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

[Childe steps again, almost slowly rotating them while they indulge in each other, slipping his hand down to her lower back now while he presses his forehead against hers. He lets his lips tickle hers as he speaks, allowing himself the pleasure of getting swept by her touch, her closeness even as she still teases him.]

We may have stopped by the Cat's Tail on our rounds. I'm not a bad date, you know. I had to coax him into having a drink.

[Because Luke was still terrified, and he thought it would help to loosen the man up a little.]

[ lumine unwittingly matches his step, absently wondering if he's trying to get her to dance with him. he's not drunk, is he? then again, she doesn't think she's ever seen him drunk in all the times they've been together. had always had better alcohol tolerance than she does.

she snorts at his reply, nudging his nose with hers in a wordless protest as she presses another kiss to his mouth. ]

Were you hoping to reject him while he's inebri ...

[ her sentence trails off when she freezes, her eyes meeting a sharp, red gaze from a few feet away. for most people, it's a little hard to tell, but lumine has always had sharper senses than most. besides, there's only one person who would be out on a rooftop at this time of the night. ]

Diluc!

[ lumine pulls away from childe, looking almost panic-stricken. the wine tycoon's disapproving expression is not difficult to parse even in the darkness. ]

[Childe raises a hand in greeting to the wine mogul, all smiles even though Lumine has broken away from him.]

Did you just notice he was there?

[The Harbinger only laughs, amused by the situation. Diluc doesn't look all that entertained, and he's sure the man has several questions as to why the Honorary Knight is spending such an intimate moment with a Fatui Harbinger. He's not ashamed, or upset though. In fact, he waves Diluc over if he'd like to talk.]

Don't be a stranger. I don't mind having a little chat if you'd like.

[ omg, not the time for any chat!

lumine swats at childe's arm to get him to put it down and stop trying to piss off the former cavalry captain. but that's all in vain, diluc hopping from one roof to another until he's on the hotel's roof right above them. his gaze on her bores like a drill and if there's any time she'd like to take zhongli's wrath of the rock, this is that very time.

enjoying the festivities, traveler? ]

Ah ...

[ lumine's eyes flutter open once more as the vision fades, the morning sunlight brighter than earlier when she first roused in ajax's bed. but still, she finds herself trapped in his arms, the man unmoving even after all of that.

... honestly!

she's not going to lie, though. she does wonder if childe died that evening, given the sharp daggers the other male was sending his way. diluc, was it? and someone from mondstadt, too, a wine tycoon who's no doubt from dawn winery. ]

Ajax, vision over. Time to get off me.

[As the vision fades from his dream, the bright sunlight streaming through the window is hard to ignore, his eyes fluttering open to find her in his arms. He only sleepily smiles back, letting her go and rolling onto his back while he rubs his eyes.]

At this rate, there isn't going to be a place in Teyvat where we could go that they haven't been to together.

[He yawns, the light pounding in his head from the hangover he's experiencing making this less than ideal, but he'll make the best of it. Sitting up, he rubs his eyes one more time.]

Hey, I hope you didn't get any ideas from that vision. I'd appreciate it if you didn't hand me off to some guy...

[ that admittedly is very alarming, lumine thinks as she rolls out of bed, picking up her phone from the nightstand. does this mean she'll be forever haunted by whatever is going on between this other lumine and childe wherever she goes? does he have to ditch the continent, then? ]

Even if that guy is Aether?

[ not gonna lie, that seems like a really good plan to get him out of her hair. she wants to know if there's someone working for him that also has unrequited love towards ajax ... should she start investigating, she wonders?

speaking of her brother, though.

are you okay? is everything fine? i hear ajax is staying in the grand goth, too. make sure to let me know if anything happens. ]

... How does he even know?

[He's too tired to think much on it, swinging himself out of bed and picking his own phone up to start to check it himself. After a few moments, he's already ordered room service to bring them breakfast.]

At least Aether is my friend. I'd be more than happy to spend a day with him in the city. That Luke guy, on the other hand...

[Ajax shudders for Childe, because that was uncomfortable all around.]

The alcohol didn't help. Luke was kinda creepy towards him the whole time. [Changing the subject though.] Hey, I ordered room service so we'll have some food in about twenty minutes or so, okay? ...How does who even know what?

[She didn't specify what that meant.]

[ lumine's sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through her messages and emails. almost as if mornings like this are normal for her, to wake up in someone else's hotel room while wearing their clothes. she tries her best not to think about it, unwilling to address anything and everything that's happened last night. ]

He didn't seem that bad ...

