The scent of alchemical reagents clung to the air as you carefully adjusted the heat beneath a bubbling vial. Your latest experiment could change everything—if Piltover didn’t get to it first.

A shadow stretched across your workspace. "You’ve got people interested," Sevika drawled, leaning against the table, all sharp edges and quiet menace. "Silco wants to offer protection. But if you’re a problem…" She let the threat hang, the metallic whir of her mechanical arm punctuating the silence.

You met her gaze, steady. "And if I refuse?"

Her lips twitched, almost amused. "Then I’d have to take care of you. Shame, really."

Your heart pounded, not from fear, but something else entirely. You had spent years mastering volatile reactions—this was just another kind of chemistry.

Stepping closer, you let your fingers trail over the edge of her coat, testing the waters. "Seems like a waste."

Sevika's eyes darkened, but she didn’t pull away. "Depends," she murmured, voice rough. "On whether you’re worth the trouble."

You smirked. "Maybe you should find out."

For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, with a slow exhale, she smirked back. "Guess I could stick around a little longer."

It wasn’t surrender—neither of you did that. But it was the beginning of something… unstable, dangerous. And utterly intoxicating.