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

[traversal]

[ she easily finds her purse, her phone safely tucked away inside of it. and of course, the first thing that greets lumine is their photo together, taken near the statue of the seven right before her unfortunate concussion. unfortunate indeed, she thinks, since she barely recalls anything during that time.

in any case, lumine momentarily perches herself on the edge of the couch, her hands and attention preoccupied with sending a message to aether. she can almost see her brother flinch at her text, always averted to being called out.

sorry i didn't message you. got caught up in something. thanks for ratting me out on ajax.

betrayed by her own twin. unbelievable. ]

I'll ... go to bed. [ she's exhausted beyond belief, her head feeling like it's been swimming in syrup. the bump doesn't help either. ] There's no point staying up late, I think.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He turns his phone off, standing up and stretching. The effects of the alcohol are starting to make him tired too, finding that it's becoming increasingly harder to keep his eyes open now that he'd been able to relax for a few minutes or so.]

Good idea. I'm getting sleepy myself.

[He stops to look at her, his eyes trailing downwards all the way to her feet. Ajax giggles at her, though it probably wouldn't be as funny had he been sober.]

My pants on you are comically long. Hahaha...

[Hopefully she doesn't trip on them, he thinks, amused. He begins walking into the bedroom, gesturing for her to follow.]

Let's get some rest, shall we?

[traversal]

[ he just has to call it out, doesn't he? and laugh at it, even.

lumine realises that the pants are definitely long, the ends of them sweeping the floor. but she didn't want to bend down and try to fold them, worried that she might tip over and pass out again. so she leaves it be, but she can now see what the problem is.

and the problem she's started to see comes into pass, tripping on the hem of the pants and bumping into ajax's back as she follows him into the bedroom. lumine quickly composes herself, rubbing her offended nose. ]

You just had to jinx it, don't you?

[ in any case, she walks past him, grumbling under her breath, and takes one side of the bed for her own. he can go to the other side, please, and occupy that. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[He feels himself get pushed forward as she bumps into him, quietly laughing to himself, hopefully not loud enough for her to notice in both of their drunken states. His unfocused eyes follow her as she rounds the bed, still smiling as he takes up residence on the other side, sliding under the sheets onto his side, facing her.

The world still spins around him, looking enamoured with her, the red flush on his face still present from drinking and finding himself in bed with Lumine.]

Sleep well, comrade.

[Heh. That name always had a nice ring to it, he thought. Maybe she'll let him call her that more...

His own thought is cut off as the alcohol finally takes its toll and he passes out, his mouth hanging open as Ajax breathes deeply in sleep.]

[traversal]

[ her body has always had an internal clock, forcing her to wake up early in the morning even on weekends and holidays. and that's how lumine stirs the next day, blinking the sleep out of her eyes, sunlight filtering through the gap between the curtains in the suite. perhaps the only difference from her usual morning is the fact that she's sleeping next to someone, her entire body pressed against something warm and very solid.

a part of her hazy mind tells her that it might be aether; her brother sometimes crawls into her bed, and they sleep as they used to when they were younger. but she's pretty sure that aether isn't solidly built like this and smelling like dandelion wine, cologne, and a faint scent of vomit. so no, this isn't aether at all.

lumine tries to squirm from ajax's arms, her face flushing red when she realises that something's poking at her stomach. ]

Ajax ... get off of me, [ she groans, pressing her hands against his chest to push him off. ] I can't breathe.

[monoceroscaeli]

[It's unusual that he does wake right away at her insistence, being the light sleeper he generally is. But the heavy drinking the night before helps to make it exceptionally difficult to wake him up now, her pushing only serving to make him grasp her a little tighter so she can't get away. Ajax's eyes squeeze shut a little tighter, murmuring something in his sleep while she tries to get away.]

Mmmmmm...no...

[Almost as if he heard her and refuses. His expression changes, looking content as his head curls downward to rest on the top of hers, still happily asleep and looking as if he's not waking up that easily.]

