Summer: On Lysette Cross

Winchester, England

July 2008

11:31 AM

“You know what I want to do?”

“Mm?”

“After graduating or during the summers or something. I don’t know.” Lysette peeks at Aether from behind her canvas, paint brush tucked behind her ear. “I’ve been giving it some thought recently and maybe...maybe this is something I can do when I have the time.”

Aether quirks a brow, setting a book down on the bed. Lysette catches the worn-out cover and the yellowing pages in the light and thinks of telling Aether to get herself a new copy. “And what do you want to do, Lys?”

“Volunteer.” It falls easily from her lips. Aether’s eyes widen a little in surprise. “Volunteer, come back here, all that stuff. I don’t know.” She shrugs, “I feel like I owe Xavier and everyone else at least that. He always mentions how some kids have come back to either work here or do some volunteer work for the kids. Remember the alumnus who helped you out with the piano? Or the guy who came here to give a weekend session on watercolor?” Aether nods, “I want to do something like that. Why not, right? I remember how happy I was after learning about it and getting critiqued.”

“That works.”

Girls/Girls/Boys: A Coalesce Graphic

"and love is not a choice."

Three: A Coalesce Graphic

[x]

Discussion: Linda and Lysette

Hello, hello—good evening, guys! 

We’re pretty much wrapping up with the first week of the fifth blogsary celebration. I hope it’s been great for you guys so far! For this Discussion-slash-Rambles, we’ll be talking about Lysette from Coalesce and her counterpart, Linda from the DNAU-verse. Seeing as Lysette is one of the newer (if not the newest) main character in Coalesce and how Linda barely made appearances in the DNAU-verse, tonight’s discussion might be an interesting one. 

Click the ‘read more’ if you’d like to keep going! 💚

"At least I get some of the spotlight this time."

Coalesce Spread: Lysette

Pride: A Coalesce Graphic

"I sing Vanessa's symphony; Eliza tells her story.

Now fill the world with music, love, and pride."

(Lin-Manuel Miranda)

041591: Birthday

"this is none of your business, miss cross."

"Princess": A Coalesce Graphic

Back to You: A TFLC Short

Lysette and Eugene's Flat

London, England

United Kingdom

March 2013

“It’s getting a little wild over here,” Aether admitted. Lysette watched as the other tied her hair up in a bun, taking a sip from her coffee cup right after. “You have no idea, Lys. I’m balancing college work and then training for headquarters. At this point, it doesn’t feel like I have much of a weekend anymore—what more time for myself and time to do things for me.”

“Ask for a break?” Lysette prompted. Aether just sighed and shook her head. “What, can’t they grant you a break even for the summer? They’ve got to let you rest somehow.”

“They do, but…” Aether trailed off. “It’s…the training is really mandatory. I can’t miss it unless within reason, and I don’t want to make them think that I’m not willing to push myself to the limits for this kind of opportunity.”

“You’re already pushing yourself.” Lysette frowned at the screen, pointing a finger at Aether through Skype. “I can see the bruises, Aether—you’ve got a lot of them. Seriously, how much are they pushing you during your training? How much is that Tadashi guy working you? Didn’t you say that you had to go for what, two or three hours a few times a week?” From her screen, Lysette watched as Aether counted the days on her fingers.

“Well…I usually go have training with him when I don’t have too many classes. That’s my Monday and Wednesday, and then I keep training during the weekend,” she explained. “It was hard to adjust to at first, but—I guess I’ve survived so far? I mean, the worst I’ve gotten are horrible bruises.” Aether gave Lysette a smile from where she was—all the way in the United States—as if to reassure the other that she was doing okay. “It’s fine, Lys. Really. I’m just worried about losing time and all of that.”

Storge: A TFLC Playlist

Puppy Love: A TFLC Short

Winchester, England

United Kingdom

July 2010

So you felt something, Lysette thinks. She scans over the letter once, twice before rereading it all, trying to understand the words even though she already does. You…felt something for me but never got to say it out loud. And you’ve felt it for what, two or three years? And you never made a move, not once…

Two weeks after Aether left for the United States, Lysette discovered a neatly-folded letter in the middle of one of the cabinets she used to store her old sketchbooks. She had opened the cabinet once again to look for one of the more recent ones; she had planned to use a sketch she had done months ago as some kind of reference point. But when she pulled it out, she noticed that there was a peculiar paper pressed in between the pages; initially she thought that it was one of her old sketches, but her name written in familiar script caught her attention. 

For Lysette.

That was how she ended up in her current position: seated on the wooden floor with her hair tied up, the letter in her hands. It ran for two, nearly three pages—some words and some phrases were crossed out. It almost made her smile. Aether, after all, was never the wordiest person even when it came to paper. 

After the first read, she had to read again and yet another time. The words remained the same as did the entire letter. The same words were crossed out, Lysette detected traces of Aether’s frustration (most likely at herself) at some areas. The letter’s purpose was clear, definitely—but she couldn’t wrap her head around it. Not at all. 

Commitment: A TFLC Graphic

Homesick: A TFLC Short

Winchester, England

United Kingdom 

December 2005

During the first month of Aether’s stay in the orphanage, she had a tendency to get homesick very quickly. It was normal; she had lost her parents, after all, only a month back. It was hard to get used to the new place—as nice as the people were and as warm as the place seemed, she refused to accept it as home. For Aether, home was half an hour away. Home was their two-storey house with the sprawling backyard and the brightly-colorer flowers her father planted on the weekends; home was listening to her mother play the piano and have her teach Aether slowly and surely until she was sure she could get it right. Home was having her own bedroom and racing down the stairs to eat with her parents every morning, kiss her father on the cheek before he want to work, and spend time with her mother before she was off to school. 

That was home. 

The orphanage? Not quite. It still intimidated her as much as she refused to admit it; there were more floors and more stairs, more to explore but also more to hide from. There was a garden she could stay in but chose not to because of the kids who would stare, a music room she could reside in but didn’t because the piano reminded her of her mother too much. It was a residence by definition, but not a home—not quite. 

She got homesick. The feeling would strike deep in the late nights when she was sure that everyone else was asleep, roommate included. Red-haired Lysette liked to stay up late and usually Aether would wait until the other was snoozing deeply into the night before she would over her face, bury herself underneath the blanket and let her tears out as quietly as she could. While first being a few hiccups, a few tears here and there, it would eventually escalate to something much more painful, far worse than a few twinges in her chest. Aether couldn’t help it—she cried and cried until her tears ran dry, until her cheeks were blotchy, and her green eyes tired, red. 

It happened quite a few times and went unnoticed. Lysette would notice in the morning that Aether looked like that she hadn’t gotten any sleep, but the latter would shrug it off and say that her allergies were acting up.

Moodboards: #LysTher

Teaser #03: The Four Loves Celebration

Traditions: A Coalesce Short (1/2)

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

Atlanta, GA

United States of America

December 23, 2016

“Are you going home, too?”

Jian paused his music and looked at the source of the voice. There was a much younger female sitting across him, sunglasses perched on top of her head and regarding him with a curious expression. She had a rose gold tote bag on her lap and a similarly colored carry-on luggage next to her; Jian found himself staring before managing a short, reserved answer.

“I am. Where are you off to?”

“Back to Seoul; I’m staying for Christmas and New Year before coming back here.” Her phone made a noise and she excused herself to check the message; Jian took the chance to observe her further. The female wore a white hoodie with a shirt underneath, light-colored jogger pants, and white sneakers. She looked familiar, he realized, but couldn’t quite pinpoint who exactly she was. “Sorry about that, my friend just wanted to see if I was here already. And you?”

“Taipei.” She nodded slowly and it went quiet between the two of them; Jian glanced back down at his tablet and (tried to) resume reading, though sensed that the much younger other wanted to continue conversation.

Well. He couldn’t blame her, not really—it was the holiday season, after all. Around them were bunches of people, both family and friends alike, who were all chattering away with each other about plans and whatnot. It seemed like they were the few minority who were travelling alone without anyone else.

Pantone x Tropes: A Birthday Graphic

[ e l l e  r i v e r s ]

Instances: A Coalesce Short

(thirteen.)

Lysette accompanies her everywhere on the first morning.

She’s fidgety, still; creaks make her cringe and she jumps violently when people suddenly appear out of nowhere. Aether is frazzled, trembles non-stop; Lysette notices and notices throughout the entire day but stays quiet until they get back to their room. Aether buries herself in bed immediately, shaking and not quite able to stop.

The redhead hesitates until she hears the sounds of sniffing, then sobbing. That’s when she chooses to move and sits by the other’s bed, unable to do anything more than to rub her back. The words ‘it’ll be okay’ sound horrible even to her; all she can manage is a ‘just let it out’. Aether follows and lets it out, screaming into her pillow and crying until her voice is hoarse and her tears have run dry.

Lysette remains, unsure of what to say. After all, she had just arrived yesterday—she remembered Aether’s blank face, tired eyes, how her clothes still smelled of smoke and soot. Biting her lip, she ponders for a moment before standing and starts to move to the door. Tea would help her, she thinks. Tea or water.

But just as she is about to open the door and head downstairs to grab a drink, she hears her roommate speak. It’s faint and nearly undetectable, but Lysette still hears. “…can you stay?”

Team Roles: Dream Team

Checking Up: A Blogsary Short

Atlanta, GA

United States of America

July 2017

Lysette reads Aaron’s group messages. Italy’s great, he shared a couple of hours back. There’s a lot to see and a lot to take in. It’s great for Instagram, he told them alongside a grinning emoticon. The messages following that were of Eugene complaining that Aaron was just ‘using the trip as an excuse to be a millennial’. Aaron neither complained nor denied it, but they all knew that it was true.

After sending a teasing message herself, she told them about how she was doing in Atlanta. Nothing much happened here yet. And no, I’m not going to pull off an Aaron and take pictures of the sky at midnight. I’m planning to go to HQ tomorrow; my initial interview will be in the afternoon.

Eugene shoots a message of luck but doesn’t reply after; Lysette assumes that he had managed to fall asleep, exhaustion quick to catch up to the male. She next assumes that all the way in Italy, Aaron was busy sleeping as well. She thinks of shooting Aether an email, but restrains herself. It was a surprise, after all, and she didn’t want to ruin the surprise—

Shifting in bed, Lysette couldn’t help but wonder how the entire trip in Atlanta would be. She didn’t know what she was expecting; despite having read up on Headquarters and Atlanta, it all still seemed like a mysterious blur to her. She had spotted police cars on the way to the hotel while inside the cab, but they were probably just normal police and not the kind of Headquarters’ own.

Exhaling, she shut her eyes.

It suddenly felt like she wasn’t ready. Lysette hated uncertainty; it was what made her suddenly stock up on research hours before leaving London. She wasn’t like Aaron and Eugene, who preferred going into things with a fresh mind—she simply just had to know.