Lessa

Lessa gasped as Jomei stumbled, and her heart leapt into her throat. The sight made her sick, but apparently not as sick as he was. She winced as her tank lost his lunch, and her desire to help him warred with her need to give him space. She knew from experience that having someone invade your space while you were hurling wasn’t exactly pleasant. What was she going to do, hold his hair? Instead, she called up her HUD, and drew out another antidote. Those around her were topping off their protection against the vile creature’s influence, so she might as well do the same. She consumed it in

"Shit," was all Lessa could manage as Callisto raked his claws across the party. Then her vision suddenly blurred, her head ringing so violently that she nearly fell to her knees. As it was, her empty hand slapped over her ear, her shoulders scrunching in an attempt to shield the other. Fortunately, as soon as the madness had come, it disappeared. The antidote, it seemed, was doing its job. She staggered for a moment, struggling to get her (hah) bearings. Once she had, her first priority was checking on the status of her people. Each had health bars skirting the fine line between green and yel

The Guardian breathed a sigh of relief as her party escaped the first attack unscathed. The creature clearly possessed enormous strength and power, and the Frontliners would do well to respect it. So to avoid taking damage in the first rotation was a true miracle. Lessa flashed Jomei a grin, then winked, and said, "Guess you're not half bad at this tanking gig, huh?" Her gaze flicked across the other parties, curious how well they fared, and her blood froze in her veins. She watched Callisto give Alkor's body a shake, her oldest friend clamped tightly between the beast's rotting jaws. Les

The mass streamed through the door like water through a spillway, and as Lessa watched, the crowd grew smaller. She watched NIGHT, her guildmate and good friend, as she led the way into the room. Baldur followed, his long hair swinging as he turned away from her. Then there was Alkor, walking alongside Oscar, and the woman felt her palms growing damp within her gauntlets. Once upon a time, Alkor had walked into a boss fight much like this one, and hadn’t walked out again. Lessa pursed her lips, drawing a long, deep breath, before slowly exhaling again. She turned to her party. Jomei, his

In a tangle of limbs, hair, and cloth, Lessa burst into the shop. She nearly tripped over a pretty display just inside the doorway, her gauntlet clanging against her heavy breastplate as she attempted to right herself. "Gahhh," she managed, the sound somehow even louder than her armor and her general clumsiness. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for tripping, and for being so loud, and-" Helplessly, Lessa gestured toward the way she'd just come. "And for just everything. I'm normally more put together, I swear. It's just that I have literally one hour left before I'm supposed to fight a floor boss, and

Lessa guardian of aincrad Good luck on the boss fight today. You got this! Lessa stared down at the words, her expression vacant even as pleasure and pain warred just beneath the surface. It had been months since she had heard from her good friend, and much longer since she had seen him. When was the last time that he had taken interest in the Frontlines, let alone enough to send her a message about it? His attention, and his well-wishes, shone like warm sunlight. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to permeate the canopy of

"It's so pretty in here," Lessa breathed, gaze sweeping over the entirety of the shop. Though the clock was ticking, and she really shouldn't be wasting any time sight-seeing, the place was too nice to not appreciate. Natural sunlight spilled through the windows, splashing across the cozy furniture and well-worn rug. The urge to simply curl up in one of those armchairs and take a nap consumed her, and if she were a cat, she absolutely would have. Unfortunately, she was not a cat. She was a Frontliner, and she had very little time left to prepare before the big floor boss fight. If you had

Accepting with love. Thank you for everything, NIGHT. <3

Accepting, thank you! <3

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Straight Sword R5 (30), Battle Healing (2 Ranks - 16), Fighting Spirit (10), Charge (10) Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: Impetus (4), Emergency Recovery (6), Justified Riposte (5), Ferocity (4), Stamina (4) SP Refunded: 89 Cost: Utilizing Paragon Level 25's Free Skill Respec

Diwali, 2024 This event will run until the 30th of November, 2359ET. With Wushen’s defeat, a sense of peace and tranquility has returned to the floor, past the events that culminated to its rise. In this time of leisure, its citizens have sought out tradition: a celebration undone over the years, almost advisory, a rumor spread through word of mouth. It shares a common name — Diwali — and yet each town appears to hold different kinds of rituals and festivities to uphold the norms of their territory. Most have gathered to Ronbaru, acting as the flo

That same spike of panic plunged through her at Jomei's sudden ensnarement, but her friend's quip did wonders to stave off the fear. Rather than standing there, just as rooted as he was, she flew into action. In a single swipe, her blade severed both of the vines that clung to him. She slammed the weapon back into its hilt, then shoved both arms under Jomei's. "Upsy daisy." Bending, and lifting with her knees (good form is critical, you know), she once more dragged the swordsman away from the writhing remains. Once the pair had moved out of range, she stopped to look down at Jomei's face

Lessa remained quiet as Bahr spoke, only offering the occasional nod or hum of agreement while they moved through the city. He’d always had a tendency to think aloud, and more often than not, it worked for him. If walking through it with her helped him reach a possible solution, she’d roll out that metaphorical red carpet. Besides, the violent emotions spawned by Oli’s disappearance and Dominic’s smile threw themselves at her mental walls like a beast in a cage. If she let down her defenses, and allowed herself to examine those feelings too closely, they’d cripple her. She couldn’t do that, so

Despite the annoyance churning like a stormy sea behind her blue eyes, Lessa couldn't pass up the opportunity to toss Jomei a glance over her shoulder. She flashed him an angelic smile, batted her eyelashes, and answered, "Who, me?" with all the innocence she could muster. The words had hardly passed her lips when another gleam of white snagged her gaze. "Oh shit," she uttered without thinking. "There's another one." The flower burst into pixels between her cupped hands, and she straightened, then paused to press her balled fists into the small of her back. She stretched, all the while st

