https://youtu.be/CzUP3znfE4U

"And so we arise to this beautiful morn. Another day in this ever-cycling conflict between we who stand for order, and the asinine apostates who seek to bring chaos. What fools these mortals be, knowing their demise is foretold as long as I stand!"

It was, indeed, a beautiful morning in Asgard. As Dvalin and Durin held up the great mirror before their master, they exchanged a glance, wondering exactly when and why soliloquizing was a thing he did. In any case, he appeared to be in a good mood - and may the heavens have mercy on whoever ruined that.

As they continued to do their duty, Svafrlami himself lowered his comb, slouching in his throne and sighing, his expression growing neutral as he gazed upon his servants. "That sword I ordered is taking quite a while to get here, isn't it?" he commented. "How long has it been, again?"

"If memory serves, sir, you did that right after the nixie last showed up here!" Dvalin piped up. "So...that'd be two weeks ago!"

"Two weeks. Wonderful." Svafrlami sighed again, more heavily than before. "And I haven't heard back from her in all that time, either. Just what is that foolish little girl doing?"

"Uh...you told her to look for evidence that Oz is a Hel's Angel..." Durin spoke up, nervously poking his head out from behind the mirror and meeting his master's gaze directly, only for it to pierce him like a shard of ice.

"I know that, you imbecile!" Svafrlami spat, clenching his teeth. "But what's taking her so long? At this rate, I'll have to demote her to foot soldier..."

Durin opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, deciding to hold his tongue as he recalled the last time he'd made the exact criticism he had been about to make. He did not need to be on the receiving end of another Kaunan, especially now that he seemed to have talked himself out of his own good mood, so keeping this in mind, he forever held his peace.

Dvalin, always the more cheerful of the pair, cleared his throat. "Well, something's bound to come up eventually, sir! Nobody's perfect except you, after all!"

Svafrlami hummed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I can only hope that's true. But that damned einherjar seems to have all his bases covered..." he murmured. "Which is far from ideal. I need him out of the picture before he derails everything. And to do that, I'm going to need my grandfather's blessing."

He shook his head, opening his golden eyes once again with a gauntleted hand to his forehead. "I can't even scry on him with seidr. That damned witch must be protecting him..." he muttered, the fingers on his other hand tightening into a fist. "It matters not. I always come out on top in the end - no matter how long I have to wait..."

At that, he let out a small, forced cackle, before shaking his head. This was going to be quite the operation, indeed. And he didn't mean that in a good way, either. If only the help were more competent.

.........

https://youtu.be/-tUqeuW1QCo

"Excuse me, my good madam! May I have a moment of your time?"

It had been a good few weeks since the Hel's Angels began their attacks on Midgard, and the effects were palpable. Having landed in this humble little town, Oz looked around the green-carpeted hovel, taking note of how empty it was. The people here were hiding, or preparing, in case the Hel's Angels arrived - which could only mean that they hadn't, in fact, been here yet. Unsurprising, given how out-of-the-way this place was. The houses were made of crude rock and wood, and they didn't stand very tall, either. But the presence of a lone woman standing outside told him that it hadn't been evacuated, either. So approaching her, he gave her his most exuberant greeting, and she looked up at him curiously.

"Hmm? What's the sitch?"

Smiling slightly, Oz cleared his throat, gesturing grandly with his hand on his chest. From the heavens, Freya let out a playful sigh, familiar with this song and dance by now. "I come with a most important query, my friend. For you see, I am what you might call an einherjar, doing battle with the Angels of Hel!" he exclaimed, his every word animated with movements that only made her tilt her head in curiosity. "But today, I give you the chance to be a hero! Tell me, have you born witness to any attacks as of late? Any near this lovely village of yours, perchance?"

She took a short while to fully digest his words, wondering if all einherjar were this verbose, and nonetheless shook her head. "Can't say I have, buddy." she replied, shrugging. "Ain't nothing ever happen in this little village. We're just trying to work out how to survive collection day."

"Well, I hope that remains true." Oz bowed his head. He wouldn't wish anything exciting on this village in these trying times. "But surely you've at least heard of them?"

"'Course."

"Ah, then perhaps you may be of use to me yet!" Oz beamed, visibly perking up. "I'm searching for their commanders right now, and I wanted to know if you had any idea where they might be. My research has told me to head in this general direction, so I wish to know where the nearest villains are!"

