yumemigaoka | Anytime Anywhere

[So, either he lacks confidence, or he lacks ability. Time to find out.

Frieren nods, moving into position herself, staff in hand. There isn't a trace of nervousness in her expression.]

On the count of three. Three, two, one… Begin.

[As soon as the word leaves her mouth, lightning-fast, Frieren brandishes her staff and shoots a flurry of small orbs of white light toward Tycoon in a fan-shape. They're certainly dodgeable, either by slipping in-between them or jumping above, but should any of them find their mark, he'll at worse feel a brief sting—she has a high level of control of her own magic and she has no intent to hurt him, after all.

She doesn't yet move from her spot, watching closely for Tycoon's reaction.]

[The knowledge that there is no serious threat to his life takes a weight off his shoulders that he's not aware of. And maybe that's the major difference in his overall performance; knowing that no one would be hurt should he fail. Still, he had said that he'd do this best...

He freezes for a moment before barely sidestepping the projectiles, stumbling slightly because he'd overstepped and thought nearly dodged into another orb. Once he regains his footing, he runs forward towards Frieren with the intent to take a swing at her.

It's... Rather straightforward. Is he actually taking this seriously?]

[Tycoon's approach leaves Frieren dumbfounded. While it does suggest that he lacks ranged options, putting him at a disadvantage, surely he can do better than running straight at her, giving her plenty of time to take aim and shoot again? This could be a bluff, she supposes, but the way he almost stumbled into her attack means she's inclined to think otherwise.

Nonetheless, it's too soon to let her guard down. She leaps to the side to put some distance between them, firing another series of shots at Tycoon while anticipating his trajectory. Still avoidable, but not without a quick reaction time and sacrificing his momentum.]

Edited (don't be lazy about proofreading next time) 2023-11-14 04:46 (UTC)

[he's too honest to bluff. At least, he is this early on in his Dreamer career... If we could call it that.

Fighting Torments is fairly straightforward. They act, he reacts, sometimes it works out in Tycoon's favour and sometimes... Well, his luck has held out this far, hasn't it? But even he knows that relying purely on good luck wasn't a reliable battle plan. Which brings him right back to where he started: sparring with another Dreamer.

Tycoon sees Frieren jump aside and manages to pull up short, though he reflexively puts his sword up to block the shots fired at him. It winds up being unnecessary; he'd reacted fast enough to not run into the path of the projectiles. But he doesn't know where to go from there, his lack of options making itself blatantly clear in his mind. So he braces himself in preparation of another attack or... Maybe he freezes because he's unsure of what to do next.

Either way, it's his loss-]

[—and she strikes. The orbs dissipate harmlessly upon impact, and Frieren dismisses her Sandglass, victorious.

The bout lasted all of ten seconds. Frieren gives Tycoon an indecipherable look.]

…Hm. That was disappointing.

[A harsh assessment, but is she wrong? She may not be a melee combatant, but she can think of several things he could've tried to make himself less predictable—feints, jumps, or even throwing his sword. That being said, something must be addressed first…]

You don't have any ranged abilities? The terms of the duel were biased in my favor, then.

[She pauses, then adds:]

Shall we go again, melee only this time?

[It's only fair for her to fight at a disadvantage next.]

[he sighs as his lowers his own weapon, free hand going up to rub the spot she hit as he mumbles a quiet 'sorry...' in the process]

Ah- ... Uh, no. I don't. It's... [he doesn't seem upset about his loss, but he doesn't seem sure about setting the conditions for victory either. Hopefully, they never come across an instance where they needed to fight other Dreamers...

Tycoon looks at Frieren in surprise for a moment before nodding slowly]

If you're sure?

[he's less concerned about wasting his own time but at this rate... He's not sure he could muster up the motivation to fight another Dreamer (which wouldn't be fair, as it'd just waste her time instead)]

[Frieren may not be the most perceptive person, but even she can tell that Tycoon is being pretty reluctant here.]

It doesn't sound like you want to. There's no point if you don't give it your all.

[There's no animosity in her voice—she's just stating a fact.

She plops herself down on the ground, hugging her knees, and begins to study Tycoon's powers with her Analysis. After a few short moments, she asks:]

You're a Novice, right?

[he looks a little dejected as he mumbling yet another 'sorry'. Another failed job interview... Is what this is starting to feel like, and he wasn't even interviewing for anything! Not really, at any rate-]

Hm? [a blink, then;] Ah, yea. I just started a few months ago...

[he laughs a little, a quiet puff of air]

Is it that obvious?

[Frieren hums, as if to say yes.]

One of my abilities lets me see how powerful Dreamers are, among other things. [It's a bit of an oversimplification, but close enough.] I could also tell from the way you move. You're not confident.

