25

Chapter Seventeen

"Mr. Talis, I hope you have an explanation for what happened!" Councilor Tariost demanded as I walked in, a little tired, two days later, the fat man's anger barely covering his fear.

Indeed, most of the Councilors seemed scared, though Mrs. Kiramman was faking it, except, oddly, for Heimerdinger, who just seemed… distracted.

"Oh, I do," I replied smoothly, if with a performative tightness in my tone, striding up to the arranged leaders of Piltover, pulling a cart alongside me. "Would you like the short version, or the long version?"

Next to him, Salo Arvino sneered, the thin, feminine man glancing nervously towards the cart and its locked cases, "The short. We're busy people, and you've taken up enough of our time as is, trying to calm down everyone you've frightened!"

Bolbok, predictably, wheezed, "I warned. That dabbling. In the Arcane. Was Dangerous."

Mel Medarda disagreed with the blonde man, ignoring the suited being entirely, "I would personally prefer a more comprehensive explanation, so as to best determine our actions going forward."

"I can do both," I shrugged, pulling on a glove as I opened the topmost case, a burst of blue smoke billowing out that saw them all lean back, save Councilor Kiramman, who I'd warned. "The short version? Nepo Hires."

And, using a pair of tongs, I removed the Mana-soaked clamp I'd pulled off of one of the Hexgate's interior doors.

It glowed.

Mind you, I could handle it with my bare hands, but that was because of my Defences. We'd run an experiment with a cut of beef and it'd sizzled, blackening and gaining flecks of blue, reflecting, to a much lesser degree, the kind of scarring that Sevika bore.

"What the devil is that?" Counselor Heimerdinger, having perked up when I'd broken containment, demanded.

"That is what happens when people decide that safety protocols aren't worth listening to," I responded. "Councilor Hoskel, years ago, I likened the theft and subsequent discharge of a few of my Hexcrystals to having a thief break into your powder stash and accidentally setting it alight. This is akin to the aftermath of your own guard force deciding they didn't need to close the barrels to make retrieving powder easier, and building a fire for warmth."

Gesturing with the glowing clamp, I continued, "The Hexgate has redundant safeties, which received Counselor Heimerdinger's approval, yet those safety protocols are nothing but empty air if they are not followed. Tell me, is anyone here not familiar with the concept of a bulkhead door in a ship, which can be closed to seal off breached compartments?"

That… got me a large amount of blank stares.

"Do you mean, like in mines?" Shoolah Ferros suggested. "To seal gas leaks?"

"I mean, there too," I shrugged. "I could've sworn I'd read about metal ships though."

Clearing his throat, Councilor Salo put forward, "I believe Noxus has started using metal ships in their fleet?"

Mood now completely shattered, from righteous indignation to confused musing, and with the dynamic no longer an adversarial one, even if accidentally, I smiled, "Ah, yes, Thank you, Councilor, that must've been it! Well, I use them in the Hexgate, the doors, not metal ships, because, a bit like powder in a breeze, or gas, the effects of an unrestricted Hexcrystal can spread," I stated, expression falling once more to seriousness. "You all, save Councilor Bolbok, have toured the facilities, and you've seen the layers of protection we have. It's in every employee's training manual, signs are posted informing the workers to be careful, and I have, personally, given a demonstration every six months showing why it needs to be done. However, that, apparently, wasn't enough."

Hoskel frowned, "So you're saying this happened because you couldn't control your people? You must know that such a thing reflects poorly on you. If they're your people, they're your responsibility, after all!"

"Well that's the thing," I answered smoothly, "Because the culprits were your people, Councilor Tariost, and yours, Councilor Arvino, and especially your people, Councilor Ferros. You all requested that I take on your workers, as did Councilor Heimerdinger, but while the Dean's people understood when I started using terms like 'Hazardous Materials', and 'Structural Destabilization, and, of course, my favorite, 'Exponentially Increasing Chain Reaction', those men and women that you three insisted could do the job seemed to be under the impression that they were working on steam boilers, that my safety procedures were over-cautious nonsense, and, most of all, that they knew the technology that had just been invented better than its creator did."

Shoola frowned, the woman's interlocking gear neckpiece clicking away, "Many times those that have been working with a device for years, gaining practical experience, know its true capabilities more than whoever first came up with the idea."

"You're right," I nodded, to her confusion. "And if this were the latest iteration of a well-understood device, such a conclusion very well might have merit. But Hextech, as a whole, is three years old, and most of the people working the Hexgates have, at most, a single year's experience. This means you had people with a Journeyman's confidence but an Apprentice's understanding of what they were doing that viewed my instructions as ignorable, as if they themselves were Masters. All with the protection of Piltover's Nobility to cover their deficiencies."

