Lia

> *“Sorry it’s just, I know what you mean. About being here. It’s true that we never did and won’t have it easy but…I take pride in the fact it’s something only we can do—* need *to do. It couldn’t be anyone else, if not us.”* - Lia: Arc III, Chapter 13
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Lia is a major supporting character in the novel and possible companion in the CYOA. She is a native of the world and a three year veteran of Skull Beach Redoubt. Prior to her being scouted as a Resonator by the ESDF, she was a scavenger alongside her tribe.

## Background

According to Hanna, Lia was a scavenger alongside her tribe up until being discovered as a Resonator at the age of 15. She, as well as her fellow tribe members, scavenged old world ruins, technology, and at times even downed and abandoned Slayers, presumably for anything useful they could find.

In the novel Lia's backstory is expanded upon, being a critical member of her tribe "The Tribe of Meridional Wanderers" as her Forecast ability allowed them to avoid Outsider interactions. Her parents died at some point shortly before becoming a Resonator, where the tribe raised her and she was especially close to the Chief, his wife, and daughter Faylin. According to the Chief, Faylin thinks of Lia as an older sister, showing their closeness. It was shortly after this that the current Commander of the ESDF and Hanna found Lia one day as they headed towards the Mesa Valley Vault City. Lia, persuaded by Hanna's words of being needed "everywhere" then chose to join the ESDF and become a Resonator.

During the 3 years she has been in service, she befriended Hanna, becoming especially close to her, Yukiko, and Akane. After the death of Akane, she was the only one to continue interacting with and treating Hanna as a friend, resulting in the two becoming almost like sisters.

## Personality

Lia has been shown to be an extraordinarily kind and thoughtful individual, if not the one most so in the entirety of the ESDF. This is immediately evident when the player (or Anon) first arrives in the world; as opposed to watching idly, Lia helps him up, welcoming him to the new world, grim circumstance notwithstanding. Moreover, she is the only one whom Hanna considers a friend, as she is implied to be the only person to have stuck with her during her extreme depression following Akane's death. This kind and gentle nature was not born out of the grimness of fighting Outsiders, but is something she has always done, as the Chief of her tribe and his wife trusted her enough to care for their daughter Faylin during their scavenging expeditions. It can be assumed she holds closely the words her father told her, as she remembers during her fight against Ifnielis that, "The world is not a kind place. That is why we must be kind in its place."

She has also been shown to have a somewhat playful, flirtatious, and even "childish" side, according to Hanna. This is most evident in her constant banter with the latter, teasing her about her training with Anon and even inviting him into her room. In this same instance, when Anon appeared at the door, she provocatively teased that the Commander commenting of a potential lover were not orders from her to take one (she commented this while blushing and exaggeratingly putting a hand to her mouth).

Similar to her kind-hearted nature, Lia has been shown to be stubborn, this trait having caused more than one issue in the past. In wishing to strengthen herself and relieve others of burdens, she recklessly fought a Rogue by herself with no backup. Furthermore, her stubborn nature caused a small dispute with Hanna during their fight against Infielis, the latter proving herself to be correct when Lia ended up needing the shield to survive the encounter. Though her stubbornness is not always negative, as she insisted on helping Anon when he sought the training arena the morning after his arrival. Likewise, her will to protect those close to her has manifested itself in every fight she has been in, also causing her to train herself more in close-quarters combat to help ease the burden of those around her in a less reckless way.

It is because of all these traits that, after saving the two from a direct attack against Ifnielis, Anon called Lia a "bonafide hero."

## Plot

### Arc I

The first arc sees Lia traveling alone to fight a Rogue. Her Slayer sustaining massive damage, she becomes decommissioned until Anon and Hanna arrive to her rescue.

## Abilities and Slayer

### Abilities

* Extraordinary Long-Range Combat
	+ Lia has been called by Hanna to be "second to none" in long-distance combat. This has proven itself multiple times in her ability to hit targets tens or hundreds of miles away with extreme precision
* Electromaster
* Forecast

### Slayer

* **Lelvedere**
	+ Precision Attack
		- "Kaleidoscope Round"
	+ Ultra-Range

Lia's Slayer, named Lelvedere, is a lightweight mecha focused on long-distance fighting. With a primarily pink and white color scheme, it holsters a variety of weapons including a sub-machine gun and unnamed high-power sniper rifle.

## Trivia

* Lia's Slayer is a play on the word "Belvedere," a house or vantage point that sits atop a high place to allow one to see for many miles. They are often situated or built in gardens.
* In the CYOA, the initial images used for Lia are from "Setsuna Drive," a song from the vocaloid IA.