"Villains? Hmm..." the woman murmured, a hand gently stroking her freckled cheek. "Well, we've got a thief. Stole some of my eggs just last week. And we're starving enough out here..."

"A thief, you say? Any leads?"

"Focus, Oz."

Hearing Freya's voice, he cleared his throat, shaking his head as he looked down at the woman. "...what I meant to say is, I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this thief. Perhaps I can return and solve the mystery if I find myself with the time." he said, smiling widely. "But I deal with a far greater thief - one who takes lives!"

"Spooky."

"Verily! So, with that, I want to know one thing, and one thing alone." he said, leaning closer with a finger raised. The woman stood strong in the face of his eccentricities, listening closely for his next sentence. "Where are the settlements nearest to this one? Your village appears to be a checkpoint of sorts that the Angels missed, so going from here will bring me to my goal."

"Checkpoint? It's just a village, bro." the woman said idly, raising a hand to her chin. "Hmm...few bigger places around these parts. Up north, we've got Feor...and just northeast, you'll find the centre of Adalbol. So, take your pick."

"Your assistance is ever appreciated." Oz bowed his head, smiling a little more before he began to walk away, leaving the woman to her own devices. Stepping out of earshot, he looked up to the sky, gazing into the thick grey clouds with only a glimmer of sunlight shining through. "Freya? I need your help."

"When do you not?" Freya asked playfully. "What do you need, Oz?"

"I'd like you to run a scan over Feor and Adalbol." Oz replied, nodding slowly. "Let me know which is under the most immediate threat."

"Of course. But this might take a while..." Freya said, keeping the telepathic bond while shifting her sight elsewhere on the crystal ball. "By the way...can I warn you about something?"

"Whyever would you feel the need to ask that?" Oz raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Well, you might not like it." Freya continued. "It's...about Yuri."

"Don't be ridiculous, Freya. I like everything about Yuri." Oz chuckled dismissively. "Save, perhaps, for her unfortunate allegiance."

"That's...kinda the root of the problem." Freya murmured. "Oz, be careful, especially if you ever see her here on Midgard. I'm pretty sure she's following you."

"O-Oh?"

"I can't claim to know why, but you ought to be careful nonetheless." Freya said. "Svafrlami might be up to something."

Oz nodded, slowly taking in a deep breath as he looked ahead, unsure what to make of this. But quickly, he broke into a cheerful smile and nod. "Well, if the Comic Mask has an adoring fan, what am I to do but celebrate?" he chirped. "Remind me - on the way there, I ought to work on an autograph, just in case I see her again."

"Oh, Oz, you could at least try to take this more seriously." Freya sighed. "Besides, who needs fans when you have me?"

Oz hummed at that, standing at the exit of the town and closing his eyes, waving his hand over his face and summoning forth his favourite accessory - his smiling mask. Once it was on, he looked up to the sky, awaiting the results of Freya's scan. With her by his side, he couldn't possibly ask for anyone better, he thought. But what she said about Yuri...it spooked him. He wanted to trust in her, truly, and she seemed like a good person. He certainly enjoyed his interactions with her.

So, rather than dwelling on this for too long, he looked ahead, to the future. Onward, to happiness, heroism and safety for all.

.........

https://youtu.be/EHvsApnM5Vo

Meanwhile, in a lone cabin on the outskirts of the town, a small fire burned. It wasn't anything dire, just a controlled blaze, set over a small pile of sticks in the centre of the room. Above it, a small iron pot, with boiling water bubbling inside it, and within the water was a collection of eggs. The room was plain and empty, beige in colour and covered in stone, with a mattress lined with straw and hide.

Sitting before the cooking pot was Anwin, his usual clown makeup conspicuously absent as his orange eyes watched the eggs cook. Rather than his normally flamboyant attire, his body was draped in a black, furry cowl. His hair, though scruffy as ever, was pure black, lacking the dyed orange locks it usually held. And floating around his head was a firefly, glowing with a bright white light that enveloped its whole body.

"Yo, Sunny." Anwin began, not taking his eyes off the pot, ignoring the bug playfully ramming into the side of his head. "You think these eggs are done?"

Sunna, though displeased at the butchering of her name, decided to put that aside at least for now, gazing into the pot before turning towards Anwin. "Eh, I'd give it another minute."

"Uh huh..." Anwin nodded slowly, leaning back and yawning slightly. "So, I know you've been at this for, what, a couple days? But I've gotta ask...why are you a bug?"

