Heimerdinger watched the strange trio from his boat, his large eyes blinking. His question, "Where are you headed?" floated across the oily water, carrying a genuine curiosity that disarmed any hostility.
Kaen stepped forward, placing a hand on his chest in a gesture of polite formality—completely undermined by his anarchist outfit and the grimy surroundings.
"Professor Heimerdinger, an unexpected honor," he said, his monotone voice dripping with false formality. "Allow me to introduce our little group of travelers. My name is Kaen Vexis, artist and cultural explorer. This—" he gestured toward Jinx, who still held Zapper, though slightly lowered, intrigued. "This is my protégé, Jinx, a mechanical engineer of prodigious talent, though with an aesthetic that is somewhat… explosive."
He then placed a hand on the hooded Caitlyn's shoulder, who flinched. "And this is my third cousin, on my mother's aunt's sister's side, Brunhilda. She's from Noxus. She's on a cultural immersion trip to overcome her extreme shyness."
Heimerdinger lowered her hood after being recognized so quickly, his large yordle eyes blinking as he processed the information. His gaze moved from Kaen to Jinx, then lingered on the hands of the "shy cousin." His sharp yordle eyes noticed they were clearly bound behind her back. "A rather peculiar immersion methodology," Heimerdinger observed, his tone polite but tinged with skepticism. "Bindings are not usually part of standard cultural exchange programs."
Caitlyn saw her chance. She began producing muffled, urgent sounds through the gag.
Kaen patted her shoulder reassuringly, like one would a nervous pet. "Ah, that," he said, never missing a beat. "It's an advanced trust-building exercise. A new form of immersion therapy. By restricting her movements, we force her to rely on us for everything, encouraging her to communicate on a deeper, spiritual level—thus breaking the barriers of her social anxiety. I developed it myself. It's called 'Empathic Restraint.'"
Empathic Restraint?! Caitlyn screamed silently in her skull. This man is a genius of nonsense!
"Mmmpfh! Mmmphhmmm! MMPHH!" She shook her head violently, eyes wide and locked on Heimerdinger, trying to project the universal message of: They're lunatics! I'm kidnapped! Help!
"Ah, look!" Kaen exclaimed, patting her back. "It's working! She's already opening up, attempting to communicate. Remarkable progress! Normally she just hides behind curtains."
Heimerdinger, though clearly skeptical, was too fascinated by the dynamic to intervene. His gaze shifted from the distressed "cousin" to the objects carried by the other two. First, the bass slung across Kaen's back. "An interesting instrument," he said. "The addition of a gramophone amplifier is… ingenious, though acoustically questionable. I've heard reports of a sonic disturbance on Progress Day caused by a similar device."
A shiver ran down Caitlyn's spine. He knows! Now he'll understand!
"Ah, yes. Probably one of my students," Kaen replied without blinking. "The world of underground music is full of talentless imitators. It's the cross every pioneer must bear."
Heimerdinger nodded, though his eyes revealed he hadn't swallowed the excuse entirely. Then his gaze landed on Jinx's gun, Zapper. He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with genuine appreciation.
"Oh! By my whiskers! This is extraordinary!" he exclaimed, pointing at the weapon. "The energy matrix is compact, the design ergonomic, and the use of a recycled scrap condenser is brilliant! A true display of Zaunite ingenuity! Did you design this, young lady?"
Jinx, who had been eyeing him with suspicion, was caught off guard by the compliment. Rarely did anyone appreciate the craftsmanship of her creations—only their destructive capacity. A small, genuine smile of pride tugged at her lips. "Of course I did," she said, a bit of pride slipping into her voice. "And that's nothing. You should see my Fire-Chompers."
"A mind like yours is a treasure!" said Heimerdinger enthusiastically, before his tone shifted into that of a mentor. "But, my young friend, imagine what you could create if you applied that genius to progress instead of weapons. You could build wonders!"
Jinx blinked. No one had ever spoken to her like that. "Explosions are more fun," she muttered, though for the first time, it sounded less like conviction and more like habit.
A strange connection formed—a bridge of mutual respect between the venerable Piltovan inventor and the anarchist engineer of Zaun. Heimerdinger saw beyond the madness and recognized raw talent, a brilliant mind operating without rules or limits.
Kaen, seeing the spotlight drift, cut in. "As you can see, professor, we are artists and scientists on an important research mission. We must cross the river to study… the architectural resonance of the Academy buildings. It's crucial for my next concept album."
"I must say," Heimerdinger replied, "your inventive prowess is remarkable. I accept. A mind like yours must be nurtured, not drowned in the Sumps."
Caitlyn collapsed internally. Horrified. Heimerdinger—a pillar of Piltover's reason and progress—was fraternizing with her captors, seduced by their… criminal ingenuity. Her frustration reached cosmic levels.
As Jinx, now slightly more at ease, leaned toward the water's edge to examine the boat—distracted by the conversation—she moved the hand holding Zapper. For a moment, a deep blue glow reflected from a pocket on her belt. The Hextech gem.
Heimerdinger's gaze froze. The unmistakable deep blue glow.
The mood on the dock shifted instantly. The playful curiosity on his face was replaced by grave, weighty seriousness. "That stone," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "The gem that was stolen from the Academy."
Jinx followed his gaze and shoved the gem deeper into her pocket, her expression turning hostile again.
Heimerdinger straightened, his small stature suddenly imbued with great authority.
"Young lady, you don't understand what you're toying with. That technology is not a plaything. In the wrong hands…" His voice was no longer that of a curious scientist but of a Piltover Council member.
"They're not in the wrong hands—they're in mine!" Jinx snapped, her good mood gone.
"Hextech power without proper study and caution leads only to catastrophe," Heimerdinger warned. "You must return it. For the sake of both cities."
Caitlyn, seeing the shift, redoubled her efforts. She squirmed harder, her muffled sounds growing sharper, more desperate. He's telling you! They're the thieves! Stop them!
"We appreciate your lab safety lecture, professor," said Kaen, trying to steer back the situation. "But we're in a hurry. Will you take us, or must we consider more… persuasive methods of transport?"
Jinx, impatient and done with diplomacy, made her choice. "Forget it, Dead Fish. We'll take the boat."
She raised Zapper, the threat implicit.
Heimerdinger looked at them. At the girl, a genius lost to rage. At the gem. His duty as a councilor told him to raise the alarm. But his instinct as a scientist and mentor told him abandoning this brilliant yet chaotic engineer would be an even greater mistake. Perhaps… perhaps he could reason with her. Guide her.
It was then, in that tense standoff, that Jinx, fed up with words, decided to act. She stepped toward the boat, intent clear: she was going to take it—with or without the yordle's consent.
But before her foot could touch the edge, a voice rang out from the fog behind them. A voice laden with years of pain, longing, and desperate hope.
"POWDER!"
The sound hit Jinx like a physical wall. She froze, every muscle in her body tensed.
She whipped around, her wide blue eyes locking onto the mist, her face a mask of shock, disbelief, and pain crashing back like a hurricane.
Two figures emerged from Zaun's haze. One tall, with the unmistakable posture of a fighter, bandaged fists clenched at her sides. Vi. The other younger, a Firelight mask pushed up over his head, revealing the serious, determined face of Ekko.
The world shrank to that single point on the dock.
Vi saw the girl with blue braids by the water. A whirlwind of emotions—guilt, relief, hope—collapsed into a single word.
"POWDER!" Vi shouted again.
The cry echoed across the water.
Jinx remained frozen, her body rigid as stone.
Kaen raised an eyebrow, watching the scene unfold, his face otherwise expressionless. "Oh," he said, his monotone voice a whisper in the sudden silence. "The plot thickens."
Caitlyn, still bound, recognized Vi instantly. A surge of pure, overwhelming relief flooded her, so intense it almost made her cry. Rescue! But it was immediately followed by a wave of icy terror. Rescue was here. But so was the looming confrontation—sisters and factions about to turn the riverbank into a bloodbath.
Heimerdinger stood at the tiller, small hand resting on the handle, his curiosity and concern peaking. He was trapped at the epicenter of a storm about to erupt.