Lessa
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Posts posted by Lessa
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"I'm pretty sure there are people who would kill to stay in their twenties forever." Though it was actually a pretty morbid subject, Lessa's gave a soft laugh. "So maybe we should consider ourselves lucky."
At the mention of Meokka, she tilted her head in thought. "I don't think I'm familiar with that name. Meokka, I mean. I remember Dom. He actually gave me a weapon, but that was a million years ago, and it randomly disappeared from my inventory at one point. I guess there are some weapons that do that? I'm keeping a close eye on Hell Rose now, because I'd be devastated if that one vanished. It has so much sentimental value." Realizing she'd gone on a bit of a tangent, she waved her hand through the air to indicate her backtracking. "That doesn't really mean a whole lot, though. I wasn't all that social, even back then. Honestly, I can count my close friends from Aincrad one hand. It's a very different experience than the huge crowds I drifted in and out with before SAO."
Only after she'd finished putting voice to her jumbled thoughts did Jomei's final statement sink in. Her hands, which had been gesticulating wildly, fell limply to her sides. "I won't," she assured him solemnly. The rigid finality in her voice, the assured way in which her gaze bore into him, left no room for skepticism. "I'm not going to disappear on you." Emotion, which she had only just succeeded in burying, threatened to bubble once more to the surface. She shoved it back down again. "There's been far too much of that going on lately, but I'm not going anywhere."
He dismissed himself to go change, and though Lessa had never been too worried about privacy, she drifted into his living room. Once he'd left her alone, she donned her familiar gear, hardly noticing the heavy weight as it settled across her body. The ribbons of light had hardly faded before she strolled to the table, picked up her bottle, and downed the remainder of her grape pop. In another world, she may have laughed at the concept of chugging Faygo in a full set of armor. But after so many years in the game, nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary.
Jomei emerged from the doorway just as her used bottle burst into fragments - another thing she might have found bizarre had she not grown accustomed to it. "Welcome back," she greeted, and when she smiled, the expression finally reflected in her lake-blue eyes.
After they had exited the apartment, and begun to walk down the sidewalk, Lessa motioned toward a nearby corner. "I dropped Riker off in the park over here, so he could get some fresh air, which he completely hated." Laughing, she added, "He'd just stay inside and sleep all day if he could, and he hates the crowds in places like this. So I'd put money on the fact he's just waiting for us to show up and come get- Yup, I knew it."
Her enormous wolf familiar loped down the street toward them, scattering Players who lunged out of his way. He halted a few feet away, leveling a gaze that clearly said 'I will never forgive you for this.' Then he dutifully plopped down at her side.
"Now I think we're ready."
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"Growing up," Lessa echoed, grimacing. "I guess we could still call it that. I'm only, what, twenty something? Twenty somethings get to make dumb decisions, and then figure out how to navigate the fallout." She raked her fingers through her mane of blonde hair, then shook it back from her face with a quick groan. "I feel so, so much older. I'm going to assume gray hairs aren't a thing in Aincrad, because if they were, I'd look like an old lady."
She caught herself then, recognizing how easily she could slip into a joke about her appearance. How long had it been since she had dropped a comment like that without any thought? Inhaling deeply, Lessa felt her chest expand, pressing against the weight that had lessened considerably. As if to demonstrate, she rolled her shoulders back, noting the considerable lack of tension. She had a long way to go before she could consider herself relaxed, but her visit to Jomei's house had changed everything.
Would she ever be able to explain that to him? Could she ever prove to him what their talk had meant? She studied him for a moment, with that goofy smirk and those laughing emerald eyes. Then she let loose a laugh of her own. "Yeah," she answered him, the single word as heavy as a glacier calving into the sea. It took all of the breath from her lungs, and left her feeling infinitely lighter when she found her feet once more. "You know what? Yeah, I do want to get out of here. Maybe fun and dangerous?"
Without waiting for his answer, Lessa summoned her HUD with a flick of her wrist. With practiced motions, she navigated to her available quests. She had accumulated dozens during her time in the game, but she had made little progress clearing them out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she scrolled through with dramatic flair, then stabbed a quest at random. "Guardian of Fire," she declared. "Floor nine. How's that sound?"
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That was an easy question to answer. Yet when Lessa opened her mouth, the words simply would not come. Bahr is what I want, she wanted to say. Or, at least, what she thought she wanted to say. But no matter how she tried to corral the words, the sentence wouldn’t form, and the words never left her lips. All that slipped past was a soft puff of air, like the last of a breath she’d been holding for far too long.
“I’m not sure what I want,” she finally admitted. Her hands slipped silently into her pockets, and when she gazed up at her friend, she felt impossibly small in comparison. “It feels wrong, and I don’t even like admitting it to myself, but I’m just not sure. I don’t have this big ‘why’ that’s guiding me anymore. I used to. Getting home, obviously, was the biggest one. Then it was fixing Alkor.” Despite the situation, when she gave a small laugh, it held a watery humor. “Which was silly of me, of course, but I thought he needed saving. After he was gone, it was all about distracting myself. Even just staying alive, for a little while. Then I tried my hand at teaching, which was nice, but never felt quite right. Then I met Bahr, and I just focused on being happy. Carving out a little piece of this place where I could settle down, and have some normalcy.”
Her shoulders rose and fell, and the hard soles of her boots scuffed as her weight shifted from foot to foot. “I guess happiness is still a big part of it, but like you said, everyone wants that.” The silence stretched between them, Jomei waiting patiently while Lessa searched for answers and words. She found neither.
“Is it okay if finding out what my purpose is is my purpose?” When she finally spoke, the question held a faint, almost melodic quality. “Just for a little while? Until I know where I want to go from here?”
Slowly, gingerly, Lessa lowered herself onto the corner of the piano bench. Her eyes wandered the gleaming black and white keys as she continued to think aloud. When had she last put voice to her thoughts like this? When had she last felt comfortable enough to do so? She owed Jomei more than she realized.
“I’m just so mad at myself. I'm mad that I have to do all of this again. The finding myself thing, and all that.” She accented her words with a quick wave of her hand. When it fell again, she rested her fingers delicately over the ivory. “But I guess that’s probably a little unfair. I’m so different than who I was a couple years ago. Maybe it’s natural to go through it over and over again, because the ‘why’ I found then doesn’t fit me anymore.”
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"I know." The words were hardly audible, a whisper in the cozy space. "I know it. All of it." She reached back to rub at the base of her neck, fingers kneading the knotted muscles. Her entire body remained tensed, like a housecat gathering itself to pounce. She simply couldn't figure out how to release the weight. But she blew out a hard breath, and shook her head in a way that sent her blonde hair slipping and sliding across her shoulders. "I've learned all this before," she finally explained. Her expression softened the slightest bit, but her eyes remained hard as she smiled ruefully. "I already had my 'finding myself' arc." With her free hand, she threw up the air quotes. "I was such a mess after I thought I loss Alkor. I even considered ending it, too." She hated to admit it, and Jomei now belonged to a very small group of people who knew that about her. "I know I come across as being so confident and sure of myself, but I wanted to die when I thought-"
She fell silent then, both hands dropping to her sides. She paused to rub her damp palms on the rough fabric of her blue jeans. The expression she wore when she finally looked at him held a silent plea. "I bounced back. I figured out what I was capable of on my own. And even now that Alkor's back in my life, I haven't allowed myself to fall back on that... that need. I haven't even wanted to. But... Bahr..."
"This feels so different. He felt different, and I felt different when we were together. I can't get myself out of this one, even though I know that I need to. I know exactly what I have to do, too. I just... I just can't." She pressed her fingers to her eyes, acknowledging the pressure there. They weren't gathering tears. Rather, she felt a stress headache mounting. She didn't feel like crying. She felt like turning herself inside out. In a sense, that's exactly what she'd been doing.
"I'm sorry to dump all of this on you," she stated suddenly. "I know you'll say I don't need to apologize, but I feel like I do. You didn't sign up for it, and I would never expect you to watch me go off like this. But... I'm glad you were willing to. So thank you."
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As he spoke, Lessa drifted from one side of his workspace to the other, pausing to study a stack of crystals, or admire the way the light gleamed off the instruments. Moving around seemed to help her remain grounded. Not looking at him kept her from breaking down completely.
When Jomei finally fell silent, the woman paused to drag her fingertips across the ledge of his chalkboard. Rubbing the powder between her fingers, she stared out the nearest window. "I like your chalkboard," she told him, lips quirking into a small smile. Though it trembled, she spoke the truth. "It's pretty retro. Your whole space is really nice." She motioned to it with both hands. "I can see why you'd want to spend your time here. It's a creative space, and an inviting one, I guess. It kind of reminds me of the band room in my old high school. I never did band, but some of my friends did, and Mrs. Keith always let us hang out. She had this single serve hot chocolate machine, and she always let us steal some."
For a few moments, she simply gazed out over Taft. The story hadn't been one she'd planned to tell. In fact, that memory hadn't been unlocked in years. But it had served as a convenient distraction from the reality of the situation, and the truth in Jomei's words. As she finally turned back to him, bathed in the city lights that spilled through the window, she wrapped her arms tightly across her chest. "You're right." She paused to swallow around a lump in her throat. "You're right, I just need to force myself out of it. Shock my system, get back on track. Make myself do the things I want to do. I'm the only one who can. It's so easy when I say it out loud like that. I have to make my own happiness"
Though she smiled wryly, a cloud passed across Lessa's flushed face. "My problem is that I did it again. I started getting my happiness from someone else. Even though I can make it myself, it was such a rush to feel like I was the center of someone's world, you know?" She lifted both hands helplessly, then let them drop to her sides. "I loved who I was so much with them that I forgot who I was when I was alone."
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Slumping forward, Lessa propped her elbows on her knees and dropped her head into her hands. With an almost comical groan, she squeezed her eyes shut. The couch shifted as Jomei took the seat next to her, and she paused to take a long breath, then let it out again. "Thanks," she said finally. The single word weighed heavy with exhaustion, but hints of raw emotion bled through as she continued to speak. "Really, it means so much that you'd be up for listening. I haven't really finished sorting through things myself, so this will probably be incoherent blabbering." She aimed a small, self-deprecating smile at her lap. "You're right though. The loneliness is the hardest part, I think. I've been so damn lonely the past few months. Even longer, if I'm being honest with myself. It's been a while."
"I can't seem to find the motivation to do anything. Or even the desire. I've spent so much time in my bed. I don't want to train, or craft, or quest, or anything. I'd been excited to get better at cooking, but that just kind of died off. I'd kind of thought about writing about my time in Aincrad, then that never happened." Her voice cracked as she concluded, "I don't even want to go riding anymore."
She pulled in air slowly, her lips pursed as if she drank through a straw. Then she pressed the heels of both hands against her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Jomei. I've never felt like this, even before SAO. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do about it. I feel weak, and alone, and useless, and just so low in a way I've never felt before. Not even after Alkor died. Then, I was sad. Now I'm..." She clenched her jaw, then gave up and finally said it aloud. "Empty."
