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

[ lumine snorts. for someone in the mafia, his pettiness knows no bounds, clearly, and in the most ridiculous of fashions too. though she supposes that if he's someone who's gotten everything he wanted, then it makes sense that he acts that way. typical. ]

So basically, you'll be the one to get something out of it instead of the person who sent it.

[ she starts tugging at the ribbon, carefully unraveling it. she honestly doesn't know what's inside it, and what's even more curious is the lack of a name attached to it. if it did come from a suitor, they wouldn't hesitate to slap their identity on it—just so she'd know who it came from.

lifting the lid, lumine lifts an eyebrow at the contents, red roses filling up the entire box with carefully wrapped chocolates nestled in between. she does wrinkle her nose, however, when the smell of the flowers assaults her senses. ]

Oh, my ... this is pretty, [ she hums, picking up one of the chocolates. ] And very sweet.

[Ajax sits up, scooting next to her and putting his hand around her waist as she opens it. Of course he's to be the one getting something out of it, a statement that he doesn't even bother to respond to. He even goes as far as to press his cheek up against hers as she opens it, frowning a little at the beautiful presentation of chocolates and flowers. It's not lingerie, which is better, but it still irks him.

His only condolence is that he's absolutely going to eat a few of these chocolates too, and he hopes that the person who sent it to her finds out so they can feel the dismay of having all their efforts wasted.]

I get to have one too, don't I?

[He whines at her, picking one up but not unwrapping it just yet.]

I'll be the judge if they're any good or not.

[He holds it up in front of his face, inspecting it. He can't deny that this is a pretty good idea to send someone as a gift. But why is there no name on it?]

Edited (what is english) 2022-07-01 17:49 (UTC)

[ lumine groans when ajax sidles in closer, invading her personal bubble as usual. she almost wants to push him off of her, but knowing him, he'll just come back in full force. what a clingy manchild.

she unwraps the chocolate she picked up, pressing it against his mouth. ]

Fine, since you're being a jealous baby, you can taste it first.

[ to be fair, she usually gives the chocolates she receives to her own employees, letting them enjoy the gift more than her. it doesn't really matter that much to her. ]

[He's not even done being a clingy manchild.

He opens his mouth, taking it into his teeth before he pops it in and eats it. Caramel, not bad, and it's not too sweet either. He happily licks his lips, humming thoughtfully.]

Actually, it's rather good. I'll have to give them credit. Want to taste it yourself?

[He says, putting the chocolate he had in his hand down and turning his head towards her with a sly grin and trying to get her to turn her head towards him so he can kiss her. His hand comes up to the other side of her face, index finger pressing on it.]

[ oh, she knows what he's trying to do. that smile on his face is unmistakably cheeky, the hand on her cheek deliberate. there's a moment when lumine is tempted to grab another chocolate, unwrap it, and put it inside her mouth as a response to his question. after all, that's one way to taste it, right? ]

Wow, so you're complimenting the guy who gave this to me, [ she replies airily, tilting her head just a little as coaxed, her gaze flickering to his mouth. ] If I ever find out who sent this over, I'll be sure to let them know.

[ chances are her assistant knows who gave it. after all, who else would've sent this over to her private apartment? it can't be ajax when he's being a pissy little kid. ]

That the guy living with me and sleeping on my couch likes the chocolate they sent over.

I'd prefer that you did let him know, [he says, continuing to press his finger lightly against her jaw,] I wouldn't want him to think we didn't enjoy it.

[At his expense, no less. The idea of making that guy, whoever he is, drowning in sorrow because he swooped in first puts a little spring in his step. Ajax realizes he has an unfair advantage here- but he hardly cares.

His head moves in more, letting himself lean forward and into her, just so he can get the right angle to press his forehead to hers as his eyes close. He can smell the coffee still on her breath, his smirk widening.]

It would be rude not to let him know.

[ it's very easy for him to press in, to kiss her as he's intending to do. but he's playing the game that she's playing, drawing this all out until one of them gives in. another round of chicken, looks like it, and one that she's unwilling to lose at once more.

lumine leans in even closer, almost closing in the gap but not quite. instead, she angles her head a bit, the cant putting even less of a distance between their lips. ]

Very rude, I agree.

[ it's a good thing that he's closed his eyes, her hands fiddling with another piece of chocolate and unwrapping it. with a soft giggle, she presses it once more against his mouth, filling in the void between them and effectively keeping him from kissing her just yet. ]

It's also very rude not to finish it all, so have more.

