[ arm hooking has gay? Jacopo watches as people recognize Viktor... Popular man. ]
You'd be doing a poor job as a guide if I find myself dozing off.
[ While a difficult man to impress, it shouldn't be hard when you come from a world where science meets magic. Innovation always gives a thrill.
It's good that Zaun has cleaned up or else Jacopo may complain about the air quality, even if it would be acceptable and better than the past. He takes solid steps without any hesitation, matching Viktor's rather confidently and sure. It's probably practiced, but his eyes are taking in the view in discreet sweeps. There is a small pause in footfalls when the magic resonates and reverbs.
... He shouldn't find it mystical after being in a murdergame and also remembering his own world's soul plane, but he does. Somehow, the sight of this district offers a sense similar to magic, too. ]
[Yeah, there goes those two big gays, walking along arm in arm.
Down in the Lanes, the vision of Hextech modifcation has dug in its roots. Rather than be healed and put together by an archaic unification, magic and technology has bee integrated into the places where the common man suffered: prosthetics, building material, ventilation and filtration.
Jacopo won't understand how different the air here has become now, how much cleaner the Undercity has been made. But that's okay.]
I grew up here.
[He gives Jacopo a wry, lopsided smile. Jacopo was in the slums, well, okay, so was Viktor! They both had shitty, stitched-together clothes! His arm pulls Jacopo away from the decision of the buildings and over to one of the stalls lining the street on the side.]
Before the dean of the academy in Piltover felt sorry enough for me to help me get accepted.
[Surprisingly - maybe not so surprisingly considering - there is a tall, broad... shark(?)-shaped... piscatorial(?)... man looming behind the stall. He has an eyepatch and also a piece of wood over one bicep which has several knives - knives? they are quite long to be knives, but he is a big guy - embedded in the surface. He greets Viktor with a guttural hoorah and a laugh.]
Your special, please.
[This is SUCH a way to introduce Jacopo to the Undercity.]
[ There should be a swell of pride that he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Progress doesn't mean having to being to compare, but also ushering a new era where people don't need to know because they don't need to worry. ]
A fellow slum rat before you were snatched off the streets.
[ He has less reason to posture in a world not his own. They're two rodents who stumbled onto opportunity, which is different from the commonalities he found with others similar to himself. Other people were considered commonfolk, though maybe that is the lowest rung in their society.
... He can't ponder about those people he misses from Heaven, some he promised to see again, and how many years have passed. It has been centuries and he thinks about how they may have passed on so long ago without him knowing. His chest feels hollowed out, though there is a wish that they led happy and fulfilling lives. They'd be back in the afterlife, but how would he approach them after so long?
Fortunate that he's tugged away from his ready to stop existing emotions, though it's also a physical tug. He blinks a couple of times as he adjusts his vision and what is he looking at? He offers a nervous smile, not sure what to expect, while his eyes travel to see if anyone else has had something from this stall.
ANY? SIGN? TO INDICATE WHAT THIS IS? ]
Say... [ WARY ] What... Is this... Special?
[ His hooked arm kind of tries loosening. Just in case, you know? ]
[Just two rats from the streets together who got cured of their plagues. Very funny.
Viktor's arm locks its hook in, blocking Jacopo from escaping too quickly. WHERE ARE YOU SCAMPERING TO, JACOPO??
Viktor laughs quietly, reassuringly. The shark man just hehehes and turns around to throw something together which is hidden behind his bulk.]
It's alright. It's food, some of the best in Zaun. He has a specialty, and it's very good.
[RIP to Jacopo. Sidon really enjoyed this actually, but looking at the man making it and looking around, it isn't difficult to see why the Zora prince would. That's fine.]
Looks can be deceiving, no?
[With that said, the shark man turns back and drops a bowl onto the counter for them.
It is... a pile of fat, blue tentacles...? worms...? urchins...? smothered in a golden sauce.] Thank you, Jericho. [Viktor watches Jacopo, amused and expectant.]
[ Jacopo watches in anticipation and some horror because what is waiting for him? Is this a delicacy or is Viktor hoping to get a good laugh? ]
It can be, but you can't expect me to not be suspicious when you're obviously hiding—[ The bowl drops and Jacopo instantly shuts up in its presence. Holy shit. ] Your fingers... Like it isn't from lack of utensils. It's a custom?
[ As rude as he is, he isn't going to thrash about if it's a culture aspect. However, the expression on his face does show some dread.
He had pretended and lived such a dignified and pretentious life. Even when he was a peasant, he rid of himself the poor's way of speaking and leaned to being verbose instead in ambition of climbing the social ladder. Some of that front still lingers, but dwindled.
