Lessa

Ph

Alyssa had always hated running. In elementary and middle school, she kept an old finger split in her locker, and popped it on whenever the mile run rolled around. "Sorry, gym teacher who is also the varsity women's soccer coach, I can't, I'm injured." When it came to high school, and she found out that participating in Track and Field would get her out of the P.E. requirement, she didn't hesitate. She really latched onto the track portion of Track and Field, because much to her delight, shot-putters didn't have to run. But you know who did have to run? Frontliners, apparently. Lessa

This happens when the two of us combine (the timebomb's ticking, so). Oh, send reinforcements 'cause we'll cross the line (have mercy on our souls). All she heard was the rain. She couldn't say for sure if that was the only sound. Somehow, she knew it couldn't be - she was standing in the middle of a forest, for heavens sake. No doubt, there were other noises, like the creaking of trees as they bowed to the strong gusts of wind. Or the crunch of the leaves beneath her boots with each step that she took, her long strides carrying her deeper into the woods. Or the scurrying of little

Though no music played, and the bar was missing the trademark hum of other patrons talking, the steady drumming of the rain had provided a soundtrack of sorts. Their gentle back-and-forth, hazy at the edges with the help of the alcohol, also blanketed H.P.'s in a serene stillness at odds with the horrors they'd experienced all day. It was comforting, a tiny oasis in a barren wasteland. Of course, Lessa shattered that stillness as she slammed her glass atop the bar with a crack reminiscent of gunfire. "Are you kidding me?" she howled, swiveling on her stool so that she faced him. Without w

Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: Purify (4), Impetus (4) SP Incurred Towards Limit: 8 SP SP Refunded: 8 SP Cost: 8,000 Col

As the first crisp notes of Jomei's violin rose over the storm, Lessa let her head roll back. "My Chemical Romance," she growled, pleasure coursing through her body and through her words. "Yesssss, such a good choice." There was something haunting about so many of My Chemical Romance's songs, and Helena in particular had always set her on edge in the best kind of way. The song was about not being there for the people who needed you, after all, and it was so much more morose on a single violin. It fit the mood perfectly, accompanying the party's actions like an expertly crafted movie soundtrack

The sight of a new abomination tore another curse from Lessa's rain-slicked lips, but it was lost to the thunder that crackled overhead. "This floor is insane," she managed, once the ominous rolling finally finished. She loved storms, and thunder had always been among her favorite sounds, but she simply wasn't a fan of it when it was produced by Floor Twenty Nine. An involuntary shiver ran through her, and this one had nothing to do with the chill in the air or the rain seeping through the cracks in her armor. If there was any silver lining to be found, it was that she stood surrounded by

"Okay, sorry, I'm back!" The shout carried through the fog, and was followed seconds later by a bedraggled Lessa. Her cheeks were flushed crimson with exertion, and framed by the tendrils of blonde hair that were plastered by the never-ending rain. Mud climbed Lessa’s boots, splattered as high as her armored thighs, and caked the hem of her cape. She’d limited herself to only half a dozen complaints about the abysmal conditions, so as not to bring down morale, but another danced just on the tip of her tongue as she slowed to a stop beside Jomei. “Got distracted by a-” Octopus? Tentacle monster

The weight of the world dragged at Lessa's shoulders, and she worried she might collapse beneath the addition of Jomei's hands. Instead, she managed to draw in a long breath, and then she forced herself to meet his gaze. But the warmth she found there, and the pure, unadulterated compassion, nearly broke her. So she busied herself with counting the raindrops studding his eyelashes like tiny gemstones. When he smiled, she offered only a tight-lipped response, as if showing her teeth might be the final crack in the dam that held back... what, exactly? Tears? Grief? Longing? A colorful array of e

"I am convinced that there is nothing simple in this damn game," came her answer, though she couldn't find the effort to put much malice into the words. Aincrad was... well, it was Aincrad. It was a bitch, on the best days. Occasionally, Lessa had those fleeting "wow, we're in a video game and this is all so magical" moments, but they came rarely these days. She might catch herself appreciating an especially pretty sunrise, or enjoying the smell of an approaching rainstorm, but she would much rather do so in the real world. There were far fewer things trying to kill her out there. Assuming she

In the romcoms Alyssa had inhaled before Aincrad, the gentleman was always offering his jacket to his date at the faintest sign of a shiver. It was romantic, really, that a man might give up his own comfort to take care of someone he cared about. In actuality? Well, it kind of just frustrated Lessa. Granted, these were different circumstances. Most of those movies hadn't featured gale force winds, torrential downpours, or creatures that had crawled straight from the bowels of Hell itself. Come to think of it, none of them had. Also, actuality didn't feature Matthew McConaughey or Hugh Grant, s

Lessa concedes!

She kept her arm around Jomei until he was standing upright again, and even then, let it linger a bit longer than perhaps was necessary. When she withdrew, stepping away to give the man his space, she gave a small nod. "Sure, alright, we'll stay." She hoped her voice held more conviction than her words. In truth, the idea of running away to greener pastures was incredibly appealing. She'd never considered herself a scary-cat, and she and Jomei had faced some pretty horrifying things together. But something about the twenty-ninth floor made her feel indescribably uneasy, and a warm drink by a c

Tavern Closed for Private Party "You know," Lessa began, studying the sign with her hands planted on her hips, "in the entire time I've known Alexander, I can't think of another time that he's closed the place down. He must have really taken to my post-tournament party idea. Orrrr he's going to charge me an outrageous rental fee." With a small whistle, Lessa tipped her head back to take in the White Rabbit's size. The multi-story building, with its tavern and adjoining inn, sat perched on one of the fourth floor's many snowy mountainsides. It was as enormous as it was beautiful, and in th

"That's my girl." Three little words, but they ripped through her with the force of a nuclear bomb. She finished the string of attacks she’d already lined up, letting momentum and muscle memory carry her through the familiar steps, but she felt the fight draining from her like water through a sieve. She didn’t want it. And as hard as she tried, as much bravado as she could muster, she simply couldn’t convince herself otherwise. A cold wind whipped between them, sending their cloaks flapping wildly, and setting a fine layer of snowflakes spiraling around their ankles. Her hair tumble