Lessa

Still a bit shaken from the previous craft, Lessa plucked a material off of Tristan's stack. "Back to work," she commented, brushing her hair back from her hair with her free hand. Once again, she held the material in the flames until it grew hot. Her mentor had taught her what to look for, and how to tell that the material was ready to be crafted. When she determined it was, the blonde dropped the material onto the anvil and began to work it. Of course, not every craft could be a success. This material simply would not work with her, no matter how she struck it. Even the Hammer of Dawn di

"You can come out now, you baby," she called to Orion, laughing. She accepted the rewards when she was prompted to do so, then sheathed her weapon. The blonde stretched her arms out above her head, working out the kinks that combat had caused. Then she yawned, and rubbed at her eyes. "Crazy how much more relaxed I'm getting when it comes to fighting, huh?" On cue, Orion scurried out of the grass. He clawed his way up her pants, skirting her armor, and came to rest on her shoulder. The creature chirped into her ear, as if scolding her for engaging at all. "I need the materials!" Lessa cried bac

"Wait!" The swordswoman called out suddenly, reaching a hand out toward Alkor. Her face was flushed, the blush extending down her neck and under her armor. Something had her pretty worked up. He said not to worry about the sword. Maybe he really doesn't want it? Well, it was too late now. There was no turning back. "Before you go, Alkor, I-" her voice trailed, and she dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry I asked you about the sword. Because, well-" again, she struggled to find the words. Finally, she heaved a sigh and brought up her inventory. She scrolled through the items, doing her best not to

"I have three more items to craft," Lessa said aloud, reminding herself of her jam-packed queue. "I need to buckle down and get this done." She went to pick up another item from Tristan's pile, then hesitated. Did she want a repeat of last time? To just chop away at all of the customer's materials? "Maybe I'll use my last material, and work on something personal," she told herself. Might as well take a breath, and work on something else for bit. Then she nodded. It was decided. Picking up her last material, she went about the preparation process. She felt that she had done this same thing

The young woman set aside Tristan's gauntlets. She had not required any further payment than the materials, so he was free to pick it up whenever he liked. Then, she wandered back to the warmest corner of her shop. Slipping another one of Tristan's materials into the fire, she wondered while she might craft this time. She still had seven materials work with, and she hoped she would not have to use all of them. Again, her mind drifted back to Rebekah's craft. She had spent too many materials on it. You're still new, her conscience reminded her. But it did not raise her spirits. The ite

His words were cold, but she understood. Lessa knew that Alkor believed in what he said wholeheartedly. He recognized that some individuals simply could not be reached, despite his best efforts. He used this as an excuse to let some people slip through his fingers. Lessa simply did not agree with his thought process. You can't shoulder their pain? Lessa repeated silently. She bit down on the inside of her cheek and inhaled slowly though her noes. So some people aren't worth saving? Was her own retort. Who's job is it to decide who can and can't be saved? Every person is inherently good, so at

She studied her companion for a moment, still trying to pick out any hints as to his thoughts. He had always been difficult to read. She had noticed that the first time they met, and experienced it again that day they met on the hill. She still remembered the way he had sat beside her in the grass, his mind a million miles away, his face completely bereft of emotion. It had bothered her then. And while she was growing used to it, it still got to her occasionally. Understanding people had always been her greatest strength. Alkor, it seemed, was her kryptonite. "No," she said, finally shatteri

"You know," Lessa began, sliding her own weapon back into its sheath, "I could craft you a new sword. I am a blacksmith, after all." Though her words could be misconstrued as being such, her tone revealed that she was not being the least bit sarcastic. She ran a hand through her long hair, and let it fall loosely over one shoulder. "I'd be happy to do it, especially if we pick up a decent amount of materials out here." Was she coming on too strong? She was just a guild master, working to provide her guild members with the best equipment possible. Right? Back to the matter at hand, Lessa resp

She was always so impressed, and a little bit intimidated, by the way he remained calm during battle. Lessa spent so much time worrying about others, and it made her sick to watch them take damage. She was so concerned that someone might take a little too much, and slip away from her forever. But that did not seem to bother Alkor, as he made yet another joke in the face of real danger. He was allowing her to finish the creature off. But just as she had predicted, the salamander grew more unpredictable as it was weakened. As she rushed toward it, it attempted to rake its claws across her just

The girl clasped her hand over her mouth, smothering the cry that had tried to spill out. The salamander had dealt a lot of damage, but Alkor had acted as if it did not affect him at all. That doesn't matter, a voice in the back of her mind chided. 0 HP is 0 HP, regardless of how well you take it. You're still dead. She frowned, but gave her companion a small nod when he tried to make light of the situation. "Focus," she growled softly, tightening her hold on the hilt, and looking over the salamander. Its health was dwindling, but that was often the most dangerous time to attack. Monsters gr

Lessa read over the message, and shot back a quick message. She assured Rebekah not to worry about it, and to take her time getting the materials together. Her sword would be waiting for her here. Now, she had eight materials to make Tristan's requests. There were three of them, and the truth was, she was a bit nervous. It had taken her six materials to craft Rebekah's perfect weapon. How would she craft three items using only two more materials? Thankfully, Tristan had given her a lot of wiggle room when it came to how the equipment turned out. She selected one of his eight materials, an

The insect was growing random and sporadic in its weakened state. Despite the 5 HP that it had left, the wind wasp was growing unpredictable. Lessa grit her teeth. She knew that this could be the most dangerous part of a fight. She needed to be careful. The pink lady tightened the hold on her sword, and lunged forward. The sooner she ended the creature's life, the better. She needed to put it down before it hurt her. True, it was a fairly weak enemy. But the poison could end her life fairly easily. And besides, Lessa had learned to never underestimate an opponent. She thrust her sword towa

Lessa ran a hand through her hair. This was getting out of hand. She needed to finish a piece for Rebekah, and fast, before she ran out of materials all together. This was her first job, and she could not just let it fall apart like this. "One more, and I'll tell Rebekah to find someone else," the girl said to her empty store. It was unfair of her to keep stringing Rebekah on like that. I've used too many materials as it is. She plucked her final material from the very small pile, and thrust it into the fire. As she set the glowing piece on her anvil, she noticed that it was growing a bit br

"Careful," Lessa called out to Alkor. She did her best to keep her tone light and joking, but deep down, she did truly did worry a bit every time Alkor was struck. The girl already understood that taking damage was all part of the game, but she still hated to watch Alkor's health bar dip. It always make her a bit queasy. It was her turn. As Lessa moved to make her next attack, she felt her throat tighten suddenly. Oh no, she thought with a frown. Another coughing spell. She nearly doubled over as her chest tightened, and she gasped for breath. She was still adjusting to the cruel heat and dr

Lessa met Alkor's gaze as he spoke, and she rolled her eyes. She knew he was trying to soften her up, and help her forget the fact that he kept throwing them into dangerous situations. But the truth was, she could not be too upset with him. He was the exact partner that she needed if she wanted to improve, and he was her only shot at becoming an effective one-liner. Besides, she felt safe around him. It would be a lie to say she was not scared, but deep down, she always felt he would get them through it. "Let's hope," she finally replied, once again copying his actions. Just as Alkor's had,

"Whoa!" Lessa exclaimed, hardly able to contain herself. The beast was much, much larger than she had anticipated, and she was shocked by the raw anger that seemed to roll off of it in waves. Her gaze never wandering from the salamander, she drew her heavy sword. Alkor certainly had a knack for introducing her to bigger, better monsters. Alkor's first attack dealt serious damage, and Lessa figured mimicking his movements may just yield similar results. She honed in on the creatures stomach, and as soon as Alkor was out of her path, she flew forward. Unlike her companion, she did not have

Arg and Kazuya, you are both very handsome! Lovely pictures.

"Hey Tristan," Lessa greeted, moving to the front of the shop to greet him. "I can definitely work on that for you. I'm not sure when I'll have it finished, since I do have a few projects ahead of you. But I'd be more than happy to do it." She gave him a quick smile, then rubbed her forehead, wiping a fine line of soot across her skin. "I'll let you know as soon as it is finished. Returning to her anvil, Lessa knew that she had to hurry up and finish Rebekah's sword. There was so much to do, and she needed to buckle down and get it done. Unfortunately, her next result was only a good item. "

There was a bit of alcohol involved this weekend. Hence the robe. And the crown. Anddddd the socks.

Jon! I just had drinks with him. XD