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The hard exhale came like a humorless laugh. Finally, the blonde lifted the bottle to her lips and drank deeply. "I wish relationships didn't hurt as much," she muttered once she'd downed half her drink. "I wish I could focus so much on clearing floors that romance didn't matter as much to me." She wedged the bottle between her knees, then made a 'tunnel vision' gesture with her freed hands. "Just forget everything else, and keep all of my attention on getting out of here. It would definitely be easier, wouldn't it?" Lessa's voice trailed, and though her eyes remained on Jomei, it was evident she was miles away.
Sighing, she scrubbed at her face with both hands. "Shit," she muttered, her voice muffled against her palms. "I did it again."
Eventually, she retrieved her drink, and took another swig. "Yeah," she managed, cupping both hands around the bottle. "First time we really sat and talked, and I'm ready to go off like your my therapist." She smile she offered him bordered on sheepish, and didn't quite reach her eyes. "I don't normally do this, I promise. Honestly, I never do this. I'm always the one who does the listening, and the helping. I thought that's what I'd do here. That's what I came here to do." The rushing river of her rambling crashed against the rocks, and she choked out, "Thing's aren't great right now."
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“I’m really sorry.”
It was likely the most cliche thing she could have told him, but she couldn’t seem to find any other words. Besides, it was the truth. She felt her heart breaking for him, and as her gaze held his, she felt the same pain he did. She felt it, because she hurt for her friend. And because she knew what he was going through.
”Breakups are hard,” she stated plainly, continuing her trend of saying the wrong things. “I mean, I think they’re bad anywhere, but they’re kind of worse in Aincrad, I think. Because there are so many unique factors. Most couples don’t have to decide if they’re going to risk their lives on the frontlines or not, you know? They don’t need to plan weddings around boss battles.” Her blue eyes dropped to the drinks on the table between them. Robotically, she drew out the grape pop, unscrewed the cap, then just stared into the bottle. “They don’t all suffer from some weird kind of PTSD.”
When she looked back to him, her eyes reflected his pain. But she smiled as she added, “You’re right though. You’ll be okay. I never doubted that.”
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꧁༺Lessa༻꧂Lessa, The Violet Guardian
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 39
HP: 820/820
EN: 114/114
Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 122
Battle Healing: 41
H.M.: 8
HLY: 8
THRNS: 72
LD: 3
Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY)
Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS)
Misc: Purple Hair Ribbon (T2 TRINKET - LD3)
Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Heavy Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Energist
Fighting Spirit
Charge
Active Mods:
Impetus
Emergency Recovery
Addons:
Iron Skin
Ferocity
Stamina
Active Extra Skills:
Parry
Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Guild Hall Buffs:
Helping Hand: Lowest-leveled guild member receives +10 bonus Exp at the end of the thread. At least half of the thread's participants must be guild members. Limit one use per month, per character. [1/1]
With an ironclad grip on the porcelain platter, Lessa followed the sidewalk west. Her blue eyes never left her precious deviled eggs, nestled in their individual spots. The egg mix, perfectly concocted with mayo, mustard, honey mustard, and pickle juice, sat atop expertly cooked egg whites. They were, in a word, eggcellent. And the only thing Lessa could actually cook.
As such, she was hell bent on making it to Koga’s without ruining them. Considering her cooking curse, it made sense for her to drop them before they could be eaten. She wouldn’t let that happen.
With her gaze on her tray, she nearly plowed into a fellow blonde waiting at Koga’s door. “Oh hey,” she greeted, flashing an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” By way of explanation, she lifted her plate of deviled eggs. Then, finally taking in the other woman for the first time, her smile bloomed into a grin. “I love your Santa getup!” In her oversized red sweater and black leggings, Lessa wasn’t quite so festive. But she hadn’t really been in the all-out-Santa-outfit mood. She’d hardly been in the party mood. But Koga was her friend, and she felt she owed it to him to at least show up.
”Here,” Lessa said gently, balancing her tray in one hand and reaching for the doorknob with the other. “I can hear music, and Koga may not hear us through the craziness. Let’s just go in.” Turning the handle, she swung the door open, and let the party atmosphere crash over her.
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Lessa leaned forward, resting her chin on Riker's back as she studied Alkor's message. A part of her was surprised that he'd accepted her invitation so easily. She had expected him to ask for details, or to consider the request before answering. In fact, she'd even assumed he might have been busy doing something else. Did this mean that her old friend was beginning to loosen up a bit? Or was it simply that the man loved his rumor chasing?
"Ooookay," the woman drawled, closing her eyes as she considered. Now that she had his attention, she was forced to admit she didn't actually know of any current rumors. She knew they were there, of course, as the mill had been hopping as of late. But she hadn't planned anything specific. So she opened her eyes again, flicked to the stream of info broker reports, and chose one at random.
QuoteTo: Alkor
How about strange lights in some old ruins? Sounds pretty spooky.
If you're game, why don't we meet up at Krycim's north entrance?
- Lessa
"Alright, you," she murmured, this time to the wolf, rather than the empty house. He craned his head to look back at her, enormous eyes blinking slowly. Though she saw love in those amber depths, she also recognized both wariness and sleepiness. He'd go with her if he asked - he'd follow her to Hell and back - but he didn't look particularly thrilled about it. "Alright, fine. You can stay." Lessa crunched to plant a kiss against his warm, shaggy fur, even as he began wriggling in her lap. Together, they gracelessly stumbled from the chair. For a moment, they simply stood together in the otherwise unoccupied space. Where Manderley had once felt warm and homey, the emptiness yawned around her. She found it terrifying.
So she reached out and placed a steadying hand on Riker's head. Once she'd recovered, she loosed a small sigh. "I guess I should eat something before I go." When was the last time she'd done that?
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Rewards
38,454 words total.
38454/30=1282.
6 pages.Name Posts
(% of Rewards)Tier Bottled Vigor Experience
Including Event Bonus & Bottled VigorLilik 21 (6/6) 1 2000 10013 Oji 5 (1/6) 1 2000 3335 Nian 12 (4/6) 1 2000 7341 Alkor 13 (4/6) 6 3000 35050 Krysta 20 (6/6) 4 2000 34050 Plini 12 (4/6) 1 2000 7342 Celeste 10 (3/6) 4 2000 18025 Lium 6 (2/6) 1 2000 4671 Nobody 7 (2/6) 1 2000 4671 Blueberry 8 (2/6) 2 3000 8342 Jomei 6 (2/6) 9 4500 28538 I made too many rows. All Players receive the following:
1. The above listed experience (which includes a 25% event bonus & Bottled Vigor).
2. 15000 col.
3. One Bottled Vigor (already applied).SpoilerBottled Vigor (x1)
Untradable; applied upon acquisition.
Gain +(500 * Tier) EXP. For players below Tier 5, this EXP is then multiplied by the difference between their tier and Tier 5 (eg. A Tier 1 player would gain +(500 * 1 * (5 - 1 = 4)) EXP for a total of 2,000 EXP).*Note: Typically, the Bottle Vigor would not include paragon levels. For this particular event, they did. Remember, this has already been applied. It should not appear in your inventory, or be used elsewhere.
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For the first time in a long time, combat had genuine fear climbing Lessa's spine. The second blow may not have hurt much, but paired with the first, her health bar was dipping below 50%. As her blue eyes scanned the remaining points, her fist clutched tighter around the hilt of her sword. Maybe it'll be over soon, she thought, drawing in a deep breath. But she knew she couldn't take the risk.
Even as she reached for one of her own health crystals, HP surged back into her bar. Turning to the source, she flashed Ariel a wide smile. Though the expression did not reach her eyes, it was genuine enough. "Thank you," she called out, before slamming her own crystal. She could use all of the help she could get.
End it quickly, she thought to herself, launching into another successful attack, and hopefully shaving off a bit more of the boss' HP.
(Bare minimum post. Will add more when feeling better.)
SpoilerFree Action (Mass HP Recovery (+30*PTier HP))
Given by Baldur, taken from BRI, one remaining.
Oscar | HP: 1030/1032 (+0)
Lessa | HP: 675/966 (555 +30*4)
Night | HP: 880/880 (+0)
Ariel | HP: 965/966 (833 +30*4 +12(SURV))
Zandra | HP: 1015/1058 (895 +30*4)
Post Action (Attacking Gabrandr)
ID202792 | BD6 | >ST-II vs Gabrandr
ID202793 | CD10 | Recovery TriggeredDamage: 32 * 18 - 60 = 516 DMG
Health: 555 + 48 (BH) + 120 (Crystal) = 723
Energy: 109 + 1 (Turn Start) + 2 (Horn) + 1 (Well Rested) + 8 (Recovery) - 17 (Attack) = 104(6) Lessa | HP: 675/966 | EN: 104/116 | DMG: 32 | MIT: 142 | ACC: 4 | BH: 48 | LD: 0 (+1 loot) | H.M.: 8 | HLY: 8 | THRNS: 72
(STM, Well Rested (0/3), ST Shift, +2 EN/turn [Horn], REC 8)
(FGT SPIRIT) -
"Thanks!" She called up as Jomei agreed to let her in. She shifted her weight from her left foot to her right, mind racing to formulate some sort of explanation. Surely he was going to ask what she was doing, especially considering how rarely she visited him. It had been months since they had even seen each other. Why now? And why with a six pack of pop? Why didn't I think of this on the way over? She hadn't thought of anything, except to close the distance between herself and her friend. Now she wasn't even sure if he needed the support.
Still, she returned his smile as she slid past him. It was a pleasure to see the redhead again, regardless of the circumstances. She made a note to check on her friends more often. Maybe then she wouldn't have to find out about their lives from strangers in bars.
Shoving aside the pang of guilt, Lessa held out the cardboard carrier, and gave it a little jingle. "Faygo," she declared proudly. "Grape, orange, a red pop, and a cream soda." She scrunched up her nose at the last suggestion, and added, "Not sure why anyone would drink the cream soda, but I threw it in there just in case." She was stalling, of course. And as she stood in his tidy living space, she realized just how awkward her unannounced arrival really was. "I hope you don't mind the random visit," she began slowly, gently setting the bottles on the coffee table before lowering onto the edge of the love seat. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. It's been a while, and-" Like a bandaid. "Well, I heard that you and Telrenya ended your engagement. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
She'd seen car crashes play out with more grace, but at least the deed was done.
-
꧁༺Lessa༻꧂Lessa, The Violet Guardian
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 39
HP: 820/820
EN: 114/114
Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 122
Accuracy: 2
Battle Healing: 41
H.M.: 8
HLY: 8
REC: 8
THRNS: 72
Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY)
Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS)
Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC)
Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Heavy Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Energist
Fighting Spirit
Charge
Active Mods:
Impetus
Emergency Recovery
Addons:
Iron Skin
Ferocity
Stamina
Active Extra Skills:
Parry
Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Guild Hall Buffs:
Helping Hand: Lowest-leveled guild member receives +10 bonus Exp at the end of the thread. At least half of the thread's participants must be guild members. Limit one use per month, per character. [1/1]
Taft shone, even as evening fell across Floor Eleven. Storefronts gleamed, advertising various items and sales. Someone had woven twinkling Christmas lights through the branches of the park's trees, likely to celebrate the approaching holidays. Even in a floating Hell, decorating for Christmas is a must. Players and NPCs alike rushed, strolled, and just about everything in between. Some sported short-sleeved shirts, while others bunded beneath heavy jackets, the chilly night air apparently too much for them.
Lessa hardly noticed as she hurried along the side-streets, sunflower blonde hair streaming behind her like a cape. She occasionally drew in a low, deep breath, enjoying the sensation of cold air filling her lungs, but the breeze did not seem to bother. Even as it tugged at the loose ends of her army green jacket, and seeped through the thin fabric of her blue jeans, she never slowed. How could she? She had somewhere to be.
It was honestly a miracle that Lessa had even heard. Two Players chatting at a nearby table in the White Rabbit had snagged her attention, mentioning Telrenya more than once. Though Lessa had never met the woman, she knew of her engagement to Jomei. Being the dutiful friend she was, she had, of course, listened in. Her cover was blown the moment the break-up was mentioned, and Lessa's mug of hot caramel apple cider clattered to the bar. "What?" she had sputtered, even as Alexander, the NPC bartender, rushed over to check on her. The two Players had turned to her, their expressions first quizzical, then annoyed. Apparently, they hadn't appreciated her eavesdropping, or her barging in on their private conversation.
"Look, I don't know what happened," the blue-haired boy had stated, scowling at her. "Just that Telrenya's back on the market. My friend knows her friend, and he always thought she was-"
If he'd finished his statement, Lessa hadn't heard it. She'd knocked over the barstool, tugging on her jacket as she slipped through the door and into the swirling snow.
Save for a brief stop at Manderley, she hadn't slowed until she reached his house.
Peering up at the young man on the balcony, Lessa lifted her arm over her head. Clutched in her hand was a cardboard bottle holder, the glass clinking as she offered it up to him. "Hey," she called up. "I'm pretty sure a cute Irishman lives here. If you see him, will you ask him to let me up? Tell him I come bearing gifts."
-
"I'm the shallowest," Lessa replied cheerfully, rocking up onto the toes of her boots as if to emphasize the point.
When Freyd mentioned the mayor of Tolbana, she blinked big, blue eyes at him. "Huh," she remarked. "It's surprising that you can remember that sort of stuff. I can hardly remember the details of quests I'm currently on, let alone obscure ones I took ages ago." She paused, then after a beat, added conversationally, "Though if collecting information is your thing, I guess it's not that weird. Just impressive. My old friend, Hikoru, does the info broker thing. He was always really good at it, too."
A line formed between her eyes as her brows came together. "But, ah, I haven't heard about this skeletal guy. Skelton sounds creepy, but dad jokes sound less-so. Still not someone I think I'd want to run into."
Her expression softened as Lessa recognized apprehension in the NPC's ice-blue gaze. Even as the boy studied the coin in his hand, his eyes flitted between the three Players, and then toward a path just beyond them. "I'm not much for fighting," he finally explained sheepishly, after a moment of silence had hung between them.
"Neither am I," came her gentle confession. Resisting the urge to pat his shoulder, she instead offered him an easy smile. "But these guys?" With both gloved hands, she motioned to Baldur and Freyd. "They're nuts. Seriously, you're super safe with them. I promise." With a mischievous wink, she concluded, "You and I won't even have to draw our blades."
"All I've got's a slingshot."
Lessa nearly laughed at the pure innocence in his response. "Even better," she told him. "We'll just watch the guys work. Speaking of..." Her voice trailed as she hooked her arm in Baldur's, and patted it delicately. "Come on, Grandpa. Let's get you moving again. If you stay still too long, your arthritis might flare up."
-
She tossed her hand absently. "I've honestly stopped trying to figure Cardinal out," Lessa admitted. "Maybe that's wrong, since analyzing how the game works could potentially give us a hint as to how to beat it. And you know getting out is my main focus. But I've been trying to do that for damn near a decade now, and I'm no closer to picking out any real patterns. At least, aside from the typical, like 'this floor is a desert, so it probably won't rain,' you know?" Recognizing she was rambling, she shrugged. "I guess I just don't see a point anymore," came her conclusion. "We're just driving ourselves mad trying to figure it out. Yeah, it's a game, but it feels as unpredictable as real life."
Following Koga's gaze, Lessa shook her head. "No," she replied, "I don't know about it at all. I just heard rumors about it popping up out of nowhere, so I decided to investigate. Honestly, I expected there to be more people here." With a small smile, she reached to rub at the back of her neck. "Granted, this place is so enormous that there could be entire guilds exploring right now, and we wouldn't see them. It was honestly a huge surprise we found each other."
-
He's doing it for his people?
Something inside Lessa softened, and her sword dipped as she dropped her guard. Was there a chance that violence really wasn't the answer? This man had begged them to leave, over and over, and even given them the chance to do so. Was the game capable of producing such tricky boss fights? It certainly wouldn't surprise her. I wonder if there's another way...
Those were the exact words slipping through her mind as the king turned his attention on her. Weapons she hadn't even noticed sliced through the air, streaking toward her like heat-seeking missiles. A heartbeat later, they struck, engulfing her entire body in ice-blue flame.
She thought it was over. It had to be over. Yet even as Lessa blinked back the initial shock, she watched the king follow up with yet another attack. He moved with inhuman speed, traveling so quickly that she'd have sworn he simply materialized beside her. Fear, hot and raw, consumed her entirely. She sucked in a hard breath, but it was all she could do before the floor boss dragged and X shape across her heavy armor, and blasted her backward.
Lessa collapsed in a tangle of limbs and steel. Shaking her long hair from her face, her dazed blue eyes moved instinctively to her health bar. One-third down. In a single attack? Still on the ground, Lessa allowed herself a few moments to breathe. Fear still surged through her veins, but as her heartbeat finally slowed, so did her trembling. By the time she found her feet again, the woman had regained some control.
"I did feel bad for this guy," she growled to her companions, "but I'm over it now."
To demonstrate, Lessa hefted her enormous sword over her shoulder. It burned brilliantly, the light nearly as bright as the boss' own flames. Both gold and silver wove together, a galaxy of stars, swirling as it filled with power. "Now I'm mad."
Channeling all over her strength, her might, and her anger, Lessa slashed her holy sword across the Fallen King's chest, a near-perfect mimicry of the attack he had used on her only a moment before.
SpoilerID202676 | BD10 | >ST-I vs Gabrandr
48 * 15 - 60 = 660 DMG
(Holy Proc & Heavy Momentum)(4)Lessa | HP: 735/966 | EN: 110/116 | DMG: 32 (+8 HM) | MIT: 142 | ACC: 4 | BH: 48 | LD: 0 (+1 loot) | H.M.: 8 | HLY: 8 | THRNS: 72 | STEADFAST [Zandra 1/2]
(STM, Well Rested, ST Shift, +2 EN/turn [Horn], REC 8)
(FGT SPIRIT) -
Time seemed to stop as the first Scather blew. The shockwave moved like ripples from a dropped stone, barreling into the unsuspecting Players. Though Lessa stood a short distance off, and her health bar showed no damage taken, the blast blew her hair back from her face. She let out a small squeak as a gasp caught in her throat, and it took a few seconds before she managed to inhale again. Sweat broke out across her brow, tiny beads slipping and sliding across her temples. Is this what being a Frontliner meant? Watching your comrades be blown up, and waiting for your turn? Her hands trembled inside her heavy gauntlets. The fight against the Hydra had been the worst thing Lessa had ever experienced. Would this be even worse?
The King lifted a single hand, and as the North Scather began to hum with power, Lessa’s chest tightened. “No,” she breathed, the one word lost to the cacophony of clunking armor and slashing weapons. The battle had begun once more, the Players seemingly recovered from the Scather’s explosion. But what if they again failed to deactivate the bombs? “Hey!” Lessa called above the noise, jabbing a finger toward the newly primed Scather. “We have to get that turned off. We can’t let another one burst! We can’t-”
Her words died on her lips as a handful of Players fell upon the Scather, hurriedly working to turn it off. Most she did not recognize, but when NIGHT’s familiar form came into focus, Lessa heaved a sigh. At least one thing seemed to be going right. If the capable dark-haired beauty couldn’t figure it out, she figured no one could. As if to demonstrate, the color faded from the Scather once NIGHT had finished with it.
My turn to step up. Inspired by NIGHT, and riding high on adrenaline, Lessa hefted her heavy sword over her shoulder. Though she lacked the speed and grace of a lighter build, she moved well beneath her plate armor, quickly closing the distance between herself and the Fallen King. Unfortunately, as she made to drop the blade across the man’s torso, he easily sidestepped her swing. The Guardian stumbled, literally and figuratively, the flicker of hope smothered by the botched attack.
SpoilerID: 201894 BD: 4+4=8-3=5 CD: 10
[x12] ST-I (12 EN) > MISS
Heavy momentum triggered for next attack.(1) Lessa | HP: 966/966 | EN: 114/116 | DMG: 32 | MIT: 142 | ACC: 4 | BH: 48 | LD: 0 (+1 loot) | H.M.: 8 | HLY: 8 | THRNS: 72
(STM, Well Rested, ST Shift, +2 EN/turn [Horn], REC 8)
(FGT SPIRIT) -
While Oji spoke, Lessa flashed Hik a quick smile, and a nod of thanks. The steam rising from the cup was absolutely heavenly, hitting just the right caramel and apple notes. She drew in a deep breath, just enjoying the way the sensation crashed over her. Nothing brought her comfort, or took her to her happy place, quite like hot caramel apple cider. The cup was half-way to her mouth when she paused, something Oji had said peaking her interest. She allowed herself a second for her first sip, blew out a satisfied breath, then replaced her cup on the table top.
"Age is such a weird thing," she commented, brow furrowing in thought. "I do know I was twenty when I joined the game. Just finishing up my first year of student teaching, and pretty close to graduating from college, too." The memories of her time teaching students, and being one herself, came and went like a ship on a distant horizon. Rather than dwelling on them, as she had a tendency to do, she kept her gaze on the man sitting opposite her. "But I have no idea how long we've been in here. I figure I'm at least twenty six or twenty seven now, but that's just a guess based on what I can remember. I'm sure someone kept better records, but time kind of got away from me for a while there." She took another drink of cider, her expression contemplative. "Not to mention the fact that time may work differently in here. I wasn't a part of Beta, so I don't know for sure. Is it a one-to-one deal, or is it going more quickly in here?" Or god forbid, more slowly? Would she wake up a fifty year old woman?
Unwilling to reflect on it too much, Lessa smiled after Hikoru as he left the table. "Sort of," came her short answer. "We kind of just saw each other around, and spoke briefly. It wasn't until last Christmas, when we finally sat down and started talking, that we got to know each other." Recalling the snowy night, and their run-in with the mysterious Father Wuotan, Lessa couldn't help but laugh. "Probably more memorable than a boss fight, honestly." As Oji rattled off some other names, Lessa cocked her head to the side. "I know of Cal," she replied, "and I definitely know Ariel. She actually used to be a member of my guild. As for Shield, and the J guy, I'm not really sure. How is it that you came to know Hik?"
