i'm dragging a heart that weighs a ton / holding out for not just anyone

[monoceroscaeli]

[Fontaine: The technological hub of Teyvat.

For as long as anyone can remember, the country of Fontaine has always been the innovative center for the continent. High speed rail was originated here, and now spans across the entirety of Teyvat and beyond. High rises and skyscrapers pepper the skyline, modern Victorian buildings supporting a gear-like aesthetic from an era gone by. A thousand years ago, it was a much different place, but now it thrives with the bright lights and bustle of its people. One can hear the occasional street performer playing for cash, as businessmen and tourists alike walk down narrow cobblestone streets. People are buried in their phones, some take pictures as they gawk at the sights of the city, but one young man in particular walks languidly down the street, enjoying the life around him. He's in no hurry to get where he's going, as he has plenty of time to get there, noting a deli across the street from where he is now that he'll have to try.

Unfortunately, he is on business, so that'll have to wait.

Never being one to be dressed completely formal, he wears a comfortable pair of slacks and dress shoes, with a collared shirt that isn't buttoned up all the way under a grey vest. Various pieces of metal are woven into the vest, notably a crest on his right shoulder with a chain attached to it that hangs under his arm to the back. On his belt lies a Vision, glowing blue with hydro. The young man always seems friendly and easy going, but what lies underneath is something that not many are allowed to know- the heir to the family business of a company who develops tech for various products is also the right hand man of the mafia that runs the city.

And, their true business behind the scenes; creating Delusions to sell on the black market.

Today is a day where some investigating has to be done, and he's headed to see an old friend of his, from university. One that he's sure can help him with this problem he has. Entering the building, he swings in quietly to give a polite wave and a smile to the only person there.

Someone who looked exactly like their brother, whom he can only assume is the twin sister he'd yet to meet that he'd heard about.]

Hello, I was wondering if Aether was in today? I had a...business proposal for him, and I'm sure that he'd love to hear it. Unless of course, you might be of assistance instead.

Comments

[monoceroscaeli]

[His hand instinctively reaches down to touch the cool glass orb on his belt, as it pulses slowly with the power imbued by the gods in it. The moment he touches it, he gets a vision of a landscape in the clouds, with pillars and bridges he doesn't recognize. But in an instant it's gone, and replaced by a sharp pain in his head that he keeps getting. And she's suffering too, it seems...that's strange enough that he's taken notice of it now.

The shock when they first met, a few other times too. He tries to hide his own discomfort, as Aether tends to Lumine.]

No, he's right. You look like you need a little sleep. We'll finish up, so the two of you can get going home to get some proper rest. C'mon Aether, it won't take too long.

[He puts his shoes back on, grabbing his food and the briefcase he'd brought along with him.]

It really was nice meeting you, Lumine. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon.

[He'll let Aether lead him out of her office to his own, waving goodbye to her before he exits.]

[traversal]

[ lumine almost protests at that, but aether quickly smothers it with a gentle squeeze of her knee before he gets up to lead ajax to his office. and before she can say anything else, the door swings close with a click.

she doesn't know what's going on, why she's even feeling strangely unwell all of a sudden since yesterday. she doesn't think it's anything she's eaten, otherwise her brother too would be feeling the same way. or is it just because he has stronger constitution than him? still, it started when she's met ajax yesterday, which was even stranger.

a dismissive headshake later, she moves over to the couch, toeing off her heels and pulling up her legs onto the sofa. there's that lingering smell of cologne where ajax previously sat, one that lumine quickly waves away. of all things for her to notice, she's getting way ahead of herself with aether's friend.

and he's not even that good-looking compared to the other guys she's gone out with. she's acting like a complete teenager.

with a huff, she curls up on the couch, head pillowed against the arm, to try and nap. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[A week passes. Ajax finds his dreams, from time to time, lucid with images from a palace in Snezhnaya, other places he's been in Teyvat, but look very different from what he remembers. But he forgets nearly all of them by the time he wakes up, trying to desperately cling to what little he could recall. And there's a girl in some of them, one that he remembers looking fondly on, but he can never recall her face or her name.

