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

[Yae only watches on for a moment as Aether drags Lumine away, to take her to a doctor or who knows what. She sighs, relaxing a little more now that she's by herself, beginning the trek back to Inazuma City. Finally, a voice pops up, cutting through the dream-like state he's been in this entire time.

You know, I think you might of gone a little too far there.]

Oh, so you finally decide to speak? I was wondering when you were going to say something. Maybe I was a little, but you won't learn without a little tough love sometimes. You have siblings, don't you? You know what it's like.

[Ajax only sighs, still locked in the trance, unable to process his thoughts coherently. He falls silent the rest of the way back as Yae goes and enjoys her afternoon and night, visiting old friends and eating to her heart's content on his dime. Not that he really cares, he's only really concerned for Lumine and Aether, wondering how they were, and glad that they were safe.]

---

[As promised, Yae is waiting at Uyuu for the twins, already inside on the second floor waiting for them to arrive. She's already ordered some food in advance for herself and them, happily munching on it. When they arrive she'll greet them with a smile.]

Well hello, I hope you don't mind that I've gone ahead and had some food ordered for us to start.

[She of course, has things that look really expensive already...]

[ not at all. i did agree to pay for it.

lumine, of course, minds, but she holds her tongue as she takes a seat and lets her twin brother handle this. she's still in no mood to deal with anything after yesterday's events, something that aether seems to have noticed since they met up earlier. the only reason she's even here is to make sure that whatever spirit is currently residing inside ajax's body gets out.

if she has to do it by force, well—he's sturdy enough to withstand her abilities last time. but who knows how stubborn that thing is inside of him.

my sister told me everything last night. i also looked up your name last night, head shrine maiden of the grand narukami shrine a thousand years ago.

that's a long time ago, aether thinks, but then, so did these people chasing after him and his sister, apparently. it's rather complicated, not to mention quite frustrating.

perhaps her ordering in advance will help this entire conversation out ... ]

[The kitsune takes a thoughtful bite of sushi she's ordered, chewing it happily as Aether speaks. She's glad that Lumine has shown up, but she was hoping that she would. After that display yesterday, she's sure the traveler is planning something. She's a good person, and Yae knows she hasn't exactly portrayed herself as anything other than a neutral party really only looking out for themselves. Well, that's isn't so far from the truth, but not completely true either.]

Aether, yes? It's nice to finally meet you. That's correct, that was my job back when I was still alive. It was truly a burdensome job, but someone had to do it, right?

[Another piece of sushi is eaten, before she takes a bite of fried tofu. That's the good stuff, right there.]

I also ran a producer of light novels, named Yae Publishing House, named after me of course. I'm happy to see it's still around and thriving. I might submit a new idea for a light novel, since I've been inspired by your dealings with that evil spirit and the little bit of fun she had with you and Ajax here.

[Yae gives a light chuckle, before finishing off her tofu. Who doesn't love a good BL light novel? Especially once as juicy as she can make this one.]

[ aether looks terribly disgusted at that remark, wishing he could erase that memory from his brain entirely. it wasn't by choice either, not just because ajax practically forced it on him but also because her sister's life was on the line. if this is how they're supposed to be dealing with spirits and gods moving forward, he doesn't know how he'll survive this.

can we please move on from that?

lumine sighs under her breath, not even willing to touch any of the food on the table before them. she hasn't eaten anything since breakfast, but having to sit here and listen to all this bullshit is turning her stomach inside out and making her lose her appetite. ]

I don't really care what you do. [ though there's a part of her that coaxes her to calm down, to try and trust the person inside of ajax. ] But we don't really have a lot of time to waste, do we?

[ she feels aether's hand on her knee, squeezing it gently. she meets her brother's gaze and lumine presses her lips together.

lu, you agreed to let me take care of this. when he sees her huff, aether lets out a sigh and rubs the bridge of his nose. other than paying for your meal today, what else do you want? ]

[A cup of tea is picked up and sipped from, a few more morsels of food eaten. She looks quite satisfied, wearing Ajax's face like that, before she frowns.]

Looks like the fun is over for now, huh. Alright then. I wanted to give you three a little advice. Take it from someone's who's seen plenty a god in her time.

[The small cup of tea is finished off, patting his mouth dry before she continues on.]

What you fought down there was a remnant of Celestia. Barely even considered a god anymore. Had it been any more powerful than it was, when you finished it off, that explosion would have killed us all.

[She looks a little upset about it, but sighs- they're alive and that's what matters.]

You've got a lot of work ahead of you. They underestimated you this time, and the fact that the three of you aren't working together very well is going to work to their advantage. I suggest you all make up about it so you can figure this out together.

