Lessa

The rhythmic trio of thuds had Lessa leaping out of her skin. The sound that came out of her mouth wasn’t quite human, and her entire body flinched like a bad stunt double taking a bullet in an old Western film. “Jeeeesus,” she drawled, pressing a hand to her galloping heart. Apparently, she wasn’t quite as cool, calm, and collected as she’d tried to convince herself she was. A little embarrassed, a lot still on-edge, she rounded on Riker. “Someone came up to the door and you didn’t, like, bark or anything?” She jabbed a finger in his direction. “You’re a shit guard dog. Guard wolf. Whatever.”

It was a pleasure watching him. The ease with which he took to the stage, and settled into the literal and figurative rhythm, fascinated her. As far as she knew, Jomei and Lysette had never performed together, yet they complimented each other perfectly. Outsiders might assume that they'd been playing together for years. Lessa, who didn't have a musical bone in her body, marveled at the simple fact that two strangers could produce such magic. Lysette's words wove through the notes strummed on Jomei's guitar, filling the large space with light and life. And for the moment, Lessa was content to s

[Stats to come.] "Home sweet home," Lessa declared, her hands on her hips, her head tipped back to take in the towering building. The lighthouse's white and gray stones gleamed as it speared into a cloudless, robin's-egg blue sky. Beyond it, the midday sun held court over calm seas, which lapped lazily at the rocky cliff face. Even the wind played its part, the autumn-spiced breeze barely enough to rustle the leaves on the trees. A sweet, serene calm had settled over the Farm. The exception, of course, was Lessa's beating heart. It galloped beneath her hoodie with enough force that she un

Thread Summary Word Count: 8,740 Jomei: (8740 / 5) * (11) = 19228 + 1000 (quest) = 20,228 EXP | 200 (page) + 1000 (quest) + 3034 (LW) = 4,234 col Lessa: (8740 / 5) * (9) = 15732 + 1000 (quest) = 16,732 EXP | 200 (page) + 1000 (quest) + 2509 (LW) = 3,709 col

The woman stood in the shop’s doorway, her lips pursed in thought, her gaze glued to the message window hovering a few inches from her face. The man behind her cleared his throat once, twice, then barked out a gruff, “Excuse me,” before she finally realized he was there. “Oh god, I’m so sorry,” Lessa stammered, scooting out of the store’s entrance and practically down the block before she slowed. A quick glance over her shoulder showed him huffing in annoyance as he stomped the opposite direction. She probably deserved that. Making a better door than a window, or whatever. That idiom neve

At the touch, the horizontal and vertical pieces of the cross split apart, clattering to the ground with a noise that seemed preternaturally loud. The hastily-made marker had, apparently, been clinging to life by a thread. A strong wind might have sent it it tumbling. But it wasn’t a strong wind that destroyed the one piece of him that remained - it was yet another clueless human. And that couldn’t go unpunished. The darkness hovering over the grave coalesced into the form of a man. He stood a head taller than the players before him, but his posture, and the way that he glared down at the

A flash of movement in the left cell heralded the ghost’s arrival. It was as if the air around the figure simply parted for her, dust particles and light bending around her silhouette as she drifted from the bench to the bars of her cage. Her form was far from solid - more like a slight distortion to reality, visible only if the viewer were to squint and tilt their head a bit. But the soft sobs that racked her were unmistakable, and very real. The sound of them, soft, shallow, and breathless, filled the small building. And with each second that passed, the source came into clearer focus.

"Well that's a relief," Lessa replied, shaking her head for added effect. "I feel like we just had an entire conversation about how I'm not interested in your cock or your balls." She punctuated the comment with a smile, but it fell away as silence overtook her. She'd jumped at the opportunity to make a sexual comment - those jokes were really just low-hanging fruit at that point - but his confession carried weight that she couldn't simply laugh off. The topic deserved more respect than that, and so did he. In one day, he had shared with her more than he had in the years they'd known each othe

The crowd at the bar was already three players deep by the the time Lessa arrived. The mass practically took on a life of its own, a monster that shifted and surged, changing form with each arrival and departure. And she was meant to find Jomei in that? The dim lighting and the masks certainly didn't help matters. He was tall, sure, but the same seemed to be true for everyone else in the Blackbook. Most of the women, Lessa included, benefited from the few extra inches provided by their high heels. The blonde clucked her tongue in thought, then loosed a quick shrug, and plunged into the throng.

It didn't take much to decorate the Farm for Halloween. The other 364 days of the year, the ambient sound on her costal property was enough to send a shiver up a spin: the steady crashing of the waves on the rocks, the whisper of the wind through the dried cornstalks, the mournful cry of the foghorn. The old barn, with its shadowy hayloft and dusty sweat smell certainly didn't help matters. Set out a few jack-o-lanterns, and rig a stereo to play spooky music, and Lessa had the makings for an extra creepy stop on the the trick-or-treat trail. The truth was, Lessa wasn't actually into the s

The Farm Location: Floor 28 Description: A lighthouse situated on the coast of the western sea, just beyond the Thessacoln Pastures. Plot Size: Estate {Safe Zone} Rooms: 9/15 House & 2/3 Yard House Master Bedroom Master Bathroom Basic Kitchen Storage Closet Living Room Dining Hall Attic (Storage) Basement Guest Room x x x x

She didn't want to slow down. Some small voice nagged that turning in the quest should be their top priority. Given their difficulty with the quest, and their luck so far, it couldn't be this easy. There was probably some hidden timer that would run out before they could get back to Percival, negating their progress, and requiring that they start over. And if that happened, Lessa figured she'd just negate her life by yeeting off the edge of Aincrad. So when Jomei tugged her to a standstill, she huffed out her frustration, and turned to voice her disapproval. Instead, she was enveloped by a str

Lessa stood outside the Wild Rose Forge, her hands on her hips, her face contorted in an expression that could only be described as confused annoyance. Annoyed confusion? Regardless, she was annoyed, and that confused her. Why did the mere sight of her shop spawn such negative emotions? Why had years passed without her even stepping across the threshold? The sunlight spilling through the windows illuminated the dust particles beyond the glass, filling the serene space with glitter. And it still did nothing to entice her inside. “I hate you,” she told the inanimate object. Then her blonde

Raven Hollow Mayor's Estate Sunrise Another day dawned, the sunrise spreading it's pink wings across the cloudless sky. The first mayor of Raven Hollow had chosen this property to build on partially because of the view. With windows on all four sides, the manor offered a front-row seat to the sunrise, the sunset, and every moment in between. He also selected it given its position on a hill, apart and above the rest of the town. The first mayor had enjoyed looking down on his constituents from atop his modern castle. The last mayor hadn’t cared about such things. Now, the estate h

Raven Hollow Cemetery Sunset The final rays of the dying sun fell across the headstones. Long ago, the light had gleamed off the well-polished, well-loved grave markers. Now, it simply cast long shadows, straight black lines crossing the hallowed ground like the bars of a prison cell. It was an apt comparison, considering the souls of the dead were trapped within the crumbling walls of the cemetery. Though the earth had risen and fallen over the years, giving the headstones a tilted, melted appearance, it was evident that they were placed in rows. Someone had taken great care in