Kinktober 21: Sane or Celebrated

All Nora did was to stay the night at her friend’s house so she could take care of his cat while he was away. Suddenly she found herself hunted down by ninjas, and rescued by an American lady called Allison, who had some mysterious connection to Emil.

Things couldn’t possibly get any crazier.

Nora could not remember anything after Allison pulled the lever to Emil’s time machine, other than that she was proven utterly mistaken.

Actually she did have memories of what happened. Vivid memories. She remembered the machine spinning like a tornado. She remembered screaming bloody ****. She remembered being terrified of dying. She remembered wanting to die. She remembered crying. She remembered Allison laughing.

She remembered these things clearly, but she had no idea which memory was preceded by another. All of what she could remember did transpire. Of that she was sure. But as far as she was concerned, none of them happened first. They all happened… at the same time. It was difficult to explain, as if what she experienced was not so much a sequence of events more than separate events converging to a single moment.

That moment had passed, and thank heavens for that.

The roars of the machine gradually turned into a soft purr, then a regular ticking, before finally falling silent. Nora’s trembling hands gently shifted her raven-black hair away from her pale face. Each piece of hair reached towards a different direction, like an explosion frozen in time.

“I-is… Is it over…?” Nora stuttered between ragged breaths.

Coils of white smoke rose from under the control panel and merged with the veil of mist surrounding the machine, but were unable to replace it as it lifted. Once gone, they found themselves no longer inside a garage crammed halfway to the ceiling with a combination of junk that Emil didn’t have the heart to throw out, and junk he couldn’t be bothered to throw out. They were atop a grassy knoll overlooking vast stretches of grasslands, the sun hanging from the very top of the clear blue sky.

“Where are we?” A bewildered Nora asked.

“A better question is when are we! Except I don’t know that either.” Allison checked the gauge metres on the control panel as she fiddled with the controls, “Not that it actually matters, cause we’re gonna head back to Emil’s place. As soon as I’ve fixed this baby up to a more agreeable state.” Upon feeling the immense heat radiating from the hatch of the control panel as she reached towards it, Allison pulled her hand back and slipped it under the hem of her shirt so as to shield her from the burning hot metal.

Nora’s head filled with more questions than she could count, but when he opened her mouth to speak she found nothing to say. She did have questions, but they were present in her head mostly as a formless cloud of confusion, like a swarm of flies soaring around her head. A thread of yarn has a beginning or an end, but when thoroughly tangled you see only a mass of threads overlapping each other. Untangling this mess was going to be an ordeal, but at that moment it was preferable to dealing with the emotional stress she wound herself into facing this situation.

She heard the faintest trace of festive melody in the distance, and looked over her shoulder. She could see a city of pavilions of all sizes and colours in the distance, including those bigger than her apartment, and those made from shimmering gold. Colourful ensigns were raised on top of them, and hanging between them. Crowds of people moving between the tents like torrents.

A time machine, Emil called it, and Allison had evidently agreed… Certainly if they hadn’t travelled they would still be in the garage, and if it they were at the same time as before the sun wouldn’t be high in the sky.

As preposterous as it seemed, calling this time travel really seemed like something of a banality at this point.

“But… Emil really did have a time machine lying around in his garage… I can’t believe it.” Nora said.

Allison was greeted by a cloud of steam leaping out from the hatch of the control panel the moment she opened it, turning herself away as she stepped back and covering her face behind her elbow. An inhaling sigh escaped her clenched teeth as she looked down, the stench of solder filling the air. Each time a cluster of sparks leapt from the circuitry in the machine, she flinched, “...I’d say ‘did have’ are the right words…” Allison waved away the lingering steam, “But yeah, he did have a time machine lying around in his garage… Before it broke just now. And he also will have a time machine … If we travelled back in time far enough that is.”

Nora blinked, “Wha… You’re kidding, right? How are we supposed to get back to our own time?”

“Well, since we went back in time, sooner or later we’ll end up back when we left, whether we like it or not.”

