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

[ lumine offers him a grateful smile before she pats aether's shoulder and coaxes him to walk upstairs. ]

I can't drag you there, Aether ... You're too heavy.

[ the climb to the second floor is at least uneventful, lumine only groaning a few dozen times whenever aether would grab at her for another hug, whine about having to deal with this (just imagine what she has to deal with, she almost says), or stumble from inebriation. but they finally find a bedroom, one that she closes behind her before sitting her brother on the bed.

for the first time since spilling her drink, though, she can feel the warm chocolate sticking to her skin, the sweet cloying scent overwhelming. it's annoying, and to think she left her bag at the hotel. ]

Aren't you being too belligerent about this, Ae? [ she asks him with another sigh, cupping her brother's face as she sits next to him. his cheeks are warm against her fingers, tinged red from the alcohol. ] You're not like this with all the other guys I've dated before, even when you're drunk ...

[ he responds with another whine, another slump of his body against hers. aether buries his head against his shoulder.

they're not ajax, that's why. and he lists all of his reasons why he disapproves of him, why he disapproves of this, until his head finally lolls against her, a snore punctuating his list of complaints. honestly.

lumine slips down the staircase after several minutes, pausing on one of the steps to address anatoli. ] ... I'll also borrow your bathroom, if you don't mind.

[Anatoli gets up off the couch when she comes down, and Ajax looks up at her, having calmed himself from the conflict between himself and her brother.

Sure, whatever you need to do. Sorry about everything, Lumine.]

Hey, Lumine, [Ajax calls for her, before she can leave.] Do you have a second? Can I talk to you in the kitchen?

[He can see the stain on her dress now, frowning about that. It should have never came to all this, he thinks as he gets up from the couch.]

[ lumine hesitates for a bit, glancing over her shoulder, before she gives him a slight nod and slowly goes downstairs. aether conked out anyway, and she's pretty sure her brother won't be getting up anytime soon, not when he's had a lot to drink.

she's a little embarrassed as well that things have turned out this way, especially in a house that's not theirs, to begin with. and while she knows that aether's a friend to ajax and anatoli, well ... this is still an imposition on their part. she'll have to talk to her twin about this again.

she follows him into the kitchen, trying her best to ignore the growing stain on her clothes. ]

... I'm sorry about the mess, [ she starts quietly, looking up at ajax. ] I'll get Aether out the moment he wakes up.

There's no need to apologize, [he replies quickly,] I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for trying to pick a fight with your brother.

[He looks over to the side, sighing, before forcing himself to look back at her. He shouldn't of lost his temper, like that, but here he is.]

I know that'll probably only make things difficult for you later with him. Will you call me when you get the chance? I don't want to text you only to have Aether somehow see it and get angry all over again. I see how he gets about this kind of stuff.

[He looks genuinely apologetic, even if there's a part of him that still wants to punch Aether in the face for touching him like that.]

[ she nods wordlessly, uncertain what else to say in response. more than the memories, the visions, her sudden acquisition of the statue's powers, this is what she's been dreading. granted lumine didn't expect her brother to react so strongly against the both of them, but she also thought that he'd take this with more grace.

lumine also can't blame him for his reasons for being upset. ]

I think you should also talk to him when this all calms down, [ she tells him firmly, meeting his gaze. ] And without me around. I don't want Aether to lose a friend because of me.

[ because it seems like that's what her brother fears too. not just losing lumine—which is impossible, to begin with—but losing ajax. it's stupid and she would've hit him upside the head if he was sober, but it's also understandable. after all, he was ajax's friend first; she can only imagine how hurt he must've felt after seeing them together, even if it was unintentional. ]

... I'm sorry again.

Hey.

[He steps inward, to wrap his arms around her and giving her a firm hug before stepping back again and letting his hands fall on her shoulders.]

I'll talk to him. I'm not interested in losing a friend either, we have a lot of good memories together. I just didn't think he'd be so angry with me about it. Maybe he thinks I'm going to hurt you, or get you into trouble...

[His voice trails off, because they're all in trouble, when he thinks about it. But not because of him.]

Anyway, I get where he's coming from, he's just looking out for you after all. I just think he's being a little too overprotective, given his own involvement with me and my family. But I can't blame him, either. Try not to worry about it too much, and do your best to endure those lectures of his. I'm going to get one too from him, though I don't know what reassurances I can offer to him at this point...

