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

[ he shouldn't be surprised if she sends a look of disbelief his way in response to his outrageous plan. because who, in their right mind, would even attempt to find that apartment and see what they can get out of it? who knows if it'll even have any traces of someone living there? of the harbinger living there at all?

and it isn't as if the visions they're having only happened a few years ago, too. at least, it doesn't look like it, considering the current state of dihua marshes. ]

You know, I can't tell if you're an idiot or just someone who likes pain.

[ she cups her chin again with a hand, staring at the clear amber liquid in her teacup. she's going to regret this, isn't she? she's going to regret this so bad that she'll return to fontaine and just drown herself in her work. ]

Anyway, I need to head back to the city to find a few people. If you want to go there to, I don't know, break and enter into the private property of some Snezhnayan general, more power to you.

Huh. Seems you've already gotten to know me better than I gave you credit for.

[There's something in how she basically calls him a masochist and an idiot, dismissing his actions in a way that's strangely endearing. And perhaps for the first time that morning, he smiles. A bright, amused smile, that he flashes at her with no reservation.]

So...does this mean we'll be traveling together? You know, I don't mind alleviating the burden of expenses either, to make this endeavor a little easier.

[An endless amount of credit does wonders, really.]

[ unfortunately for him, lumine doesn't return the smile, simply finishing her tea with a few more sips. ]

Guys like you are simple enough to read, it's almost predictable.

[ she gestures at the waitstaff who gives her a slight nod. she'll be returning later in the evening anyway, since her room has been reserved for the entire week, so they can charge whatever needs to be charged on her credit.

no answer is given to his question, however. she'd rather not give him a reason to pester her further when they've agreed last night that she's no longer involving herself with him. ]

You're not the first guy who has the same mindset. Just a more ... try-hard style, I guess.

I've been told I'm quite unpredictable, actually. I guess you're just one of the few that can actually get a bead on me.

[And if that isn't attractive as hell to him, he doesn't know what is. He lets the insult go, as it doesn't really bother him anymore past when she'd insulted Childe's military garb, now that he knows her opinion. She can think that all she wants and compare the two of them as such, but he's comfortable with who he is.

He'll take her non answer as a yes for now, because he has a feeling that if it were a no, she'd have no issue telling him that.]

But really, if you need some time to get ready to go, take all the time you need. I can meet you down in the lobby once you're ready. Here.

[He takes a small business card out of his wallet, and a tiny pen he keeps in it, scribbling his cellphone number on it.]

Here's my number. I know you don't want it, but take it anyway.

[You never know when you might need it is the unsaid end of that sentence. But he's sure she'd think of a way to counter that.]

[ she stares at the card he holds out to her, wishing it would go up in flames the longer she looks at it. it sadly doesn't, even after a full minute, and lumine reluctantly accepts and tucks it in the pocket of her cardigan. chances are, she'll empty her pocke5 later on and throw it away somewhere, anyway. she never likes it when she sticks her hand in and feels weird knickknacks in her pocket.

but she does take his offer of waiting for her, walking back to the inn to change and grab her purse and phone. there's an unanswered text there from aether, asking how her holiday is going. ]

Let's get this over with. The sooner we get to the city, the sooner we can go about our business separately.

[ after all, she knows all the ins and outs of liyue harbour, had walked down its cobblestone pavement at ungodly hours after watching theatre and catching a drink with friends. losing him in the hubbub of the city is easy enough.

lumine slides into the passenger seat of his car, tugging her skirt down when it rides up a little higher. ]

You do know how to get there, right?

I've got a basic idea.

[He sets his phone up, hooking it into the car, the giant tablet-like display in the middle lighting up when he turns the car on. His playlist starts playing, which he immediately turns down, before shifting the car into drive and taking off towards Liyue Harbor.]

I was there before I came to Dihua, so I've had an opportunity to drive around a little bit. Parking is going to be the hard part...

[He pulls onto the freeway soon after, a straight shot to downtown, the landscape of a suburb slowly turning into a large metropolis. A giant stone archway that leads down to the waterfront still stands, reinforced by steel in some places, but is very much a landmark in its own right.]

They say this stone archway has been around for centuries. Hmmm, I wonder if our counterparts ever ventured under it? Seems like somewhere they'd go, doesn't it?

[He hums to himself, making sure not to say the quiet part out loud of course, even if he's more than blatantly suggested it.]

[ there's a reason why she never got a car in liyue even while she was studying there. it's a trading port, after all, which means vehicles coming and going almost every day of the week. public transit is much more convenient and less of a hassle to take.

lumine leans her cheek against a hand, listlessly watching the scenery they pass by. fields turn into rivers, rivers into fields, the geo archon's landscape remains unchanging despite the modern buildings and houses dotting the region. it's as intimidating as ever, even after a few years of moving to fontaine. ]

After what I've seen last night, they're probably the type to venture everywhere.

