[SP - F1] Earning Another Living

[Lessa 1]

Profession Change: Blacksmith to Cook

Floor 2

Wild Rose Forge.

Lessa stared up at the building, hands on her hips, lower lip caught between her teeth. Once, she had been so incredibly proud of the shop, and the work she did there. But something had changed, and the urge to craft had completely left her. How many years had passed since she’d lifted that hammer, or lit that fire? Hell, she wasn’t even sure that the key would fit the lock anymore. What if a squatter had moved into the space, and she hadn’t noticed, considering she never actually went in there anymore?

The woman shook her head, the motion interrupting the endless stream of ‘what-ifs.’ The book was closed on this chapter of her life. It wasn’t like having a profession was mandatory. Sure, crafting was an integral part of the gaming experience. It was a fantastic way to make col, network with people, and fill the free time. It provided a sense of purpose, and… 

 

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂   Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad Level: 31 Paragon Level: 54 HP: 820/820 EN: 120/120 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 45 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 Active Extra Skills: Parry Survival 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 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]

[Lessa 1]

She blew out a heavy breath, the expelled air sending her bangs flying. Maybe she would be happier with a shop to run, but blacksmithing simply did not appeal to her anymore.

“Whatcha staring at?”

The sudden voice startled Lessa, and her entire body jolted as she whipped around. What she found was wide, laughing brown eyes, flushed cheeks, and a grin too big for a tiny face. “Dang it, Oliver,” she managed, a hand pressed to her heart to keep it from bursting. “Why’d you sneak up on me like that?”

The boy rolled his eyes in dramatic fashion, then answered, “I didn’t sneak up on you. You just weren’t looking for me.” He moved up beside the taller player, placing his hands on his hips, mirroring her pose. He, too, gazed up at the shop. “So you work here?”

“I used to,” she told him, “but it’s been a really long time.”

“But you own it?”

Lessa nodded, “I do.”

A frown creased his forehead as Oliver turned to look at her. “Why would you own something you don’t use?”

[Lessa 1]

Lessa couldn’t stop the smile from unfurling across her chapped lips. She brought a hand to the top of his head, tousled his already unruly hair. “That’s a really good question, kid.”

He ducked his head, shying away from her hand in typical nine year-old boy fashion. But the pleased smile he wore did not go unnoticed. “Aw man,” he drawled, “why’d you do that?”

“Because I can.”

When he straightened again, Oliver drove a single finger into Lessa’s arm. “So whatcha gonna do?” He proceeded to jab her with each additional query. “Are you going to open the shop? Are you going to start making swords again? Are you going to get a new job? Are you going to be a tailor, like Bahr? Are you going-”

The woman reached down and snatched his hand out of the air before he could land another poke. “Hey,” she scolded playfully, “watch it. What’s with the interrogation anyway?”

A beat of silence passed before the boy echoed the word. He spoke slowly, as if testing the way it felt on his tongue. “Interrogation?” He tilted his head, akin to a confused puppy. “Isn’t that like sprinklers and lawns and stuff?”

[Lessa 1]

The laugh burst from her with the sudden force of a cannon. “Sorry,” she muttered when Oliver’s eyes narrowed. “But no, you’re thinking of ‘irrigation.’ ‘Interrogation’ is a little different. It means asking a bunch of questions. It’s what police officers might do with a suspect.”

“Ohhhh.” Oliver nodded sagely. “I see.” Then excitement sparked in his brown eyes as a new thought occurred to him. “Could being a cop be a profession? Like, could I be a cop here in Aincrad?” He beamed. “You’d make a great cop, Alyssa.”

“Thanks, Ollie,” she answered, “so would you.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him closer to her shop, attempting to avoid the players that mingled on the second floor. “But I don’t think criminal justice is currently a profession option.”

“Aw, darn.” The boy stuck out his lower lip in a fleeting pout. Then, apparently already over his disappointment, he smiled again. “So whatcha gonna do?”

Lessa thought for a moment, sighed, shrugged. “I have no idea. What would you do, if you were me?”

Shaking his head, the boy managed another poke before dancing out of her reach. “But I’m not you, so I don’t know what you like. Do what you like.”

[Lessa 1]

Floor 1

Do what you like.

It was a simple enough concept, but Lessa had chewed on the question for the past hour. Oliver had been wise to suggest choosing a profession that she enjoyed, as she would be more likely to stick with it. But what did she actually enjoy doing these days? Fighting? Sleeping? Spending time with her wolf, and with Bahr? Yeah, none of those really pointed to a specific career path.

Lessa reached up and scrubbed at her face with both hands. “Maybe this is a bad idea,” she muttered to no one in particular, her words lost to the dull roar of the first floor crowd. She had enough to worry about, with getting stronger, and rejoining the efforts on the frontlines. Did she really need another pet project? 

What was she even qualified to do? Teaching did not lend itself well to any in-game professions, except maybe performing. And how would she make that work? Record herself giving lectures? No, that was a ridiculous idea. Who would want to listen to her drone on about Thomas Jefferson’s birthday party, or the fall of the Indus Valley Civilization, while they were engaged in combat? Yeah, probably no one.

[Lessa 1]

So what else was there? Tailoring wasn’t an option, even if she’d enjoyed that sort of thing. Moving in on Bahr’s clients didn’t make a whole lot of sense. What about being a cook? At the thought, Lessa choked on a hard, self-deprecating laugh. Her, a cook? Yeah, maybe if she wanted to poison all of Aincrad. Or burn it down. And that was assuming she actually remembered to turn on the stove.

"Wait," she said aloud, slowing to a halt. What was she thinking? Professions were not a reflection of her real-life strengths. Rather, they were an opportunity to try new things. To allow the game to improve her skills. To take risks.

What had she always wanted, but been too chicken to attempt?

Before she could change her mind and chicken out, Lessa ducked inside the tent. When she emerged a few moments later, it was with Maggie Spatulin’s blessing, and a new quest to complete. “Gathering mats,” she mused aloud, long legs carrying her toward the city limits. “Looks like I'm going back to basics.”