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

Oh, I thought about it well.

[ after all, lumine's heard very briefly and loudly about his escapades in college. not that her own twin brother is innocent in that regard; she's pretty sure aether has had his share of girls in his bed years ago. but seeing that ajax is part of the mafia, his family involved in seedy things, well ...

still, she's on the receiving end of aether's glare at that comment, lumine staring down back at him.

not helping. please stop flirting with him, lu. ]

If I wanted to flirt, I'd be down there and you'd be going hoarse yelling at me. [ she turns away from them to head back into her bedroom, waving a hand at them. ] Besides, if you're allowed to sleep with whoever you want, then I should be allowed to sleep with whoever I want.

[ that's not the point, lumine! also, i don't bring them here. in our home!

that is probably going to earn her an earful later, and an argument will definitely explode out of this mess. but then, aether just has to accept that sooner or later; she's not a kid anymore, after all. ]

Anyway, I'm heading to work in a bit. Ajax, don't leave your shirt here like a snake, please.

I'll take care of it~

[He responds, smiling as he watches her go and disappear into her bedroom. He can't help but find that entire exchange amusing, how she's just sassed her own brother like that. But hey, is she wrong? Ajax doesn't think so. He sets his arms akimbo, looking back to Aether and grinning like an idiot.

She's kinda great like that, isn't she?]

Perhaps I should get going too. I'm surprised my phone isn't ringing off the hook with panicked calls about missing meetings with key clients. I'll be right back.

[Which is partly true, just...not for today. Clapping Aether on the shoulder, he starts climbing the stairs to retrieve his shirt from the bedroom. He knocks a few times on the door, before entering the room, spotting his shirt and swiping it up off the floor.]

He's going to give you a real earful later, isn't he.

[He looks to Lumine, apologetic- he hadn't meant to get her in trouble with her brother.]

[ lumine's standing in front of her mirror when ajax walks back in, inspecting the bitemarks he's left on her neck with a frown. there's only so much her makeup can do to hide those things, really. so she'll have to wear something less conspicuous for the next few days.

at his remark, she glances up at him on the mirror but she shrugs her shoulders and walks over to her closet. ]

I'll talk to him later. It's fine, don't worry about it.

[ aether's upset, she knows that. and she also knows that he's upset because the rug's been pulled out from underneath him. not that lumine expected this development, but she had hoped to break it gently to him eventually. it looks like she'll have to employ some other tactic to soothe her twin brother's ruffled feathers. ]

No guarantees he'll ever be thrilled by today.

Yeah, I wasn't counting on it either...

[Finally he throws his shirt on, buttoning it up and smoothing it out a little, though it had sat in a crumpled pile all night. He'll have to go home anyway, so he gives up on it for the time being.]

I'll give you a call in a couple of days or so, okay? After we let our nerves settle for the time being. We've...got a lot to talk about.

[He smiles sadly at the floor, before moving on, pushing those feelings back with a brighter smile to cover it.]

And...perhaps we'll talk at my place instead, haha.

Edited 2022-05-25 13:34 (UTC)

[ at his place ... ah, makes sense. with aether hanging around, and lumine's pretty sure he won't be going anywhere soon until this is sorted out, it might definitely be a good idea to not be seen together by him. the last thing she wants is for her twin brother to have an aneurysm; seeing him die once is stressful enough.

lumine gives him a nod, though. she can't say that a couple of days is enough to sort things out on her end, but she's always been good at pretending. ]

I'll see you when I see you, then.

[ who knows when that will be when they're both busy, when much of their meetings have always been coincidental. "coincidental", even though it's always felt like he's following her. annoying, but it's not entirely unsettling. ]

[His smile softens, and he steps over to her. Is it okay, to be close with her now even if they had been drinking again the night before? Even if half the reason why they're in this position to begin with is because of their extraordinary circumstances where she'd watched him die in her arms?

No, that she'd watched Childe die in Lumine's arms. It's getting harder to separate.

Despite those thoughts, he leans down to give her a soft kiss to her lips, before pulling back again and taking his leave.]

Take care of yourself, now. Don't let Aether's bark bother you too much, haha.