The only comfort he has is that he often dreams of her, so perhaps the next night, he'll remember...

This should be the last time he needs to bother Aether for professional reasons, at least not for a while. He steps back into the twins's office, waving hello to Sophie once again as he enters.]

Hey, long time no see. Could you let Aether know I'm here?

[Sophie picks her phone up, telling him that Aether is out once again, but Lumine will be able to help him. He nods, as the receptionist connects to Lumine's office instead. Yes, Mr. Volkov is here. Should I send him up?]

[traversal]

[ she's been expecting that name for a week now, at least ever since aether accidentally left his laptop open for her to peer into. he's always been careless when they're both at home during the weekends, always too absentminded and heedless just because it's just the two of them in the apartment. and while lumine's never one to pry into her twin brother's business, that doesn't mean her curiosity has never been piqued by whatever work he's doing.

like with this particular case, this particular project. one that aether quickly accepted the moment he hears the client's name, taking it as a personal project than that of the company's.

and now, lumine, eyes glowing from the reflected light of his laptop screen, finally knows why. why he's been deflecting her questions, why he's been carrying his laptop everywhere, why he's been brooding for the past few days, why she's found a suitcase full of mora under his bed.

the headaches, the flashes of images, the strange restlessness of her sleep, the lucid dreams that had only started when she met him—what else could it be but that?

standing next to the glass window of her office, she runs the words in her head—weapons, delusions, volkov—the rumours, the hearsays, the whispers. her fingers curl tightly around the usb stick aether handed her that morning (guard it with your life, lu, he joked), her head throbbing again with dull pain. her brother, her twin—involved, in the know, since when?

lumine wrenches her gaze away from the scene outside and looks over her shoulder when she hears the knock on her door, her secretary announcing ajax in. all she has to do is to pass the flash drive over and receive the payment. that's it, that's all there is. it doesn't need to be complicated; she doesn't need to make it complicated. ]

Come in.

[ but not without any questions first. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[He enters, smiling brightly back at Lumine, clearly happy to see her. He's not worried that she may be making the exchange here, as he's trusted Aether not to tell her anything. Pass the money, get the flash drive, and off he goes to take care of business. But something still nags at him, why they seem to be getting sick at the same time.

Why he's having these dreams, these visions around her. Did someone leak the plan? Did someone do something to both of them?]

Good to see you again, [he starts, studying her expression. There's...something up here.] I suppose Aether was busy again, and left you to handle things? I guess the good news is this won't keep you past hours again, haha.

[He sets the briefcase down on the coffee table in front of the couch.]

Did he leave you with a USB drive for me to pick up?

[traversal]

[ someone's at least chipper between the both of them.

her expression remains placid even as he walks in and greets her, her gaze flickering at the briefcase he sets down on the table. the same one she's found underneath aether's bed—and really, who hides money under their bed nowadays anyway? still, lumine says nothing for a long moment, watching his very casual movements in her office.

she now wonders if his friendliness towards her has been a ploy, a sham to keep her in the dark while he reeled her brother in. that wouldn't be too surprising, would it, now that she's caught wind of what he wanted from them? ]

Mm, he did.

[ she opens her hand, the usb stick sitting right in her palm. a moment later, she closes her fingers around it once more. no gesture of offering it, of handing it over. lumine simply keeps it in her hand, waiting for him to come get it from her himself. ]

But before I give it to you, I'd just like to ask something first. [ her eyes flicker once more to the briefcase and then to his face. ] What did you do to me, Mr Volkov?

[monoceroscaeli]

[Ajax expects her to put that USB in his hand, but his suspicions are confirmed when she closes her hand around it once more and doesn't immediately hand it over. He keeps his expression neutral, immediately understanding that there was a slip up on Aether's end. She either knows what's on the USB drive, or there's something else. He really doesn't want to make a scene here.