[Ajax's eyes flutter open when she presses the candy to his mouth, amused at her antics, as he takes this new piece into his teeth. He doesn't pop it in right away, gazing back at her for a moment before it disappears into his mouth, chewing it and swallowing. It seems to have a variety of different flavors, and he's sure his mouth will taste of coffee and chocolate now. He doesn't mind.]

It's your turn now.

[It's a game he doesn't mind losing, closing that last bit of distance between, soft caresses sweeping across her lips. His hand slides into her hair, thumb brushing the strands to the side as Ajax opens his mouth a bit more to take her in. His tongue finds her own as he lets his affections take control now, drinking every part of her in shamelessly as he kisses her.

It satiates his jealousy, to know that he was the one who could be intimate with her, that whoever had sent the candy would never have a chance at her. A white hot heat burns through him, his kiss more possessive than he's ever kissed her before. Though he doesn't care if this is the case, and he'll continue to kiss her until his breath runs out, after his mind has clouded in thoughts of her and her only- looking content of course, with his actions.

Edited 2022-07-01 19:27 (UTC)

[ the kiss tastes bitter and sweet, the aftertaste of coffee and caramel mingling on his tongue only underscored by his jealousy and possessiveness. it's potent and intoxicating, addicting like wine, the kind that makes her toes curl and heart pound, electricity seemingly running across her skin.

lumine closes her eyes, her hands curling on the front of his shirt, a soft, muffled sound leaving her throat as he practically drinks her in like a man thirsting for water. a part of her reminds her what they're here for, what they're supposed to do. and yet, she herself pushes it aside for a moment, returning his feverish kiss with the same fervour as he has.

she only breaks the kiss when her lungs start to burn, seeking air, and she pulls away breathless and flushed. her eyes flick to his face, meeting his darkened gaze, before she leans in again for another kiss.

in the process, however, lumine manages to knock the box off of her lap and onto the floor. not that that bothers her; she can pick it up again later. ]

[Ajax doesn't even notice at first that the box has fallen to the floor, excitement running through him like a current when she takes him into another kiss. He kisses back with more fervor now, pushing against her body to press her back down onto the seat the couch, falling with her to lose himself in her kiss. Needy murmurs come up out of his throat, demanding more, taking and giving in turn.

Ajax's mind swirls in thoughts of her, the touch of her lips against his seeming to mesmerize him. And he's all too happy to let it take him over, as time seems to disappear from his senses. His hand runs up her side, up under her shirt, to grip and knead his fingers into her breast. The feel of the soft, supple skin beneath his fingers and palm seems intoxicate him further, a want that begins to grow from his core and spreads across his entire body like a wildfire.

When his breath gives, he lifts his body up to gaze down at her, a fire in his eyes that's never shown itself quite like this before. But the corner of his eye catches something.

Something gold, on the floor, thrown from the box when it had fallen from Lumine's lap.

Ajax's eyes go wide in shock and horror, every part of his lust dissipating at the sight. He can't find the words, but his face says it all as he fully turns it downwards to the floor.

No. It can't be.]

[ a surprised sound escapes her lips when he practically pushes her down on the couch, his entire body enveloping her. driven by her own desires and still tasting the chocolate on his lips, lumine instinctively encircles her arms around his neck, fingers sinking into his hair and curling around the strands. she accepts his kisses, the sounds he makes, and punctuates it with her own. an answer to all of his ministrations.

even her own body can't help but respond to him, shuddering and arching into his calloused touch as his fingers grip and sink into soft flesh. his touch leaves trails of heat on her skin, setting it ablaze with every squeeze and brush, every exploration and mapping of her body underneath her shirt. all touch before sight.

but it all seems to stop when he pulls away, his face paling when his gaze flickers elsewhere but her. her hand brushes down his face, trying to get ajax to look at her. ]

What are you looking at, Ajax?

[ but the question has barely left her lips when her own eyes follow his line of gaze, catching a glimpse of a familiar gold colour beneath the scattered red of the roses and widening. she feels her blood freeze in her veins, her mind going blank as it recognises it immediately. lumine doesn't even need to touch it, to reach out for it to know what it is.

a scream tear through her throat as she scrambles out of ajax's arms to try and gather the contents of the box. ]

No, no, no! It can't be—

[For a moment, Ajax is frozen, for multiple reasons. He sort of feels how Lumine pushes him away to get up and grab for the long, braided piece of hair that lies on the floor, but when he lands back on his butt onto the couch, it barely registers. He just stares at the lock of hair that she grabs for, his mind only saying one thing.

Aether. Aether's braid.