[traversal]

[ his grip tightening on her, she would've chalked it up to him being asleep. dreaming, maybe, even. but that response? yep, he definitely heard her and definitely protested against her complaints. what a pain in the ass.

lumine tries to struggle a bit more, squirming and pushing him off of her, before she finds the scenery suddenly changing, shifting to one of the places in mondstadt city. she wonders if she'd finally escape him, before she realises that she didn't. not even, when this is a vision that's decided to grace them with its presence.

again, what a pain in the ass. ]

You know, if the Kaeya or any of the knights suddenly see you walking around—

[ lumine stops in her tracks, her sentence cut off, blinking twice when a single cecilia is suddenly held out to her. not that this hasn't happened before during windblume, people somehow recognising her as the traveler who saved the city, but the person offering it isn't someone from mondstadt.

or at least, not officially. the uniform, the mask—it all screams fatui, and a familiar one, at that. ]

Hello, Luke, [ she greets him with a smile, glancing tentatively at the harbinger next to her. ] Enjoying Windblume?

[monoceroscaeli]

[Whatever dream Ajax is having slowly blurs into the vision that he and Lumine begin to share, taking on the role of Childe once more- and the Harbinger raises an eyebrow when the flower is presented. He'd started to ponder whether or not it would be that big of a deal for the Calvary Captain of the Knight of Favonius to see him here, being an envoy of the Fatui and all, but that thought it shut down when the cecilia extended.

Is this diplomat really giving her a flower, right in front of him?]

Yes, ah, what was your name again? Oh yes yes, Luke, right?

[He doesn't know this guy, but he most certainly knows Childe.

Yes sir, it's L-Luke, Lord Harbinger! I am part of the diplomatic envoy to Mondstadt, s-sir.]

Yes, yes, I figured that much. [He speaks with an air of impatience, waving his hand.] Well? Are you enjoying the festival? Go ahead and answer her.

[traversal]

[ lumine honestly feels bad for the guy, childe's glare sharp enough to kill someone. and to be fair, it isn't as if everyone knows of their relationship, either; they've never announced it in the first, and if anything, they've been hiding it from everyone else. so, he can be a little less severe of his men, yes?

in any case, she reaches out to accept the flower; it's rude, no, to decline it? but luke suddenly pulls it away from her, looking a little offended that she's even taking it.

i'm sorry, traveler, but the flower isn't for you.

lumine blinks when he moves towards childe, the flower proffered to him instead. for a moment, confusion seems to settle on her expression before realisation and understanding, her gaze flickering sideways at her companion. of course, why did she even assume it's for her? ]

... Right, the flower is actually for you, Childe. Luke's Windblume is for you.

[ guess who's doing her best to keep a straight face in front of all this. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Childe acknowledges that it would be rude of her to decline the flower, but his annoyance still grows when she reaches out to take it anyway. What he doesn't expect, is that Luke makes it known that the flower, isn't in fact, for her. The guard approaches him instead, and it's with wide eyes that Childe is thrown for a loop. Usually it's him taking people by surprise- not the other way around.

This is a rare moment, when his commanding, Harbinger side seems to vanish into thin air. He's not sure what to do, and Tartaglia defaults to who he truly is, which is polite at his base. So he takes the flower, dumbstruck, unsure of what to say to Luke.]

Uh...I...this is quite surprising...

[Luke seems to be satisfied, saluting him with a flush on his features.

I'm glad you like it, Lord Harbinger. I had it freshly delivered this morning!]

[traversal]

[ oh archons, the temptation to burst out laughing is there. but lumine, being the famed traveler of teyvat, simply clears her throat and looks away, the back of her hand pressed against her lips to push down any laughter that tries to bubble up her throat. this is far too amusing than anything she's seen so far, and the expression on childe's face is just as priceless. ]

Wow, freshly delivered this morning. [ goodness, does luke have to say that? she coughs, holding back her giggles. ] That's so ... sweet.

[ traveler, are you all right? ]

I'm fine, thanks. But, mm ... [ she clears her throat again, offering them both a smile. ] I should look for Albedo since my throat is very itchy today. It's probably because of all the pollens all morning.

[ lumine turns to luke with a wide grin. ] Luke, would you like to accompany Lord Tartaglia around Mondstadt? I'm sure he'd appreciate a tour from someone who knows the city.

[monoceroscaeli]

[There's an itch to his eyebrow as he grows even more annoyed, not mortified by this, but not comfortable either. Childe looks down at the flower in his hands, before looking to her with the most incredulous look he can muster. Luke doesn't seem to see it though, speaking with the famed traveler and all.