AGAIN, WHAT IF VIKTOR IS PROPPING HIM UP TO BE BULLIED. ]
It's a carpaccio of sorts? In a bowl.
[ He has not reached the age of poke bowls yet. Hovering over the bowl, he tries to get used to the contents and maybe get a whiff of any smell that isn't seafood. ]
Seafood is expensive... [ Luxuries. Slowly, slowly, he's warming up to the idea, but he can't imagine eating like this because ] Will you be releasing me from your little prison, Viktor?
The docks are not very far if you want to go later.
[JACOPO IS SO SUSPICIOUS IT'S SO FUNNY!!! Viktor laughs quietly again and loosens his arm from around Jacopo's own. He motions to the warbled wooden stool by the counter, then he takes a seat on the adjacent one.]
It may have been from lack of utensils a long time ago, but now it's a custom. I'll join you. I have to eat now, at least.
[Amazing.
To Jericho:] Some rice and ale, please. [Jacopo is a wine kind of guy, but wine is more of a Piltover sort of beverage. They'll get to that.]
This was my favorite as a child. A treat. Back then, you could taste the zing of pollutant iron in it, but now it's fresh and fine to eat.
[ Jacopo's incredulous expression softens to something resigned and mildly interested. He enjoys... The waters... As someone who's from Sicily, now knowing he's from Sicily and actually remembering his home. Viktor is also reassuring him, though he shoots him a quick leer like "if you trick me then i will remember this" because Viktor did become sassy to him all of the sudden in turbo.
He sets himself onto the stool provided for him, now arms free to brace—support himself through these times. ]
That thing sustained you to the level where you didn't need to eat? [ In Heaven, the rest of them still did, though. Huh. ] I would like to save stomach space in case there are more eateries or stalls you want to show me, so you better eat your share.
[ Can't give up food when visiting a place, even though when he's working he will think of food as nothing more than sustenance. The dichotomy of having tastes and lacking a work-life divide. Jacopo doesn't seem to complain about the alcohol choice at all, despite being pretentious and prissy.
The mention of pollutant minerals gets a raise of his eyebrows like "do not be nostalgic for that," but nothing he isn't used to. When you're poor, you're poor, and he already picked a tentacle and ate it. ]
[WOW. Listen. He won't sully Zaun's good name, but he may bring the sass back when they're in Piltover later... Someone has to give Jacopo a little hell. He didn't think he could simply reincarnate into another world and escape being bullied, did he?]
It transmuted my body in a way to make it more perfect; it stripped it of what it thought was logically unnecessary for perfection. Like eating. Like reproductive parts. Like sleeping.
[Sorry, he was definitely a HORROR. Jacopo was right.]
We can get some sweet milk from The Last Drop when we're finished.
[He scoops up one of the tendrils of meat as the rice and drinks come. The rice has a fork! But just one; unfortunately for Jacopo, he will have to indirect kiss. He "cheers" Jacopo with the meat before he slides it into his mouth. SEE, HE WASN'T BEING MEAN.]
[ Jacopo would have back in the day because then he could just keep working, but he remembers how Viktor was... How muted he seemed. He didn't undergo such change from outside influence, but he sort of understands changing for the worse. Depression can make you feel alien in the sea of people.
He was a solitary man before, but it was even more isolating after... So. Cheers. Meat touch meat. ]
But I like you better now. You were kind of creepy before.
[ In a place where Viktor can let people in and be simply himself. At this point, he's idly eating. How long has it been since he had food? When you're just a wayward soul, you don't need that.
He doesn't mind sharing, so when the flavor coats his mouth too much he'll have a forkful of rice. ]
[Yes, but who really is still alive and also here to bully him except Viktor? Okay. Don't just write sad as hell prose about all his friends being dead and think I won't forget it.]
I had not seen the wrong in it either, [after waiting to swallow,] but now I know better.
[People would be stupid to kill for it. It hadn't been as perfect as he thought. Not eating, not sleeping, not feeling anything at all whether physically or emotionally - what point was there in living then?]
I see you really haven't lost your brutal honesty.
[Jacopo just takes pot-shots at him all the time, damn. (He isn't wrong.) Viktor smiles ever so slightly.]
It is. Many topsiders let the look scare them from trying it.
[They can be foolish if they want. More for them.]
