yumemigaoka | Anytime Anywhere

[There's a new face at the Dreamer Union today.

Though she wears a Sandglass around her neck as a pendant, this black-haired girl has clearly never been here before. How old is she? She wouldn't seem out of place in a highschool. The way she casts curious glances about evokes… some level of unease, but it's honestly hard to tell for sure, because she looks so stone-faced.

The receptionist isn't here for some reason, so she's sort of hovering around without any apparent goal. That's when she spots you in the building's lobby. Without hesitation, she walks up to you and asks:]

Say. Where may I sign up to work as a Dreamer here?

[If you live in the Domremy Apartments, you may have caught wind of the new arrival—or perhaps you've noticed Chifuyu's comings and goings as she hauls furniture and various odds and ends into her new residence. Delivery people just dropped off a bunch of heavy-looking boxes in front of her door and she's trying to push them in with all of her weight, but it's a difficult task when you're scrawny like her…

A quick peek into the apartment reveals that it is, for the most part, empty, aside from a few pieces of furniture (clearly not in the places they should be) and a number of boxes haphazardly strewn about (several of them already opened, with their contents spilling out onto the floor). If you're passing by, perhaps you can introduce yourself or offer her a hand?]

[Though these parts of the Dream Sphere are unfamiliar to Frieren, she was able to get the lay of the land quickly thanks to her many years of experience as a Dreamer. This place looks quite safe, and it's rather similar to one of her favorite haunts from before she moved to Yumemigaoka—in other words, an ideal spot to practice magic with minimal Torment interference.

However, she's not working on any kind of combat abilities right now. Or at least, it doesn't seem like it? She's crouched in the middle of a clearing, tapping the tip of her staff to the grass before lifting it up slowly, glowing energy gathering at its end. The magic takes a vague flower-like shape for a split second, then dissipates into the air almost immediately.

She tries this again and again, with variations for the speed of her movement and the amount of energy she gathers. Sometimes, she even forgoes the staff entirely and gently touches the dirt with her fingers instead. But no matter how she changes things up, she's never satisfied with the results (or lack thereof).

Even though she's absorbed in what she's doing, don't expect to be able to sneak up on her easily unless you can somehow conceal your magical presence. If you're not inclined to interrupt her, she'll eventually sit down with a sigh and the barest hint of a frown as she lays her staff by her side, deep in thought.]

[If you've come to practice at the Abandoned Dojo, you may sense that you're being… observed. Frieren's sharp, appraising gaze is trained on you (from the top of the courtyard walls, the shadow of a tree, or the corner of the training hall), and it almost feels like she's reading you on a deeper level, somehow… But she seems perfectly content to watch you use your powers without intervening. If it's bothering you, you might have to say something…

Come at another time, and it'll be Frieren who's training instead. She's using her staff to fire round after round into a straw dummy inside the dojo, constantly on the move, as if to perfect her aim. It's clear from how confidently she moves that she's a highly experienced Dreamer. When you step into the room, she turns to you.]

Are you here to train?

[…D-Does she want to try her hand at live target practice?]

[Maki isn't usually doing reception. In fact, she's coming back into the lobby with a toolbox after having to resolve somebody's computer woes on the second floor. When the new girl calls her over, Maki looks up with a wave, pauses, and heads behind the desk.]

New Dreamer, huh? I got you. Since apparently no one's on the front desk right now. Let me get the registration forms. Have you already read up on the basics? Reasons to register, mentorship program, transfering to Promised Morning -- you're in high school, right? You don't have to sign up for that stuff, and nothing's stopping you from staying where you are, but some people like to get it all done in one go.

[…Well, there are a lot of wrong assumptions being made here, but at least this person appears to be well-informed.]

I'm hardly new. I've been a Dreamer for almost as long as I can remember, and I'm well past high school age. [Not that Chifuyu ever attended, but that's beside the point.] I'm already familiar with the Union's activities. I just moved into town, and I'm here on my mentor's recommendation.

Huh.

[She raises her eyebrows, but rather than back off, she pulls out the registration forms and passes them across the desk.]

In that case, these should be the right ones for you to work with us. I can get you in to talk with some of the Dreamers in the office in charge of things, but aside from that, we got everything you need for DU registration and working here in Yumemigaoka. So you've been a Dreamer that long, huh?

Thank you.

[Chifuyu glances at the forms while Maki speaks. These don't look too bad as far as paperwork goes, though she can't say she has any fondness for it regardless.]

That's right. I Awakened when I was six…

[The briefest of pauses as she does the math…]

…so, sixteen years ago. I take it you aren't a Dreamer yourself?

[Wow, she must get carded all the time.]

Nah, not me. Midorikawa Maki, IT tech and general errand runner. Don't worry, you'll run into plenty of actual Dreamers here. The people here are usually pretty dependable, even if they are slightly or strange. Or very.

[She would, if she ever did anything that warrants getting carded.

…Should she introduce herself with her Dreamer name, since this is the Dreamer Union? Maybe not, since Maki isn't one.]

Kimura Chifuyu. That's good to know. My mentor said something along those lines, too.

[Much as she'd prefer to not have to rely on others in the Dream Sphere, she's well aware that taking on Nightmares alone is a fool's errand. Frankly, had Flamme not imprinted on her that the DU was a good place to turn to, she most likely would have never taken the initiative to move to Yumemigaoka.]

I figured they might've. Now, everything on the form should be pretty simple. We got the basic contact information, the stuff you need for payroll... Still, ask if you have any questions, and I'll probably have your answer.

You mentioned you do IT work here… [A beat.] Do Dreamers need to use computers often?

No more than anyone else does in an office, which is to say a lot if you work here day to day. If you're just a regular registered Dreamer and don't have a desk job here, it's not like we're gonna make you.

[ Dreamer Mind, Kozakura, is content to watch. Frieren is clearly focused on whatever she's doing - an experiment, or something else? She's very much taking her time to compare results based on different approaches, so she doesn't want to interrupt, but she does want to bug her to see if it's anything interesting once she takes a break.

She's probably been spotted - she's not concealing her presence even though she can.

When Frieren sits down, she takes a long moment to speak up. ]

Penny for your thoughts?

…Good. I've never used a computer before.

[Yes, that's what she was worried about. Sorry for the future tech support nightmares when Chifuyu decides to get into Dream Sphere research.]

Seriously? Kinda thought everybody had by now, except the odd grandma who lives out in the boonies.

[Frieren had indeed noticed Mind's presence a while ago and taken a minute or two to analyze her powers, just out of curiosity. The fact that she had the ability to conceal her presence but wasn't using it reassured her that she had no hostile intent—not that she had any reason to be wary of fellow Dreamers.

Frieren doesn't bother to stand up when Mind shows herself. Instead, she just looks up. …Well, it's not like Mind is towering over her, so she doesn't have to crane her neck or anything. Despite the fact that she just spent a good while failing to accomplish her goal, her voice is calm and level, with no apparent trace of frustration.]

I'm trying to recall a spell a Nightmare took from me.

[Though in an ideal world, she would prefer to keep it to herself, what Frieren is doing isn't exactly a secret. Part of the reason she moved to Yumemigaoka in the first place was to see if contact with fellow Dreamers would help her, after all.]

[ She'll never assume that every single Dreamer is completely harmless... just in case.

Otherwise, she's small and not much of a fighter. ]

Ah. Now that's a complicated subject.

[ Let her poke your brain about it. ]

Any progress?

I suppose so.

[Maki kind of hit the nail on the head there, because guess where Chifuyu used to live and with whom…]

That aside, what are the duties of a registered Dreamer? Handling Torments and Nightmares is a given, I imagine.

This is the best I can manage.

[Chifuyu demonstrates, picking up her staff and repeating the movement from earlier. Once again, the flower-shaped magical construct vanishes in an instant, as if it can't hold a solid form.]

Creating a flower shouldn't be a difficult spell to master, yet I can't get anywhere with it. I know I've cast it before, too.

Basically all you need to do is that, and we have mission signups, teams and the mentor program if you need in on 'em, and communication on stuff that's been found or explored. Especially with the recent Dreamer Crimson expeditions, those get a lot of use.

I see. Who is Dreamer Crimson?

She was a famous and popular Dreamer who disappeared out of nowhere years ago. Recently a couple of Dreamers went on some expeditions to find her. It hasn't gone well. The stuff coming back indicates she might not want to be found... and there's some weird things going on with that. I wouldn't be the one to ask for the details. Not like I was there.

[Chifuyu isn't too familiar with Dreamer disappearances. She knows they can happen, and that the mechanism behind them isn't well understood, but that's about it.]

I have a lot of experience with the Dream Sphere. Perhaps I can lend a hand with the investigation.

[Not out of personal interest or anything. Whatever gets her paid will do, and if she gets to see other Dreamers' abilities in the process, then all the better.]

It's not the sort of thing I'd do so I can't help you from a crafting perspective.

[ Her repertoire is basically 'don't get hit' and 'win fight with minimal exertion'. ]

So it's just a matter of repetition to try to get your memories to rebuild those pathways.

Anytime Anywhere

Yumemigaoka: Dreamer Union | OTA, limited to 1 person

Yumemigaoka: Domremy Apartments | OTA

Dream Sphere: Reflection Glades | OTA

Dream Sphere: Abandoned Dojo | OTA

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