Nora sighed but faced Allison with a patient smile, “Waiting? Is that what you’re saying? From the 1500s?”

Allison folded her arms, “Excuse me, but I believe I am the expert at time travel here…” She started but was interrupted as Nora pointed towards the tents.

“See those tents over there? That’s The Field of the Cloth of Gold, which would make this June 1520… Or four hundred years before we left. Everything and everyone I know won’t come about for another four hundred years!”

Allison’s eyes lit up with a bright smile, “But… Field of the Cloth of Gold though…! About time I finally got here! This is only the best party in history! Literally! God! What a wonder I finally ended up here!”

Nora fell back into her seat, “But… Is it possible to fix the machine?”

“Hard to tell,” Allison nudged the machinery with the tip of her foot, “This circuitry certainly has Emil’s trademarked personality about it. Figuring out exactly what exactly he had in mind might turn out a bit tricky. Mad science can sometimes be more art than science.”

“Are… Are you out of your mind!?” Nora grabbed Allison by the collar, who did not resist, “Why in the name of everything holy did you think it was a good idea to bring us here, if there was any chance at all to get stuck!?”

“Now, take it easy there, little missy!” Allison gently wrung away Nora’s hand from her collar, “What exactly would you’ve preferred? Getting hacked to pieces by ninjas?”

“Yeah, but… Not really…” Nora let go of Allison and leaned back into her seat, “Okay… I get it… But isn’t it a little unfair to have to worry about ninja attacks to begin with?”

“Well… Probably. Guess you’ve gotta bring that up with Emil, along with his time travel habits.” Allison said, “Oh sure, he’s a stand up guy, and a reliable friend, but if you had to choose who is responsible over the inevitable progression of time… Would Emil really make it among your Top Tens?”

Nora pondered, not on whether this was true but how to put it nicely without being overly harsh about her friend, “Eh… Could be worth offering him some kind of… Of course or something before giving him that kind of responsibility.”

“Oh, for sure! Over and over we’ve tried convincing him to be a little more careful when time travel is concerned!” Allison crossed her legs as she propped her feet on the control panel, “But I don’t think I need to tell you how stubborn he can be. It goes without saying he’s not exactly popular among other Travellers. Now, sure, I’m not the most considerate or far-sighted chick myself, but at least I’m not acting as if I’m trying to rip apart the space-time conintuum. So a couple of Travellers decided to take matters into their own hands, and make certain he won’t ever be a threat for the very fabrics of reality. For example through ninja ****.”

“Then it was him they were after…” Nora said, getting a worried expression on her face, “...What if it had been him who was attacked like this, instead of me?”

“Heh, guess those ninjas should consider themselves lucky then!” Allison chuckled, “This ain’t the first time this has happened. Emil’s one hardy fella, you know? Don’t worry, he can take care of himself!”

“So… If you’re a Traveller too, does that mean you’ve ever tried getting him killed?”

“Certainly not.” Allison said, “As much of a nuisance Emil is, I still have a debt to him. He was the one who first taught me how to use time travel responsibly, when I first started at age thirteen. If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably end up where he is right now.”

“He… Taught you how to act responsibly? When he himself doesn’t know how to do it?” Nora asked, getting more confused by the moment.

“Yeah, he certainly doesn’t… Yet. Cause that’s just how it is when you’re a Traveller. Things don’t necessarily happen in the right order. The one who helped me figure out how to act when you’ve got a time machine was the person he will become. And that is something I appreciate so much, I’ll be perpetually on his side when Victor and his gang are planning his demise. So I’ve asked him to give me a call if he needs help with anything at all. In this case, to check if Victor was trying anything while you were away.”

“I see… But could he not have done this without you? I mean, he could’ve just used the time machine after he got back from the hospital, and saved me himself, right?” Nora asked.

“Okay, yeah but… Sure, if he came back, and saw you upset but in one piece, would he in that case need to go back in time?”

