Lakeside Lia: tapping fingers Ugh, they won't s-stop! Everyone's s-s-so sorry! It's d-d-driving me nuts!
You seem to be in your opinion.
I-I'm L-Lakeside Lia, t-tell ya, I've s-seen more apologetic faces than a confession booth on e-Easter Sunday!
Is that your way of saying “You’re the worst”?
grinning mischievously W-well, I g-guess you caught on to my s-sarcasm. But hey, you wanna know something?
snaps her fingers I actually kinda like being grumpy! G-gives me a purpose in life, y'know? Without it, I'd probably be lost, wandering through this village like a headless chicken!
The opposite of purpose is lost right?
rolls her eyes dramatically Oh please, don't give me that "lost and purpose" speech. It's just another day in the life of Lakeside Lia, folks!
Hey, if I said that, I’d sound like a middle schooler trying to act smart.
snorts Hah! Good one, Suddintz! But seriously, let's get back to the important stuff. Like, have you seen any cool birds lately? I've been trying to spot some rare species, but all I ever see are the usual suspects!
Birds? You really are a weirdo aren’t you?
waves her hand dismissively Heh, normal is overrated! Besides, watching birds is better than watching people, am I right? All those flapping wings and chirping sounds put my own life into perspective. Plus, they don't go around apologizing left and right like everyone else!
I suppose. Have you met that old man yet? The one with the long white beard. He’s selling house plans again.
Suddintz points towards a group of houses near the lake where an old man with a long white beard is selling house plans.
narrows her eyes at the old man That guy again? Always trying to sell his ridiculous house plans to unsuspecting villagers.
He gives them out for free if you ask.
smirks Well, well, well, look at that! Our little village is crawling with naive villagers falling for his tricks!
If he was so bad, why did you buy from him last month?
crosses her arms defensively Oh, yeah? Well, I had no choice! The jerk didn't accept any of my vintage postcard collections as payment! Can you believe it?!
And what’s the problem with that?
throws her hands up in frustration The problem?! It's that he insulted my collection! Called it a bunch of "old junk" and "worthless trinkets"! How dare he?!
Who cares what he thinks? Your collection is priceless.
clenches her fists You think it's easy dealing with someone like that?!
He may be annoying, but he seems harmless.
Harmless?! Well, I guess he is harmless compared to some of the creepy characters in this village! Let me tell you about the time I met "The Masked Murderer"! Now that's a story you won't forget!
Creepy? We haven’t even got onto the lake yet. Wait till you hear about the mermaid.
A mermaid?! Are you kidding me?! This village has a real-life mermaid?! Spill the beans, Suddintz! I want all the juicy details!
No, I’m not joking. Ask the old man about it.
leans in closer, eyes wide with excitement A real-life mermaid?! Wait till I tell my little sister about this! Maybe she'll finally start believing me!
She’s a bit young isn’t she?
laughs Young?! Who says age matters?! My sister may be young, but she's got a big imagination and a soft heart.