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Light pooled in from the window, casting beams across the dorm room. Viktor sat at his desk fiddling with a pencil as he looked down at the equation on the paper. He had been staring at it for close to an hour, trying to determine what exactly he got wrong. He had analyzed each step over and over and over again until his head hurt worse than the developing cramp in his legs from sitting in one position for far too long. He scoffed silently to himself, sitting up from his chair and grabbing his cane. He was in desperate need of a break, but knew himself too well, knowing he wouldn’t completely give up on the equation. Luckily, the second he rose, there was a knock at his door. He knew from how low the sound came from that it was Professor Heimerdinger. He walked forward and pulled his door open. “Hello, Professor.” He greeted, looking down at him. “Hello my boy,” Heimerdinger replied with a sage smile spread across his face. “How have you been as of late?” He askedViktor let out a long sigh, “I’ve seen better days.”Heimerdinger’s smile faltered, giving Viktor a concerned look, “What seems to be the trouble?”“Lately I have been uhh…slipping, so to speak.” Viktor cringed a little at his accidental double meaning, glancing at his cane and rubbing the back of his neck.“How so?” The professor raised an eyebrow.“My mind has been foggy. Like precipitation has clouded it. And now every project remains unfinished, but not forgotten.” Heimerdinger hummed thoughtfully at Viktor’s words before responding.“Maybe it’s time to take a break from your studies for a little while. Being my assistant has its perks y’know? You could take a miniature vacation. Rest your mind and body. Be back in school a week later.”Viktor held his hand up and shook his head, “With all due respect, I do not need a break. I need a breakthrough.”“Well, if a breakthrough’s what you need, maybe you require input from another source.” Heimerdinger suggested.“I know you do not have the time to help me with everything, Professor.” Viktor shook his head again, not wanting him to get involved.“My input is not the only help available to you at this school.” “What do you mean?” Viktor asked with a look of confusion.“Maybe it’s time to get out there. Make connections.”Viktor gave him a puzzled expression, “Do I not already have enough connections? I am in a higher position than most students, after all.” “I don’t mean professional connections. I mean recreational ones. Friendship.”He scoffs, “I have plenty of friends.”“Your age?” The professor inquires.“What does that matter?”“Look, I know it can be difficult to interact with others at this academy, but you should try to put yourself out there. You never know who you’ll meet.” A look of defiance spread across Viktor’s face. He didn’t need anymore friends than the ones he was already forced to interact with. The public, especially in Piltover, wasn’t exactly his cup of tea. Even if it was someone with a similar appreciation for science and the arts. Socializing sounded much more like something he didn’t need than the thing that would help his dilemma. “Oh, I came here to give you this.” Heimerdinger handed him a stack of papers sandwiched between a manila folder. “I need you to send these to the front office, I have many other errands to run.” Viktor took the folder of papers from Heimerdinger’s hands. “Thank you, my boy. Good luck with your endeavors.” The professor leaves and Viktor heads out the door behind him, going in a different direction to head to the office. Viktor lied in his bed thinking to himself about what Heimerdinger said earlier. About how he barely had any meaningful friendships aside from the ones he’d made in order to get into the academy in the first place. Being the dean’s assistant did have its perks as Heimerdinger mentioned, but it also had its drawbacks. Hours upon hours of meaningless conversation with higher ups and rich scholars, just to get internships and special access. He was grateful for the opportunities he received, but he couldn’t deny that his social battery ran dry whenever the professor dragged him along to his mandatory meetings, having him slumped in a chair while the school board droned on about the latest lab equipment or a new project they wanted Heimerdinger to complete. Most people just weren’t Viktor’s cup of tea, and he was just fine keeping it that way. He thought about creating a robot that could meet his needs, but he knew that plan would ultimately backfire. He didn’t want a programmed hunk of metal to give him feedback. It might help his equation issue, but from a larger standpoint, his calculations weren’t the only thing preventing him from completing his work. It was the fact that he seemed to be going nowhere. No direction of importance. He didn’t need mindless, robotic input. He needed advice from someone who thought with a different mindset than his. Someone who would call him on his bluff and tell him when his ideas were idiotic. But the only way he’d get just that without talking to people would be to make a person. He laughed to himself. How silly. Creating a person. But the more he thought, the less ludicrous the idea became. Well, the professor had told him to make friends. This was just a more literal take on the advice. The cogs in his brain began to turn, and it was already too late. He grabbed a long coat and pulled it over his nightclothes, leaving his dorm in a hurry. He knew just the man he needed to see.