He cannot believe she is setting him up on a date with Luke. His own lover. Pure betrayal...]

And why is it that no one has bothered to ask Lord Tartaglia if he's okay with this?

[She's laughing at him! How dare she!

Luke fidgets, uncomfortable with the fact that Lumine has so brazenly used the name Tartaglia to address one of the Fatui Harbingers, as he's not allowed to dare speak that name, not in Childe's presence.

My apologies lord, I never intended for this to go this way...]

[traversal]

[ lumine presses her lips together, trying to subdue the smile that keeps growing on her expression, as she turns to childe. he's annoyed, all right, but that's what makes it even more hilarious to watch.

... well, maybe not for luke. the poor guy is practically vibrating like one of the thunder sakura trees before it launches a bolt of lightning at an unfortunate passer-by. ]

Aren't you okay with it? [ she feigns a look of confusion, biting her lip to keep the corners from curving upwards. ] He's your subordinate, after all, and I'm sure he'll be glad to do it. Right?

[ lumine looks at luke expectantly. ] Right?

[monoceroscaeli]

[Yes ma'am!!! Is the rapt reply from the guard, who indeed is quivering in the presence of one of the Harbingers, and the traveler, who might get him killed at this point.

Childe knows that Lumine is enjoying herself, oh, she is, watching this all unfold. Luke has overstepped his boundaries, that's for sure, but he also knows that Lumine will be upset with him if he punishes Luke for this. He can't believe someone so low on the totem pole would have such confidence to approach him, with a flower of all thing, to give him during Windblume.

Fine. He'll...make this work. Somehow.]

Alright, [Childe finally says, fighting down the urge to pick a fight with Lumine right here.] Luke, you'll be accompanying me and showing me the finest places in town so that I can utilize them later. Traveler, since I know you were to see some of the Knights today, I suppose you don't need me to accompany you any longer, seeing how the headquarters is right here.

[He shoots her a look that has a smile with a hint of venom to it. He'll get her later for this.]

[traversal]

[ look, it's not that bad. after all, love knows no hierarchy, no titles. if it did, then they wouldn't even be together at all. besides, lumine wants to argue that this is mondstadt, celebrating the festival of windblume. they're not in snezhnaya, in the middle of a fatui training camp.

lumine grins at childe once more before she looks past his shoulder, waving at a familiar brunette in red. a taller woman accompanies her, looking quite cross that she's hanging out with someone from the fatui. ]

Great, that's settled, [ she nods at the both of them, even ignoring the look childe sends her way. nope, nothing's going to ruin this for her. ] I'll see you around, Luke. [ a beat: ] ... Lord Tartaglia.

[ time to go! lumine rushes over to amber and, happy to see the two after a while. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

Ah-!

[He exclaims as she blows past him now, his jaw dropping at how quickly she just bailed to go over to the two ladies who clearly look like they belong with the Knights. Sighing, he turns to Luke, stern as ever.]

Let's go.

[And they go their separate ways, with Lumine enjoying her day while Childe is dragged around Mondstadt by a smitten Luke...

Later that night, he meets up with Lumine again, standing on the second floor balcony of the Grand Goth Hotel as he waits for a certain traveler dressed in white to meet him up there secretly. He spots her, gliding down from the statue of Barbados, until she lands next to him. He takes a seat at the small table there, setting back into it while crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest.]

You look like you had a wonderful day today.

[He, however, had less than a wonderful day.]

[traversal]

[ to say he's upset is, well, an understatement, and lumine tries her best not to laugh when he greets her very severely. she pretends to be busy as she folds her glider, stowing it in the same portal where she keeps her weapons. she'll let childe stew for a minute longer, if only it might keep him from strangling and tossing her over the balcony.

when she's done, lumine turns to him with a smile. ]

Very wonderful. I had a meal with Amber and Eula, and Lisa made me some tea.

[ she'd add a few more things to that, like kaeya treating her to a drink in angel's share and babysitting klee near the starfall lake, but she's pretty sure childe will explode. ]

You didn't?

[monoceroscaeli]

Very funny, [he says, closing his eyes and trying to push thoughts of how weird Luke had been around him all day. Sighing, he gives her a look, before relaxing.]

If you'd like to hear about my day, I'll tell you it was less than exciting and more of quite possibly one of the most awkward experiences I've ever had. I don't really enjoy knowing that I'm the unrequited love of a subordinate.

[Though he may have several of those, because of how women are- they're just not stupid enough to tell him.]

[traversal]

[ please, she didn't mean for it to be funny. ... okay, well. maybe a little.

lumine takes a seat on a chair across him, resting her elbows on the table and cupping her chin as she listens to him whine—or the closest to a whine he could ever make. a smile plays on her lips, closing her eyes as she tries to imagine his exasperation for the entire day. ]

You have no idea how many times he's mentioned you to me. Something about seeing you in action, how it was quite a scene, how he even ...

[ she trails off like luke did during their conversation, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. although she's pretty sure the man didn't mean it that way. ]

I honestly think he's enamoured with you, Lord Tartaglia.

[monoceroscaeli]

[Make it worse, will you Lumi?

Childe only groans, letting his head fall back a little as he brings a hand up to his forehead in exasperation. Luke even talks about him when he's not around, an unsurprising fact, but still not what he wanted to hear.]

Oh, stop calling me that. If you're not going to use my title without some kind of modicum of respect, I'd rather you not use it at all.

[Plus it's not even expected of civilians anyhow, especially not her. She only says it to get on his nerves.]

Of course he's enamoured with me. Who wouldn't be.

[Never failing to let his ego shine through, but he's still annoyed because he had to waste his whole day with Luke.]

[traversal]

[ cue eyeroll at that self-absorbed compliment of himself. and here she thought that little date of theirs would knock him down a peg or ten. clearly, it's not effective enough to even make a dent on his ego. she'll have to come up with another plan later on ... ]

I could think of a few names who wouldn't be too enamoured with you, Lord Tartaglia.

[ definitely saying it to get on his nerves, especially when he's still being an asshat about this entire thing. she only hopes luke survived the ordeal of dealing with him. ]

Ningguang, Zhongli, Scaramouche, Diluc, the entire city of Liyue Harbour ... [ a beat: ] The famed traveler of Teyvat, Lumine ...

[monoceroscaeli]

[So annoying. He stands up, having heard enough of this talk for the night, and walks right up to her to grab a hold of her hand. Tugging her up out of her seat, he pulls her into him, wrapping his arm around her waist as he presses close to her. Childe's face cranes downwards, a mischievous smile on his lips.

He's still irritated, don't get him wrong.]

Oh? I think your list is wrong, comrade.

[Letting go of her hand now, he trails a finger along her jawline.]

I seem to remember the famed traveler of Teyvat in my bed not so long ago. I can remember exactly how she sighed with content beneath me...

[traversal]

[ lumine blinks when he suddenly pulls her out of her seat and into him, chuckling when she realises that he's doing it out of spite. he's still upset, clearly, by what's happened and what she's said, and this is his way of getting back at her.

still, her body also has a way of responding to him, her eyes closing instinctively when he traces her jawline, leans down closer to her. ]

Did she now? [ her eyes flutter open, gold meeting dark blue. ] Are you sure you're not remembering it wrong? Or maybe you're remembering another blond in your bed instead ...

[ like you know, the guy who just gave him a cecilia. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Even now, still teasing him. Childe huffs in response, his eyes glittering in the moonlight with incredulity, amusement and a fire that craves conflict. It's almost as if he hasn't decided which emotion to follow through with.]

You, [he says, pausing to press a kiss to her lips,] just love to ruin the moment, don't you?

[Please spare him the thought of Luke, the Fatuus who guards the door of the Grand Goth Hotel, being in his bed. Ugh.]

[traversal]

[ lumine smiles against the kiss, stifling a giggle in in the aftermath of his remark. she almost feels bad teasing him up until this hour, especially after forcing him to go on a date with luke, but he's certainly making it too easy for her with his pouting. who could resist it then? ]

I don't see you trying to stop me.

[ in fact, childe's just letting her continue. see? not her fault completely. ]

Besides, it's Windblume, [ she says quietly, lifting herself a little higher to return his brief kiss. ] And you haven't really given me anything today, so think of this as payback.