“Well, probably not.” Nora said, “But I’d certainly have some choice words towards him.”

“But if he found you dead on the floor when he came back,” Allison said, “In that case, should he travel back and save you?”

“Of course!” Nora yelled, “If he’s half the friend he pretends to be!”

“But if he travels back, and prevents you from dying, then you were never dead. In that case, why did he travel back in time?”

“Well, obviously to prevent… I mean, otherwise he’d… All right, I think I see what you mean.”

“Yep.” Allison smiled, “Oh, but you’re right about one thing. That’d be exactly what Emil would have done in that situation. And if so, the timeline itself may end up thoroughly distorted. Imagine if he travelled back once more after failing to rescue you in your first attempt, and they end up preventing each other from rescuing you. If we don’t prevent nonsense like that from happening, no one will! That’s why I asked him to call me and ask for help before stuff like that can happen. That’s my way of preserving the timeline.”

“I… I get it.” Nora sighed, “But we’re just as stuck in history as we were before?”

“Look from the bright side!” Allison jumped off her seat, “There definitely are worse places to be trapped in! Just think for a moment! It was here that… That… Well, what was it exactly that this partay was all about? Guess I should’ve paid attention during history class.”

Nora closed her eyes and cleared her throat, “As a counter-movement towards the ever growing Ottoman Empire moving towards Eastern Europe, the contemporary pope Leo X called for a truce across Christendom with the intention of uniting the powers of Europe against what he considered a threat towards the Catholic church. But as England and France were at the time involved in an extensive violent conflict, it was considered…”

“Ah, right!” Allison snapped her fingers, “Think I got it! Basically the English and the French had been at each others’ throats for so long throughout history, the one time they weren’t became such a huge deal that it required… Nay, demanded celebration! Right?”

“...Yeah, sure. Close enough. And– I guess I can’t say I’m not curious.”

“That’s the spirit! ” Allison grabbed hold of Nora’s arm, “Now come on!” She dragged Nora along towards the tent city.

A French knight, his arming doublet stained with spots of wine from his skin, headed with determined steps, albeit swaying from intoxication, towards an English knight resting on an empty keg by the wine fountain outside the English king’s temporary palace. The Englishman was at least as drunk as his French counterpart, and was biting into a big, red apple.

“...Now, where’s ya got that apple from, monsieur?” He tapped at the Englishman’s chest. The Englishman swallowed and held out the apple, a huge chunk of which was missing, towards the Frenchman, “Here ya’ go, good sir! Wasn’t really gonna eat all of it anyhow.”

The Frenchman recoiled as it got closer to him, “Don’t play cute with me, ya oaf! I’m not asking if there’s enough apples… I’m asking if you took the apple from the mouth of the roasted pig!” The Frenchman rested his hands on his hips.

The Englishman shrugged, “Look, look… If I wanted an apple, right, I’d go to the basket on the table. If I wanted the pork, though, that’s when I’d go for the suckling pig. Do you see any pork on my plate? Or any plate for that matter?”

The thick moustache under the Frenchman’s nose flickered as he snorted, glaring down at the Englishman, “Ya think yer so smart, huh? I’ll be watching you closely from now, so keep yer hands to yerself.” Once the Frenchman had said his meaning, he turned to leave.

“Geez, such trouble for just one apple, though. It’s not like it matters anyway. Food is food, after all. Right?”

The Frenchman stopped in his tracks, marching back up to the Englishman more flustered by the insinuations that his concerns didn’t matter, than an actual confession would have made him, “What’s that, you uncouth oaf!? Can’t you see that the dish is ruined now! Someone had made it less than it is by removing that special detail that made it perfect!”

“Yeah, well?” The Englishman stood up, sick and tired of this uppity Frenchman, “Guess I see the point then. After all you Frenchmen don’t have apples in yer mouths, and you sure are not perfect pigs!”

While the knights bickered away, Allison and Nora snuck into their tent, where their armours were stored.