[He squeezes one of her shoulders, sighing as he looks down at the ground again for a short moment.]

We'll figure it out. Everything's worked out for us so far.

I think ... [ they should probably stop seeing each other for a while. if it'll soothe her twin, keep him from becoming too aggravated over this, carry on with whatever peace they have at the moment. it'll all die down if aether doesn't see them together often, knowing her brother.

but her breath catches in her throat, the words following it also dying in its wake. she can feel her chest tighten sharply, her heart squeezed hard. instead, she simply takes a step back from him and gives him another nod. ]

I'll take care of the other statues, don't worry.

[ she can find certain places where she won't attract a crowd, where the statue isn't too much of a centralised spot where people gather. she knows there's a few in liyue and fontaine, same with inazuma when she's last gone there. as for the others, she could always look it up. ]

... And then, I'll let you know if there's any progress on that end.

Okay.

[That's a simple enough arrangement that's easy to agree to. He nods too, smiling though he would worry if everything will be okay if she's there by herself. But she's a big girl, and if she allows him to help train her how to defend herself more effectively, she'll be fine. Just like her counterpart.]

I'll try to get a lead on our divine stalkers. If they're hiring goons to grab you, we'll be able to find them.

[Having an underground network doesn't hurt.]

Don't hesitate to ask for help if things go sideways or if you anticipate issues. When we get back to Fontaine, we can talk more. I...

[It's not that he doesn't want to address it, but perhaps here and now isn't a good time. Ajax's mouth thins, pausing while internally debating with himself if he wants to say it out loud, but it wouldn't surprise him if she already knows what he wants to say.]

[ there are a lot of things that could follow that broken trail of words, things that she'd rather not address at this time. whatever happened earlier, whatever words she's managed to recklessly utter in the heat of the moment earlier, drawn up by uncertain and unclear feelings as lines begin to blur ... lumine doesn't feel very confident trying to explain it.

so she'd really rather not. she doesn't think ajax would appreciate anything halfhearted nor does she think her counterpart deserves such, either. ]

I should go, [ she says quickly, gesturing at the front of her dress. at this rate, the stain will remain and there's no way she can save this dress. ] I still need to clean up and then wake Aether. It's getting late.

[ it's a terrible excuse, but she uses it to her advantage anyway to get out of this conversation, slipping out of the kitchen as quickly as she can and rushing up the staircase without glancing at anatoli. her hand starts shaking aether's shoulder gently when she gets to the bedroom, trying to wake her brother up. ]

Ae, time to get up. C'mon.

[ she's pretty sure the hotel does dry cleaning, so she can just have her clothes fixed there. the twins will emerge ten minutes later, aether still looking half-asleep with lumine holding his hand. ]

[In a way, he's grateful for her quick departure upstairs. It may be because of the alcohol loosening his lips, but he wasn't ready to address that either. So he walks out of the kitchen, offering Anatoli a weak smile before settling back on the couch, running his hand through his hair. His brother joins him, giving him a look of concern.

You look like you've been through the wringer, Ajax.]

I have. I wish I could tell you the details. But you know how that goes.

[Anatoli knows that that could mean a lot of things- the family business, most likely, or something else that his brother still can't share with him. Something that involves the twins.

You know you can ask if you need anything.]

Thanks, Anatoli. I'll hold you to it, haha.

[Lumine and Aether appear, and Anatoli stands to greet them.

Going, then? Did you already call a cab?]

[ lumine blinks at the question, cursing herself inwardly for having very slow reaction time that evening. maybe she should've done that first before waking aether up, if only to ensure that her brother doesn't spend too long waiting and potentially realising that ajax is still there. ]

... We'll probably just walk up to the main road and hail one. It'll also help Aether wake up.

[ she turns to her brother, pulling his coat over his shoulders and wrapping his scarf around his neck like a mother preparing her child to go to school in the morning. she doesn't want to risk aether starting a fight while he's still inebriated.

lumi ... ] Ae, help me put your shoes on, please. There we go.

[ she sends a tight smile once more to ajax's older brother, once more apologetic, as she herself puts on her coat and scarf and ushers her twin to the door. ] Thank you for your hospitality tonight, and I'm sorry again for my brother. Have a good night, you two.

[Anatoli opens the door for them, and Ajax only looks on while they leave. He doesn't want his voice to even be heard while Aether is around, half asleep. Looks like the guy doesn't handle his liquor nearly as well as he used to, but then they don't exactly get the chance to get together and drink anymore. When the door shuts, his brother looks over to Ajax, sighing.

I hope you can figure this out, Ajax. That was the most unpleasant experience I've ever had with Aether.]

I will. I will.

[He rubs his forehead, wondering on what to do next- he'll clearly contact Lumine, but not for the remainder of this trip, save maybe for a text she'll receive later.]

Did you get home okay?

[ the remainder of the trip was at least quiet for the twins, aether's hangover managing to keep him subdued until and after their flight home.

once again, lumine needed a round of reassurances to keep her twin brother soothed and pacified; hearing his complaints while he was drunk helped, somewhat. at least, now she knows what he's worried about and what she needs to say to alleviate his concerns. honestly though, she wants to tell him that he doesn't have to worry, that her feelings are still on the fence.

... probably even falling off of it if this goes on.

in any case, her brother is a little less angry about it now. somewhat. kind of, though it's sometimes hard to predict his temperament. ]

Yes, we're fine. Thanks for asking.

Good. How is Aether? Did he get sick on the flight home?

[Given the inevitability of a hangover, he sure wouldn't want to be on a fight home feeling like that. Ajax himself doesn't feel all that great, given the events of the night before and with his own hangover, but Aether sounded like he drank a little more than he did...]

He slept the entire time. He's skipping work. I hope you can send my apologies again to your brother.

[ she'll try to send to him a gift basket later on for the trouble ... ]

Anatoli will be fine. He said something along the lines of what you've asked of me. If I do that, then he'll accept that in lieu of any apology offered.

[After all, the problem existed between Aether and Ajax, and he did say he would talk to him about it.]

I suppose I should wait a few days until he's better. I won't let it sit and fester, Lumine.

Okay, thanks. I'll also tell Aether to reach out to you.

[ this honestly can't go on between them. and if she has to sacrifice something, then she will if that will get them to reconcile. ]

Thanks.

[With Lumine's persistence, maybe he can smooth things out with his friend. It won't be a fun conversation, but it's necessary.]

In the meantime, I'll see you for self-defense lessons. I hope you'll come to enjoy it as much as I do.

[ ..................... wait ]

I don't remember agreeing to this yet.

[On the other side of the phone, he just smiles. He knows she hasn't agreed to this, and it will be amusing to him.]

Oh, I know. But you don't expect to just be able to fly by the seat of your pants without any skills to pair with your new abilities? Two, maybe three if you're ambitious, days a week, for an hour. After work, with me, on spontaneous days to not tip your brother off.

Don't forget what we're dealing with here, Lumine.

[He doesn't mean to make it so serious. But it's deadly serious, and he doesn't want her to get caught without any way to properly defend herself just in case.]

[ she can tell he's amused. spending enough time with him has given her an idea of how his brain works, which is honestly annoying for the most part. ]

I know what we're dealing with. You don't have to remind me.

But I see you've started to make plans without my input and/or consideration of what my daily schedule looks like.

Hey, you know this is necessary. It's important to me that you have every available method to keep yourself safe, and to keep yourself from suffering an unpleasant fate.

[It's not just that either- there's a part of him that wants to see how far she can go with her powers, and another part of him that wouldn't know what he would do if anything happened to her. It's a mix of emotions that she thankfully can't see on his face right now, because he knows she'd be able to see it all.]

Besides, your daily schedule will determine the days you're able to come. That's up to you.

I know.

[ she doesn't really need a lecture about this. she knows. plus she realises that her brother is also involved in this, whether they like it or not. so really, he doesn't have to tell her all about it again and again. ]

So if I can't show up for training for two weeks in a row because of my schedule, that's fine?

Well, let's just hope you aren't so busy you can't spare an hour.

[It's not as if he can force her to come, but sometimes that's how it goes.]

It would be at the same place we trained you before. There, you can let loose all you want. You'll even get to beat me up a little, haha.

Contrary to your opinion, I don't enjoy beating people up.

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