[ I was going to say he had so few friends from turbo, but it doesn't change the fact that he had nothing when he died and now he has nothing because i wrote them dead. LISTEN HERE, IT HAS BEEN A THOUSAND YEARS. WHAT IS HE SUPPOSED TO ASSUME? ]
It would not be a very good alien overlord if you were able to discern right and wrong very easily. [ A snort as he drinks the ale, easing it in without any judgment. Even if it isn't quality liquor, he can appreciate it. It's going back to roots. ] I can't have you becoming too soft.
[ There's a sly smile, so familiar but it still lacks the same amount of shit-eating. It isn't near smarmy enough, but perhaps that takes time. At least he hasn't forgotten the shape and the motions.
Brutally honest when it doesn't matter, roundabout when it does, a little aggressive when he tries to do good, and still a bitch. Jacopo Bearzatti, you are so fucking stupid. ]
My only complaint is that I don't like it dripping off my fingers...
[ He feels like... He's going to get things dirty. ]
[It feels rude to shit-talk the magical alien orb in the staff which has been leaned between his leg and his arm and his front. Almost like it will hear them and seek revenge.
But he laughs some at how little Jacopo continues to care about saying it like it is - with other people.]
That's the best part, Jacopo. You get to suck the flavor and the sauce off your fingers.
[Here. He takes another of the pieces and eats it, then stick each finger in his mouth to rid them of the golden juices.
He at least didn't grab Jacopo's hand and do it himself just to shittily see if Jacopo would sink into the floor out of embarrassed humiliation, so be thankful.]
[ Jacopo would flip off the magical alien orb regardless of how much power it holds... Fuck you. But don't seek revenge. They are too tired to deal with an eldritch tantrum again.
Obviously, he grimaces with gritted teeth showing, not looking forward to that. It does beat having dirty fingers, though? But instead it's coated with saliva? Are there no napkins or towels? You just WANT HIM TO DIE? Oh my god why would you even pose that possibility, hE WOULD
DIE
AND CALL VIKTOR A FREAK while pulling his hand away. FUCK. VIKTOR IS ALREADY ATTACKING HIM FOR HIS FAKE STATUS. ]
Shut up.
[ Suddenly, he's stubborn and obstinate, but he keeps eating. Does he lap up the sauce from his hand and fingers yet? No. But is he requesting a napkin? No. ]
[Jacopo is so lucky he is normal now and does not have the same detachment to his emotions, or he would have done that.
He laughs, quiet but genuine. JACOPO IS A CLOWN AND SO FUNNY!!!!! From out of one of his pockets, he pulls a handkerchief with his clean hand and offers it to Jacopo.
Here, princess. It's nothing fancy. Very simply, much like Viktor (excluding the science).]
It isn't sticky, at least. We can rinse them after.
[ He would punch you, Viktor... At least ask first, dumbass....... Even if he would outright reject.
A leer is pinned onto Viktor as Jacopo continues to eat, then flickers to the handkerchief. A simple handkerchief should earn gratitude, but it doesn't. He's glowering at it, too. ]
That's one blessing.
[ Do not stare at him as he finally licks off the sauce from his dirty hand. There's a desire to turn slightly so that no one has to see him, just because of learned propriety, but there's so much defiance to be casual about it. ]
So what's this about sweet milk?
[ Tell him more now that his desire to fight you has simmered. ]
[Stop being so damn rankled and skrunkly, you piece of shit Italian.
Viktor casually puts the handkerchief on top of Jacopo's fluffy head without much consideration, and then he carries on with helping finish off the food and the drink.]
Someone may have... invented ice cream. And fridgeration, of course. Mostly the latter. [Him. It was fucking him after being exposed to it in murder land.] They enjoyed the ice cream so much.
Anyhow, the sweet milk has been turned into a rather delicious treat. We can get some at the Last Drop.
Also, stop that. He plucks the handkerchief off of his head and hits him with it, which of course doesn't feel like ANYTHING. ]
You brought them fridgeration and ice cream...
[ They can finish the bowl off. Jacopo doesn't like wasting food now that he isn't lord—also, it's quite good? So there won't be a grain or fishy morsel left. The ale, too, he will politely wait for Viktor to have as much as he'd like before he will work it down to nothing. ]
Actually, I'm surprised these weren't already existing in your world...
[ He remembers the technology when Viktor forced memshared him. ]
[Haha. He tries to shield the hit with his elbow and arm, but is more amused by it than anything else. LOOK, he was saving Jacopo's delicate lordling princess fingers.]
Perhaps...
[Maybe it did... Maybe it did... But I think it is funnier if not. Here we are.]
There was never a need to extend the life of prepared food... Well, at least not for those here. It has helped with a growing medical field, too. Being able to preserve medicines.
[He's becoming Bruce Wayne. Sort of. It's fine.