[With a wave of his hand, he leaves, heading downstairs to a still irritated brother who just wants Ajax gone out of his apartment.]

[ the kiss surprises her if only because, well, the thoughts running through her head are essentially similar. the events last night were undeniably influenced by the alcohol they've consumed and the vision they've seen. she'd call it a lapse in judgment, but she was pretty conscious of what was happening and she's made a conscious effort to kiss him back, to get him into her bed.

... well, she supposes she has two days to sort out her own feelings on the matter. if her own consciousness was simply unwittingly swayed by their collective deaths in the last vision.

lumine hears aether rant downstairs again as she's buttoning her blouse, carefully adjusting the collar the hide the hickeys. if her brother were to see those, he'd blow his gasket again. not good. might as well make peace with him for now before this all goes to hell. ]

Ae, just let the guy go. He probably has people to harass.

[Ajax is already halfway out the door, waving goodbye. He knows he needs to get outta there before Aether really lets him have it again, letting the door shut behind him as he hurries down to his car, hoping it didn't get towed in the middle of the night.

A few days later, as promised, Ajax calls her again. For the first time, he doesn't feel like she'll ignore him.]

Hey, Lumine, how have you been, [he begins when she picks up.]

I've got a question for you. Are you free this weekend?

[ the call comes at an inopportune time, with aether sitting from across her table, looking terribly constipated. even after hours and days, her brother has yet to figure out how to move on from the events a few days ago. then again, maybe it's also understandable why he's pissy, seeing the both of them looking so ... satisfied. ]

Hey ... [ she starts slowly, glancing at the one person who just might ruin this for them. ] This weekend? Why?

[ aah, aether tilts his head in question too. what's up with this weekend, is clearly written across his face, already expecting the person on the phone. ]

Edited (I HIT ENTER BY ACCIDENT WTF ) 2022-05-25 15:26 (UTC)

There's a place I want to visit. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since well...

[He trails off. His voice sounds somber, as if he still had a lot on his mind and it wasn't the blossoming relationship between them.]

In Snezhnaya, there's a giant memorial for the fallen that's housed inside of our national cemetery. I think you can figure out why I'd want to go there. I thought you may have an interest as well, since...anyway.

[But, at least that's not all.]

There's also somewhere else I want to visit, but that can happen after the fact. Perhaps I'll get the opportunity to let you meet one of my older brothers who still lives in Snezhnaya.

[ there's a long pause on her end, almost thoughtful. but really, lumine's just staring at aether, trying to maintain a blank expression on her face. aether, on the other hand, is narrowing his eyes on her, prompting her to reply, so he can get more information as to what the conversation is all about.

her voice remains slow, careful. ]

You want me to meet your older brother? In Snezhnaya? [ she can aether's expression twisting, his eyes widening. isn't it too soon, is pretty much written across his face. ] ... I don't mind—

[ lumi! ]

But Aether might have something to say about me leaving for Snezhnaya this weekend, especially when he finds out that I'm going with you.

[ after all, she has no business in snezhnaya, and there's only one person she knows who's from snezhnaya. ajax should've seen this coming, right? ]

Tell him we'll bring him back a souvenir or two.

[If part of the point of the trip wasn't because of visiting the cemetary, he'd of invited Aether to go along too- but it would be strange explaining that to him. He wonders if Lumine is sitting with Aether at this very second, so he chooses his words a little more wisely, and speaks a little louder.]

Also, tell him to not be too jealous. I'll plan a trip for all of us to go to a ski resort and various other places in November for a week before the temperatures drop too far. Surely that'll satiate him.

[He chuckles, hopefully loud enough for Aether to hear if he was with her.]

[ lumine's placed the call on speaker so aether can hear it, her face looking like she's about to laugh. aether's expression turns from annoyance to exasperation to deadpan at that remark from ajax. if looks could kill, her phone would've exploded already from the dark look her twin brother is sending its way.

there's no need for a souvenir if i'm joining the trip, is there? ]

You heard him ...

[ lumine tosses an exasperated look at her brother, who remains adamant about this. she has to talk to him again, it looks like it. ]

So what you're trying to say that if it were the other way around, it would be perfectly acceptable for someone to invite themselves along on a trip that you planned they weren't invited to come on? Is that what I'm hearing?

[Ajax understood Aether's anger for having sex in his house. He gets it. It was a little disrespectful. He stood there and he endured the man's rant at him, but the mafia lord has a backbone. This doesn't fall under things Aether can impose himself on, and Ajax isn't going to hear it from him.]

Now, you can show up in Snezhnaya wherever and whenever you please. But it won't be because you are forcing me to take you with us.

Am I clear?

[ not the conversation she wants to be stuck in between.

true, that aether can't just impose himself on the both of them, especially when it doesn't involve him. but at the same time, she also can't fault her twin brother to be suspicious about this. and after their stunt at home, she's pretty sure that aether's going to be even more hardheaded about her going alone with ajax anywhere. the fact that ajax is digging his heels even more in this situation doesn't help.

lumine says nothing in response, simply pings her assistant to get her a cup of coffee. this will be a long day and she needs patience and a whole load of caffeine to deal with it.

don't worry, you won't have to pay for my flight tickets to and hotel room in snezhnaya, volkov. i can pay for mine and lumi's.

any plans of ajax inviting lumine to join him on a private plane trip, aether's dashing it to the ground. he did say he can show up whenever and wherever he pleases, so he's doing just that. ]

You know, all I wanted was a nice weekend...

[Aether is starting to piss him off, and the light tone in his voice hides a layer of irritation. He's not really sure why he's talking to him about this anyway, he asked Lumine to go with him, not her father.]

Anyway, the point of the matter is that I invited her to accompany me this weekend, and now that she's said yes then that's the end of it. I've already made the arrangements for travel for two, we'll be leaving Friday evening and returning sometime Sunday, whenever time allows. I'm sure she'll be in contact with you the entire time, because it's not as if I'm confiscating her phone.

[He also wasn't sure when Lumine wasn't allowed to make her own decisions, but he holds his tongue on that because he's still his friend and he's her brother.]

Since that's settled, could I please speak to her now?

[ she hasn't said yes yet! ]

Exactly, Ae, [ lumine sighs as she takes a sip of her coffee, reverting the call back to handheld mode. this is already getting super messy and she just wants it to end already. ] I haven't said yes yet, so why are you planning on booking flights and hotel rooms already?

[ she shoots him a silencing look over the edge of her cup, and aether seethes wordlessly in his seat. honestly, he was totally okay with her to traveling with mondstadt alone; he even knew that ajax was there. and yet, he's being this pushy like a pissy cat now. ]

I'll have my assistant book a flight and accommodations to Snezhnaya for myself. I can meet you there on Saturday morning since I still have something to finish on Friday.

[ her gaze flickers over to aether. ] Is that acceptable?

[He can tell by the way her voice sounds that he's no longer on speaker, already calmer because of it.]

Of course. If you'd like reimbursement for the inconvenience, I'll gladly pay it. Besides, [he laughs,] the flight and board was already set up anyway. It's all my own private transportation and residence, after all.

[He's glad she's taken the phone back. Any more back and forth with Aether was going to make him the pissy cat.]

I probably should of left this to you in the first place, huh? Sorry about everything.

[ he probably should've. and that bit about having everything prepared and planned already mentioned to aether—not a very effective way of convincing her brother that he's not up to no good. lumine sighs, once more tasked with the responsibility of appeasing her twin brother.

sometimes she wonders if ajax ever uses his head in certain circumstances. it doesn't seem like it. ]

And here I thought you knew better since you two are friends since college.

[ it's not like aether's drastically changed since then. he's still the same with the same temperament, same disposition. ajax needs to remember how he's used to dealing with him before. ]

Anything else I need to know?

Aw, c'mon...

[He's never had to deal with this side of Aether before, but hey, guess there's nothing like the present to start right? He sighs, thinking for a moment.]

Mmmmmm...yes. When you reach the airport and get your luggage, go to the nearest lounge access and ask for me. They'll let you in without membership, I'll make sure of it. We can depart from there, avoiding most of the traffic and annoyance of having to deal with the terminal.

[Yeah, that should do it. That way, they can head to the national cemetery easily enough.]

We'll talk more once we're in Snezhnaya. I'll see you soon, then?

[ hanging up means dealing with aether, and a part of her almost wants to stay on the line. but she also knows that would piss off her brother so she simply murmurs a verbal nod before hanging up the phone. the rest of the day and week is allotted for aether, soothing his temper and making sure he's amenable enough to this trip like he was when she went to liyue and mondstadt. promises and concessions were made, before he finally, reluctantly lets her go.

lumine's pretty sure he's suddenly show up somewhere, somehow, though. knowing how pigheaded her brother is and how insistent he is when it comes to these things, it would surprise her if he took childe's words literally and showed up in snezhnaya.

arriving in snezhnaya is mostly painless. she's well-versed with traveling, after all, and she's more than capable of going through the ordeals of airport security and processing to know what she should and she should not bring. it's cold, however, colder than mondstadt and fontaine, and lumine tugs her coat closer and her scarf a little higher as she moves towards the lounge access desk.

she gives the girl her name and her id, mentioning ajax's name as he had instructed. the other girl gestures her inside, asking her on the way if she wants anything: coffee, juice, wine while waiting for mr volkov? ]

It's all right, [ she says with a small smile. ] I don't think I'll be waiting for too long anyway, knowing him.

[Lumine is right- Ajax had landed well before she had, and he'd spotted her from one of the restaurants where he's having a small snack at the bar as she approaches the lounge access. Paying for the food, he quickly picks his things up and heads over, going through the same process and walking in to see her.]

Hey there, I hope you had a good flight on the way here.

[He looks over his shoulder, before returning his attention to her, grinning.]

Let's be off, now. We've got a full day in front of us. Come. I'll show you how celebrities get in and out of here.

[ it's pretty decent for a flight in coach. then again, there's no reason for her to fly in business when this isn't a business trip at all. and while it's a longer flight compared to flying to liyue, it's less of a headache considering the fewer passengers that had booked and the more comfy seats available. maybe she should start flying to snezhnaya if it's this less of a hassle ...

she hitches her backpack over one shoulder, shifting its weight. it's a one-day trip, and she didn't see the point of bringing a carry-on; a few changes of clothes should be more than enough. ]

Can I drop off my things at the hotel first?

[ ajax probably has a car so she doesn't need to carry her luggage around, but she'd also like to check the room out if she can. the concierge did tell her over the phone that a suite might be available if she arrives early, but lumine has no idea how early she should be. ]

We can head off to the cemetery afterwards.

Sure. We can head there first. But first, we need to be driven to where our car is waiting.

[He pushes open a side door, which leads back to a corridor alongside the runway. But he keeps walking, past all the gates above them until they get to what looks like a valet service. He gives a wave, and they go outside to a car that's waiting for them, motioning to get in the backseat, and the car takes off.

A mile later, they come to another stop, a different terminal with no one in it at all. Outside, leading towards the city, are roadways and exits to wherever they need to go. A car waits for them there too, and Ajax gets the keys.]

And that's how it's done. Celebrities don't have to wait through all the long lines everyone else has to go through. It's a paid service, but it's well worth it. If you can afford it, haha.

[He grins as he leads her outside to the car.]

Where's your hotel? Are you sure you want to stay there?

[His place is nicer anyhow, he thinks.]

[ lumine doesn't deny it's very convenient, bypassing all the crazy lines and checks through the airport. if she could skip these every time she flies, then she wouldn't be so stressed about it. still, there's a reason why only a few people are able to do this; after all, money talks and it talks very, very loud. ]

Not everyone is as rich as you ...

[ rich, privileged, powerful—even with aether's company on the rise, it doesn't give her any golden passes through airport security. but with such privileges come certain responsibilities and obligations. and who knows what ajax is obliged to do to get these benefits.

in any case, lumine scrolls through her emails in search of the message her assistant sent, showing ajax the address of the hotel. ]

Aether will probably find out if I didn't check-in or stay. [ she shrugs, glancing out the window. everything's blanketed by snow, the landscape stark white. ] My brother is ... pretty good at finding things out like that.

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