-
Lessa wasn't entirely sure what she had been expecting. Learning that she, along with the entirety of Aincrad, had died... well, it couldn't be easy for anyone to come to terms with. She thought maybe he might blow up, cursing the game, its creator, and the harsh reality they never seemed to have any control over. She had seen this anger in him many times before, and knew that it still bubbled just beneath the surface. Try as she may, she had never succeeded in permanently cooling the man's temper. She had prepared herself for the explosion, and the impossibly hot flames that she sometimes still feared might graze her. She had been burned before, that night in Sanctuary, but she tried desperately to forget it. If he gets mad now, she cautioned herself, it won't be with me. He won't be angry with me.
But the madness never came, nor did the sadness, the confusion, or the fear. In fact, Bahr's expression remained completely neutral, even seconds after she had shared her story. Concern tightened around her heart, and a moment later, it had spread across her entire chest. Swallowing around a newly formed lump in her throat, Lessa's blue eyes shifted expectantly between Bahr's mismatched ones. Usually, they revealed so much about what raced through the his mind. This time, she might have been looking into a black, starless sky.
"Hey," she finally breathed, reaching a trembling hand toward the man she loved. Her fingertips gently kissed his flushed forehead, drawing the white hair back from his eyes before trailing down the side of his face. She cupped his cheek, her thumb stroking soft half-moons against his warm skin. "Bahr?" The word did not appear to reach him, wherever he had gone. Distress lanced through her, a sudden and overpowering need to draw him back to her. "Apollo? Are you okay?"
Her entire body flinched when he suddenly came back to life. She turned to look at his hand on her shoulder, and when she swung her gaze back to meet his, the pain still lingered. But she forced a small, tight-lipped smile for his benefit. Then, knowing that he read her like an open book, she let her body fall into his. With her face pressed to the soft fabric of his sleep shirt, he wouldn't be able to see how she drew in long, slow breaths, her eyes screwed closed, her jaw clenched tightly.
When he finally spoke, and she replied, she prayed her voice would be steadier than she was.
"This isn't too bad right here," she told him. But somehow, they both knew they couldn't spend the day wrapped up in each other. Too much had happened. And if we don't do something soon, he might go away again.
So she sat up, careful not to dig an elbow into him as she shifted on the overstuffed couch. Her hair, a bit disheveled from cuddling up to him, fell over her shoulder. She made no move to brush it back as it tumbled like a curtain across half her face. "I guess maybe go for a walk? Get out and enjoy the nice day?"
-
꧁༺Lessa༻꧂Lessa, The Violet Guardian
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 41
HP: 780/780
EN: 116/116
Stats:
Damage: 32
Mitigation: 142
Accuracy: 4
Battle Healing: 39
H.M.: 8
HLY: 8
REC: 8
THRNS: 72
Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY)
Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS)
Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC)
Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Heavy Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Energist
Fighting Spirit
Charge
Active Mods:
Impetus
Emergency Recovery
Justified Riposte
Addons:
Iron Skin
Ferocity
Stamina
Additional Information:
ST Shift
MIT Combat Mastery
Rending Familiar
Active Extra Skills:
ParryBuffs Consumed:
Liquor of Light [T1 DMG3] (177638)
Oscar's ACC Feast [3/6]
Oscar's MIT Feast [3/6]
Oscar's OH Feast [4/6]
Raidou's [Four Course Meal: Beef Wellington] Protein +2 Feast (199532) [1/6]Additional Benefits:
Oscar's Horn of Battle +2 EN Regen
Zandra's Banner of Leadership +4 DMG
Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleportation Crystal x5
Mass HP Recovery Crystal x2
Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Lessa had never walked death row. That was probably obvious, considering she had never been arrested, or even stepped foot in a prison. She had a vague concept of what it might feel like, after reading and watching The Green Mile half a dozen times. She also had a pretty good imagination, and could guess at how terrifying it must be. The pressure on your chest, crushing your ribcage into your lungs as if an elephant perched there. The vice around your heart, squeezing tighter with each footfall on the worn, yellow-tinged linoleum. Regrets? Yeah, probably. Doing the thing that got you condemned to death probably sitting at number one. Would you reflect on those regrets those as you lived your final moments? Would you think of your loved ones? Would you reminisce on your last meal? Would your mind be blank?
Because Lessa's was definitely blank as she approached the gathered Frontliners. The seemingly endless hall stretched before her, a fun-house illusion straight out of her nightmares. The sturdy soles of her boots padded the hard stone, heels clicking faintly in time with the jingle of her heavy armor. Short, shallow breaths whooshed in and out of her nose with little puffing sounds. She heard none of it over the Niagara Falls-esque rush of blood in her head. When a single, solitary thought managed to worm its way into her mind, it ran along the lines of what the fuck are you doing?
Lessa was one helping of mom's spaghetti away from a complete mental breakdown.
She absently rubbed her gauntleted hands across her thighs, as if it might be possible to wipe the sweat off her palms. The ridiculousness of the gesture never even registered as she slowed to a stop at the edge of the group. Immediately, her gaze swept across the faces of the gathered Players, searching for a light in the darkness. No Bahr. No Alkor. She spotted Baldur, and an audible groan of relief left her, but he handed her the crystals and moved on without another word. He was in the zone, all business, and didn't have time for idle chit chat. Why couldn't she find that determination? Did it exist within her, or had it died back on floor nine? Staring a hole in his back, Lessa hands tightened around the twin crystals with enough force that they might shatter.