Speaking of, he puts some money down on the counter for Jericho. For the both of them, of course. He is treating Jacopo, as one would do with a princess.]
[ Once he has displayed that Viktor was being silly by retaliating in a matching silly way, he will clean his fingers and hand with the handkerchief.
What can Jacopo do? Reject Viktor's generosity? He has no money. He will also compliment the chef. Not flattering or sizing up, but give his genuine approval as he folds the handkerchief and pockets it (he will clean this and return it another time). ]
Feeling proud of yourself?
[ Not in a mocking tone, but maybe a teasing one. Refrigeration just seemed like a big quality of life upgrade much like Viktor said, so! Wow.
Slipping off the stool, he's ready to go. ]
I didn't know I'm in the presence of someone so important—patron of frost and frozen treats.
[Don't tease him then turn around and use what he's given you, asshole. Not that he doesn't want Jacopo to use the damn thing. For now, he will accept bullying Jacopo by paying for food and drink, and also dragging Jacopo around all over.
Jericho seems to appreciate the compliment. He looks like a guy who might sell kidneys on the black market, but he is actually surprisingly chill and normal with his small food booth.]
A little.
[Viktor has to have some level of gentle arrogance as a scientist. It's a good thing, so he will let himself be playfully proud of having accomplished it.]
Now you're being facetious.
[Taking the staff up, he follows Jacopo's exit of the little street stall. Sorry, linking arms again momentarily so he can guide Jacopo through the coming and going currents of people toward the bar.]
Jacopo doesn't seem perturbed so much by Jericho's appearance. He has met pretty of sleazy-looking individuals who were darling, while he himself is handsome yet rotten to the core. He's sure Jericho might sell chicken kidneys. Offals are delicious. ]
Confidence is a good look.
[ Does a compliment on top of a tease make it any less facetious or better? However, Jacopo's smug look waters down when their arms are linked again... He's back to feeling lost simply because he's being guided, a little self-conscious by their proximity. No one has bothered them, so he has to take it that this is out of convenience.
They approach the bar and he looks at its emboldened and flashy signage. It has the flare of art he finds intriguing, though nearing dramatic and gaudy. ]
[A lot of things have happened in these lanes and also at this bar. A history Jacopo can feel, but not intimately know. Viktor only knows as much as he does because he has seen it within the minds of the people who lived it.]
Are you telling me you find me attractive...?
[This is not what Jacopo said at all. He is teasing. He will not let that little line escape unteased, though, sorry. Giving Jacopo a momentary look, lips turned up.
But then he glances over the front of the bar as they approach.]
Is it? Maybe it's just "good till the last drop"? I promise the usual patrons of this establishment aren't going to run you through. You don't have to worry.
I can't promise they won't cheat at cards, though.
[ It's the small little signs that Jacopo will notice, though only vaguely aware. He will never know all the brawls and infighting that happened in here, but it wouldn't surprise him. ]
I'd say you're being ridiculous, but as your friend I should be supportive in your budding career as a comedian.
[ To be clear, it did fluster him a bit, though he stifled that so hard that it may be hard to notice. Confidence in general is a good look on anyone! Desperation is a bad look in comparison, but they're both desperate people. Jacopo especially...
Why else is he here, if not out of desperation? Including this space where they stand before the bar, gazing upon its choice of signage. He tilts his head, absorbing Viktor's words, then laughs. ]
Multiple interpretations make it a good name.
[ It reflects the human psyche upon looking at it and it tells more about himself than he expected. Jacopo supposes death and melancholy still hang off of him, though less. As he's led, ]
I'm quite familiar with rigged card games, fortunately.
[The hand of the arm looped around Jacopo's pats Jacopo's forearm reassuringly. There, there, dear.
Inside, naturally, everyone sort of glances up when they go through the door. A habitual reaction from the regulars. Thankfully, Viktor is mollusked to Jacopo's side, and it seems pretty much everyone is happy to see him appear out of anyone else who could possible appear to them. One or two call out to him in greeting as he pulls Jacopo through the tables toward the bar, and he offers a nod and a smile in return.
The Drop is not run by Vander or Silco anymore. Instead, a dark-skinned and darker-haired woman with a mechanical arm is looming in the back with one other helper working the counter. (The helper is because she is definitely not always here most of the time.)]
Hello. [A greeting for the worker. The woman in the back gets a nod of his head and,] Sevika.
[Viktor offers Jacopo a bar seat - i was in the middle of this tag right here when a spider crawled over my head and fell down on me and i think my soul left my body as i flung myself over the back of the couch - and releases him from being trapped in the perpetual arm-hold.]
