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

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

[Fontaine: The technological hub of Teyvat.

For as long as anyone can remember, the country of Fontaine has always been the innovative center for the continent. High speed rail was originated here, and now spans across the entirety of Teyvat and beyond. High rises and skyscrapers pepper the skyline, modern Victorian buildings supporting a gear-like aesthetic from an era gone by. A thousand years ago, it was a much different place, but now it thrives with the bright lights and bustle of its people. One can hear the occasional street performer playing for cash, as businessmen and tourists alike walk down narrow cobblestone streets. People are buried in their phones, some take pictures as they gawk at the sights of the city, but one young man in particular walks languidly down the street, enjoying the life around him. He's in no hurry to get where he's going, as he has plenty of time to get there, noting a deli across the street from where he is now that he'll have to try.

Unfortunately, he is on business, so that'll have to wait.

Never being one to be dressed completely formal, he wears a comfortable pair of slacks and dress shoes, with a collared shirt that isn't buttoned up all the way under a grey vest. Various pieces of metal are woven into the vest, notably a crest on his right shoulder with a chain attached to it that hangs under his arm to the back. On his belt lies a Vision, glowing blue with hydro. The young man always seems friendly and easy going, but what lies underneath is something that not many are allowed to know- the heir to the family business of a company who develops tech for various products is also the right hand man of the mafia that runs the city.

And, their true business behind the scenes; creating Delusions to sell on the black market.

Today is a day where some investigating has to be done, and he's headed to see an old friend of his, from university. One that he's sure can help him with this problem he has. Entering the building, he swings in quietly to give a polite wave and a smile to the only person there.

Someone who looked exactly like their brother, whom he can only assume is the twin sister he'd yet to meet that he'd heard about.]

Hello, I was wondering if Aether was in today? I had a...business proposal for him, and I'm sure that he'd love to hear it. Unless of course, you might be of assistance instead.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ajax's mother smiles, opening the next scrapbook, as Ajax looks on in abject horror at the first picture inside of the book. Tonia doesn't seem to mind, loving to hear all sorts of stories about her big brother, even if she's already heard them before. His mom begins to tell Lumine all sorts of embarrassing stories from his childhood, and Ajax just slumps into the couch as the rest of the session goes on.

Why him...]

---

[The rest of the car ride home consists of being teased, Ajax sighing and teasing back and defending himself as much as he can. But he finds he's far too tired by the time they get back to do much else, eating dinner and retiring to the bedroom to pass out for the remainder of the night. It's not until the next day, after Aether has had ample time to rest himself after working so hard with dealing with the tragedy that befell their office, that Ajax seeks him out to take him to see his father as well.

They enter into the same conference room that he and Lumine had been in the day prior, except now they are joined by Lorenz who looks focused as he works on a laptop. He only looks up from it until they've finally sat, sighing.

So you're Aether, huh? Nice to finally meet ya. Lorenz offers a hand to Aether, while Ajax's father nods.

Glad you two could make it. Aether, it's nice to see you again, though I wish it wasn't on such terrible terms.]

[ lumine has a bit more energy to stay up with her twin brother upon returning to the teapot, speaking about her trip to the volkov household with aether who's a little less irascible now that he's had sleep before going back to the bedroom that her brother abandoned. to be fair, he did seem apologetic to her that he's had to do this again with ajax's family, but there's not much that the two of them could do.

it's for this reason that she sleeps in the next day, unable to see off ajax and her brother before they leave. the former himself is wary about this meeting, but he's at least met the volkov patriarch and knows how to deal with him.

unlike his sister who's clearly wishing that she and her brother are uninvolved in this business. that's what he wanted too, but this is also another way of protecting lumine.

aether gives ajax's father a slight nod and lorenz a shake of his hand, before he takes a seat at the table, leaning against the chair.

so i've heard from lumine. she's not very happy about this, if i were being honest. ]

[Ajax's father shifts in his seat, his gaunt face looking down to the table as he speaks slowly and deliberately.

I'm not happy about this. I got dead guys left and right, and I still haven't gotten a straight answer as to why or how we're getting steamrolled by some second rate getup. I lose an entire warehouse of goods, only to be told that I'm dealing with a bunch of comic book villains. Lorenz, show Aether the info you managed to rake up so he can take a look at it.

The patriarch waves his hand, and Lorenz nods as he turns the computer towards Aether, to let him check it out himself.

It looks like your new friends are a lot better with tracking you guys down than you thought. I figured our third-party guy might be able to tell us how they're tracking not only you guys down, but all of our shipments too. There ain't a phishing scheme here, they got in on their own.

