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

[ ajax, can we—

for a moment, lumine moves away from her brother, not wanting to hear whatever conversation they're about to have. she hasn't spoken to aether about him since snezhnaya, unwilling to traverse that landmine of a conversation. but she wonders if this call is finally that talk she's pushing the both of them to have, because if it is? it's just ... terrible timing, considering they're leaving the next day.

lu, c'mere for a sec, please.

still, she looks up from sorting out her things when aether calls her, a grim expression on his face. that looks very concerning, and she hopes ajax isn't being a dick right now. ]

What is it? [ he holds the phone out to her, the call placed on speaker, as she walks over to him. ] What's wrong?

[ i think this is something you need to hear, too. go on, ajax. ]

Thanks, Aether.

[He runs his hand through his hair. How to approach this...he doesn't want to scare them half to death, but the reality is that he doesn't know any other way to put it.]

Apparently our friends have been doing a bit of work on their end. From what I understand, there's an operation of theirs in Inazuma City that's been ramping up for some time now. What the details of that are, I'm not sure. What I do know is that they've been keeping tabs on you two.

[He sighs, trying to keep all his thoughts together. Their trip, the operation in the capitol of the island nation...are these things coincidental?]

I'm...concerned, to say the least, [he says, trying to comprehend the scale of this.] Seems they've got someone important that's just left Fontaine to head out to Inazuma as well. That was a few days ago. Seems a little too well-timed, don't you think?

[ aether's expression slowly gets darker and darker with every sentence, lumine pressing her lips together. if ajax was simply making excuses to tag along with them as aether did with their trip to snezhnaya, this wasn't that, especially considering the kind of danger they've found themselves in. she looks up from the phone, meeting her twin brother's gaze.

maybe you should stay in fontaine, lu. it would be safer here. ]

No, are you kidding me? If you're going, then so am I, Aether. They might come after you, too.

[ no, not might. they will come for her brother as they did with her. she doesn't think it's a good idea for the both of them to be apart. and it isn't as if her brother can simply cancel everything he needs to do there, either.

lumine, don't be stubborn— ]

I don't want to hear that from you, of all people. [ she shakes her head firmly, sending him a flat look. nope, he's not doing this to her. ] ... Anyway, we'll lay low in Inazuma, Ajax. Thanks for letting us know.

Of course.

[But he's not done speaking, because like hell he's letting them go to Inazuma by themselves. He can't imagine the trouble that they could get into, not because they were looking for it, but because it might be looking for them. He doesn't think Aether will like this, but...]

Aether, I have to agree with Lumine on this one. If they're keeping tabs on both of you, if they know one shows up in Inazuma, they know the other is alone in Fontaine. It would be simple for them to snap one of you right up. And if you're both together, it'll be easier for me to make sure that doesn't happen.

[He's bracing for objections to that. Not that they can stop him from coming with them.]

I hope you don't mind. I'd like to personally see what I can find there as well.

[On the surface, for Aether, he hopes it sounds like Ajax just doing what he does best for the family business- take their enemies out. But deep down, there's a part of him that's terrified. This important person might be one of their true enemies. But another part of him is excited, to see if he can find them and take them on. Conflicting emotions, ones he's trying to keep from showing to the twins right now.]

[ lumine almost—almost—walks away from the conversation when she hears that, pausing mid-turn and looking directly at aether. her brother is thankfully looking back at his phone, his expression a mixture of concern, exasperation and disbelief. yep, that's definitely disbelief on aether's face, no doubt from ajax's implied plan.

you can't be serious, man. you can just some of the guys over. don't you have work to do?

... aah, she can already tell what aether's thinking. she's very positive with what aether's thinking, especially when her twin suddenly looks up and turns to her, his golden eyes narrowing. ]

Look, Ae, I have nothing to do with this. Ajax and I haven't spoken in a while now.

[ a week, maybe? less ... but it's still technically "a while" so she's not lying. also! she didn't think he'd actually try to tag along. ]

But you two should really talk this out. I need to finish packing.