They left the tent clad in a tournament suit of plate, leaving their modern attires back in the bushes.

Nora had never worn a suit of plate before, and starting out with one not made for her while prancing around in the high-summer sun was certainly not ideal. What was meant as a disguise turned on its head as Nora stumbled awkwardly about. Everyone around them were too busy enjoying themselves to pay attention however, and much as her inexperience rendered Nora unfit to walk properly in a suit of armour, it was nothing compared to the epidemic of drunkenness that pervaded the camp.

Certainly it didn’t help her self-esteem that she waddled between the tents like a duck, having to apologise over and over, in her deepest, manliest voice, for bumping into people. She glanced over towards Allison, who was strutting around like nobody’s business, occasionally opening her visor to sneak in bites of an apple dripping with succulent juices from a roasted pig.

Instead of walking, the crowd of colourfully dressed people danced on light feet around the two lady knights, in rhythm to the bells and whistles of the German band. The melody was one suited for the tastes of a nobleman, but in such a way so as to entice the nobleman to surrender his protocol and courtesy, so he may for at least one night join the vulgar enjoyments of the masses, and have fun without apology or restraint.

Even the guardsmen, who had to keep themselves alert and out of their way, lunging their gilded spears and glaives resting on their shoulders, enjoyed the occasional pint of ale and tapped their feet in rhythm to the music.

Nora eventually learned to walk in the armour, though it was still rather awkward. Allison had told her it was not going to get comfortable, since if your clothes are made of solid metal then it is absolutely imperial that they fit you like a glove. Still she could go five seconds now without looking like a fool. In fact, one of the pretty ladies that danced past her adorned her helmet with a garland, shooting her kisses when she looked back towards her.

Nora, not being used to interacting with women like this, lost herself and forgot to see where she was going, tripping over an empty keg and falling sprawled on her stomach.

Embarrassing as that was, no one paid attention to Nora at that instance. A large crowd made their way through the streets, gathering around a single tall man in resplendent plate armour riding an elegant white steed. His long, dark hair curtained behind his back and framed his high forehead, as his intellectual and firm eyes scanned the crowd below, granting them an adoring yet confident smile across his handsome face. The strong jaws leading to his slender yet muscular neck sported a short reddish brown beard and moustache that granted his otherwise gentle, youthful countenance a certain sense of reliability and mystique.

“Why, isn’t that a looker!” Allison said, unable to take her eyes off that man.

Nora’s eyes fell on the man’s surcoat and cape, on which were embellished a white rose within a red rose, “That…. I think that would be king Henry VIII.”

“I… Come again?” Allison’s admiring smile vanished to be replaced with an expression of disappointment, then revulsion, and finally of amusement and curiosity, “You mean the fat, gluttonous, wife-killer who upended Catholicism in his country for the sake of his natural codpiece substitute? That guy?”

“Well, yeah…” Nora said, clearing her throat, “But all of that came… Uh, comes later. By this time he would be renowned as a charismatic and amiable young leader of the English and a devout Catholic who loves the Pope. He is a scholar, an athlete, a musician and a patron of the arts fluent in no less than seven languages.”

“Well damn!” Allison said, “So while most guys think back to how they were in high school and wonder how they could be such dorks, this guy goes ahead and takes the opposite route!”

Nora was about to reply, when someone from behind her grabbed her by the shoulder, “Oy! Thought you could escape me, could you?”

Nora slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder. A tall man in full beard dressed in red livery carrying a gilded spear in the hand not holding on to Nora shot her an accusatory look.

“You probably thought you were being sneaky right now, right? Well, let me tell you, buddy; you ain’t escaping my eyes. You’re coming with me.”

Too scared to answer, Nora simply let the guardsman drag her away. All she could really do was look towards Allison and how she was taking this development. All she did was simply lift her hand and give her a thumbs up.

That was the last image Nora saw of her new strange friend as she was dragged to her fate.

Before Nora was a man in a black suit of armour, a black great helm concealing his face and holding a red heater shield with a black wolf as its emblem.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” The announcer cried, “Hold on to your breeches! The Black Knight has made short work of all his opponents up until now! But now he is up against none other than sir Edwin Wriothesly of Edinburgh!”

Applause roared from the lectars surrounding the arena.

Nora looked around nervously, between the armed man in dark armour standing before her, and the people in the lectars roaring with applause, and at the blunt sword in her hand. Of course the quartermaster had recognized the armour she was wearing, and now when she was pretending to be this Edwin fellow, she was expected to fight as him as well.

“Will theknight from our own beloved Tudor Court fall against this mysterious fiend? Or will he rise to the occasion and defeat the Black Knight as the paragon of virtue and hope that he is? Only one way to find out! Let’s get this battle started!”

Nora calmed herself down for a bit. At the end of the day this was just a sport, and they were not expected to actually wound or kill their opponents. Sure the chances of leaving this tournament unscathed was not one hundred percent, but more than anything this was a display of skill and athleticism rather than blood and gore. She didn’t need to defeat her opponent. Just act like a chivalrous knight in combat.

The Black Knight stepped into Nora’s space with blinding speed, and soon she saw the head of the flail heading towards her in a downward arc. The flail was slow and travelled in a long, predictable arc, so step out of the way in time was easy enough even for a complete newbie like Nora. The flail struck the ground like a cannonball, the impact of which kicked up sand that lingered in the air like a cloud.

Apparently this guy was not messing around.

Once again the flail was in full swing, and Nora ran around like a stung rat with the Black Knight in tow, the head of the flail striking the place where she was a moment ago. Nora’s feet were caught in a dune of sand kicked off when the both of them ran around the arena, and when she managed to regain her bearings she found the fallenged flail on a collision course with her head. She dodged away from its course in the last moment, but the chain wrapped around her sword. When the Black Knight pulled on the chain, Nora was dragged towards him.

At that moment something awoke in Nora. All she wanted to do was help people, maybe a moment to herself when she could have her morning coffee while solving crossword puzzles. She never wanted to hurt anyone. Yet everywhere she looked she found someone who wanted to kill her.

There comes a time when enough is enough, when you have to say that this is not all right. And for Nora that was her time.

As she let herself be pulled towards the knight, she pushed the shield towards the knight and leaned into the punch.

PAM!

The rim of No shield struck his visor with the weight of Nora and her armour behind it, sending the Black Knight toppling down on his back.

“Ugh… Oh, God damnit! That stung like ass!” The Black Knight yelled with a Finnish accent that was all too familiar to Nora.

The damaged visor of the Black Knight had slipped back when he laid sprawled on the ground, and Nora could not believe who was behind it all along.

“Emil!”

Of course, he was the one who programmed the machine to go to the Field of the Cloth of Gold, after all! It would make sense to find him here, especially in a party to end all parties.

A tightness gripped Nora’s chest. The face beyond her visor drained of all colour as she rushed towards him, “Oh my God! Emil! I am terribly sorry! How are you? Are you all right?” She knelt beside him and rested his head gently against her hand. What had she done? She had no idea it could have been her friend behind that helmet, and she went to just punch him in the face. What was she thinking? Why did she think that **** was the solution? This wasn't a game! Actually it was a game. One she did not choose to participate in. But still, that doesn't absolve her of any responsibility.

“Huh?” Emil said looking back confused, “Do I know you?”

“Oh!” Nora flipped up her visor and looked down at him with a comforting smile, “It’s me! Nora. Don’t be alarmed.”

The visor on Emil’s helmet fell down as he sat himself up, “...Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell.” Before Nora could answer, she saw his fist close in towards her at blinding speed.

That was the last thing she saw before she woke up in a bed inside a pavillion. Her head was bandaged, and she was stripped down to her base layer. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Emil looking over her. He was dressed in a red arming jacket and a mail standard, his short golden locks moist from sweat.

