[SP - F6] The Four People You Meet in Aincrad

[Lessa 1]

Alyssa tilted her head, blonde waves cascading over her shoulder as she shot him an incredulous look. "How rude," she retorted, the familiar phrase coaxing a laugh from her new sparring partner. Full House had been a family favorite, and they'd all taken to throwing the famous phrase around at the silliest of times. 

To make things even sillier, her father squawked loudly, tucking his hands under his armpits and flapping his elbows like, well, a chicken. And it was just ridiculous enough, just perfect, enough, that Alyssa finally let herself take that last step. Flinging her hand toward him, the lightsaber's many pieces unfurled, forming a weapon that stopped just inches from his stubble-covered chin. "Bring it, old man."

And he did.

In an instant, his lightsaber arched upward, crashing into hers with strength she had not prepared for. In fact, the hilt nearly left her sweaty palm, but she managed to tighten her hold at the last instant. "Geeze," she managed, but only seconds before a second swing followed the first, nailing her in the shoulder. Snarling, Alyssa lunged backward, giving herself a few feet of distance, and buying precious seconds. With them, she studied him through the dark, moonlight and saber light illuminating his form in equal measure. This time when he lunged for her, she allowed years of practice to take hold. She ducked his wild attack, far too big to be effective, and dragged her own weapon across his midsection in response. 

His stunned expression brought a laugh bubbling to the surface. "I bet you didn't expect me to hit you with such... wait for it... force."

"I am embarrassed to be related to you."

Alyssa snorted. "It's not like there's anyone around to hear me."

"Doesn't matter," he called back, now a few paces away from her. "I heard it, and I'm embarrassed. Heck, I'm embarrassed for you."

Alyssa flung her arms wide, a gesture of invitation. "So what? Are you going to do something about it, or should I have left you at the animal shelter booth with the rest of the pussies?"

Spoiler

Galaxy Destroyer Activated
ID: 196828. BD: 9 CRIT.
- 12 EN (Well Rested 1/2) - HM from previous miss.
21*14=294-12=282+36=318

MD: 10. SUPER CRIT.
158-99=59

<<Lessa>> HP: 1271/1330 | EN: 117/130 | MIT: 99
<<Doubt>> HP: 658/1000 | DMG: 156 | MIT: 12 [BLD 1/2]

 

[Lessa 1]

"Wooooooow," her father drawled. "I don't know who raised you to talk like that."

His daughter beamed, countered with, "Oh, I haven't the faintest idea." Even with a laugh on her lips, Alyssa found she had fallen back into that familiar rhythm. Even without the man's enormous, over-the-top attacks, she could read his actions before they came. She picked out each hesitation, and every shift of his weight from one foot to the other as his tennis shoes packed the loose arena dirt. Aincrad, it seemed, had taught her more than simply what the quest featured.

Moving far more quickly than her her opponent had, Alyssa exploded forward, ramming the hilt of her lightsaber into her father's gut. The air whooshed out of him as he stumbled backward. This time, it was he who nearly dropped his weapon, but dropped an F-bomb instead.

"Aha!" Alyssa cried victoriously, jabbing a finger at him through the chilly night air. "Now I remember who taught me all my favorite swear words!"

He barked out a breathy laugh, then bent at the waist. "You've gotten good at this." She figured he was catching his breath, but covered it with the retrieval of his plastic sword.

Alyssa held up both hands, one still clutching her sword, and heaved a dramatic shrug. "I mean, what else is there to do when stuck in a death game? It's not like I have much else to do. I don't have movie theatres or anything." Pausing, a sudden thought came to her. "What Fast and Furious are they on these days?"

"Twelve," came his quick answer. Then, "No, wait. Thirteen. I think."

Spoiler

Galaxy Destroyer Activated
ID: 196829. BD: 3+5=7 HIT.
- 12 EN (Well Rested 0/2)
20*13=260-12=248

MD: 3. MISS.

<<Lessa>> HP: 1271/1330 | EN: 106/130 | MIT: 99
<<Doubt>> HP:386/1000 | DMG: 156 | MIT: 12 [BLD 0/2]

 

[Lessa 1]

On a half laugh, Alyssa shook her head. "Sweet Jesus," she murmured. "So what now? Are Dom and the gang cruising through space?"

Her father took a few seconds to stare pensively toward the barns. "Actually, no. I think that was the last one. Nic Cage showed up, the audiences loved it. Really big deal."

Whether it was the memory of crowded movie theatres, the mention of Nicolas Cage, or the raw pain of missed experiences, Alyssa felt something within her break. All color, and all joy, simply drained from her face. Her blue eyes went wide, then filled as she stared through her tears at her father. At her rock. At her lighthouse, guiding her to safety amid the towering cliffs and jagged rocks. Suddenly, her tether had snapped, and she was adrift once more in a stormy sea.

"Dad," she croaked.

At the single syllable, the laughter left his face as well. They dropped their lightsabers in tandem, and when he closed the distance to wrap her in a hug, she simply pressed her face to his chest. Only when suffocation threatened did she pull back.

Silence filled the space between them as Alyssa stared at the damp patches she left on his t-shirt. Finally, she murmured, "Can you tell me about them?"

It was evident she wasn't asking about the Fast and Furious franchise anymore. "I could," her father began slowly, choosing each word with delicate deliberation. "But I'm only telling you what you want to hear." Alyssa's gaze moved to his, and in his eyes, she found genuine pain. "I'm no more real than anything around you. I don't actually know what's going on, because you don't know. I'm just making things up, because-"

"It's what I want to hear," she finished.

Spoiler

Galaxy Destroyer Activated
ID: 196830. BD: 1 MISS.
- 2 EN. HM activated.

MD: 5. MISS.