Hoskel bristled, "You can't just accuse a noble house of such a thing without proof! How do you know some low-born fool isn't just trying to blame their betters?""

I slowly blinked, then lifted the still smoking clamp.

"I let managers select their employees, and they all chose their own people, with the exception of the Academy, who, having been part of the Academy, I made sure to put under either Councilor Kiramman's or my own personal hires, because both students and staff need direction when they're focusing on a project," I informed him. "So I say the blame lies with you, as, due to the almost fatal incompetence of your people, I had to go rewire the entire thing, on the fly, practically swimming through Mana, to keep them from wrecking Piltover, just as if someone decided to, say, open all of the Sungates at once, because 'hurr durr water go downhill so ships go faster!'" I mocked.

"Watch your tongue!" Hoskel barked, offended.

I paused, turning towards him, and blandly acquired, "What?"

"I am not sure how you are used to speaking to others, but you will be respectful when dealing with your betters," the Tariost speaker declared, turning red in the face.

Clearing her throat, Mrs. Kiramman noted, "This is Mr. Talis being respectful. That said, Jayce, I know how these last few days have stressed you, but, perhaps, a bit more tact?"

"I, for one, appreciate Young Jayce's honesty and forthrightness!" Heimerdinger disagreed. "Science cannot be done with pleasantries alone, and it is only by finding what has gone wrong that we can put it to rights!"

Holding up a forestalling hand, I added, "I apologize, Councilors. I did not mean to denigrate your intelligence or capability, only those who almost caused the deaths of… quite a few. There were still many Mana-created injuries, which is something that, ironically, I do not know how to help with, as I, and Councilor Heimerdinger's apprentice, Viktor, have been very careful to avoid such things. It's just that when the cause of such a problem is so stark that… I find myself aggravated."

Nodding to my Patron, I continued, "I actually had to toggle open the doors to the sections the Kiramman people were working, and while they did have two or three Hexcells open at once, instead of the one I'd suggested, that wouldn't've caused an issue, as opposed to the dozens upon dozens in the other sections, who had left the doors open, even as they fled, worsening the problem. To get to the point where what happened happened, a lot of things had to be done wrong, and were done wrong by a specific group of people."

Rallying under the unimpressed looks of Heimerdinger, Mrs. Kiramman, Mel, and Heimerdinger, the bald woman shot back with, "If things were being done wrong, then perhaps you should have done safety inspections."

"Oh?" Mel answered, before I could. "And there have been no preventable accidents in Ferros endeavors? Or do you not do safety inspections either?"

Surprised at the backup, I let her take over, as Shoola sputtered, "Of course we do, but if there was an issue, it should not have gotten this far!"

"Oh, I tried to do something, but, I believe it's time to share some… interesting records," I smiled, taking packets from the cart and handing them out to Salo and Mrs. Kiramman, who each took one and continued them on. "You see, these are the official requests by Clans Arvino, Tariost, and Ferros to re-instate the few employees I did catch causing problems, before, as it turns out, they instituted a system to notify each other of the presence of myself or one of my supervisors to better hide their corruption."

Looking out at them, as they silently flipped through the copied missives, I stated, "And this is why I am frustrated, Councilors."

"These could be faked," Hoskel finally huffed, looking at the papers.

I frowned, "Are you saying the people whose character your house vouched for falsified your documentation? If so, that is a very serious charge, and one that we should absolutely go the Enforcers about," I mused, casting a glance Mel's way, the woman, caught in that exact same problem, quickly moving the conversation along.

"You put this in writing?" the Medarda Councilor questioned dryly.

Frowning, Hoskel replied, dropping his previous ploy, frustrated himself, "Do you know how hard it is to find this man? He's a monk!"

The Dean of the Academy frowned, "I have found it quite easy to talk to Mr. Talis when need be. You just need to go where he is, and his schedule is fairly predictable."

Which missed the point that for a Councilor to go to me would be to show me a level of respect and power that they did not want to, while requesting my presence would, similarly, send a whole lot of secondary messages they didn't want to as well. Mel asking for a meeting for setting up privileges in using the Hexgate was large enough to merit such a request, but merely demanding that I re-hire one of their people was not.

Clearing her throat, at the awkward silence the Yordle created, and was seemed blind to, Mrs. Kiramman noted, "I believe, Councilor Heimerdinger, he means that my Apprenta has avoided attending social functions, like the Opera, or various soirees."

"I've been busy inventing things that make us all money," I shrugged, unrepentantly. "When they're being worked correctly."

"You have been… Dabbling in… The Arcane…" Bolbok accused.

Which, while true if one squinted, was not an accusation I could take laying down, however, again, an ally moved before I could, Mrs. Kiramman primly noting, "Councilor Bolbok, your position has been well established, and, until this week, has been baseless. Furthermore, if this is true, the fault has not been within Mr. Talis, but by those who we've asked him to work with. If you wish to paint with that broad a brush, mayhaps one should beware of stray droplets?"

Which got my eyebrows to rise, as that was about as close to 'Fuck around and find out, you hypocritical asshole' as the woman was likely to get.

There was an awkward moment of silence, before Mel cleared her throat. "Mr. Talis' predilection for uncomfortable record keeping aside, is it his position that this was caused by incompetent workers? And, if so, what would his solution be?"

With the others attention back on me, I nodded. "Yes. And the solution is simple: Let me run my creations. I have no problem with employing those of your esteemed houses, but if I am to be expected to take responsibility for what happens, I also must also have the power to ensure proper functioning."

Turning to Salo, I informed him, "I do not tell you how to run your textiles factories." Hoskel. "How to run your shipping empires." Shoola. "Your guilds." Gesturing to the table as a whole, I continued, "You are all much more accomplished than I am in your various fields than I am. In fact, you are all Masters in your fields. That is why you are the Councilors of Piltover. Please consider: Hextech is my field of expertise. With it, I have brought greater wealth and prosperity to Piltover, and I will only continue to do so."

Shaking my head, I stated, "This week's disaster could have been far worse, and, yes, Councilor Bolbok, I can see you twitching, but the same could be said of an airship full of mining-explosives crashing into a fuel-depot because the pilot fell asleep at the wheel, or if a shipment of the medicinal reagents your people trade in, Councilor Bolbok, a necessary service, were to have a few crates 'fall off the back' to be picked up by Undercity scum and sold as 'exotic foodstuffs' to unsuspecting bistros, causing potentially thousands of deaths, as all medicines are poisons. There are a hundred ways things can go wrong, but they almost always start with someone doing something they shouldn't. You police yourselves, I just am asking for the power to do what you already do, in service of the city I love."

There was a long moment of silence at that, before Salo, surprisingly, piped up. "How are you still alive?"

I blinked, as that… sounded like a threat, but I was pretty sure House Arvino and I, other than the employee thing, were cool. "Beg pardon?"

"The reports were that you charged into the… Blue," he stated. "Those of whom got close have… suffered. But here you are, perfectly fine."

"Oh, that's simple," I responded, preparing for the lie, and lifting up my sleeve, to reveal the bright blue glowing gem on my wrist. "This."

Pulling back slightly, even though the man was over a dozen feet away from its glow, the blond questioned, "And what… is that?"

"So, as a child, my mother and I were saved by a wandering Mage, who utilized a teleportation spell," I revealed, the story not common knowledge, but common enough to crop up if they checked, and, unless they were incompetent, they woud. "Seeing that ability, I wanted it for myself, and to share with others. You might have seen my attempt to do so. I call it the Hexgate. Well, he used this crystal to power it, rendering it inert after, and leaving it behind. It was that which led me to search out for the Hexcrystals, and, not able to use Magic directly, create Hextech to do it for me, and, not just for me, but in a way that is shareable."

Smiling sadly, I continued, "It was only later that I realized the sad fate of all Mages, driven insane by their own innate gifts, and was doubly careful to make sure my creations would not do so. However, in the presence of a strong enough Mana-field, it serves as a siphon. Not enough to stop the Mana Cascade, but enough to wick out any excess from my body. We've been slowly re-draining it, but, unfortunately, unless I were to meet the Mage again, I have no earthly clue how he made it, in order to acquire more, and I fear the man I would meet would not be the man who saved my family, decades ago."

Which was utter horseshite, but I'd turned a room back Home up to having Max Mana as part of its environmental settings, tossed the bracelet inside, and come back the next day, scooped it out of the pool of liquid Mana that'd formed, dusted it off, sprayed it with a layer of laminate to stop it from touching anything, and put it back on, then instantly taking it off to add more coats until it stopped pinging my Defenses.

"We've been pulling out the Mana, the same way we recollect it after every jump the Hexgate would facilitate, but until we do so fully, I'd be leery of trying what I did, in my desperation, again," I revealed. "Heck, I haven't even taken it off, just to be sure that doesn't do something, but don't worry, it's just as safe to be around as holding a Hexcrystal right now."

"And the, the formation," Heimerdinger questioned. "With the… Mana Cascade. What on earth was that?"

At that, I shrugged. "No fucking clue. We test things small and work them safely upwards, for a reason. We haven't done a Mana-Discharge of that scale, nor have we ever planned to. But it was that, or have it explode, so we shoved it out and up. That was something that would have never happened if people had followed my safety policies." I stressed, making sure not to mention the maybe/possibly living mana vortex that'd formed in the central chamber.

Mel looked at me for a long moment, before, with a glance towards Mrs. Kiramman, "Then what do you wish in restitution?"

Sitting up, Councilor Ferros demanded, "Excuse me?"

With a dismissive wave, the Medarda Councilor noted, "Please, this is not the first time we've dealt with this issue, Shoola, and Mr. Talis is correct, our people do not know enough about what he is doing to make the calls they clearly were. Him submitting formal complaints, and receiving official rebukes leaves little room for the kind of negotiations we often use, but I believe I'd be secure in stating that rather than handle things the normal way, the man would 'Rather be working,'" she stated, sending a look my way. "So, your terms?"

Having gone over this with Mrs. Kiramman, who'd been dismayed at my lack of reach, though, once I'd pointed out that securing the Hexgates, and more, was worth it, and that by being this 'fair' I was sidestepping political games I wasn't ready for, she did admit my proposal had merit.

"I want three simple things. Unimpeded auditing of my employees. The ability to fire with documented cause without being overruled in my own operations. And finally, repairs to be done on the structure, funded in half by those who caused it, half myself, in a way that will be open and itemized to prevent any appearance of double dealing. And I'd like that all in writing."

Yes, some part of me wanted the people that'd almost killed anywhere from thousands to hundreds of thousands due to their arrogant incompetency to assume room temperature, by my hand or another's, but those poor excuses for Humanity were symptoms of a larger problem, offshoots of a poisoned seed I'd been forced to implant within my creation, and now?

Now I was going to Rip It Out.

Politically, of course.

We were all pretending to be civilized, after all.

Lifting an eyebrow into the ensuing silence, as everyone here knew I could likely ask for far more in a conventional sense, given the leverage I held over Piltover with how much trade my Hexgate was generating, even as it would cost me in ways it appeared most of them didn't consider, playing her part, Mrs. Kiramman questioned, "You do not wish to see those who have put you in danger in Stillwater?"

Hoskel's hand tightened on his part of the table, leading me to believe that he likely had a personal connection to one of the incompetents I'd been forced to employ, but I shook my head. "No, I was told this was a Clan matter, and thus I defer to the Clans to determine their punishment. I just don't want them able to do what they almost did to us all again."

Which was something that Caitlyn had not liked, wanting them to be punished to the fullest extent of the law, but the heiress had ended up having an uncomfortable talk with her mother about Realpolitik, and how Clan Matters should stay Clan Matters, with the problem here being that Ferros, Arvino, and Tariost had confused Clan and Business dealings, to a very messy conclusion, while, when I had a problem with one of Mrs. Kiramman's suggested employees, she'd not told me to suck it up, because she was a Councilor and I wasn't, she'd taken care of it, which had happened a total of thrice.

The three offending Councilors, likely expecting the absolute shitstorm of favor-trading, backstabbing, double-dealing, and so on my demands for 'Justice' would set off, looked at me strangely.

"That's… it?" Salo questioned, disbelievingly.

Shrugging, I informed him, "I respect your positions, and just want to be able to do my part improving Piltover. That's all. If everyone had done what they were supposed to, I'd be in my lab in Heimerdinger's Academy, continuing to work on a Hextech Freight Elevator, to transfer goods to airships and out of the Undercity much safer, more efficiently, and cheaper."

While Bolbok folded his too-long arms, Shoola questioned, "A what?"

Thankfully, the resident Yordle chimed in, stating, "Oh, yes! Jayce was just showing me some of his plans for a safety-net to catch anything that falls as part of the process, and, let me tell you, I think it has quite a bit of potential. Not as much as the Hexgates, but it seems applicable on a much larger scale."

"And, once we've got that down, our next project is to make something that will allow three-dimensional construction be a thing," I tossed out, almost negligently, but I might as well have thrown a bleeding calf into a tank full of sharks.

"Three…" Shoola trailed off, realization dawning. "The 'air swimming' from the early Hexgate experiments?"

I nodded, and agreed, "Yes, we think the ability to manipulate things easily like that would be a boon to Piltover's industry."

Salo, considering the idea, and how it could apply to his factories, was lost in thought. "If we could keep things moving… And weightlessly…" he muttered.

With a smile, sealing the glowing clamp back in its box, I jerked a thumb towards the door. "So, should I go back to working on that?"

"Yes, go, go," Hoskel urged, the man also thinking through possibilities, before pausing. "But that Audit…"

"I will turn over the records of what is found to each house for their employees," I reassured him. "Transparency is big with me, and making sure people get what they deserve, so as to best allow you to punish them appropriately. I'll get started as soon as I receive the Council's official declaration."

Smiling, Mrs. Kiramman promised me, "You'll receive it before the end of the day, Jayce."

"Thank you," I wished her, in particular, and left, glad that this clusterfuck was turning into something beneficial.

Especially as I'd been… cordially invited to the next meeting of the Justifiers.

Chapter Eighteen

"Mr. Talis, could you perhaps enlighten us all on what it was that happened, a week ago?" Rivina, one of the three leaders of the Justifiers inquired, as I felt the oddest sense of deja vu.

Standing once more in the same abandoned theater as last time, those around me turned and looked expectantly, so I shrugged, and replied, "Sure!" and, with a significant glance to Vi, who frowned but stayed where she was, I headed towards the stage.

I'd insisted that the brawler hadn't needed to come with me to the next meeting, especially now that we knew that Silco would be present, but in a place we couldn't move to take him out, however she'd insisted on coming with to watch my back, which I didn't think I'd need, but I appreciated, especially given how I knew it'd stress her self-control.

But I trusted her to keep her cool, which, in turn, was something that she appreciated.

The crowd parted before me, and, reaching the edge, I took a few running steps to launch myself over the remains of the orchestra pit, grabbing the lip of the wooden platform and smoothly hauling myself up in a way that got a few appreciative murmurs from the crowd, as I did so like a local Zaunite would, instead of making my way around to the stairs like the pampered Piltovan princeling some here still thought me as.

Springing to my feet, and dusting myself off, I nodded to the green haired woman, who was looking at me skeptically, having obviously assumed I would speak from the crowd, and not put myself on the same level as the Triumvirate. That said, she hid her annoyance well, Cragit looked impressed, and Silco looked consideringly my way, but this was in line with my 'well-meaning but physically dangerous gentleman adventurer' persona I'd crafted down here, so the deeper implications should be seen as entirely coincidental.

"Alright, so, short version? Fucking Nepo Hires," I announced.

A good portion of the crowd groaned, while one guy went, "...What?"

"Nepotism hires," I clarified.

"... What?"

Someone else in the crowd yelled out, "When ya got the job 'cause o' who ya know, 'stead of what ya know!"

"... Oh, like Darian!" the first guy responded.

"Oi!" a third person, likely Darian, objected.

"Like ya woulda gotten that job if ya weren't slippin' Linnie the sausage on the sly!" another woman rebuked.

"... That's fair," Darian admitted.

"So," I called out, recapturing attention. "Just as I'm sure Darian caused a screwup or two when he first got started-"

"Oi!" the person in question objected.

"Ya did, though," another Justifier pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but he din't need ta say it like that!" Darian groused.

"Just as someone hired based on contacts can cause a problem or two," I continued. "The people that Ferros, Tariost, and Arvino pushed to work on the Hexgates caused problems. Problem is, I built so many safeties into the damn thing, because Hextech is dangerous if mishandled, that it wasn't clear that they were causing problems until they fucked up so hard that the entire damn thing nearly exploded."

"So some Pilties almost got fried, so what?" one of the audience heckled.

"Screw you, Senie!" another shouted at the woman. "Me cousin works there!"

Clearing his throat, Silco stepped forward, asking, "Exploded? You mean like the incident at the docks, a few years ago?"

"That would've been a dropped lantern in comparison," I told him seriously. "And given that even I don't know what would happen if things went that bad, there's a pretty good chance the area of effect wouldn't just be Piltover, but one that would extend from southern Noxus into northern Ixtal," I replied. "And," turning to the crowd as a whole, I stressed, "do not paint all Piltovans with the same brush," returning to the hopefully-soon-to-be-dead-man I continued, "but, yeah, it was because these stellar examples of the power of connections over competence were also, as some would say here, 'Fuckin' Pilties'."

That got a smattering of jeers and cheers, as the heterochromatic man's good eye narrowed, and he prompted, "And by that you mean…"

"Okay, so, here in Zaun, you have Chemtech. Fascinating stuff," I admitted freely. "One of the reasons the HALP center exists is to study the substance, and see what can be done with it, as anyone that's seen the back-end can attest, but it's also dangerous as all get out."

"A bit of danger doesn't stop a true Laner," Rivina purred loudly, playing herself up to the crowd, who murmured appreciatively.

Holding a hand up, I replied, "Hey, I've been poking around Shuriman Caves to find the Hexcrystals that Hextech uses. Trust me, it doesn't stop me either. But my point is that everyone here knows you don't open up random pipes, knows that if glowing liquid comes dripping down you don't touch it, and knows that while you can use the hookups, you have to know what you're doing. But Piltover doesn't have Chemfluid pipes, so they haven't learned that there are some things you just don't fuck with."

Turning back to the crowd, I asked, "Anyone here work with fuel oil pipes, show of hands?" Quite a few went up. "You can fuck up in some ways and as long as no one's dumb enough to be smoking, it's usually salvageable, right?" A chorus of assent came back to me. "Now, anyone work with electrical wires?" Some of the hands stayed up, but most went down, and a smaller amount went up. "Now, not the little ones, but what happens if you fuck with one of the big ones. You, over there, with the chartreuse hair."

The person I was pointing at looked behind herself.

"Sorry, Yellow-Green hair," I clarified.

"Oh!" the woman replied, a little embarrassed. "Uh, ya fuckin' die!"

Nodding, I continued, "And, to continue this example, Chemtech is the kinda-sorta-not-really-magical equivalent to fuel oil, Hextech is the same thing to electricity."

"But you've got those crystals in the H-Center!" someone called out, worried.

"Which is the equivalent of a small, local electrical system," I explained. "Those shock you and…" I trailed off, waving back to the woman I'd previously asked.

"Oh, it'll suck, but you'll survive, prolly," she replied. "Got shocked a time or two meself."

Gesturing in the vague direction of the Piltover, I stated, "And while I'm working on small things in general, the Hexgate uses a lot of energy, which is why I am very careful with it, told everyone that worked there how to be safe with it, and built in a lot of safety gear and protocols to help deal with it, but gear and procedures only work if you use them."

Silco took up the line of the conversation, "And the Piltovan Artisans believed they were above such things, thinking your cautionary tales were only for the 'stupid, lesser Undercity scum' you also employed."

"I…" I paused, as if I hadn't even thought of that. "Wait, I thought it was just because they were used to steam or something, and didn't get the jump in lethality of the medium, but, what? But, Clan Ferros looks for talent down here. You guys are just as good with this stuff as the Piltovans I hire. Hell, some of the employees we found causing problems were Zaunite natives!"

"Fuck 'dem feckless Ferros fops!" someone yelled out.

Making a show of making the connection, I slowly articulated, "...Oh, the ones that Clan Ferros hires move into lower Piltover, the actual lower Piltover, don't they?"

With an almost mocking smile, Silco remarked, "I'm glad to see the rumors of your intelligence aren't merely that."

With a sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Right. 'Pilties'. Well, I hope you lot know that we're not all like that. Just, like, a third. Half at most." That got some laughs from the audience. "So, right, a lot of people did a lot of stupid things, and while pretending to do things the 'proper' way when the boss is around only to go back to the way you normally do it might work if you know your gear inside and out, no one knows this gear inside and out yet, and acting like you do when you don't might turn you inside and out," I stated. "Thankfully, I was able to make it there in time, along with my assistant, and we managed to divert the flow up and away, which I'm sure everyone saw a bit of-"

"Why was it a tree?" one of the Justifiers called out.

"Oi, ya can't just be askin' why things are trees!" another argued.

"Why not? It was weird, being a tree."

"Trees are natural!"

"You ever see glowin' blue tree?"

"I dunno, maybe it be, like a foreign tree."

"Think! Why would it be a foreign tree?" the second speaker demanded.

"Uh, Mr. Talis, why was it a foreign tree?" the first guy clarified.

I shrugged. "No fuckin' clue. We don't set off big blasts for a lot of reasons, so we don't have experience with those sorts of blasts, and if they often turn into trees, foreign or domestic. Sometimes discharges make odd shapes, like the branching, tree-like shape you can get if you run an electrical current through a piece of wood, so maybe it was like that?"

"But then why did the branches move?" another Justifier asked.

"That's also a good question," I replied.

"Oh, thanks, but, like, why?" the previous person repeated.

Clearing his throat, Silco noted, "Mr. Talis means that he doesn't know, but it will be something he's looking into."

"That," I agreed, jerking a thumb towards the piece of human filth.

There was a moment of silence, before Silco pressed on, "Well, as enlightening as this has been, how do we know that's not going to happen again?"

"Oh, because I'm firing everyone responsible, Clan connections or no," I answered brightly. "On an unrelated note, if any of you know someone that could work a precision machining job, can follow procedures even if they don't understand why they're needed, and I won't need to have someone watch close enough that they're so far up their ass they're bouncing their heads off the new hire's tonsils, there's application forms in the HALP center to fill out."

That got a surprised snort out of the crime-lord. "Are you really recruiting right now?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I replied, guiltlessly, using this as a way to establish myself to the Justifiers, and their close families, in a way that might cause a fracture point if, or really when, Silco decided to start his little revolution's revival. "Everyone here seems to be of good character, so they've been pre-vetted."

Would I also be getting some of Silco's people in my organization? Of course. But, realistically speaking, I already did, but just as he'd pulled Savika away from Vander, I could do the same to them.

"Hey, Mr. Talis!" one of those present called out, and I pointed to him. "Is it true you flew? Like a Spirit or somethin'?"

… fuck.

That quieted down the others right quick, as I laughed ruefully. "So, yes to the first, no to the second. It's, okay, so Viktor and I are working on new uses for Hexcrystals, as you've seen, and something we're working on, and which you probably will hear about soon, is a way to make a space where things can float. You probably haven't, but if you've been on a ship that passes through the Hexgate, there's a moment of weightlessness before you're sent hurtling outside of the world for a moment to go wherever you're going, but we're kind of taking that, extending it, and not having the entire 'go somewhere else' part, to vastly oversimplify it. But, as we've just seen, the Hexcrystals can be a bit… touchy, which is why everything we do has to be tied down into either a structure, or an appliance that can't be easily moved," I explained, pacing, capturing the attention of everyone there.

This really was a great opportunity, and if we had better planning and intel, I could've had Vi slip away and drop a bomb in Silco's office, or at least the room he used to 'hold court' in, but I'd checked, and he had his own people guarding it even now. If we could dial it in, we might be able to just teleport a device there, but not in a way we could hide, and the Hexgate's portals, even on the small scale, were all one-way affairs, so, short of a suicidal actor, which we didn't have, or fighting past the guards on the way out, which defeated the point of Jumping in there to begin with, that wasn't useful.

A timed explosive wouldn't work, as these meetings' durations were irregular, and something proximity based would only be useful if he was there when the door was opened, which wasn't guaranteed.

And it needed to be, because, ultimately, we'd only get the one shot at him before he realized he was in immediate danger.

However, I'd just have to settle with establishing myself as a charismatic presence, more than I already had.

"Now, that isn't to say that the Hexcrystals can't be used in something smaller, or even mobile," I continued. "Only that it'd be, well, I wouldn't say it'd be suicidal, but I'm the person who knows more about this than anyone in the world, and I still almost blew myself the fuck up trying to use it free-hand like I did. It was just that, the alternative, that being letting the Hexgate go critical, would've been even worse."

Turning back to the questioner, I continued, "So, did I fly? … Technically yes, but, if you dropped by our lab, so could you, and, give us, like, a year, once we've got the problems figured out, and not only will you, but so will a lot of other people. As for being a Spirit, let me assure you, while I wish I had their insight into the workings of Magic, in order to replicate it, safely, with Hextech, I'm just as much flesh and blood as the rest of you. And, in case you're wondering, yes, the device I was using malfunctioned shortly after I reached the top, and would've killed me if I hadn't already discarded it. Any other questions?"

"Can I get a job there?" a dark-skinned woman questioned.

"Fill out the form, go through testing, and if you have the skills, probably!" I grinned. "Anything else?"

Rivina stepped in, before I could further derail their meeting, smiling broadly, "Thank you for your explanation, I'm sure we all feel better for having it, but we do have other things we need to discuss."

"Yeah, thanks!" Cragit smiled, offering me a hand, which I shook. "Never thought I'd see someone like you down here."

"While I haven't been graced with his presence, I can absolutely respect those who follow a Spirit of Justice," I replied easily, my voice carrying, stepping off to the side, but remaining visibly on stage.

I could see the green-haired cult-leader weighing trying to push to make me join the rest of the rabble, but deciding that it wasn't worth it, as I nodded respectfully to her, clearly giving up the floor, which, itself, sent the message that I had the power to do so.

The meeting continued, nothing an uptick in 'Overshimmers' getting their goods from secondary sources and unable to control themselves, those 'secondary sources' almost certainly shell-company equivalents that were still run by Silco, with cutouts in the supply line to prevent them from being tracked back to the man currently standing beside me. In other news, a trading convoy from Targon had arrived, and been a little belligerent, but had been taken down, hard, the Justifiers who were injured on the mend with the help of Shimmer

Silco had gone to have a chat with the merchant-captain who'd decided to skip Piltover's more heavily taxed and observed docks to extract repayment for grievances, which is why, at the refreshment table, we now had Lunar Ouza at the refreshment bar, and a free drink for any Justifier that wanted one, which prompted much cheering.

Unfortunately, the last topic dimmed much of that enthusiasm.

The disappearances were getting worse.

Still not even a drop in the bucket of Zaun's sizeable population, and one that, were it not for the Justifiers acting as a police-force and community-gathering point, could've been overlooked, were it not for the 'locked-door mystery' aspect of it all, however the general peace that the Justifiers had ushered in meant that those kinds of 'meh, people die' situations were a rarity, even more than when Vander was in charge.

"Should I make some inquiries?" I suggested, taking a step forward, when Silco paused, getting the man's attention. "I don't know a lot about crime-scene investigation, not my field, really, and I'm aware of, sadly, how little the Enforcers actually give a shit about half of the area they claim to protect, but I do have some pull, and can get a detective to come and see if there's something you're missing?"

The scarred man's lip twisted in an expression of disgust at the thought, stating, "Such a thing is-"

"That'd be great!" Cragit interrupted, before wincing, looking around. "Well, not with us, bein', ya know, but, if they can find out what's been goin' on, we can take care of it ourselves."