But he will if he has to. The plan is riding on him getting that USB with the information on it. If that's even the real thing. If she's figured it out, who's to say she hasn't swapped the USB with a different one? That would put her in a bad position...not what he wanted.

But let's try to figure this out first.

He listens, but a look of genuine confusion appears on his face, then worry. Was he right? Did someone do something to them?]

What? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. What do you mean, do something to you?

[traversal]

[ her lips pull to a thin line at his response, finding herself in the middle of a whirlwind of thoughts.

is he lying to her? is he trying to deflect? why wouldn't he, after all, when he has something to hide? feigning innocence seems easy enough for someone like him who seems to know how to use his charm on others to get what he wants. she should've known the moment she first saw him, should've kept her guard up at all times. ]

The headaches, the weird images, the dreams—aren't those all your doing?

[ the word delusion sticks on the tip of her tongue like a bitter taste, but even then, lumine's unable to spit it out. the look on his face stays her tongue, keeps her from lashing out. ]

I only started having them since I shook your hand last week, so who else could be the culprit here?

[monoceroscaeli]

[There's a moment where all of his thoughts slam to a halt. Did she just say what he thought she said? He knew that she had been having the same headaches as him, but the images and dreams...that he didn't know about. His jaw hangs open in shock for a moment, while he tries to process what she just said.]

Wait...

[He shakes his head. Get it together, Ajax...]

You're not the only one here who's been having strange visions and dreams. Every so often, both times we've been together, I've had a sudden headache come on accompanied by a vision of sorts. And all this last week...

[Archons, were they poisoned? That's some long lasting poison.]

I almost suspected you were the one who did something. But I didn't see how you could have. Can you tell me, what are your dreams about? And do you remember coming into contact with anyone else but me before this came on?

[traversal]

[ what?

lumine inwardly splutters at his almost-accusation, feeling like she's been slapped across the face. he suspected her when he's the one suspicious all this time with his requests and pleas, begging for her to accept this proposal? ]

What do you mean, me? Why would I do this to you when I didn't even know who you were until last week?

[ how could she even do something like this? she doesn't even know anyone or anything capable of doing this—except this delusion.

at his question, however, lumine holds her tongue and simply glares at him, the usb stick cutting bluntly into her palm. answering the question if she's met someone is one thing; answering the question about her dreams, well ... that's another. ]

Why am I the one being interrogated here when you're the one asking my brother to look up information about weapons?

[monoceroscaeli]

[When she mentions the weapons, that's when his expression changes. She does know, and she knows more than she needs to. Not good. He shoots her a stern glare, almost threatening.]

Listen. It's better for your own safety that you don't go poking your nose into this any farther than you already have. I don't think you did anything, so you can drop that right now. I'm worried because I don't want you to get caught between anything, and I'm afraid you already have before any of this even began.

[He takes a step forward, his hand outstretched, palm open. So she can put that USB in his hand.]

Get to a doctor, tell them you haven't been feeling well, like perhaps you accidentally ate something that's making you sick. I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is is affecting both of us. Now, just give the USB to me and walk away from this, okay?

[traversal]

[ her eyes narrow at his outstretched hand, her fingers tightening even more around the usb stick, holding it against her chest. she wonders if she could break it, if it'll break at all. would that solve this problem? ]

Or what? You'd kill me?

[ lumine knows she's pushing it, knows the kind of rumours that surround him and his family; aether would no doubt be upset at her. but she hasn't even received any answers to her questions. nothing still makes sense, nothing is assured—not her brother's safety, not a resolution to these visions. ]

... Delusions are said to be cursed items, created from the remains of gods. [ rumours, hearsays, stories from fairy tales. ] How certain are you it's not you who did this to me?

[monoceroscaeli]

So you've been doing your research.

[He wishes she hadn't been, though. She must of seen what he'd ask Aether to look up in their third party data servers, and looked up what it was. This was just not information she needs to know, but he supposes that anyone could look it up on the internet. They've found a way around using the remains of gods now- that was ancient history.]

If that was the case I would have had this problem a long time ago. And my headaches and visions didn't start coming until I met you. Lumine, you are getting in way over your head here. Make this easy, okay? We don't have to do this.

[He steps forward again, to put himself further into her space.]

Hand over the USB, now. Don't make me take it from you.

[traversal]

[ she scoffs at that, looking terribly offended by his supposed concession. as if such a threat is supposed to intimidate or frighten her, cow her into submission.

there's another flash of image across her mind, of a building filled with gold, and lumine takes a step back until her shoulders hit the glass window. there's nowhere to escape, but she's simply not surrendering the flash drive to him just yet. again, no questions from her have been answered yet. ]

And you expect me to just say yes and fork it over?

[ aether would be mad at her, upset that she's involved herself in this. but she's honestly more upset that he's involved with someone like ajax volkov. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[The minute the words leave his mouth, he can feel that pain shoot through his head, a vision coming to him of looking down at someone in a rage, gold surrounding him and this other person. It's gone as soon as it came, and he grits his teeth not only because of the pain, but because she's being so difficult about this.]

Lumine...

[He says with a growl, stepping forward more. He can't let this go any further, and he's leaving with that USB.]

I warned you. You should have left this alone.

[He makes a grab for her hand, in an attempt to try to twist her arm outward in a direction an arm is not supposed to go in order to get her hand to open and let go of the USB.]

[traversal]

[ she winces when the headache returns in full force, the pain almost blinding for a split-second. but that split-second is more than enough for ajax to grab her arm, twisting it in an attempt for her to drop the item in question. but still, lumine keeps it in her tight grip, letting out a cry when pain lances through her arm.

instead, she tries to yank her arm out of his grip, flailing to escape him. so much so that she tries to stomp his foot with her stiletto heel, her other hand coming up as a fist to punch him in the jaw. ]

Let go of me, you creep!

[monoceroscaeli]

[He twists the arm a little harder, knowing that it shouldn't take much to get her to let go. The heel that goes right into his toes hurts, and he cries out in pain when she does so- that punch connecting right with his jaw. He lets go of her, taking a few steps back and rubbing his jaw.

Okay, now he's pissed. But on the other hand, he's kind of happy to see her putting up a fight. At least now, he won't be bored.]

So that's how it's going to be? Alright then...

[He lunges again, this time trying to grab her arm to twist it behind her, so not only to position himself behind her to keep from getting punched, but so he can also have better control. She's making this hard, but he is still trying to keep from hurting her.]

[traversal]

[ the few moments that he stepped back and let her go is enough for lumine to duck and run towards her desk, her other hand cradling her wrist. it's not broken, that much she can tell, but it's tender, swollen. it's probably sprained, twisted by the force he's used on her.

she's pretty sure she can't overpower him. for one thing, she's far too smaller than him. for another, she felt his strength even from the way he gripped her wrist. but there are ways she can still be at an advantage.

lumine grabs the paperweight she's gotten from liyue years ago, a bronze carving of a dragon that's supposed to be its former archon. with her other hand, she slams the usb drive on her desk, the paperweight raised on top of it. ]

Move closer, and I'll destroy this here. Let's see if my brother will still give you another copy.

[monoceroscaeli]

[Missing his chance to grab her, he stops, shoulders slumping with a sigh. This really shouldn't of been so difficult, he swears. All it should of been was an exchange, and he was supposed to be out of here already.]

Fine. What is it that you want? You know anything I tell you is only going to put you in more danger, you realize that, right? This doesn't concern you. I'm just here for what I paid for, that's all. If you'd just hand it to me, I could be gone and never show my face here ever again and you'd never have another thing to worry about.

[That is, unless she opened her mouth- then there'd be problems.]

Please, Lumine. Just give me the USB so we can go our separate ways, okay?

[traversal]

[ lumine doesn't move, the paperweight heavy in her hand. her wrist throbs with every heavy, laboured breath she takes, pain radiating across her arm.

she could do as he asked. give him the usb stick and watch him disappear forever. she'll never have to deal with him again, and whatever he does is never going to be her business ever again. but she's not alone in this, is she? she's not the only one involved in this.

sure, she may have stepped into a mire that got her dirty, but there's someone else who's already knee-deep in it. ]

Aether— [ even saying his name pains her, knowing the kind of danger her twin is flirting with. ] How much of this is he involved in?

[monoceroscaeli]

Not as much as you think, but more than you'd like.

[There really isn't a good way to measure it, and he can't give her a real answer. His expression is exasperated, not really caring for this line of questioning. But at least that question, it was more than valid for her to ask.]

You'll have to confront him about it if you really want to know. Rest assured that I've made sure of his safety, and yours, for that matter. I wasn't about to allow anyone to hurt the two of you due to our actions. You weren't supposed to know. I'm sorry.

[His mind is racing to come up with a way to grab that flash drive before she can bring the paperweight down on it. It would easy. He could hydroplane right to it in a blink of an eye and grab it before she even has the chance.]

[traversal]

[ lumine doesn't want to believe that. he could just be telling her what she wants to hear. and yet, does she have a choice on the matter, when he's the only one who can guarantee her brother's safety in this transaction? she doesn't even care about hers, but aether, as the one person who worked on this ... ]

I don't need your protection or apology, [ she scoffs at him. as if she'd trust him with her life, not after today. ] But I need to guarantee Aether's, whatever happens.

[ because her brother doesn't deserve to be linked to this lowlife, just because they were friends back in college. ]

Both from other people and your family. I've heard what your family is capable of, so don't even deny it.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He holds his hands up, before letting them drop back down to his sides. Guess the jig is up on that front, and he just smiles back at her.]

Done. We've already been doing that as it is, so that's an easy request to grant. Trust me, myself and anyone in my family has no reason to hurt the people who help us. And, I quite like Aether and yourself- I've got no reason to do anything so drastic.

[He keeps his eye on her arm, wondering if she was going to smash it anyway. He'll have to move fast.]

Is that all you wanted? I was expecting a bit more than that.

[traversal]

[ she can't blame him if he doesn't understand the kind of bond she has with her twin brother. very few people ever do, and that's fine with her. she doesn't need everyone's understanding of her connection with aether; she knows it's too complex for anyone who's never had a twin.

still, lumine doesn't grace with question with a response, simply lowering the hand holding the paperweight and swiping the usb stick off of her desk. ]

Even if it's one hair on Aether's head that gets hurt, I'm holding you accountable for it.

[ she's serious about that, by the way. even as she walks towards him, one hand cradling her swollen wrist and the other hand holding the usb stick to him. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Inwardly, he breathes a sigh of relief. It looks like she's not going to ruin all the efforts they've made. He can't tell her, but her decision now is going to save the lives of innocent people- they'll be able to move forward with their plan to take out those who stand in their way instead of just killing whomever they think is a problem.

He doesn't make any moves forward, and lets her come to him. Nodding, he reaches out to take the USB.]

That's fair. Don't worry, Aether will always be safe as long as I draw breath.

[He takes the USB, but his hand brushes hers in the process. A sharp pain radiates through his entire body, and he doesn't even manage to grasp a hold of the flash drive- instead, he's driven to the ground in pain, dropping to his knees.

It's a bright day in Liyue, and his legs kick as he sits on the side of one of the stone bridges Dihua Marsh, looking out at the beauty of Dragonspine atop the plateau that it sits upon between Liyue and Mondstadt. Across the water lies Sal Tarrae, and he takes a deep breath in to appreciate just being alive. What makes it more special is that he gets to spend it with her. A breeze hits the both of them, the end of the paludamentum on his back flowing backward with it.]



I don't think I'll ever get tired of this view, [he says, as he turns to Lumine, her white dress glowing in the sunlight.] Comrade, why don't we have a little spar here? First one who gets knocked into the water loses, haha.

[He doesn't expect her to say yes, but it never hurts to ask just in case she's in the mood.]