How is the arm?
[Sevika shrugs said arm. The parts of it are quiet as they move, but apparent, and their coloring is a familiar violet-blue. Definitely Hextech.]
anna i'm glad this tag will find you well, having survived a spider attack. Jacopo raises his eyebrows at all the regulars, sweeping the bar with some scrutiny. It's a habit of wanting to know what kid of people frequent places, not so much malicious judgment. How their faces light up at Viktor's presence is cute, even though Jacopo's response is a whisper: "aren't you so popular."
He stays well-behaved as Viktor's accessory, friendly smile put on, and stays as such even though Sevika is so intimidating. He isn't going to awkwardly listen in to their conversation and try to find a way to interject, so until he's pulled into it he will small talk with the patron beside him.
Despite being prickly and abrasive sometimes, he's a good conversation partner. They probably chat about the establishment, how long had they been a regular, that this is his first time here so he's curious about what they have to offer though he has something in mind already, what do they do for a living? he himself is between places right now. do they have any funny stories about Viktor...
and he embellishes a story about Viktor being lord of the rats. some of the events he regales are plain lies. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
You'd be doing a poor job as a guide if I find myself dozing off.
[ While a difficult man to impress, it shouldn't be hard when you come from a world where science meets magic. Innovation always gives a thrill.
It's good that Zaun has cleaned up or else Jacopo may complain about the air quality, even if it would be acceptable and better than the past. He takes solid steps without any hesitation, matching Viktor's rather confidently and sure. It's probably practiced, but his eyes are taking in the view in discreet sweeps. There is a small pause in footfalls when the magic resonates and reverbs.
... He shouldn't find it mystical after being in a murdergame and also remembering his own world's soul plane, but he does. Somehow, the sight of this district offers a sense similar to magic, too. ]
You frequent here?
[ Gestures with a hand. Pick a place. ]
no subject
[Yeah, there goes those two big gays, walking along arm in arm.
Down in the Lanes, the vision of Hextech modifcation has dug in its roots. Rather than be healed and put together by an archaic unification, magic and technology has bee integrated into the places where the common man suffered: prosthetics, building material, ventilation and filtration.
Jacopo won't understand how different the air here has become now, how much cleaner the Undercity has been made. But that's okay.]
I grew up here.
[He gives Jacopo a wry, lopsided smile. Jacopo was in the slums, well, okay, so was Viktor! They both had shitty, stitched-together clothes! His arm pulls Jacopo away from the decision of the buildings and over to one of the stalls lining the street on the side.]
Before the dean of the academy in Piltover felt sorry enough for me to help me get accepted.
[Surprisingly - maybe not so surprisingly considering - there is a tall, broad... shark(?)-shaped... piscatorial(?)... man looming behind the stall. He has an eyepatch and also a piece of wood over one bicep which has several knives - knives? they are quite long to be knives, but he is a big guy - embedded in the surface. He greets Viktor with a guttural hoorah and a laugh.]
Your special, please.
[This is SUCH a way to introduce Jacopo to the Undercity.]
no subject
A fellow slum rat before you were snatched off the streets.
[ He has less reason to posture in a world not his own. They're two rodents who stumbled onto opportunity, which is different from the commonalities he found with others similar to himself. Other people were considered commonfolk, though maybe that is the lowest rung in their society.
... He can't ponder about those people he misses from Heaven, some he promised to see again, and how many years have passed. It has been centuries and he thinks about how they may have passed on so long ago without him knowing. His chest feels hollowed out, though there is a wish that they led happy and fulfilling lives. They'd be back in the afterlife, but how would he approach them after so long?
Fortunate that he's tugged away from his ready to stop existing emotions, though it's also a physical tug. He blinks a couple of times as he adjusts his vision and what is he looking at? He offers a nervous smile, not sure what to expect, while his eyes travel to see if anyone else has had something from this stall.
ANY? SIGN? TO INDICATE WHAT THIS IS? ]
Say... [ WARY ] What... Is this... Special?
[ His hooked arm kind of tries loosening. Just in case, you know? ]
no subject
Viktor's arm locks its hook in, blocking Jacopo from escaping too quickly. WHERE ARE YOU SCAMPERING TO, JACOPO??
Viktor laughs quietly, reassuringly. The shark man just hehehes and turns around to throw something together which is hidden behind his bulk.]
It's alright. It's food, some of the best in Zaun. He has a specialty, and it's very good.
[RIP to Jacopo. Sidon really enjoyed this actually, but looking at the man making it and looking around, it isn't difficult to see why the Zora prince would. That's fine.]
Looks can be deceiving, no?
