Tau

[??? - Underground] Free Fall

Yume

Whee!

Yume coughed as she felt the magical extension of her mind drawn on her shoulders shatter. It was like a splitting headache. Worse, the suppressed emotions of fear and surprise surged back like a tsunami as the enchantment lifted.

"Aiiieee! How is this— ghhck!"

She didn’t get to finish the thought as the spike sent her into a tailspin. At this point, she was too dazed to even think properly. The spiral of blood above reminded her of her hair, and she delirious enough from its loss to almost find it… funny.

"Eh?"

A body. Warm and protective, calling her by a familiar name. A song joined the embrace, healing wounds and snapping her mind back to reality just in time for the plunge to turn into a slow-falling drift.

Maybe Yumi meant it as a sacrifice. Yume would land on her and have a chance as the soft body cushioned her. Would’ve have worked, of course… not at that speed, but a nice sentiment.

Now, that their fall had turned into a leisurely drift, she turned her eyes to her ‘captor’ with a smug look.

"Aren’t you the eager hero~" Aedri was useful for once. Yume had almost missed out on prime snark opportunity.

Yume intercepted Yumi’s arms before she could pull away, eating up the awkwardness like a furnace eats fuel. "Nope. You’re committing to it now," she winked, settling in like Yumi was a comfy couch. Totally a tease. Nothing to do with years of loneliness. Nothing at all.

"Tell me what we’re falling into? I can’t see past our hair."

[??? - Underground] Free Fall

Yume

Whee!

The platform lurched, rattling like it was weathering a hurricane, bits and pieces ripping off the sides as it tried to resist a pull which was far too great.

"Come on, hold it together!" Yume begged, just in time for a beam of light to rip through the surface. She leapt back to evade, toppling over the side, and before she could even process what just happened, it was well out of reach. "Crap! Where did that come from!?"

@Moonberry

Her eyes narrowed, settling on the mass of sparkly blonde hair below. "Of course it's you..." she groaned, narrowing to a pin and speeding her descent to approach Aedrianna.

"Heya," Yume called, forcing a casual tone despite her stomach slapping against her throat. "Crazy, meeting you like this. Do you come here often?" She deftly adjusted her angle of descent to avoid a passing obsidian-colored spike of insta-death, throwing Aedrianna a mischievous grin. "I'd offer to fix your brain if it's still screwed up, but I'm a little busy not getting impaled."

@Novama

Her next thought was interrupted by a shout she couldn't help responding to...

Hands cupped to her mouth...

"It's called gravity, doofus!"

She knew exactly what Michael meant.

Actions
1. Basic Dodge (Lasers) [SPD A]
2. Basic Dodge (Spikes) [SPD A]

[??? - Underground] Free Fall

Yume

Whee!

"Hey! Watch out! You’re traveling down too fast! Slow down!"

"Thanks Nada," Yume answered the glowing clockwork pixie. Next time, she’d just bring a lantern. At least she could see… kinda. Lots of rock.

"Honey, you really should be more careful…"

"Thanks Mom!" Yume shouted, sarcasm growing more impatient. "Next time I go to buy bread, I’ll be sure to watch out for the ’Pitfall trap to hell’ sign! Can’t you do that dream thing and whip us up a parachute!?"

"It doesn’t really work that way, honey…"

"Of course it doesn’t…"

Yume’s eyes scanned the abyss. Lots of crap everywhere. Bricks from the road, a few market stalls, even the side of the bakery they were headed toward — sadly, no bread with it. Then, trees and clumps of dirt. Was it her imagination, or was the junk multiplying!?

"Mmkay, I’ll figure out something."

Focusing in on the collapsed wall of the bakery, Yume held out a hand, glowing with a purple energy as her [Telepathy (Maximum, Concentration II)] pulled it just beneath the two silver-haired women. The wall croaked and moaned as it caught the air and slowed their fall, bits breaking off as bricks from above struck it like meteors.

Slowly but surely, their descent began to slow. At least until Yume noticed the giant shadow approaching, looking to see the massive, shelled monstrosity careening down like a building-sized bullet.

"Eek!!"

[Concentration Broken SHATTERED]

A good thing too, as the wall resumed falling just quick enough to evade the insta-kill: just out of reach. For now.

