Being One of Vanders kids
A street rat left on your own after your parents demise on the Battle of the Bridge Vander found you when you tried too steal some food out of his bar. Not the smartest decision on your part but you were small and hungry so he couldn't blame you. After all he was known to have a soft spot for kids and it wasn't much, just the scraps off someone elses plate. Taking pity on you, you become another adoptee.
Older than Powder but younger than Violet you were somewhere in the middle of the other kids. You didn't know your real birthday or age as your memories with your parents were all fuzzy and it was really just another random day in the year for you. Your parents did their best for you growing up but in the Lanes your best isn't always enough. Vander makes a note to remember the day he first met you so you could have a proper birthday once you'd adjusted to living with all of them. He knows how hard it can be to loose people and he knows what it's like for your brain to block out certain memories cause their hard to remember. He hopes he can make you new and better memories.
You leave sometimes in the first couple weeks. Never for too long but still, it worried Vander. A day maybe two you'd just dissapear without a word. You come back when you need someplace safe to sleep they think. They only know this because the bed Vander gave you will show signs of being slept in. The kids aren't really sure what to make of you. You come late at night after they've fallen asleep and leave early in the morning when you don't stay. Sometimes there's something small left as a sort of thankyou for letting you stay the night but other than that much isn't said. Even when you do hang around your more silent.
It doesn't take them long to realize your scared. Of attachment? Of abandonment? Of betrayal? Of them? No one's really sure but they do their best to be opening and welcoming whenever your around. They really would like you to stay.
Your crafty and always observing the world around you. You watch, you learn, and you master quickly. Although your really quiet at first Vander notices the way you take everything in. You can read and write as well as count money and do basic arithmatic and equations in your head. Something a lot of people in the Lanes can't do.
Those are just mental skills you possess. You have a lot of talents too. Your observant. You always know when a fights about to happen and who's gonna throw a punch which makes you good at defusing situations and playing peace maker. Your also a skilled seamster who can patch any grubby garment into something someone would feel proud to wear. Your good at carpentry and basic repairs on things. Your cooking skills are also not something to laugh at. It's impressive to say the least. He knows you have other skills but he doesn't push you to share anything you feel uncomfortable with.
Vander although proud of your progress is a little worried with how quiet you are the first couple weeks. You've finally stopped coming and going but he still worries about you and your silent nature. He fears somethings wrong in your head or that you saw something you shouldn't have that left you mute. This is the lanes after all. But after a few weeks of staying with the other kids you begin to really open up. Your quiet and withdrawn nature quickly becoming chatty and friendly. They were all nice to you while you were adjusting but the more comfortable you got, the closer you all became as friends and even family.
Violet is the older sister of the bunch taking care of everybody while Powder is very clearly the baby of the family. Vi's always looking out for you and Powder but she quickly learns to trust you and your skills. Your really resourceful and quick to come up with viable solutions when you and the others are in a problem. Your street smarts are not something that should be underestimated and the connections you have in the Undercity surprise her. You may not have had a real home before them but you got around and you helped a lot of people with in and out odd jobs. She's weary of you but as time goes on she learns to trust you and your advice when you offered it.
Mylo once you begin opening up to the group takes you under his wing. Which is surprising to everyone given his treatment to most (especially Powder). At first the kids tease him thinking he fancies you but in all honesty he just knows what it's like to be an awkward middle child looking for your place in a home that doesn't always feel like it fits. He was the last kid Vander took in so he feels like it's his responbility to help you adjust. He also thinks he can claim half the stuff you steal if your the closest to him.
He bonds with you by sharing skills and swapping stories. Mylo teaches you to pick locks and how to loosen windows to get inside buildings while you teach him the best hiding places when on the run. When he teaches you the intricacy of locks he's surprised how good you become way too quickly. He's still the master of course but he's also impressed to see how quickly you pick up on the skills the others don't see value in. You're a jack of trades for sure and although he covers it up with a sarcastic attitude he's never not amazed at the things you've accomplished in your short time at Vanders.
Mylos also super chatty, like really chatty. He does not know when to shut up (undiagnosed ADHD for sure) but when your around it seems less like filler and more like his genuine thoughts and feelings. He trusts you with what he's keeping inside his head and you trust him to teach you. Your an odd but good duo who balance each other out well and push each other to be better. Sometimes you get competitive when doing jobs or errands for Vander but it's all in good fun.
Seeing a deeper side of Mylo the others don't see as much and hearing his insecurities about where he belongs in this family makes you super close. You see the pattern of him picking on Powder and you realize why he does it. You tell him to stop messing with Powder which gives you points with everyone else since he's always ragging on her. (You're gentle about telling him off though. Always reminding him everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. You know he only messes with Powder cause he cares about her and he sometimes feels jealous because of Powders relationship with Vi. Mylo never had anyone watching his back at that age. It was him and the streets before Vander took him in and those were some dark times. Dark times he keeps to himself.)
As you reach out and connect with the others outside of Mylo you and Claggor hit it off well. Claggor bonds with you the second fastest of the mini gang. Your friendship really starts after he hears Mylo mention the 50/50 steal deal (something that had long become an inside joke and wasn't actually real amymore) and cuffs the back of his head rolling his eyes. He promises you that you don't have to do such a thing and explains you all share your scores equally and that Mylo's just playfully hazing you and acting like top dog. You already knew that but knowing Claggor has your back and doesn't want you scammed is nice.
Claggors not someone you'd ever want to cross. He's the nicest and most cuddly out of the group and will go out of his way to make you feel comfy in the otherwise crowded and sometimes uncontrollable house. If you feel like your about to cry or you need a hug after a stressful job he's the best person to go to because he'll always know how to make you feel better. It's just what he's good at. He's an amazing listener and when your too choked up or scared to talk about it he'll sit with you in silence or tell you comforting stories until you feel better.
He swaps books and carpenting tips with you. The kid enjoys having someone with similar talents to him. Having two pairs of hands to fix things up is way better than him taking on the bulk of that kind of work from Vander. Claggor in his freetime loves to read and having someone else who's fascinated with books makes him happy. He often tells the group stories and acts out the books he's reading so if you help him do voices and characters he'll love you forever.
Claggors a fixer, a problem solver. A heavy hitter and lifter. He's a doer who fixes things and finds out the solutions to problems. He's contantly watching Vander work (similar to you) so he can learn from him. He takes in all the information from what he sees and reads and stores it. A walking encyclopedia of facts he may not look it but he's sharp as a knife. If you'd teach him a thing or two that you've learned about patching things up in the streets he'd be really grateful. Any new tips or tricks that make the job easier or sturdier are the way to win his heart.
Claggor bless his heart is a giver and peace maker. He doesn't like throwing a punch unless he has too and god in the lanes you usually have too. At mealtime he tends to get the most because he's the biggest but if you look hungry or he notices you haven't been eating as much to give to the others he'll slip you some of his food. He has a very open soft spot for you. Claggor also keeps a storage of snacks hidden in the wall next to his bed so if you ever have a really bad day he'll sneak you a treat as he comforts you about whatever it is. He does the same with the others but it still feels nice to know you'll always have him watching out for you.
Powder is shy around a lot of people but she opens up once she realizes your also interested in some of the things she likes. She looks up to you unlike mean Mylo as she calls him. She'll pull you away from him and ask you to hang out. She asks you questions about your skills and for stories and what your past on the streets was like. When she's not asking questions and listening she tells you all about her inventions and big ideas. She opens up to you about things she feels she can't tell Vi when the both of you are alone and as she doodles she'll explain these complicated machines she wants to build someday.
She loves when you play with her hair and do the little braids that she likes for her. You'll give her a doll or some toy you made to play with as you brush and do her hair in that way she likes. Violets not very good at girly things so she appreciates the help and Powder likes looking pretty. When Vi's busy you and Vander are the first people Powder seek out. You spend most of your days entertaining and playing with the girl. When you have chores around the bar she follows you around enjoying your company and talking to you as work. You let her go pretty much whenever you do in Vanders bar but you don't let her follow you when you do private business in the Undercity. She gets pouty but you always bring her and the others something so they know your thinking of them.
One day you dissapear without notice again after hearing one of her crazy ideas and she thinks it's her fault and that she scared you off. She cries all day having a massive breakdown thinking you ran away until you come back that night covered in grease and oil and some light cuts. You have a large sack bag full of spare parts and peices from Piltover. Gears. Cogs. Springs. Broken but salvageable clocks. Inner-workings from various discarded machines. Pipes. And crayons. Expensive oil ones. You stayed in the shadows and scrounged in the Academy's garbage to find her what she needed because she deserved to have big dreams and the materials to make those dreams happen. The crayons may have been snatched off some Academy students desk. Your sure they won't miss them.
Violet respects you in a way she didn't know she could after that. The best way to win her over is to win her sister over and Powder is absolutley gaga over you. She looks up to you and Vi and is always trying to make inventions and gagets to impress you both. You begin receving a lot of crayon art from the young girl thanks to your little gift and your bunk bed wall is now covered in lock picking techniques Mylo taught you, book passages from Claggor that you've written out, and drawings and invention sketches Powder made you. You keep all these things in a neat order in your space so the other kids see how much you care about them and their gifts.
Vi's surprised when you grab her arm one day. You gently pull her into the bathroom and she lets you. You wet your hands and dry them before you carefully unwrap her bloody bandages. Washing her hands and knuckles you get the dirt out of her cuts and really clean her wound before gently rubbing some tummerik you swiped from a vendor on them. It stings a bit but her knuckles do feel better. The pink around her hand fades and you take cleaner bandages out of your pocket before rewrapping her knuckles. You tell her if she ever feels her hands hurt come to you and you'll get her something to help.
The first time you go to their little hangout is like a right of passage. You've been at Vanders for maybe a couple months and they want you to know your welcome and really one of them. Walking in there's all sorts of cool things to do and interesting stuff they've stored here. Powders excited to show off her ball shooting skills and moving target machines while Mylos excited to show you some of his more complicated lock pick collection and practice locks. Claggor stores books and manuals down here that you haven't read yet and he proudly shows them off too you. Meawhile when you have a moment to catch your breath, Vi throws some taped up gloves at you and challenges you to her boxing machine. You have a good time learning more about them in the most relaxed setting you've ever been at and as your about to leave to follow them to their favorite food stall you pause as you see a new kid poking his head in.
They introduce you to Ekko and invite the squirt along to get food. He walks next to you with wide eyes asking you all sorts of questions as Powder clings to one arm and he clings to the other. Apprentally Vanders told Benzo a lot and since he works for him he's heard about you and had been trying to catch you for awhile. Powder brags about you while the others fill in any gaps she leaves and tell Ekko all sorts of cool stories about you. You get flustered at the attention but they insist you deserve it.
Your first time at Jerrikos is possibly the best day of your life. As you wolf down food with your new family you can't understand how you hadn't gone to this stall before or met these amazing people. As you all pay a few coins and share and swap things you try not to spit out your food from how hard they make you laugh.
Your an official sibling now and despite being in the middle the kids start coming up to you when they have a problem and Vanders busy. Powder mentions her bomb won't work and you suggest adding a pinch more gunpowder and lightening the nail load to make it more likley to go off. Mylo says he can't keep his shoes from falling apart and you glue the soles before taping and nailing the back to reconstruct them. Claggor mentions a soreness in his joints and you advise him to stand in the kitchens for a minute next to the steam and just breathe it in to loosen him up as well as put some aloe vera pulp on his shoulders. Violet comes to you with what might be a broken finger and you give her ice to chew on before you splint it carefully. When there's a problem they know they can count on you and ask for your advice to help them.
You always have an answer for everything. Headache? Press their hand to their forehead and close their eyes, if that doesn't work rub the meat between their thumb and fore finger. If it's a migraine either dip their feet in ice water for about a moment than wait or drink some coffee if Vander has any around. Have a sore throat or feeling a cold/fever come on? Drink a shot of warm lemon juice and gargle some salt water to clear the throat. Little things like that your always able to help with. Apprentally nursing and medicine are one of your other skills.
Vander is so proud of you and the kids for accepting you. He's a busy man with many responsibilities but he always tries to make time for his family with family dinners and checking in during his small breaks. He pulls you aside one day and asks how your doing and adjusting. He's glad to hear you feel comfortable and that the others are so kind to you. He's glad they've initiated you into their little gang and after a talk to catch up he lets you go.
You scrap up and fix things to help the family and make everyone's lifes easier. Your love languae is gift giving and people giving you words of affirmation. Every time you get a compliment from your new family you light up and work twice as hard so you can show them their compliment meant something to you. You've never had a lot but now in a safe place to keep your stuff you begin accumulating more things as well as more time to advance your skills. You make cushions for Vanders bar so people no longer sit on hard wood and you better insulate your guyses room so it doesn't get as cold at night. You make stuffed animals when you have enough scrap clothe and toys like spinner tops or ball in cup for everyone to play with. Your as clever as they come and you try to help your new family in any way possible. You just want to be helpful.
Ekko adores you after that time at Jerrikos and now that your apart of the family. Whenever you have to go to Benzos for something Vander needs he trails after you asking questions about the gang and how your doing. You often have little trinkets for him that you and Powder made and he gets excited to receive the gifts you make him. He also just enjoys your company finding your presense soothing. He becomes like your little brother and much like Powder quickly becomes attached. He tells you all about his ideas and invites you to do jumping contests with him on the trampolines in your clubhouse.
He's a smart kid who's as quick witted as they come. He picks up on things like you do and masters things as long as he has some guidance. Your very proud of him just like Jinx and you always let him know that. His ideas are important to you and you always make sure to keep a note in your head about what he's curentully working on. You love hearing about his newest theories and the gossip he picks up working at Benzos.
You care about your family alot. You mostly do solo jobs and sometimes leave to handle your business alone but you always make sure they get a share. It's been a long time since you've had a family but now that you have one you'll do anything to protect it.