Ajax's father stands up, staring his son down.

And while they do that, you're going to show me these superpowers of yours.

The man's eyes go wide- he doesn't want to do that, not at all.

You got superpowers, boss? Why didn't you tell me? Lorenz says, laughing, looking up at him but falling silent quickly at the dark expression on Ajax's face.]

Don't blame me if you get blown away. I'd brace yourself for this one.

[ aether bites back his tongue. he knows better than to snap at ajax's father, even if he's his friend. a part of him wonders if lumine has done the unthinkable; then again, there's no one his sister will spare when she's upset or unhappy. he'll simply have to figure out how to navigate these waters.

in any case, he pulls the laptop towards him, only to pause and pick it up and get up from his seat at ajax's father's command. lorenz might have a bit of a laugh in him at that ridiculous notion, but aether's not about to risk anything.

do you have another room we can go to? i'd really rather not deal with ajax and his transformation right now.

and get the laptop destroyed, including the data in it. aether gestures at lorenz; where can they go and have some peace and quiet until this literally blows over? ]

Don't worry Aether, [Ajax reassures, looking over to his friend with a smile.] We'll have to go outside for this anyway.

[Ajax stands, walking towards the door, his father in tow. He turns to him, before leaving, and asks-]

Anthon, Tonia and Teucer aren't here right now, are they?

[The elder shakes his head, no.]

Good.

[The two of them leave, and Lorenz looks to Aether, bewildered at what he'd said.

You mean you know what's going on here? What's gunna happen? Do I even want to know?

Ten minutes later, something slams into the entire house with great force. Chandeliers rattle, lighter furniture seems to jump up from their places for no reason at all, paintings shift on the walls of the house. The wave of dark power that passes through the house coming and going in an instant, leaving a small amount of chaos in its wake.

Lorenz jumps up from his seat, his eyes wide as he stares in the direction of the backside of the house before his eyes land squarely on Aether.

What was that?! Was that Ajax?]

[ aether says nothing to that, keeping his expression impassive and unimpressed. sure, maybe it was initially something that struck him speechless, and sure, he was grateful that ajax managed to get him and lumine out. but right now, it's a reminder of the shit he and his twin sister had gone through.

no, you don't.

lorenz leads him to another room not too far away from the hall where they were in. aether quickly takes a seat on an empty chair before he starts going through the data, his expression turning serious. what the hell, he doesn't even understand anything.

so much so that the sound of what seems like an explosion doesn't startle him, hunched over the laptop. his forehead knits, his lips thinning.

yeah, do you want to take a look? it's pretty ugly.

the other guy shakes his head, gulping as the walls seemingly shake again. aether, on the other hand, drags him back to attention, asking him how much they've deciphered so far. when he gets a look of confusion, he fights the urge to roll his eyes.

look, i need all the information you've gotten from this so far. all of them.

it's an hour later when aether finally emerges in search of ajax and his father, looking very grim. ]

[Ajax and his father are easily found, sitting back in the small conference room having a private conversation with information that Aether is already privy to. The patriarch looks up in anger at first, but softens when he sees that it's Aether being trailed by Lorenz as they enter the room. He gestures for them to sit, Ajax reclining in one of the chairs and looking exasperated.

Trying to explain ancient gods to his old man wasn't fun, or easy, but at least he believes him.

Aether, I don't like the face you're wearing, his father says, though not with any malice or anger, but rather with worry. Sit down. Tell us what you found.

Ajax says nothing, looking over to Aether to study his friend's features. Whatever he found isn't good.]

[ aether glances between the two, wondering if he's interrupted something. if he has, he's not sorry, especially considering how grave what he's learned. he gives ajax's father a quick nod before taking a seat at the table again, lorenz sitting next to him.

you have a mole in your family.

he tries to explain the leak in the most simple way possible, pointing out the information that's been changed in their data. normally, he'd assume the other family had hired a hacker, but that's not at all the case. after all, none of the security put into place by lorenz has been breached or compromised.

if you compared it to a thief, there was no forced entry. instead, someone placed the code into the system, making it think that it's been a part of it all along.

if either of them looks confused, aether presses his lips together, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. he almost wants to go back home and sleep again. so whoever that someone is went through your system without needing to break through the security. they either have access to it, or they're someone who works closely with you. ]

[Ajax understands. He's not so tech illiterate to not have a basic understanding of what's happened. His father, on the other hand, looks like a deer in headlights, not understanding a thing Aether is saying. The son puts a hand on his shoulder, seeing his father's confusion and how Aether is not in the mood to try to explain this to him again.]

I'll break it down for you further later. Thanks, Aether. That certainly shines a light on a lot of things that have gone wrong. That still doesn't explain how they found our apartment, since no one was supposed to know where that was. But...for now, I'll just assume I made a misstep until I figure it out. They won't get the opportunity when we move again.

[Aether, Lorenz. Do you gotta know what you're doing to get this...code in the system? Or is it like the movies where you can just stick a USB into a computer on the network and it's a done deal?

Ajax cringes a little by the way his dad asks the question, but it's a good question. If anyone who has access to the network can do that, and just run an .exe file, then you wouldn't need any kind of knowledge to do what the mole did.

And if there's one thing his dad does understand out of this, is the word mole.]

[ that's also something aether can't explain to ajax. he, for one, would like an answer to that question, but he has a feeling that whatever that answer is, it's not going to be pleasant. whoever it is, it's probably someone who is near and dear to ajax and his father, someone who would be privy to their secrets.

he doesn't want to make assumptions. he knows how this family works, and a word from an outsider won't hold any kind of water compared to someone who belongs to it.

unfortunately, it's not that easy. everything needs to be cleaned up, top to bottom, since we have no idea which parts they've managed to infiltrate. the problem is, i have no idea how to remove it from the system.

bar destroying their entire network, which he assumes is not going to work. that would leave the family entirely blind. for once, he's a little stumped at this, which is rather frustrating.

i can work on it, but i don't know how long it'll take. ]

[The patriarch nods, not understanding the whole deal but trusting Aether to take care of it. It seems, that he might be the only person he can trust to do this now, since a mole existed in their family somewhere. Ajax thinks for a moment, before turning to Lorenz. He trusts Lorenz, always has. He doesn't want to believe it's him.]

I don't think our mole here is Lorenz. He was the one that raised the issue, exposing the problem in the system, from what I understand. If he hadn't done that, everything would have been going smoothly for the Dufonts, like they have been for several months. So I think we can trust him. Lorenz, can you make a complete copy of the system for Aether so he can work on this offline? We can't afford to be found if an IP address will give our location away.

[The other man nods.

Child's play. I'll have a copy of it ready before you leave.]

Good. Aether, figuring this out should bring us one step closer to returning our lives to some semblance of normal. And our family would forever be in your debt if you can help us. Right, father?

[Ajax looks to him, his eyebrows raised; he better treat Aether really, really well after this is all said and done, provided they survive.

Don't give me that look. Of course. Now that I better understand our problem...I'll see to it that you and your sister will be well taken care of.

Ajax nods, sighing as he runs his hand through his hair.]

Alright. Then for now, let's take a moment to relax while Lorenz prepares the software for us; I could use a drink or two.

[ aether glances at ajax, before he closes his eyes and makes terrible peace with himself. it's probably the worst idea right now, and he'd really rather not do it, but if this goes on, then there's no point in moving from place to place. they'll continuously be tracked down.

no, it's fine. i can stay over for the next few days. i'll need lorenz's help anyway.

and they can't exactly bring the guy over to the teapot. not to mention, working in the teapot is pretty annoying with its lack of reception. the only great thing about it is the privacy the other islands provide him.

lorenz, on the other hand, looks pretty excited at the prospect. aether doesn't know if it's going to be exciting at all.

can you tell lumi that i won't be back for a while? ]

[Ajax nods to Aether; that would work. There won't be any suspicious activity coming from this residence to track. Plus Lorenz could stay too. It's a much better plan. The Dufonts, or so Ajax would like to believe, would not stage an attack against the family home here with his father. Too risky, too much to lose.]

Alright. But I'm going to charge you for all the abuse I'll get after I tell her.

[He smiles and laughs, glad that Aether's agreed, probably reluctantly, to do this. Hopefully he'll be able to glean more from this for them, and hopefully be able to give them more of a chance to finally be able to be on the offensive instead of constantly on the defensive.]

Lorenz, make sure Aether has everything he needs. Father, could you also provide funds if anything is needed? I'm sure nothing should be out of reach.

[His father smiles and nods himself. This is why Ajax was the son he wanted to take over the family once he was retired or gone. He'd be a fine head of the family, already practically stepping into the role even as he stands right here.

You're acting like you're in charge already, Ajax. Don't forget your place.]

Hey, I'm just making sure things get done properly, old man, [he replies cheekily, giving his father a smirk.] Don't worry, you're the one who raised me this way.

[So I did. That still doesn't mean you get to have the final say. Lorenz, do as he asks. Aether, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.]

[ whatever.

abuse, his ass. aether almost rolls his eyes, only barely catching himself in the presence of ajax's father. he probably should've called zhongli and asked him if he could stay over the teapot while he's out for the next few days or so, just to make sure his sister and ajax don't get too comfortable.

but that's too late now. maybe later, he'll try to contact the ex-archon if he's not too busy rambling to some random guy in a teahouse or whatever.

thanks. i just need a change of clothes, but ajax can go grab it for me at the apartment.

his laptop, too. which he didn't really think of bringing since he thought that this is just a simple consultation. he should've known, really. but at the very least, getting this fixed would mean that the volkov family would be in his debt. ]

I'll make sure to bring your things right over.

[Ajax replies earnestly, glad that they may have another lead to this secret war between themselves and the gods. He desperately would love to put them on the defensive. Hopefully this will help them do that.]

Aether, when you're done here, we need to discuss leaving the country. Seems that staying here isn't something we can do like I initially thought. A few days can be well afforded, but I would be wary past that. We'll talk more when you return. I'll be back in an hour with your things.

[Driving back and returning to the teapot, Ajax with the help of Lumine puts together all of Aether's things for a short time away. An hour later after he leaves again, he comes back in through the double sliding doors, takeout in hand, settling heavily on the couch as he puts it on the coffee table.]

[ the teapot was empty save for the cryo slime and tubby when lumine finally woke up, realising that her brother and ajax must've gone over to the volkovs. she honestly didn't like it, knowing what they'd make aether do related to their affairs again, but it isn't as if they can fight back or she could do something about it. instead, she decides to make herself a late breakfast as she waits for the two to return.

as it stands, however, it seems like aether's going to be out for a few days, fixing the issue that's caused their location to be consistently revealed. lumine only finds out about this when ajax comes back to pack a few things for aether, her own self sorting out his clothes in a duffel bag. she debates on asking him if she could tag along, perhaps even stay in the premises, but she decides against it. as much as she likes ajax's mom, she doesn't think staying there for too long is going to be a pleasant experience.

still, it surprises her more when ajax comes back around again. and here she thought she'd have the entire teapot to herself for a few days, the other male opting the stay with her brother at their home. she pads out of the kitchen, walking over to the sofa and going through the takeout bag. ]

I thought you'd be staying over at your parents' place, too.

[Ajax waits for her to take out whatever she'd like from the bag, having gotten a few things and is prepared to keep the leftovers in the fridge for later. He's just tired, after showing his father the Foul Legacy Transformation, answering too many questions, and having to explain to an old man how the gods are very real and very much trying to kill them for something they had nothing to do with.

Well, kind of.

That exhaustion shows on his face as he watches her pick up food, wanting nothing more than to go to bed again.]

Honestly, I'd just be in the way. I also don't need my siblings asking me a million questions as to why Aether is there. Mom and dad can handle that...

[Ajax's head lazily flops backwards onto the back of the couch, eyes closing for a moment, trying to let his mind clear. There was so much to think about, so much to consider.]

I'll be able to work better here. I love my siblings, but they will try to dominate my time if I stay with my parents.

[ his exhaustion doesn't escape her notice, especially when she sits next to him on the couch, taking a paper box of dumplings from the bag and setting it down on her knees. ]

If you're tired, you can go to bed. Aether's not around, so the bedroom upstairs is all yours.

[ it'll be his for the next few days or so, until her brother returns.

lumine does wonder if aether's already eaten. knowing him, if he's pretty busy with work, whatever kind of work it is, he'll probably forget about eating. that's a tendency the both of them has when work preoccupies their entire attention and nothing else. she takes a dumpling between chopsticks, taking a nibble of it at its corners.

should she call him later? remind him about dinner? ]

... I hope you asked someone at your home to nag at Aether about eating. He's going to forget if he's too busy.

Lumine.

[He turns his head from the back of the couch, looking at her with amusement. It's almost like...she hasn't met his mom.]

My mother is going to shower him with food and anything else he wants or needs. By the end of this, he's practically going to be just another child in the family that she wants to take care of. I don't need to tell anyone to nag him to eat, haha.

[His head flops back again, breathing out a heavy sigh as he relaxes.]

I'm going to lay down after I eat, but it certainly isn't going to be upstairs.

[Too tired to go upstairs. Too tired to change the sheets. He's just too tired in general. That, and he finds he sleeps much better when she's in bed with him- something he's not willing to give up right now.]

[ oh, right. his mom. she's going to have a wild time dragging her brother to meals. a part of lumine almost wants to see that, see aether find himself helplessly drowning in the woman's motherly attention and affection. she's pretty sure he'll come back to the teapot exhausted not just from work but from fending ajax's mother away.

in any case, lumine turns to him, picking up a dumpling and pressing it insistently against his mouth. she doesn't know why he's so tired, but he obviously needs to move his ass if he wants to get some rest quicker. ]

Did your dad scold you again?

[ c'mon, eat, ajax. this is food that you've bought. ] Is there anyone in his family that he doesn't scold? Your mom, maybe?

[Lifting his head up as the dumpling is pressed to his lips, he opens his mouth to take it from her fingers, chewing thoughtfully and being thankful for the food. Did his dad ever, that was a rough experience for both of them, really. Sighing through his nose, the food gives him motivation now to sit up properly, eyeing the bag of takeout for himself.]

My mom can get away with anything, haha. But he did more than that. Not only did I have to explain the wrath of ancient gods to him, but he demanded he see my transformation. Believe it or not, the transformation wasn't the most tiring ordeal of the day. But he seemed less inclined to scold us after I showed him the Foul Legacy Transformation.

[Maybe he'll get his own food out in a minute. The knowledge they'd gained that day about their enemies, it weighs on his mind heavily as if it were a branch ready to snap under the weight. Someone within their family, someone close, ratting them out. A traitor.]

It's been a long day. The data my father wanted Aether to look at was incredibly revealing. Someone's working against us within our family. I know that might not seem like a surprise given that they were able to take that warehouse downtown...but whoever it is is closer to myself and my father than what any of us are comfortable with.

[ oh good, he's finally sitting up properly. lumine turns away from him, leaning back against the couch as well, continuing to consume the dumplings. ]

You really showed it to him? Huh.

[ she supposes he didn't have a choice in the matter, not when it's his dad who's wanting to see it. he seems like the kind of guy who gets everything he wants, no matter what the issue or cost is. very demanding, very authoritative. just like a mob boss, his actual occupation.

it's no surprise too that he's pretty tired. from what she understood from lumine's memories, it seems to have an effect on his body, almost like an injury of sorts that he needs to take care of.

but what surprises her more is his revelation. lumine turns her gaze towards him, disbelief written all over her face. ]

So, the person who's been responsible for finding out where we are is someone you know all along? All this time? Are you serious?

[Thinking about that kills his appetite for the moment, looking at her with concern. It's not a reality he wants to believe is true, but he's pretty sure Aether isn't wrong.]

I couldn't be more serious. Either someone who has access to our system is working with the enemy, or it's someone very close to us. Given the warehouse incident and learning that they were using it to make delusions from ancient times...

[A memory he also would like to forget, but he'll never be able to get it out of his head that they'd planned on using her own energy to do that. It sounds exactly like what legends said about the "evil eye" that was made so long ago.]

...I can really only think that our mole is someone important and close to us. And when we find them, I'm going to take care of it personally.

[He spits the last part of his sentence out with venom, a deadly and borderline unhinged statement.]

[ someone important and close to him.

to us, she repeats the words in the head in an attempt to stamp down the rising sense of dread within her. but who could it be, and why? betrayal of an acquaintance is one thing, but of someone closer? a friend, perhaps, or even a family member cuts deeper than any knife. especially in a family like ajax's.

lumine lowers her food back to its container, finding her stomach turning at the thought. ]

What if they're a friend of yours? Someone you've worked closely in the business? [ she looks up at him, meeting his eyes. ] A family member?

Think of what's happened because of them.

[He doesn't feel like he needs to vocalize it. People dead, their lives threatened time and time again, facing off with gods. He'd even died, quite literally, only having recovered because of Lumine and her battle prowess. The pain they've made them suffer, to have to hide away in a magic teapot. He could keep going.]

I've thought of the possibility that perhaps there's something at stake if they don't work with the enemy. But one thing you must understand- in Snezhnaya, we do not easily forgive ones who would abandon us or turn on us. I'll kill them myself for this transgression, no matter how close they are to me. Think of it as me doing them a personal favor.

[His eyes flash dangerously, his determination unwavering. The grief they've all suffered might have been avoided, or maybe even countered against. But this person isn't working with them, and instead working behind the scenes against them. He can't forgive them for this.]

Edited 2022-08-01 01:28 (UTC)

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