<<Lessa>> HP: 1271/1330 | EN: 105/130 | MIT: 99
<<Doubt>> HP:386/1000 | DMG: 156 | MIT: 12

 

[Lessa 1]

For a figment of her imagination, the pity that rolled off her father in waves seemed very real. He gripped his little girl by the shoulders as she screwed her eyes shut. Then she drew in a long, slow breath. "I know," she began, her voice barely audible above even the distant roar of the midway. "I know you're not real, and that none of this is. But I want it to be. I want it to be more than anything else in the world. And I can't help but feel like it never will be again."

Where had that truth come from? Alyssa had never spoken the words aloud, or even admitted to herself she felt that way. But now, with her confession finally in the open, she found she couldn't stop talking. "We've been fighting for so many years, and we're not even halfway up the floors. Hell, we're not even close to half. We're crawling, and it feels like there are fewer Frontliners than ever." Pausing to knuckle away a tear, the woman finally blew out the breath she had been holding. "And I feel like shit for being so critical, because I'm not even out there myself. How can I tell people they need to go fight, or complain about their progress, when I'm not out there?"

She felt a hand press to the back of her head, and allowed him to gently lead her back into the hug. She heard his voice, measured and gentle, as he asked her the same question she constantly asked herself. "Why aren't you fighting with them?"

"Because I can't. I wasted too much time just sitting around. I'm," her throat closed, and on a small sob, she managed, "too weak."

"Sounds like excuses to me."

Alyssa could not have been more shocked if her dad had punched her in the stomach. Drawing back suddenly, hurt and confusion now swam in her blue eyes as they found his. "What?"

"You heard me. You're complaining, but instead of doing something to fix your situation, you're making up excuses."

"Dad." This time, there was frustration in the word, but it didn't seem to bother him at all. 

"You know how much I hate that."

Planting both hands on his chest, she shoved him backward; the chunk of his health bar that vanished went completely unnoticed.

Spoiler

Galaxy Destroyer Activated
ID: 196831. BD: 9 CRIT. - HM from previous miss.
- 13 EN.
21*14=294-12=282

MD: 5. MISS.

<<Lessa>> HP: 1271/1330 | EN: 93/130 | MIT: 99
<<Doubt>> HP:104/1000 | DMG: 156 | MIT: 12 [BLD 1/2]

 

[Lessa 1]

"How can you even say that?" Now free of his embrace, she could pace freely, as restless as the horses that watched her. "I thought you were here to support me! To remind me of what I'm fighting for! That's you job, right?"

Her father crossed his arms over his chest, then shook his head. "That's not why I'm here," he replied simply. "And do you think that's my only responsibility as your dad? To tell you how great you are?" Despite his standoffish posture, his tone gentled with the words. "That's part of it, sure. Maybe even most of it. But I also have to tell you when you're being toxic, or self destructive, or just plain stupid. It's not something I enjoy, but it's something I need to do. Because you're old enough, and responsible enough, to hear it."

"I'm not being stupid, or toxic, or any of that," Alyssa exploded. The pain still laced through her words, as lethal as the anger raging through her. "I'm being realistic. I'm not prepared."

"Were you prepared for your fight against Orochi?" 

Whatever Alyssa planned to say next died on her tongue, and she sputtered once before demanding, "What does that have to do with any of this?" When he simply stared at her, she scowled. "No, I wasn't."

"Were you prepared for your fight against the Lich King?"

That earned a quick reaction. "No, and I almost died, so-"

"Were you prepared for your first day of teaching?"

"I-" Alyssa fell silent, letting the question settle over her. Finally, she managed, "No. Nothing could have prepared me for it."

"And your first day of college?"

The woman wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly conscious of the goosebumps prickling across her exposed skin. "No. I thought I was, but I was completely lost."

Even through the darkness, Alyssa could make out the small smile on her father's lips. "But you made it through. You found your classes, and you worked hard to do well in them. You got your degree, and you became one hell of a teacher for those kids. And when you fought the Lich King and Orochi, you didn't die."

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked him weakly, though she already knew what he would say.

That smile only grew. "You'll see when you have kids of your own that another part of my job is to help you understand things. Now is one of those teachable moments. Why am I telling you all this? What did you learn?"

"That I can do this. Not because I'm the strongest, but because I'm smart. I'm hard working." Like a flower turning to face the sun, warm determination washed over her. "I want this, and maybe that's all the reason I need to make it happen."

"You're also funny, and beautiful, and have the biggest heart in this world, or any other." He stooped to retrieve both lightsabers from where they lay in the sand, then tossed one to Alyssa. "That Bahr guy is lucky to have you."

Despite the emotions that swamped her, Alyssa slanted her father a mischievous look. "Are you still just telling me what I want to hear?"

"Not this time."

Father and daughter squared off once more, and without even looking at his health bar, she knew this would be the final act. A small part of her rioted against the approaching goodbye, but then she heard his voice call out to her.

"So are you going to attack me, or should I have left you back in the 4H garden with the other pansy-asses?"

In her favorite place in the world, she met her favorite person with a flash of light, a twinkle of bells, and an explosion of pixels.

And when Lessa awoke on the water-slick stone, she was still laughing.

Spoiler

Galaxy Destroyer Activated
ID: 196832. BD: 6 HIT.
- 13 EN.
20*13=260-12=248+36=284

MD: 10. SUPER CRIT.
158-99=59

<<Lessa>> HP: 1271/1330 | EN: 81/130 | MIT: 99
<<Doubt>> HP: Dead/1000 | DMG: 156 | MIT: 12 [BLD 0/2]

 

[Lessa 1]

Thread Summary

Lessa receives:
3,872 Experience Points
400 Col
Unlock <<Meditation>> Extra Skill

Word Count Document