#break you or forge you into something greater: silco interaction

[shimmerbeasts]

@jynxd cont. from here. Jinx collected nicknames just as much as she picked up a body count. Had been doing so her entire life, either by those she was sent to take or those she'd killed. Her reputation, after all proceeded her, after all. Silco's volatile and unstable lapdog. It was what they all called her, alongside any other derogatory names. Even the people she worked with, the ones who worked so loyally at Silco's side would gossip about her. "Oh she's just his little pet." They said. "Someday he'll get bored of her and throw her out." They also said, knowing she could hear their whispers. Could see the way they looked at her. A small part of her was paranoid, though. That she would outgrow her usefulness and he would just leave her... like VI did. The very thought made her clench her fists. No, he wouldn't. Not after that. Not after she'd dedicated everything to him. She owed him her life. He loved her. Loved her enough to give her a nickname she was proud of. "My little predator." She smiled at that as she sat on his lap and rested her head against his chest. Tears rolling down her face and onto his vest. "Proudly your little predator...and will be again and again."

She had been feeling bad again. Over the many years, Silco had grown increasingly better at picking up his daughter's volatile mood swings. From a glance, he could tell if she was happy, excited or sulking about something. And even though she had always been a very touch-starved individual and a huge hugger, even when she was a little girl, there was a difference between her cuddling him when she was happy and her needing comfort when she was sad.

Today was a case of comfort cuddles. Silco had pushed his chair a bit backwards so that Jinx had all the space, she needed on his lap. Despite being a fully grown woman by now, she was remarkably light. Her body snuggled against his chest and tears soaked through his vest. Jinx had made herself small, even as his arms had wrapped around her. One of his hands rested between her shoulder blades, simply holding her, while the other one caressed her scalp before it went over one of her braids all the way to its end. That same hand would then return back to her scalp and the game would start again.

The Eye of Zaun had been whispering unintelligible words of comfort throughout it all. The only words, Jinx seemed to have chosen to clearly pick up on, was the term of endearment, he had given her back when her monster had only just discovered it had claws and fangs. "My little predator." Upon hearing that word, Jinx immediately calmed down, yet also cried that much harder from relief.

"I know", Silco said as Jinx reassured him that she would be his monster time and time again, "I have never doubted it." He halted in his caress of her braids and lifted her chin up. His thumb traced her cheek and wiped away one of her tears. "Has someone said something bad again? I told Sevika to tell the others to watch their mouths around you."

[shimmerbeasts]

Most Zaunites hardly looked Vastayan anymore. They lacked the fur, animal-like faces, the tails, and the moving ears. They might have sharper teeth and claws, however, like most animals, they had to grow into those at first. Natural selection and interbreeding with people had made Zaunites look more and more human on the outside. Nowadays, few people would even be able to tell that the inhabitants of the Undercity had emerged from a Vastayan gene pool.

Piltover certainly refused to acknowledge it in any meaningful capacity. If you were to ask an Enforcer why exactly animal comparisons were so rampant when it came to speaking of the Undercity, most would just mutter something demeaning about that Zaunites were just filthy animals, plain and simple. Piltover did not acknowledge the Vastayan heritage unless it happened to benefit them. Nothing benefitted the City of Progress more than painting the lower classes as filthy animals, below their notice and unworthy of any benefits or innovation.

One day, Silco would make them fear the very animals, which they chose to talk over and demean. That was why Shimmer existed. It didn't just give Zaun a fighting chance. It reintroduced them all to their forgotten heritage, to the way of the animals, slumbering deep inside of them. That was why Silco spoke of monsters and predators, whenever he met with the Chem-Barons or even just the sons and daughters of Zaun. The children on the streets were far more receptive to exploring their hidden nature, even without Shimmer wetting their lips.

Jinx was one such case. As his beloved daughter turned into a teen, she began to increasingly delve into more animalistic behaviour. From gnawing at his fingers with fangs, which were just growing into their own, to scratching over his arms and sides, ruining his suits and requiring the regular retailoring of his pieces. Silco had never chastised her for it and instead sometimes offered up his hands or arms for her to explore to her full content. The small crescent marks of her fangs were nothing compared to witnessing her monster crawl out of its shell with each passing day.

That monster had grown only more intense, now that his little predator was a Hound.

She had grown to be more than Silco had ever dared to imagine. Moments like this proved that his intuition in taking her in had been right. She wasn't just like him in the pain, Vi's betrayal and abandonment had given her. She was also like him in her fiery passion, her hunger for violence and her absolute ruthlessness. That sickening smile as Jinx spoke of how she would punish Eramis could have made most people ill. However, not Silco. He welcomed it with open arms.

It spoke of the strength of Jinx's mental will that she managed to reel her monster in, even though she had so clearly expressed excitement. Few people had the courage and mental fortitude to release their monster from its chains to let it roam free, however, it took a special kind of mental strength to reattach a harness to your beast and redirect it to where you wanted it to go, let alone, hold it back.

Silco reassured Jinx: "He does, Jinx. He deserves every ounce of pain, coming for him. But alas, my dear, an ambush hunt can only succeed if you sneak up close. Even cursorial hunters need to get in closer before they start chasing their prey to exhaustion. It conserves time and energy and ensures success. You do want success in this hunt, don't you?"

He added: "And of course, I will rile him up for you, Jinx."