It was unmistakeable, they'd cut it off of him and stuffed it in the bottom of that box. Adding the chocolate and roses to just to add insult to injury. The mafia lord feels his stomach lurch, wondering if they'd done anything to the chocolate...but only time would tell now. He doesn't feel strange, other than the raging fire that starts to build in his chest.

Anger comes after. That fire comes to a head quicker than a spark igniting a field of dry grass in a water-starved landscape, his face flushing red as his temper breaks. The audacity, the insult to send her a package like this. To taunt them, to let them know that they weren't safe no matter where they were. And a reminder that Aether was still theirs, that they still hadn't found him yet.

It's all he can do to keep from bursting through the front door and hunting them down personally.

A note fell from the box as well, and he reaches down to pick it up from the floor. It's hard to put himself together to read it, and he sees something about if they want to see Aether again go to a designated spot. So he takes a moment to try to calm himself before he can read it in full, but at least he knows Aether is alive. Lumine is hysterical, with good reason, so he sets the note down on the coffee table to reach out to her, finding himself needing her touch to help him calm himself.]

Comere.

[He slips down from the couch, moving anything else aside that gets in his way, to hold her, wrapping his arms around her.]

It's okay. Shhhh, it's okay. He's alive.

[ lumine absently wonders if this is a punishment of sorts, a way to get back at her for some reason. maybe she's done something wrong, done something unacceptable and they're getting back at her through her twin brother. after all, there's no mistaking the plait that is in her shaking hands, still held together by her brother's familiar hair tie.

a multitude of thoughts plague her mind, questions about her brother's safety at the forefront. is he alive? is he okay? are they still going to find him? will she still see her brother safe and sound after this?

her breath catches in her throat, a sob punctuating her thoughts, when ajax pulls her to a hug. almost immediately, her sight blurs as tears well in her eyes, falling into fat drops down her cheeks. she buries her face into his chest as she finally starts to cry and wail. ]

I want him back, Ajax. Alive and safe and well. [ is it asking too much? she doesn't think so. after all, what kind of a sister would she be if she didn't? ] That's all I want.

[The tears soak through the soft fabric of his shirt, and he can feel the wetness from them against his skin as he holds her closer, her wails and wishes for her brother to be returned causing him to burn even brighter. Ajax's body is tense, feeling himself being wound tight at how they've not only hurt Aether, but hurt Lumine as well. Every sob is like a lance through his heart, because if there's anything in this world that Ajax Volkov can have empathy for, it's family.

The family that's been stolen away from her. The friend that's been stolen away from him. The taunt that they'd sent in the mail is beyond infuriating, and Ajax swears right there that he'd make them pay for this. Dearly.]

We'll get him back, Lumine. I swear to you we will.

[It's the only reassurance he can offer, as his head dips downward over her shoulder to encompass her further into his arms like a protective blanket keeping the bitter cold from biting her. He doesn't move, lets her sob as long as she needs.]

[ her sobs continue to fill in the silence that seems to have settled in the apartment, only fading after several minutes into quiet hiccups and sniffles. her fingers remain curled around the golden plait in her hands as she slowly pulls away from ajax, wiping the tear streaks on her cheeks with the side of her wrists. the hair is unmistakable, there's no question about it. but what she wants to know is the fate of her brother. ]

Are you ... okay? The box ... Those chocolates ...

[ if it contained her twin's hair to disturb them, what if those chocolates also contained poison to affect them physically? get them paralysed or asleep and then break in to take them?

lumine reaches out to touch his forehead and see if he's suddenly started to turn hot or cold. so far, his face isn't pale yet. ]

... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry like that.

[He makes sure that the soft smile on his face holds nothing but confidence behind it, his hand reaching to wipe away any remainder of tears left with his thumb. Her concern for him, though legitimate, is touching, and he nods his head once as she checks for a fever or any other abnormalities.]

I'm fine. Even if they were poisoned, it'll take a lot more than that for them to affect me.

[Especially since he felt fine. By now, he would have expected to be on the floor if they had been laced with anything.]

Anyway, you don't need to apologize. You've been under a lot of stress these past few days. Sometimes, you just need to get it out. [His smile brightens, running a hand through her hair- he understands.] Anyone would feel the same way, but not anyone has our capabilities to do something about it.

[He reaches over to take the note from the coffee table, but doesn't read it or do anything with it yet.]

So cheer up. They just gave us their location anyhow, so now we're going to go take him back.