[ maybe a little enthusiastic and excited to spend time with a guy he likes. lumine doesn't want to judge, knowing how and what that feels lately. ]

Why, did he come onto you the entire time you were on a date?

I wouldn't put it quite like that.

[He crosses over to rummage through his suitcase for a shirt, finding on and tossing it on the bed for a moment. His imagination briefly settles on meeting a man outside that looks exactly like Luke, just to make that nightmare more of a reality. Ugh.]

I think he was bursting at the seams to confess his love or something, but was far too terrified to say it. So he just acted weird the whole time. Childe handled it pretty well, so I'll have to give that to him. I won't say he let him down gently...but he wasn't harsh either.

[Ajax grabs a few bottles of water he'd had in the mini fridge in the room, also grabbing some painkillers and popping a few in his mouth, washing them down. He comes and sits on the edge of the bed with her, offering her her own bottle and the bottle of pills.

Because there's no way she isn't hungover too after how much she had.]

[ poor guy. then again, lumine can't see childe letting it go further than an entire day, considering his relationship with her counterpart. which doesn't seem to be a very public affair either, even if he's pretty open in displaying his affection. she can still remember that diluc person's expression when he stared at her.

looks like someone disapproved the both of them going out, and he's probably not alone there from the looks of it. ]

At least now you know what to do if some guy decides to confess their feelings for you.

[ and she'd honestly pay front-row seats to watch that, unlike the other lumine who bailed out. missed opportunity to laugh at childe, that one.

in any case, lumine takes a painkiller, washing it down with water. it'll take a few more hours before she feels like herself again. ]

[Ajax only laughs a little nervously, brushing off her comment because it's not like he hasn't had to already deal with a guy hitting on him before. College was wild, okay?

There's a knock at the door, and he jumps up to go answer it. The food is already here, with plenty of different breakfast foods made for them to pick and choose from. He has room service set it all down on the coffee table, thanking them before they leave. The door closes, and Ajax returns with bloody marys for the both of them, handing one to her. The adornments on the top of them are beyond crazy.]

I'm almost afraid to drink it. I think it's better served on Instagram than in our bellies, hahaha...

[It's a few weeks later, Windblume finally coming to a close. The rest of the trip had gone without incident, and as promised, Ajax has brought Lumine to a very nondescript looking building. The paint on the walls peels off, revealing the stone beneath, a heavy iron door serving as the only entrance inside. The parking lot is cracked and filled with grass between them, and the building doesn't even look to have anyone inside.]

Here we are, [he says, sounding refreshed.] Are you excited to learn a new skill? It's quite fun, once you get used to handling one.

[ the bloody mary is questionable as it is for a cure to their hangover; the building he brings to her a few weeks later is even more.

aether had asked her a lot of questions upon her return to fontaine, somehow already knowledgeable about her meeting with ajax. perhaps the only thing he didn't ask about was her drunken incident in the city, which lumine guesses that he either knows about and doesn't want to address or he doesn't know about and so he doesn't know what to ask. either way, her brother seems to be relieved that she returned in one piece, leaving her to take care of work while he goes off to inazuma.

it's honestly a good thing that she's decided to dress up casually this time around, for once wearing ballet shoes than her usual heels. it doesn't seem like a very conducive (or comforting) place to walk on something higher than an inch-high heel. perhaps her only mistake is wearing a pale-coloured dress ... ]

You do know I have a Vision, right? I don't need to use a gun to defend myself.

[ just what would aether say if he finds out she's been learning how to use a gun and carrying one around? she's pretty sure her twin will be livid, not just towards ajax but also towards her. ]

[He finds it peculiar that that's all she says she has- does she not remember absorbing the power of anemo at the statue? Well, guess he'll have to address that if she really doesn't remember after that bump to the head. But first things first.]

Visions are incredible sources of power- but there isn't anything quite like a well placed bullet. Your enemies my try to gun you down, so there's no reason why you shouldn't be armed just as well as them.

[He shrugs, that's just how it is. Survive by all means necessary.]

Come. There's a lot to see here.

[He leads her inside, the front office of this tiny building worn down and looking very untidy. He approaches the person at the counter, exchanging some quick words before Ajax walks over to a door that opens to a long, concrete stairwell leading downwards. At the bottom lies another door, and he pushes it open into a large room with an array of different assault weapons on the wall behind a counter, with a display set inside of it with various pistols and magnums to choose from. Downrange from there has several targets set up, and on the other side of a room is another door that seems to dampen the sounds of explosions and other various noises that sounds like people using either weapons or...something else.

Ajax walks over to the counter, rummaging around until he finds a few pairs of safety glasses and noise-cancelling ear protection. He hands a pair of each over to her, before sorting through the pistols for something she can fire. He then hands her a belt, to use as a holster for the gun and ammo.]

Go ahead and put those on. Well, not the earmuffs yet, just the glasses. I'm going to show you some gun safety before we start. I figure you could use a belt for now since you've got a dress on. One like mine will just rub your arms and irritate the skin. And we don't need to be uncomfortable while we do this.

[He sets a few Glock and Ruger handguns in front of her on the counter, before he takes his jacket off to reveal that he's been loaded the entire time. His holster is under the suit jacket he is wearing as part of his business attire to reveal two pistols under each arm. His belt also reveals another pouch that he has ammo in, along with the Vision that glows brightly on his belt.]

Go ahead. Pick whichever you'd like. All of them don't have a lot of kickback, so it doesn't matter too much which you choose.

[ her enemies ... she doesn't have enemies, she wants to say. he does, his family does, this harbinger bullshit does—but she doesn't. not that she gets to argue this when he's already leading her deeper into the building, seemingly nonchalant and unperturbed by how crazy this all is.

then again, his family is shady as it is, so lumine suspects this doesn't even bother ajax one bit. he probably grew up to this, unlike her whose family has been normal since the day she was born.

lumine accepts the glasses and earmuffs wordlessly when he hands them over to her, but she doesn't move when he offers her the belt. she has a feeling that the moment she does accept it, she'll have no choice but to hold a gun and carry it around. this isn't something she's used to nor is she entirely comfortable with.

... she needs to sit down and absorb all of this. it's easy for him to say to pick whichever gun she wants, but she doesn't even know where to start or what to do first. ]

What if I don't want to choose anything?

[Since she hasn't accepted the belt yet, he simply places it on the counter next to the pistols he's set out. He walks over to a table to throw his jacket over the back of one of the chairs, before returning to her. He'll have to get her a pair of gloves too.]

I wouldn't recommend that.

[It should be self explanatory. The range isn't being used at the moment, and they're the only ones in this room, so he begins to walk downrange to set up their targets to practice shooting. He calls back to her while he steps away, glad that a lot of the targets seem to be up and ready to go, and he just needs to put new paper on it.]

Don't worry, there's a lot of people who live normal lives who have a conceal carry permits for protection. Just think of this as no different from them.

[ ... this isn't very normal for her, thank you very much. she realises that it's very normal for someone like him, but their lives have always been different from the start. so what's normal for him is totally not normal for her, especially when she'd like to think that she's pretty ordinary.

save for the weird visions they've been having lately.

is there any way that she can get out of this? clearly not, since ajax seems to be rather insistent at this activity. lumine glances at the table again, letting out a sigh. ]

... Aren't there guns that will fit inside my purse?

[ you know, like those tiny ones in movies. surely, she doesn't have to carry a holster like him??? ]

[He quickly finishes putting the targets they'll be using up, returning to her from the end of the range and going back behind the counter. He lifts up and places a very small pistol with a pink handle that will easily fit inside of her purse.]

I've got holsters for this one too if it suits you. For times when you won't have your purse on you, or if you know you're going into a situation where you might need to reach it faster than unzipping a cumbersome bag. Well?

[He looks at her expectantly- but if she doesn't want it he'll gladly find her a different one.]

[ lumine stares at the gun he offers her, pressing her lips together at how difficult it is for her to change his mind about this. but she supposes that this is better than everything else on the other end of the table if only because it's something she can easily conceal and, at the same time, doesn't look too intimidating.

she sighs under her breath, taking it in her hand. not too hefty, and just fits her hand too. she hates it already, she thinks. ]

I don't need or want a holster, [ she insists, figuring out how to hold it. even with her aversion to holding or keeping her vision on her, this is even more cumbersome. ] It'll be better if it can stay in my bag.

[ if she doesn't have to use it at all, really. ]

Edited 2022-05-20 04:32 (UTC)

[Of course, he doesn't protest to her objection to the holsters he's offered- it's not like she can't change her mind later in case she wants them. He only smiles, glad that she's decided to take one, nodding his head. He grabs a box of bullets for that gun, carrying it with him as he rounds the counter once more.]

Don't let me forget to get the serial number off of that before we leave. Believe it or not, even we follow some of the laws around here. The last thing you need, just in case, is being caught with a pistol with a serial number filed off. We'll be registering that to you before we leave today. Your concealed carry permit will be ready to go by then too. My man upstairs is taking care of that as we speak.

