https://youtu.be/-tUqeuW1QCo

After arriving at the Gate, Oz and Yuri bade each other farewell before embarking on their respective paths. Oz went home, feeling somewhat relieved to be able to report a mission without getting stabbed by his employer. It was a rather novel feeling, and one he hoped he'd be able to get used to.

He walked to his front door, humming quietly as he gave it a firm knock to let Freya know he was home. Then he teleported inside, finding himself a few feet away on the other end of the door, inside his own hallowed halls. Peering into the living room, he saw Freya sitting down, dressed in her red dress and crossing her legs. She didn't seem to look at him - in her hands was a projection of what looked like a constellation, and her eyes glowed with all seven colours of the rainbow.

"Good evening, Freya." he said, waving at her as he stepped closer, mentally calculating an exact distance of nine feet between them before kneeling down. "I return in one intact, Oz-shaped piece."

"Welcome back, Oz." Freya responded, her eyes returning to their usual crimson colour as she looked down at him with a smile. "I trust the trip to Asgard was fine?"

"Of course! It was as smooth as my skin after a good night's sleep." Oz nodded calmly.

"Good." Freya sighed in relief. "It's been a while since I last did that. I feared the spell might have been faulty. You could have ended up somewhere else entirely."

"Like Alfheim?"

She gave a soft laugh, shaking her head. "No, not like Alfheim. Though, if I ever do accidentally send you there, make sure to say hi to Frey for me." she said, uncrossing her legs and patting the spot on the sofa next to her. "Have a seat. I want to talk."

"With pleasure." Oz said, rising to his feet before sitting down next to her. She smiled pleasantly at him, sitting up straight.

"So...remember what Anwin said? After you beat him?"

"It's because the web of fate that covers these realms is fucking everything up, and Odin's letting it happen."

"Is that your heart talking? Or is it just your Odin-poisoned brain?"

"Sure, I don't doubt that he treats you nicely up there. Shoves you all in a nice little gilded cage, never to wonder what lies beyond. Heck, he's got you so good, you're all fine having your lives dictated by the wyrd, never to deviate even as it leads you to a preventable doom."

"Let's say, hypothetically, that it was your fate to kill that king that you love so much. I wonder, would you still be singing the same tune?"

"Of course I do..." Oz nodded slowly, cursing his inability to distract himself from this and forcing himself to confront the difficult words of his former friend head-on. Freya hummed a little, taking in his response.

"What do you think of it?" she asked, her face mildly pensive. "I do have my own thoughts, of course, but I wanna hear yours, first."

"Well...what if I want to hear yours first?" Oz shot back, and at that she rolled her eyes.

"I just want to see if we're on the same page." Freya said, leaning in close to him and placing her hand gently on his chin, gazing into his eyes. "Won't you tell me, pretty please?"

"Oh, Freya..." Oz chuckled before sighing, looking down at the floor. "I...didn't find it easy to argue with what he was saying. Because it made sense to me."

"Oh?"

"I would never word it as strongly as he did..." Oz shook his head, looking back up. "But I understood the basic idea of what he was saying. Asgard's culture is one built around the wyrd; the web of fate. We're told to keep the natural order and avoid interfering with destiny's path - because there's only one way things should go, no matter how unpleasant it may be for us. I can't fault him for thinking that's wrong."

"Ooh, such dangerous opinions." Freya mused, continuing to stare at him with a cheerful little smile. "Good thing you're in company that agrees with you, then."

"Oh?"

"As I've told you in the past, I dabble in fortune telling. It can be intriguing...but more often than not, it's rather tragic." Freya explained, sighing softly. "You can spout vague platitudes about order all you want, but at the end of the day, isn't it nicer to have a choice?"

"I can see where Odin is coming from." Oz mused. "By denying people a choice, you stop them from choosing wrong."

"And who said he was always right, anyway?" Freya asked. "What's the worst that could happen if someone survives an accident that was meant to kill them? Sure, he's the God of Wisdom, but I bet you can't look me in the eyes and tell me that makes sense."

"Well, I could look you in the eye and lose sense of everything else." Oz chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "But you're right. Perhaps he understands something that we don't. But either way, it's as you said - these opinions are dangerous, and voicing them can't go well."

"As it hasn't, historically." Freya sighed. "But what are an angel and a goddess to do in the face of such a culture?"

"It bears thinking about, doesn't it?" Oz responded calmly, placing his hand to his heart. "If you'd allow me a little time to mull it over..."

"Take all the time you need." Freya nodded slowly, looking down at the pensive warrior approvingly. "Unlike fate, I am willing to wait."

.........

https://youtu.be/xHVMOlRsZQs

"Enter."

