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[hearuthinking]

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[mehanizovati]

Yes, let's. [hanging around does feel a little like they're tempting fate.

he heads out to take a careful look around- there is something coming out of one portal, a goat of some sort that looks harmless enough. when it looks at them it just... curls up and rolls away. viktor stares in shock for a few moments.] Well... that is not any world I know.

[at least it wasn't a monster? so far so good? he keeps moving, and eventually one of the portals does catch his interest and he points it out.] Over there. [it's an extremely industrial, hobbled together and grimy looking city behind that one, and viktor's eyes light up with both recognition and a touch of confusion as he approaches.]

[hearuthinking]

[He just blinks at the goat. He catches Viktor's eye and cracks up laughing. What else can you do when you see a thing like that? They are getting pretty lucky with these portals. Strange doppleganger aside, that first one was just a Chinese port town. And the goat was weird, but harmless.

Jason turns his attention to the next portal, glancing from it to Viktor]

That where you're from?

[mehanizovati]

[viktor has to helplessly shake his head in return, a little charmed to see jason laughing openly, especially at that ridiculous goat. it has him chuckling, similarly glad that they haven't met any monsters of note just yet. he thinks the portals are largely random but do seem to intune a little who is around, so they're probably lucky no vampires showed up.

viktor frowns at that question, a pause as he considers how to explain it. the city is kind of a lot to take in] Yes? It's ah... this is no doubt the undercity, it's just off in some odd way?

[aka this is the league of legends zaun, not arcane, which is throwing him for a big loop. the portal opens on an alley that is mostly empty, the yells and jeers of a busy street in the background. a step closer and he is positive it's zaun in some way, that overpowering smog and chemical air that fills every street is unmistakable. after a moment of frowning over it he says,] It must be a similar case of alternate universes? Or perhaps this is the undercity some years in the future? Fascinating.

[hearuthinking]

[It is definitely a lot to take in. Jason can't really think of an equivalent from his home. New York can get pretty hectic but this is on another level. It's more like something from that Batman cartoon show]

Well, lots of people here come from different times. Don't see why the portals wouldn't work the same way.

[mehanizovati]

[gotham is honestly not a bad comparison at all, especially when people in gas masks and a general weird grungy punk aesthetic run from one building to another, just casually parkoring up the side like that's normal.

it must be, viktor doesn't bat an eye. instead he focuses on the area, saying] This looks like Emberlift Alley, just subtly off. I grew up near here. [he sounds fond enough, or at least nostalgic. his attention goes to jason.] I don't suppose your world has cities like this? Most in Runeterra aren't like the undercity, it's a rather odd place really.

[hearuthinking]

[He has to do a double-take when he sees the parkour. Yeah, that's definitely something that would've happened in the Batman show. People back home probably do that, too, but it's not really something Jason has ever seen done in real life. For one, where he lived there weren't buildings nearly tall enough to inspire such parkour]

Nope, never seen a place like this. Closest I can think of are cities like Chicago and New York. My friend Nick's from Chicago; he'd be able to tell more than me if it's like this.

[mehanizovati]

There's a city above that is more traditional. I believe it's called art deco? The style at least. [still a little steampunk but otherwise yes, a little less... whatever is happening here.

he considers the place for a few moments until movement startles him, figure sweeping through with a determined step. with that third claw arm retracted viktor has absolutely no clues to what he's looking at, blinking rapidly.] Well... I've never seen augmentations like that before. A little dramatic.

[great self burn, buddy. frankly if it wasn't for the hair he'd assume he's maybe looking at a very complicated robot, which is fascinating enough.]

[hearuthinking]

[Jason knows very little about architecture so he can't really comment one way or another on the style. All he can say is that it looks more industrial than the landscapes he's gotten used to seeing.

He too blinks at the robot? Person? Thing?]

Wait. Are you sayin' that was a person?

[mehanizovati]

Hm, perhaps? Honestly they might be a robot, though the hair seems an odd addition. [viktor answers, tilting his head as he regards the weird maybe a man. at the very least he finds what he can see of the augmentations fascinating, even if the whole picture is a little... well, he doesn't really get what the point of this is. leave it to the undercity to go a little overboard in self expression.]

Augments are fairly common here, though this is far more than I've ever seen one person have. Usually it's just an arm, maybe a jaw or an eye?

[hearuthinking]

[He thinks about it for a moment, trying to find something from Earth to relate this with]

So what, it's kinda like... self-expression shit? Like how people get tattoos or piercings where I'm from.

[mehanizovati]

Ah yes, that's similar. To be fair it's often also medical but... well, if you lost an arm you may as well make your new one exactly to your liking, hm?

[the figure turns, and for a moment viktor thinks it might actually see them, the way it freezes. viktor hastily puts a hand to jason's elbow to tug at him lightly.] Ah, maybe we should retreat, in case this isn't... friendly.

[hearuthinking]

[He tries to imagine what sort of prosthetic Eric would have gotten if he could design it exactly to his liking, and gives up. This is the sort of shit that's better left to people like Merwin or Eric who understand mechanics.

It's all thanks to their adventures at the lighthouse that he immediately responds to the touch at his elbow. Viktor's touch is familiar there and Jason moves accordingly]

Don't suppose you got any idea how to close these things off?

[Just in case something less friendly than that weird rolling goat tries to get through]

[mehanizovati]

Not a clue, I am thinking retreat might be the only option. [well, so is fighting, and that weird robot man is now moving so viktor starts to head away, keeping a hand at jason's elbow just in case.

thankfully nothing seems to come out after them, a quick glance behind showing him the portal remains peacefully standing there. he doesn't stop moving just in case but he does ease the pace a bit, huffing an amused breath.] Well, so far so good. I admit I was worried we'd have to deal with an angry cyborg of some kind. Knowing the undercity they would try to mug us.

[hearuthinking]

[He's a little reluctant to go the fighting route. As long as that robot creature stays in its own world and doesn't attack them, Jason would rather just back off.

Jason has to admit it was interesting, and he's glad he got to see Viktor's world. He has to snort at that mugging comment]

Sounds like New York or Chicago, all right. My mama was always goin' on about people gettin' mugged in the big cities. It's why learning self-defense is important. Though I don't think any of the tricks would work on a fuckin' robot.

[mehanizovati]

[it was nice to see zaun again, even a weird, apparently more robot-filled zaun. now that it seems like they aren't going to have to fight a robot man he's perked up again. it's been a good exploration, what can he say? curiosity sated.]

Ha, she isn't wrong. Well, in the undercity it is nearly a rite of passage to get mugged at some point, I suppose. Less so topside. [so pretty much new york or chicago in all honesty. maybe a little weirder than either, which is saying something.] You make it sound like you grew up more in the country.

[hearuthinking]

Don't know if "country" is the right word, but it was a pretty small town. Most of the time there wasn't enough money to bother muggin' over.

[mehanizovati]

That and more likely to be recognized, I imagine. I've never lived in a small place, even now my lab is in the busier part of the Willful Machine. It's a little hard to picture the streets not always being swamped with people.

[hearuthinking]

If your home was anything like that portal? Yeah, I can see smaller towns bein' strange. [He nods a little] Right. Well, don't forget to swing by the stables sometime. I'll show you a taste of country life.

[mehanizovati]

Mm, mostly yes. That is where I spent the first half of my life, I then moved topside which was far safer but still very much a massive city. I've never been outside of those two before coming here. [he admits, so very much no idea what a smaller town might be like. certainly not the country, which makes him glance over with a faint smile.]

Will there be horses? That is very 'country,' no? [that's about as much as he knows a country life might have. crops? little fairs maybe??]

[hearuthinking]

This place changes every month. Hope you ain't too comfortable.

You're damn right. Pretty well-trained, from what I've seen. [Hey, there may be little Junimos coming out of portals, you never know]

[mehanizovati]

Oh, I know better now than to get comfortable. Look at what something as simple as looking after a lighthouse led us.

[honestly a stardew portal would be particularly hilarious. maybe some fresh fruit or wine would fall through, that would be worth it.] I'd like to see that. I have never seen a horse up close. Do you ride them?

[hearuthinking]

True. [Though it wasn't all bad. The bits where they joked and teased were nice]

Sure, I go horseback when I patrol sometimes. I'm gettin' more used to traveling by lantern, but the horses are good for when you don't wanna do that.

[mehanizovati]

I still owe you a meal though. Would you like to go to one of the stalls around here? [he hasn't really tried much of the 'local cuisine,' so to speak, so it'd be interesting.

somehow jason riding a horse charms him. it helps he's never seen someone do that either outside of books and thinks it looks incredibly dangerous to just dash about on such a large animal.] Truly? Where I am from patrols on horseback sound like Demacian knights. Get some armor and you might fit right in.

[hearuthinking]

I could eat. [And a bonus of hanging out without having to fight off creatures or any other weird Trench shit]

Armor would just slow me and the horse down. Not good when you're goin' after monsters. I got the vest I came in with, and the Hunter clothes protect me in the ways that matter.

[mehanizovati]

Excellent. [he gestures so they can start making their way more towards the bustle of people and away from the smattering of portals. he still glances over when they pass one, both wary and curious, but at a glimpse he just sees what looks like a little town. in new england. maybe a sign proclaiming it little hope.

they might be better off not stopping at that one.]

I always did wonder how they made that armor weight manageable for the horse as well. [he admits.] Do you have to fight often on your patrols?