Anytime Anywhere

[timelessmage]

⭐ Who: Chifuyu/Frieren and you!
⭐ When: Late October
⭐ Where: The Dreamer Union, Domremy Apartments, the Reflection Glades, the Abandoned Dojo… and maybe more?
⭐ What: Chifuyu arrives in town and settles in! …then proceeds to spend as much time as she possibly can in the Dream Sphere.
⭐ Warnings: Nightmare-induced memory loss and the death of a mother figure may come up in threads and will be warned for.

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[timelessmage]

[Chifuyu doesn't answer immediately. Instead, she gets close to the doorframe, standing on the tip of her toes to try and see the top of the box better (with marginal success).

It's just barely too tall. If it made it this far, surely it can go all the way…? Besides, now that it's blocking the entryway, it's not like they have any other choice but to try and push it through.]

I'll help.

[Chifuyu braces herself with both hands against the box, glancing at Hibiki so they can properly coordinate their efforts. If she's annoyed by this whole situation, it doesn't show at all.]

[determinationtofist]

Mm, got it!

[ Hibiki certainly doesn't pick up on any annoyance if it's there at all, she just smiles and braces her hands back on the box. ]

Then... ready, go...!!

[ If there's one plus side to this... it's that Hibiki is definitely freakishly strong. Or at the very least, much stronger than her build would imply. Thanks to that, it's not a completely lost cause. ]

[timelessmage]

[Whether Chifuyu is actually annoyed is a mystery even to herself, because her emotions are so muted all the time!

Chifuyu, meanwhile, is exactly as strong as she looks—which is to say not strong at all. But hey, she's trying her best…?? On Hibiki's signal, she once again puts all of her weight into pushing.

At first the box hardly budges, but when it begins to finally slide forward, Chifuyu redoubles her efforts… for what little part they're playing in this. At last, the box suddenly gets unstuck; Chifuyu stumbles forward as it does. Good thing it's heavy, because otherwise it could very well have fallen over.]

There. Now we should have an easier time.

[A lesson was learned today: when at first you don't succeed, just keep banging your head against the proverbial wall (box?) until it works.]

[determinationtofist]

Hoo...! Sorry about getting it stuck... but hey! It worked out!

[ Sometimes! Brute force is the answer! This is a Hibiki-approved message. ]

Ah, Chifuyu-chan, right? Nice to meet you! I live on this floor too, so I guess we're basically neighbors!

[timelessmage]

It's all right.

[Chifuyu's inclined to agree. Obnoxiously tall boxes, Nightmares… same difference.

The overly familiar address catches her off-guard somewhat, but she doesn't mind. So they are neighbors, then, as she suspected.]

Nice to meet you too, Tachibana-san. Say, when did you become a Dreamer?

[determinationtofist]

[ Instant familiarity when it comes to the way Hibiki addresses someone is just part of the experience. She’s not sure how old Chifuyu is, since she looks young and all, but the -chan ultimately comes from the fact that her new neighbor is smaller than her. The choice of honorifics with Hibiki is always based on feeling instead of anything else, and for better or worse, Chifuyu has been assigned “-chan” ]

Oh, me? I was 15 when it happened, so two—no, three years ago! What about you?

[ Still not used to being 18, apparently. ]

[timelessmage]

So you have some experience.

[Chifuyu smiles—a rare sight! Three years is surely enough for a Dreamer to develop their own unique fighting style, which means there could be much to learn from Hibiki, should they find the opportunity to go to the Dream Sphere together.]

I Awakened when I was six, sixteen years ago.

[determinationtofist]

[ Hibiki does in fact have her own style... but before Hibiki can be proud of her experienced status, she all but double-takes at Chifuyu's words. ]

EH!? Six!? That's so young!!

[ That's basically baby age! She's been a Dreamer since she was baby!! Hibiki didn't even know it was POSSIBLE to be a Dreamer at age six. ]

[timelessmage]

So I'm told. I can hardly remember a time where I wasn't a Dreamer.

[Which does set her apart. Most Dreamers Awaken later in life, whereas she grew up in the Dream Sphere just as much as she did in reality… if not more.]

[determinationtofist]

That's amazing, though...

[ There's admittedly plenty of questions to be asked about such early access to the Dream Sphere... but oh well, she seems adjusted enough, right? Right. ]

Ahaha... I thought I was pretty experienced, but now I feel silly...

[timelessmage]

[Definitely, don't worry about it.]

It's true that I have the advantage of time, and you'll never catch up in that regard.

[Harsh…]

But my mentor taught me never to underestimate another's abilities, even if they are less experienced. It isn't as if I don't have any weaknesses.

[Hell, barely a month ago she got attacked by a Nightmare and lost a memory.]

Besides, my mentor’s experience dwarfed mine, and yet I could still be of use to her.

[Flamme's powers were exceptional. Frieren had been the only one who could tell she was concealing their full extent. She never did find out just how strong Flamme had been; the elderly Dreamer had taken that secret to the grave.]

[determinationtofist]

Oh! That's some pretty good advice! Your mentor must be pretty amazing!

[ Understatement of the century, even if Hibiki doesn't know it. ]

Well, since we're neighbors now, we should work together sometimes! In the Dreamsphere, I'm Dreamer Gungnir! If you ever need any help, just let me know! Oh, do you need more help moving in?

[ Hibiki is already going all-in on friendship. Congratulations, Chifuyu, you've obtained a new friend and you didn't even have to do anything. ]

[timelessmage]

[Hibiki's praise for Flamme brushes against something in Chifuyu, a big lump of lead. She sounds… quieter, when she replies:]

…Indeed.

[Whatever's got her down, she doesn't seem to want to talk about it.

Now, goodness knows she needs someone to befriend her so she doesn't turn into some kind of weird Dream Sphere hermit. …Not that she wasn’t one already, but details.]

I wouldn't mind that. I'm Dreamer Frieren.

[The prospect of getting to see another Dreamer's powers is enticing… She'll have to take Gungnir up on her offer at some point, especially now that her combat partner of so many years is gone. But for now, more mundane matters are at hand.]

Well… I could use some help unpacking, I suppose…

[She casts a sheepish glance toward the entryway leading into her male living space still barren apartment. Most of the boxes in there are unpacked and there isn't really any furniture to speak of…]