"Unfortunately it'll have to wait until we've questioned Amaterasu as well.", Linda sighs. "Sometimes work can be a bother."
"I doubt it'll take all too long. How difficult can it be to find a majestic white wolf?", Norm smirks. The two then stop fiddling with the cables.
"Looks good to me."
Linda walks back to the device and looks it over.
"Yeah, it's registering brainwaves alright. It's working. So..."
She sits down at the table, taking off her sunglasses and showing the kind of serious questioning face that police officers show when they're about to question a criminal.
"A quick routine test first. Thor, we're going to ask you some important questions. Do you understand, and are you prepared to answer them truthfully?", she asks while looking Thor dead in the eye. She actually looks genuinely threatening like this. Luckily Thor doesn't have anything to worry about, since he didn't leak any info to Polyphemus.
Ninten goes to sit down next to her.
"What about that huge battle that happened the other day? Were you there too?", he asks, curious.
"The Defense Federation got involved and Pseudo even helped out with that massive cannon at one point. I didn't really get to see it myself, but apparently it was huge."
He points in the direction of the faraway Estraole.
"Pseudo said that entire volcano land was under siege."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Linda doesn't shift her position at all, only her eyes very briefly glance at the machine. She lets out a soft, seemingly approving hum before looking back at Thor. Kumatora, in the background, shows a thumbs up.
"First real question. Were you entrusted with the information that we have Navitus energy in our possession?"
Ninten looks shocked.
"Wait, you didn't even know about it?", he asks. "There was a huge battle against some kind of monstrous, spreading infestation. The Defense Federation ended up having to nuke the entire region the battle was taking place on, at least that's what Pilly told me."
He shifts a little to sit cross-legged instead.
"When Pilly was telling me about it I thought maybe Mara threw in some of those undead monsters or something that I've heard she has. But Pseudo said that the Assassins didn't even get involved. Whatever that was, it must've been something insanely dangerous if miss Samus decided to just wipe the whole region clean."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Another quick glance before the next question.
"Were you told about the circumstances of how we obtained that energy?"
"I dunno. I don't think we'll know anything unless we ask miss Samus directly.", Ninten says. His phone then buzzes, and he quickly checks it.
"Pseudo replied. He says it's all good.", Ninten says.
"... well, not in those exact words, more like 'It is alright for Wanda to spend the night at the base'.", he says, doing a quick impression of Pseudo's way of speaking. It's not a half-bad impression.
"Did Pietro see your message as well?"
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Another glance.
"Did you have any manner of conversation with any of the people who attacked this base after learning that information?"
Ninten laughs, then smirks.
"One day I'll be wearing a hat again and then my hair will be safe.", he jokingly says. He sits normally again, then hops off of the bench.
"Do you wanna go to the base right now, or do you wanna stay outside for a bit longer? I'm fine with either."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Four for four. Her eyes suddenly narrow, making her look even more serious and dangerous.
"Two more questions."
"Two?-", Norm tries to ask, looking confused, but Linda ignores him.
"What do you know about the people who attacked our base?"
"I can do both those things too, y'know. It'll be a hat-based tug-o-war between PSI and magic.", Ninten laughs. He then nods as he opens a 4th-D Slip next to him, then holds out his hand for her to grab.
"Let's go then!", he eagerly says.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay."They tried to invade your headquarters on the behalf of a delusional, bigoted madman calling himself Polyphemus," Thor replies. "I would just as soon pitch myself into the flames of Muspelheim than tell him anything about G.E.M."
Chuckling, Wanda takes Ninten by the hand before making her way through the 4th-D Slip.
This time they both glance at the machine.
"That... should round things off, but apparently Linda has another question that I don't know about?", Norm says, sounding confused. Linda continues to look just as serious.
"I do. And it's the most important question of the bunch. Thor... will you..."
A grin creeps on her face.
"Go get another drink with me once all this interrogating is done with?"
Norm just has an '... oh.' expression.
Pseudo's Base
They arrive in one of the hallways of the base. After Ninten lets go of Wanda's hand, he ponders.
"... you're supposed to hang these up on the wall, right? I wonder if Pseudo would let me hammer a nail into... Although after what happened last time, I DID swear I'd never use a hammer inside of this base again.", he offhandedly mutters.
"I'll use tape just to be safe.", he sheepishly decides.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.A grin spreads across Thor's face, and he reaches out to place a hand on Linda's face.
"As if you even needed to ask, Linda. Heh, I have been meaning to make up for missing the opportunity to celebrate a certain Midgardian holiday with you," he says. "Hence why I intend to bring the finest bottle of wine from Asgard's royal cellar for us to enjoy."
Wanda summons a roll of duct tape and offers it to Ninten.
