Of course, it pissed her off. How couldn't it?

"I don't give a fuck if you hate me and Silco. You should," Sevika wasn't going to pretend they didn't deserve it. "But shimmer is a tool. It isn't good. It isn't evil. It just is. You and all of Piltover can yell about poison all you want, but all you're showing me is how much you fear it."

Because they don't understand. Vander... He'd even been on it. Her gaze flickers to where he rubs his arm, how he fidgets just so; it was telling, at least to her eye. He knew the raw power it had offered the undercity. Finally, a way to break free, but no. Of course, he would never approve of that. She could only be disappointed by him again and again.

She ground her teeth and took a moment before saying anything more, picking her drink up and finishing the rest in one go before waving the bot in charge down for another round. She shouldn't get too drunk around the likes of Vander, but she can't help it. She doesn't want this conversation without a drink in hand.

"...and no. I don't want some random ass punks trying to make shimmer. There's no telling what they'll cut corners on. The last thing I want is someone passing the raw stuff off as medical or recreational."

Although whether they need it or not, here, in Etraya, Sevika skipped confirming or denying. Technically, only Silco needed shimmer, and it had to be a specific kind. However, if she ever got her old arm up and running, that could change immediately.

[cantilevers]

"I'm well aware of the statistics," Vander replied coldly. He'd lived down there, grew up down there, nearly died countless times and watched the sorrow of the lower levels of the undercity. Even when he held the reigns of power, he was keenly aware of the suffering well beyond the Lanes. His reach was so limited, and he knew it was a failing. "The undercity has been suffering from one thing or another for over two hundred years."

So perhaps she was right that Shimmer was the hammer that beat the nail in a different coffin. Maybe it was better than letting people toil and scrape out the usual living; it wasn't a world he would ever see. His one run in with Shimmer left a terrible taste in his mouth, literally and figuratively. The tightly controlled temper had been so close to the surface; he could have killed them all. Anything felt possible.

"I do fear it," he admitted quietly, staring at his drink with his fingers still picking at his shirt. "I experienced it first hand, and even now, a part of me..." he trailed off, shaking his head. He knew she could read what he might say, so there was no point in hiding that fact. "I wanted to hurt everyone. I wanted to make you all afraid, to remember what I was capable of, and that... is what I'm afraid of." He'd been a monster without Shimmer when he had been young, but on it, he was terrifyingly powerful and if he lost control...

Well, he supposed he had little left as it was. Benzo dead. Vi in prison. Jinx in Silco's care. The Lanes swept up in revolution they may or may not understand the sacrifices for.

Vander grabbed his beer and downed it in a three large gulps, setting the glass down and pushing it aside. "I suppose we have to save Runeterra first so you can get back to protecting the recipes."

[ascarylady]

Benzo dead, but his adopted son leading the fight against the gangs of Zaun. Vi, freed at long last by a nosy enforcer. Jinx, who would become a hero of the undercity. The Lanes... finally at peace, for a time. It wasn't all lost. Slivers of hope remained, here and there, if one squinted just right, though Sevika wouldn't be the one to say any of that. She only saw the thankless work ahead of her and led herself in circles, trying to decide how to approach it all. Running away was not an option, as it never was when it came to her.

"Might get rid of them entirely," Sevika admitted as her refilled drink appeared at the table. "Now that I know about the deal Talis offered, I might still be able to push for sovereignty. They demanded we stop producing shimmer. I could work with that."

Of course, she doubted shimmer would ever truly disappear from Zaun. It was ingrained in the culture after nearly a decade, having grown exponentially alongside chemtech's own industrial revolution. It was a thought, though. She had been considering it since learning of the deal.

Although, on the topic of shimmer, yes, she did realize how he must feel after coming down from what she suspected was the ultimate high. Too powerful, terrifyingly so, and yet, she settled back in her chair and eyed him up and down. A weakness to take advantage of? As much as she hated the idea itself...

"You know I could ask Aurora for the lesser versions of what you had. That feeling can be controlled. I would know. I've used it enough times."

[cantilevers]

Vander doubted that. Perhaps the recipes and the product would disappear from the open market, but all the mechanisms, the eagerness for it, the memory of a populous who had seen and experienced it. He understood their people well enough to know that Shimmer would never truly be gone, just hidden, subtle and creeping through the back alleys, the darkest reaches of the mines, whispers behind closed doors.

"Leveraging Shimmer production for independence," he mused more to himself. He hadn't seen Zaun with Shimmer woven into the fabric of their culture, but he had felt what it could do. As she had said, he had a high level of the unrefined, filthy first attempt, which meant the future iterations were less of a slingshot of uncontrolled emotions and physical prowess. "You best be smart and careful with that. If it isn't your Shimmer, addicts will find an alternative."

While his eyes were on the table, he was keenly aware of her gaze on him. Looking him over, considering his potential no doubt. He'd baited her, of course. Honesty of his experience to see if she would offer, confirm even more fully that they were going all in with Shimmer in this place.

"Why would you do that for me?" He glanced at her. "Unless you want to indenture me to you as one of the few who knows the various concoctions, their dosages, and how to acquire them. Planning on keeping me in line with a supply, ready to cut me off if I don't come to heel?"

[ascarylady]

Sevika managed to remain unimpressed by his accusations. Sure, it was an idea she toyed with, although she found it unfair and unappetizing. Silco might think differently, though, and that was typically what mattered in the end. It was a dangerous gamble when she knew there'd be no wait for her to beat a Vander on a shimmer high, too. She wondered if he considered that angle... It wouldn't exactly help her to have him using.

"Consider it a safety measure. Because there are two options here: you aren't actually thinking about shimmer, and you're just fucking with me, or, you are and may end up asking Aurora for the wrong thing yourself, which ends in you hurting people."

She could have more than one reason behind the offer. The part she says out loud feels far more likely than anything else.

"But," and she tipped her glass toward him in a mock salute to go along with that one word, punctuating it, "If you want to go it alone, go right ahead. You can get whatever you want from that creepy automaton without my help."

[cantilevers]

He had considered it, but he had died too quickly into his own shimmer high to truly understand the full potential. Yes, cervically dislocating someone one handed was a feat he had never been able to achieve before, but even the halls, he struggled to grapple with control. He had tried and sometimes failed at moving away from hurting people; he knew that made more enemies than it solved. The mystery of what he might be capable of was uncomfortable and somewhat alluring.

He folded his hands together to cease the picking at his shirt, considering her point of view. She was the Shimmer expert here aside from the one person he'd never approach about it. "How convinced are you that I'm going to use again willingly?"

What would this place do if he did? What would he do if it became more a matter of unwilling usage? He hadn't intended to at the cannery, but the situation had left him little choice. If it came here, how willing was she and Silco to bring people to heel with the use of it?

"What's the wrong thing?"

[ascarylady]

Sevika paused to consider both questions, though it would be the first she lingered on the longest. She gave Vander a hard look, perhaps seeing something in him that he wouldn't know to look for, something someone used to Shimmer and those who used it might make note of but would pass by unnoticed by anyone else. Sure, there were the obvious tells. Scarring like her own, or worse, only that left out the majority of users, those who treated it lightly because they only ever had to deal with those versions that had been tamed, never dwelling on how they had ever gotten to that point in the first place.

Ultimately, she decided aloud, "I give you even odds. Fifty-fifty, but only because you have a hell of a lot more willpower than most people do. Like I said before, you had the worst of the worst. Even I wouldn't touch the original Shimmer these days."

Which meant she must have at one point. Not all experiments were in the not-so-good doctor's lab, and the only test subject at hand would have been herself. However, those weren't days she felt like revisiting in detail.

"Which would be the wrong stuff, by the way. What you remember, whatever few details that might be."

[cantilevers]

"Ah," Vander sounded as he was given the odds. Those weren't the worst, which meant that version of Shimmer he had taken was as much of a kick to the teeth as he was experiencing in terms of ongoing withdrawal. It did force him to consider how many couldn't suppress the urge and ruined themselves in the early days; he understood the strangle hold necessary for power in the undercity, consolidating power for a faux united front, but how many people died while feeling like the most powerful people in the undercity?

Although finally, his self-suppression for control since the Day of Ash - and even before where he targeted precisely instead - came in handy. Perhaps this 'weakness' of his had value for not tearing her head right off her shoulders when they first met. "Did you try the version that I did way back in the day before all the refinement? Because the urges last longer than they should." His personal critique which had no bearing as clearly there had been considerable refinement.

"I remember everything. Is that not supposed to happen?" Vander being a potential odd case for Shimmer use still hadn't occurred to him.

[ascarylady]

"Hmm, could be we've just had different experiences," Sevika wondered aloud. The feeling of being powerful lingered; the violence, the rush, that wild freedom, but images were a blur, fleeting sights, snippets of words. If Vander recalled everything in detail, that would certainly be different.

She nursed her drink for a moment, although she missed being unable to do that, and still drum another set of fingers against the table as she turned their conversation over in her mind. However, there was no arm of glass and metal to do her bidding, so she put it from her mind.

"I did try that version. I had to know."

Of course, she would. How could she not?

"I used it once and never again. That's how I knew it needed to be diluted. It was too much, too fast."

[cantilevers]

"I wasn't subjected to it long before I died," he reflected, which may have been the reason. He wasn't certain if his experience when being brought here could be considered normal either, and they did not appear to be able to have a basis of comparison. It wasn't as if he was going to ask for another try regardless of the nibbling urges at the back of his brain.

He stared at her for a long measured moment. It was an interesting admittance, and he was trying to determine her game by telling him. "Soon after you lost the arm? Or once the refined versions were available?"

He grunted, pushing his empty drink to the middle of the table and sitting back on his chair. He stretched his long legs out to one side of the table. "The withdrawal is just as bad at the rise."

[ascarylady]

"While I was recovering from the explosion," Sevika answered without much concern. There wasn't an angle here, at least when admitting she had tried the same shit that Vander had gotten high on. She needed to know the baseline and how much to push for dilution, for refining it; it wouldn't save people from that initial release, but it didn't mean she couldn't demand that gradual improvement on what Silco and that doctor of his had made. Her argument would forever be that Shimmer was not the enemy of Zaun. It was a boon. A hard-earned, painfully created boon, but one nonetheless.

If she had to let it go to appease the council... She would, but not without fighting for some of it to remain or sorting out seemingly unrelated refineries popping up on the black market. She wouldn't share this with Vander. Chances are he already suspected it, anyway. There was no need to confirm it. Finding a balance to bid for Zaun's freedom without sacrificing what made them stronger. It wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm well aware of the withdrawal effects from those first few batches. I told you before I've sat with enough people through it, which, I guess, includes myself. Only reason I didn't offer to sit with you is because I knew you'd assume I was planning to kill you while you were coming down."

Which would have been fair. It'd be a lie to claim it hadn't crossed her mind.

[cantilevers]

"Ah." The timing made sense. Shimmer would be coming into full production that point, right? It was the power that would allow Silco to take the Lanes and suppress those that opposed. She would have been sidelined in the initial sweep given her injury, though he couldn't tell for how long. Enough to experiment with the product. He respected her willingness to take the risk like everyone else and demand change.

He nodded, accepting her words as some form of truth. She had seemed knowledgeable enough to understand pissing him off when he was like that would mean certain death. He doubted he would have allowed her to sit with him anyway, unwilling to trust her then and having no reason to trust her now aside from matters that they had in common.

There was no doubt in his mind that if Silco ordered it, she'd kill him.

"Was it a wrong assumption to make about you? You're an opportunist," he said levelly. It wasn't disparaging, just a matter of fact. "Even now, I expect you'd take me out if the situation proved worthwhile and you thought you could accomplish it."

Hence why Vander desperately needed allies of his own. He was outmatched and it was a matter of time before they took a shot at him. Accidents happen after all.