Childe "I Can Make Her Worse" Tartaglia (
monoceroscaeli) wrote in
insurmountable2022-05-07 07:34 pm
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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.
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.
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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?
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[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.]
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but his sentiment is understandable at the same time. they've suffered so much in the past few months, physically and mentally. they've been cornered and outmanoeuvred, almost beaten to the brink of their life. dying almost feels like a reprieve at this point.
lumine says nothing for a long while, her gaze lowering to her food. it's a heavy topic to have, especially when he's so tired. a moment later, she's picking up dumplings again using her chopsticks and offering it to ajax. ]
Eat, and then, we can retire for the evening after.
[ she's not necessarily tired yet, and she still has work to do. but this is the only way to convince him to take his mind off of things and get some rest for now. ]
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He understands what she's doing, his eyes widening at first as the dumpling is held out to him, then softening as he allows himself to smile and appreciate what she's trying to do for him. He doesn't reach out for it, instead craning his neck forward to eat it right off her chopsticks, happily eating it before he reaches into the bag to pull out something for himself finally.]
Thanks.
[It's nice, having her here with him to break him out of being trapped with his own thoughts, knowing that he'd stew on this. He opens his own food, picking up a pair of chopsticks, squinting at them. He tries to put them in his hand correctly, mouth turning up when he finds it difficult and confusing. A dumpling gets picked up, unsuccessfully, dropping back into the container with a plop.
Archons, why are these so hard to use.]
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You do know that there's an easier way to do it, right?
[ she guides his fingers to curl around the chopsticks like he's holding the handle of a knife—and then makes him stab the dumpling with its pointed end. like a fork, but not really. she moves his hand with her own, so she can take a bite out of his dumpling.
see? easy-peasy, though a harder poke would've probably tear through the container and stab his knee. ]
I can't believe you're so bad at using this. What would you do if your enemies used this weakness against you?
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I didn't know there was a new way of using chopsticks. If my memory serves me, I utilized this same technique back at Wangshu Inn.
[He waits until she's done chewing and swallowing that bit of dumpling, before he holds the rest of it up to her mouth to finish it off. He owes her one more, to make things even.]
Besides, I don't think how adept I am with chopsticks is really going to matter when it comes to our war against the gods. But if you're so concerned, you could show me how to do it properly.
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What if the gods suddenly take you to a Liyue restaurant and challenge you to an eating contest? How will you survive?
[ he could probably just ask for a spoon and fork, but what if the restaurant doesn't have any? what if the gods made sure that no other utensil is available? it's a stupid notion, but he needs to make sure he can cover all bases.
but the exchange is at least successful in keeping his mind off of their worries. sure, it's something they have to think about eventually, and it's even more concerning that it's a person they might know. but what can they do about it now? they don't know who it is or what they're planning to do next. aether isn't even around to finalise any plans they have about possibly leaving fontaine. ]
I have to charge a fee if I teach you how to use them.
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Oh? A fee? How much exactly, does chopsticks lessons cost?
[He takes one stick into his other hand, twirling it between his fingers expertly and yet...
He still can't get them to work in tandem with each other in one hand.]
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it's so absurd how he can twirl one of the sticks between his fingers, and yet he's struggling like a toddler holding a pen properly with picking food up with two sticks. lumine wonders if it's some kind of handicap for him, like the part of his brain that governs with chopsticks usage is no longer working. maybe he got dropped on the head when he was young ...
in any case, lumine picks up the dumpling he dropped with her own chopsticks, offering it to him again. at this rate, he's going to starve to death. ]
How much will you offer for my services?
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[He leans forward to eat the dumpling off her chopsticks, thinking. He could offer mora, he has a virtually endless cash flow to offer, but...that isn't fun either. He knows that what he could offer that she'd accept might be a bad idea, but in the spirit of being lighthearted about this, well, why not.]
If you teach me how to use chopsticks, then I'll offer you a favor in return. My only stipulation is that said favor won't be something that will upset me. Do you find that favorable?
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lumine watches as he takes the piece of food into his mouth once more, chewing as he considers her offer. it was admittedly a joke, the fee and all, but she didn't think he'd take it far enough that he'd try to offer something in return. she wonders if there's another catch to this, another loophole to the deal that they're making. zhongli would've been handy right now. ]
What if it's something that would upset you but it needed to be done, anyway? Am I not going to get my favour?
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[He knows better than to play that game. Best to say no for now, and wait until the time arrives if she ever actually asks him for a favor that would make him upset. He'll reconsider it then, but he won't tell her that. No way.]
That's just inviting all sorts of trouble for me. [He says, while somehow getting the chopsticks to sit correctly in his hand as he points them at her. The minute he lowers them though, his fingers contort strangely, like he's thinking too hard about holding them.] I won't allow myself to be put in a position that will cause me emotional distress over chopsticks.
[Whatever that may entail. He tries to pick up another dumpling, sighing as it slips out from between his sticks. Really, why is this so hard? Honestly...]
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lumine's gaze flickers at his hand when he manages to hold the chopsticks properly for a split second—only to drop things all over himself again after second later. it only means that he's capable of learning; he's just being an idiot about it all along, making himself struggle unnecessarily by overthinking. ]
You're clearly in some sort of emotional distress right now over it, though.
[ his expression tells her as much. not being able to eat, dropping his food all over the place ... how is that not distressing? ]
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[Cue another dropped dumpling. He kind of got it halfway up to his mouth that time, before the failure of it dropping back into the container greeted him once again. Ajax frowns, sighing at his complete lack of ability to do this.]
So...
[He says, clacking his chopsticks together for a second, as if he might of figured it out before one slips out of his hand. He catches it before it hits the floor, before putting it back in his hand. A little embarrassing...]
...will you accept my offer, or not?
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as she watches him drop his food for the nth time that evening, lumine wonders if he's ever going to be able to eat properly. probably not, seeing how inept he is, even with just moving the sticks around. it doesn't even involve picking things up, just clacking or moving them together. ]
Mm, well, if you're the one deciding the favour based on your own feelings, what if none of the favours I asked is something you'd grant?
[ because he gets "upset" over it, so he rejects it. ]
That's no different from me offering free services, isn't it?
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You should know me well enough by now what you can ask of me and what you can't. Do you really think I'd just outright reject every single request? Unless you would only use it to make me upset on purpose, then perhaps I would reject every request.
[Going with the stabbing method for now then. One poor dumpling cries out in non-existent pain as he stabs it and eats it.]
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[ which is 90% of the time they're together, really. so having an advantage over him or some form of leverage would be nice to rein him in. he does need that proverbial leash, otherwise he'll just act out on his own. she supposes that the material his mother has shown her is pretty good for blackmail, but.
lumine takes a bite out of one more dumpling before she sets her container with the leftovers aside. ]
I'm taking a shower before heading to bed. You should probably, too, since you've gone out.
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Ajax eats a few more dumplings before setting his own container down, unable to finish it. Maybe he hadn't been nearly as hungry as he thought, but who could really have an appetite after this week.]
A hot shower would do me some good. Would you like me to come help you again with yours? Perhaps that could be the favor you ask of me.
[He asks, despite having no intent on actually doing so.]
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Nope, not wasting my favour on something you're clearly not in the mood for.
[ his expression tells her as much, hating how effectively she can read him now. besides, it's obvious that he just wants to get into bed and sleep as he did the day before. lumine can't blame him, not after the events of the past couple of days. she too would like to do so, but lots of things to still do.
in any case, she disappears into the bath, the door closing behind her with a quiet thud and a clicking of the lock, and emerges almost half an hour later in nothing but a towel, steam hailing her exit and water dripping from her hair. ]
Shower's free, [ she calls out to ajax, padding over to the bedroom. ] I may have used all the hot water, though.
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You what? [he mumbles groggily, picking himself up from the couch, peering at her as his eyes focus.] It didn't feel like you were in there that long.
[He walks past her to head to the bathroom himself, walking in and jumping in the shower himself. The water is turned on, and for about a minute he's taking a nice shower, until-]
Lumine-!!!!
[The water goes ice cold, and he's trying to hurry now to clean himself so he doesn't have to freeze. He shouts from the bathroom, the temperature shocking him completely awake. Any tiredness he felt dissipates, jumping out of the shower. He emerges minutes later, walking out in a towel himself with his clothes in his hand.]
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by the time he's out of the bathroom, she's done drying her hair, tossing the towel onto a chair. she'll take care of that tomorrow when she does the laundry, she thinks. ]
What, Ajax?
[ her response is delayed, barely able to stifle the laugh that nearly bubbles out of her throat, as she crawls into the bed. she pulls her laptop onto her knees, going through the files she's reviewed earlier.
better to look preoccupied, so he doesn't bother her at all. ]
I did warn you, you know.
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You know, I'm pretty sure you did that on purpose.
[Note to self- do not let Lumine shower first, or shower with her to avoid this.
He crawls into bed, only having a single regret- not having something cold to press against her skin in revenge. Instead, he crawls over next to her, pressing himself against her side because he's still cold and that was cruel!]
I think it's your responsibility to warm me up now.
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You'd feel warmer if you put on a shirt, stupid!
[ she tries to push him away to no avail, finding him a clingy leech. a part of her regrets waking him up with that cold shower; if she didn't, she's pretty sure he'd be asleep by now and she'd have peace and quiet to herself. if she tires him out, though ...
why did aether stay at the volkovs, why. is this punishment for having sex with ajax in their shared bed? ]
It can't be that bad. You're from Snezhnaya.
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Turns out this was a win win situation for him.]
Though I can't deny that, I'd still much prefer being warm. It's not as if we keep our houses cold in Snezhnaya.
[Ajax grabs the covers to pull them up over him a little better, her presence next to him soothing. He could easily fall asleep on her like this, and he's positive she'd hate it. He doesn't seem to feel bad about invading her space, a content smile on his face as he closes his eyes.]
You make a better pillow than I thought you would, Lumine.
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the way he presses against her even more, pulling the covers over him as if to cement his place next to her is infuriating. especially when she can barely move her hand, her arm trapped underneath him as he sidles closer. lumine tries to push him away again, groaning when he closes his eyes and lets his weight sink against her. how heinous.
she gives it a few moments, attempting to ignore him and focus on her work, until her arm starts to fall asleep, thanks to ajax. with a sigh, she shuts down her laptop and sets it aside on the night table, tossing a withering glare at her proverbial paperweight. ]
Considering you've been cuddling me to sleep for the past couple of days like your personal body pillow, I'd assumed you'd already come to that conclusion.
[ she's getting used to it, much to her horror. not even when she was dating other guys had she done something like this before. ]
Ajax, look at me right now.
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