Yume frantically waved her staff like a newspaper, as if it might paddle herself down just a bit faster. "Someone do something, I can’t cast under these conditions!"

"Yume, this monster looks dangerous!"

"Shut up, Nada!"

@CinderRadcliff

Suddenly, the bug flinched, the side erupting into a series of cracks. Bullets!? Yume whipped around, catching sight of the storm trooper girl clinging to a tree. "Miss, help! We’ve fallen into the wrong genre! Get us out of here!"

Actions
1. Impotent Telepathy F(C)

[The Beastkin Republic] Will They Know Respite?

Yume

Nemuru

Yume felt her knees wobble as she clutched the staff like a support beam. The spell was the strongest thing she had, and it took everything out of her. Everything out of the forest too, which was the point. Beside her, she watched as a tree just… vaporized into radiant light, desperately trying to direct it so that no one living would be next.

Only when it was over did she sigh a breath of relief. "Phew…" Yume sighed. Given that they were both standing in a crater where a large patch of forest had been, she was feeling pretty confident the spell had done its job. That’s when the corpse stirred.

"N-no way… you’ve gotta be kidding, that’s disgusting!" She pointed a finger at the ghoulish zombie thing. The regret was immediate. It turned to her, and now, there were no trees to hide behind. She gulped.

"Yes yes, I’m amazing, now someone heeelllp!!!" Yume shouted, pointing the staff defensively at the thing. She knew she was out of juice, but maybe it didn’t know that. Alas, it didn’t seem to be swayed.

Then came the heroes! A gleaming strike of the scythe, a wall of muscle and fist, and… a fluffy boi! He was a little too late to strike first, but Yume immediately felt safer with the armored tanuki between her and that nasty thing.

So she collapsed into the snow, still clutching the staff, but content to finally rest. "I’ll leave the rest to you," she said to all three.

For a moment, Yume looked as though she was about to pass out in the snow, but then a certain thought crossed her mind. She glanced back at her mom. "Wait a second, did you just say you were watching me? When!? How!? For how long!? You have so much explaining to do!"

[The Beastkin Republic] Will They Know Respite?

Yume

Nemuru

Yume felt a confusing mix of happy and infuriated. The woman was incredibly sweet, and more importantly, seemed to know her without having to be told. Someone to remember. Someone whose arms felt like home. Finally.

But the more she thought it through, the more it irked her. If this was so incredible, why did it take so long for her to have it!? Where was this woman the first few years of her second life!? You know… the scary, important ones.

"You think I haven’t tried doing anything memorable…!?" Yume’s voice came out more strained than intended. Almost a sob, despite her intentions. "That’s been every day, Mystery Mom! Every. Single. Day." She thumped Nemuru’s shoulder with her fist, emphasizing each word. Not enough to hurt, but enough to shove her slightly. "Like this would be any different!"

Pulling back, she looked up into the woman’s eyes. "So what makes you different? How do you seem to recognize me? And where were you when I needed all these questions answered!?"

From the looks of it, Yume was adamant on standing there, staring into her mother’s eyes until she got an answer. She was, at first, until a shambling sound resounded behind her, close to where she’d dropped the staff. Her reaction wasn’t one of fear, so much as irritation at the interruption.

"Fine," she sighed, holding out one hand. The staff leapt off the ground, landing straight in her hand with a solid thwack that almost looked like it hurt. "Just watch. One moment of awe, then they forget I was even here by the time we make it back to Nan Gau."

Closing her eyes, Yume stepped back and drew the staff closer, quickly whispering ancient script like a prayer meeting a mantra. Light gather, swirling around the base, cascading up, wind blowing the white fluff beneath like a snowglobe being shaken. A second in, the staff forced one to squint, a few, it was blinding.

Then, the golden sun on the top erupted into the overcast sky.

"I can’t see where everyone is, so I’ll spare the square where they were fighting. The moose lady should know what to do. Even if she can’t remember me, she should remember the spell…" In a way, Yume was speaking more for her own benefit than Nemuru’s. This very fear had held her back: anyone nearby, not in the safety zone, was a goner.

"Stay close, Mystery Mom."

1. Telekinesis F(C — maximum, concentration II) staff to hand.

2. Daybreak | Grade B
Magic B, Penetrating B, Blight [Radiant] B, AoE C, Selective C, Control Environment F, Affinity [Air] F
4 post cooldown (item)
Raising the staff, a bright cloud made of light pours out from the top, covering a half-mile radius. Moments later, it begins to fire devastating beams of destructive light across the area, dissolving whatever’s touched with radiant energy.

3. Nope.

[The Beastkin Republic] Will They Know Respite?

Yume

The chaos seemingly crashed upon them in an instant. It wasn’t unexpected, but it was sudden… every bit as much as last time, Yume thought.

At first, her grip on her staff tightened, and she readied herself to fight back. All around her, blade were twirling, roars were… probably saying something in beastial, and an impressive display of fire was consuming what it could. Minds went into overdrive, and what once was a soothing sea of musings became a storm of frantic combat calculations.

Yume did what she always did in these situations: call upon the mythril inked into her skin to do some of the thinking for her. In one moment, the chaos seemed to slow down: the flurry of thoughts became manageable, the weave of battle sensible… and now, with several dozen extra IQ point slapped into her brain, she realized… Psychic magic on ZOMBIES!? What was I THINKING!?

Of course, she had the holy-spell-thingy staff. That had always been the secret weapon. A powerful, holy blast, wide enough to smite every zombie within a mile. She raised it up, about to end things right then and there, when her runes picked up something strange. A familiar voice. That voice…

The staff lowered again as she turned her attention to a particular corner of the woods. The commander was barking some kind of such and such at her. Yume tuned it out. That brain radiated precious love, pride, and most strange of all, familiarity. It was the best meal she’d ever sensed. A trap, probably, but what if… what if it was actually a person.

Yume took one step then another, slow and hesitant at first, before she broke out into a run. The sounds of battle grew more distant, dulled slightly by the wall of thick tree trunks. Like a trail of crumbs, she followed the thoughts, tearing through the thick snow and kicking it in her face ‘til her cheeks went red. "Not this time…" she murmured. "You’re not getting away this time!"

She weaved past a few straggling zombies [Basic Dodge — Speed A/Armor B] which seemed to be headed for the battleground. Finally, she saw her…

Nemuru

Yume recognized the face from the earlier nightmare in an instant, her eyes wide. For a long moment, she just stood there in stunned silence. Then, the staff slipped from her hand, falling into the soft snow, leaving Yume free to run forward and wrap her arms around the figure.

In that moment, nothing else truly mattered to her. Not the threats surroudning them. Not the staff she’d just dropped, which had a holy nuke etched in its mythril, ready to go. Nothing except getting her arms around the elusive, dreamlike figure, as if she might vanish any moment (she had last time, after all!). The figure that anyone with eyes could recognize as her mom.

"Who are you…!?" Yume choked, holding tight as she buried her face in the kind woman’s neck. "What am I? Why does everyone always forget!?" Yume tried to sound upset, but the tone of her voice was filled with more hope and relief than the anger she’d aimed for.

1. Cognitive Expansion | Grade B
Bolster B [INT & PRC], Magic D, Duration E, Feature [Lightning Calculator]
4 post cooldown (item — Mythril Light Armor)
Yume’s tattoo acts as a secondary brain, made not of grey matter and neurons, but mythril and magic runes. Until disrupted or forced to rest, Yume's dual-mind races with unnatural clarity, pushing her mental abilities to new heights. Can alternatively be connected via Telepathy to another mind nearby, offering it the benefits instead.

2. Move

3. Pre-emptive Basic Dodge

[The Beastkin Republic] Will They Know Respite?

Yume

Yume smiled as her spell worked its charm, satisfied to have curated a new friend. She rubbed Yumi’s shoulder as the two set off, leaving the comfort behind in favor of the icy road.

"Yume, hm…?" She threw Yumi a skeptical look. Yume wasn’t omniscient, but she had pretty much just mapped out the woman’s entire mind-space. She knew what a proper success looked like, and this wasn’t it. "It has, hasn’t it?" In the end, the failure didn’t matter. Yumi was doing the one thing that could endear her to Yume faster than any other: playing along.

The whole trip, Yume was practically glued to her side, twin drills bouncing on either side with each step. Every so often, one would even brush Yumi’s shoulder. "Sneaky sneaky. You know, you should be careful hiding away with mages around. You might accidentally get hit, like that one dungeon we ran together~" Completely made up, of course, but she said it with great confidence. She waggled the gold sun top of her staff in front of Yumi’s face for emphasis.

Once they arrived in Nan-Li, Yume finally turned a bit serious. Just a bit. It was Swordlady and Mousey’s comment (whatever their names were — Yume wasn’t really paying attention) that caught her interest this time around. "You know, that’s what they did before," she spoke softly in their direction. "Burned their own village just to have a chance, because they were safer as bonfires. That’s what we thought, at least."

Kneeling down, Yume grabbed a fallen apple out of the snow and tried to take a bite. Hard as a rock. She flung it behind her, discarding it. "It was smart. Protecting the past is meaningless if those it means anything to get killed."

Yume’s grip on her staff tightened, but she cut into the heavy moment into a light chuckle. "Anyway! It would be easy enough to blow this place up, but then they’d probably just spread and come back later. Instead…" Her voice lowered slightly, becoming conspiratorial, "…I wanna eat the leader. The rider ought to know things… like how to put a stop to this for good."

CD: D2 | B4
(Not sure if these reset during the long scene change)

[The Beastkin Republic] Will They Know Respite?

Yume

"Ohh…?" Yume hummed as the woman answered her ‘suggestion’ with a gentle push-back, smile widening ever-so-slightly as she felt the lady resist. Her yellow eyes grew just a touch bright, like a predator having found, not prey, but an interesting toy to play with.

In the mess hall, the woman had selected a spot already well-surrounded, likely on purpose. Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t enough, as Yume simply snatched a chair and dragged it across the room with a painfully slow, loud screeech, depositing it right behind her and the small mouse. She took her seat, reaching past them to snatch a bread roll and crossing her legs as she ate.

"Aww, Alice, it’s not polite to avoid new friends~" she playfully chirped, mouth half full of bread.

Suddenly, Yume’s voice reverberated in Yumi’s brain ‎[Telepathy E], more forceful than before. Probing and invasive. ‘And friends ought to know each other, right? Open sesame~’ The probing grew even stronger to match her resistance [Telepathy D], Yume’s presence quickly escalating to the point of overwhelming Yumi’s own thoughts. ‘Don’t be so shy! I’ll give you one of mine~’

Suddenly, Yumi’s mind filled with a foreign memory. A fanciful fae in a luxurious masquerade, filled with colorful beastkin and other northern folk, each wearing intricate masks. ‘Sugoi~! So resilient!’ The otherworldly word felt deliberate. Yume simply continued to sit, calmly eating her bread, while her eyes seemed to glow bright with magic. ‘So alike, you and I. A similar name, a similar home. Just a little nibble and your thoughts could be mine: two minds into one! I wonderful how you’d feel as a part of me? Exciting, ne~?’

Yume finished off her roll, licking her fingers as if nothing strange was going on in the chair in front of her. ‘But lucky for you, I like two more than one. So instead, we’ll be the best of friends. I’ll even give you your name back. After all, friends share~’

Self Insert | Grade B
Magic B, Telepathy B, Energized E, Psychic Affinity F, Range F, Targets F, Selective F, Duration F
4 post cooldown
A spell which fabricates a false memory and forces it into the minds of others, lasting for the duration of the spell.

The golden tip of Yume’s staff lowered to point directly at Yumi from behind while she was distracted. The act was overt: an enchantress blatantly bewitching someone at the dinner table with a self-confident smirk that almost dared the others to try and stop her.

Suddenly, seamlessly, Yumi’s memories began to rewire. Yumi, Yuki, and… Hikari.

"Ne ne, Yumi-chan! If I were ever isekai’d for real, I’d become a psychic, and then you could talk to me anytime, just by thinking! Wouldn’t that be cool!?"

The memories weren’t just random. They were targeted. Yume was reading deep, personal desires to craft something that felt not like a forced phantom, but like a real forgotten memory that just made sense.

"Yuki! No, she… she can’t be! H-How could you!? You monsters!"