Do you think I'd call you about this if I wasn't deadly serious, Aether?

[It doesn't matter what Lumine does now, she knows and that's all he really needed her to hear. Focusing his attention on her brother now, he will do his best to keep his voice calm and measured for this, but even he can admit how deeply frustrating this is to have to deal with Aether's overprotective nature here.]

Do you really think that I'd trust this to someone else after someone almost cut her throat? This is part of my work. And I am concerned for both of you. Take this situation seriously. This goes far beyond whatever reservations you have about me. This is your lives we're talking about.

[There's a heavy sigh on his end of the line, a little frustrated because he's just not in the mood to deal with this obstacle right now.]

[ lumine can feel aether's eyes boring on the back of her head as she turns back towards their things, her hands busily packing up his own stuff. it's not that she doesn't understand aether's suspicion; he has every right to be after what he's witnessed lately. but he's being unreasonable at the moment, especially given the circumstances.

then again, she does admit that she hasn't told aether the entirety of the issue. but what are the chances of her twin thinking that this is ajax's fault anyway? a little over 50, she thinks.

... fine, but this better not be some harebrained plan, ajax.

who's to say this isn't? the fact that ajax is tagging along means he has something in mind, and it's no doubt going to be stupid again. she's started to see his m.o. after liyue and snezhnaya. still, lumine says nothing, pretending to be busy.

i can send you our itinerary if you need it. don't tell me you're the only one showing up to protect her?

aah, aether. ]

You should email it to me. I want to make sure friendly eyes are on you both at all times. To your point, of course no- it's not going to just be me.

[It's a valid question. He definitely doesn't fault Aether for being concerned either. His hand goes through his hair again, thinking. Was there anything he missed? He doesn't think so, and Aether has at least agreed to this although hesitantly. It's fine. That's all he really wanted.]

I'll meet up with the two of you at your hotel. I won't be able to stick around too long, but I do want to know where your movements will be while I try to track down our foes.

[He lets out an exasperated breath.]

Thanks for working with me on this. It should only be a matter of time now before I can take care of this problem for good.

[It's...a half truth. A matter of time might be longer than he'd like, and he's certain it most likely will be. But this might be the light at the end of the tunnel, albeit far away. Or it might be the start of something even worse than he expected.]

[ mm, i'll send it to you tonight. we'll see you, ajax.

the grim expression on aether's face is telling enough that he's not very happy about this. not just with the issue with ajax but this entire problem with the people out to get them. all lumine can do is rub his arm reassuringly and press her forehead against his shoulder, whispering soothing words to drown out his apologies.

there's nothing he should be sorry about. not about his friendship with ajax, not about the project he's personally done.

truth be told, she feels bad for her twin and perhaps she should be more honest about their situation. but wouldn't that endanger him more? aether may have a vision, but he's just as helpless as she was before she started regaining her counterpart's powers. and as aether had once saved her a thousand years ago, it's her turn to do so. ]

I want you to protect Aether personally. Promise me he'll be safe with you.

[ she won't accept anything less from ajax. ]

It's easy to tell that you two are twins. He expects the same of me, but for you.

[It's hard to keep the sinking feeling of something going wrong off of his face. He's thankful that she's texting him, rather than asking this of him in person- they don't know enough about the problem here, and it's not as if he can ask the twins not to go to Inazuma.

Now that they've learned that their enemy has a presence there, they won't be leaving anytime soon. And Lumine needs to go there to resonate with the statue.]

I'm going to do everything I can, for you both. I know that his safety means the world to you, Lumine.

[Her sword piercing Aether's body flashes in his mind, and he feels his heart drop.]

I promise.

[ omg that's not the confirmation she wants to hear! please, ajax. ]

Stay with him the entire time. I swear, Ajax. If something happens to him in Inazuma, I'm going to make sure you sit in my car with a bomb in it.

Okay, okay.

[Goodness, so violent...she'd fit right in the mafia. Maybe he'll bring it up with her later.]

He'll be safe, I promise you. But if I'm with him, that means you have to be careful too. Don't do anything brash or impulsive that might make you an easy target. And always tell me where you're going.

[ the answer is a resounding "not a chance" ]

I'm not an idiot, Ajax.

Hey, I'm just covering my bases here.

I'll see you in Inazuma.

[The country of Inazuma has always been one that stands out from the rest, with the beauty of the cherry blossom trees that spread their petals all along the still brick walkways and small streams that flow through the city. Ajax has always loved Inazuma, and the sweet scent of the various flowers that have been planted throughout are the only comfort he finds as he walks through downtown to the hotel that they had planned on staying at.

After quickly meeting with the twins, telling them that he has his own men in the city keeping watch as well, Ajax heads out for his own investigation. He won't hover over the twins, but he makes sure to check in with the frequently during their stay. It goes alright for the first part of the week, Ajax's nerves settling a little, but he's still vigilant.

It's not until he gets a somewhat alarming text from Aether where his stomach drops.]

[ the twins have been to inazuma several times already, but the scenery hasn't changed at all. constantly spring, with cherry blossom trees in bloom lining the cobblestone path—even with the modernisation of the nation, it's remained breathtaking as ever. it's one of the reasons why lumine had offered to join aether, finding the country peaceful and serene just like mondstadt.

it's been a quiet few days, aether mostly going about his business while lumine sightsees in the city, experiences the cuisines, takes a dip in the hot springs. she hasn't seen ajax since day one of their trip, but she assumes it's because of her ask and he's with him. aether, however, is the same, assuming the exact same thing as his twin sister.

which is why when lumine doesn't return to the hotel during agreed upon time for lunch, his first instinct is to text ajax. surely, his sister didn't forget their lunch date. ]

Is Lumine with you? I haven't seen her since this morning and we're supposed to have lunch together.

[ considering their current circumstances, aether's on the verge of panicking. but maybe, just maybe, lumine's caught up with ajax for some reason and forgot about him. he'll be okay if that's the case, because he knows she's with someone he can trust. ]

If she's forgotten about it because she's with you, tell her it's fine. I'll still wait for her.

[That's a little too long to be gone for.

He hasn't received any calls in regards to her whereabouts, which is now suspicious. He'd been so involved with chasing a trail to where their foes may be that he hadn't noticed the lack of communication. He's in front of Tenshukaku, grabbing a quick bite to eat at one of the street vendors when he reads the messages.]

She's not with me. I haven't gotten any calls about where she is either, and now that I think about it, that's strange. I generally get updated every few hours or so. Aether, come to Tenshukaku immediately, I don't like this.

[He can feel the anxiety rise in his chest. With being so heavily alert about this trip here, he wonders if she just ditched his men- or if they were dead. If they'd lost her, they would have called him.

Oh no...]

[ oh no. oh no oh no oh no.

the moment aether receives the text from ajax, he gets up from his seat on the cushion and leaves for tenshukaku. the fact that his sister isn't with ajax, that she's nowhere to be found is enough to throw him into panic. and if ajax that he doesn't like this, what more him? she only hopes she's safe somewhere and had managed to hide elsewhere.

aether sees ajax right away, his ginger hair standing out like a sore thumb on the balcony. his expression mirrors that of her own: disbelief, panic, fear.

what do you mean she's not with you! you're supposed to stay next to her at all times. ]

[He spots Aether immediately, trotting up to meet with him. Ajax is quickly sending messages and making calls as he does so, all go unanswered. Panic starting to settle in too, the situation has already gone from bad to worse with the radio silence.]

You know how your sister is. If she doesn't want to be found, she'll make herself disappear. I imagine that's what's happened here...or worse. I tried calling her, but she hasn't picked up. Do you know where she was heading when you saw her this morning?

[Because the one person who hasn't been supplying him with information about her is Aether. Hopefully he'll have a lead.]

[ aether almost retorts that he's just here eating when he should be looking out for his sister as they agreed. but he reins himself in, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself down. shouting at each other isn't going to help them find lumine quickly; they have to start moving.

she said she's going to go sightseeing around the narukami shrine and get her fortune told.

but aether's pretty sure it won't take her several hours to do that. if she had walked to the shrine, maybe. but he doubts that that's the case, especially when she can simply hail a cab. could it be she met the guys trying to kidnap her on her way? he's never one to quickly jump to negative conclusions, but given the danger they're in ...

i'll head on over to the shrine. ask if they've seen her there. go find your men who are supposed to look out for my sister! ]

[Ajax grabs a hold of Aether's shoulder before he can go anywhere. This is not the news he wants to deliver to him, but it's easy to infer. He's seen this before, and he's willing to bet that his men...aren't around anymore.]

Aether, I've been trying to get a hold of my guys for some time now. The fact that none of them are answering isn't good. If I find them, I don't think it'll be alive.

[Never the one to deliver gloomy news in any other way than in terms of the worst possible outcome, that's Ajax.]

We'll head to the shrine together. I'm not going to have the same happen to you, too.

[ aether's also trying not to think of that. he can tell that the men he's posted to watch over lumine are probably gone. otherwise, they would've reported to him already. told him that lumine had gone off somewhere or got kidnapped or whatever. surely, they wouldn't up and leave, especially when their own boss had given them an important task? that's just not how things go in their world.

fine, let's— ]

Aether!

[ he freezes, quickly turning around at the voice. he watches with wide eyes as lumine jogs over towards them, in one piece and looking very much unharmed. almost immediately, he rushes up to her, giving him a tight hug.

where were you, lu? you weren't texting me, weren't calling me. we were worried something happened to you! ]

Sorry, I just got caught up in something. [ she pats his back soothingly, glancing at ajax. ] ... But there's something I need you two to see.

[Ajax's eyes widen with shock and then instant relief at the sight of Lumine. His mind had been racing through all possible solutions, where he always landed at she's dead, no, she's dead...

But there she is, safe and sound. No evidence of having been hurt, but his eyebrows raise when she says they need to see something. At first, he's worried that she found his men, still believing that they're dead- they still haven't contacted him. His question is careful, asking something that only Lumine would understand but that Aether shouldn't be able to pick up on.]

Lumine, is it something I need to take a look at first?

[If it's dead bodies, he doesn't want Aether to see it.]

[ her expression looks blank for a moment, though one could say it's probably confusion she's wearing. a moment later, she's pulling away from aether and shaking her head. her brother still wears a worried expression on his face, a hand placed on her shoulder as if she would disappear again. ]

No, no. I need you both to see it.

[ she takes aether's hand, giving him a slight nod and a smile. her other hand takes ajax's, tugging him gently towards her. ]

C'mon, I'll show you. It's going to be great!

[What was that?

He's sure she'd pick up on it, but she didn't...and his hand is being taken. He follows along with, unsure about this. A cold, settling feeling in the pit of his stomach gives him some pause, but then if he stops, will their secret be unveiled? He looks over to Aether, who also has his hand taken as well, as Lumine pulls them along to wherever they need to go.

This is...not right. Or is he just imagining things?]

Lumine, [he starts,] I don't want to ruin the surprise or dim the mood, but I wish you would have told me where you were going...we really were worried sick about you.

[He wants to make sure she knows how not okay he is with that.]

Edited (i didn't finish my sentence...) 2022-06-12 01:11 (UTC)

[ lumine makes no move or says nothing to acknowledge what ajax has just said, simply pulling the both of them through the streets of inazuma city. she quickly finds a pathway in the back alley of the city, leading them through the shrine and towards the edge of the area where the land meets the sea. ]

Mm, I forgot. Sorry about that, [ is all she says with a nod.

she feels aether's hand squeeze hers tightly, almost as if he's trying to get her to stop and make sense of what's happening. but once more, she says nothing, only squeezing his hand back in return. ]

Look, you two have to trust me on this. It's something I found while I was sightseeing around the island.

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