[ lumine just watches him quietly as he goes through the motions, instinctively leaning against his hand when he brushes her tears away and goes through her hair. her counterpart was never this weak, she doesn't think. the images she's seen in her dreams, the visions she's had of the other lumine—something like this wouldn't break her into pieces.

her eyes flicker from aether's braid to ajax when he reaches over to the table. she didn't even notice that there was something else in the box other than the flowers and the chocolate, and now her brother's hair. ]

How ... did they know that I'm staying here, though? No one else knows except you, my assistant, and the housekeeper ...

[ and his sister, but tatiana is someone ajax trusts with his life. it's alarming to find out they might've been followed even here. ]

Does it say anything?

[He can understand her concern. It shocks him too, that they were able to find her apartment so quickly. He has a few ideas, and none of them are really comforting. But of course, who would be comforted by anything when they were stalked so easily.

Ajax looks down at the note to read it properly now, his eyebrows furrowing. As he continues to read, the look on his face becomes more distressed, and that same fire rekindles in his eyes. A burning anger that sears down to his stomach. He looks back up to her, looking ready to fight anyone who so much as looked at him the wrong way, his teeth clenching.]

Indeed it does. Seems they've taken him to the one spot we'd never think to check. So not only did they stalk you back to your apartment, probably when you left the police station; they also had the audacity to capture one of our facilities as well to hold your brother prisoner in.

[He'd recognized the address immediately. Ajax's mind races as to how they were able to keep it a secret...how long had they had control of it? Pieces that fall into place again in this big puzzle between the Dufont family and his own, but then more questions only crop up.]

He's being held in a warehouse we have downtown. It's a sort of smaller hub when the demand for Delusions is higher than expected. But we haven't had to use it to its fullest extent in quite some time, seeing as there's no major conflicts going on in the world at the moment- and it turns out they've taken advantage of this and secured it for themselves. But I have no idea how I've not heard of this prior to now. It's not abandoned.

[They still have people report in all the time, and it's been two days since Aether disappeared. He should of known about it.]

But, it seems that's where we have to go if we want to get Aether back. Are you going to be okay to go?

[ her brows also furrow at that, forehead creasing in concern. that's not what she expected to hear when ajax told her that they found her brother's whereabouts. after all, he's saying that aether is housed in one of the volkov's facilities? what? that makes very little sense.

and she can tell that he's feeling the same, though with more than just a hint of anger. if their enemies are using something that belongs to the volkov family, then it means that someone has infiltrated them. possibly even getting information about them. that's beyond worrying. no wonder they can easily track them down. ]

I'll be fine.

[ lumine gives him a slight nod, her eyes momentarily lowering to her brother's braid. she's pretty sure aether is somewhere uncomfortable right now, possibly hurt or unwell. she has to get to him quickly.

a moment later, she looks back up at ajax. ]

Should we tell your dad? If it's your facilities, then he must know that it's being used.

[He takes a moment to ponder on it. His father will have to know, that's for certain. But there isn't much advantage to telling him right this moment. If anything, he's worried it'll just get more people killed in the process, and that isn't something he wants. The few deaths they've experienced was already enough, and when facing off against gods, it may be best to let those who can fight them properly handle it.]

I'll let him know after we get Aether out of there. There's a good chance, since they've taken one of our Delusion facilities, that they've got another one of those Celestia remnants there with them. It wouldn't surprise me if the gods themselves were curious as to how we were replicating their own gifts.

[Which he doesn't care if they don't like it or not. They've got a business to run, and it's up to him to make sure everything goes smoothly.]

So I'm not interested in getting any more of my guys involved in this. You've seen what happens when ordinary people like them go up against the strength of the gods.

[It's a hard reality to remind her of, given what happened in Inazuma. Something he hasn't asked her about yet when she'd lost control of her body, afraid that she'd have to tell him that the spirit had murdered his own people with her powers. For him, that's not something that would shake him, but for someone like her who's kept their hands clean her whole life...it changes a person, he knows.]

[ lumine's lips thin at that as she presses them together, her gaze lowering once more. yes, she knows. yes, she's seen what the gods are capable of and what going up against them means. because she's witnessed it firsthand, had her own agency taken away from her, and caused harm to other people. and she still hasn't forgiven herself for that.

she slowly pulls and shifts away from ajax, still holding the only thing that connects her to her twin brother right now, before she gets back up on her feet. ]

Okay ... I guess we can figure out what to do next ... [ she pauses, glancing back at her room. ] I still have a few things I need to finish so let's talk later?

[It's a lot to process, he understands. So he nods back to her, knowing that she's probably going to go through her work for a bit to get herself back together. Standing, he plops himself back onto the couch to run his hands through his hair. There will be a lot of planning to be done, and he needs to access the floor plan of that facility for any minor details he should know about it, despite having a good mental map of it first hand.]

Okay. Don't linger too long, we'll have to make a plan of attack to slip in so we don't walk right into a trap. The sooner, the better. Time is against us now.

[They'll be more ready for them in ten hours rather than in three. He's already on his laptop, accessing information he needs for such a plan, so they can hash it out between themselves.]

I want to get there soon. In two hours, maybe three. I'm sure they've been counting the minutes since the package was delivered here.

[ there's no response from her on that, lumine closing the door to her bedroom behind her. ajax does have a point. they have to make plans on how to go about reaching or saving aether. the longer they dawdle, the less certain her brother's fate will be. and that's something she doesn't want to risk, not when everything's already on the edge.

but there's another thing she doesn't want to risk.

lumine steps out of her room after a few minutes, having changed into a white blouse and a pair of black pants. she has her laptop and the paperwork she's been working on gathered in her arms, her pace towards the front door brisk and quick as she's typing a one-handed message to her assistant. her other hand picks up her keys from the bowl, opening the door before ajax can say anything. ]

I'll be back in a bit.

Hey-

[He opens his mouth to say something more, but she's gone. Already out the door, with all her work paperwork and laptop. Ajax blinks a few times, that was rather abrupt. Suspiciously abrupt, if he were to think about it. A few seconds later, he's calling someone-]

Keep tabs on her. I want to know where she is every ten minutes.

[-and he hangs up. There is no doubt in his mind that she's upset, and he doesn't want her doing anything rash. He can't help but worry, given how stubborn she is.

So he stands up, an hour later, having easily gathered the information he needs and after he'd recieved a text that they'd lost her, and he calls her phone. She doesn't pick up. Ajax rummages through the backpack to dress himself properly for the fight that he's sure is coming. The holsters he wears under his jacket are put on and he's made sure his guns are loaded, Vision glowing brightly on his belt.

He finds the spare key to the apartment, locking the door behind him as he makes his way down to his car. His destination- near the facility where Aether is. His car is parked somewhere a little further away, sticking to side alleys and places he knows he can get there without being right out in the open. When he arrives, it doesn't look any more consipicuous than normal, just a warehouse that looks as if it's only used for storage.

Ajax quietly makes his way across, sneaking in through an emergency exit that he knows has a faulty alarm on it when it opens- and he gets in unnoticed.

Time to find Lumine, which his gut tells him, is here.]

[ to be fair, she did head to the office and dropped off paperwork and laptop. though lumine left a few other things with her assistant, including her phone and the keys to her car. chances are, ajax and the others stalking them have placed someone to tail her, and the best way to lose them is to try and misdirect them.

which surprisingly works, asking one of the guys in the management team to drive her to the nearest train station. from there, it's an easy commute using a cab to the supposed warehouse.

for something that's being used, it sure is strangely quiet, no one accosting her even when she slowly steals inside. all she can hear is the whine of what sounds like machines, groaning like old metal beasts. it's also empty, devoid of any life, something she immediately notices as she walks through the space, which is strange. after all, if her brother is here, if they're expecting them to come here, shouldn't there be more people around?

lumine walks in further, finding a metal staircase to the side leading to a walkway above, thinking she might be able to see everything from this vantage point. but even before she can take a step forward, a sharp pain lances through her head, and she blacks out.

the next time she wakes up, she finds herself on a chair next to her twin brother who is unconscious, bound and gagged and with a painful headache, in a mist-filled, cold room. she can see dark spots matting his hair down and his collar, almost immediately understanding that it's blood—his blood. she tries to call his name out loud, her voice muffled by the cloth across her mouth, and struggles in her seat until she hears footsteps.

a blond man, his face unfamiliar to her, starts walking towards her, a phone pressed against his ear. there's a small pouch in his other hand, and lumine feels a sinking dread as she stares at it.

yeah, she's here. the stupid girl came here by herself. looks like volkov is losing his touch. ... are you sure it'll work? she doesn't look very special. ... it works better if she's dead, right? then why can't we— ... fine, once it's out of her, we can use her however we want, right? i'm sure someone will pay a good price for her.

a shiver runs down her spine when she meets his gaze, cold and calculating. she struggles against her bonds once more as the man walks closer and closer. one hand firmly grips her face as his other hand tugs the gag away and forcefully opens her mouth, shoving a crystal-like stone down her throat.

say aah. you'll need to eat more of it, pretty girl.

tears well in her eyes, a muffled scream rising up her throat, as another stone is shoved in her mouth and another and another. ]

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