Seeming to momentarily forget himself, the shorter man hissed, "We do not need the help of Topsiders!"

And from the way some murmured agreement, they weren't the only ones, however the larger man frowned, and glanced my way.

"He doesn't count," Silco stated, dismissively.

"We aren't asking them to solve the problem for us," Rivina pointed out, smiling magnanimously, and stepping between them in, taking the 'peacemaker' role I'd seen far too often, from people who cared more for the position than actually helping. "We would only be utilizing an asset for the greater good of the Lanes. It wouldn't be the first time," she added, in a way that was heavy with meaning, as she looked to Silco.

Chewing that over, the crimelord glanced about, and seemed to realize where he was, running a reflexive hand over his slicked-back hair. "Ah, yes, and they would be working for us. I'm sorry, Mr. Talis," he smiled, expression completely performative. "I dislike Enforcers on principle, and wish to have as little to do with them as possible."

… Which is why the Sheriff is on your payroll, I thought, but nodded, "And, from how I've heard they've treated you, I understand. You would not believe how many of them we went through before I found a handful that could work the HALP center's security without being raging douchenozzles about our customers."

"I thought 'Letta was the security!" someone in the crowd jeered, Vi, who stood in the back with her arms folded, looking down in embarrassment as the others laughed.

"Security that my investors would accept," I clarified, adding with a shrug. "Ones who haven't seen her fight."

Nodding, Silco agreed, "Then yes, if you could secure the services of an investigator, that would be appreciated."

"Glad to help," I smiled, stepping back and waiting as Silco turned the meeting back to the last few orders, ending it and directing everyone towards the refreshments that had been set up.

Following the members of the Triumvirate off the stage, Silco paused, turning to me, stating, "Actually, Mr. Talis, there's someone I think you'd like to meet."

"Oh?" I responded, unsure, but intrigued. Seeing Vi start to make her way towards me, I sent her an inquisitive look, and she slowed, before, with a scowl, continued walking towards me.

…God I hope she knows what she's doing, I couldn't help but think, but I couldn't show I was worried, and instead focused on my assassination target, who nodded, and gestured for me to follow, not to the back-rooms, but to the bar.

The crowd, seeing us coming, parted, except for a dusky-skinned woman, seemingly roughly my age, who leaned against the counter, expression mild, before she stilled, and stared at us.

No, she stared at me.

"Two of our most recent acquisition, on the rocks," the crimelord ordered with a smile, the bartender smoothly pouring out two glasses of clear liquid, bearing a faint blue-white tint, and, which, ever so softly, glowed. Taking them both, he offered me one, which I took, clinking the glass and taking a sip, the drink, of course, was blocked by my Defenses just for sheer dint of being alcoholic, let alone any secondary effects it might have, and, unfortunately, while I could tell that my protections activated, I didn't get any info on what they were protecting me from.

Meanwhile, I could practically feel Vi looming behind me, despite being shorter than I was.

"Ah, moonlight in a glass," Silco mused. "Now, you mentioned that you would like a Spirit's viewpoint on the way that magic works?"

"I mean, technically, I have Heimerdinger, but he's not really talking," I responded, noting how the man's statement further perked the interest of the woman now standing behind him. Studying her without actually looking at her, she was mixed race, some aspect of it certainly the standard not-English of Piltover/Zaun, but I couldn't tell what the rest was, other than non-Caucasian, not that 'Caucasian' was a thing here, really, given those mountains were an Earth thing. "But yes, I'm very much throwing darts in the dark, and moving by the sound, and occasional sparks, they make. Why, can you arrange a meeting with this 'Justice' that founded your organization?"

The very thought of such a thing made the heterochromatic wince, despite himself, though he spun it well. "Ah, no, though I have something similar."

The mystery woman chose this moment to enter the conversation, "I'm not something you have, Mr. Silco. I came here to help, just as this… Mr. Talis has? Would you be the same one that made the…" She waved upwards.

"If you mean the Hexgates, then yes," I agreed, looking at her fully, noting the dark freckles that covered her cheeks, the fact that her hands were, unlike Mel, calloused with use, but most of all it was her eyes that caught my attention, specifically her irises.

Because they were a deep green, hexagonal, and glowing.

"Jayce Talis," Silco smiled, "May I present Ms. Ila. She came from the colonies in Ixtal, and hearing of our cause, deemed it… Just."

"Then you're right, you're here for much the same reason I am," I agreed, and, going with my gut, offered my hand, which, amused, she took, and shook firmly. "So, you're a Spirit, ma'am?"

Spoiler: Music

That got a laugh out of the woman, the sound rich and earthy. "Oh, no."

With a twist of her arm, a small stone blossomed into being around her hand, and slowly orbited her wrist.

"I'm a Mage. Like you."