[ lumine doesn't say anything to that, just staring blankly at the plate of sushi in front of her. her brother, on the other hand, is probably looking constipated at the moment, knowing his current beef with ajax. that's something he has to deal with when the other guy returns, she supposes.

she lifts a hand and gestures at one of the waitstaff, asking for a cup of tea. maybe that would soothe her growing irritation and simmering temper.

you do realise that, in order for us to work together, you'll have to return ajax first?

aether looks at ajax's form mildly across the table, linking his hands together on the wooden surface. his sister is obviously upset about this, even if she's not saying anything else. so it's up to him to try and make this as painless as possible.

if not for ajax, then at least for lumine.

we can handle it with him from here on out. ]

Yes, there is that pesky little fact that if I give him back to you, I'm out of a body. That really doesn't bode well for me, does it?

[She eats a few more pieces of fried tofu, savoring the taste. She's missed it, eating her favorite food, and it shows.]

I'll make you two a deal, but you have to listen closely. Little one, look at me. I'm very serious about this.

[Yae calls to Lumine, who she's noticed won't even look up at her now. Inside of his dream, Ajax can see her plainly, see how upset she is about this situation. He knows he has to wait, that it would only be a matter of time before she wouldn't have to sit there and try to formulate a plan or find a way to free him- and it hurts to see.

Lady Guuji...]

[ is she really serious about it, though?

there's a beat, a full minute passing, before lumine reluctantly looks up, her lips pressed together in a thin line. she doesn't know how long she can put up with this, especially when her entire body still feels very sore and all she wants is to sink into the hot springs until she's all wrinkled. but here she is, having to endure this bullshit.

aether sighs once more, unsure how he'd be able to rein lumine in if she decides to go haywire again. that's the last thing he wants to happen in an enclosed space like this.

as long as it doesn't involve any one of us getting into further danger, then fine. what's the deal? ]

[During this speech, Yae will keep her eyes on Lumine most of the time, only flicking them over to Aether from time to time. There's no smirk, no devious grin, nothing from the kitsune. This is a matter of the past come to the present now, and she wants them to succeed just as much as anyone else does who had dealt with the conflict from the past.]

I need you three to realize how dangerously close you were to losing everything. Getting captured and letting yourself get possessed, having to make split second risky decisions that might of gone haywire- these things must simply be avoided in the future.

[She lets his elbows rest of the table, threading his fingers together and letting his chin rest upon them.]

As it stands right now, any other wish that Ajax could have made would have resulted in losing him. I need you to understand that you must lean on and trust each other, because that's how easy it is to lose someone when you're dealing with the leftovers from Celestia. They may not be as powerful now, but they are cunning and will do whatever they can enact their revenge. If you can promise me that you'll take this seriously and understand how quickly one of you can fall, then I will return him to you.

[ truth be told, if she had smiled—even just a hint of a smirk, a tug of the corner of her lips—lumine would've gotten up and flipped the table over. aether's going to pay for it, anyway, and she'll be demanding reimbursement from ajax for all of this mess once she gets the invoice. but as it stands, it's clear that she's also very concerned about this, and she supposes that it's for good reason.

lumine straightens her back, her jaw tightening at that. as if she wasn't already willing to work with ajax on this. as if she wasn't already knee-deep in this situation even before he possessed his body. ]

I already know that. You don't have to remind me.

[ as someone who's witnessed the death of lumine and her brother, who now shares a similar fate as theirs for attracting the attention of celestia, of course, she knows.

aether too nods. yes, you can take our word for it. ]

Good. [She locks eyes with Lumine with a knowing gaze, one that goes back a thousand years.]

I wouldn't want you to have to lose someone of whom you hold so dear.

[Again, is the unspoken word here, and Ajax's own heart wrenches when she says it. He has to be better, because this is partially his fault too. If he had been with Lumine when she got captured, then maybe this would have never happened.]

Anyway, [she continues now, eating another morsel of food,] now that that's out of the way, I think we can finally enjoy our lunch. Ajax has practically gotten out of this scot-free, save for our little agreement we made last night, so I figure I'd open the floor to the both of you.

If you want to know anything embarrassing about him, now's the time to ask. I've gotten the chance to read through all of the life he's experienced, and I must say it was an interesting read, albeit terribly short. Most mortals stories are dreadfully dull, so it was a nice surprise.

[Hey, hold on, I didn't agree to this!

She giggles. Oh, now he's protesting.]

[ lumine frowns at that over her tea, wrinkling her nose. ask anything embarrassing about him, what?

aether, on the other hand, cocks an eyebrow at that offer, seemingly intrigued. he wouldn't be surprised if she'll lie about the details, but then again ... she is possessing him, isn't she? which means that she has access to his memories, like that spirit had access to lumine's earlier. his gaze flickers sideways to his twin and then to "ajax", happily eating lunch.

let's see how accurate this is. not that he has a number he can base it on.

how many times has he slept with my sister since meeting her? ]

Aether!

[ he can tell lumine glaring at him from the corner of her eyes, and he should consider leaving her alone tonight lest he wants a beating. aether just shrugs. ]

Oh my. What a protective brother you have there.

[Giggling again, she takes a moment to go back through Ajax's memories, much to his shock. It's like he's watching her flip a pages in a book, watching along with her. Archons, how many times did Childe have sex with her? Hold on, why is she counting Childe's escapades in with his own????]

Which lifetime are you asking about? If you mean this one, only once.

[Another giggle, another piece of sushi into Ajax's mouth to be enjoyed. Oh, this is going to be fun.]

[ aether's eyes narrow, turning his gaze on lumine. she glares back at him, thoroughly annoyed. ]

There's only one lifetime my brother is talking about.

[ because the last thing she wants is for that can of their counterpart worms to be opened and spilled all over the place. her twin brother, for one, is going to flip his lid over it. which is why she's omitted that information in the first place. ]

You already saw both of us in bed. Nothing else happened after that.

[ nothing else? he lifts an eyebrow at yae miko, throwing her another question. really? ]

Well, they didn't have sex, if that's what you mean.

[Yae laughs, because the look on his face is just divine, really. She knows exactly why Aether is asking this question, and she's all more than willing to give him the answer.]

Sorry little one, but your brother is right in his assumption. Your evil spirit friend already ruined this for you.

[Another sip of tea, another giggle.]

Though Aether, you may not like the answer. She spun him around her finger so easily, making him melt under her fingertips like candle wax, pressed up against the door like that. She loved it just as much as he did.

[She presses a finger to his lips, smirking.]

I just might have to add that little scene into this boy love light novel too. Thanks for the inspiration.

[ to say he doesn't like the answer is an understatement, but truth be told, aether's somehow no longer surprised. what's actually surprising is the fact that lumine has been hiding this from him all this time when she used to be more open about her relationships with people. and really, that's what's annoying him the most.

lumine, on the other hand, looks infuriated, her expression utterly unhappy about that revelation. she rolls her eyes, asking for another cup of tea. making it piping hot, she says, just in case she throws it at someone.

is he the person you were with when you said you're going out for dinner? ]

Honestly, it's none of your business who I'm having dinner with, Aether. I don't ask you who you're hooking up with when you go on your business trips.

[ that's because there's none, lu! another eyeroll. you can just tell me the truth next time, you know. ]

... Are we done here?

Well, that's all up to you two.

[Yae is eating. Yae is having fun, and she is making sure she savors all the food she's ordered because she's not going to get to have the chance to eat it for a while after she leaves Ajax.]

But Aether, it's no wonder to me that she doesn't share her relationship with Ajax to you. From his memories, all you've done is made it more of a burden with how you've reacted.

[She scolds him, gazing at him with Ajax's ocean blue eyes tinged with purple.]

I wouldn't either if I were her. So maybe being a little more accepting will help you all out.

[She sips from a small cup of sake that she's ordered, the warm liquid nice on the throat, looking at the both of them from behind it. Those eyes are sharp now, like a dagger that could easily pierce him at any moment.]

Having to hide it from you is one of the reasons why you were all so woefully unprepared for yesterday anyhow.

[ despite her feelings on the matter, it doesn't mean that lumine's fine with aether getting scolded over the choices that she's made. in any case, she understands her brother well enough. she knows how protective he is despite allowing her the freedom she wants—even if he can be too overbearing, which is why she needs to put him in his place sometimes. ]

That's my fault, [ she interjects before this lecture can continue, turning her gaze on yae once more. ] It was my decision not to let Aether know because I wanted to protect him. So that's on me, not my brother.

[ she's witnessed what happened to the other aether, after all, felt the despair that weighed on lumine's chest when she plunged her own sword into her twin brother's heart. it's a fate she wanted to spare aether from at all costs.

her hand slips into aether's underneath the table, giving it a gentle squeeze. at the end of the day, her whatever with ajax aside, he's still her brother and her only family. no one else is more important. ]

We've done what you asked for. What else do you want?

Little one, I don't want anything else at all. I'm just here to answer any questions you may have. It's the least I can do for providing me with such a splendid lunch before I have to leave.

[Ajax's eyes flash mischievously, before putting on a smile for the twins.]

Don't you have something you'd like to ask? It doesn't have to be about him. It can be about anything. I have lived for a long time, so I know I can clarify almost anything you might need more answers for.

[Regarding Lumine, she tilts his head to the side.]

You do know I only want the best for you three, right? I don't want to see any harm come to you.

[It was hard enough last time.]

[ is there anything else she wants to ask?

lumine closes her hand on her knee, her nails digging into her palm. there's still so much she doesn't know about, so much that confuses her. but she doesn't know if she wants to ask about them right now or if she wants to put it off until the very last minute. and with aether sitting next to her ...

she glances at her brother, letting their fingers twine together. aether gives her a slight nod, his jaw tightening. ]

It's fine. There's ... nothing else I want to ask.

[ a beat: ] Except ... [ she keeps her gaze on ajax's face, making sure aether can't catch her eye. ] Is he being facetious? About me?

[Ajax's eyes flash, the purple in them deepening with amusement at the question. She understands Ajax's intentions, at least, to the best of her ability since he's been so unsure of his own feelings, so she ponders for a moment on how to answer.]

Out of all the things you could ask me. Ah, I suppose this is rather important though. Alright, [she says, tapping his finger to his lips,] but you need to think about it this way first.

Let's say he's head over heels in love with you. Is this really the way you want to find out? To have me confess for him to you? If it bothers you so, I don't mind telling you, because it doesn't matter to me either way. But you'll be ruining this special moment, if and when you two reach it on your own.

[She picks up and chews on another piece of sushi thoughtfully. A thought comes to her mind and she chuckles to herself, but doesn't share.]

Do you still want me to tell you?

[ she's surprisingly sentimental, isn't she? which lumine finds weird, considering the kind of things she's been throwing at her and her twin brother. besides, she did say to ask anything, and she just did. better to rip this bandaid off before it causes further harm. ]

Let me put it this way then, [ lumine replies, her lips thinning. ] If this is all but some form of amusement for him, something to keep his boredom at bay—

[ this entire circus of their life, now involving celestia. he's not childe, after all. he's not the harbinger who clearly, deeply loved the traveler. ajax is a different person altogether. he doesn't need to share the same feelings as childe did. ]

Then shouldn't I know what I'm getting into? No one likes to be someone's toy, after all, played around for their own entertainment.

[ she glances at aether. ] Even if they're my brother's friend.

[Yae only smiles back at Lumine, guessing that she hasn't gotten to the point with Ajax to trust him completely. But it really doesn't matter to her at all, she said she'd tell her and she will.]

Suit yourself. I guess when you put it like that, I could hardly deny you, could I?

[She laughs again, always appreciating Lumine's wit. She wouldn't like her so much if she were a dullard, after all.]

Don't worry little one, even though he himself is working things out in that little brain of his, his intentions are genuine. I suppose you think you might be just another fling for him like they were in college, yes? I can assure you this isn't the case. Remember, he was willing to give up his mind and body for you, since he'd already set up Aether's means of escape, had it come to that.

[She glances to Aether, to read his expression- surely, he wouldn't of been dumb and fought a losing battle, would he of? She's guessing he would have stayed and died...haha.]

[ she finds her jaw tightening, her eyes flashing at the comment again. honestly, how many times does she have to hear that he slept around in college (most probably, after that)?

but lumine doesn't react, simply pressing her lips together. honestly, she's already done with this conversation. she doesn't know if she wants to hear anything else. she's still exhausted from yesterday's events and everything else that's happened to do seems like it's piling on top of that.

aether puts on the same expression as well, looking quite weary over all of this. there's just too much for him to take and absorb. ]

That's all. I'm done. I don't have anything else I want to ask.

Okay then.

[Wiping her hands on a napkin, she folds her hands in front of her as she regards the twins.]

I guess it's about that time then. If you have no further questions, then I guess I don't have much reason to hang around then. If you further need my assistance, just ask Ajax here to summon me again. We do have a deal after all, and that light novel isn't going to write itself. Just make sure it's for a good reason.

[She looks to Aether, smiling.]

It was a pleasure to finally meet you.

[And, to Lumine:]

It was nice to see that you're well. You really are a sight for these sore eyes. Take care of yourself, until next time.

[And with that, Ajax's eyes close, as black wisps swirl out of him, gathering above before they dissipate out of sight. His body slacks, and after a few moments, his eyes squeeze as he regains consciousness, lifting his head up with sleepy eyes.

He's so glad to see them.]

Heheh, did you guys miss me?

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