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

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.

[Ajax punches in the address to the hotel, and what comes up is familiar to him. He won't need the GPS after all, but he knows the capitol like the back of his hand as it is. They drive off, and it's relaxing to be back home for him.]

Aha... [he half chuckles, because on one hand, yeah. His family usually knows where he is too, especially when he's out on business in another country. But not to that level, until he goes missing or something. Then an investigation would be done.]

Well, on one hand, that's part of the reason why I trust him so much with our affairs sometimes. On the other...anyway. We'll get you checked in at the very least, what you do after that is your business as far as I'm concerned, wherever you end up staying.

[It's not far to the hotel. He quickly finds a place to park, but doesn't get out of the car.]

Should I stay in here? Or will you get in trouble if you're seen with me?

[He laughs, though he's being half serious about it.]

[ she can tell what he's about to say, and most people would find aether's actions problematic as well. after all, what kind of person would essentially keep tabs on their sibling or family member unless there's some ulterior motive to it? lumine, however, knows that her brother simply means well, even if he's a little over the top at times. ]

Well, he knows that we're together anyway. [ and assumes the worst already. ] I don't think I can get into even hotter water than this.

[ isn't that why he's very inflexible and uncompromising at getting her to go to snezhnaya? if aether had his way, he'd ensure she wouldn't have any more contact whatsoever with ajax.

lumine slides out of the car, picking up her bag. she offers her id at the front desk who gives her a key, the suite already prepared for her despite her early arrival. with a huge bedroom, ensuite bathroom, and living space, it's a bit too much for a one-night trip, but she might as well be comfortable about her stay.

she doesn't linger for too long in the room, leaving her backpack and just retrieving her phone and wallet to head back to the car. ]

[He's sure he can think of ways she can get in hotter water, but he keeps his mouth shut about that one.

When she comes back, he nods, already mentally steeling himself for this little expedition they're going on. He's sure he'll be calmer now, but that doesn't mean the event of the past still don't linger with him.

After all, they practically lived it.

He pulls out of the hotel, driving the twenty minutes away to the cemetery around Zapolyarny Palace. There's a walking tour, and that seems ideal to get to where they're trying to go. He has no idea where the graves are anyway, so he buys them two tickets. Unfortunately, they'll have to suffer through some history of Snezhnaya in the process, but if that gets them to where they want to go, he's willing to endure that.]

Hope you like history. I've got a feeling we'll be listening to it for longer than I'd like.

[He hopes it isn't too boring...]

[ she doesn't mind history. what she minds are tours like this.

it gets pretty boring like this, truth be told, and she'd rather that they simply do the tour by themselves. still, she assumes that ajax doesn't know where to go or what to do to even get where they're supposed to go. the person doing the tour is at least entertaining those in front, so it gives them a bit of peace at the back.

lumine slips her hands out of her pocket to blow warm air on her fingers, the frigid air becoming a little uncomfortable as they walk around. she should've brought gloves, but there's no point regretting it now. ]

Is this your way of torturing me after I vomited on you?

Hahaha, [he laughs, walking along with the group and looking down at her cold hands.] No, I'm not that sort of person. Here.

[He takes his own gloves off, and offers them to her.]

I'm pretty used to the cold, so I'll be fine. As soon as we get to the site, we can leave soon after. I doubt they'll even let us lay anything at the grave anyway, so we shouldn't be too long.

[He smiles weakly back at her, trying to hide the increasing anxiety he's beginning to feel about being here at all. Like he doesn't know what to expect, or what might happen once they reach the site.]

[ lumine blinks at the gloves when he offers them to her, half-tempted to decline it. even if he's used to the cold, he has the same constitution as every human being; he'll eventually get cold, too, and then what? but she accepts them anyway, slipping them on her hands. the warmth of his own hands linger in the fleece-lined interior of the gloves, slowly thawing her frozen fingers.

at his remark, she gives him a slight nod. she's also apprehensive over this, over what might happen at the grave. what will they say? what will she be forced to deal with again? ]

... Do you think Lumine ... [ her quiet voice trails off, uncertain how to ask of it. would they have kept them apart, she wonders? buried her elsewhere with her sibling?

lumine shakes her head, the words she'd like to say stuck in her throat. ]

Let's just get this over with.

[Nodding, they continue to follow the group tour, passing by several monuments to famous military generals, soldiers, and even one dedicated to some of the Fatui Harbingers. He can see the familiar stone face of himself up on one of them, with another woman and a man, smirking at the sight. He doesn't recognize the other two Harbingers, they must have been Childe's coworkers, for lack of a better term.

Eventually, the tour lands at the section where the Harbingers lie, plots far separated from each other. The tour guide begins telling the story of ancient Teyvat and the war between the divine, and Ajax listens in on it while they walk past several other Harbingers.]

I have a feeling part of that history isn't right, [he whispers to her, checking graves as they go.] It's as they say, history is written by the victors...

[A flash of memory as the Tsaritsa died goes through his mind, and he closes his eyes. They come past another plot, three graves neatly lined up with each other with ornate plaques indicating each person, glorified in Snezhnayan fashion.

And here lies the Eleventh Harbinger of the Fatui, Childe. The renowned Traveler and her brother also lie with him, having fought in the legendary battle together against the usurper god. Unfortunately, they died early on in the fight, but cleared the way for Her Majesty the Tsaritsa to deal the final blow.

His eyes snap up, incredulous. What did she just say? He looks to Lumine, clearly irritated.]

Excuse me? So that's how they're remembered?

[ indeed, history is written by the victors, but who were the victors in that war? with the famed traveler and their sibling dead, who would be considered as such? lumine doesn't think her counterpart is looking or seeking any kind of fame; it didn't feel that way each and every time she's somehow landed in her body in those visions. but still, she also does think that the traveler should be commended for all the things she's done for teyvat.

they continue to trail after the group, lumine's gaze sliding over the monument erected for the harbingers. childe is easy to spot, his face familiar.

when they pass by the plot of land, the plaques seemingly gleaming despite the snow, lumine too looks up from the writing on it to the person leading the tour group. surprise crosses her face before confusion settles in, disbelief colouring the edges. but even before she can say anything, ajax is expressing his disbelief first.

in the end, her majesty the tsaritsa remained the only archon alive after the war with the divine, her power indomitable. and she had honoured the twins by allowing them to be interred in the same place as her harbingers. that's how generous she was for their contributions to the war. ]

Ajax ... [ her hand grabs his sleeve, shaking her head at him. ] Let's just go.

No, hold on.

[He doesn't move, looking down at the plaques, reading them. They at least seemed adequate for who they were honoring, even though the tour guide was reciting what had actually happened completely wrong. It's so disrespectful, he knows, and he even debates correcting her. Sure, Childe looked up the Tsaritsa, he got that- but Ajax has no loyalty to a dead god, and it's hard to hold his tongue. Ultimately, he decides not to bring attention to themselves, because of what he wants to do next.]

Let's touch the plaques.

[Which means stepping over the chain, walking forward a few feet and kneeling down. He reaches down to take her hand, noting that if they did so now, the crowd would hide them from the tour guide.]

We have a little concealment right now. We could do it and it would be over quickly.

[ lumine stares at him in disbelief, somehow feeling that she's being conned again into doing illegal things. though, to be fair, at least this time around, he doesn't bother lying to her, telling his idea in a straightforward manner even if said idea will probably get them locked up for a few hours.

still, it doesn't look as if she has a choice again when he grabs her hand and tugs her toward the plot. and here she wonders if heeding aether's advice of staying in fontaine would've been a better idea ... ]

We have no idea how much time passes when those visions happen, [ she hisses at him, her gaze flickering at the babbling crowd around them. ] And the last time we saw something, we were both ...

[ deeply affected and traumatised. lumine's pretty sure aether will hear about this if this were suddenly placed on social media. ]

This is a bad idea, and you know it.

Yes, but...

[He stares down at the shining plates, the sun of Snezhnaya bearing down on them. Could there be more secrets that lie here, that only they can discover? Maybe even something that might help them, against this supposed ancient grudge? He can't miss this opportunity.]

If there's anything we can glean from this that might help us, it will be well worth the risk.

[He's determined, he won't take no for an answer. It is a bad idea. She's right. But they have to.]

They're right there. We saw what put them here...surely there's something their lives can tell us about this.

[He pulls lightly on her hand, as he double checks to make sure the tour guide wasn't looking, stepping over the chain. He's going.]

[ when she sees him step over the chain, lumine knows she's doomed. they're doomed. no other choice but to see this through. she can probably tug her hand out of his grasp and pretend she doesn't know him, but then she also wants to know what happened after everything.

who put the traveler and her brother there, anyway? is this something she wished for, to be buried with childe? ]

If we get arrested—If I get arrested, Aether's never going to forgive you.

[ she sighs under her breath, carefully stepping over the chain, and makes terrible peace with herself. she hopes aether doesn't find out about this. she hopes her brother won't be too nosy for one. ]

We'll touch it for a second, okay? Just one second. If nothing happens, we're leaving.

Deal.

[If he gets Lumine arrested, he swears somehow he'd make it up to the both of them for this mess. Ajax takes a deep breath, and moves forward towards where their counterparts lie. It takes them a matter of seconds to get to the plaques, and Ajax kneels down to touch the one that belongs to Childe. Lumine's plaque is next to it, and the moment that she touches hers, the world around them seems to spin. The cemetery melts away, only to be replaced with a realm he doesn't recognize.

The landscape before them doesn't appear to sport much vegetation, the air having a coolness to it that wasn't as cold as Snezhnaya, but not hot like Liyue or Natlan. A gentle breeze makes the grass and flowers they stand upon sway back and forth, and when his vision focuses he realizes they're on an outcropping overlooking a vast ocean, the sun setting in the distance, giving the entire setting a warm, orange glow.

Two figures sit in front of them on the edge, enjoying the view, when they both turn their heads in unison to see who their visitors were. Ajax realizes that he's not inhabiting the Harbinger's body again this time- instead, they'd be spectators, like they had been at the bank.

But his jaw drops when the gears start turning in his head. They can see them.

Childe and Lumine both stand up, to walk over to their modern counterparts. Childe's eyes widen, before he breaks into a grin.

Hey. Didn't think anyone was ever going to show up. You kept us waiting a long time, you know.]

Edited 2022-05-28 00:25 (UTC)

[ lumine closes her eyes when she crouches down to touch the plaque, wishing and praying to every deity that could hear her to let nothing happen. they really don't need to see a vision, don't need to something that would make them look like a freak to everyone watching. but clearly, no one's listening to her prayers when everything melts away again.

but it's different this time around, for once not inhabiting her counterpart's body. instead, she finds herself staring at the other lumine who seems rather pleased to see her, a smile tugging at her lips and a chuckle bubbling out of her throat.

well, your other self did take a while to find her. not too motivated to find me again, were you? i should've known.

when her counterpart reaches out to touch her, lumine flinches and takes a step back, uncertain as to what she'll do. i'm sorry, i didn't mean to frighten you. i'm just very glad to see you. ]

[Ajax's eyes dart between the two ancient warriors, bewildered that this was happening. This wasn't what he'd expected at all, and it's hard to get himself together enough to speak at first. Childe seems to sense this, clapping a hand on his shoulder. His hand felt real, with weight to it, but at the same time he knows there's no way that could be true.

Don't mind Lumine too much. Don't worry, she doesn't bite- she just likes to sass me every chance she gets. But, since you're both here, that means you've already started your journey, isn't it? To think that...hm, well, I shouldn't say too much. I guess you both have a lot of questions, haha.]

Yes, [Ajax replies tentatively,] I wanted to know who exactly has a supposed ancient grudge against us. We saw...ah.

[It's hard to say, but Childe finishes it for him.

Our deaths? We know. There's no need to be so hesitant about this.

Ajax looks at the ground, those words stinging somewhere deep inside him before taking a deep breath.]

Who was that god, exactly? And is there a way that they're still around?

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