"Why am I just now learning about this hammer incident?" she asks in a gently teasing tone. "Oh, don't tell me! You were trying to do an impression of Thor and it went horribly."
"Aah, finally something to look forward to again.", she says, pleased. She then gets up and starts taking everything off of Thor's head.
"Now all the assholes in the world can complain all they want, but we've got proof that you weren't involved in the matter."
"You'd think that Thor offering to help rebuild your world would make people not so eager to react that way.", Kumatora says, amused.
"There's always gonna be idiots among the masses who put their distrust above their sense of logic.", Norm says as he starts carrying the device away once Thor has been released from the cables.
"God, I'll be happy once we've interrogated Amaterasu too. Goodbye lockdown, hello fun booze day."
She then looks serious again though.
"But if she also turns out to be innocent, I seriously have no idea how Polyphemus got that information. We haven't found a single guilty person yet."
"If Amaterasu is innocent, we can only assume that Polyphemus has tech so much more advanced that our precautions simply don't help."
"Some of the stuff here is already more advanced than what Porky threw into our world. I don't like the sound of tech that's even more advanced.", Kumatora says as she leans against the wall.
"Wh-no!", Ninten quickly says. ... a little too quickly.
He sheepishly accepts the duct tape.
"I tried to channel my inner Thor and may have made a hole in the wall and broke the hammer. Pseudo was not thrilled about that one.", he mutters, comically embarrassed. He starts taping the dreamcatcher on the wall right above his bed.
"Now let's hope it won't come off during the night or it'll fall on my face and wake me up."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Once he's been removed from the lie detector, Thor gets up from his chair.
"However he learned of the Navitus energy, Polyphemus wouldn't dare make a second attempt to claim it after we decimated his forces in that failed attempt at a siege. And I, for one, can vouch for Amaterasu's innocence," he says, walking over to Linda's side. "You would have to be exceptionally paranoid to suspect her of treachery."
Trying her hardest to suppress her laughter, Wanda sympathetically pats Ninten on the head.
"Well, you don't have to worry about me telling Thor or Loki about your little... accident," she assures.
"Official documentation, Thor.", Linda points out. "It doesn't matter how paranoid we may be or what we ourselves believe. We already logged the fact that we had a visit from a canine goddess, we are going to need evidence of either her guilt or innocence."
"Nevertheless, we're gonna be a bit busy as we try to locate Amaterasu now, so...", Norm says. Kumatora, getting what he's trying to convey, now starts walking towards the door, looking back at Thor.
"Wanna come with, big guy? We could look for Lucas and Claus. Maybe they'll listen to you telling them that they're being childish.", she chuckles.
"Thanks. I don't think Loki'd ever let me live it down.", Ninten sighs.
"Alright, that's done. Should be high up enough. ... well, now to wait 'til nighttime."
He turns to Wanda.
"Wanna go get a snack in the cafeteria?"
—
One snack ended up turning into many, at least in Ninten's case.
Still, by the time it becomes night, Ninten (now wearing pajamas) walks into his room, yawning.
"Man, I really hope it'll end up working.", he says. "The expectation's making me anxious. I hope I can fall asleep properly."
He turns to look at Wanda.
"Oh, right. Do you want a chair to sit on?", he asks her. "I've got one over here in the corner."
Edited by DevilPsyco on Apr 7th 2022 at 1:26:53 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Thor answers Kumatora with a nod.
"I'll only be a moment, Kumatora."
He shifts his attention back to Norm and Linda.
"Right. Norm, it's a pity we couldn't meet again under more preferable circumstances. Linda, when next we see each other, I hope you'll be prepared to taste the greatest wine ever brewed on Asgard."
He then pulls her in close and kisses her right on the lips.
Wanda simply responds by levitating the chair over to her before sitting down.
"Just remember, even if things end up going sideways, I'll be right here the entire time."
She takes Ninten's hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze, smiling warmly.
"If this dreamcatcher does work, though, you might find yourself waking up to a bowl filled with celebratory double-stuffed Oreos."
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Apr 7th 2022 at 5:04:21 AM
"Hope we've got better luck next time.", Norm says to Thor as he's about to tell him goodbye.
And then Thor goes in for a kiss. Linda smirks afterwards.
"Now that I missed as well.", she chuckles. "I'll have to work a bit harder to ensure I'll get that again soon."
"... which means you're gonna make me work harder too.", Norm sighs.
"Sure am. See you next time, Thor.", she says, pleased. Kumatora, meanwhile, shows Thor a mischievous grin once he's made it to the door, where she's waiting.
"Somehow I keep forgetting that you're a secret romantic.", she says, half-teasing. "You should give Duster some tips, he sucks at that kinda stuff."
She opens the door while laughing.
"Then again, I suck even more at it!"
Ninten nods. Her reassurance seems to help with his anxiety.
"Thanks, Wanda."
He (gently) squeezes her hand back, then goes to his bed and lies down in it, covering most of himself under his blankets to the point that only the top half of his head is still visible. He lies down on his side and closes his eyes, attempting to fall asleep as most of the light in his room turns off on its own, safe for a small lamp on his bedside table that emits a soft, safe light.
It may surprise Wanda that, even with the room not being 100% dark, Ninten needs less than a minute before he falls asleep. The very soft snoring that emits from him proves that he's already conked out.
Less than a minute later, someone she may not have expected suddenly enters the room, opening the door carefully as to not wake Ninten up.
"... asleep already. He keeps astounding me with his ability to do this.", Giegue
◊ says. Telepathically of course, as that reduces the risk of Ninten hearing him talking to 0%. He looks at Wanda.
"I was made aware that you'll be looking over him. Nevertheless, I was wondering if I am still welcome to observe whether or not that trinket works."
Ninten shifts a little in his bed. Giegue glances at him.
"His restlessness is beginning again. Another nightmare, I presume. This will be that dreamcatcher's test."
—
Ninten, now dreaming, opens his eyes to find himself lying on the floor. He gasps and tries to move, but once again, just like in every other nightmare he's been having for a long time now, he cannot move. He's restrained, and his voice is gone again. Of course, he's not aware that he's dreaming, and as usual he begins to panic, which translates to him beginning to shift in his sleep.
"Oh no! No, no, no!"
Evil faces start grinning at him from above. From his left, from his right. He wouldn't be surprised if there were even faces on the floor below him grinning at him. But this is new, and he doesn't like it one bit.
Edited by DevilPsyco on Apr 7th 2022 at 2:14:43 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Unity's head looks down at the pile of dismembered parts that was previously her body. "Yeah, nah, I'm gonna need someone's help to put me back together. And unless rebel boy knows how to sew, I think you could probably solve this easier."
Addison puts their hands on their hips and addresses the girls. "I recommend staying in the lab for a bit to rest. Once you've got your bearings, go out into the world and enjoy your freedom."
Pseudo's Base
Before Wanda and Giegue's eyes, the dreamcatcher shudders. Its dark aura intensifies and becomes visible as a purple glow.
Ninten's Dream
That same purple glow surrounds Ninten, pushing him to rise up.
And instantly, the faces stop laughing. If he looks down, he'll see the dreamcatcher hanging under his chest like a necklace. The aura spreads from it and surrounds the room, causing the faces to scream and melt away until only one remains. It bursts out of the surface it's on, revealing it to be Nightmare,
who promptly flies out of Ninten's dream and into the unknown.
The glow subsides, but Ninten will find that unlike before, he can still move. A woman's voice calls out to him. "Let your troubles pass you by, little one."
Edited by KiriK on Apr 8th 2022 at 4:59:03 AM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Swarbat goes down.
"Damn... that was my last... wa[]! [Indecipherable]-!"
Hypno's eyes pulse.
"Damn... that was my last capsule monster..."
While Trainer mulls over what to do, Hypno tries to blindside Tenso with a blast of Psyshock.
"Shdoopa! Babade skidobarrap." Cool-a-mundo! nah I was just curious cya"
Edited by Rbade on Apr 7th 2022 at 6:24:22 AM
/\。。/\Haze tilts her staff back.
"What makes you think I know how to sew?"
She pauses.
"I do, though."
She take a moderately more relaxed pose, stamping her Crosier against the ground. If there was any fire left burning, it will just now have its flames snuffed out, deprived of any oxygen. Curiously, the bubble of Haze's influence doesn't retreat- like she doesn't even need to focus on it to keep it stable.
"What, pray tell, do you need me to do?", she asks Unity. "I may not be bad at sewing, but putting back together a body is more than I've had to do before."
In the end, the only thing convincing her to stay around is Vincent's nagging. It isn't like she has a particularly good reason to kill either of them, either. She can't be sure either of them are human (actually, she suspects neither of them are), and besides, it isn't like they're in her way- they're just annoying.
Yatta!Donte takes a step back while laughing his ass off. Scooping up an armful of snowballs as he rapidly starts moonwalking and taking potshots at relatively close distance.
"You did this to yourself you spinefull bitch!"
Once he runs out of snowballs he pulls out one of his pistols and bonks her on the head with it. In tandem with her hilt bashing. He tries to not fully hit her just to annoy even further and tire her out.
Dante himself is getting genuinely annoyed if it persists and looks to Vera for help.
"Hey angel lady can you put her to sleep or...?"
Edited by BoniniBanana on Apr 7th 2022 at 8:41:59 PM
real"May our paths cross again soon. And Linda, remember to go easy on Norm."
Thor proceeds to head through the door, summoning Mjolnir and Stormbringer back to his waiting grasp along the way. Once he's put his weapons away, he offers Kumatora a wry smile.
"Lead me to him, Kumatora, and I'll tell him everything he needs to know to sweep you off your feet."
Wanda watches as Ninten goes to bed, admittedly a little surprised that it didn't take him long to fall asleep. Cue Giegue quiet entering the room, prompting her gaze to flicker to the alien.
"Of course you are. Ninten would be overjoyed to know that we were both watching out for him, and you know it."
Then she notices the Dreamcatcher beginning to move a little.
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Apr 7th 2022 at 5:41:10 AM
"It'll probably go into one ear and out the other with him though.", Kumatora says as she stretches her arms a bit.
"Eh, it's alright. Duster's fine the way he is. ... though I wish he'd sometimes eat a pepper mint, his breath smells a lot of the time."
They'll pass by a door leading to one of the dining halls, and Claus
◊ is sitting at one of the tables. He's sitting with his back to the door, so he hasn't seen them. Kumatora pauses, then turns to Thor with an evilly mischievous grin.
"I know tricks are more Loki's thing, but how big are the odds that I can convince you to sneak up on him and poke him in the back of the neck for a little jumpscare?"
Giegue responds with a grateful nod. Then...
"!!!"
Giegue turns to look at the dreamcatcher. He stays silent, wanting to see what will happen.
—
Ninten sees the glow around himself, and is shocked when he realizes he can move. He sees the faces vanishing first, then sees Nightmare fleeing, and only then does he notice the dreamcatcher hanging around his neck and over his chest, which is when he realizes he's asleep.
"Whoa...", he mutters, not having expected it to be this effective. It's like the nightmare he's had for almost two years now just faded in an instant. To think that it doesn't just work, but that it also works this well.
"I guess I owe Niko one now.", he mutters to himself, smiling. That's when he hears the voice calling out to him, and he looks around.
"Let my troubles pass by me?"
For a moment he looks unsure. His troubles aren't just something he can pass by. ... But as long as he's in a dream, he can forget about all that, can't he?
His smile returns and grows in size.
"Thank you, miss Goddess!", he calls out. He doesn't know if the dream deity can actually hear him or not, but it's only fair to express his gratitude.
His dream now shifts towards being more pleasant. The somewhat badly lit room he was in is now replaced with an open field, perfect for adventuring. It starts raining Oreos from the sky. Music from one of Ninten's all time favorite movies
starts playing in the background. And to Ninten's surprise, a dream version of Claus of all people shows up.
"Show me around this place, will ya?", the dream Claus ask with a smirk as he gives Ninten a playful punch to his shoulder. Ninten, while rubbing his shoulder, can't help but laugh.
"You say that as if I know this place."
"It's your dream, so this place can be whatever you want it to be.", the dream Claus points out, which causes Ninten to chuckle.
"Guess you got me there. Let's go!"
He starts hiking, holding out his arms to catch some falling Oreos, and the dream Claus follows his lead.
—
Ninten stops shifting all of a sudden. Giegue floats over his bed to get a better look at him and looks surprised.
"He smiles in his sleep... he is at ease."
A closer look of Ninten's face would indeed reveal a peaceful, content sleeping expression. Giegue now floats up a little higher, looking at the dreamcatcher.
"It must have driven away the nightmare."
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.The voice chuckles slightly.
Whether aware of it or not, the dreamcatcher subtly guides Ninten and Dream Claus's path. They run into a tiny blue mouse-like creature with large ears, the right of which has a circular hole in its tip. The creature is lying on the ground and shuddering in fear as a cheerful announcer woman's voice echoes the same few lines over and over all around it accompanied by distorted, tinny music. The grassy field fades around it into a sterile laboratory floor.
The purple aura of the dreamcatcher reaches out, and the sounds fade away while the metal floor is consumed by the grass, leaving the creature alone. It opens an eye, looks around, and promptly springs into the air, giving the dream travelers a cheerful wave before flying off.
Edited by KiriK on Apr 7th 2022 at 8:08:19 AM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Wow! he backs off and raises his arms. Chill out, bro! ... Sis? I don't know but I'm not hostile! I just huh... don't wanna kill her and I'd love some help in ensuring she isn't made... dead? Rahh! he groans at his panic.
Well look, she's not panicked over it but she also walked into my flames, so she could be... weird or suicidal. S-she could even be dead right now! Hold on. He bends over and pick up her charred head.
Bro... you okay?
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitter