"Don't even think about running away, you stowaway!"
The voice of a Bloodhound rang out loud and clear as Yoru and Stelle moved closer toward the commotion.
"What's all this commotion?" Stelle murmured aloud for Yoru to hear, her yellow eyes narrowing as she looked ahead.
"Wouldn't know," Yoru responded, lying through his teeth. "Maybe someone didn't pay."
"In a Dreamscape? How would that work?"
"You disconnect from the Dream? I don't know..."
Toward the commotion, Yoru could see Firefly.
She was a young woman with long, silvery-blonde hair, held with a black headband, with a teal ombre that reaches her waist. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were a mix of deep ocean blue and sunset pink.
She wore a brown blazer over a green and white dress with a yellow bow tied in the front. She wore thigh-high stockings that fade from teal to a dark brown from top to bottom.
"Wow," Stelle said, looking towards the Bloodhounds and Firefly. "They're harassing such a pretty young lady."
Suddenly, Firefly turned towards the pair. Her eyes widened before she starts running towards them.
"S-sorry for bothering you two! Please, I need your help..."
Yoru slowly turned towards Stelle, scared to see the expression on her face.
She only slowly turned back to Yoru, a wicked gleam in her eyes. She mouthed the words 'competition', before giving a vigorous nod towards him.
"... no."
Stelle sighed, before turning to Firefly. "I'll do my very best to protect a pretty young lady!"
Yoru raised his hand. "I'll do my best to hide in a corner and wait till this blows out."
"Wait, can't I just use my ability?"
Yoru was so used to the fact that his abilities were extremely situation-specific, that he forgot that he actually had a somewhat useful ability... based on luck.
"Hey, look! She has accomplices!"
The Bloodhounds turned to look towards the trio who stood together.
Stelle pulled out her bat, slapping it threateningly on her palm. "Why are you attacking this lady?"
The female Bloodhound barked a small laugh, responding with a bit of haughtiness in her voice.
"She's a stowaway... and you both seem to be her accomplices. Now we'll nab you all in one go!"
"Take another step towards us and I'll give you a bad time," Stelle responded accordingly.
"You really like making references, don't you?" Yoru said almost casually, like he expected her to say something else unhinged.
Before any other words could be exchanged, the Bloodhounds moved towards Stelle and Yoru, who stood in front of Firefly.
Stelle moved in promptly, mirroring the moves of the female Bloodhound.
She swung her bat towards the leg of the Bloodhound, who staggered after the blow.
Recovering quickly, the Bloodhound tackled Stelle to the floor, leaving Yoru along against the male Bloodhound.
Yoru put his hands up in a fighting stance as the Bloodhound ran in.
"I one-shot this Bloodhound with a singular punch!"
As Yoru wished for his action, the dice rolled.
'20'
[Sucker.]
"I'm cooked."
Yoru's body moved reflexively, forced to move by the world as it takes on his action.
He weaved the Bloodhound's punch, before his fist connected with the solar plexus, his control over his body suddenly coming back.
Yoru looked up towards the Bloodhound's smug looking face. "That hurt just a bit. Did you think you could protect that stowaway with this attack?"
"Well... I did want to hide in a corner originally."
Yoru's face winced in pain as he's kicked in the side by the Bloodhound, sending him tumbling down to the floor.
"Are you okay?!"
Firefly called out to Yoru, watching from a small distance. Stelle continued to bash the skull of the female Bloodhound with her bat, unrelenting.
"Never been better..."
Yoru stood up again. "Alright. I sing to serenade him into letting us go!"
This was Penacony after all. Robin was popular here, and if Yoru was able to get to his heart with music, it would be people who grew up in Penacony.
The dice rolled.
'8'
[Wow. Just wow.]
"This god damn system is pissing me the hell off! Stop making snarky comments!"
His body froze up again, the action taking effect on the world. He inhaled, before starting to sing.
Yoru could recognize the song. 'If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking', a song by Robin. He didn't choose this, but it was a song alright.
It actually sounded... good? At least in Yoru's ears.
The same could not be said for everyone else.
The male Bloodhound face contorted to sheer horror as his hands flew to his ears. "Are you a demon?!"
"YOU HAVE AN UGLY FACE AND CAN'T SING?!" Stelle yelled from a bit away.
Yoru could only dart his eyes over to Stelle, watching her cover her ears with her hands in the same way the male Bloodhound was.
And it wasn't just those two—even Firefly and the female Bloodhound had covered their ears.
"This damn system making me worse than I actually am... I'm not this bad at singing, I swear!"
Yoru suddenly stopped singing, the action ending. All hands simultaneously dropped from their ears.
"Don't ever sing again," Stelle said, kicking the female Bloodhound down for good before rushing to help him against the male Bloodhound.
But nothing was necessary—Yoru's singing was so bad that the Bloodhound had been knocked unconscious.
"Did you think... that this is over?"
The female Bloodhound coughed out as she stood up, even after being kicked down.
"Try it again. Everything above your neck is going to be a fine red mist."
"I don't think you can bleed in the Dreamscape, Stelle..." Yoru said. "At least make it more threatening."
Suddenly, more footsteps are heard approaching the pair.
Glancing over, more Bloodhounds appeared. It was an entire group of them, about 7.
Yoru looked over to Stelle. "You're carrying us, right?"
"Hell no," she responded, her bat getting ready for another fight. "Why don't you use that theory of yours?"
"Do you think I have 'My Secret Treasure' and 'My Other Treasure' here?"
"Then use your surroundings, genius!"
"Oh. I guess I could do that."