"I need to get my shit together," she mumbled to herself, the sound of her own voice tearing her back from the edge. She spent more time that she would like to admit teetering on the edge of that deep, dark hole. Some days, she fell in. Some days, she didn't even bother to claw her way out. A part of her had hoped the boss fight, only her second in Aincrad, might make her feel more alive again. But all it did was force her to stare death in the face. She wasn't sure who would blink first.
Lessa | HP: 780/780 | EN: 116/116 | DMG: 32 | MIT: 142 | ACC: 4 | BH: 39 | H.M.: 8 | HLY: 8 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 72
-
His response came only a moment later, the chime of the incoming message sending her heart into her throat. She hadn't expected the swordsman to reply so quickly. Truth be told, she hadn't expected him to reply at all, meaning his speedy return caught her off guard. Lessa dragged her lower lip between her teeth, biting down as she read the six words over and over again. She had practically committed the simple message to memory before tipping her head back against the chair's cushion. She stared at the slanted wooden beams that supported her ceiling, gaze tracing them absently as her mind worked. What had she hoped would happen when she messaged him? That he wouldn't respond? That he'd have some words of wisdom to offer, completely unprompted, that would solve all of her problems.
She heaved a groan, and in sympathy, Riker did too.
"I'm really lonely, and clingy, and need you to drag me out of the hole." The sarcasm was there as she spoke to her empty house, but an edge of raw emotion peeked through. She was lonely, and clingy, and teetering on the edge of... something. A mental snap? A complete shutdown? Whatever it was, it managed to both terrify her and render her helpless. She knew she needed to do something, but she just couldn't.
Alkor couldn't know that.
On a few different occasions, Lessa had slipped up, and unloaded on Alkor. The results had been disastrous. He just didn't have the tools to navigate her storm of emotions, and she refused to keep putting him in that position. Still, she couldn't leave him hanging. 'Sorry, wrong number' wouldn't exactly work here.
Maybe he didn't know her language, but she did know something that spoke to him.
QuoteTo: Alkor
Just vegging. I heard a rumor that might interest you. Would you be up for doing some exploring?
- Lessa
-
22 hours ago, Freyd said:
Rank 5 Appraiser (Base: BD 10, CD 8+ for unique, 10 identifications per day)
+1 to CD from Hermes’ Scale
+2 EXP: Hard Working (also +1 IDs per day)
+2 EXP: Lucrative (Firm Anima) (also +2 IDs per day)
+1 EXP: Custom Ambition Tool (bought from own shop 2020-07-16)Consuming:
Crafting Respite: 173278
Witch's Brew: (2/2) https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/21110-f22-pp-double-wammy-witch-of-the-west/?do=findComment&comment=644634Identifications:
26x T4 Perfect Items (@3040 col) = 79040 col
+390000 col for re-rolls. (26 * 15,000 for 4 rerolls apiece)Total Cost: 469040 col
Junking:
19 T4 Perfect Item (@1900) = 36100 col
Total Value of Junking: 36100 col
Net Cost to Banker: 432940 col
Items #1-13
Items #14-26
Approved!
-
"I think its a sixth sense," Lessa responded, crouching to scratch Okami behind the ears. She planted a kiss on the top of the wolf's head seconds before he returned to his butt sniffing. "Wolves just seem to really like me. Maybe I should focus on training familiars. Have a whole pack of wolves at my disposal." She was teasing, of course. Besides, as far as she knew, the game didn't even allow for such things. But she smirked when Riker slapped her with a disapproving, unamused stare. She would absolutely put money on the fact her familiar knew exactly what she was saying, and it delighted her to no end.
"Sorry to hear things haven't been going super well." She could only assume, based on the way he had answered her question, but she figured it was a safe bet. Was anyone in Aincrad really doing that well? Maybe in little spurts, here and there, when life actually didn't feel like a death game. But lately, those instances had been few and far between. She wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same way. "We've been here for a million years, but Aincrad just never stops sucking, does it?"
At his mention of an evil scheme, Lessa waggled her blonde eyebrows. "If it were a scheme," she began, "and I told you about it, I would definitely have to kill you." She refused to reflect on how real of a possibility that could be; Players had been killed by PKers for far less. Instead, she chirped a quick laugh, then shook her head. "No evil here," she assured him, "though I do give a damn good monologue. Just exploring. What about you?"
[F11 - OP] Christmas Chaos (aka Come Eat All Of Koga's Food)
in Intermediate Floors
Posted
The cacophony drew mixed emotions. On one hand, Lessa appreciated the cheerful atmosphere, and seeing so many familiar faces in one place. On the other, those same faces all seem occupied. What was one to do when there was nobody to party with? Did Koga have a dog she could play with or something? Dwelling on it, she placed the platter on a tiny island of empty counterspace, and popped a deviled egg in her egg.
Then nearly choked on it when a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Jomei, hey," Lessa mumbled around a mouthful of paprika-spiced paste. A hand hovered an inch away from her mouth as she hastily swallowed, then searched wildly for a way to mask the smell. A blast of egg-scented air wasn't her greeting of choice. Spotting a cup of... something... she chugged the sweet red liquid in two desperate gulps. Finally, she turned back to her friend with a small, slightly self-conscious smile.
"I didn't figure I'd be here, either," she confessed, rubbing her damp palms on her thighs. "I haven't been to one of these things in ages, but Koga's good people, and I wanted to show up for him." Motioning, she added, "Seems like all of Aincrad showed up for him, though, which I think is nice. He deserves to have a good party."
Shifting her attention back to the redhead, she tilted her head slightly. "Are you a big partier, then?"