"Do you remember me now, Aoi?" Yume asked with a sweetness that sounded disturbingly genuine despite the situation. "It’s me, Hikari. I became a psychic… just like I promised, hehe~!" She raised her staff, having completed the spell. "Though I guess I don’t even need to be now that you have a voice. Do you think Yuki made it here too?" Yume looked more amused than happy to see her long-lost friend.

[The Beastkin Republic] Will They Know Respite?

Yume

Yume didn't look intimidated by Youko's response, as much as amused. She did, however, cease petting. "And so, the tradition is complete~" was the only response she offered, needlessly and intentionally vague. "Thank you for your service~"

Calmly, Yume wandered to the corner of the room, simply watching and observing. "Who knows," Yume answered the man who asked about her presence, shrugging as she delivered the most non-answer possible.

There were a lot of people around, of varying shapes, sizes, and even species. Colorful, fluffy, hot-tempered, cool and collected. One by one, they introduced themselves, as Yume watched. She, of course, wouldn't. Wouldn't even matter if she did. But one introduction... irked her.

"Excuse me...?" Yume raised an eyebrow at mispronounced-Yume. She couldn't possibly have known, and Real-Yume knew that, but it didn't stop her from biting her lower lip. Fake-Yume had just stolen her name! And worse, they'd actually remember it. Stupid, privileged scythe girl...

"I think you made a mistake. I'm Yume. You're... Alice." A creeping invasive thought crawled into Alice's mind, whispering insistently, against all logic, that her name was, in fact, Alice. [Mind Control F] "You really shouldn't steal people's names, Alice. Especially when they're fond of them. It's not as funny as you think."

[The Beastkin Republic] Will They Know Respite?

Yume

Reinforcements had arrived!

Or... reinforcement. One girl. Definitely fae - she practically screamed 'magical' - but the most peculiar thing was her badge. An honorary snowflake badge given only to those who'd had some success in fighting the icewalkers. Those who received one were typically known by name, especially so with outsiders. Had she stolen it? Found it on a dead body? Yet her stride was so confident, like she knew exactly where she was going, and what she was doing.

A few thought perhaps it was a good idea to ID her. The idea subtly melted away the moment they locked eyes. No, no, this was a hero. Look at her badge! Insisting on ID was absurd. Wholly unnecessary. A thought that persisted until she passed by, at which point the regret started to settle in, followed shortly by "Wait, what was I worried about?"

"Hello again, T-Rex," Yume waved in passing, the two moving opposite ways. There was no explanation given. She just kept walking.

Finally, she reached the guild: the place everyone's focus seemed to be on. The room where it all happened. It was a colorful group, typical of adventuring guilds. Aspiring heroes, freaks, and main characters galore. Delightfully, her timing was perfect. Free food!

"Zombie problems still? I'd hoped someone would have fixed that by now," she declared, a strange mix of mockery toward the guild, and genuine empathy for the victimized people of Nan Gau. "My condolences. Now let's see... I have a Nan Gau tradition I'd like to uphold..."

Yume's golden eyes swept the crowd, fixating on the beastkin in particular. In the end, her gaze settled on Youko like a predator having found prey. "That'll do nicely."

Calmly, Yume closed the distance, raised a hand, and began petting her ears in the most overt, obvious, theatrical swipes imaginable. Gone was the Yume of before: the one who apologized and sought to make things right. Instead, she seemed to lap up the outrage like a cat with a bowl of milk. Justice for those who forgot. "Nice kitty," she added with a smirk. "Not quite as soft as Sori, but much more fun."

As the two locked eyes, a creeping sensation of comfort wormed its way into Youko's mind, not naturally, but as an invader [Telepathy E]. The strength of it felt calculated and intentional. Held back such that she could just barely resist, but strong enough that the slightest hesitation would collapse the resolve. 'This is Yume. Kind, sweet, familiar. This feels so nyice, purr for the kind enchantress~' An invitation to enjoy the obscene, insulting gesture.

Yume continued speaking as she pet Youko, "Have any of you seen a woman who looks like me? Long silver hair, gold eyes, smells like cedar wood?" She shrugged, "Or perhaps one with rainbow hair, blue eyes, smells like a killjoy?"