Lysette 0 Posted 7 hours ago #1 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) Earning a Living - Performer Her outing with Oscar and Abellio had proven to Lydia that she could do more than simply dance in front of the fountain for spare change. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t enjoy it. It was quite the opposite. Lydia loved those quiet hours more than anything. They were, and would remain, an important part of her routine. She would simply relocate. Do more. Because despite how she got the skills she had, she still had them. They would be useful here. Morale was important. And keeping morale up without music was a sorry affair. So she did her research. Asked around town instead of keeping to herself. Most were helpful. Thankful, even, for the conversation. Some were slimy and gross, but the same was true for the real world. Only now, she wasn’t afraid to slap them across the face. A pervert didn’t measure up well as a threat after she had endured the fangs and claws of Terra Firma. Eventually, she landed upon her answer. It started as a rumor. But the more she dove deep, she realized that there was an entire crafting profession centered around music. There was some small amount of trepidation there. She was not eager to throw herself back into that life. But she could do so now on her own terms. No hangers on. Just the people she wanted to uplift; who uplifted her. So she walked into Landon’s shop with a shaky confidence and resolution. All about there were gadgets and doo-dads. Some familiar, some not. But what was most interesting was Landon himself. Absolutely shredding on a lute. She knew that it must have taken a crazy amount of skill to get that sound from that instrument. But she was digging it. She found herself taken by the melody, bouncing on her feet as Landon took her on a journey. A pulse-pounding, ear-ringing journey. By the end of it, Lydia was beaming. She had almost broken into a full-on dance right there in the middle of his shop. She had to applaud herself for her restraint. “Hey there little lady,” he said at the end of his song. “Diggin’ the jams?” Spoken like a true rock star. She let out a giggle and marched upstage. She took the lute from his hand, braced the instrument against her leg and met his gaze. “Heard you were the guy to see about learning how to make and record music,” she said. Her fingers plucked the strings, a soft soothing melody filling the room. She played for a bit, losing herself in the familiar motions. The notes, the tempo. All the parts of the whole. Finally, when she was done, she handed the instrument back to the NPC. “Well hell, girl. Don’t need me to teach you a thing, obviously.” Lydia beamed up at the tall man, pointing to the recording gadgets on the counter. “I can play. Don’t know how to record. Teach me.” “No problem. Normally I charge a mint, but I’m in a bit of a bind. You go out and get me the materials and I’ll show you a little somethin’.” talking to landon// Spoiler "Name: Lysette True Tier: 1 Level: 9 Paragon Level: 0 HP: 185/185 EN: 36/36 Stats: Damage: 1 Accuracy: 4 Evasion: 4 Loot Die: 21 Stealth Rating: 5 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Armor/Trinket: - <<glasses>> T1 Perfect Trinket | 3 ACC Shield/Armor/Trinket: - <<seafoam>> T1 Perfect Trinket | 3 EVA Combat Mastery: - Combat Shift: - Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Unhindered - Discerning X Extra Skills: - Hiding R5 Inactive Extra Skills: Addons: Mods: Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: Housing Buffs: Guild Hall Buffs: Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: Gathering Profession: " Edited 7 hours ago by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Lysette 0 Posted 7 hours ago Author #2 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) Lydia felt a little bit more confident strolling out of town now that she had a few levels under her belt and some new gear at her disposal. There was just something about seeing triple digits on her health bar that made her feel cozy on Floor One. Sure, it was in the low-triple digits. But still, there was a sort of satisfaction that washed over her at the sight of them. Plus, if all else failed, she could use her new Hiding skill to keep herself away from any danger. Not that there was much danger to be found. As she wandered the rolling hills of Floor One, Lydia came across boars. And boars. And more boars. None of them were aggressive. Not like Terra Firma had been. And they were actually kinda cute. She found herself distracted chasing a small specimen around. All she wanted to do was pick it up and squeeze it. Unfortunately, that seemed to have angered its mother. She was a hulking thing. Multiple health bars. Black crystal over her head. As the tiny boar rushed behind her hind legs, Lydia stopped cold. Slowly stepping backwards, she whispered multiple apologies and prayed that the beast wouldn’t attack. And, thankfully, she did not. That scare out of the way, Lydia realized that she didn’t know what a material was. At least not a material that Landon could use. She hunted around, peering through grass and under branches. She found many sparkling objects but nothing that she thought would help Landon fill his order. But as she plucked an apple from a tree, she got the message: One Material Found. ID: 247719 | LD: 12+21, Material Found! 1/5 Edited 6 hours ago by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Lysette 0 Posted 7 hours ago Author #3 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) So did it actually not matter what the material was? Lydia failed to understand how an apple would help with recording music. Was Landon going to eat it? Did he factor in all of the costs? It seemed rather dumb, but she wasn’t going to go down that road. Not when she had her goal in mind. That was her thing, really. Working. Grinding. Pushing ever onwards toward that goal. This might have been the first goal she had ever set for herself. Everything else had been dictated by her parents. Her advisors. Managers. Corporate assholes. Every instrument, every language. Even developing her voice. They set the goals. They wrote the check. She cashed it. Only now it wasn’t done in the name of being a good girl. Or repaying people. It was something she wanted. And she was happy about that. Jubilant even. There was a pep in her step that she hadn’t had for a very long time. A swelling in her chest that she’d thought she could ever have. Lydia reached down and picked up a rock. If everything counts, why not? ID: 247721 | LD: 19+21, Material Found! 2/5 Edited 6 hours ago by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Lysette 0 Posted 7 hours ago Author #4 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) Lydia didn’t really know what to do with herself, actually. She tried to recall a time where she wasn’t constantly stressed out and perpetually tired. Maybe there had been a time, once. When she was too young to remember it. But she had to stop and make a note that she had never, not one time, took a walk through a meadow to literally smell the flowers. Not unless she was doing a photo shoot. Or a music video. Something for work. And she supposed that this technically counted as work. But she remembered that old saying about doing what you love. It didn’t feel like work. Probably because she knew that she could stop whenever she wanted. That there wasn’t going to be any disapproving stares or sharp slaps if she had the audacity to try to get a drink of water. With no one and nothing looming over her, with the freedom to come and go as she pleased, Lydia felt more dead-set on the task at hand. Like acquiring that piece of quartz she lifted out of a pond and shoved in her pocket. ID: 247722 | LD: 18+21, Material Found! 3/5 Edited 6 hours ago by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Lysette 0 Posted 7 hours ago Author #5 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) But the bad came with the good. The guilt for not realizing that she could have been doing this the entire time crashed down on her like a wave. How many people could she have helped - or potentially saved - if she hadn’t spent her days dancing in front of a fountain? There was some small part of her - a tiny voice - that told her that it was silly to think such a thing. At the end of the day, it really hadn’t been her responsibility. But saving her - twice - hadn’t been Abellio’s. Killing Terra Firma hadn’t been Oscar’s. It would have been so easy to tell her that she was too low level. That she wouldn’t be able to hang. To pick an easier quest. But they didn’t. They picked something strong. Something that could highlight how scary the game could be. And they just… sent it. They’d kept her safe. They’d put themselves in front of those fangs and those claws. And they could have abandoned her. But they just weren’t that kind. And more importantly, they made her realize that she could do more with the talents that had been beaten into her. Her natural dexterity and her powerful legs had lent itself well to attacking. But she had those other talents. The ones she had been running from. Those that she was absolutely content with never, ever touching again. She picked up an egg and kept moving, crimson eyes lingering at anything and everything that caught her attention. ID: 247723 | LD: 17+21 4/5 Edited 6 hours ago by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Lysette 0 Posted 7 hours ago Author #6 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) Lydia had a thought towards the future. What would she do once she got out? She was quite certain that her family would make a huge media circus about it. “Pop idol escapes death game” certainly had a certain appeal to it. It made her wonder how much they were milking the fact that she was trapped here. She was probably lying in some hospital bed somewhere, hooked up to feeding tubes and fluids and monitors. How was her real body doing? Did they even visit her? Did she even want them to? Lydia exhaled heavily, shoulders slumping forward. She lifted her blood-red shades, pinching the bridge of her nose. The whole thing gave her a headache. And what did it really matter anyway. She needed to get out first before any of it really mattered. But she, for damn sure, would not leave the same way she entered. She wouldn’t be the shrinking violet. And she wouldn’t bend to them. The monsters in here might have been fake, but they were real enough to kill her. Even being outside the Safe Zone, she realized how exposed she could be. Thinking back to that boar, it was apparent that every day would be an uphill battle. A fight for survival. But also a fight to free herself from this chrysalis that had been wound so tight around her. Sometimes, the person you least expect winds up having ice in their veins. ID: 247724 | LD: 12+21, Material Found! 5/5 Edited 6 hours ago by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Lysette 0 Posted 7 hours ago Author #7 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) A bird’s nest fell out of a nearby tree, brushing her shoulder before colliding with the ground. Lydia jumped, a startled chirp of a scream falling from her mouth. She looked down at the remnants - the broken bundle of twigs and the shattered eggs and sighed. Okay, maybe not ice in the veins. But certainly woman enough to stand on business. Maybe. Time would only tell. There was just so much she didn’t know. Spending so much time in her cocoon had been the only way to survive, but it left her without any concept of living. She’d done well, she thought, eking by day-by-day. She was so grateful to those people who stopped by to watch her dance. And she didn’t want to inconvenience them. Make them have to go to some far-flung location just to see her perform. They’d been very important all these years. Not simply keeping her afloat, but also giving her that positive reinforcement. An artist’s greatest pleasure was when someone enjoyed their art. She returned to Landon’s shop, materials in hand. Despite his stated urgency, he was back on stage playing his lute. A soft smile crossed her features. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she had worn herself down with her introspection. Landon stopped playing suddenly. “What’s wrong little lady? Gathering tire you out? Need you on your A-game if I’m gonna teach you my craft,” Landon said. NPCs were frighteningly perceptive. “No, just… a lot on my mind,” Lydia replied. “Well you’ve picked the perfect Profession to deal with that. Music comes from the soul, little lady. You’re lettin’ everybody hear what you’re feelin’.” She gave a light chuckle. An extremely reductive way to put it. “Right. And what if I feel like shit?” Like an NPC would have the answer. “Then you look out over that crowd and you see those smilin’ faces and you let that in. An artist’s greatest pleasure is when people enjoy their art.” returning to landon// Edited 6 hours ago by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
Lysette 0 Posted 7 hours ago Author #8 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) Lydia blinked. Hearing the same thought she’d had vocalized had done something. A reminder. Her frown turned into a wide grin as she looked up at Landon on stage. He was right. Even when things got bad, one of Lydia’s few pleasures had been witnessing people enjoy her music. Her sound, her moves. Even that mass-produced, curated message. Maybe these NPCs were more perceptive than they let on. “Alright Landon. Show me a little somethin’” The NPC led her to that gadget sitting upon the counter. Upon closer examination, she realized it was a sound deck. She tapped the keys, filling the room with a quick melody. Then she set to work. She’d not worked with this much before, but she remembered how it worked - generally. The issue was in the tool itself. It wasn’t the model she was used to. It took some doing to get it right, but eventually she had managed to transcribe one of STY/L’s songs onto a crystal. She let it play, closing her eyes and listening to the familiar tune to its completion. “You’re a natural, little lady. Now go knock ‘em dead!” Spoiler Item Name: More Item Type: Support Song Item Tier: Tierless tem Quality: Perfect Enhancements: Support Song Description: One of STY/L's hits. Reinvigorates the body and the spirit. Disclaimer: Song is not owned by writer, used as flavor for item. Transcript Spoiler Her outing with Oscar and Abellio had proven to Lydia that she could do more than simply dance in front of the fountain for spare change. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t enjoy it. It was quite the opposite. Lydia loved those quiet hours more than anything. They were, and would remain, an important part of her routine. She would simply relocate. Do more. Because despite how she got the skills she had, she still had them. They would be useful here. Morale was important. And keeping morale up without music was a sorry affair. So she did her research. Asked around town instead of keeping to herself. Most were helpful. Thankful, even, for the conversation. Some were slimy and gross, but the same was true for the real world. Only now, she wasn’t afraid to slap them across the face. A pervert didn’t measure up well as a threat after she had endured the fangs and claws of Terra Firma. Eventually, she landed upon her answer. It started as a rumor. But the more she dove deep, she realized that there was an entire crafting profession centered around music. There was some small amount of trepidation there. She was not eager to throw herself back into that life. But she could do so now on her own terms. No hangers on. Just the people she wanted to uplift; who uplifted her. So she walked into Landon’s shop with a shaky confidence and resolution. All about there were gadgets and doo-dads. Some familiar, some not. But what was most interesting was Landon himself. Absolutely shredding on a lute. She knew that it must have taken a crazy amount of skill to get that sound from that instrument. But she was digging it. She found herself taken by the melody, bouncing on her feet as Landon took her on a journey. A pulse-pounding, ear-ringing journey. By the end of it, Lydia was beaming. She had almost broken into a full-on dance right there in the middle of his shop. She had to applaud herself for her restraint. “Hey there little lady,” he said at the end of his song. “Diggin’ the jams?” Spoken like a true rock star. She let out a giggle and marched upstage. She took the lute from his hand, braced the instrument against her leg and met his gaze. “Heard you were the guy to see about learning how to make and record music,” she said. Her fingers plucked the strings, a soft soothing melody filling the room. She played for a bit, losing herself in the familiar motions. The notes, the tempo. All the parts of the whole. Finally, when she was done, she handed the instrument back to the NPC. “Well hell, girl. Don’t need me to teach you a thing, obviously.” Lydia beamed up at the tall man, pointing to the recording gadgets on the counter. “I can play. Don’t know how to record. Teach me.” “No problem. Normally I charge a mint, but I’m in a bit of a bind. You go out and get me the materials and I’ll show you a little somethin’.” Lydia felt a little bit more confident strolling out of town now that she had a few levels under her belt and some new gear at her disposal. There was just something about seeing triple digits on her health bar that made her feel cozy on Floor One. Sure, it was in the low-triple digits. But still, there was a sort of satisfaction that washed over her at the sight of them. Plus, if all else failed, she could use her new Hiding skill to keep herself away from any danger. Not that there was much danger to be found. As she wandered the rolling hills of Floor One, Lydia came across boars. And boars. And more boars. None of them were aggressive. Not like Terra Firma had been. And they were actually kinda cute. She found herself distracted chasing a small specimen around. All she wanted to do was pick it up and squeeze it. Unfortunately, that seemed to have angered its mother. She was a hulking thing. Multiple health bars. Black crystal over her head. As the tiny boar rushed behind her hind legs, Lydia stopped cold. Slowly stepping backwards, she whispered multiple apologies and prayed that the beast wouldn’t attack. And, thankfully, she did not. That scare out of the way, Lydia realized that she didn’t know what a material was. At least not a material that Landon could use. She hunted around, peering through grass and under branches. She found many sparkling objects but nothing that she thought would help Landon fill his order. But as she plucked an apple from a tree, she got the message: One Material Found. So did it actually not matter what the material was? Lydia failed to understand how an apple would help with recording music. Was Landon going to eat it? Did he factor in all of the costs? It seemed rather dumb, but she wasn’t going to go down that road. Not when she had her goal in mind. That was her thing, really. Working. Grinding. Pushing ever onwards toward that goal. This might have been the first goal she had ever set for herself. Everything else had been dictated by her parents. Her advisors. Managers. Corporate assholes. Every instrument, every language. Even developing her voice. They set the goals. They wrote the check. She cashed it. Only now it wasn’t done in the name of being a good girl. Or repaying people. It was something she wanted. And she was happy about that. Jubilant even. There was a pep in her step that she hadn’t had for a very long time. A swelling in her chest that she’d thought she could ever have. Lydia reached down and picked up a rock. If everything counts, why not? Lydia didn’t really know what to do with herself, actually. She tried to recall a time where she wasn’t constantly stressed out and perpetually tired. Maybe there had been a time, once. When she was too young to remember it. But she had to stop and make a note that she had never, not one time, took a walk through a meadow to literally smell the flowers. Not unless she was doing a photo shoot. Or a music video. Something for work. And she supposed that this technically counted as work. But she remembered that old saying about doing what you love. It didn’t feel like work. Probably because she knew that she could stop whenever she wanted. That there wasn’t going to be any disapproving stares or sharp slaps if she had the audacity to try to get a drink of water. With no one and nothing looming over her, with the freedom to come and go as she pleased, Lydia felt more dead-set on the task at hand. Like acquiring that piece of quartz she lifted out of a pond and shoved in her pocket. But the bad came with the good. The guilt for not realizing that she could have been doing this the entire time crashed down on her like a wave. How many people could she have helped - or potentially saved - if she hadn’t spent her days dancing in front of a fountain? There was some small part of her - a tiny voice - that told her that it was silly to think such a thing. At the end of the day, it really hadn’t been her responsibility. But saving her - twice - hadn’t been Abellio’s. Killing Terra Firma hadn’t been Oscar’s. It would have been so easy to tell her that she was too