[He walks over to a line, indicating that she should stand behind it, but facing downrange.]

Okay. Are you ready to learn? It's quite simple, you just need to follow a few rules while we do this.

[ okay, hold on. she's a little confused. ]

... My permit will be ready by today, too? How long does the processing of the permits usually take?

[ it isn't as if she's unfamiliar with the bureaucracy and the red tape that surrounds it. after all, she and her twin brother have built their business from the ground up, and there had been permits and license requests that have sat in certain offices for a few weeks before it actually moved.

she steps up to the line where he's gesturing, her fingers curling and uncurling around the polished finish of the gun. ]

And don't tell me you're using your connections to move things along, Ajax.

Edited 2022-05-20 05:08 (UTC)

Hahaha...

[He laughs a little nervously, since she's nailed it right on the head. Not that he was trying to hide that in particular, but she doesn't look like she's all that impressed with it. It doesn't matter to him though.]

Well, you can't walk out of here without having a permit, so we're just having things sped up a little. It's not like you're skipping the instructional phase of obtaining one. We're just not waiting for the state to get around to your paperwork, that's all.

[He's sort of expecting another glare from her at this point, but hey- it's not like she's used to this. He imagines there's a lot that she'll eventually find out and experience about the mafia that she won't like...]

[ to say lumine's unimpressed is an understatement. after all, she wouldn't have minded waiting for weeks to get this processed; that's how normal people do it. it's tedious, it's annoying, but she knows that it's gone through the proper channels and didn't involve any kind of bribery or corruption.

but obviously, she has to deal with this. all because he's decided to involve her in his affairs. ]

... If I give you the gun back right now, I can walk out of this place and just wait for the permit to arrive at my desk, right?

[ she doesn't glare at ajax. she's honestly tired of glaring at him. it doesn't do shit; if anything, she's the one getting exhausted by how he brushes it all off. ]

If you give the gun back, you don't get instruction. It's as simple as that.

[He says very matter-of-factly. Ultimately, it is up to her whether she wants one or not, but he knows that it's not a good idea for her to go around town unarmed after what had happened to her prior to the Windblume festival.]

But, it's as I said. I don't recommend it. In fact, it's more important you have it now rather than later, just in case you need it. Which is the entire point of this exercise anyhow.

[Lumine walking out of her without a gun really makes most of this moot.]

[ just in case she needs it. just in case someone tries to slit her throat again.

a part of her is tempted to push the gun back into his hands, but she also recalls aether's expression when she got home, the front of her blouse covered in blood. she couldn't blame him if he's decided to ask ajax for help, especially since he assumes that this is because of the project he's done for him. ]

Fine, [ she huffs, feeling helplessly irritable over all of this. ] Fine. I get it, I honestly don't understand it, but fine.

[ now, they can't blame her if she shoots someone by accident. she's washing her hands of any responsibility of anyone getting shot because they gave her this gun. ]

[Well, at least she's agreed. Now he has the task of getting her to relax enough to learn some basic safety measures, so he quickly composes himself, ready to teach.]

Let's concentrate on teaching you how to use it safely and properly for now, okay? If you walk out of here with anything today, that's what I want it to be.

[Ajax stands next to her, drawing one of his own pistols out and holding it with two hands. It faces downrange, and during the entirety of the time he has it out, it will never face in another direction other than that.]

Muzzle awareness. Always know where your muzzle is pointed and always keep it pointed downrange while you are here, unless it's holstered. And never, never point it at anything unless you're going to shoot it. I know that's pretty common sense, but it bears repeating. Now look here.

[He indicates for her to look at his own gun, which he lifts to aim at a target. His index finger, however, is not on the trigger.]

Your finger never goes into the trigger well until you're ready to fire. Always rest it here, above the well on the side of the weapon.

[He then drops the magazine out of it, pressing a button on the side and sliding it out into his hand on the bottom of the gun. He then opens the chamber of his pistol, checking inside of it for ammo. His is currently loaded, so when he slides it back, a bullet pops out of it and falls to the floor. After physically inspecting it, he shows it to her.]

When you're done shooting, you'll unload your weapon like this, checking it to make sure it's unloaded for safety purposes. Make sure you also check the chamber to make sure it's empty before you load it, too.

[He picks the bullet up off the floor, depositing it in his ammo pouch- the magazine is loaded back into the gun.]

Okay. Pretty simple, right?

Edited 2022-05-20 06:36 (UTC)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject