Lysette

Well Oscar was on his shit. Not surprising. A group this big was bound to have some crossed wires here or there. Of course the host would need to actively regulate. She felt bad though. He'd put on all this effort and couldn't even enjoy his own party. She thought back to a brief conversation she'd had with Warren before they moved everything here and the silent pact they'd made while they made the preparations. It just wasn't right that he had to basically be on bouncer duty. Especially when there were the three of them who could just as easily do it for him. Lydia, naturally, could

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Lydia supposed that she could leave the repairing of the winches to Abellio. He seemed to have a knack for tinkering with things. And besides, she had a job of her own to do. She crossed the main deck and stepped onto one of the many skiffs that were arranged off to the side. Unlike the others, this one was laden with a sweet, frozen payload. She wasn't dressed for the beach. At least, she had kept herself more or less covered. She was certain that if this had been back in reality, she would have had a most tastelessly skimpy two piece forced onto her. Had to show off the ink after all.

Standing in the midst of the chaos, it was hard for Lydia to continue to push through. The battle the raiders were fighting seemed to have shifted into high gear. She could tell that much even from this distance. The situation around the stage had mirrored that uptick. Around and on, now. Shamblers swarmed the performance, descended upon STY/L and the people watching them. She was spending more time stepping on skulls than she actually spent focusing on her dancing. Disharmony in every sense of the word. And the question was posed: Do they stay or leave? There was a part of her

"Really?" Lydia raised an eyebrow as she drove her spear between Kumatetsu's eyes. The boss shattered like glass. Lydia stepped through the miasma, dismissing her weapon as she planted herself directly into Abellio's personal space. She looked up at him, fingers rising up his chest to fidget with the medallions on Abellio's necklace. She waited, keeping her feet planted and her eyes locked. And she struggled, trying to keep her face the picture of serenity even though her heart was thundering out of her chest. She wanted this. Him. Why was he keeping her waiting. Did she have to grab him by th

This was fun. Lydia had never been much of a fighter, but this was fun. She knew for a fact that it wouldn't be this fun without Sam. She didn't think that she would be able to deal with fighting a bear like this all on her own. It was strange how just being around him made her braver. He didn't even do anything. His glow alone inspired confidence. Confidence enough to risk her hide. Confidence enough to literally wrestle a bear. But that was just him. Silently encouraging, a stable and steady presence. It scared her, how dependent she already was on him. Her audacity too, in defiance of

Lydia never expected the Quest Boss to find them and not the other way around. Though, she didn't really give it much thought. She was too busy watching Abellio leap into the fray for her. Like he'd done on so many occasions. She wouldn't bring it up then, but that was what made him so far out of her league. Forget the fame and everything that came with it. He was there. Always right on time with zero hesitation. He parried the beast and froze as it bounded out of town, knocking over stalls and NPCs alike as it fled into the forest. Lydia didn't. The moment was gone and she did just say she wa

This was nothing new to her. The movements, the sound. Bass thumping, voices harmonizing. It felt familiar. Lydia hated being her celebrity status. But mostly she hated it because it was forced on her. In the heat of the moment, in the rising action of the performance, she had to admit she came alive. Being Lysette was easy. Effortless. She didn't have to think, there was no one to impose their will upon her on stage. She commanded attention. But she wasn't a solo act now. She had three of her friends beside her and their combined energy feed one another. It reflected, rebounded, grew and grew

His outburst surprised her. Abellio didn’t really strike her as the type to get bogged down in stuff like that. But it made sense, kinda. She couldn’t really hold it against him. Being starstruck was a real thing and she knew that from experience. But her temper flared when he questioned how fucking important he was. She didn’t let it show. Instead she reached up and clapped her hands down on both sides of his face. “You’re such an idiot,” she said in the sweetest tone she could muster. “Are the details really that important?” Of course they were. He was hurting and it upset her. She

Life so very rarely gave you the opportunity to correct past mistakes. Lydia knew that better than most. Keenly so. Standing here, with Abellio, in repetition of that tiny, significant moment in that cavern was one such time. She could make it right. Actually be the type of confident self-assured woman that she was on stage. Invoke the persona that everyone around her had crafted for her so carefully. But she was terrified. Why wasn’t he saying anything? If he wouldn’t she would. Lydia stepped in closer, bridging what small gulf existed between them. She pressed herself almost e

Lydia almost screamed when she saw that the incoming message was from Abellio. And everything else screamed at her to play it cool. But she was alright typing and sending out a message before those thoughts managed to attain a glimmer of actuality. She was already getting ready before the regret tried to set in. Tried to set in. It didn’t really make it very far. Lydia would absolutely never regret any amount of time she spent with Abellio. Only not spending more. She raced down to Floor 8 with a bright smile on her face. Because even if they weren’t a thing she still enjoyed every m

She couldn’t believe she’d done that. Why had she done that? Lydia stared into the mirror - into the eyes of her reflection. Some part of her hoped that the image would speak up and give her the answer. Her face still burned, even so many hours afterwards. Her lips too, as if she’d stolen a chunk of Abellio’s burning brilliance. She reached up and touched her lips, fingertips lightly brushing over the soft pink skin. She was terrified that the feeling would be gone when she woke in the morning. That she would forget. And why didn’t she lean into it? Clearly she’d had the cour

Redemption. Second chances. The opportunity to do better. It was the same thing Lydia was doing. Making up for the past, taking control of her life. Wasn't that the entire reason she'd rid herself of her tattoos and piercings. Lydia had reinvented herself in Aincrad. To the point that she dreaded the day they would leave. Those marks would be back. Those reminders that she'd let other people live her life for her. She couldn't bring herself to begrudge Mari her own reinvention. With a soft sigh, she also put away her weapon. Her shoulders slumped forward for a moment, then her back strai

What surprised Lydia wasn't how quickly she reacted to Mari's feint, it was how casually she did it. Lydia saw how Mari moved as Abellio turned his back and just reacted. And if it hadn't been for Oscar, she would have tagged her. The gravity of her actions sank in. It worried her. Lydia didn't hesitate. In that split second, it looked like Abellio was in trouble and she threw herself into a fight that she doubted she would truly be able to win. But what worried her the most was that she didn't feel the slightest remorse over it. If the choice was between Mari and Abellio, she would choo

Lydia didn't like it. The only thing that kept her from turning and bolting - while dragging Abellio along kicking and screaming - was the frustrating fact that Oscar was completely at ease. That and the fact that the woman had not, as of yet, tried to stick a dagger between anyone's ribs. Still, she didn't try to make friends. And she would have her questions answered once they were not in mixed company. Every time she thought that she had Oscar's measure, he wound up surprising her. Normally, that was a good thing. Now? She didn't know. But what she did know was that she was brought her