On Svafrlami's approval, the door to his office slowly opened, and in stepped Yuri, with her typical emotionless expression. She scanned the room briefly, observing that everything was as normal. The gold carpet leading up to the throne was perfectly in place, all the swords in the wall compartments were held there, perfectly still - evidently, Svafrlami had yet to hurl them at anyone. As for Durin standing in the middle of a rune, clearly holding back tears...well, she'd been doing this for a while. She was far past the point of questioning that.

Walking across the room, Yuri knelt before her master, who looked down at her with golden eyes filled with their usual pride. She turned her gaze up to him, not daring to get in the first word, and waiting for him to speak, which he did, rather soon. "You return, Yuri." Svafrlami said. "I trust your mission went well?"

"It did." Yuri nodded, a hint of emotion in her voice. "Oz and I...we defeated the Hel's Angels in a number of Midgardian towns. The last commander we fought...he got on my nerves...but overall, I think I had fun..."

As she spoke, Svafrlami slouched in his throne, rolling his eyes and evidently not paying much attention. "Yes, that's all well and good, but what I really mean is, did you find what you were looking for?"

"O-Oh, uh, that..." Yuri murmured, bowing her head. "Well...as I said, we spent the day undoing the work of the Hel's Angels...so overall, I think the chances of him being one of them look low..."

Svafrlami raised an eyebrow, and at once Yuri could tell he was irked. It wasn't surprising - he'd never accept an outcome he wasn't looking for, and he seemed to have it out for Oz. Why, she couldn't quite grasp - he seemed like a perfectly pleasant young man - but she figured she might have to dispense with some evidence, however many straws she'd have to grasp at. "...but there were a couple of things I thought were odd."

"Share them."

Yuri gulped, looking up to face him directly. "Well...he was talking to one of their commanders...and I think he spared his life." she explained, watching as he grew more visibly interested in her report as she went on. "I also noticed he was very merciful in general. He stopped them, but he always gave them a chance to flee."

"Hmm, yes, that does sound rather concerning." Svafrlami said flatly, giving a sinister-looking smile. "I suppose we'll have to look into this further, won't we?"

"...we will." Yuri lowered her head once again so he couldn't see her eyes. "...should I...continue investigating, Sir?"

Svafrlami chuckled quietly, nodding slowly as he looked down at her. "Such insight. This is why you're my favourite, Yuri." he said, his mouth widening into his signature smirk. "Go ahead. We'll uncover that impertinent interloper's scheme once and for all, and he'll know the wrath of the heavens!"

At that, he let out a satisfied laugh, and Dvalin and Durin followed suit with obviously varying levels of enthusiasm. Yuri, however, couldn't bring herself to do the same. As she looked down, she waited for the laughter to die down before looking back up. "...am I dismissed now, Sir?"

"Only when I say you are." Svafrlami tapped his foot on the ground, sighing before making a shooing gesture. "Now, go. I have other matters to attend to."

Yuri nodded at that, rising to her feet and taking a courteous bow before turning around and leaving the room. Svafrlami watched her go in relaxed self-assurance, glad that so far, things seemed to be going well. He chuckled quietly, knowing good and well that he still had things to do.

.........

https://youtu.be/4Ay-uozK2ls

"Yo, Anwin."

The round table at the Hel's Angels hideout had been mostly empty, moreso than when we last visited this place. This night, Anwin was once the only one sitting there, chowing down on a dripping leg of chicken and generally enjoying not being around Fafnir. This was the activity he was engaged in when Aleron walked in, giving him a friendly greeting.

"'Sup." Anwin responded, not looking up from his meal as she sat down with him. "How'd your mission go?"

"Fine, until the heroes came along." Aleron shrugged, sighing slightly. "The Supreme Fencer was in such a bad mood, you know. They must've done a real number on him."

"Heh, don't underestimate that guy. He beat me in a one-on-one." Anwin sighed, looking up from his food at last and staring wistfully at the ceiling. Aleron looked at him, having picked up a strange sentiment in his words and voice, and leaned somewhat closer to him, her eyebrow raised.

"Hey, you, uh...you good there?"

"That's a good question. Am I doing good over here?" Anwin murmured. "I should be fine - I mean, I reunited with a long-lost friend; then again, we did have to kick each other's asses, and will probably continue to do so in the future. I guess I'm feeling kinda bittersweet?"

"A long-lost friend..." Aleron murmured, gasping as she quickly put the dots together. "Oh, Anwin...it can't always be so bad! Maybe you can recruit him! Then you won't have to fight, right?"

"I wish I could, but it won't be easy." Anwin sighed, placing a hand on his cheek and playing with what remained of his chicken. "See, he's an einherjar. And by the looks of things, one who's loyal to Odin."