Her head was throbbing with pain, and with each throb her vision was obscured with dark spots. Thinking was difficult, but once an idea of what had transpired occurred to her the memories flooded back, and her already delirious mind was overcome with regret.

Had Emil really been keeping this part of himself from her all this time? ‘Keeping it’ might be a stretch. It’s not like Nora ever asked if he was a time traveller. She already knew that Emil got himself into all kinds of adventures and misadventures without bringing it up, simply because it never occurred to him to do so. With that in mind, his behaviour to this point had been perfectly consistent with everything she knew about him.

All of that notwithstanding, because he never told her, she ended up being chased by ninjas. She had been in real danger.

But… Emil did send Allison to save her the moment he realised that was a possibility.

It frustrated Nora to no end, that Emil was responsible for the craziest night in her life. The craziest night in anyone’s life… And he can’t blame him for any of it. Except that he did hit her… After she hit him first. Two wrongs don’t make a right, of course, but she couldn't well have expected him to act lucidly in such a state of confusion.

By all acounts, Emil was completely blameless... As blameless as could be expected of him at least. And now he was here by her side by some twist of fate.

Nora turned in bed to face Emil, giving him a tired yet warm smile, “Emil…. GUHRRK!

Emil gripped Nora by the throat. His hand coiled around the neck without squeezing it, though when Nora tried budging his arm, she found it was like a bar of iron.

“Who the hell are you?” Emil hissed, “Did you come here to kill me? Do you work for Victor? If so you can tell him to crawl back into the cesspool from which he came. And if you wanna take a shot at me or my friends, then go for it. Goddamnit I'm in the mood for something raw tonight!”

“But… Emil… I don’t want to hurt you. I... I was trying to help you! We’re friends! It’s me! Nora!“

“Is that supposed to tell me something? I don't know no Nora.”

“But we last saw each other not one week ago!“ Nora could feel his thum pressing against her throat, so as to remind her that at any moment he could end her, “Ah… I know! We must find Allison! She’ll be able to vouch for me! She’ll make sense of all of this!.”

Emil let go of Nora, and her head fell back to her pillow. His eyes lit up the moment she said that name, “Allison! Well, why didn’t you just tell me you were here with her!? I was hoping to find her here on the Field! Come on now! Let’s go!”

“Just… Give me a moment to catch my breath…”

The last rays of the sun as it set behind the horizon coloured the specks of clouds nearest it a deep whirlpool of orange and pink, contrasting those of deep lavender further away.

By this time the sun could hardly grant any illumination. The camp was instead lit up by colourful paper lanterns suspended on lines between the tents. The party guests had gathered around the arena once again for the last fight of the night.

Sprawled on the floor in a humiliating display, a defeated Henry VIII looked up at the owner of the metal-clad foot resting on his chest. No one in the audience around the arena dared to say a word, although for a few young men and women around the arena, a snicker or two managed to escape their lips. The flustered Tudor King glared daggers up at the French knight who had the audacity to humiliate him in such a manner. The triumphant knight met his gaze, and lifted up the visor so the fighter could greet the beaten king with the smile of a young woman winking down at him. Henry lost all colour in his face and let out a groan in defeat and humiliation.

Any **** plot was out of the question, if it meant that he would be **** to concede that he was beaten by someone of the fairer sex. The only way to save face was to nod and play along until that farce was over.

Allison turned towards the lectars and saw Emil and Nora waving at her, and she saluted them back. That's when she spotted, in the corner of her eye, the other half a dozen knights she was supposed to fight coming right at her with alarming speed. Allison ran away, laughing uproarously for the entire time. Even as she was rugby tackled and ended up at the bottom of a dogpile.

“And that’s what’s been going on.” Nora explained, now adorned in an apron dress of green and pale olive, as they were seated at the table of the French king Francoise. So amused had Francoise been about his rival’s defeat that he was delighted to invite curious knight who had offered such an amusing display, where ