Kuroo "Cayman"

1. He knows who killed his first squad (collects evidence).
2. He knows that Silco is working with someone from Piltover (but doesn't know who exactly - yet).
3. He knows that Vi is alive (keeps it a secret, even from Caitlin, until the time comes).
4. He once almost killed a man who called him a "lizard". Caitlin stopped. Since then, he has been holding back, but he is boiling inside.
5. The inhibitor is slowly discharged. He has 2 years left. He doesn't know where to find a replacement. He doesn't tell anyone about it.

SILKO - "The Enemy I Will Kill" (after Vander's death)

How we met: We don't know each other personally. But Kuroo knows everything about him. He had been collecting dossiers for years. He knows that Silko killed Vander. He knows that Silco is using the Shining to cripple the people of Zaun.

Current relationships: Deaf, cold hatred.

How he behaves with him: I haven't met him yet. But when they meet, he will not speak. He will shoot. Or beat. Or tear with your teeth.

His motive: Revenge. Pure, simple, like a blow to the throat.

SQUAD "ASHES" – "My New Flock"

Composition: 5 people. Different, from different areas of Zaun and Piltover. They are all trash, losers, or those who have nowhere to go. Kuroo picked them up piece by piece.

Relationships: He is their commander, but they are his family. He never says it out loud. But if one of them dies, he will turn off the inhibitor.

How he behaves with them: Tough, demanding, but fair. He does not praise, but he does not humiliate either. They know that he will not leave them. They know that he will do anything to get them home. And they repay him in kind.

They know about him: They know he's a half-breed. They know he's from Zaun. They don't know about the inhibitor. They are unaware of his ties to Vi and Jinx. This is his secret.

POWDER/JINX - "The Little Sister I Lost"

How we met: Powder was even smaller than Vi. She trembled from the thunderstorm, drew strange pictures, always hid behind the backs of her elders. Kuroo would sometimes sit with her when Wander was away on business. She showed him her "inventions", he pretended that he was scared (although in fact some of them could actually explode).

Current relationships: Broken mirror.
After the explosion and Vander died, Kuroo searched for her. He searched half of Zaun. He knew she was alive, but when he saw her years later, it wasn't Powder anymore. It was Jinx. Mad, deadly, with eyes in which there was no light.
Does she not remember him? Or does he remember, but does not want to remember? He is not sure. One day, she looked at him from the roof and whispered, "You betrayed him too, didn't you?" He didn't know what to say.
He does not pursue her. He just leaves her small objects in old places on the very ledge where she hid as a child. Sometimes she takes them. This is their silent dialogue.

How he behaves with her: Now he is careful, like with a wild animal. He never raises his hand against her. Never threatening. If the squad receives an order to detain Jinx, Kuroo takes a sick leave. This is his weakness. And she will kill him.

His hope: That somewhere inside Jinx there is still Powder. And that she remembered how he hid her from the storm.

VI - "The little sister I didn't save"

How we met: Vi was a child when Kuroo was a teenager. She was always getting into fights, always getting kicked in the teeth, always getting up. He helped her fight off older bandits. She saw him as an older brother (or a strange uncle with scales).

Current relationships: Warm but painful.
Kuroo knows she's in jail (Stillwater). He tried to get her out, but he is only an operative, not a judge. He has no power. This is one of his main failures.
After Vi leaves Stillwater and meets up with Jinx, Kuroo will find himself between them. He loves both. He will not be able to choose.

How he behaves with her: Like an older brother - he can pat her on the head (if Vi allows), taunt her, scold her for stupidity. But when she looks at him seriously, he becomes serious. She is the only one who can call him "Gray Face" and not get punched in the face.

His fear: That he will stand between her and Jinx when they meet. And he will have to choose. Or die trying to separate them.

WANDER - "The Father I Betrayed"

How we met: Kuroo grew up in Zaun.
Wander was something of an unofficial mentor to him. Not a father, but a man who showed that it is possible to survive without killing. Wander gave him the first knife and said, "You don't have to be what you were born to be."

Current relationships: Broken ties.
Kuroo became a peacekeeper. For Vander, it was a betrayal of betraying his people for the sake of Piltover's pennies. They did not quarrel openly, but Vander did not recognize him. Kuroo didn't come to the bar again.
Kuroo secretly watches the Last Straw. He knows who lives there. He leaves medicines on the doorstep (no one knows where they come from). Vander guesses, but remains silent.
When Wander is killed, Kuroo will not forgive himself for not being there. He will look for Silko. And he will find it.

How he behaves with him: Closed, strained. He cannot look into the eyes. He speaks briefly, formally, and leaves quickly. But inside there is a huge, painful love that he does not know how to express.

His pain: Vander was right. He betrayed. But he didn't know how else to survive. He didn't know how to remain himself in a world that wants to eat you alive.

KAITLIN KIRAMMANN — "Clean Light in a Dirty World"

How we met: Caitlin got to the lower city during one of the first investigations. It was too idealistic, too clean, too lively for these streets. Kuroo had to "accompany" her with an order from above so that the heiress Kirammann would not die in the first ditch.
She was not afraid of his scales. She looked into his eyes and asked questions. She listened to his answers. It broke something in him.
He saved her from a gang that wanted to take her hostage. She saved him from shutting down the inhibitor (the first time he lost control). Since then, they have been connected.

Current Relationships: Deep friendships and mutual respect.
Caitlin is the only person from Piltover he trusts. She is the only one with whom he allows himself to smile, joke, look into the eyes. He knows her habits, her naivety, and her incredible, dangerous bravery. He fears for her more than for himself. She knows about its inhibitor. She knows about his first squad. She is the only one to whom he told the truth about what happened in Zaun that evening.

Dynamics: She is his anchor to humanity.
He is her eyes and ears in Zaun. They meet in neutral places (an old tea house on the border) to exchange information and just be themselves.

How he behaves with her: Relaxed, warm. He can lean back in his chair, raise his legs on the table, smoke without asking permission. The voice becomes warmer, the hoarse whisper is replaced by low, almost purring laughter. He teases her, but if someone looks askance in her direction, the scales on his hands instantly darken.

His fear: That one day he won't have time to save her. That she would die because of her bravery and his inability to be around 24/7.

If the inhibitor is disabled: for the first moment (0-5 seconds), Kuroo feels the "beast" waking up inside, heat spreads through his body, scales stand on end, pupils dilate almost to the entire eye, blood pounding in his ears; "Monitor lizard mode" (5-20 minutes) the speed increases by 2-3 times, he can break a person's bones with his bare hands, break down doors, etc., the pain threshold is almost absent (he can practically walk through fire, the scales literally become bulletproof), the mind becomes dull, he becomes a pure instinct, he recognizes his own people (Caitlin, Vi, "Ashes" if they do not threaten him), but he cannot speak and make complex plans, it simply kills, the scales darken to coal-black, the eyes glow with bright amber, the fingers clench into a kind of clawed paws, it emits a low, vibrating growl; cooldown (20-30 minutes after shutdown) the inhibitor automatically reboots and pumps out excess hormones, Kuroo falls unconscious, sleeps for 2-4 hours, wakes up completely empty (muscles hurt, head splits, mouth tastes blood and metal, can't move normally for another hour), if the inhibitor is completely broken either death from overdose of its own hormones (the heart stops), or he remains in "monitor lizard mode" forever and becomes a wild beast, who will have to be killed (he took an oath from Caitlyn that she would shoot him if the inhibitor suddenly broke).
Kuroo turns off the inhibitor intentionally, only clenching his left hand into a fist as a last resort, jerking his shoulder sharply as if shaking something off, a soft click is heard and the blue light under the skin goes out, silence for a second, and then he opens his eyes, which have already become dark golden, almost red. The inhibitor is illegal, hides with the help of a lead thread in the lining of a jacket, never undresses in front of strangers, does not sleep in the presence of others.