[With that said, the shark man turns back and drops a bowl onto the counter for them.
It is... a pile of fat, blue tentacles...? worms...? urchins...? smothered in a golden sauce.] Thank you, Jericho. [Viktor watches Jacopo, amused and expectant.]
...You eat it with your fingers.
[As a helpful aside.]
no subject
It can be, but you can't expect me to not be suspicious when you're obviously hiding—[ The bowl drops and Jacopo instantly shuts up in its presence. Holy shit. ] Your fingers... Like it isn't from lack of utensils. It's a custom?
[ As rude as he is, he isn't going to thrash about if it's a culture aspect. However, the expression on his face does show some dread.
He had pretended and lived such a dignified and pretentious life. Even when he was a peasant, he rid of himself the poor's way of speaking and leaned to being verbose instead in ambition of climbing the social ladder. Some of that front still lingers, but dwindled.
AGAIN, WHAT IF VIKTOR IS PROPPING HIM UP TO BE BULLIED. ]
It's a carpaccio of sorts? In a bowl.
[ He has not reached the age of poke bowls yet. Hovering over the bowl, he tries to get used to the contents and maybe get a whiff of any smell that isn't seafood. ]
Seafood is expensive... [ Luxuries. Slowly, slowly, he's warming up to the idea, but he can't imagine eating like this because ] Will you be releasing me from your little prison, Viktor?
no subject
[JACOPO IS SO SUSPICIOUS IT'S SO FUNNY!!! Viktor laughs quietly again and loosens his arm from around Jacopo's own. He motions to the warbled wooden stool by the counter, then he takes a seat on the adjacent one.]
It may have been from lack of utensils a long time ago, but now it's a custom. I'll join you. I have to eat now, at least.
[Amazing.
To Jericho:] Some rice and ale, please. [Jacopo is a wine kind of guy, but wine is more of a Piltover sort of beverage. They'll get to that.]
This was my favorite as a child. A treat. Back then, you could taste the zing of pollutant iron in it, but now it's fresh and fine to eat.
It tastes like... lobster actually, in a way.
[Just so Jacopo knows he isn't hazing him.]
no subject
He sets himself onto the stool provided for him, now arms free to brace—support himself through these times. ]
That thing sustained you to the level where you didn't need to eat? [ In Heaven, the rest of them still did, though. Huh. ] I would like to save stomach space in case there are more eateries or stalls you want to show me, so you better eat your share.
[ Can't give up food when visiting a place, even though when he's working he will think of food as nothing more than sustenance. The dichotomy of having tastes and lacking a work-life divide. Jacopo doesn't seem to complain about the alcohol choice at all, despite being pretentious and prissy.
The mention of pollutant minerals gets a raise of his eyebrows like "do not be nostalgic for that," but nothing he isn't used to. When you're poor, you're poor, and he already picked a tentacle and ate it. ]
no subject
It transmuted my body in a way to make it more perfect; it stripped it of what it thought was logically unnecessary for perfection. Like eating. Like reproductive parts. Like sleeping.
[Sorry, he was definitely a HORROR. Jacopo was right.]
We can get some sweet milk from The Last Drop when we're finished.
[He scoops up one of the tendrils of meat as the rice and drinks come. The rice has a fork! But just one; unfortunately for Jacopo, he will have to indirect kiss. He "cheers" Jacopo with the meat before he slides it into his mouth. SEE, HE WASN'T BEING MEAN.]
no subject
People would kill for that.
[ Jacopo would have back in the day because then he could just keep working, but he remembers how Viktor was... How muted he seemed. He didn't undergo such change from outside influence, but he sort of understands changing for the worse. Depression can make you feel alien in the sea of people.
He was a solitary man before, but it was even more isolating after... So. Cheers. Meat touch meat. ]
But I like you better now. You were kind of creepy before.
[ In a place where Viktor can let people in and be simply himself. At this point, he's idly eating. How long has it been since he had food? When you're just a wayward soul, you don't need that.
He doesn't mind sharing, so when the flavor coats his mouth too much he'll have a forkful of rice. ]
This is quite good, actually.
no subject
I had not seen the wrong in it either, [after waiting to swallow,] but now I know better.
[People would be stupid to kill for it. It hadn't been as perfect as he thought. Not eating, not sleeping, not feeling anything at all whether physically or emotionally - what point was there in living then?]
I see you really haven't lost your brutal honesty.
[Jacopo just takes pot-shots at him all the time, damn. (He isn't wrong.) Viktor smiles ever so slightly.]
It is. Many topsiders let the look scare them from trying it.
[They can be foolish if they want. More for them.]
no subject
It would not be a very good alien overlord if you were able to discern right and wrong very easily. [ A snort as he drinks the ale, easing it in without any judgment. Even if it isn't quality liquor, he can appreciate it. It's going back to roots. ] I can't have you becoming too soft.
[ There's a sly smile, so familiar but it still lacks the same amount of shit-eating. It isn't near smarmy enough, but perhaps that takes time. At least he hasn't forgotten the shape and the motions.
Brutally honest when it doesn't matter, roundabout when it does, a little aggressive when he tries to do good, and still a bitch. Jacopo Bearzatti, you are so fucking stupid. ]
My only complaint is that I don't like it dripping off my fingers...
[ He feels like... He's going to get things dirty. ]
no subject
But he laughs some at how little Jacopo continues to care about saying it like it is - with other people.]
That's the best part, Jacopo. You get to suck the flavor and the sauce off your fingers.
[Here. He takes another of the pieces and eats it, then stick each finger in his mouth to rid them of the golden juices.
He at least didn't grab Jacopo's hand and do it himself just to shittily see if Jacopo would sink into the floor out of embarrassed humiliation, so be thankful.]
Do you need a napkin, lordling?
no subject
Obviously, he grimaces with gritted teeth showing, not looking forward to that. It does beat having dirty fingers, though? But instead it's coated with saliva? Are there no napkins or towels? You just WANT HIM TO DIE? Oh my god why would you even pose that possibility, hE WOULD
DIE
AND CALL VIKTOR A FREAK while pulling his hand away. FUCK. VIKTOR IS ALREADY ATTACKING HIM FOR HIS FAKE STATUS. ]
Shut up.
[ Suddenly, he's stubborn and obstinate, but he keeps eating. Does he lap up the sauce from his hand and fingers yet? No. But is he requesting a napkin? No. ]
no subject
He laughs, quiet but genuine. JACOPO IS A CLOWN AND SO FUNNY!!!!! From out of one of his pockets, he pulls a handkerchief with his clean hand and offers it to Jacopo.
Here, princess. It's nothing fancy. Very simply, much like Viktor (excluding the science).]
It isn't sticky, at least. We can rinse them after.
no subject
A leer is pinned onto Viktor as Jacopo continues to eat, then flickers to the handkerchief. A simple handkerchief should earn gratitude, but it doesn't. He's glowering at it, too. ]
That's one blessing.
[ Do not stare at him as he finally licks off the sauce from his dirty hand. There's a desire to turn slightly so that no one has to see him, just because of learned propriety, but there's so much defiance to be casual about it. ]
So what's this about sweet milk?
[ Tell him more now that his desire to fight you has simmered. ]
no subject
Viktor casually puts the handkerchief on top of Jacopo's fluffy head without much consideration, and then he carries on with helping finish off the food and the drink.]
Someone may have... invented ice cream. And fridgeration, of course. Mostly the latter. [Him. It was fucking him after being exposed to it in murder land.] They enjoyed the ice cream so much.
Anyhow, the sweet milk has been turned into a rather delicious treat. We can get some at the Last Drop.
I promise it's quite good. One of my favorites.
[BECAUSE HE BROUGHT IT TO THE PEOPLE.]
no subject
Also, stop that. He plucks the handkerchief off of his head and hits him with it, which of course doesn't feel like ANYTHING. ]
You brought them fridgeration and ice cream...
[ They can finish the bowl off. Jacopo doesn't like wasting food now that he isn't lord—also, it's quite good? So there won't be a grain or fishy morsel left. The ale, too, he will politely wait for Viktor to have as much as he'd like before he will work it down to nothing. ]
Actually, I'm surprised these weren't already existing in your world...
[ He remembers the technology when Viktor forced memshared him. ]
no subject
Perhaps...
[Maybe it did... Maybe it did... But I think it is funnier if not. Here we are.]
There was never a need to extend the life of prepared food... Well, at least not for those here. It has helped with a growing medical field, too. Being able to preserve medicines.
[He's becoming Bruce Wayne. Sort of. It's fine.
Speaking of, he puts some money down on the counter for Jericho. For the both of them, of course. He is treating Jacopo, as one would do with a princess.]
no subject
What can Jacopo do? Reject Viktor's generosity? He has no money. He will also compliment the chef. Not flattering or sizing up, but give his genuine approval as he folds the handkerchief and pockets it (he will clean this and return it another time). ]
Feeling proud of yourself?
[ Not in a mocking tone, but maybe a teasing one. Refrigeration just seemed like a big quality of life upgrade much like Viktor said, so! Wow.
