insurmountable | how could i ever forget // outside the morning was cool and wet

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how could i ever forget // outside the morning was cool and wet

[It's not often Ajax finds himself getting his head slammed down onto the hood of a car, least of all a cop car. Usually it's him doing the slamming.

But today the young man finds himself denting the hood, the sound of metal caving in under his head ringing in his ears. Not exactly the ideal situation he was hoping for, but he figured sooner or later he'd have a run in with the cops due to the sensitive nature of his profession, but that doesn't mean he has to like how inconsiderate they are with him as they cuff him and throw him in the back of the paddy wagon. Not that he was considerate to them when he was discovered, as evidenced by the blood all over his clothing and knuckles from the fight he'd gotten into with them. How he managed to avoid getting shot is beyond him- plenty of shots were fired, but that hadn't stopped him from knocking a few of them out.

It's just too bad he'd been instructed that he couldn't kill anyone, or else he'd of gotten out of there without being caught.

The lights of the police station are bright, almost too bright from the contrast of how dark it was outside. Ajax squints as he's dragged inside, held tightly by two cops who hurry him through the station, but not fast enough that he doesn't catch a glimpse of the secretary behind the desk as they come in. Pretty, blonde, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. Gorgeous eyes, ones that catch his attention almost immediately as he's being shoved towards the back, shining with a radiance that captures him instantly. His eyes lock with hers, feeling something silent yet powerful surge through him from this tiny, insignificant interaction. He doesn't even have a moment to think further on it, before he's so rudely interrupted.

Get moving.

The curt voice of the bigger cop on his right cuts through the moment, anger welling up in Ajax's chest and something dark stirs in his core. If he wasn't cuffed and being restrained, he'd turn that guy's face into a new work of art, something so abstract some insane art collector would gladly pay millions for it.

No sooner had Ajax been ushered in, he disappears from sight as he's taken back into an interrogation room, the mysterious blonde no longer in his sights, now getting shoved into a corner of a room.]

What's with this? Don't you even have the courtesy of giving me a chair to sit in, at least?

[From outside of the room, muffled noises of a scuffle as the cops lay into Ajax can be heard, the loudest of which is a thud of a body slamming into a wall, accompanied by a groan from the ginger kid. Though little do any of them know, their real problems haven't arrived just yet, waking from their slumber right outside of the city...]

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[Ajax falls silent to let Yoimiya focus, try to think of herself and her powers in a different way to see if she could summon them all on her own. He feels as if this might be a long shot, especially for her. It's not as cut and dry as his, where all he needs to do is reach down and connect with the presence inside of him, at least he doesn't think it is. She doesn't have a haunting presence inside of her, and while he's grateful for that, Ajax isn't sure if this'll make Yoimiya's efforts be much more difficult. So all he can do is stand and wait, waiting for something, anything to happen.

And it does.

Ajax's eyebrows raise as he watches fire ignite in the palm of her hand, flames lapping upwards, spinning into a nice little ball. His breath catches in his throat, it feels as if he doesn't dare to breath for fear of accidentally putting it out. He looks down at it, then back up to her, and down at it again, overjoyed to see that she'd done it. Even if it isn't the full power of what she'd displayed the day before, it was a start.]

Wonderful...you did it! Whatever approach you used, keep that up- can you make it stronger? Focus, Yoimiya, you've got it.

[ Upon hearing his voice, she flutters her lashes open to look at the small fireball igniting in the palm of her hand. It's not the bow she was hoping to summon but it still feels like an accomplishment, she swears that the flame is bigger than her previous attempts at the lake front and at her apartment. It sparkles and crackles almost like a mini firework exploding in her palm, probably won't help out too much in combat but, the little flame certainly is pretty.

With Ajax's encouragement, she's even more motivated to keep going. She flushes any remaining thoughts out of her head, focusing solely on Ajax's voice as her source of inspiration. She has to get stronger for him, she needs to prove that she's worthy enough to be his queen. She takes a deep breath, allowing the thoughts to flood inside her head and drown out the white noise echoing throughout the park.

Just Ajax... just focus on Ajax.

She mumbles his name under her breath like a mantra and as if saying his name is the key to unlocking something within her, the fireball suddenly transforms into a firey goldfish. Yoimiya opens her eyes once more and is taken aback by what she's seeing. ]

Oh...! It turned into a goldfish.

[He continues to watch on with bated breath, wondering what kind of progress she'll be able to make in these first moments of trying. It's incredible to see her work, and he's not sure what it is about how she chants his name over and over that fills him with some sort of sense of warmth. Like she's working so hard for his sake, putting everything else to the side for him. It makes him want to be a worthy king for her, someone she can proudly stand by through thick and thin. Before he realizes it, he feels his chest swell with a royal pride for her, and before he knows it, there's a little goldfish in her hands.

That same pride is worn plainly on his face, smile as big as the horizon itself when she opens her eyes to see.]

Well done! You've already managed to control it in such a small amount of time.

[However, there's one thing...]

Though, I really shouldn't be surprised as to the shape your powers have taken...

[It was always about Hanabi, wasn't it...]

[ Always has been.

Now that her eyes are fully open, she takes a moment to admire the firey cutie floating in the palm of her hand, the goldfish is a natural bright orange with a flowing tail made out of flames. Yoimiya's gold eyes shimmer and shine at the sight, not only is it adorable, she feels a sense of pride swelling inside of her heart, proud of herself for both taking a little control of her powers and feeling a bit more worthy to be Ajax's queen. If she's able to change her flame into any shape she wants, then that means she'll be strong enough to support her king when he needs it.

It's the little things that bring her happiness. That feeling is confirmed when she spots Ajax wearing the same expression as her, a smile that's happy and proud of her accomplishment. ]

Hehe, that's right! After all, goldfish are the best and cutest things to ever exist.

[ But before Yoimiya can go on a tangent about the majesty of goldfish, the little familiar in her hand seemingly comes to life as it swims around in the air, providing them with a faint glow to brighten up the cave. Yoimiya giggles as it flits around her head and then swims over to Ajax. No matter how close it gets, the small creature won't ever burn them since it's a loyal subject to its king and queen. ]

Oh, Ajax! Look, look! It's moving all on its own. Hahaha...! So cute.

[ Hanabi might have some competition. ]

[Yeah, that sounds about right...

He sighs at her, though that smile is still just as bright on his face despite the exasperation he exhales outward. Ajax watches as her goldfish swims around in the air, happy as can be, holding his hand out for it to circle around it. The glow from the goldfish illuminates his hand, until it swims off once again to rejoin Yoimiya.]

Guess you've got a new pet to take care of. Whatever will Hanabi do now that there's another goldfish in the equation?

[He's just teasing her of course, grinning at her. Her beloved Hanabi has a sister now, but will Hanabi be okay with that?]

[ None the wiser to his exasperation, Yoimiya excitedly claps her hands when the goldfish makes it back to her. She holds her hand out and spins around, the firey little goldfish happily follows along and bops its head against her hand. It's plain as day this girl is having the time of her life with her new familiar. ]

Hehehehehe. [ What's with this laugh??? ] I knew you developed a soft spot for Hanabi. Who wouldn't?

[ Maybe her initial assumption about Ajax being a tsundere towards her fish was wrong. ]

But don't you worry, Hanabi is still number one! In fact, it wouldn't hurt for her to have friends. I've always wanted to get a companion for her but I wasn't sure if they would get along...

[ The fish tank life is serious buisness, ok. ]

Hmm, this one obviously can't swim inside the tank but I can still get her another friend to join her later. More friends the merrier!

[ Stop her now before she goes on and on about this Ajax, pls. ]

[Ajax only returns that Hanabi comment with a look that says everything he's thinking- girl, please. Turns out this entire expedition was going to result in Yoimiya buying more fish for her apartment, and Queen Hanabi was going to have servants and underlings and all of the like. And here he thought it was already plenty with the one goldfish.]

Okay, okay, maybe we should concentrate on what's more important here. You've already got enough on your hands as it is- let's think about more fish later. Much later.

[Do not! Impulse! Buy! More! Fish!]

It's great you've got a better handle on your power already, but you still have to give it a practical use. Having a mobile light is just fine, but you're going to need more firepower than that. What can that little fish do?

[ She! Wants! To! Impulse! Buy! More! Fish!!!!

But as much as she wants to go on and on and on about Hanabi needing ~~servants~~ friends, they really need to focus on what's important here. They came here for training, not to talk about goldfish. At his question, Yoimiya sends a glance to the fish, then back to Ajax. She falls silent for a few seconds before responding with a big ol' SHRUG. ]

I don't know, I only just summoned this thing like five minutes ago. [ She turns to the fish. ] So, what can you do?

[ In response, the fish swims around in the air without a care in the world, looking bright and adorable with its firey tail. Yoimiya nods her head along, once again mumbling I see, I see under her breath as if she can understand what's being said. After some deliberation, Ajax finally gets his answer: ]

The little fella doesn't know either.

[ Extremely informative. ]

[Okay, fair, she did just create it. Ajax does his best to hold his silence and refrain from teasing her again when she literally asks the fish what it can do. It's so on brand for Yoimiya that it hurts him, but he's gunna let this play out and see what happens.

His hopes aren't looking too bright, because he's seen this song and dance before with Hanabi, and there isn't a second that he believes that she actually understood what any of that movement meant, if anything at all...]

...

I could have never guessed.

[There's just a little bit of sarcasm there. Just. A little.]

[ Wow. What's that supposed to mean???? Now, she might not be the smartest person on the planet but she knows sarcasm when she hears it and his voice practically drips with it. She looks at him with her arms akimbo, there's the tiniest bit of indignance painting her features. ]

Well, you were the one that asked.

[ If he didn't want her to ask her new goldfish friend then he shouldn't have broached the topic in the first place. At least, that's how she will rationalize it in the back of her blonde head.

She looks over at her goldfish friend, feeling bad for it. As far as she's concerned it did nothing wrong, Ajax is just an ol' stinky head. ]

Don't let him get you down, he's just mean and stinky.

Edited 2024-10-15 19:30 (UTC)

[The slander here. Ajax smirks at Yoimiya and turns to her little swimming goldfish, and says:]

Don't take it personally. It was up to her to know that information, I hadn't expected you to know.

[Is Ajax a little crazy himself to talking to a goldfish that definitely doesn't understand him? Maybe. Is it all for the sake to rile Yoimiya up a little bit because it's really funny when she's tossing some mild heat his way? Absolutely.

And to add insult to injury, he turns his back on her and starts to walk away towards the other end of the cave!]

Guess I should just take my stink over here~ wouldn't want to clog up your air over there.

[ In response to Ajax, the little goldfish acknowledges him by swimming around in the air like it's the happiest thing in the world. It nods its bright orange head and looks over at its king in curiosity, wondering why he's walking away. It's just a fish so surely it can't understand what they are saying... right?

Meanwhile, Yoimiya gives him an incredulous look. HE'S TALKING TO A FISH TOO!!! Why does she get dragged for it???? RUDE. ]

Please do! Your stink is making the air so putrid that it's a miracle I haven't covered my nose.

[ And oh boy, riled up she is. Not wanting to give in to this ginger brat, she lets out a hmph, turning the other direction towards her goldfish companion. Of course, she makes sure to say this LOUDLY: ]

Don't worry, he's just jealous he can't summon a little pet. I'm willing to bet all the mora in my pocket that I've progressed on my powers far faster than he has.

[All that indignance coming from Yoimiya is delicious to his ears. If he were any less polite than he is, he might of even farted at her just to make it worse~ Then they could have a good sparring match when she wants to beat him up ^^

Though, Ajax doesn't make it far. Yoimiya's challenged him now, and he only glances backwards with the same smirk on his face.]

Oh? What was that again?

[Now, to Ajax, this is no laughing matter, or something to toy with just to win an argument. But her words have ignited a competitive spark, one that flares somewhere deep within him. He called on that power before, and kept control of himself. And he has to do it again, for their own sakes. To keep them safe, even at the cost of his own soul.

But if he's going to do it, he might as well have a little fun while he's at it.

Think like a king. Like how he was before, like how Yoimiya changed her perspective. He changes his mindset to that of one with power, control, leadership. He's in charge and it's his duty to keep his beloved queen safe, so they could take charge and rule this land as they were always destined to. He can feel how the dark monster inside of him chitters with glee, but Ajax only takes a deep breath and reaches down deep within him to grasp a hold of the power it offers, telling it to obey him, and remember its place.

On the outside, abyssal energy swirls around him, dark and toxic just as it had the day before. Taking a deep breath, Ajax eyes close and he relaxes his body just enough to let the power surge through him and begin to manifest around his arm, the polygonal texture of which digitizing around it before it clasps around it with a clap of dark mist and power. Ajax opens his eyes once again to close his hand into a fist, flexing it over and over while looking at his armored arm with a sense of victory, their squabble practically forgotten.]

...Easier than I thought it would be. Huh...

[ ~~Refusing to fart in front of her is coward's behavoir.~~

Now, she doesn't know him extremely well but after spending time with him over the course of these long weeks, Yoimiya has picked up that he can be a little competitive. As soon as she sees him turning around, the smile on her face twists into a smirk way too smug for her own good, taking delight that she got him hook, line, and sinker. Seeing that competitive spark ignites into a burst of fireworks is a treat, and this little brat has no qualms crossing her arms as she watches his feeble attempts to one-up her.

The longer she watches him, the smug smirk on her face begins to melt away slowly. Her eyes grow wide with awe as dark abyssal-like energy surrounds him, reminding her of that toxic fog he used against that horrible monster. Even more impressive is that it seems to digitize right in front of him as if he's got complete and total control of how to meld and form the energy to his will. Yoimiya stands there with her jaw wide open, impressed, amazed, and completely forgetting all about their bratty banter when the armor dons his arm with a simple clench of his fist. ]

Incredible!

[ Even the goldfish is impressed! The little fella leaps into the air with a flick of its tail. ]

What do you know, looks like you are starting to get the hang of your powers.

[He can feel the dark power pulsating through his body, only giving over a fraction of itself to him. Ajax can feel how deep it goes, like there was a well of this forbidden power to drink from inside of him, but he doesn't have the full strength of it all available to him. Like he doesn't know quite how to unlock it.

His shoulders heave up and down with the weight of the armor, not because it's heavy, but only because of what it's doing to him. Ajax's body was already relaxed to let it flow out and form on his arm, but the tension left was making it hard to breathe, to move. With one heavy sigh, he lets that tension go, cautiously letting himself settle into the power flowing around his body. He turns back to Yoimiya, expression bright with triumph before it settles back into the familiar smirk he wears when he's accomplished something.]

Our last opponent gave me some ideas of how to handle it. That monster inside of me wants me to let go and "accept who I really am," but I don't have to capitulate to it completely. As long as I am the king and it is the servant, this power is mine and mine alone to command. At least, that's my theory.

[Ajax's eyes flash dangerously in a way they've never done before, and from beneath his shirt is the glow of lines forming farther with the mark- slowly but surely, the fin becomes attached to a body, though incomplete. He doesn't notice this phenomenon, only feeling how his abyssal energy obeys his will as long as he concentrates on the right feelings and mindset.]

So, what was that you were saying before? [He remembers the squabble now!] You didn't think I was as far long with my own power than you?

[ As impressive as his show was, Yoimiya quickly goes from amazement to concern when she notices his shoulders heaving up and down. His powers taking a toll on him is exactly what she was worried about and why she told him to find other methods. She's getting ready to hop on her heels to his side to check on him but thankfully, he seems to have it under control. She's whelmed with relief to see him calm down and seemingly accept the power flowing stirring inside of him.

Let go and "accept who he really is" ... that statement floats around in her head. What exactly does Ajax need to accept? And what does "who he really is" even mean? The first thought that pops into her mind is the weird king and queen transformation they take on in the heat of battle and sex. His theory makes sense to her, it's the only logical conclusion she could come up with because who else could he possibly be other than Ajax Volkov?

Argh. Her head is beginning to hurt from all this thinking. Thankfully, Ajax brings her to bring back to reality when he brings up their squabble. Yoimiya wastes no time shooting him a look, wrinkles her nose at him, ready to bite back against this ginger brat. ]

Hmph! Don't get arrogant just because you created some fancy schmancy armor around your arm. You still have yet to summon a cute little pet like I have—

[ As Yoimiya is in the middle of her bratty tirade, she recalls a peculiar light shining from inside of his clothes. ]

Hey, wait. Ajax... I think I saw a faint glow underneath your shirt.

[Looks like he got under her skin a little! He's smirking through the little bratty rant of hers, proud of himself that he was able to figure out (with a little help and demonstration from Yoimiya) how to finally use his own power. Now, they won't have to worry too much about hoping that the power would come to them when they need it, it'll just be able to-]

Hm?

[This thought process gets cut short, looking down when she mentions that there's a glowing under his shirt. He can see it, how his mark has grown and is glowing under his shirt- to which he pulls off almost immediately to reveal the fading glow of the now half-formed goldfish on his chest.]

That's...

[Hanabi....]

[ Yoimiya's eyes are glued to him as he strips himself of his shirt, ~~totally not because she wants to admire those chef's kiss worthy pecs of his~~ she easily surmises the glow is emitting from the mark itself but it's the why that's a mystery to her.

Once the shirt comes off, she's greeted with a sight neither of them expected. The mark is no longer just a tail and has now, taken the shape of a half a goldfish. ]

It's Hanabi!!!

[ Okay, the fish pattern doesn't necessarily mean the mark is Hanabi but let this girl live in her fantasy land even for a little bit, the goldfish is important in her mind...

Crazy Yoimiya tangent to the side, how does one begin with this??? She's got questions out the wazoo, questions that she can't inquire because Ajax doesn't know any more than she does. ]

Do you feel any different?

[There's a part of him that can't believe what he's seeing. He knew he had a fish tail of some sort, but the partial reveal of it now seals his fate. Ajax knows from here on out, she's never, ever going to let him live it down.]

Well...not really. Other than finally being able to use my armor, I feel exactly the same.

[And as the glow of the mark fades completely, he stands still, confused.]

At least having Hanabi as my mark makes a little bit of sense. It's another proof that you and I are extrinsically linked to each other in some way, as if our relationship to each other because of it didn't already make it obvious...

[ On one hand, it's for the best he can't feel anything, the last they need is the monster inside of him pulling some crazy stunts with his body. She feels relieved but still, extremely confused by this turn of events. Ajax is right, they are inexplicably connected from the moment they first laid eyes on each other. Something, or someone, keeps pulling on the strings of their fate, bringing them together. ]

Yeah, you've never been connected with goldfish so there's really no denying that fate, destiny, what-have-you, keeps linking us together. [ Suddenly, a thought dawns on her ] Wait...

[ Yoimiya was so caught up with her attempts to summon her little fire fish that she didn't even notice anything taking shape on her body. She quickly pulls off her shirt without thinking, and would you know it, her chest now harbors a half-formed shape of a whale. ]

Oh, that's definitely part of a whale.

Edited (what is grammar) 2024-10-20 21:38 (UTC)

[Ajax's eyes immediately land on her brand, now looking a bit more filled in now that the body of a whale has partially been imprinted on her. He was pretty positive it was a whale tail the first time they'd examined each other's marks, but now there was no doubt- his was a goldfish and hers was a whale.]

Huh...why did they expand now? Was it because we've grasped a hold of our own power?

[It's the only thing that makes sense to him in the moment...both of them managed to control a portion of their magic, power, or whatever it is.]

And here I thought we'd solved a mystery, only to be presented with another one. At least this one isn't as pressing.

[ That makes sense to her. Maybe once they master one power, they'll have more in their arsenal? She hopes that's the case anyhow. The whole thing is puzzling but as long as it means they've become proficient with their magic, she won't complain. Her insatiable appetite for sex seems to have also vanished today, she's not sure if that is also connected but that's a win in her book. ]

That's true; at least we can take our time to figure this out. The most important thing is to get our powers under control so we'll have plenty of ammo to fight the monsters with.

[ And they will need all the help they can get. She hates to think about the monsters getting stronger too, that's the last thing they need on their plate. ]

I'm also quite curious about your connection with whales. You already know about my admiration for goldfish, so you acquiring a goldfish mark because of me makes sense. I feel like that dream you told me about has to mean something.

...Yeah...

[What could it mean? It's a question he's asked himself more than once, over and over.]

I too, wonder often what it could possibly mean. I'd always thought it just a strange dream that always stuck with me but...now, I wonder if there's more to it.

[Now that it's branded onto Yoimiya, and it's clear their marks are related to each other somehow, he can't really write it off. It was easy not to think about it all that hard, but he can't ignore it now. Ajax hopes that the answers will come sooner rather than later, but of course, that's never how things work.]

Unfortunately, I don't think things will shake themselves out here anytime soon. For now, I'm happy that we've got a little more firepower on our side. Relying on desperate situations would've eventually ended one of our lives. I think we should do a little bit of training while we're here...we already know that our powers can't hurt each other. What do you say?

[ It's not very often that a dream is so profound that it sticks. Seeing a whale doesn't sound special on paper, she gets why he'd try to brush it off as just a strange dream up till now. But, naturally, there's more to it than what meets the eye, especially now that she's gained what is obviously a whale brand. She's not sure what to make of it either, and obviously, there are no conclusions she can draw when Ajax is someone she's still getting to know.

What a mess they've found themselves in. With any luck, she hopes they'll get to the bottom of this mystery soon, for his sake. This dream sounds like it's been bothering him for a long while, and will probably confound him even more after today.

Come to think of it... what exactly was that dream she had last night? But before she dwells on that thought, she perks up at his suggestion to train. ]

Yeah! This will give me a chance to show off my might and kick your butt a lil for being a stinky brat.

[ Pot calling the kettle black is strong with this one. Grinning, Yoimiya gets into position with her cute goldfish companion at her side, she still doesn't have a weapon but that won't stop her from taking whatever Ajax dishes out. ]

Don't go easy on me, okay? I still haven't had any luck summoning the bow but a hands-on demonstration might be what I need.

Now what kind of training would it be if I didn't at least push you a little bit?

[Ajax laughs, taking his own fighting stance against hers. He's not really sure how much hand-to-hand combat Yoimiya's experienced in her life, but he guesses he's about to find out. His stance leads with his armored left arm- still swirling with chaotic, abyssal energy- and he grins at her from the small distance apart from each other.]

But I don't think your little goldfish there is going to help you. Swimming around and looking cute isn't a combat technique.

[The taunt is plain and simple, and just to add to the insult, Ajax beckons her to come at him first. He wants to see how she'd even begin an assault.]

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