Lessa

* Once again, all rolls have +1 added due to Hammer of Dawn.

Lessa politely excused herself from her crowded shop entrance. "If you need anything," she informed her customers, "just call back to me. I can hear you. I'm just going to go get a few things together." With that, she disappeared into the depths of her forge. It was quite warmer back by the raging fire, but with a long list of jobs to finish, she knew she would have to get moving. Scooping up an armful of materials, the blonde scooted to her anvil, and let the heavy items fall across the small table. "Alright," she breathed. "Here we go." The first material began to shimmer after only a

The excitement with which Takao described his ideal blade warmed Lessa's heart. It was rare that she found individuals as passionate about weapons as she was, and she could not help but shake her head as he rambled. "No problem at all, Takao," she replied. "I can do that for you." There was a childish glow to the player that she could not quite explain. Perhaps it was merely his age, or simply the way he carried himself. The eagerness, the curiosity, the innocence... it was all strangely appealing to Lessa, and she briefly wondered how much easier this game was for someone with that sort of pe

The blonde nodded as Thorrissia explained what it was that she wanted. Once the girl had finished, Lessa gave a small smile. "Easy enough, yeah," she replied softly, her mind already whirring over the possible designs. "Since you're a Guardian, and a founding member really, since the guild's rebirth, I'd be happy to make you the sword for free. Maybe you could trade your blade in to the guild storage in return? It is always nice to have weapons to loan out as soon as new players join." Another voice caught her attention, and when she glanced up, her smile grew. "Takao, hey," she greeted warm

Hot damn. Too many hotties for one site to handle. Here's one from my birthday. I wore my best shirt to celebrate getting another year older (and wiser, probably).

Before her eyes, Tristan's tall, lanky form began to shimmer. He seemed to shrink, but it was not until some of the colors subsided that she recognized what exactly was happening. A soft gasp slipped past her lips. When had he learned to do that? Lessa had never seen another player use such an interesting skill, and for a moment, she was frozen to the spot. How much did I miss while I was hiding away on the fourth floor? Tristan dealt his damage, and moved out of the way to allow her an opening for a second attempt. There was no time to dwell on the magic she had just witnessed; three very p

Wolves Confused by the human's sudden transformation, the three wolves all experienced moments of complete and utter confusion. Though they were only bits of data inside of a virtual world, the disguise skill was enough to throw them off, and their reaction times were greatly impaired. Two of the wolves lunged at Tristan, but their uncertainty caused their attacks to go wide. The beasts landed helplessly behind the disguised human, before circling back around. The injured wolf, however, allowed his fury to drive his attack. That thing that stood before him had dealt him damage once, and he

The jingling of the front door's bell brought Lessa up from the back of her forge. The voice that carried back to her sounded strangely familiar, but it was not until she spotted the young woman that she finally came up with a name. "Thorrissia, hey," she greeted with a small, surprised smile. Thorrissia had been one of the two players who had fought Avalanche with her the second go-around, and she was startled to see her standing there in the shop's lobby. How long has it been since I've had a customer, and what are the odds that she would be my first? "Uhm, sure, I can definitely make that

"Yeah, this way," Lessa confirmed, nodding gently. She had spent quite a bit of time on the third floor, which surprised her a bit. When she had been a newcomer to Aincrad, she had spent very little time on the third floor. The first floor had been a safe haven, and the second had been her attempt at standing on her own. While she had trembled and fallen that day, her first steps like that of a newborn foal, Lessa had finally begun to truly learn the mechanics of the game. When she was first whisked away to the fourth floor, she fell in love immediately. The third floor, as a result, had been

At his mention of previous guildmates, the faintest traces of a smile flickered across her lips. Good for them, she thought to herself. She had hoped that her Guardians would go on to make names for themselves, and find like-minded people to join forces with. That, it seemed, was precisely what had happened. She was proud of them for what they had managed to do while she was away. She was proud of them for pushing forward when she had been too weak. But I won't be weak much longer. Lessa blinked a few times when he mentioned falling off the face of Aincrad, but she chose not to discuss the m

She neglected to react to his compliment, as his mention of the new guild interested her far more. "Azure Brigade?" she repeated, gaze dropping to the street before her as she racked her brain. Where do I know that name from? Of course, the Brigade was a hot topic, and players could often be heard murmuring about one great feat or another. It was a group of some of Aincrad's finest, the highest-level players all in one place. It was no surprise that they were one of the game's most influential guilds. But the guild seemed more familiar to her than rumors shared too loudly between strangers. Wh

"A long time, yeah," she replied weakly, not caring to reflect on the actual amount of time. Tristan had taken it upon himself to determine the exact number of months, which made her a bit dizzy. Had it really been that long? While she had not been actively avoiding old relations, Lessa was more than happy to drop off the map for a while. All she wanted to do was move on, yet the strangest things lingered to remind her. Sometimes, she let those memories motivate her. Other times, she allowed them to anchor her into the darkness she was scrambling to stay just ahead of. Occasionally, she had

"Can I help you with something?" Lessa glanced up from the the health potions that she had been examining. A raven-haired player stared back at her, an impossibly wide grin plastered across her face. This must be the shop owner, she determined. "Ah, no," came her answer, finally. "I'm just browsing, but thank you." "Are you sure?" the sickly-sweet voice countered, her emerald eyes narrowing. "These are top-of-the-line health potions. All of the front liners shop in my store." At this, Lessa's eyes widened. She took a step back from the shelf, her hands going to her hips as she rounded

Note: Rolled an 11, which became a 12 with my +1 to CD (Hammer of Dawn, which I've linked to in my shop).

Lessa nodded knowingly, but remained silent until Arc had told his entire story. Then, softly, "a lot of people have died here. A lot of good people. People who never deserved the end they were given." Memories of her previous boss fight played out in her mind yet again, as it often did when she closed her eyes to sleep. Her face paled. "And a boss fight is no joke," she added. "But if he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, maybe that was just right for him." His sudden declaration drew her attention back to him. He swore he would not die, a statement that Lessa might have pegged as foolis

Unfortunately, she was mid-sip when he made his wisecrack about being brought by a suitor. She sputtered into her drink, drops of hot chocolate dotting her cheeks before she slammed the cup down on the counter. She smiled as she wiped the drink away with the back of her hand, but she could not stop her cheeks from warming. "Me?" She countered, then she shook her head. "Not quite. I used to run a guild, and this inn was our meeting place. I've spent most of my time up here, which means I've spent a lot of time watching people come and go. Most are too busy staring longingly into each others' ey