Slipping off the stool, he's ready to go. ]
I didn't know I'm in the presence of someone so important—patron of frost and frozen treats.
[ who would pick this princess ]
no subject
Jericho seems to appreciate the compliment. He looks like a guy who might sell kidneys on the black market, but he is actually surprisingly chill and normal with his small food booth.]
A little.
[Viktor has to have some level of gentle arrogance as a scientist. It's a good thing, so he will let himself be playfully proud of having accomplished it.]
Now you're being facetious.
[Taking the staff up, he follows Jacopo's exit of the little street stall. Sorry, linking arms again momentarily so he can guide Jacopo through the coming and going currents of people toward the bar.]
no subject
Jacopo doesn't seem perturbed so much by Jericho's appearance. He has met pretty of sleazy-looking individuals who were darling, while he himself is handsome yet rotten to the core. He's sure Jericho might sell chicken kidneys. Offals are delicious. ]
Confidence is a good look.
[ Does a compliment on top of a tease make it any less facetious or better? However, Jacopo's smug look waters down when their arms are linked again... He's back to feeling lost simply because he's being guided, a little self-conscious by their proximity. No one has bothered them, so he has to take it that this is out of convenience.
They approach the bar and he looks at its emboldened and flashy signage. It has the flare of art he finds intriguing, though nearing dramatic and gaudy. ]
The Last Drop is a rather morbid name.
no subject
Are you telling me you find me attractive...?
[This is not what Jacopo said at all. He is teasing. He will not let that little line escape unteased, though, sorry. Giving Jacopo a momentary look, lips turned up.
But then he glances over the front of the bar as they approach.]
Is it? Maybe it's just "good till the last drop"? I promise the usual patrons of this establishment aren't going to run you through. You don't have to worry.
I can't promise they won't cheat at cards, though.
[Leading Jacopo in by the arm.]
no subject
I'd say you're being ridiculous, but as your friend I should be supportive in your budding career as a comedian.
[ To be clear, it did fluster him a bit, though he stifled that so hard that it may be hard to notice. Confidence in general is a good look on anyone! Desperation is a bad look in comparison, but they're both desperate people. Jacopo especially...
Why else is he here, if not out of desperation? Including this space where they stand before the bar, gazing upon its choice of signage. He tilts his head, absorbing Viktor's words, then laughs. ]
Multiple interpretations make it a good name.
[ It reflects the human psyche upon looking at it and it tells more about himself than he expected. Jacopo supposes death and melancholy still hang off of him, though less. As he's led, ]
I'm quite familiar with rigged card games, fortunately.
no subject
Inside, naturally, everyone sort of glances up when they go through the door. A habitual reaction from the regulars. Thankfully, Viktor is mollusked to Jacopo's side, and it seems pretty much everyone is happy to see him appear out of anyone else who could possible appear to them. One or two call out to him in greeting as he pulls Jacopo through the tables toward the bar, and he offers a nod and a smile in return.
The Drop is not run by Vander or Silco anymore. Instead, a dark-skinned and darker-haired woman with a mechanical arm is looming in the back with one other helper working the counter. (The helper is because she is definitely not always here most of the time.)]
Hello. [A greeting for the worker. The woman in the back gets a nod of his head and,] Sevika.
[Viktor offers Jacopo a bar seat - i was in the middle of this tag right here when a spider crawled over my head and fell down on me and i think my soul left my body as i flung myself over the back of the couch - and releases him from being trapped in the perpetual arm-hold.]
How is the arm?
[Sevika shrugs said arm. The parts of it are quiet as they move, but apparent, and their coloring is a familiar violet-blue. Definitely Hextech.]
no subject
anna i'm glad this tag will find you well, having survived a spider attack. Jacopo raises his eyebrows at all the regulars, sweeping the bar with some scrutiny. It's a habit of wanting to know what kid of people frequent places, not so much malicious judgment. How their faces light up at Viktor's presence is cute, even though Jacopo's response is a whisper: "aren't you so popular."
He stays well-behaved as Viktor's accessory, friendly smile put on, and stays as such even though Sevika is so intimidating. He isn't going to awkwardly listen in to their conversation and try to find a way to interject, so until he's pulled into it he will small talk with the patron beside him.
Despite being prickly and abrasive sometimes, he's a good conversation partner. They probably chat about the establishment, how long had they been a regular, that this is his first time here so he's curious about what they have to offer though he has something in mind already, what do they do for a living? he himself is between places right now. do they have any funny stories about Viktor...
and he embellishes a story about Viktor being lord of the rats. some of the events he regales are plain lies. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)