A sliver of dawn crept through the curtains, morning light kissing her pale skin. Viktoria turned and squirmed around on her sheets. She groggily groped for her blankets, but she felt nothing. Opening her eyes, the Herald shivered and looked around. As she had expected, they were all kicked onto the floor. Yawning, she climbed out of her bed. Her cold metal feet dragged across the room. Viktoria headed towards the Hero's room. Quietly, she opened the door, "Jayce?"

Jayce had fallen asleep, reading up on schematics and other assortments of books that were sprawled about his bed. His hair disheveled, his clothes worn out. A book flat upon his chest, his right hand resting softly upon it. He stirred when he heard his door open and his head tossed to the other side, his breath letting lose a light whisper of a mumble, his hand gliding off the book in a relaxed manner.

The noise didn't wake him, only a heavy sigh came out of the defender as he still crept about the dream world.

Viktoria peeked her head through the door and pursed her lips, seeing the man still fast asleep. With a hesitant step, she moved closer to the bed, her steps small shuffles. A light blush began to color her ivory skin as she observed the rise and fall of his chiseled form. She waited another moment before she gently tried to pull the book away from under his hand. She looked down at her arms, where little bumps had formed, and then back at the warm sheets Jayce was wrapped in. Viktoria bit down slightly on her lips. The way he was, she didn't want to disturb him from his sleep. Still, the cold kept nipping at her, her body already started to feel the aches.

She held the book in her hand and marked his page before setting it aside.

The hero in a huff of air sat up suddenly palming at his chest for the book that was, the last time he saw it, present there. his head lowered as his eyes examined himself in a groggy manner. His hand lifting to look at it, as if confused. His eyes however, catching something, bolted to the right of him. "V- viktoria?" his voice cracking causing him to quickly clear his throat. "What are you doing here?" his eyes wandering about to the clock across the room.

Jayce's eyes narrowing as his head extended forward to peer into the clocks hands "… it's still early morning. what's wrong?" the defender's head turning to view the machine herald yet again.

"Body aching." she mumbled, sitting herself on the edge of his bed. Viktoria was hunched over with her arms wrapped around herself, doing her best to generate some heat and stop the shivering. "Didn't mean to wake you. Moved your book. Sorry." Times like these she found herself a bit neglectful of time. Despite having spent a few months with the other inventor, she still fell back to her single schedule. She would sleep and wake up on her own and by herself.

Viktoria scooted backwards, lifting her feet up to rest on the bed frame instead of the wood.

A cocked eyebrow adorned the hero as he viewed the woman. "Aching? Your augments giving you trouble again?" he questioned "is it the cold again?" he shifted himself to sit upright. His chest expanding with a deep breath, his lungs refusing to release the clear air. His look was puzzled as she apologized for waking him, his breath finally released. "Don't apologize, I should have already been getting ready to head out to the lab. I've been reading up on the basic schematics of the uniflow engine that was the stepping stone into what Piltover had up until a few years ago." His hand lifting to pull back his hair, as if to try to fix it. Several cowlicks still priding themselves atop his head.

"Perhaps I should start up the fire in the living room. Should warm up the lower floor up a bit." his voice concerned for the pain the herald may be experiencing.

It was strange that he found himself though however, had it been several years ago, the man would've spat at the mention of the half-caste. Throwing away any regard for the woman or her work. Having said this, their relationship now had become…

Much more personable.

At the mention of the fireplace, her eyes lit up. "Please. That would be very nice." Viktoria nodded her affirmation. She never had a need for one in Zaun, where the winters when compared to Piltover were rather pleasant. As much as she enjoyed the different atmosphere this city-state provided, her body could barely stand waking up stiff every morning any longer. The pains became increasingly unbearable as the dead of winter neared.

She sighed, half out of relief and the other from the blankets beneath her reminding her that her sleep was not a restful one. Without thinking, she lifted up the sheets and slipped beneath them. Her body shuddered, welcoming the warm embrace. Viktoria settled next to the defender, not minding whether or not she was nestled against his larger form. To her, he was just another viable source of heat her body anxiously desired.

The hero slightly shifted up and out of the bed leaving the half caste in his bed, he found it a bit odd that she would've done such a thing but thought nothing of it once he was on his feet. His chest was barren and his body only carrying loose fabric pants. His hand lifting to scratch the back of his head as he headed out the bedroom door. The cold floor stinging at his feet, a shiver stole his spine and he found himself pausing for a second before continuing onwards towards the front room.

Like a ritual the defender's hands reached over to one of the logs that sat quietly beside the brick fireplace. Lifting it and settling it nicely with the rest. To his demise however, there were no matches to be had on this side of the room. Jayce groaned as he walked back into the bedroom, shuffling through one of the drawers in his dresser and pulling out a box of matches for his use. lifting them he shook them in the heralds direction. "More matches… I need more matches, don't let me forget" pointing them now in her direction as he advanced himself back into the front room.

Warmth. The fire drew a light glow from the exposed skin of the man his hands rising to meet the heat. A sigh of relief came to him as it hit. The bitter chill that overtook him now losing its grasp. "That should help her a bit…" he said to himself.

The Herald acknowledged him with a muffled grunt, lazily gathering the blankets that had bunched around the foot of the bed. She curled up and pressed herself further into the spot where his weight had left a slight dip. It was the right temperature for her, her joints thanked her. She found his pillow and adjusted it accordingly. Afterwards, she let her head sink atop it. With heavy lids, she stared at the clock for a minute before turning on her side.

"Not today," Viktoria inhaled the man's strong scent and released another sigh.

Strange how she actually looked forward to the company of another. This was a first for her in quite a while; her thoughts kept coming back to the hero. She breathed once more and her eyes closed. Before he left the room, she saw the silvery patches of skin that adorned his skin and shifted uncomfortably.

His head turned to look upon her, "Viktoria… something wrong?" his arm pushing off the fireplace to gain balance as he rose. "Might snow I think." he commented as he shuffled over to the window leaning upon it's sill "the clouds look it." the hero's eyes gazing about the dark grey sky that loomed over them. Bringing one of his hands up, his fingers strained against rough stubble. His jaw shifting to his side as he lifted his hand away, a dissatisfied grunt came of of the hero as he focused himself upon the other in the room.

"Tea, perhaps? I should have started the boiler last night, can't do such a thing when you doze off…" he chuckled to himself with a nervous smile "that's what I get for trying to learn a generation behind worth of steam engines, hm?" his face brightened, his feet pulling him towards the open kitchen. The cold still grasping about his feet from the floor.

"Didn't sleep well, but not like that's any new news." she stretched and massaged her elbow joint, turning toward him. Her face was creased with a frown almost unbefitting of a lady. More snow? Now she was all the more reluctant to work today. "I'm going to take a break today." The half-caste announced with a small yawn half way through. After a moment, she sat up and sleepily suggested, "Maybe you should, too."

She swung her mechanized legs off the bed and headed toward the kitchen, making a mental note to fetch another layer of clothes for tonight. She followed after him, running her fingers through disheveled black hair trying to comb and tame the mess.

"Tea's good." Viktoria finally replied, picking up an old anatomy book she had left lying around the place.

His face went to a scowl as he leaned into the kitchen counter, dark circles under his eyes as he sleepily stared off into the floor. "I can't really take a break. Too much to do." raising his head, looking upon the woman with tired eyes. Shifting his weight to move himself about he began to start the kettle. His body stretching as he stood hunched over slightly. Muscles flexed as they became more lose from the cold that tried to suppress them. Puffing his cheeks, the hero let out an extended breath of air as his body stumbled back into the counter.

"Even with all that's gone on with Caitlyn she still wants me to fix her equipment… as if nothing transpired at all." he groaned agitated at his embarrassment. Jayce's eyes rolling with severe annoyance covering his face. A low growl coming off of him "Nothing I can do about it though…" Eyebrow cocking as the left corner of his mouth lifted as if to snarl. He was beyond disappointed in himself for letting feelings take the best of him, especially with people he encountered on a regular basis. Caitlyn being one of them. His head dropped backwards to look about the ceiling "You ever have that? Pouring yourself into something and then just watch it fall apart. I … well I guess you have… but not… well I don't know" he stuttered while he talked aloud.

"Of course I did," the Herald gestured to her augmented limbs. "As much of a hypocrite I'll sound by saying this, but we can't keep working ourselves at such a grueling pace. We're just hindering progress when we're not at optimal performance level, Jayce. Rest a day to recuperate and then double time the next."

Viktoria took her spot next to him by the counter, hands fidgeting with her shirt. She straightened her loose garment and shook her pant legs. The herald groaned and kneeled down on tiled flooring, and unhooked her leg piece snagged by her metal joints. As she rose, her knees creaked painfully. Instinctively, she reached for the counter and Jayce for support, steadying herself until she regained balance and control of herself.

The mechanized woman coughed, "Either way, I can't continue today."

A look of worry took hold of the defender as he watched the herald struggle. "Are you— going to be alright?" he inquired. "… perhaps you should take a hot bath? It might sooth the pain." his eyes narrowing with sympathized pain at the cracking. "I'll keep the water warm while you soak if you decide to do so." he nodded, a weak smile crossing his lips. His eyes lowering immediately with a deep regret "Work just keeps me focused on what's important right now, especially with what's going in my personal life right now. A lot of things to set right in my mind and adjust. Perhaps…" he paused "it would be good to take a break.. " his face softened "Perhaps just take in what's around me instead of reflect on what I don't have." a now genuine smile taking front on the defender's face.

Viktoria winced, dusting off her hands and brushing off the stiffness that had possessed her just then. She had never faced nature's wrath until now with her first stay in Piltover winter. Not only did the icy tendrils from the frozen world outside crawled up her steel limbs and sapped her strength each morning and then night, her body's immune system had decided this particular morning was a good time to ardently fight and reject the augmentations. Although a bath would certainly alleviate her muscle pains, the half-caste's joints were inflamed along with any of the tendons associated with the augmented limbs. She was quite literally chilled to the bone, promoting her normally minor problems into a chief concern.

She was mentally drained from those late nights over the workbench. Now, she was at her physical nadir. With a groan, she rubbed her jaw, "I reflect on many things I don't have. You know, it's not a bad thing, Hero, when you see it as a challenge and a motivation to get something you want. You could always do both, too: browse the wares and then give chase."

Viktoria forced a smile like a diseased animal displaying a healthy façade, and then pushed herself off the counter, her right hand absentmindedly and automatically moved to her left elbow. White knuckles ground into her arm, relieving some pressure that had formed over the night. Her lips curled into her mouth as she hummed aloud in contemplation and appreciation, "Mm…. A bath? Oh yes, I could definitely use a hot bath, Jayce," the woman paused, tongue flicking out to wet her lips slightly, "But what I really need is a good massage. That, that could do wonders…." She stole a quick glance at the defender, ebony eyes watching the man for any reaction of some sort before she sauntered off toward the bath, her voice filling the hallways with a rare and equally genuine laugh to his smile.

"A massage?" the defender lightly chuckled after his inquiry. "I think you'll be just fine with the hot bath and tea, Herald." Jayce quickly added with a slight tinge of red upon his cheeks. "I'll bring it to you when it's ready. You should soak yourself though, I've noticed you tending to that arm quite a bit since I woke." his body now moving about the kitchen to begin a kettle of water. "You should know where everything is by this point, Viktoria, if you need any help, just let me know." the hero's words precise and calming, his hands gliding about to finally set the bot upon the warmed stove.

A light chill took to his form, his hands attempting to pull heat from the stove. He found himself moving back over to the fireplace, resting gently in front of it, sliding one of his schematics that was about on his coffee table onto the floor in front of him. The crackling of the wood giving way to a quiet time by the flames.