Chapter Text
See something, say something.
A phrase Ximena Talis had always told her son since he was young.
So, when Jayce notices a shady man following someone down an alleyway in the dim street lights of Pintover after sundown. His natural instinct was to stick around, maybe even intervene – especially after seeing that the man being followed was at a physical disadvantage.
However, what would the tall, muscular, capable Jayce Talis do if while he was curiously peeking into the alley, the first thing he hears after a generic “give me your money” was the unmistakable sound of a bone cracking, a gruff cry, the waning sound of footsteps, followed by the clack of a familiar cane against the cement floor.
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Growing up in Zaun was of no benefit to a young scholar trying to properly integrate into Piltover’s speckless pale buildings embroidered with gold (He had wondered to himself if it was real gold when he had first stepped foot into Piltover). Neither was he accustomed to the disingenuous laughs that would go around a group in response to a simple joke, even one that he would never once consider a ‘joke’.
Viktor swore he would rather suffocate himself with his very own pillow than continue staying seated at that table for the staff meeting. He contemplated returning to his Faculty Residence. It wasn’t all that long of a walk from the Academy, and getting an extra hour of sleep would pay off at least a small percentage of his sleep debt from the first half of the year.
He loathed it when people made claims they do not believe in.
So when he heard the words “give me your money”, all he could think was that it was the most straightforward, simple thing he had heard since he last stepped out of Zaun 5 years ago. He’d even dare to say it reminded him of home. Perhaps that was exactly why a Zuanite like Viktor, though disabled, ended up as the worst prey for a petty mugger from Topside – after countless times of being the victim of petty robbery, he knew exactly how not to.
Viktor overcame the surprise rather quickly, and went through the series of his next actions in his mind.
‘Lean in your good leg, grip your cane and go for it in’
It was clear the mugger in front of him was rather impatient, or just confused as to why his target did not look remotely scared of a hooded man with a knife. Though, technically , it wasn't exactly a very big one.
Viktor quickly maneuvered his cane, hooked its handle behind the thief’s left calf and pulled it with as much speed and force as he could muster. The robber was unprepared to avoid the blow due to having expected a much more gullible victim. The back of his head came into contact with the floor and knocked out almost immediately.
The impact was not enough to cause any major damage, but Viktor almost felt bad. Though, life was just unfair like that, and he knew that more than he ever wished he did.
Viktor figured he’d rather make a move on and get to his apartment than linger for the robber’s consequential anger.
—
Viktor, much to his dismay, did not quite manage to avoid all the consequences.
He stumbled back to his Faculty Apartment at the edge of the vast campus, the slight hills and valleys not helping his case much. Nor did the fact that his leg had already been aching up since the morning – even without the recent strain when he decided to defend himself.
Though the thought of his pain being caused by his own stubbornness made him feel more in control than simply putting it off to being a ‘bad leg day’. Viktor would savour his illusion of choice.
No matter his philosophies, he managed back to his apartment, setting the pain and annoyance at his misfortune in a jar before settling in front his table to continuing marking his students’ assignments.
He went only a few minutes of staring at his work before he grabbed the bottle of pills on his table and popped one. He rationed his pain medication as far as he could, though it was getting harder to do so by the months.
‘With or without the pain, he will survive. He had promised himself that years ago. He must.
He decided to take the night off and go to bed early.
—
Jayce really hadn’t expected much to have changed when he had agreed to join the academy as a guest lecturer for a couple months. Much less had he expected to witness such a scene when he was roaming around campus, out of nostalgia.
Perhaps even more so, he had not expected to see one of his ex-classmates at the center of that spectacle.