Hextech impulse inhibitor. This is an implantable suppressor of neuro-chemical activity of reptilian origin.
The Inhibitor created an old Zaun mechanic named Chip the Armless, a gray-haired man with eyes of different colors, a former Piltover engineer who had fled to Zaun from old parts and stolen hex-crystals.
The inhibitor is implanted in the left forearm, under the scales, between the elbow and wrist.
In the light, just a slightly darker area of the scales. In the dark, a dim blue light breaks through the skin and scales, pulsating in time with the heart. About the size of two match heads stacked together. Tiny, but monstrously powerful.
Mechanics of operation: the device is implanted in the nerve endings responsible for the release of reptilian hormones and neurotransmitters (adrenaline, cortisol, specific compounds that trigger the "monitor lizard mode"); constantly scans the level of these substances in the blood, as soon as the level exceeds the safe threshold, the inhibitor releases a microdose of a counter-substance that blocks receptors and "extinguishes" aggression, fear, rage; in fact, he keeps Kuroo in a "half-human" state, prevents him from becoming a beast, but does not completely suppress his reptilian instincts.
How it feels: in a normal state, there is no way; when stressed/dangerous, when he should be "boiling", the heat inside increases, the scales itch, there is a lump in the chest, and then a blue pulse, short as a pin prick, and the heat subsides, and Kuroo is cold again; with a mortal threat / threat to loved ones, the impulses become more frequent, stronger, like vibration under the skin, sometimes a barely noticeable squeak is heard on the verge of ultrasound, this means that the inhibitor is working at the limit; when overloaded, the scales on his hands vibrate slightly, his eyes glow slightly, sometimes Kuroo grabs his left forearm (as if he is itching).

Only whiskey. No ice. And he watches how they pour - he knows that in Zaun they dilute it.
Food - unassuming. Meat is preferably raw, but there is boiled meat in the company so as not to embarrass people. Bread. No sweets.

Smoking.
He smokes cheap cigarettes, with a sharp, tart taste (Zaun tobacco with an admixture of chemicals). Packs without a name, sold at an old merchant on the border for three coins. He always carries two packs with him, one in his jacket pocket, one in his bosom.
He lights a cigarette from a lighter (old, shabby, engraved in the form of a skull, a gift from a colleague from the first squad). It inhales deeply, retains smoke in the lungs for a few seconds, releases slowly, through the nostrils (reptilian habit).
He smokes in moments of waiting, after stress, when he is nervous. When smoking in Caitlin's presence, he exhales smoke away from her, but she still winces and grumbles.
Never extinguishes a cigarette on the ground. He pins it between his fingers and extinguishes it on his scales on his forearm. The ashes remain on the skin, but there are no burns, the scales protect. The gesture is automatic.
How it affects perception: for enemies, if he smokes, he is preparing for something (or checking his nerves); for friends, he is relaxed or, on the contrary, very nervous; for Caitlin, she sometimes takes a cigarette from him (pulls it out of his mouth) if she feels he's smoking too much. He growls, but gives it away.

1. Smell of blood in battle, he can enter "monitor lizard mode" and then the world becomes darker, and the mind becomes dimmer. He is afraid of himself in this state.
2. Survivor syndrome he received a commander badge because his old squad was wiped out. He survived. He dreams about it. Every night.
3. Caitlin, if her life is threatened, he will turn off the inhibitor and destroy everything in his path. No questions asked. This is his most dangerous vulnerability.
4. Vi and Jinx he can't make a decision. He cannot choose between them. This paralyzes him. At the decisive moment, he may hesitate.
5. Inability to return to Zaun as "one's own", it no longer belongs to the lower city. But Piltover will never fully accept him either.

1. Discipline never breaks down without a reason. Even in a rage he acts coldly and calculatingly;
2. Intuition senses a lie a mile away (reptilian intuition). No one will deceive him twice;
3. He does not abandon his loyalty. Squad "Ashes" is his new pack. He will save them at the cost of his scales;
4. Reaction speed, reptilian reflexes. He is faster than any person. Can dodge a bullet (not all, but many);
5. Zaun's knowledge: he knows every alley, every Line, every ventilation shaft, every merchant. It is a living map of the lower city.

Hands are always either in the pockets of the jacket or crossed on the chest. The hands are hidden, no one knows what he is holding in the palm of his hand (a gun, a knife).
The back is always straight. Even when sitting, he does not slouch.
Legs - in a sitting position - wide apart, body slightly inclined forward (readiness to jump up). He never crosses his legs.
The head is slightly tilted, the gaze is from under the forehead. Scans the room at the entrance.
Touching: does not like to be touched. The reaction is instant tension, the scales on the hands darken. The exceptions are Caitlin (allows her to touch her shoulder, arm, even scales) and Vi (tolerates but disapproves).