"Oof." Aleron shuddered. "Yeah, that's a toughie."

"I gave him some food for thought, though." Anwin nodded slowly. "Only time will tell how he responds to it."

"What kind of 'food' are we talking about here?"

"Nothing like this chicken, that's for sure." Anwin said, wagging the leg of chicken with a smile before going off to finish what was left of it. "I told him what the Angels stand for. What we're doing and why."

Aleron frowned slightly at that, shaking her head. "We don't give information like that lightly, you know. You're lucky Gardariki never found out..."

Anwin chuckled quietly, giving a carefree shrug. "Hey, cut me some slack, I was in an ideological debate with the hero." he pointed out. "That's the kind of thing you explain motives for. There's gotta be a clause for that in the rules."

"Well...I guess there's always a chance it could end well for us." Aleron mused calmly. "Better keep our hopes up! You might be reunited with your buddy - but hopefully not before I get to fight him."

"Sure, sure, just don't kill him." Anwin casually waved off the remark. "He's a good fighter - got a Myriad Might, too."

"Ooh, my favourite." Aleron licked her lips, smirking slightly. "Can't wait to meet him. I'm sure the two of us will get along just...perfectly."

Anwin stared at her, knowing this side of her very well. He examined her excitement and shook his head, wondering just how an interaction between Oz and Aleron would go - whether one of them would die, or if he'd try and fail to talk her out of a fight - an impossible task, to be sure.

But his thought process was interrupted as the door opened, and in came a hooded figure with a mask that hid his features much like Ragnar's did. Every part of his outfit was black with hints of gold - his all-encompassing cloak, the hood over his head, and the weeping tragedy mask covering his face. Once he came in, the ifrit and the elf immediately sat up, saluting his arrival and looking up at him.

https://youtu.be/u99f9RAvwu4

"Yo, Gardariki!" Anwin chuckled nervously, giving him an uneasy little smile. "What brings you to this humble little room?"

"It's not often you come over here." Aleron responded, her smile much brighter and more genuine. "It's good to see you, Lord Gardariki."

"A fine evening, is it not?" Gardariki replied, his voice very deep and heavily distorted - just enough for his words to be intelligible while masking whatever laid beneath that filter. "The moon shines down on our world, and most fall to slumber. The perfect time for an update, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'd rather do this in the morning, man..." Anwin murmured, placing a hand on his head. Gardariki turned to face him, and Anwin could feel displeasure emanating from him. Deciding not to challenge him any further, he shook his head slowly, sitting up again. "Alright, what's the sitch?"

"Anwin von Brandt, I believe you know exactly what is 'the sitch'." Gardariki replied. "Both of you had missions today, did you not? But an extraneous factor has entered the fray, and both of your operations ended in failure."

"But people died, didn't they?" Anwin frowned. "Didn't you and Rags get your souls?"

He shook his head, placing his hands behind his back and gazing down at his underlings. "Thanks to a certain, white-winged threat, the yield was less than expected. Thus, action must be taken. I want you all to find the einherjar known as Oz Abendroth." he explained calmly. "Defeat him, and bring him to me alive, so that I may deal with him personally."

"Yes, my lord!" Aleron saluted. "I'll bring you his head - attached to his body, of course!"

"Sure, man. You're the boss." Anwin shrugged, absolutely no emotion on his face whatsoever.

"I am, naturally, expecting results." Gardariki said calmly, turning his back to the duo and beginning to walk out. "Do not disappoint me, you two. The entirety of the Hel's Angels' operations could hinge on this capture."

"Understood, my lord!"

At that, Gardariki left, and as the door shut, the two were left utterly alone, Anwin slumping over in his seat with his hand against his cheek. "Gee, Aleron, I don't think you sounded enthusiastic enough." he said sarcastically, the annoyance in his voice gripping her attention. "I mean, fighting my best friend; now that's something to really look forward to, right?"

"I...wasn't trying to upset you." Aleron sighed, looking down guiltily. "I was just looking forward to the fight..."

"It's fine. I'm not mad." Anwin said, Aleron watching him in uncertainty as to whether or not to believe him. "Besides, we've got other things to think about, right? A whole new day awaits us, so let's reconvene in the morning, okay?"

Before waiting for her to answer, Anwin stood up, heading over to the door and offering her a wave. "Night night, sleep tight. Don't let the angels bite."

He left the room, quickly closing the door behind him, and Aleron couldn't help but feel conflicted. She knew he was Anwin's friend and all, so she felt like being as excited as she was was wrong. But she couldn't stop thinking of the potential! Who knew what this 'Oz' character could bring to the table? Not her, and she couldn't wait to find out.

So, sighing, she got prepared for the next day, too.