As a child she had discovered how cruel the world truly was. Most importantly she discovered what its was like to truly be a zaunite. There were natural, predatorial instincts that those who born here inherited, it was ingrained in their very being. The signs of these instincts would always surface, however for some it showed the older they got, namely in their teens. Most didn’t know what to do about it, just simply let it be but kept it uncontained until they no longer could. However these signs had begun to develop on Jinx before she had even hit double digits.

Jinx was too young at the time to realize what they were or what they meant. It started with little things, such as developing a habit to nip at Silco’s fingers with not yet sharpened teeth. In times where Jinx sought comfort in his lap, she would do this often. Silco never responded, as if it were the most natural thing, like it was supposed to be. Never once did he tell her to stop, in fact he almost seemed to encourage it. Just as he had done when her claws began to surface, the result in which required him to tailor several new suits. Early signs of her monster, one Silco carefully and strategically nurtured, which became a core part of who she was now. This was only made stronger by becoming a hound.

So the idea that someone could not only deny that part of themselves, but turn away from it sickened her. By doing that you were no better than the filth of piltover, and as silco said, you became prey. “Oh you don’t have to worry about that papa, the little piggy will soon discover what it means to feel like prey.” A sickening grin spread across her face at the image of watching him panic and squeal as he was hunted down. “I can’t wait to tear him apart, show him what it’s really like to be a zaunite.”

The grin shrunk as Silco rose his hand, her expression taking a more serious form. Admittedly the excitement was too obvious, she realized. If they went in there now, they would have a warning that something was going to happen. They might even try to run and while she loved the idea of the building fear, it needed to contained. The hunger would have to wait for just the right time, to listen for the go ahead. Conditioning would help ease this but she didn’t want to disappoint Silco by letting her excitement get the better of her.

Jinx steeled her excitement the best she could by taking a deep breath. The effort was aided by the ruffling of her bangs, his encouragement. “Am I that obvious? I’m sorry, it’s just I want him to suffer and so does the monster. He deserves it.” Sapphire orbs glanced up at Silco with determination now as she nodded her head. “For you I can do anything, papa. I’ll hold my excitement for now until you’re ready to make him squeal.”

Very rarely did he reach out and touch her, a touch avqersion she’d only become aware of once she had reached her teens. So just the mere act of touching her, even if it was just her hair, spoke volumes. It had demanded her attention and focus. “I trust you’ll rile him up for me, won’t you papa?”

[shimmerbeasts]

@jynxd cont. from here. Jinx had that extra hop to her step that wasn't ordinarily there. Or rather she didn't ordinarily allow to be shown. However, she was bordering on a state of mania now. A state of mania that didn't hide the exhaustion that she didn't think was obvious. However, Silco was always observant, always quick to notice when something wasn't right. Was off. This wasn't something she wanted to own up to him. She didn't like acknowledging how she struggled to fight off the nightmares that plagued her since she that day. For a while it had stopped and she thought she'd finally gotten past it all. But the last few weeks had proven that it wasn't the case. She couldn't get herself to look at him, instead directing her eyes towards the floor. "I've... I've been having nightmares of that day again. They stopped for a while, but they've come back." Jinx's frown deepened as she turned her away. A feeling of a shame crossed her features and something else... pain.

"I keep seeing my parents dying, again and again and again. Like watching a tape stuck on repeat." Jinx clenched her fists. "They aren't the only ones either, after they die, I watch you die too. That big guy kills you on the bridge. That Vander guy and Vi is there. Laughing and celebrating like she's done something good." She wrapped her arms around him, digging through fabric and into skin. "I didn't want to tell you, you have enough on your plate being the head honcho of Zaun and all. You shouldn't have to worry about little inconvenient matters like nightmares."

Over the years, Silco had gotten exceptionally skilled at reading the different types of energetic behaviour, Jinx exhibited. Thus, he could tell that this energy right here was not a good type of energy. It was the mania, Jinx bore when she slept too little for an extended period of time. Even with the spring in her steps and the frantic glow in her sapphire-blue eyes, Silco could still make out the bags under her eyes and the strain on her face.

He stayed completely silent and still as she spoke of what had prevented her from sleeping. Nightmares about that day, which had changed so many things for them all. Silco could still hear Vander's devastating yell of panic and shock after he had thrown the Molotov cocktail, which had caused the Enforcers to open fire upon them all. Something, he still hadn't told Jinx. After all, how could he?

He wanted to step closer, maybe take her hand or even embrace her. However, he also didn't want to startle her. And so, instead, he stood there, his hetero-chromatic gaze fixed upon her as he listened to every word. His expression turned sad, concerned and soft. Even if he couldn't see Jinx's face, he could feel the pain emanating from her in waves.

As she embraced him, practically clawing herself into his sides and back, Silco didn't even flinch. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Jinx and cradled her head so she could stay close to his chest, listen to his heartbeat and reassure herself through his physical presence that he was alive and well. He stayed silent as he gave her a few minutes to catch her breath and calm down.

"Jinx, your well-being is not an inconvenience for me", Silco spoke, "It never will be. You are the most precious and perfect being, I know. I am concerned if you are not well. And as much as I always say that you must let Powder die, I know that you cannot always control when the past comes back to haunt you. That is not your fault and never will be."

His hand moved up and down her back as Silco sighed low and looked away for a couple of seconds before he spoke: "You know, sometimes I have bad dreams too. Sometimes, I fear I am back in that river and Vander is thrusting me underwater again. Sometimes, I feel like I cannot breathe anymore and no matter how much I struggle, this time, Vander is not letting up and I can feel myself die. And sometimes. on particularly bad nights, I see you die too."

