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

[ look, she's still not adept at fighting like him. perhaps the only advantage that they have is that they took them by surprise, giving them a window of opportunity to dispatch them before they can fight back. lumine takes care of the last one, turning them into an ice sculpture stuck in place, before she rushes over to her employees.

one of them is passed out, but the other is still conscious, staring at her wide-eyed with relief. she quickly cuts off his bonds, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder and gestures at the other guy in the room. ]

Take him and leave. You guys need to get out of here and go somewhere safe. I'll have someone contact you and your family later.

[ to make up for it, to make sure they're protected. they're not supposed to be here, after all. they're not supposed to have been put in danger.

they took two more of us to a different room. we don't know where they are.

lumine's gaze flickers at ajax, sensing his unease, before she turns back to her guys, giving the other a slight nod and urging them to leave. once they're gone, she surveys the room, completely empty save for the ones they just took out. ]

We need to find the others.

[Ajax rolls his throwing shoulder, the hydro blades dissipating, leaving the one he'd impaled to bleed out and die. He makes his way over to the doorway, hoping that the two employees that ran would make it out without being detected- there's sure to be a fire exit they can take, that won't be occupied, if they're smart.

He nods to Lumine, peeking back out into the hallway. He doesn't hear anything, meaning their intrusion into the room was successful in not alerting anyone else to their presence, but that might not last long. Office workers don't exactly know the meaning of stealth, and if they're loud enough, there will be more goons showing up soon.]

If it were me, I'd go even higher up to keep the others. It's harder to escape the higher you go up, but that won't be a problem for us.

[Inclining his head, he gestures to go. There's not much time to waste, if they were going to keep their element of surprise. He quickly makes his way back down the hall, easily finding the stairwell, passing by the elevators and slipping inside. He'll wait for her to keep up with him, cracking open the door to the next floor.

He can see it's far more active up here, but he has complete confidence they'll cut them all down before it becomes a problem.]

Let's move through them before they even know what's happening. Got that sword ready?

[ if it were me, he says ... ]

What, have you done this before?

[ kidnap people, use them as bait for those his dad has put a hit on or whatever—it would make sense since he seems to know how to plan these things out and anticipate what might happen next. lumine wipes her hands on her skirt, staining the fabric with blood from the railing earlier. hopefully, those two guys would be able to leave without issues—or at least, find a safe place to hide.

she tries to remember the things zhongli told her about the traveler in terms of her powers, feeling inadequate enough compared to her. then again, that's why she's not that lumine, deciding that there's no need for her to completely annihilate their enemy. she simply wants to save her employees.

she summons a sword made of ice, wondering if it would've been easier if she kept the gun. it probably would have. she closes her eyes, making peace with herself. ]

Let's do this.

[Ajax doesn't want to confirm or deny how many times he's done something like this before. He's never...enjoyed it, really, but it had to be done. It's as normal as shooting someone or doing what it took to get obstacles out of their way to him, but he'd never tell Lumine that. She'd never appreciate even knowing the truth behind everything he's done to ensure his family's dominance in the black market and over the city.

He can tell she's made peace with what she needs to do now, and a part of him is excited to see her skills in a fight- and another part of him wishes she didn't have to do this, live this life of what duties he would have as part of a crime syndicate and fighting gods. It's easy to see how much he's already merged with Childe, and he sighs as he pushes that thought out of his head, steadying his voice, confident and dead serious.]

Alright. Left side of the hallway is yours, I'll take the right. Let's go.

[Much like before, he opens the door quickly and dashes out, the first man in the hallway falling to his blade, a silent kill dealt before he can even scream. Ajax keeps moving down the hallway, one man shouting "Volkov!" before he runs him through, but that alone isn't good.]

Let's find them quickly!

[It's only a matter of time now, he's sure someone's made a phone call the minute he heard that guy yell.]

[ a few weeks with zhongli isn't enough for her to pick up the skills the traveler had for the hundreds of years they've lived prior to their death. but it's enough for her to learn how to use her. after all, if her counterpart can hijack her body in the middle of something very important, then why can't the other way around work?

it's not a merge per se, because she can still feel her counterpart fighting against her, but more of lumine proverbially shoving her hand into a box that she shares with the traveler and pulling out something she can use.

she says nothing in response to ajax's instructions, simply moving instinctively the moment he opens the door. her arm swings independently of her own accord, cutting the first person in her lane that she sees. her free hand waves at the same time, slamming another man against the wall and rendering him unconscious. she only pauses when she hears ajax's name being called out, whipping her blade to the side to clean the blood off of it. ]

You couldn't take care of that one before it squealed?

[ in any case, she follows after him down the hallway, glancing around to see if they've missed anything. ]

Aw, c'mon, [he protests, admiring her work. Not bad, he thinks, guess she's more cut out for this than I thought.

But he's still moving quickly down the hall regardless, throwing open doors to empty rooms, until finally they reach one down toward the end. It's no surprise to him, why wouldn't they go the maximum distance to find the last of the hostages. The door gets thrown open, and his eyes widen at the sight.

They were too late.

The two men in question lay dead on the floor in the back, looking as if they were tortured to death. For what reason would they do that? That hasn't been his previous experience with the Dufonts at all, not by a long shot.

But that moment that he's distracted by the dead bodies ends up being the slip up they'd been waiting for, a deep evil croak of a laugh resounding from behind the door that's been opened into the room. A split second later, a hand is thrust right through the wood, splinters flying as it grabs the mafia lord right around his neck and lifts him. A choked cry comes out of Ajax, grabbing a hold of the arm to no avail. The door cracks under the pressure said arm going up through it, but whoever is on the other side doesn't seem to mind.

Got you.

He can feel himself getting flung through the air, slamming against the back wall, wind completely knocked out of him as he lands with a thud near the bodies.

Stay still for me, this won't take long.

The man that begins to walk towards Ajax doesn't look normal, bare arms glowing a sickly blue that feels unnatural, and he can feel the malice behind it. His eyes flick downward to the bodies, their faces contorted into a look of horror, and he looks back at the god that now looms over him.]

[ lumine's trailing a little further behind, having checked another door on the way. which is why she doesn't immediately see the dead bodies, immediately stopping in her tracks when the door that ajax opened seemingly explodes to protect herself from the splinter and debris. ]

Ajax!

[ her yell quickly catches the attention of the god and it stops its advance on ajax, however, head turning towards her. the impassive expression that's once settled on its face suddenly lights up, its lips pulling to a very manic grin. lumine feels something cold run down her spine, colder than the sword in her hand.

there you are, little star. we've been looking everywhere for you.

she takes a defensive stance, blade held in between the both of them. but then, the god doesn't take a step towards her. instead, it turns back to ajax, his eyes flashing.

but you'll have to wait a little longer. ]

Wait—

[The god strides forward, lifting Ajax from the floor by his neck once more, the man helpless to stop him as he gasps for air. He instantly feels weaker in his grasp, teeth gritting as he tries to pry the other's hand off his neck as he's lifted, looking down into cold grey eyes that have a malicious glint to them.

The god turns sideways, just to make sure Lumine has a good view of Ajax, glancing over to her with a grin on his face.

Say goodbye to him.

His hand comes up, and he thrusts it right into Ajax's chest, that same blue enveloping the hole that seems to open up at the god's command. Slowly, a white ghastly form seems to be withdrawn from his chest as the other grips a hold of something and pulls it out, Ajax's screams echoing in the room as the god makes sure it's as painful as possible. The form is something familiar, the likeness of Childe emerging from Ajax's body, eyes closed as the god pulls him out completely.

It's then that Ajax stops screaming, his eyes losing any traces of life that they once had, his body going limp. The god simply tosses his body towards Lumine, and Ajax rolls a few times before coming to land on his side, body crumpled with no signs of life.

The soul that's emerged seems to wake, and looks over to Lumine, seeing the dead body on the floor, but doesn't seem to be able to move.]

Lumine...hel- AHHHHHHHHH!

[The god laughs, the blue aura of his arms enveloping Childe, sending a power through him that continues the torture he means to put upon him and, in turn, Lumine.

What's this? Two consciousnesses inside of one soul, how perfect. I'll keep you both as pets and torture you for eternity!]

[ her blood freezes in her veins as lumine watches the entire spectacle in horror, rooted in place. she doesn't know what's going on, doesn't understand what's happening, but ajax's screams seem to wake something up within her. but even before she can reach the god, now holding onto what looks like a shadowy form of childe, it tosses his body towards her, lumine leaping forward to catch it.

he's heavier than her, however, and she finds herself crashing onto the floor with his unmoving body, her arms wrapped around him. ]

Ajax! Ajax!

[ she can feel a build-up of emotions inside of her, her chest squeezing tightly and blood pounding in her ears. his skin is starting to get cold against her touch, the expression on his face slack and blank. lifeless. dead.

when lumine finally looks up once more, her eyes widen at the sight of another of ajax's forms screaming in pain. no, that's not just ajax, is it? she squeezes her eyes shut when she feels a sharp pain lance through her head, more screams filling her ears.

except it's not childe's voice that she hears, but— ]

What did you do to him? [ her eyes seem to flash brightly, more gold than amber. ] My brother and I should've finished you when we had the chance.

[Another jolt of power gets sent through the soul of the two men, Childe's ghastly and ethereal scream echoing throughout the room again. This god seems to enjoy it, seems to revel in his pain. A small crystal focus appears in his hand, holding it up to the spirit held tight in his grasp.

And now you'll regret it, little star. I'd love to sit here and torture the Harbinger for a while longer, but I've got you to deal with. Don't worry, I've got a home prepared for him...well, them, isn't it? How foolish, now they'll both suffer. As for that thing, don't fret- he's already dead.

Childe stares at the crystal focus, his eyes widening, fear filling him. If he goes in there, he's probably not coming back out. Though, he recognizes the change in Lumine, and he knows his comrade has come out in this crucial moment. He laughs, his voice strained, trying to distract the god from doing the deed so Lumine has a good shot at him.]

Oh, you're in trouble now. It's like the old Snezhnayan saying goes, "The lady bears a crust of rage as the ground bears hardened frost in the morning. Some days, it melts with warm persuasion, but on others, it lingers, and all is hollow ere its cold fury."

Don't say I didn't warn- Ngghhhhhhaaaaahhhhh!!!!

[The god lances more power through the spirit, gripping the ghostly neck of the Harbinger even tighter as he loses his temper with Childe's sassy mouth, his attention momentarily moved to silence him.]

Edited 2022-07-17 00:50 (UTC)

[ lumine can feel a strong swirl of emotions within her, conflict brewing like storm clouds in the horizon. but she quickly shushes the rage of her current self, shutting her down like she had done so many times to her. she'll relinquish her body back to her, but only after she's certain that childe's been saved. after all, ajax too is in trouble.

with the god distracted by childe's talkative mouth, lumine moves. the cryo sword in her hand dissipates, summoning instead a silver and gold blade, still well-balanced in her hand after all these years. but her current body is weak, inexperienced, feeling it shudder from overexertion as lumine sprints up to the god.

she has to finish this right away then, before this body gives in.

her blade, glittering like starlight, is aimed towards the god's arm, the one still holding childe, slicing through it like it's made of butter. a howl tears through the building, its walls vibrating, as ichor flows out of its wound, dropping childe back to the floor. ]

Don't worry, I can still finish you off even without Aether.

[ she practically springs from the ground, sword brandished towards the god to slash at it. ]

[The spirit falls to the floor, finding it strange that he feels no pain when he hits it. The sensation of being a spirit is unlike how they'd met with the two in Snezhnaya, having only been a fragment before, but now...it's a strange rooted connection he has to the mortal plane. And the object of which is lying in a crumpled heap on the floor.

But first things first, he has to get to his body, before it shuts down completely and can't come back even with the soul inside of it once more. He feels weak, having been somehow injured even in this form, crawling towards his own dead body.

He hates that he can't take part of the battle that's started between Lumine and this god, but maybe if he gets there, he can join in too.

The god summons its own weapon, a claymore that clangs against Lumine's, snarling at her. Now with one arm, he has to choose between defending himself from her blade or discarding it to grab her. The weapon is thrown right at her, to do exactly that- make a grab for her to extract her soul before Childe can get to his body.

You'll pay for that.]

[ lumine parries the claymore thrown at her before she ducks to avoid the hand that tries to grab her. her sword comes up once more, slashing at it until it withdraws, clearly in defence and out of frustration that it can't reach her. she summons a geo contruct between childe and the god, its fury felt as she continues to evade it.

still, she can feel her own body shaking, barely able to withstand the immense pressure from the celestial being and the inhuman movements she's making. if she continues this for too long, it might break lumine's body.

despite her words earlier, she wishes her twin brother is here.

but it's fine, she tells herself firmly as she parries another blow from the god, coating her blade with electro and slashing an arc towards it. there will be healers, she'll be able to recover. childe, on the other hand—if they lose him, then they lose him and ajax together. lumine's not going to allow that. ]

Come, then. Make me pay.

[Gladly.

The assault from their foe continues, alternating between claymore and failed attempts to grab a hold of Lumine, though he realizes it may be too late if he continues to mess around with her.

Meanwhile, Childe manages to crawl over to Ajax's body, looking down at it in his own mild horror. There's something undeniably disturbing about looking down to your own, lifeless face, frozen in a scream as he was plucked right out of it. But the Harbinger knows he's got to pull himself together, quite literally in this case, taking a deep breath as he lets himself sink back into his body.

Ajax's eyes snap open, gasping for breath as he fills his lungs with oxygen, the sounds of the battle raging behind the geo construct seeming to grow more intense. He can hear Lumine facing off against him, the frustrated grunts of the god who she's managing to keep her own soul safe from, and keeping him from reaching Ajax on the other side. It's difficult, but he picks himself up off the ground, getting his bearings once more, before he runs straight at the geo construct. He doesn't have time to wait to recover.

The god takes a swing at the construct, trying to break it to keep the soul from reaching the body on the other side, when a voice is heard from above it-]

I can't let you two have all the fun. Don't forget about me!

[Ajax counters, the polearm in his hand being thrust forward, sinking it into the shoulder of the god, twisting it as hard as he can as he lands on the floor next to Lumine, grinning.]

Let's not let this one get away this time. They're the ones intruding into our lives, after all.

[It'll be fun, he thinks. Killing a god.]

[ lumine feels a sliver of panic spiking through her, her eyes wide when he goes for the geo construct. she whirls around, ready to cast another construct in its place, but she finds herself pinned in place in an attempt to parry that swing instead. any tendrils of fright and dread are quickly dismissed, however, when childe lands next to her, his polearm wounding the god's shoulder.

there's another howl of rage from the being, thwarted a second time around, the sound echoing in the hallway of the abandoned building. that's going to attract attention, no doubt, but then, lumine decides that there won't be a third time. ]

Keep it in place.

[ she runs her hand across the flat of her sword, the blade shining bright gold. the god thrashes against the polearm, trying to break free, its eyes widening at the sight of her sword.

i won't be the last. we'll keep hunting you and your ilk down! ]

I know, [ lumine replies flatly as she leaps at the god, thrusting her blade into its chest and piercing whatever core it has, the momentum pushing it down to the floor. she leans in, sinking her sword deeper. ] That's why you're not getting away.

[There's a small shockwave of power that radiates from the god, making Ajax's bones seems to clack together as Lumine buries her sword into the core of the god. Though he was in a suspended state back then, he remembers something similar when she'd killed the god back in Inazuma, though on a much smaller scale. His eyes widen, but he's reassured almost instantly- don't worry, she's got this.

The free hand of the god, despite impaled on his polearm comes up to slice Lumine clean through with his claymore, fighting through the pain. But Ajax is too fast, a blade appearing in his hand and cutting that arm off too, grinning maliciously back at the god. He screams in pain, hot fire in his eyes, cursing at Ajax.]

Sorry. If I had it my way, I'd play around with you a little more before finishing you off...but I don't want to step on any toes.

[He smiles, before his own blade joins with Lumine's piercing its core with as much strength as he can muster behind it, feeling something under the weapon crack with the combined pressure of both of their swords through it.

The god's body shudders violently, a calm smile on his face. If he's going down, he'll take them with him. But he says nothing, as cracks begin to form across his face and body, and Ajax's eyes widen with surprise. That's not the expression of a foe who's lost, and he grabs a hold of Lumine instinctively.

The sky seems to darken, before a moment of silence falls over the city landscape, until it's broken by an explosion that rocks the entirety of downtown. The entire top of the building seems to vaporize, and the foundation of the building itself shakes and shudders under the weight. People scream in the streets, running away from the wreckage that falls from ten stories high, concrete dust erupting downwards as the rest of the building falls. Glass shatters in every building around it without warning, the metropolis thrown into chaos while people try to survive.

Ajax's eyes open slowly, a hydro shield encasing them both, his ears ringing as they fall, wondering idly if they'd survive this. His mind is sluggish, the force of the explosion as the god died felt as if he'd gotten a concussion, and he tries to concentrate well enough to transform. But a light seems to shine down on them, and it's a familiar presence, one that calms him- and Ajax passes out.]

[ lumine knows what's coming next, and there's a part of her that wishes to let things end here. but she can't, because that would mean leaving aether behind, and he won't survive this ordeal if she dies. still, she doesn't know how they'll escape or survive this, especially when her and ajax's shields combined shattered under the explosion of the god, the both of them falling with the building's steel, concrete and glass debris.

her gaze flickers to ajax, face slack and eyes closed, before she closes her own eyes. she supposes that, at the very least, she's gotten to spend these last moments with him.

the next thing she realises, however, a familiar light envelops them and they're whisked away to an alleyway nearby the incident. lumine lands back on her feet, staggering and a little shaky, her ears still ringing from the explosion. right next to her is zhongli, an unconscious ajax in the ex-archon's arms.

looks like i was right on time. ]

You always were, [ she says with a sigh and a sheepish smile, peering at his current load. they both look like a mess, like they've just been through the abyss and back. ] ... Before we go back to the teapot, can I take a picture?

[ it doesn't really matter what zhongli's response is, but lumine's taking a shot anyway of ajax being princess-carried by the former geo archon. ]

[The next time he opens his eyes, Ajax finds himself in his own bed back in the teapot, his head pounding. The events of...how long ago was it? A day? A few hours? He's not sure how long he's been asleep, but everything felt so surreal. He'd pinch himself if his head didn't already hurt so badly, to make sure he wasn't dreaming, or if he were still alive.

He sits up, his body aching but overall, feels okay. His mind drifts back, reflecting on his time as a spirit. Was...that was it was like to be dead? He'd felt so light, the only weight was the power of the god that had been torturing him...and then he remembers how it had felt to have his own soul ripped out of him, and Ajax shudders at the thought. His body had shut down slowly, until his eyes had opened again only to find his dead body on the floor, the dread that had lanced through him...

He swings his legs over the side of the bed, shaking his head as he sits there on the side. He's alive now, and that's all that matters. Ajax notices now that there's a sleeping form in a chair next to his bed, the familiar gold of her locks visible in the low candlelight, and he chuckles quietly to himself. He was afraid she was still avoiding him, but he supposes after something like that, it changed her mind.

Ajax reaches out gingerly to put his hand on her leg, rubbing it gently as he calls for her softly.]

Lumine...hey. Lumine...

[ the trip back to the apartment and the teapot had been a quiet affair, save for a gentle reprimand and a few questions from zhongli. admittedly, lumine wasn't the one who addressed those, her counterpart relinquishing her body back to her only after she's made certain that ajax will be fine in his own bed. it was a bitter affair, really. after all, the control was forcibly wrenched out of her hands and she was made to watch everything, her voice muffled.

though she supposed that she does owe their lives to her. if it weren't for the traveler's love for childe, they might not have survived. still, she can't help but feel like the autonomy childe insisted they respected had bee shoved aside.

in any case, the entire ordeal has left her exhausted, the other lumine overexerting her body beyond its capacity. to the point that even aether is impressed that she's managed to come home in one piece. and while aether urged her to get some rest while he and zhongli talk about these incidents with celestia, lumine insisted on checking up on ajax, eventually dozing off in a seat next to his bed.

she stirs at the gentle touch on her knee, groaning at the soreness of her entire body. she really should've just gone to bed, lumine blearily thinks. but any thoughts of getting any more rest is briefly set aside at the sight of ajax awake and sitting up. ]

Ajax ... [ she feels relief flood her, audible in her voice as she calls his name, still recalling what he looked like lifeless in her arms ... lumine squeezes her eyes shut, trying her hardest to dismiss it. ] Should you be up? Zhongli said you still need your rest ...

[The warmth of his smile is accentuated by the soft glow of the lit candle next to the bed, procured by how relieved she sounded to see him alive and well. It seems that her counterpart has given control back to Lumine, making him wonder again exactly how long he'd been asleep in bed. His body feels heavy, but it doesn't stop him from scooting closer to her, also relieved to see that she was okay.

He squeezes her leg gently, to reassure that he was alright, his emotions beginning to swirl inside of him at the sight of her here next to him. His eyes betray him- he'd missed her, hating the time they'd been apart, even though they lived in the same house. Ajax can't express into words how happy is he to see her, banged up a little but still seemingly okay.]

I'm fine, no need to worry about me, [he says to dismiss any concern about him away.] Are you okay? How are you feeling? Were you hurt?

[He peppers her with questions, leaning forward towards her with eyes wide as he searches her own for hints or answers that she may not convey to him otherwise.]

[ lumine says nothing for a long while, her eyes searching his face for any hint of discomfort or pain. anything that would indicate that he still needs time to recover his strength. he may not be injured like the last time, but what happened to him with the god might've had some kind of effect on him. ]

I'm fine, just tired. [ understatement of the month, really. it feels like she'd run across the four islands in the teapot without stopping to rest or take a break.

her gaze flicker to the hand on her leg, letting a beat pass, before she takes it into hers. a part of her somehow expects it to be cold, wondering if she's having a nightmare of sorts. but it's solid in her fingers, his touch warm against her skin. ]

... I'm glad you're okay. I thought I ...

[ lost you, remains unspoken, caught in her throat. would she have forgiven herself if he had died before they made up? she probably wouldn't have. ]

[He can certainly understand her sentiment. His body seems to be doing alright, despite the time that it had stopped working, for lack of a better term, he supposes. But where she may be physically tired, he feels it in the core of his own soul, a tiredness that he can't quite explain. Perhaps it was Childe who needed to take a break, he thinks as he closes his eyes briefly to feel for the other's presence inside of him. It's harder to sense, but he doesn't know if that's because of the god...or if he's merged even farther.

Ajax slips his other hand under hers, enclosing her hand between both of his, letting the thumb of one run over her skin, thankful for the warmth of it. It's a grounding feeling, knowing that he really was alive and she really was here with him. He breathes out a heavy sigh as he looks down at their hands, before looking up again, giving her a tiny tug, inviting her to sit next to him.]

It's okay. I'm still here.

[He knows he owes it to their past counterparts for surviving the ordeal. Which is why he doesn't say anything to her for the moment about it, knowing that there was a non-zero chance she was really upset, but not dwelling on it for the time being.

All he really wants is for her to be with him now, so they can rest and relax together. He feels as if that's really what will help him recover.]

Come. [He tugs on her lightly again, urging her to sit.] Sit with me for a little bit.

[ there are still a few things she'd like to say to him before she'd allow him to pull her closer, things that she should've said earlier. things she might not have had a chance to say if she had lost him. but as usual, those things get lodged in her throat, painfully reminding her of their fight weeks ago. ]

Ajax ...

[ the second tug on her hand gets her to move closer, but lumine remains seated across him and not on the bed. her fingers shift in his hands, tangling with his. once again, she's thankful that he's still there, alive and well. ]

About what happened a few weeks ago, I ...

[ she was upset, she was angry. she had said something that she shouldn't have said. and yet she doesn't want to make excuses for her actions; after all, she said it because she wanted it to hurt. ]

I'm sorry.

[Ajax squeezes her hand, gladly letting her fingers interlace with his, letting out a deep breath seems to finally let go of all his stress and anxiety about what had happened between them. He's thankful he can let go of their fight, and all the terrible feelings that had accompanied it in the weeks to follow. He hated ignoring her, acting as if he hadn't cared about her.

The way his shoulders relax seems to take on that physical representation of the ease he feels, smiling sadly back at her, unable to hide his feelings. It had hurt, her words had done exactly what she intended them to do, but he doesn't want to dwell on it either.]

Apology accepted. I'm sorry too. I lost my temper a little back then, and I shouldn't have done that.

[Ajax looks back down at their hands, letting himself concentrate on that instead of their fight. It's in the past now, water under the bridge. All he'd like to do is move on, and look to the future rather than the past, just as he's always done with matters like this in his life.]

So, we're not fighting anymore?

[He says with hopeful eyes, wanting nothing more than to hold her in his arms and forget about it.]

[ he honestly doesn't have to apologise to her. it was well within his rights to be upset at her, to lose his temper at her. and it wasn't as if she was being cooperative or allowing him to placate or comfort her in any way, and yet, she still lashed out at him.

it wouldn't surprise her either if that was the end of it. after all, that's not how they should've dealt with what's happening to them. and again, lumine refuses to make any excuses for her own responses. ]

I mean, we could still fight, [ she says with a shrug, her gaze lowering to their hands. ] If that's what you want, I'm easy enough to be convinced. I'm just ...

[ exhausted and tired of having so much frustration within her, and dumping it on other people, hurting them in the process. it's not what she wants at all. ]

I don't want this to linger between us.

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