The voice is dry, hoarse, almost a whisper. The mouth almost does not open, speaks through clenched teeth (it is safer for people nearby, fangs do not scare you).
With Caitlin, her voice becomes warmer, lower, with a slight hoarseness. With Vi, it is rougher, louder. With subordinates - even, impassive. A scream in battle is not a scream, but a hissing roar that makes the subordinates' knees buckle. Those who have heard it say it sounds like Zaun himself spoke. The vocabulary is rude, street. Rarely uses long words. Often short commands: "Stop", "Go away", "Be silent", "Run".
Obscenity is present, but sparingly. Mostly Zaun curses. In front of Caitlin, he restrains himself, but if she angers him, he can curse quietly under his breath.

The core of the personality is hypercontrol. He suppresses the beast in him all his life. Every second. His main battle is not with his enemies, but with his own blood. He is afraid of what he might become if he loses control. But there are people next to whom he allows himself to be a human being, and this is both his salvation and his weakness.
External behavior depends on the environment:
With subordinates (Ashes squad) cold, demanding, laconic. He speaks briefly, in chopped phrases. He never raises his voice - a whisper is more terrible than a scream. Does not praise (good work is expected), does not humiliate (mistake - debriefing without emotions). Tough, but fair. He never abandons his own.
With his superiors (Piltover), a formal, tight-pressed, gaze at the floor (hides his pupils). He speaks briefly, does not look into the eyes. He tolerates their arrogance, gritting his teeth. No unnecessary gestures. Hands in pockets or crossed.
With Caitlin Kirrammann, relaxed, warm. Smiles (rarely, but sincerely), looks into the eyes, laughs (dry, croaking laughter). He can afford jokes. The voice becomes warmer, the hoarse whisper is replaced by a low, almost purring one. He calls her by her first name, without titles. Sometimes he teases "Kirammann" or "Baby Katie" with a slight taunt.
S Vi is friendly, a little patronizing (like an older brother). He pats on the head (if he allows), teases her, calls her "baby" or "small" (Vi hates this, but tolerates it). He looks into the eyes without strain. But when the conversation becomes serious, it becomes tough and honest, it does not get away from the truth.
With Jinx, silent, watching. No threats, no attempts to detain or "fix". He just looks at her with pain that he cannot express. He speaks rarely, quietly, almost without intonation. He never raises his hand against her, never accuses her. With Vander (in the past) it is closed, strained. He speaks briefly, formally, and leaves quickly. Inside there is a huge, painful love that he does not know how to express. After Vander's death, a dull, cold hatred for Silko.
With enemies, cold, calculated rage.

Top layer: short black leather jacket, pilot's cut, waist-length. Worn on the shoulders and elbows. Stand-up collar, zipper unfastened by 2/3 so as not to hinder movement. On the back there is a burned brand of the old squad (without stripes). Lead thread is sewn into the lining, Piltover's anti-scanners do not read his physiology.
Middle layer: high-neck sleeveless jacket, terracotta, tight-fitting, knitted. The neckline is standing almost to the chin, hiding the scales on the neck. Deep armholes open the arms from the shoulders to the wrists. On his right shoulder there is a rough darning with a harsh white thread, an old scar from a knife, he sewed it up himself, he did not remove the seam, he wears it as a reminder.
Bottom layer: cargo jeans, dark gray, shabby, sitting low on the hips. On the right thigh there is a scuff from a holster (he used to wear it on his belt, then he hung it under his arm). The pants are loose, do not hinder movement. Shoes: black boots with a shortened top, heavy, with a soft sole (silent step). The lacing loosened on top can throw off in a second if you need to run barefoot (the claws on the feet give grip). Socks are always black, without a pattern.
Accessories: holster under the arm (on the left side), the pistol is hidden under the hollow of the jacket, snatch in a split second, just pull the zipper; the belt is thick, with a metal buckle, on the belt there is a key holder with lockpicks and a butterfly knife (blade made of Zaun steel, black, matte).