[ but no, really. it seems like her counterpart has a case of wanderlust like her twin, seeing that she too is heading to fontaine. where she's now living with aether. weird. ]

You can just drop me off outside the university. I'll be fine from there.

Alright. Just give me a call when you're done.

[He sets his GPS to the University of Liyue, exiting off onto a road that would eventually lead them to the campus. Though, he remembers now that he wanted to say something to her, maybe something that would ease the situation between the two of them.]

You know, I was thinking a little on how these visions are affecting us.

[He pauses for a moment, thinking on how to phrase this.]

I find it highly unlikely that the people who are being presented as our dopplegangers really do look exactly like us. Doesn't that strike you as odd? How could that even be possible, when they are practically carbon copies of ourselves?

[He lets that hang in the air, before continuing on.]

It may be that the only reason they appear as us is because we're the victims of it. I can't be sure, because it's quite eerie that our siblings have been named so far in these visions, as well as ourselves. Oh, and...

[He steals a quick glance at her, smirking.]

Blonde and green-eyed, huh?

[ huh. so he's really planning on picking her up, too? driving her back to wangshuu inn? and here she thought they're just going to stick together until they get to the city. a part of her debates on declining it and tell him she can go back on her own, familiar with liyue's geography like the back of her hand.

lumine says nothing for a while about his theory, simply listening to it and going through the details in her head. she's thought about it before, too; after all, she's found it unsettling how they're pretty much identical to each other. which is why she's initially assumed it to be his fault.

... it still might be his fault, might be his doing with all the sketchy things he's been up to. ]

I was trying to imagine a different face when looking at him. It's not exactly a pleasant one to stare at for too long.

[ a lie? who knows, especially with how nonchalant she says that. ]

So, are you saying that if this affliction was somehow affecting Aether instead, you two ... [ she wrinkles her nose. ] Ew, not an image I want to imagine.

[Ajax pulls a face at that suggestion, not having ever been attracted to her brother whatsoever. Ugh, they were friends, nothing more.]

Looks like you poked a hole in my theory already then. I think both Aether and myself would prefer to jump off a bridge than be romantically involved with each other.

[He doesn't realize how telling that statement in and of itself was, concentrating on driving and getting through the traffic that's picked up. Downtown Liyue Harbor had its own twists and turns, one-way streets and the like. Students that crossed the street everywhere, and there were more and more of them the closer they got to campus.]

[ hey, her brother is attractive and sweet, probably the best catch anyone could have—if she ever allowed him to date! so, how dare he pull a face at the thought of going out with aether romantically. ]

I mean, I was close to flinging myself out the balcony last night, so it's not really different.

[ she was just being considerate to the people downstairs and the innkeeper who would most likely have to clean up her bloody remains.

lumine's not about to admit that last night was, well, unusual. not just the dream itself, but the feelings attached to it. she doesn't ever remember having such a connection with anyone, not even with the guys she dated in the past. it was disconcerting, confusing. annoying. ]

If you think about it too, Aether and I have the same face. Same hair colour, same eyes ...

Yes, and I'm not into guys, thank you very much. Or did you completely miss that part last night?

[He shoots back, rolling his eyes once again. This woman, suggesting things like that. It's like she's trying to get him to date her brother or something. What a weirdo...

Especially since he can feel Childe's emotions slowly trying to mix with his own. He's not fond of it, and it's hard to sort them out in regards to her...but he can draw a line now, one where the Harbinger's feelings stay on one side and his on the other. And as far as he's concerned, it'll stay that way.]

Anyway, now isn't the time for petty squabbles like this. We're here as it is.

[There's an unloading lane he pulls into outside of one of the buildings on campus, stopping and putting the car in park for the moment.]

Alright. Enjoy yourself. Hopefully I'll have more information for you when you've finished.

[ she's just saying, pls. ]

How sure are you that's Childe's feelings, though?

[ the harbinger could be seeing someone else and not her when this was happening. if this happened at all.

in any case, he's right. this isn't the time to bicker, not when she sees the familiar buildings of her university in the distance. she unclips her seat when he pulls over, quickly getting out of the car to smooth down her skirt again. ]

Sure, sure.

[ lumine waves a hand at him dismissively, briskly walking towards the faculty office. she's messaged one of her professors earlier that morning, seeking advice about these visions they're having. he couldn't give her a quick answer, so he had asked her to drop by the university instead.

upon arriving there, however, someone greets her instead. a taller man, stately and very much proper. cor lapis glows on his clothes, as brightly as his amber eyes, and she wonders if he's one of those people she's read about in books, someone from the nobility.

hello, ms lumine. it's very nice to meet you.

it's a few hours later when she texts ajax, telling him to go on ahead. she's still in chihu rock, still preoccupied. ]

[He doesn't answer her question about Childe's feelings- he can feel them right at his front door, and if he's not careful they'll let themselves in and he'll be in a world of trouble. In fact, when he thinks about it, it's as if the Harbinger stood right outside himself, and all it would take is to unlock the door and his reality would blur.

