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

Aw, you can't mean that, Lumine.

[Sounding mock hurt, he holds one hand over his heart, failing to hide a smile that played on the edges of his mouth. Her perpetual exhaustion with him is no deterrent, if only serving as encouragement to him.]

I think we work together quite well, in fact. Look at what we've already managed to accomplish.

[They haven't even had to kill anyone yet.]

[ look at this facetious man. if she had an inkling as to where he's bringing her to, she'd be throwing him out of the car and driving herself over to morepesok. she absently wonders if childe is exactly the same and how lumine has ever dealt with him; it does feel like she has him on a leash, though how she managed that, she will never know.

but then, it seems like those two have been together for a long while now. and despite much of their time spent away from each other, their bond is unmistakable—unlike that of her and ajax. ]

If you meant we haven't murdered anyone yet or landed in jail yet, then I agree it's an accomplishment.

[ she'd rather it stays that way, though. ]

Give us more credit than that, [he retorts with a laugh, looking over to her, before returning his eyes to the road.]

Anyway, I don't know if you've been there before, but Morepesok is a city that's built its foundation around commercial fishing and imports and exports. Some of the freshest fish in Teyvat comes from there, and it has no end to some of the best seafood restaurants I've ever been to.

[Ajax seems to be reminiscing on this fact, his voice light and far away.]

All in all, I'm proud to call it my hometown. I think you'll enjoy our brief stay there. My brother sounded delighted at the idea of getting to meet you.

[ that's not terribly comforting at all.

why is his brother delighted to meet her? what did he tell his brother about her? honestly, this is why a part of her feels like this isn't appropriate at all, because what's her reason for meeting his family? what's their reason for meeting her? they sure aren't going out or dating. ]

Is there a reason why he sounded delighted? [ lumine glances at him sideways, her eyebrows cocked in curiosity and sinking dread. ] ... Is it because he's already met Aether?

[He glances over at her at the same time, confused by her reaction.]

What's with that look? I told him I was bringing you. It would be a little rude to show up without informing him first, don't you think?

[There's a part of him that wants to just explain, but no. This opportunity has presented itself to him and he's taking it.]

Why? What do you think is going on here?

[A sly smile crosses his face. Go on, tell him!]

Edited 2022-06-03 03:30 (UTC)

[ she stares back at him, mirroring his own confusion, before she turns back to the windshield. why is he throwing the question back at him, the idiot? does he honestly not realise what he even said? then again, it doesn't seem like ajax is the type to use his head a lot, so perhaps she's expecting too much from him. ]

I don't know what to think anymore when you're involved.

[ honestly, he drives her up the wall. she's surprised the other lumine has not gone insane from dealing with childe. ]

Why are you bringing me to him anyway?

[Look at her, all riled up- it amuses the hell out of him, and he's not hiding that fact either. What to do, what to do...should he mess with her or not?]

You seem overly concerned about this. I already told you what we'd be doing this weekend. I hid nothing from you, if that's what you're thinking this is.

[He wonders if she thinks taking her to his brother's is part of some plan regarding his family and the business, or even more funny, if she thinks that he told his brother she was his girlfriend.]

I'm in town. Why would I not take the opportunity to see my family?

[ can she punch him? if she punches him, will he hold it against her? probably not since she's punched him twice already and he certainly simply accepted it without complaints. but lumine wonders if aether will forgive her if she's the reason they get into an accident ... decisions, decisions. ]

Why bring me along?

[ lumine turns to him again, a mild look thrown his way. ] You could've just told me to stay in the city. I wouldn't have minded.

[Her reaction makes him laugh again- he supposes it's time to stop teasing her, and just be forthright now.]

Why would I not want to bring you? After all we've been through together, we're hardly strangers, right?

[Signs are starting to pop up for Morepesok, Ajax finding this particular area of the interstate more familiar. They were getting close, and he's happy that they're almost home.]

[ lumine lets her gaze linger on him before she shifts it away once more, head turning towards the window. white landscape flashes past them as they drive through what seems like the countryside. it really must be far outside the capital if they're moving through the highway like this. ]

I'm just saying that our relationship—or lack thereof—is nothing to write home about.

[ hence not understanding why she's heading to morepesok, on her way to a brother that's "delighted at the idea of meeting her". she's probably overthinking it, and ajax didn't mean anything when he said that.

she closes her eyes again, folding her hands over her stomach. ]

So, why would you bring me?

Lumine, it's not like I'm taking you home to meet my parents.

[They're in Fontaine, after all, having moved to seek out better 'business' opportunities in the country of tech. He contemplates in that brief moment how introducing Lumine to them would go, and given how they are, probably pretty well.]

It's just my older brother. You've got another three brothers to meet after him, and three sisters. But by then, I doubt this is a conversation we'd even think to engage in.

[Just going to let that hang in the air for a second.]

Besides, it is as you suspected- Aether has already met the brother we're visiting today. He knew about you long before you knew he existed.