The haircut is short, almost "under zero" on the sides and back of the head. On the top of the head it is longer (2-3 cm), disheveled, "hedgehog". The color is dirty silver. On a short haircut, it looks like frost or gray. His hair is coarse, sticking out in different directions, he runs his hand over his head in the morning, and it's done. The scales on the back of the head are visible from under the shaved hair.
The face is narrow and predatory. The cheekbones are sharp, the jaw is square, the nose is wide with large nostrils (sniffs reflexively). The lips are thin, almost always compressed into a straight line. The mouth rarely opens, he speaks through clenched teeth.
The eyes are amber, with a dark golden tint. The pupil is vertical, like a cat or snake. In the dark, they glow faintly, like coals. He always looks squinted, through the interlocutor - scans, evaluates, waits for a threat. Only with loved ones, he allows himself to look openly, without hiding his pupils.
The teeth are small, frequent, slightly pointed. The fangs on the upper jaw are noticeable when he speaks or smirks. He smiles, rarely knows that it scares people (with the exception of relatives).
Scars: above the left eyebrow there is a torn scar from a knife blow (the scales have not grown there and the skin has not really recovered, the scar is pale pink); small white dots on the cheekbones, traces of drops of acid from a sortie to one of Zaun's chemical plants; On the right shoulder there is an old burn from the hex technique (hidden under a sleeveless jacket, but you can feel it through the fabric).

The skin of the face and body is ash-gray, of a cold shade. In the light - a light metallic shine. In areas without scales (face, abdomen, inner side of the arms) it is lighter, almost pale, dark purple veins shine through it (visible on the wrists and temples).
The scales are graphite-black, matte, without sheen. It covers the forearms, shoulders, neck, spine. Smooth to the touch, but harder than steel. In bright light, it gives a barely noticeable tint of old copper. When he is angry, the scales "stand on end" and darken to charcoal-black.
Peculiarity: the back of the head, the scales rise directly from under the hairline. It seems that it "pushes" the hair out.

Dry, wiry, muscular. He is not a jock, he is a reptile: his body seems to be woven from steel cables. The arms are long, slightly disproportionate, with powerful hands.
The silhouette is a predator at rest. The posture is perfectly straight. Discipline has eaten into my spine. It moves silently, with a slight hissing rustle of scales even in heavy boots. He never slouches, even from fatigue.
The gait is springy and creeping. He steps from the toe, lowers the heel silently. In the narrow alleys of Zaun, it passes without hitting the walls.

Half-man, half-monitor lizard (caiman). Reptile genes from the father (or mother) - unclear, it is not customary to talk about parents in Zaun.

Operational officer of the Piltover Peacekeeping Corps, commander of the Ashes Task Force.
Task Force Ashes is a riot control unit on the border of Zaun and Piltover. There are 5 people who had the courage to trust the reptile.
Specialization: operational work in civilian. Infiltration, monitoring, targeted elimination of threats. Unofficially, the liaison between Caitlin and Zaun. He is her eyes and ears in the lower city.
The explicit goal is to carry out orders, maintain order, protect the squad; to prevent a full-scale war between Piltover and Zaun; to be a "good peacemaker" to prove to Piltover that Zaun can still be trusted (naïve, but he's still trying). The hidden goal is to find the killers of his first squad (officially, the case is closed as a "mob riot", but he knows that it was not a riot, but a set-up from someone from Piltover, he collects evidence, keeps a diary with code entries and encrypted notes); protect those who remained (Vi, Powder, Vander (while alive), Caitlin.

He was born and raised in the Poison Marsh, the most rotten and toxic area of Zaun, at the very bottom. He got out of there only thanks to cruelty, intelligence and willingness to sell his soul to peacekeepers.

25 years old. He is young, but his eyes betray the experience he has lived. Looks 30 – a consequence of work, stress and Zaun's chemically polluted air.

Kuroo (no surname, in Zaun surnames are a luxury for the upper).
Nicknames: "Caiman" (for his appearance and the blood that flows in him), "Thorn" (for his character and sharp teeth), "Shadow" (for the manner of merging with the darkness), "Gray muzzle" (only from Vi and he tolerates if someone else calls him so, he will get it in the jaw).