No. He's got to think about this more clearly. He's his own person, Ajax Volkov, heir to the family business and the son of the king of the underworld in Fontaine.

He watches her go, pulling out now to find a proper place to park while he revists the bank once more. Though, deep down, he knows he'll find nothing if she isn't there with him. It's convenient, that somehow she's agreed to come to Liyue Harbor with him, and even when he gets that text telling him to continue on without her, that he schemes to find a way to get her to stay.

To get her into that apartment, so that they might find more answers.

He texts her back.

I'm not leaving yet. I found it. When you're done, you need to get here. I'll call you a cab.]

[ the reply she receives annoys her for a bit, though she does her best not to let it show on her expression. the man in front of her, however, pauses to look at her quizically, and she shakes her head at him with a smile.

is something wrong? ]

Not at all. Do you mind giving me a minute, though? I just need to text someone who's pestering me.

[ zhongli's gentlemanly enough to give her a slight nod and not ask further questions, allowing her a few moments to sort things out with ajax. so unlike him, at least. ]

I'm still busy. Do I have to be there?

[He sits in his car, parked near the bank. Luckily for him, the apartment isn't far from that location.]

Yeah, but if you're still busy it's fine. There's still time, but I wouldn't linger any longer than an hour before we miss our opportunity.

I don't think an hour is enough for this story.

Then tell them to give you the highlights, or they can meet back up with you later if it's so important. We may be able to spare an hour and a half, but I would feel uneasy past that.

Fine.

[ lumine texts him exactly an hour later, and it's not long before a cab arrives outside of the teahouse for her and whisks her to whichever hell ajax has found himself in.

at the very least, zhongli offered his number to her so she can call him anytime. ]

I'm here. Where are you??

I see you. Just wait right there.

[Lumi will find herself right below Northland Bank, Ajax waving to her from just down the street. Approaching, he gestures for her to follow him up the traditional red staircase, to go up to the apartment.]

You got here just in the nick of time! C'mon, it's right this way.

[He leads her up one level, moving past people who come and go throughout the city of commerce, to lead her to a pair of large doors. He has something in his hand, on closer inspection it looks like a key. He tries covering it mostly with his hand, quickly sticking it in the lock and turning it, unlocking the door.]

Ladies first?

[ why?? is he rushing her??

lumine follows him, looking a little confused when no one meets up with them. she's assumed that he's found the apartment by asking around, which means that he also found someone to let them in, right? but no one ever does, ajax unlocking the room himself when they arrive at a set of doors. ]

Ajax—

[ he gestures at her when he opens the door, but lumine remains standing there, rooted on the spot. ]

Where did you get that key?

Keys aren't hard to come by if you're someone like me.

[It's not a lie, but it's not the truth either- he hopes that she'll take it as that he's powerful and rich, and not because he's just used his Vision to create a key that would unlock any door. It's a skill he hasn't really used in front of her, but somewhere inside him he knows he's just as masterful with hydro as Childe is.

But he doesn't wait for her to question him more, because that's going to be counterproductive, walking inside first despite the offer. He begins to wander about the apartment, a clear luxury penthouse that sparkles on the inside with how neat and chic it is. He pretends like he's looking for something, running his hand over the leather couch and heading deeper inside.]

C'mon, [he calls back to her,] we're only allowed a limited amount of time in here!

[ is he saying that because he can pick locks or is he saying that because he stole the key? he's so suspicious and sketchy as usual that she's half-tempted to ditch him and find one of the millelith and tell them what's going on.

but can she really do that? to someone aether considers a friend?

before she can even say anything, he's already walking into the apartment, leaving her sputtering outside. with a sigh, lumine follows after him, closing the door behind them. ]

Isn't it more like, we're not allowed here at all? Where are you going?

[Rounding a corner, he finds the kitchen, more looking over the cooking utensils and other appliances that he might purchase for his own kitchen later, wondering if Lumine's finally decided to follow him inside. When he hears her close the door, he smiles, leaving the kitchen through another entrance into the dining room, looking through the doorway at Lumine.]

I'm looking for anything that's out of place, something that sticks out. This used to be Childe's quarters when he stayed in Liyue- perhaps there's something leftover from that time.

[He walks back out to the living room with her, turning and heading down a hallway and poking his head in a few rooms. There's no way he'll be able to tell where anything was back then, but it won't matter.

He just hopes she won't be too terribly mad at him after this.]

Come here for a second.

[ .................. she doubts that. looking around the place and rummaging through the memories that the vision left behind, nothing seems to match the style of childe's apartment back then. sure, the architecture is still mostly there, the familiar beams of liyuen craftmanship visible with the carvings of its adepti, but every else seems to have changed.

whoever's living in it now seems to be more fond of luxury than the harbinger ever was.

lumine hesitates when he suddenly calls her, debating if this is even a good idea. she really should leave him. she really should just leave him here to dry. ]

What is it now? [ she sighs, walking over to where she last saw him. ] I swear, if that vision was going to happen, it should've happened already.

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