"Vander is dead", Silco reiterated calmly as he caressed Jinx's cheek and lifted her chin up a nudge, making her meet his gaze, "And I am pretty sure if Vi even attempted to kill me, she would be met with a very angry Hound stepping in-between. Everybody dies eventually, Jinx, but I promise you I will not die anytime soon. And I may be the leader of the Lanes and by extension, Zaun, but I promise, I will always have time for you and whatever malady you may have."

[shimmerbeasts]

SPOTIFY WRAPPED - 58 - Mel / Silco or Sevika?

Spotify Wrapped||Accepting.

Song: Denn ich bin der Meister by ASP.

The water had turned murky red from the spilt blood. Silco had made sure that the cuts with Vander's blade were shallow and non-lethal. They lacerated the man's face, shoulders and upper arms. Ran had forced him on his knees, making his feet struggle on the uneven slope of the Pilt's shore. They were hardly standing in deep waters and yet Silco could smell the traitor's fear. Sevika stood a few feet away from them on the dry shore, not needing to get her pants wet. In her muscular arms rested the incriminating evidence of this man's dealings with Piltover.

Silco did not bother inspecting the evidence. Instead, his heterochromatic eyes focussed on the knife, he was holding above his head. It tilted ever so slightly as he inspected the blade. Blood had sullied most of it, but there were still a few patches of clean metal, reflecting his gaze of ice and fire back upon him. Chuckling to himself, Silco turned his face to look down at the water. As murky as it was, his reflection still trembled in the bloody flood.

Silco then peered down at the man, kneeling in front of him. The traitor looked up at him, beads of sweat sticking to his forehead and brows. His Adam's apple bobbed frantically as he swallowed, his breath raspy, expecting the death blow to come at any minute. As a gang leader, Silco usually delegated the duties of killing someone in his way to somebody else. So if you had actually caught his ire and fury enough, that he felt the need to make an example out of you personally, it was terrifying.

His voice was normally a smooth, soft whisper, barely a rill as it lulled you to sleep. Now, however, it gained a sharp authoritative tone, cold and chilling like ice, which cracked and groaned underneath your weight, ready to break at any second. It was just enough that you could tell your impending doom was coming and yet it never gave enough way for you to fully prepare for his wrath. For even a doomed man would learn one final lesson.

"When people look at the Pilt, they always believe that its most dangerous place is its depth where it is dark and cold", Silco spoke, "After all, this is where creatures like sharks live and not even the giant river otters can dive down into their domain. What they fail to factor into this equation, is the truth that the most dangerous place of this river is not its inky depth, but the very surface of the water itself."

Silco set his face against the man, voice dropping into an icicle, which lodged itself into your throat. "The surface of the water blinds, little boy. You cannot see what comes from the inky depths, nor can you see what might strike from above at any time. Controlling the surface of the water means controlling the very border and nexus, where two worlds meet. Only a fool would assume that they stay separate forever."

The man whimpered and tugged at Ran's arm, however, they refused to let go. His whimper turned into earnest sobbing as Silco turned around and sauntered out of the river. He sounded like a man on death's row, who had just been read his last rights. It was a far cry from the arrogant, self-assured whistleblower, they had interrogated a couple of hours ago.

As Silco stepped out of the water and shook his shoes to help them dry, he could make out Mel Merdarda walking across the bridge and heading his way. That was right. He and the councillor had arranged another friendly get-together for today. With the current business at hand, it must have slipped his mind. Feeling Sevika's gaze upon him, he briefly nodded in Mel's direction.

Sevika headed over towards Mel and stepped in her path, tactfully obscuring some of her view. She gave the councillor a polite nod and friendly smile, a greeting among kindred people as she spoke: "The boss is working right now. You might wanna wait a couple seconds before you approach him."

Her words had overpowered the snapping of Silco's fingers and his next spoken words. However, even so, it could do little to overpower the ghastly sounds, which followed soon after. From shrill screams and abrupt gargling to pleas for mercy, which were abruptly cut off by more gurgling and the heavy sounds of a body trashing in the water. These struggles were only accompanied by heavy breathing, growing and a strange muffled sound of something pulling and squelching. No matter how much Mel Merdarda might attempt to peek, Sevika always shifted to block her line of sight.

Silco finally stopped beside them. Only then did Sevika step aside to reveal a larger puddle of red on the Pilt's waves. It quickly diluted from the river's flow, though not without adding a strange crimson bloom as if something was sinking downwards.

Ran loomed behind him. The woman seemed to have doubled or tripled in size, easily becoming as tall as Sevika, if not a few inches more. Their pale skin was streaked with purple veins, straining to contain the Shimmer, pumping through her system. A haunted, barely quenched hunger stare cut through the silence. Ran's eyes were glowing cyan and their half-open mouth had a coating of purple and reddish spit around it. Ran's breathing was ragged and they gnashed their teeth in irregular intervals.

Languidly, Silco pulled out a cigar and held it against his lips. Sevika rummaged in her pockets and pulled out a lighter. As she watched the older man puff at his cigar, enjoying those first few inhales of the smoke, the deputy slipped a bit in the background, letting Silco give Mel his undivided attention. He wore a potent, watchful, yet predatory and sly expression on his face as Silco recounted: "The second greatest pleasure in life is watching pride fall. The greatest pleasure? Delivering that blow."

[shimmerbeasts]

@moxxee liked for a Halloween-esque festival in Zaun starter.

"Careful, Yordle. It is still hot. Boss."

With these words, Sevika handed Silco and the small Yordle-esque creature a stick with roasted and sizzling meat each. The Undercity rarely splurged when it came to meat. In fact, most folks were used to eating fish, crabs, the occasional birds, and mussels daily. Sometimes, a Zaunite would manage to sneak in a rat or even a whump into their diet. However, mammalian meat was a rarity in Zaun. Unless you counted the cannibalism, its people practised, even though nobody talked about it.

The only time, where you might find beef or pig meat in Zaun, was during festivals such as this. However, even then, compared to its big sister Piltover, the Undercity had to settle for cheaper quality in its meat, often sinew or fatty and tough to chew. Still, given how rarely most of these men got to taste red or white meat, they welcomed it after their diet of seafood all the more.

"Thank you, Sevika."

Silco took the roasted skewer from her hands. The two Zaunites were donning the traditional elements of the festival: Nails and canine teeth painted scarlet while the remaining teeth donned a different colour. For Silco, it was black. Sevika had picked an unsavoury-looking yellow. His deputy's metal arm was covered in scribbles of blood. No doubt, Jinx had been allowed to decorate the arm, solely for the purpose of this festival. Silco himself had added some blood splatters to one of his sides, however, he had not gone as overboard as others did tonight.

The loud bangs of firecrackers and small rockets disrupted the chilly night once every while. Fires crackled in some of the bins. The thick smoke hounded the streets and once every while, a V coil hit some wet metal unexpectedly, setting a cascade of sparks up into the air. Swaying crowds trotted around in the dim light and little groups gathered around storytellers, who illustrated horrifying tales of monsters and men with broad sweeps of their hands. Some people queued up for a skewer or some punch. Children were running around between them, laughing loudly, and chasing each other with a dead fish head in hand.

Silco swallowed a mouthful of meat and looked down at Moxxie. "How are you holding up, Moxxie? Nothing too loud for you?", he inquired.

[shimmerbeasts]

Ran gingerly shut the door behind themselves as they followed Dustin towards the desk. Silco had folded up the blueprints once more and stored them away. Instead, he sat there, the map of Zaun clearly visible on his desk. His nostril twitched at the smell of Sevika's cigarillo smoke, however, his focus remained solely on his escort and runner.

While Silco insisted that everybody in the gang could work together well, he knew certain combinations were more efficient and effective than others. Ran and Dustin had worked for him since they had been children, and apart from becoming capable resistance fighters, they had also become a formidable team.

Silco explained briskly: "Ran, Dustin, Sevika was able to locate a group of smugglers, stealing several barrels of semi-refined Shimmer directly from the factories." He showed them the factories on the map. "I need you two to go in there and search for more clues about how that contraband came to be. Interrogate the factory workers and keep hold of anybody, who might be hiding something. Do not kill anybody yet. You are after information, nothing more."

Ran looked at Dustin before they nodded towards Sevika and asked: "Is Sevika coming with us, Sir?"

"No, she is with me. You are doing this on your own."

Ran gave a courteous nod. "Understood, Sir. Dustin, come on. We got work to do." Grabbing her friend by his sleeve, Ran half pulled, half guided the other man out the door and downstairs.

Silco stood up. Straightening out his vest and sleeves, he walked over towards his coat hanger. As the Eye of Zaun slipped into the wide, black cloak with the beautiful red collar and golden lining, Silco explained: "Sevika, we are going to pay Renni a visit. We both suspect that she may be behind this. While Ran and Dustin figure out more for us, we are going to confront Renni directly. Even if we do not yet have the full details of her plan, we suspect enough. Just pretending that we have seen through her, should be enough to get her to crack. Renni may be physically strong, but she has weak nerves and a flimsy constitution. Which is exactly how we are going to break her."

A thing she could always appreciate about Silco was how consistent he was. She knew what to expect from him and his temperament She understood where it came from, too. The Cause was too important for anything less than the best to lead it. They wouldn't be able to overthrow Piltover with weaklings, and a leader reflected their people. It was also why the control of shimmer was so imperative to their success. It was a potent substance, one that could make or break a mind, with potent and sometimes permanent effects on the body. Silco had a right mind to hold the stuff close to his chest. Renni, if she was behind it, had no idea what or who she was fucking with.

As the blueprints were revealed atop the desk, Sevika stayed still, though her eyes shifted to look them over in a quick scan. Something to do with the chem tanks, she presumed, from the design of the tubing and armor plating. She didn't deal with them very often, preferring the company of more sentient and intelligent companions. Those husks were haunting reminders of what the true cost of the war would be.

Her head lifted back up from it's idling drift when she heard Silco's mumble. It was slightly vindicating to have her suspicions mirrored by his own, though it was clear to her that neither of them had enough evidence to make a move, yet. She would let him stew more on it while investigating more intensely.

When the order came, she tipped her head into a diligent nod before heading for the door. "Yes, sir."

Ran and Dustin were as reliable as it came. They had been a part of Silco's gang since the early days, sacrificing their youths to his cause. She took some pride in having been present to see their progress over the years, helping to shape them into strong and capable resistance fighters.

She rounded the corner and went down the stairs, passing Dustin by at the bar and whapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. The younger man jumped with a grunt, nearly spilling his drink. "Come on. We got work to do." She jutted her head in the direction of Ran once she'd spotted them. "You too. With me. Boss's orders." The boar turned her back toward them, fully expecting them to follow her back up the stairs.

Once she was back in the office, she moved to the couch and sat herself down, flicking out and lighting a match against her metallic arm. She lit a cigarillo hanging between her lips, embers glowing red with her inhale. "Close the door behind you," she sternly suggested to them through a plume of smoke.

[shimmerbeasts]

@dcyseeker cont. from here. the hiss she makes sounds metallic as it leaves her mask , violet eyes glancing over the wound in the flesh arm . she feels mildly sorry for the poor fool stood next to her , sowing the sitches into her arm . one wrong move and her metal hand could end up around his next . part of her is somewhat impressed that someone had managed to sneak up on her , tried to kill her , but the other is convinced that they clearly don't fear her enough . that is a wrong that she would soone put to right .

the chem baroness looks up at the familiar voice , expression blank as not to give anything away . they were business partners , not friends , and so his concerned tone makes her scoff somewhat . in her opinion , anyone who made out they cared purely just wanted to be on her good side . she holds her tongue . her arm flinches as another sitch is made , a glare being thrown at the man at her side before her gaze returns to silco . " it is not the worse injury i have ever had , the fool that did it is in a much worse position ." she choose not to illaborate , the news of the mans condition would surely spread around zaun soon enough , a reminder not to mess with her . " besides , it didn't halt my plans like they hoped it would , everything is still moving as planned . "

Despite being business partners, Silco and Renata Glasc had two very different ideas on how to conduct themselves. While Silco tended to allow hints of an almost compassionate tone to slip into his voice, Renata stoically stayed strictly professional. There were merits to both of their ways. Silco preferred building a somewhat trusting relationship with his partners. Loyalty was a two-way street and trust was the asphalt, supporting that same street.

At the same time, Silco could understand that Renata didn't want to reveal any signs of weakness and he tactfully did not initiate such. Wounds were a part of life in the Undercity. Claiming someone wounded was automatically exposing weakness was a very stupid idea. The wound itself was already your weakness. There was little point in hiding pain when people could see the blood dripping down your body and seeping into your clothing.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Renata", Silco spoke as she remarked how she had immediately retaliated against her attacker. No doubt he would learn of his state in the coming days soon enough. "And of course, your plans are not stalled. Most of those attacks feel more like children lashing out than a cohesive plan. They believe that cutting down the leader of a gang automatically halts their entire progress."

A fundamental misunderstanding of gang structure as far as Silco was concerned. A part of him didn't fear death for he knew that even if he were to die, his deputy would simply take his place as the leader. Silco hadn't just made one of the most competent people his deputy, but also someone who was just as obsessed with the Cause as him. If Zaun didn't become liberated within his lifetime, Sevika would fight for his same goal until her last breath. Meanwhile, Jinx was becoming more and more like a living embodiment of Zaun itself. Just like Sevika, she would continue the fight. Silco knew it.

[shimmerbeasts]

           ❛       WELL   ,   i  am  sure  you  have  much  to  cater  to   ,      ❜       soraka  offers  sweetly  ,  GENTLY   ,   slender  purple  hand  to  go  to  reach  out  and  PRESS  the  stray  hair  out  of  silco's  face  ,             ❛       do   ,  please  ,  take  CARE  silco   .   i  know  you  have  much  on  your  MIND  ,   but  i  worry  about  you  as  well  .     ❜     celestial  cups  his  CHEEK  ,  gentle  ,  not  afraid  of  his  reaction  .             ❛       please  .  if  you  need  anything  ,  i  am  just  a  yell  away  .      ❜     [ for the flirty / teasing , from soraka -> silco ] !

He still hadn't fully grown accustomed to Jinx's new magical friend. Even for a Vastaya, she had looked a little bit out there. The flax hair, her thick fur-covered legs and the cloven hooves as well as the golden horn on her head made her look unlike any Vastaya, Silco had ever seen before. She claimed she was a celestial being. Not an Aspect, but almost a star herself. Silco had no trouble believing that. There was something magical about her very presence.

The one element about Soraka, which was a lot harder to adjust to, was her motherly nature. Silco was someone, who tended to keep other people, save for a select few, at an arm's length. Unfortunately, Soraka was making this much harder than he would have liked. Not only had she found her way into his office, but she was also touching him, caressing the strands away from his face much like a mother would.

Do not think of Mum, do not think of Mum, do not think of Mum!

He could still remember the heavy feeling of the kettle in his hands, the way the hot metal grew sticky and slick from... Well, from what was fairly obvious, wasn't it?

Silco pushed himself out of the hole, his mind was trying to drag him in. Feeling Soraka's hands on his cheeks, he caught her wrist in a similar fashion to how he might have handled Jinx. The gesture was almost instinctual nowadays on his part. However, unlike Jinx, whom he allowed remaining close to him even as he demanded her attention, he eased Soraka off him and created a handful of distance between them. It was not so much that it would be deemed demeaning or arrogant. In fact, it was probably barely visible. However, it still enforced the Eye of Zaun's authority on a subtle level.

Silco said: "Soraka, as appreciative as I am of your offered aid and support, was it really necessary to tell me all this in such a fashion? One might have thought, you are one of the girls at Babette's and I highly doubt that. Right now, I don't need anything." A suppressed grunt escaped him and his hand instinctively rubbed across his temple on the side of his infected eye. Feeling Soraka's concerned gaze on him, Silco added hastily: "I'm fine. Don't worry yourself about me. I have my medicine in my drawer."

[shimmerbeasts]

@jynxd liked for a Halloween-esque festival in Zaun starter.

The low drumming of sticks, hitting the metal barrels, in which some people had lit a fire, reached their ears. The sparks flew and the thick smoke shrouded everything in mystery. Silco's shoes squashed in the mud, grime and blood, which never seemed to fully disappear from the streets. Faces, coloured in fluorescent paint, greeted him from the sidewalk as small groups, huddled together around one of them, who with broad gestures for illustration was telling a horror story.

Almost all Zaunites had painted their fangs and nails with some variation of red tonight. Even Silco, who normally only ever applied foundation to his face, donned a pair of crimson fangs, starkly contrasted by otherwise completely black teeth. He had allowed Jinx to use fluorescent and glitter paint in purple and orange to draw over the scars on his face, creating an intricate web around his eye. He wore older clothing tonight to be able to have blood-soaked sleeves and splatters on the back of his vest. They had been organised to look more like the patterns of a leopard seal.

Jinx had run ahead for a couple of minutes, disappearing in the swaying crowd, however, his beloved predator was now elbowing her way back to him, a spring in her step. Silco gave a low hum and inclined his head to the side as she finally came to a stop before him. He inquired:

"I presume, you found what you wanna have for dinner on this fine evening? Or is that another attempt to drag me into a crowd and make me the storyteller this time? I told you I don't tell horror stories."

[shimmerbeasts]

"Good. We need you back on your feet as soon as possible."

Silco's mismatched eyes drifted over Sevika as she sat there and shrugged her arms - both of them. Even though she was currently resting in her bed, with a blanket up her legs and a bandage around the stomp of her missing arm, she exuded raw confidence, driven determination and a willingness to get things done. She was not a leader by any means, but she was damn competent and confident in her abilities. People would listen to her.

His wandering made him halt before the window. Peering out into the Pilt, Silco could make out the sleek, massive bodies of Giant River Otters passing by underneath the waters. Their angular snouts opened wide, whiskers bristling, and they snapped for fish swimming by. One of the otters was missing one of its hindlegs, yet it slammed its tail sideways in the water, keeping up with the bevvy. Silco followed the mammals with his gaze for a few seconds.

"You did a very brave thing back there", Silco said, "There are few more ultimate proofs of true loyalty than risking your life for someone, you just met." He peered down at Sevika, briefly smiling. "I am not going to pretend you saved me because you somehow care for me as a person. I already have a wretched reputation. You didn't save me because I am the familicide killer. You saved me because you believe in the independence of the Nation of Zaun as much as I do. You are willing to risk everything for it. That's why you left Vander."

His hand placed itself on the railing of her bed. Nodding towards her stomp, Silco said: "Even paying for your prosthetic arm can hardly begin to encompass how much I owe you for the sacrifice, you made for me. Know that you have my gratitude for it, until the day I die. However, we also should not kid ourselves. The current hold, we have on The Last Drop is fragile. Very fragile. Vander still has some folk loyal to him and they will fight for this place. Furthermore, my gang is missing a pivotal element for me to be properly taken seriously and accepted as the new leader of the Lanes. Without it, my own men might turn on me at any given moment. Without it, I will always be second best in the eyes of the other Chem-Barons."

"My gang needs a deputy", Silco spoke, "I need someone, who is willing to share the burdens with me, sweat and bleed for the Cause. You have shown dedication in ways, that most of that ragtag bunch wouldn't even be able to understand. You seem to be a strong and scary lady, someone who not only can take a lot but whom others could follow. I want to reward you for your sacrifice, Sevika. It just so happens that my reward might also solve a problem for me. In a way, we would both win. I need a deputy and I would very much like to announce you as that role, if you permit me."

Sevika wasn't expecting Silco or anyone to get her a new arm. She had known there was a risk of injury when she agreed to work for him. Just like any other job, there was always a risk. She might not have the money for a new arm now but she had been prepared the the possibility that she might lose a limb for a long time now.

She wasn't happy about it but she would adjust and survive, just as she always had and always would. She felt a bit of worry that Silco wouldn't see it that way but even so. She knew she could earn her paycheck and her place at his side if given the chance.

She wasn't as passionate about Silco's ideals as he was but she knew a leader when she saw one and she had seen that he was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his ideals. She respected that, she respected him. So she would give him her loyalty and do her damnedest to do her job for him.

"Not at all sir." She replied calmly when he entered. She remained sitting up and watched him closely. She was trying to tell if he was about to kick her to the curb now that she was awake or if he was going to question her ability to do her job first. She thought he'd at least have a conversation with her first since he didn't seem the type to discard people without good reason.

"I'm as well as can be expected sir and better than I would have been if I'd been hurt working for someone else." Sevika replied with a sight shrug, not shying away from moving what was left of her damaged arm. It was sore but not nearly as bad as she was expecting so the drugs they were giving her must have been decent at least. "Shouldn't be too much longer before I can get back to work."

[shimmerbeasts]

@knightfeared liked for a starter. [Silco & Vander]

"Drop."

The word and the snapping of his fingers almost overpowered one another. As soon as Silco had performed these actions, it was like someone had reverted a switch in Vander's head. The growls and grunts quietened and the pounding of knuckles against flesh lessened. His brother backed away from their target.

Silco stepped out of the shadows to inspect their work. His blue eyes shimmered in a mixture of shock, sick satisfaction and pleasure. Before their feet lay a gasping and wheezing Enforcer. He had been snooping around near what one day people would call the Lanes. However, now you would be hard-pressed to even call this man an Enforcer, let alone recognise that this pile of misery had once been a human being.

The man lay in a pool of his own blood. His formerly fanciful uniform had been ripped into shreds, tethers and threads, hanging from the body. The mask had been broken and blood crusted around it. That same blood was forming a sticky paste around his mouth and a broken nose. One of his eyes had been swollen shut from the blow. His temple was bleeding, blood smearing across his hair.

His body was plastered in larger and larger bruises. One of the swellings, covering the rips, looked particularly severe. It would not surprise Silco if some of the rips had been broken and the man was bleeding internally. However worst of all were the teeth mark, littering the Enforcer's throat and shoulders. They were imprecise and unfocussed, despite their brutality, almost as if Vander didn't have the right set of molars for what he had tried to do.

His gaze turned towards Vander and somehow, Silco felt like he had never seen something more beautiful. Vander's hands were dripping red and even his beard carried the coppery moisture of the blood. He seemed tense as if he still had to remember how to move his own body, now that Silco's conditioning had been turned off. It had worked again and better than the younger man had even dared to dream of.

Silco placed a hand upon Vander's upper arm, drawing his brother's gaze on him. His voice was soft, reverent and excited as icy blue eyes seemed to practically glow in excitement: "Brother, do you know what that means? It means that we can beat the Enforcers. That man threatened to shoot and yet, you moved forward anyway. And look what you did!" He gestured towards the dying figure. "If that happens to enough Enforcers, they will not dare to set foot in the Undercity ever again. We may finally have a chance to get Topside to listen to us!"

He grabbed Vander by his collar, leaned himself up as much as he could and pressed a feverish kiss upon the other's mouth, tasting the blood on his beard, unable to contain his excitement. Silco dropped back on his feet and said: "You were magnificent, Vander. How are you feeling, brother? Are you alright?"

[shimmerbeasts]

💿 for Silco?

Random Song Inspired Starter||Accepting.

He could see the fireworks from here.

Once every year, Piltover turned the day brighter than it had any right to be and prolonged its passing long into the night. Once every year, all those merchant clans and their overzealous, busy bees of inventors threw their gilded gates wide open and invited more foreigners into their City of Progress than grapes fit on a vein.

All for one purpose: To celebrate their glorious and shining future, which they kept reinventing every year because they were all like children: They all needed to have the flashiest, brightest and loudest, new invention, optionally adorned with glitter and gold and sparkles. They had such a flimsy understanding of the word future and their definition of progress was a joke. Silco had never seen more self-congratulatory, old men in powdered wigs and with stiff collars, shaking hands as they celebrated what amounted to tradition more than innovations.

And for that tradition, named Progress Day, they threw parades and banquets and lit fireworks and made so much noise, that it seemed to make the Undercity practically minuscule during this day. For they were all still choking on the Grey and toiled away in the dark. Their inventions were not flashy or sparkly, certainly not brilliant in the light of day. No, what a Zaunite built, was grungy, dirty, volatile and prone to malfunction. Chemicals bubbled and squirted out of holes in metal casings and the steam, coming out of ventilations, could singe your skin.

Still, Progress Day loomed over them all and the little sister had to watch, swallowing up its own envy until it choked on the bile. Silco had brought Elise outside, not in the mood to stay in The Last Drop and its stuffy air. Instead, he, Jinx and his trusted medic were sitting by the shoreline to watch the fireworks.

As much as Silco disliked the blatant display of wealth, prestige and power, his daughter seemed to delight more in the colours, Piltover shot up into the sky. Jinx was sitting on a barrel, filled with dried fish, banging her steel-toed boots against the wood. Her twin braids pooled around her as her body jerked back and forth as she pointed at whatever colour delighted her at that moment. Her sapphire eyes seemed to capture the glow of the fireworks and her fanged smile looked a touch brighter. It was a small solace for his bitter heart.

"It feels like they are laughing at us", Silco said, "Laughing at the whole world's more like it. Their innovations make them gods in their own private bubbles, uncaring to the hell they cause outside of it. Only a town, where one innovation chases the next, can have such a nebulous concept of the future. And yet, they can throw all that might and money around because they have it in abundance. It's disgusting."

He picked up the bottle of cheap wine, wrapped in an old paper bag, standing between his legs. Popping the cork, the Eye of Zaun took a sip. Silco moistened his lips with his tongue, feeling his throat convulse at the watery consistency of the wine and its sourness. He offered the bottle to Elise and said sardonically:

"Happy Progress Day, Elise."

Song used: Du Spielst Gott by Oomph

[shimmerbeasts]

Silco Tag Dump.

[shimmerbeasts]

Even if the woman didn't look like someone from Piltover, she reminded him distinctly of it. That raised head and grace was far more common among the merchant clans across the river than anybody in Zaun. Zaunites' confidence was fostered by knowledge of your own skill as well as partly funnelled through predation and animalism, which made out so much of the microlanguage down here. Those made up the Zaunite habitus. You couldn't pick that up from just a few visitations downstream.

There was a barely visible glimmer of contempt in Silco's infected eye, though, maybe that was just a trick of the light. He merely said: "Indeed it does."

An aged hand with pale, smudged grey skin and pointedly clipped nails reached for a cigar and a lighter on his desk. Heterochromatic eyes rested on Alba deep in thought. The hand lifted up, positioned the cigar between chapped lips and the flame of the lighter gave the softest of hisses. The silence stretched itself out for a couple of precious seconds before Silco lowered the cigar and exhaled the smoke.

He said: "I suppose you owe me a bit more of a finer explanation. What is it people say outside of the borders of Zaun and Piltover about me? And from where have you heard such rumours? After all, not every source is of equal credibility. And what exactly would you need a contact here for anyway? Are you part of a spy network? You must realise choosing a Chem-Baron as an informant is a bad idea. I could be dead by sundown and then, where will your precious information go?" He gestured towards her. "As for things to offer me other people cannot? Am I supposed to understand you mean your shapeshifting powers by that?"

If there was something other than her accent to stand out on the stranger, it was the fact that she didn’t seem to fear anything. Whether due to her pride, an excess of trust in her own abilities, or having another card up her sleeve was still to be discovered. She held her head high with pride and moved with the grace of a noblewoman.

“I can imagine. Keeping such a well-successful enterprise and ruling an entire city certainly is enough to keep one very busy.” At the mention of her being a shapeshifter, the woman widened her smile, showing perfect, even, and white teeth.

“I came all the way here just to make your acquaintance. Your name traveled far, going well beyond the limits of your region.” She made a small pause, “Since I already know your name, I suppose it’s just fair that I give mine, no? You can call me Alba.” Upfront, she didn’t seem like she was trying to make his life difficult, at least. “And if possible, to keep you as a contact here in Zaun. I’m sure I’m not the first nor the last to try it, but I can offer a few things in exchange that your other business partners can’t.” The good thing about being old and having members of her cabal everywhere is that she could gather both information and all sorts of useful items from everywhere. Magical relics that were one of their kind, books on any subject, and, of course, safe passage to anywhere, including places Silco’s influence had yet to reach.

[shimmerbeasts]

His words had nothing to do with disappointment. They had been meant as an indirect lesson to her. Jinx was still young. Much like predator cubs practised for the real dangers of a hunt with games and catching insects, so did she have to learn slowly how to become the monster, he could sense slumbering inside of her.

No doubt, Vander had done everything in his power to declaw and defang the predator before it grew too big. Silco had his work cut out for him. But oh, it felt so worth it and satisfying to do. Like a little revenge against his brother even from beyond the grave.

Her lips quivered at him saying sump snide as if she was trying to suppress a laugh. Mismatched eyes locked onto her. The icy blue and fiery orange was hard to read and for a few seconds, Silco's face looked almost waxen. His lips pulled sideways, revealing crooked teeth in a soundless snarl. A displeased reaction, he couldn't quite stop before it occurred.

It wasn't the first time that other Zaunites had mocked Silco for his more proper accent, for having learned to somewhat talk like a Piltie. Even while Silco had been a little boy, his peers had mocked him for being invested in the study of human behaviour and fanciful words like habitus. However, the fox had ignored the mockery, deafened his ears and hardened his heart against it. They may not see the value in it, but he did. And look who was laughing now?

Not them, that was for sure.

Silco could feel Jinx study him discreetly as he worked on cutting her free from the net. He made no remark on it, though he couldn't help but be bemused by it. Jinx may still be a child, but she was already showing traces of someone, who grew up too fast. Traces, he shared. Fate was a strange thing. After all, who could have foreseen that he took in someone so similar to him?

"Everybody makes mistakes once every while", Silco said, "What is important, is to avoid repeating them. Plus you are still young, Jinx. There is a lot you have to learn. Therefore, more frequent mistakes are easily forgivable. But yes, you are right. You should be able to fix this rifle and maybe even make it better if you have the necessary knowledge. Which no doubt you have."

He gave a low hum, pondering over how to answer this question. Eventually, the Eye of Zaun rose and simply said: "You remind me of myself when I was younger. What happened to you... I have been there. I do not want you to have to experience that pain alone. Furthermore, I can see the monster slumbering inside of you. The beast, Vander was too scared to unleash. I think you will feel better if you can release it. Become bigger and scarier than what makes you afraid."

Up to the thief. He was right. Jinx knew that instantly, just as she could instantly tell he was talking about her. Were the names meant for her, too? 'Sump snide,' was that her?

Did that mean he was disappointed? In her?

and what does it matter anyway

The way he said 'sump snide' sounded so weird on his 'all-proper' accent, though — it shooed the hard lines in her small face right off. (She was trying not to giggle.)

So Jinx let him lift the piece from her. Pretended not to watch out the corners of blue eyes — (purpling, however indistinctly, in the low lights) — how he worked on it. Or document the ins and outs of his face in that vaguely unsettling way all small children do. When they've been forced to grow older, in their heads, before they're meant to.

Somehow, sometimes, it was still so unfamiliar; his face, with its marks and lines. Some of them were because of her, like everything that night was because of

“I should've made sure it was okay,” she decided, eventually, “I'm sorry. It won't happen again. But . . . that means I can fix it, right? It's not . . . ruined? I can make it better.”

Would she 'like that'?

“. . . Why?” A child's voice, even though she was trying to be careful. Strong, like you were supposed to down in the Undercity, like she had to be now. “How come . . . Why do you —” want to, but did he want to, wasn't she just trouble for him? “— do this stuff, for . . . me.”

Easier than 'Why do you help me,' because that just made her sound weaker, anyway.