[If her cluelessness at Tycoon's reactions wasn't obvious enough already, she asks with genuine curiosity:]

Why do you keep apologizing?

Oh...! That seems helpful- [and he winces a little at the 'not confident' comment]

... [he lets his Sandglass disappear before sitting down- He seems to have considered sitting seiza (probably because they were in a dojo) before changing his mind to sit cross legged across from Frieren]

Well, it was a sudden suggestion to spar, but I still agreed. [he pauses as he thinks about it] And it just seemed like it's something I should apologize for... Wasting your time, I mean.

It is. It works almost like a sixth sense.

[Frieren gives a smug, proud smile at the praise. Between that and how tiny she looks hugging her knees, the intimidation factor has surely gone down a lot, right?

At the mention of "wasting her time", though, Frieren stares blankly at Tycoon.]

You being weaker than me doesn't have to mean I don't have anything to learn from you. And time passing isn't really a problem in the Dream Sphere, so…

[She trails off—she feels that her point is so blatantly obvious that she doesn't need to finish her thought.]

Ooh... So there are some abilities like that too.

[Tycoon seems genuinely impressed! Then again, it probably isn't hard to impress a Novice, but subtle abilities like Frieren's aren't something one can simply pick up on like say... Electricity spells. Dream magic was a lot more nebulous than he originally gave it credit for, it seems-

He flinches at the blank stare. She didn't even do anything and yet his shoulders hunch up and his tail (unbeknownst to him) puffs up behind him when he jumps before settling again]

It... [she does, technically, have a point] Guess not, about the time, I mean. I keep forgetting that things work differently here inside the Dream Sphere.

[but because she's so matter of fact about it, Tycoon just winds up feeling more flustered. I guess you could say that it's the principle of the matter??]

[The Dream Sphere's rules are as obvious and familiar to Frieren as gravity itself; she's spent a truly absurd amount of time in there throughout her entire childhood, all the way until now. For someone to not have internalized something this basic, they must be very new to this life.]

You'll get used to it.

[With that, Frieren moves on, without even a comment on Tycoon's reaction. After all, one of her favorite topics has come up. She actually looks somewhat animated for once; she unfolds from her knee-hugging position with a glint in her eyes.]

Indeed there are. There's an incredible amount of variety in Dreamer powers. Even when we happen to have similar abilities, they feel distinct from one another. Speaking of which, could you show me yours?

[She could just focus and find out with her Analysis, but it's difficult to do while talking, and seeing powers in action is always better than just studying them in the abstract. She leans forward a little, obviously curious.]

... Me?

[he looks at her a little nervously before summoning his weapon again. It's a peculiarly shaped sword, oddly impractical looking for a longsword or a katana even with it's composition of sand and glass. The blade runs along the entirety of one side and there are two hilts for whatever reason-

The weapon shimmers momentarily, the sand inside quickly separates to both ends before the top half of it drops down into Tycoon's waiting hand]

It's just this... I can change it as many times as I want, and it's useful to be able to adjust it based on how much space I have available to me... [his mumbling trails off before he looks up, oddly determined]

Part of the reason I want to practice is to see what else it could do. Or... How else it can be used to fight.

[his grip tightens momentarily before he puts the twin blades back together, then resting the single blade on his lap, that moment of determination slipping away as quickly as it had come. He's still unaware of how magic or spells work and of his new ability, but he's trying to work with what he thinks he has]

[Frieren stares intensely at Tycoon's demonstration, her eyes and magical sense both laser-focused on the Sandglass's metamorphosis. Once it's complete, she makes a satisfied noise of appreciation. It's a night-and-day difference compared to how serious she sounded earlier!]

I've never seen a power like this before…! Adaptability is a valuable skill for dealing with Torments.

[Now she's standing up, smiling at Tycoon.]

Maybe you could practice on the dummies. [She gestures toward them. Despite her earlier practice, they seem perfectly intact. Turns out they regenerate because of weird Dream Sphere magic… convenient!] This should help you figure out your Sandglass's effective range. Stationary targets would be easier to start with, too.

[he seems confused by the prospect of her never seeing this sort of magic before because... It seems pretty plain. But that's probably why it's rare, why choose practicality when you can go bigger anyway? It's very 'Keiwa', though Tycoon continues to be blissfully unaware..

Said Dreamer tilts his head up to follow Frieren when she stands, then towards the dummies she's pointing at]

I don't... have any ranged attack though. [he says quietly, though he stands up and dusts himself off all the same]

Stationary targets... Right. [this should be easy enough, right? No pressure, no need to worry about glass hitting him back. Yup, fairly straightforward ~~just hit your 1-2-3 combo, Tycoon~~]

So... Just swing, huh?

Anytime Anywhere

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