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]

[ what? is he unhappy about it?

lumine sighs the nth sigh she's sighed for today, trailing after him. see, this is why she doesn't want to do things like this. criticisms are one thing, but what's the point of criticising her when she's only started learning how to use the damn thing in the first place? what a pain. ]

Aren't I supposed to incapacitate someone with this tiny thing?

[ isn't a headshot enough to incapacitate someone?? she doesn't understand why he looks so ... unsatisfied. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

I mean, yes, but...

[He indicates the target again, because he's trying to make a point here.]

If you were aiming for center mass, you shouldn't of hit three perfect head shots in a row. I'm just asking so I know if you did this deliberately or not. Though, if it was deliberate...your foe is certainly not getting up from that one. I'm actually quite impressed.

[Maybe she's a born killer after all.]

Hah, perhaps you should be the one protecting me.

[traversal]

[ okay, so maybe she went too liberal on the definition of centre mass. ]

Shooting someone in their centre mass isn't going to take them down.

[ which she assumes is the point?? of this exercise?? after all, if someone really wants to take and try to kill her, a minor graze on their arm or torso isn't going to stop them.

lumine sends him a look at the remark. ] There's not enough mora in this world to pay me to protect you.

[monoceroscaeli]

Yes it is, [he corrects her sternly,] you're more likely to hit a vital organ if you aim for the torso, and it's a larger target. Trying to land head shots in the heat of a gun fight is much harder, and you'll be wasting ammo. Trust me.

[He sighs, setting his arms akimbo as he takes the target down and puts a new one up. She's got better aim than him, and that's kind of scary.

He likes it.]

Anyway, [letting his throwaway comment go aside,] your aim is far better than I thought it would be. If you'd like, you can shoot a little more, or I can show you the other part of this facility.

[traversal]

[ she shrugs: ] It's only a waste of ammo if you're a bad shot.

[ is she pertaining to anyone? of course not. she doesn't even know how good of an aim he has, so she's definitely not making a potshot about him. in any case, she shrugs again at him, gesturing for him to lead the way.

she's done with shooting, she wants to get out of this building already. ]

I hope what you're showing me is the exit.

[monoceroscaeli]

[Ajax shoots a look at her, wholly unimpressed with her attitude about this when he's tried to teach her as a proper instructor would. But, at the same time, he'd kill to see her take out a few guys just like that, well placed shots right to the head. That would be cool to see.]

Haha, I'm afraid not. We have a lot of vision users who also use this building to train their skills, and we still have one more thing left to do. Come.

[He takes her to that door that had been muffling sounds of battle and explosions and the like, gesturing her to follow. Inside is a long hallway that has multiple doors lined down it, each door lying a great distance between each other, as if the rooms they lead to were ginormous in size.

He leads her to one that is marked as unoccupied, opening it for her. The room inside is as large as one could imagine, the walls seemingly made of a different material than the normal concrete the range had.]

These rooms were made with the intention of being able to take the impact from multiple elemental reactions. People will spar in here, testing their skills, or even just train alone. Here, they can do so in private and not be arrested for any, let's just say, "accidents" that may happen due to their visions.

[traversal]

[ to be fair, he imposed this on her. to be fair, she didn't want to do this in the first place. if her attitude about this entire gun thing is unimpressive, she has no excuses, no remorse or self-reproach. ajax can deal with it or not.

lumine follows after him again, looking around her. the doors lining the hallways are a little strange, perhaps even suspicious. she wonders if this is where the volkovs torture the people they capture, until she hears what sounds like explosions behind them.

his explanation suddenly makes sense, then. what doesn't make sense is him leading her into one of the empty rooms, gesturing her to go in. ]

... I know how to use my Vision already.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He stands in the doorway, wondering if she's purposely hiding it or if she really doesn't know. He'd wondered before they walked in here. Guess it's finally time.]

Haha, we're not going in here for lessons on how to use a cryo vision. Though, I certainly know a few tricks up my sleeve that might give you even more of an edge in combat should it come to that.

[He starts to walk inside, not waiting for her. He's not going to stand here and hold the door open for her forever.]

We're here so you can get a handle on your new anemo powers. You remember, don't you?

[traversal]

[ she's about to follow him inside the room, stopping in her tracks at his remark. confusion dawns on her face, her eyebrows furrowing as she looks at him. it's clear that she doesn't remember the events that evening in windblume, doesn't even realise that she's managed to absorb or borrow elemental powers from the statue of the seven when she touched it.

because anemo powers? what? ]

Did you shoot yourself in the head? Since when did I have anemo powers?

[ lumine, out of exasperation, takes out her vision from her cardigan pocket and shows it to him. it glows pale blue, the symbol of cryo radiating through the glass. see? ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[He turns, an amused smile on his face.]

You really don't remember. Well, this just got a little more interesting.

[He doesn't even pay her cryo vision any mind, knowing full well that she has it anyway, urging her to come in now from the doorway.]

I don't want you using your elemental powers there, come in. I'll explain everything. I guess you were too drunk to remember. I'm really not going to let you drink that much ever again.

[Even if she was really cute. Even though she kissed him so passionately like that. He sighs inwardly, wondering how much of that was just the alcohol.]

[traversal]

It was your idea to drink ...

[ lumine closes the door behind her, letting its weight push it in place. she remembers a number of what had happened that evening, some are admittedly vague in certain parts, but that doesn't mean she's about to say something or point it out. she certainly wants to forget a few of those events ... ]

You're lucky Aether didn't find out about that.

[ or if he did, he sure didn't tell her what he's done about that little detail. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

We still had fun, didn't we? Well, up until you threw up on me, haha.

[There's really no place to sit in here, so he approaches her. Guess it's finally time to tell her what happened.]

Do you remember anything from when we went out to Windrise? I gave you a piggy back ride all the way there, we took a picture together, and then we went up to pay our respects. When you touched the statue, something peculiar happened, as if the statue reacted to your touch.

[The sight of it still stuck out in his mind, that brilliant swirling white light that circled around it, the wind that picked up and enveloped her- he was sure of it, that she'd been granted new power. There's no other explanation for it, it reminded him of how she'd received the power of pyro in that vision.]

[traversal]

[ lumine frowns, her forehead wrinkling in thought. she remembers the bridge and the piggy back ride, sure. but anything beyond that was a haze of memories, jumbled and meshed together that it barely makes any sense to her. the concussion she managed to incur that evening didn't help clear things up as well. ]

I don't remember touching the statue.

[ unless he's referring to the statue in the cathedral square, though she doesn't remember touching that either. ]

Look, we were both drunk that night. Are you sure you weren't just seeing things?

[monoceroscaeli]

[He's positive he knows what he saw. He was drunk, for sure, but there's no denying it.]

I might be second guessing myself right now if it weren't for the reaction of the crowd. Not to try to embarrass you, but you drew some attention. I grabbed you ask quickly as I could and took you back to the hotel so people couldn't get a good look at your face or worry too much about you.

[The whispers among the crowd were enough to send him into a mild drunken panic. Had their enemies been in the crowd, they'd been given more information on the both of them- something he didn't want.]

If you don't believe me, why don't you try seeing if you can bring forth that power to the surface? That's why we're here, after all.

[traversal]

[ she stares at him incredulously like he's just grown a second head right next to his original one. what is he even asking from her? lumine gives it a beat before she sighs, heavily and loudly this time around, unwilling to hide her exasperation over this.

can she just leave? now? before her temper gets the better of her again. ]

You're probably mistaking me for the other Lumine.

[ which admittedly is very, very vexing, her heart squeezing tightly in her chest. she doesn't know why she's feeling that way, but she chalks it up to hating being compared to someone else. how is this different from being compared to her twin brother? ]

I'm going home.

[monoceroscaeli]

[Ajax stands there, not understanding why she would think that he was making a mistake here. He knows what he saw. He supposes it would be a hard fact to accept, especially since she doesn't remember a thing from the whole exchange.]

Wait. That's not it at all.

[He thinks for a moment, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.]

I know what I saw. And I know that you know I'm not lying to you. Just give it a shot, that's all I'm asking.

[traversal]

[ her expression shifts from incredulity to derision, letting out a scoff at that comment. not lying to her—sure. how many times has he tried to circumvent her asking for the truth in the past conversations they've had, with the incident at liyue the most glaring one?

but sure, she'll humour him. if only to prove him wrong and what he's seen was probably a figment of his imagination influenced by childe and lumine.

she holds out a hand, summoning a flurry of snowflakes into her open palm. it doesn't melt even in the warmth of her skin, the snowflakes piling up. ]

See? Cryo.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He sighs. She's being difficult on purpose, he's sure of it. Folding his arms over his chest, he looks back at her unamused.]

Lumine, put your vision down on the ground away from you, and then try.

[Because it's easy to pull from the vision already on her person. To people like them, it's second nature- but finding that power from inside her won't be. He's not sure if he has to do something to force it out of her...though he'd rather not.]

[traversal]

[ look, they can both be unamused, then. lumine's been unamused since he's brought her to this sketchy, shady place, asked her to pick a gun and essentially told her that they're skipping all the red tape in getting her a permit for said gun. this isn't how she had pictured her weekend to be.

though, to be honest, she doesn't know how she was picturing this weekend to be, especially since she agreed to go with ajax. ]

If nothing happens, you owe me dinner for a month, [ she grumbles, as she crouches down, putting her cryo vision on the floor as instructed. ] Because this is such a waste of time.

[ she holds out her hand in front of her again, closing her eyes. what is she even supposed to summon? anemo? please. she gives it a few minutes before she opens her eyes, staring flatly at her empty hand. ]

See? Nothing.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He'd bet half a million mora she didn't even really try. No, a million. He gets an idea- maybe she needs some prompts. Ajax does realize that he's asking her to summon something she didn't even realize she had, so this may need a different approach.]

Hmmmm. Keep your hand out, but try this.

[How to put this? Maybe describing what he'd felt the wind do that night might be the ticket.]

Close your eyes, and focus your attention right towards your core. Then imagine the wind beginning to whip around you, and bring it outwards from your center to swirl and expand until it's a tornado surrounding you, as if you were the vortex of a storm.

[It's a simple concept, he thinks. Maybe it'll help.]

Try it at least a few times. If it really doesn't work, I promise I'll follow through with dinner for a month.

[traversal]

[ it's easy for him to say these things when he's not the one trying to summon a damn power that he doesn't even have. it's honestly frustrating and annoying, especially when she can't even feel a bit of that anemo element he keeps insisting that she has. even her vision is reacting her to, tendrils of cryo element seeping in when she tries to visualise the elements.

lumine sighs yet again, wondering if a month's dinner is even worth the stress and exasperation over this. maybe she should've asked for a year ... but that would mean having to see him for the next twelve months.

that's practically torture.

but whatever, she closes her eyes again. tries to imagine what he's described: winds whipping around her, the vortex of a storm with her at the centre. she almost tells him that he's wrong, her eyes flashing open, when the wind billows around her, her skirt whipping around her legs.

lumine blinks, but before she can say anything, it dies down. ]

What ... just happened?

[monoceroscaeli]

[He stands there as she tries again, nothing happening at first. Ajax wonders if she's really giving it a shot again, until he feels a peculiar breeze pick up, her skirt whipping around her legs and how the wind seems to swirl around her as well.

His eyes widen, brightening with wonder and excitement.]

Don't stop this time.

[Is all he says, smile wide as he looks at her.]

Keep going. You almost had it.

[traversal]

[ ... it's not helpful that his excitement is only fueled by the fact that she's suddenly manifesting these powers. after all, after seeing the vision set in natlan, it seems that the other lumine is capable of wielding all seven elements—or at least, resonating with all seven. that's going to be a problem for her.

lumine deliberately stifles the power, letting her hand fall back to her side. a moment later, she's bending down to pick up her vision, slipping it back into her pocket. ]

I'm heading back. This is getting out of hand, and you know it, Ajax.

[monoceroscaeli]

[The smile fades from his face, replaced with concern, worry, and a bit of understanding- she hadn't really asked for this, and he pushed it on her. But, there's that nagging feeling that still won't go away, and the fact that someone had tried to kidnap her for some reason that he still hasn't gotten a clear answer out of her yet.]

Lumine, tell me, what happens then?

[He asks, softly.]

What happens to you if you walk away? You never told me what really happened that night. [He pauses, before saying what he thinks is an undeniable truth.] ...They'll be back, won't they. They just haven't made their move yet.

[The last statement is layered, his own emotions cracking through. Worry, concern, sadness- they all lie there, in the open for her ignore or listen to. He truly hadn't meant for this to happen, but his gut tells him this isn't over, and it's not their choice anymore.]

[traversal]

[ lumine's already turned back towards the door, her hand freezing when he asks her that question. that's true, she's never really told him anything else beyond the call she's made that evening. but to be fair, she's also kept it from aether, making him think that this is out of the deal he's made with the volkov family.

it wouldn't be a farfetched conclusion, after all: her brother has involved himself with fontaine's mafia family, and the enemies of said family would of course go after him or his loved ones. very logical, and it all makes sense.

unlike what's happening to them right now, where nothing made sense. none of the visions they've had had answers, filling them up with more questions instead. ]

The Volkovs have a lot of enemies, don't they? [ she starts slowly. she probably shouldn't say it out loud; she's in their territory, after all. who knows who's listening in. ]

People who were disadvantaged by your businesses, by underhanded means? Maybe some of them would've lost money, jobs, connections, even loved ones because of your family?