Lilik

"Never asked them to care about me." The words slipped out before she could register what she was saying, and they sounded petulant even to her own ears. She grimaced, but looked away from Oscar to hide it. Still, she couldn't let that statement hang for long. "I'm glad Lessa helped me with-" a pause "-some stuff earlier, but it was just a favor. I offered to pay her and that other guy for it. I didn't expect her to adopt me. She and that Kyra woman are trying really hard to make this friendship happen, but I don't need anyone. I don't want anyone. I'm fine on my own." She swung back to h

The woman huffed out a laugh. Don't strike me as the type to be scared straight. "Nice," she stated. "Observant, and not a complete idiot. You're already doing better than a lot of the Players I've met." Then he went and opened his mouth again. Lilik stopped, sighed, and turned back to him. She found him propped up against a tree, the end of his lit cigarette a cheery glow against the dreary backdrop. Of course he'd stand there, completely at ease, smoking like some sort of mobster. Not that it was a bad look on him, granted. But there was just something about his nonchalance after i

She waited until Lessa had disappeared from view before answering Oscar. While there was some part of her that took the time to organize her thoughts and find her next words, the main reason was to make sure that Lessa was out of earshot. "Then go," she replied tersely, motioning the direction Lessa had just gone. "Make up some story about why you couldn't stay. I don't really care." Her voice was dispassionate, but she didn't turn to look at him as she spoke. Instead, she took a few steps the other direction. "I didn't ask you to come, and I'm not asking you to stay. That's your choice."

"I'm going to talk about her," Lessa shot back, "because someone has to. She wouldn't want this." "She's dead. It doesn't matter what she wants." "She's dead because she wasn't protected." Her voice softened, barely audible over the floor's stormy soundtrack. "We couldn't protect her." Lilik drew in a sharp breath, her nostrils flaring, but that was the only indication that the words hit home. "My being out here isn't putting anyone at risk except myself. And I'm fine with that. I happen to like this floor." "Fine," Lessa echoed, throwing up her hands in defeat. "If all you

Lilik, to her credit, didn't appear all that intimidated by the Beast. Crossing her arms across her chest, the woman took a long moment to look him up and down. "Who called the BFG?" "Cute," Lessa muttered. "The BFG. Referencing childrens literature at a time like this." Without shifting her gaze from Oscar, Lilik replied, "Roald Dahl was a fucking genius, and I bet you're just surprised that I even know how to read. Now who is this guy?" Her eyes caught and held Oscar's, amber and gold sparking like crossed swords. Lilik appreciated Lessa, and the work that she and Bahr did to

"I thought that was you." Lilik smirked down at the blonde. "Or some version of you. Had to come see if you'd been turned into one of those zombie things." Lessa, to her credit, didn't begin steaming from her ears. She looked like she came damn close though. "What the hell are you doing out here?" If Lilik was annoyed by Lessa's outburst, she gave no indication. Instead, she simply tilted her head, her voice light and mocking. "Oh, it's fantastic to see you too, Lessa! I've been great, thanks for asking. It's been really great to-" "Will you shut up?" This, it seemed, was enough

The rain pounded the earth incessantly. Thunder boomed and crackled like fireworks sizzling across the black sky. The warped cries of hellish, inhuman creatures came from all directions, a bastardization of the natural night music. And above it all rose a peal of high-pitched, full-bodied laughter. Lilik stood among the trees, her arms outstretched, her head thrown back in ecstasy. Drops pelted her, tiny bullets that stung her exposed skin and soaked her already water-logged clothes. Her lavender hair lung in long, wet tendrils, while her bangs lay plastered to her flushed cheeks. An exp

She almost believed him. The lack of expression on his handsome face, and the relaxed way in which he addressed June, worked wonders to put the other Player at ease. Lilik, however, noticed the faintest pull at the corner of his thin lips. Was that his tell? Then of course, there was the fact that "bad patrols" rarely left helpless young women alone in caves. The man was lying to June, which didn't bother Lilik quite as much as it might have normally. The plum-haired Player typically detested dishonesty, especially when it was directed her way. But was there truly any harm in keeping the

Total liability when it comes to finding missing sisters. Cool, another white knight. Where was he when the woman was asking the entire bar for help? Did he only feel a need to offer his apparent expertise when there were two damsels in distress? A sharp retort sprung to Lilik's lips, but as she whirled to fling the verbal darts, she found herself facing a barrel in men's clothing. It took a long, long climb before her gaze finally settled on his face. And "I wanna fuck this guy up" gave way to "I want to fuck this guy". But for all of Lilik's faults, she still had some self respect.

The woman moved from table to table, inserting herself into conversations, and shouldering her way into gatherings of people. She would say something, eyes wide, hands moving wildly, before being dismissed, and the cycle would continue. Typically, the other patrons simply shook their heads, or motioned her away with flicks of their wrists. In a couple of instances, however, the woman was physically shoved, catching an elbow to the chest, or a none-too-gentle shoulder check. Apparently undeterred by such interactions, she went on speaking to anyone who would listen (or rather, those who would n

As the walls closed, Players simply shifted closer together. Lilik supposed it was a bit like the instinct to step away when someone joined you in an elevator. There was no rule stating it had to be done, but it simply felt like the most natural, comfortable response. It wasn't until the smaller space became evident, and the situation more dire, that unease finally rippled through her companions. Lilik herself experienced the first flicker of uncertainty, but she refused to feed the flame. Panicking won't help, she told herself firmly. Panicking was for the weak. I'm not weak. The pink ha

Lilik spun a slow circle, taking in the small space. Though the expression she wore wasn't exactly disgust, it did flirt with disapproval. "This is it?" she muttered to herself. "We go from this huge chamber with some ancient death trap to some guy's private study?" Hands planted on her slim hips, Lilik's gaze came to rest on the grand desk situated beneath the stained glass windows. That would be the obvious place to stash important information, right? Including how to get to the top of the tower, or what awaited them there? It was certainly worth looking into. Long strides carried her t

Akin to a lost sock in a dryer, Lilik tumbled ass over tea kettle. Even before she splatted on the ground, her amber eyes were already firing manically. She spluttered as she found her feet. Her mouth filled with her all-time favorite phrase. "What the fu-" With a gasp, the lanky woman stumbled to the side, arms pinwheeling comically. She tripped over her own feet as the world shifted, and without any obvious handholds, Lilik was yeeted into the abyss. Amid the free-fall, her final thought was "I can't believe I'm going to die this way." Yet as she splatted for a second time, she too

"Why though?" Lilik muttered to herself as she jogged along the hallway, sneakers squeaking comically on the marble. Why in the world were Players bothering with the NPCs? Rallying the rebels, interrogating the guards - what was the point even? None of it made any difference, unless one of them somehow held a fast-pass to the top of the tower. And she wasn't about to waste her time trying to see if that was true. Instead, the purple-haired woman opted for the old-fashioned way up - the stairs. Dodging the handful of guards proved quite easy, as they appeared preoccupied with the peasants

Somewhere, Lilik had heard that jumping the moment a falling elevator hit the ground would save you from dying. Whether that actually held any truth or not, the woman thought of it as she stared down at the rapidly approaching lawn. Her hand tightened around the rope she held, the rough fibers slick in her sweaty palm. So if she jumped the moment the vessel crashed down, or maybe swung out on the rope, she should avoid any impact. Yeah, she could do that. Swing a little arch through the air, like the pirates did in the movies. Suddenly feeling far more sure of herself, Lilik gave the rope a ha