low level. That she wouldn’t be able to hang. To pick an easier quest. But they didn’t. They picked something strong. Something that could highlight how scary the game could be. And they just… sent it. They’d kept her safe. They’d put themselves in front of those fangs and those claws. And they could have abandoned her. But they just weren’t that kind. And more importantly, they made her realize that she could do more with the talents that had been beaten into her. Her natural dexterity and her powerful legs had lent itself well to attacking. But she had those other talents. The ones she had been running from. Those that she was absolutely content with never, ever touching again. She picked up an egg and kept moving, crimson eyes lingering at anything and everything that caught her attention. Lydia had a thought towards the future. What would she do once she got out? She was quite certain that her family would make a huge media circus about it. “Pop idol escapes death game” certainly had a certain appeal to it. It made her wonder how much they were milking the fact that she was trapped here. She was probably lying in some hospital bed somewhere, hooked up to feeding tubes and fluids and monitors. How was her real body doing? Did they even visit her? Did she even want them to? Lydia exhaled heavily, shoulders slumping forward. She lifted her blood-red shades, pinching the bridge of her nose. The whole thing gave her a headache. And what did it really matter anyway. She needed to get out first before any of it really mattered. But she, for damn sure, would not leave the same way she entered. She wouldn’t be the shrinking violet. And she wouldn’t bend to them. The monsters in here might have been fake, but they were real enough to kill her. Even being outside the Safe Zone, she realized how exposed she could be. Thinking back to that boar, it was apparent that every day would be an uphill battle. A fight for survival. But also a fight to free herself from this chrysalis that had been wound so tight around her. Sometimes, the person you least expect winds up having ice in their veins. A bird’s nest fell out of a nearby tree, brushing her shoulder before colliding with the ground. Lydia jumped, a startled chirp of a scream falling from her mouth. She looked down at the remnants - the broken bundle of twigs and the shattered eggs and sighed. Okay, maybe not ice in the veins. But certainly woman enough to stand on business. Maybe. Time would only tell. There was just so much she didn’t know. Spending so much time in her cocoon had been the only way to survive, but it left her without any concept of living. She’d done well, she thought, eking by day-by-day. She was so grateful to those people who stopped by to watch her dance. And she didn’t want to inconvenience them. Make them have to go to some far-flung location just to see her perform. They’d been very important all these years. Not simply keeping her afloat, but also giving her that positive reinforcement. An artist’s greatest pleasure was when someone enjoyed their art. She returned to Landon’s shop, materials in hand. Despite his stated urgency, he was back on stage playing his lute. A soft smile crossed her features. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she had worn herself down with her introspection. Landon stopped playing suddenly. “What’s wrong little lady? Gathering tire you out? Need you on your A-game if I’m gonna teach you my craft,” Landon said. NPCs were frighteningly perceptive. “No, just… a lot on my mind,” Lydia replied. “Well you’ve picked the perfect Profession to deal with that. Music comes from the soul, little lady. You’re lettin’ everybody hear what you’re feelin’.” She gave a light chuckle. An extremely reductive way to put it. “Right. And what if I feel like shit?” Like an NPC would have the answer. “Then you look out over that crowd and you see those smilin’ faces and you let that in. An artist’s greatest pleasure is when people enjoy their art.” Lydia blinked. Hearing the same thought she’d had vocalized had done something. A reminder. Her frown turned into a wide grin as she looked up at Landon on stage. He was right. Even when things got bad, one of Lydia’s few pleasures had been witnessing people enjoy her music. Her sound, her moves. Even that mass-produced, curated message. Maybe these NPCs were more perceptive than they let on. “Alright Landon. Show me a little somethin’” The NPC led her to that gadget sitting upon the counter. Upon closer examination, she realized it was a sound deck. She tapped the keys, filling the room with a quick melody. Then she set to work. She’d not worked with this much before, but she remembered how it worked - generally. The issue was in the tool itself. It wasn’t the model she was used to. It took some doing to get it right, but eventually she had managed to transcribe one of STY/L’s songs onto a crystal. She let it play, closing her eyes and listening to the familiar tune to its completion. “You’re a natural, little lady. Now go knock ‘em dead!” Thread Summary Lysette | [Word Count: 2181/5 = 436.2] * [True Tier: 1] * [Group Factor: 1] = 436 + 300 = 736 EXP <<Performer Profession>> Item Crafted (Upon Eval) <<Shop>> Unlocked 5 Materials 1 Mon Edited 6 hours ago by Oscar Link to post Share on other sites
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