Edited (NO MY MATH WAS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME UUUUUUGH) 2022-06-03 13:32 (UTC)

[ ... what. admittedly, she's never really asked aether anything about ajax, so. ]

That's six siblings too many.

[ lumine has no intention of meeting his entire family, nope. the mere fact that they're going to his hometown to meet his brother is weird enough as it is. maybe she should've thought this through before agreeing to whatever he whimsically plans to do. no wonder she keeps getting in trouble.

in any case, she keeps whatever else opinion she has to herself, ending the conversation right there. several minutes later, she decides to sleep off the rest of the car ride. maybe if she wakes up, she'll be back in fontaine. ]

Edited 2022-06-03 13:45 (UTC)

[The nap is short, as he's gently trying to wake her up as they drive into the outskirts of Morepesok. The city rises in front of him like an old friend, and he's struck with a sense of nostalgia as he drives into the city.]

Lumine, we're here. Are you awake?

[He gingerly reaches over to touch her arm, rubbing it to wake her, his voice almost like a soft whisper.]

Lumine...

[ lumine stirs at his touch, her slumber quite shallow. despite her mental exhaustion, her body still seeks an actual bed for her to fully fall asleep. it seems like proper rest will just have to wait when they get back to the capital—or fontaine, when she finally flies back the next day.

she tries to blink the sleep out of her eyes, yawning behind a hand. ]

Mm, already? [ her brows furrow as she glances out the window, realising that she's finally seeing buildings and houses, clustered together unlike when they were on the highway. ] I didn't get to sleep that much.

We weren't that far away to begin with, haha.

[Barely enough for a power nap, as far as he's concerned. The skyline becomes increasingly more cluttered with buildings as he drives downtown, and much like Liyue Harbor, the traffic becomes worse the further he goes.]

Once we get there, you can take a nap with a nice view of the ocean. It's snowy and frozen, but it's still breathtaking nonetheless. My brother has a place right on the coast, and it's always a fantastic view of the harbor.

[If you like looking at all sorts of different boats, that is.]

[ she assumes his brother is the only one here in morepesok. otherwise, why go straight to his brother's place when he's supposed to be here to visit his family? lumine's quite certain his family should have some kind of house or place somewhere in this city where the rest of his family is residing, unless she's mistaken.

she rests her cheek against a fist, her elbow propped against the window. traffic in morepesok is just as horrendous as that in liyue and fontaine. ]

Do you have a place here, too?

No, no, not a personal one at least. My parents have a house here, when they choose to come back to the motherland to visit home. I use it as well when I return home.

[He takes another turn, a road that goes right down the coast, a few minutes away from his brother's.]

Interestingly enough, Morepesok is also Childe's hometown. Knowing that, it makes visiting here a little more special. I hope he's able to see how his home has changed so drastically since he was alive.

[He smiles softly, wondering if the man could see it all through his eyes now.]

[ oh ... so he stays in his family home, then. so why are they on their way to his brother's place instead of said home? lumine decides not to ask in case he sees this as another opportunity to make fun of her. clearly, asking rational questions is prohibited in this car. ]

Childe, huh ...

[ she wonders if the harbinger has some kind of monument in this city. a memorial of sorts for one of the cryo archon's general. she supposes that if there is, then ajax would've realised since young that they look alike. ]

I wonder where he used to live in the city ...

I'm not sure myself. I never got the chance to look into it too far. Wherever it is, I'm sure it's long gone by now.

[He pulls up to a fairly nice ocean front house, except it's in more of a Snezhnayan style that's built to survive a harsh winter rather than a sunny warm climate. He climbs out of the car, to walk with Lumine up to the front door to knock on it a few times, waiting for his brother to answer. He's sure he's home- he knew they were coming.]

Let's have a nice rest of our day now though. I think I'm starting to feel the wear of the day's excitement taking its toll on me. Maybe we should have stopped to get some warm drinks on the way, haha.

[ if this was liyue or inazuma, having an ocean front house would've made sense. but when you live near a half-frozen sea, it doesn't seem as enticing or encouraging. especially when the chilly air blows over them the moment they step out of the car, lumine shivering under her coat as she bows her head to shield her face from the stinging wind.

she quickly follows ajax, using him as a shield from the snezhnayan breeze, shifting her weight from one foot to another. if she stays still for too long, she has a feeling that she'll freeze in place. lumine is about to say something, opening her mouth, when the door swings open to let them in.

a part of her expected someone exactly like ajax; she did hear that the volkov family has very similar features. instead: ]

Aether? [ she blinks at her twin brother in surprise, smiling at her widely while glaring at ajax. for a moment, lumine forgets about the cold. ] ... What are you doing here?

[ i came to visit a friend, lu. ]

[He too, is surprised when the door opens and it's Aether standing there, not his brother. He can hear Anatoli in the background, shuffling over archon knows what. Probably cleaning something up, if he didn't know any better.]

Ah! I had a feeling you'd show up somewhere, Aether, it's good to see you didn't disappoint.

[He begins to walk inside, clapping his friend on the shoulder and smiling. It doesn't matter that he's here, what he was trying to hide is already done and over with. Now they can all hang out and have a good time, hopefully.]

Hey, Anatoli! Aren't you going to come greet your little brother?

[Hold on a second! I'm getting you both something to drink!]

And here I thought you were doing an emergency clean up. Miracles do happen, after all.

[Ajax teases his brother, who comes out with a few cups. The younger son waves for the twins to come join them, now standing next to his brother, who sports the same messy hair only in blonde, with blue eyes with a face that was similar to Ajax's own. Ajax is taller by a few inches, but it may seem that their entire family might be on the tall side.]

Lumine, this is Anatoli. He's the only one of us that stayed back in Snezhnaya after our parents made the move to Fontaine.

[The older brother puts their cups down on the coffee table, to offer a hand to Lumine. It's nice to finally get to meet you, I've known Aether for forever, but never got the chance to meet you.]

[ lumine's just as surprised as well, knowing her brother's dislike towards snezhnaya's cold weather. the mere fact that he's here means that he really wants to make a point. not that it matters, since it's clear that that one morning he caught them together is a momentary lapse in judgment. still, it's nice to have aether around, if only because it'll keep her from having to deal with both volkovs. that, and ...

what's wrong, lu? you look like we haven't seen each other in a long time.

the other lumine hasn't seen her twin in a long time, and she wonders if that's the overwhelming feeling she has when looking at him. she sighs, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against aether's. her twin cups her face, his fingers warm against her frozen cheeks. ]

I'm just tired, that's all, and you're a sight for sore eyes after spending the morning with Ajax.

[ aether snorts before he ushers her inside, closing the door behind her to keep the cold out. it's obvious her brother is very much at home here.

weird, because ajax's brother seems like the last person aether would hang out with. the exact same face, exact same eyes—but a little more rugged, she thinks. he seems like the kind of guy who would butter you up in a bar and then steal your wallet without you knowing. ajax has the same look, except he'd probably shank you afterward.

... her twin definitely has weird friends. she offers a polite smile, shuffling after aether to the sofa. ]

It's nice to meet you, too.

[C'mon, we've been waiting for you guys. Come sit.

Anatoli flops right down, much to Ajax's amusement. He's always been completely comfortable in front of anyone he meets, and he didn't even wait for his guests to sit first. But that's his brother, over relaxed about everything. Maybe this is why he never got into the family business, where people are strung a little tight sometimes. It doesn't suit him, he thinks.]

Sorry to keep you waiting. We were just trying to get the most out of our day before having to return home.

[He finally sits himself once the twins have as well, reaching out and giving Lumine her the glass. They're both warm, and he can smell that it's hot chocolate. But he can also smell the bourbon in it, smiling. Ah, that's his brother. He takes a deep swig of it, enjoying the hot of the drink on his tongue and down his throat.]

Ah, this is good, Anatoli. Just the way dedushka used to make it. Aether, he gave you some too, right? We can't have a proper get together if not everyone gets to partake. Lumine, try it, it's an old recipe that our grandfather used to make for the family before he passed.

[Aether, I can get you another glass if you want.]

You should, [he says to Aether,] for old time's sake. Plus, you know what we can play in twenty minutes or so.

Edited 2022-06-04 01:59 (UTC)

[ lumine can also smell the bourbon in the hot chocolate, wondering if she'll come out of this situation a drunken mess again like their time in mondstadt. still, she accepts the cup, letting the heat of the china warm her fingers, and takes a sip of the sweet-smelling liquid, a little surprised by how nice it tastes.

... and how the faint shot of bourbon burns her throat. ]

In twenty minutes? [ she looks up from her cup and glances around the three men in the living room. her own brother is busy drinking his hot chocolate, looking like a very satisfied and content cat.

mm, yeah. we used to play this card game back in uni whenever we would come by morepesok. i wouldn't recommend you joining, lu.

lumine wrinkles her nose at that, frowning. ]

Why? Why wouldn't I join too? [ aether glances at her before he looks back up at ajax, sending him a warning glare. we don't want people taking advantage of you, that's why. ] What?

[Ajax rolls his eyes, and Anatoli instantly understands what's going on here. But the older brother keeps his mouth shut, silently laughing to himself. Oh, okay. That's what this was all about. He thought it was strange that Aether showed up out of the blue like this, despite the fact that he was more than happy to see an old friend.

Lumine, don't mind him. He's just sore I beat him last time and made him chug an entire glass of fire-water I poured out for him. Didn't think you'd still hold a grudge over that, Aether.

Ajax looks over to his brother, grinning. What a sly guy. He'll remember to treat his brother to something good later.]

It's a slap game, Lumine. We'll start playing and I'll explain how the game works to you as we go. And if you want to play, you can find an opportunity and slap in, since you're never really "out", you're just looking for another opportunity to get back in the game. It'll make sense once we start, it's quite fun. It's even more fun when Anatoli is too drunk to realize the difference between a spade and a club.

[He gives his brother a wink, before completely finishing off his glass. It would be a good night, he's sure of it.]

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