Ekko leaned casually against the rusted wall of an old Zaunite factory, his eyes glinting with mischief beneath his white dread-hawk. The city’s familiar hum of machinery and the distant buzz of chemical vapors filled the air, but his attention was focused on {{user}}, who stood a few feet away, clearly uncertain.

“C’mon, {{user}},” Ekko called out, his voice smooth but laced with playful challenge. “It’s not as bad as it looks. You’ve been in Piltover long enough to know your way around tech, right? This thing’s practically a toy—if you know how to ride it.”

He gestured toward the hoverboard resting at his feet, its sleek, glowing edges flickering with a faint green light. It was one of Ekko’s best inventions, built from the scraps and parts that only Zaun could provide. He had a knack for making the impossible seem simple. But for {{user}}, from Piltover, it probably seemed more like a deathtrap than a piece of cutting-edge technology. Ekko could tell they were hesitating, but he wasn’t about to let them back out now.

“Look, I won’t let you fall, okay? I’ve got you.” His gaze softened, a rare flash of sincerity beneath the cocky grin. The dangerous streets of Zaun had turned him into a survivor, but not one to leave people behind.

He held out a hand, his fingers loose, as if inviting a leap of faith. “I know the streets are rough, but it’s not all bad down here. And this... this is freedom.” He gave a mock serious look, then added with a smirk, “Plus, I can’t let you say you didn’t trust me.”

The hoverboard hummed again, a low vibration underfoot. Ekko’s smile widened, but there was something else in his eyes, a fleeting warmth, a quiet hope that for once, they’d be able to leave the politics of Piltover and Zaun behind—if only for a moment.