"Aww, are you scared?" the sun goddess teased. "All gods have forms like this. It's helpful for traveling the realms incognito."

"But why a fly?" Anwin raised an eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong, it's very fitting, but I'd think you'd go for something cooler. Wouldn't you rather be a dragon?"

"Well, that's not very symbolic, is it?" Sunna replied almost indignantly. "I'm the sun goddess. I represent the guiding light that all life relies on. Why not play a role that shines even in the dark?"

"Wouldn't that be infringing on the moon god's turf?" Anwin's eyebrow shot up further, only for Sunna to scoff.

"What is moonlight but reflected sunlight, anyway?" she asked snarkily. "The whole point of his existence is to infringe on my turf. If anything, he owes me this!"

She then let out a mischievous little chuckle. "Besides, being a firefly lets me annoy mortals like you in all sorts of new and exciting ways! Like this!"

Anwin gazed blankly at her before she went on the move, flapping her wings quickly as she began flitting about his head, moving quickly as she repeated, "Hey! Listen!" over and over again. He narrowed his eyes, before soon growing annoyed and attempting to swat her away.

"Alright, you can stop! Message received!" he exclaimed, after which Sunna did, eventually, stop. Sighing, he leaned back, shaking his head. "Definitely would've preferred a dragon."

Sunna chuckled quietly as she looked around the room, turning back to Anwin in short order. "Would've been cool, huh? Shame I wouldn't be able to do much without a proxy or Guest." she sighed. "Eggs are done, by the way."

"Right." Anwin nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the fire was extinguished. Reaching into the boiled water, he pulled out an egg, peeling it while humming lowly. "Why don't you have a Guest, anyway?"

"Well, you know me. Never one to be pinned down." Sunna mused. "That kind of commitment seems like it'd stress me out."

"And yet, here you are, hovering around me like some evil pixie." Anwin chuckled, shaking his head. "Doesn't it feel like you're already my Patron?"

"Yeah, well...that's different!" Sunna exclaimed petulantly. "There's nothing official about this. You don't work for me, and I can leave you anytime I want!"

"But you don't wanna~"

"Of course not! This is way more fun than just standing around all day!" Sunna chirped. "One day, you're clearing out a troll outbreak, the next, you're stealing eggs from some poor farmhand! It's like, 'wow! What will he do next?', you know?"

Anwin, who had finished peeling his egg by this point, took a bite into it while Sunna spoke, humming softly as he took in the soft, mildly gooey texture. "She had good eggs, what can I say?"

Sunna remained silent for a little while, watching Anwin before she spoke up. "So...any plans? Are we being heroes today, or do you wanna cause some chaos?"

"Hmm, let's see..." Anwin murmured. "We're in Adalbol, aren't we?"

"Uh huh..."

"Remind me, isn't that the capital of this land? The centre is pretty nearby..." Anwin asked rhetorically. "Which means the king is nearby, too, right?"

"Oh, I get it!" Sunna chirped. "You wanna break in and drain his coffers, right? Lining your pockets the way only a phantom thief would?"

"Haha, sweet, naive Sunny." Anwin held up an egg with one hand and wagged his finger with the other. "I'm thinking of doing something much riskier than that. See, the king's a dick, so I'm gonna make him fall."

Sunna audibly whined at that, images of yesterday's ghostbusting expedition flashing through her mind. "But we were heroes yesterday!"

"...and then we can take all his shit." Anwin rolled his eyes. "Actual psychopath, I swear."

"Ooh! I like that idea!" Sunna perked up. "When are we dropping?"

"Soon. But we've gotta be careful." Anwin replied calmly, cracking open his egg. "Oz is in town, and I don't want him seeing me. Not to mention, there's a certain...quality about the king that means I've gotta be even more low-key than usual."

"What do you...oh." Sunna began, only to stop as she caught on. "Seems a little risky, don't you think?"

"Yeah. But, you know, should be fun." Anwin shrugged. "I'm already living on the edge, anyway. All or nothing, right?"

"Right. Let's hope this goes well for us." Sunna hummed. "In the name of whatever fucking cause you're fighting for!"

"That's the spirit." Anwin hummed, leaning back with an approving nod. "Now, fly, my little questgiver. Let's get this show on the road!"

"Right!" Sunna buzzed happily, flying to the door. With a wave of Anwin's hand, it flew open, and she left, ready to carry out her task.