"It's just a quest," Lessa muttered under her breath as she tip-toed away from Jomei. Though their break by the campfire had worked to smooth rough edges, she couldn't stop some of the frustration from creeping back in. "It's just a quest, and I just have to find some stupid flowers, and then I can be done." The needs of the suffering NPCs weighed heavy on her heart, but the desire to simply wash her hands of it all couldn't be ignored. She could go home, and climb in bed, and take a nap, and not give another fuck about the creepy Grove Guardian. Even as she thought it, she felt the creature's

Lessa blew out a soft pft sound, then shook her head. “You may not be making a fortune,” she began, “but I sure hope that you don’t stop making songs. I enjoy listening to your stuff. And one day, you’ve got to teach me how to play something. Like anything. I’m not picky. I’ve actually always wanted to play the violin.” She tugged her friend to his feet, barking out a small laugh that didn’t carry much humor. “Yeah, that didn’t go well at all. I agree, let’s try not doing that again. More sneaky.” Lessa winced, then added, “I am not sneaky. I’ve always been more of the ‘go in guns blazing

The transition from the dim jail to the bright, bustling Starting City streets was a jarring one. In a way, it felt a bit like leaving a dark movie theater for the fresh air and sunny skies of the outside world. But this time, the horror that she left behind wasn't simply a movie, and reality had no comforts to offer her. The light and sound slapped at her as she burst through the doors, and the blonde found herself staggering as she squinted against the glare. "Yeah, I did," she managed, a little breathless. "I caught it, I just-" She gulped for a breath and found none, a diver with an empty

At Jomei's reassurance, a weight lifted from Lessa's chest. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if she could take a deep breath. She did so, letting the cold night air fill her lungs, and relishing in the way that it felt. The scent of the forest surrounded her - rich soil, leafy vegetation, the slightly musty smell of decaying wood. A chilly breeze carried with it the faintest whiff of smoke, and the NPC's plight once again moved to the forefront of her mind. They should get back to it, but this still wasn't a moment that she cared to leave behind. In truth, she wouldn't mind linge

Lessa thudded to her knees, the slime squelching beneath her in a most unappealing way. Instinctively, Lessa slid an arm beneath Cordelia's thin shoulders, lifting her upright, and supporting some of her weight. The woman coughed and shuddered, and Lessa let her gaze sweep over her guildmate while she waited for her to catch her breath. No visible wounds, thank goodness. And another look at her bar showed full health and no afflictions. Why, then, had she been trapped in the weird cocoon? "Hey Cord," the Guardian greeted gently once Cordelia's sputtering had slowed. "I've got you. You're

"Floor two, huh?" Lessa echoed, pursing her lips in thought. Then she shook her head. "I actually don't think I've been to that one. I'll have to check it out though. Thanks for the tip." She slipped into silence as Raidou began speaking, and he gave every indication that the words did not come easily. Sure, she'd poked at him a bit, encouraging him to open up to her, but she hadn't expected this. She'd thrown open the proverbial floodgates, and now she'd have to ride the wave that followed. She enjoyed providing a listening ear, and so many people came to her for advice, but damn if this

>To: Pinball >> This is a joke, right? >>> You know what, nevermind. >>>> I'll be right there. >>>>> PLEASE don't touch anything. She ran the entire way, her heavy armor clanging, and Riker loping along at her heels. The entire trip, questions swirled. Who in the world could be trapped in the slime? Why were they there? What could these new slime-traps mean for the future of the game? Would they spend the rest of their time in Aincrad looking over their shoulders for rogue, murderous slime monsters? And then, of course, there was the le

At the mention of the Firm Anima Guild, Lessa lifted a finger in the air and pointed it at Eruda. It had mayonnaise on it, and she nearly brought it to her mouth to lick it off. Then she remembered where she was, and opted for a napkin instead. "Actually, yeah," she confirmed as she cleaned the olive-burger-goodness from her hand. "I've heard of Firm Anima. A guy I've hung out with a couple of times is a member, if I remember correctly. His name is Raidou. I'm not sure if you know him, or how active he actually is in the guild, since he only mentioned it in passing. But he's a good guy. You sh

"Mmhmm," Lessa hummed in agreement, looking back to the night sky. "I've always been a big sunrise and sunset girl. The colors just blow me away, and it's always nice to slow down and appreciate how beautiful the world is." She troubled her bottom lip for a long moment, then released a slow sigh. "It's pretty here, too, don't get me wrong. But yeah, it's different." She let her eyes slip closed, then whispered, "I'm having a harder time picturing it though. When I imagine a morning sky, I see those pillars. When I think of snowfall, I think of a specific floor. And I can't remember what Mackin

Lessa grinned back at the girl. "Well then," she began, "I guess you've got an awesome look. Nice to meet you, Eruda." She took another bite of her burger, studying the other blonde as she chewed thoughtfully. Then her expression grew shadowed. "I'm sorry, I don't recognize you," she confessed. "I'm really horrible with people though, and honestly, I could barely pay attention to my own party during that floor boss fight." She tilted her head slightly, then added, "But your name does sound kind of familiar. Maybe I've heard people talking about you? Do you spend much time on the Information Br

"Yessir," Lessa answered, snapping off a quick salute. "I'll be right back." It didn't take long to find enough kindling for the fire. Given Srona was well-known for its trees, there were plenty to choose from, and the apparent lack of rain meant everything was bone-dry. Does it even rain here? Lessa found herself wondering as she scooped up twigs and shoved them into the crook of her bent arm. She would have assumed it had to, given how well things grew, but it wasn't as if there was any sunlight, either. She wouldn't be surprised if the vegetation thrived without the water. Also, you kn