The name Alice tried to settle into her thoughts — soft, coaxing, and insistent. For a brief moment, her eyes glazed over like the magic was taking hold, but the blue beneath the fog quickly forced its way to the surface again. Her expression became stern as she stared at Yume and pushed back against the voice in her head.

[color=4c87bf][i]“Iie.”[/i][/color]

The sound of her own voice was still strange to her ears, though speaking in her native tongue seemed to be a bit easier. As she spoke, the thought carried back along the intrusive thread, clear and deliberate.

[color=a8d7e8][i]No.[/i][/color]

Yumi’s eyes met Yume’s, calm and level.

[color=4c87bf][i]“Yumi to moushimasu.”[/i][/color]

The meaning followed once again, bleeding through the same mental channel that had been used against her.

[color=a8d7e8][i]My name is Yumi.[/i][/color]

She severed the connection without waiting for a response. She inclined her head in a shallow bow — the bare minimum courtesy demanded — before turning and heading for the mess hall. There, she took a seat near Kamara, Emily, and…Itsy, was it? [color=a8d7e8][i]That’s right[/i][/color], she reassured herself. She produced a strip of jerky from her rations, and quietly gnawed at it as the others talked, choosing to direct her irritation at the dried meat instead of the drill-haired witch.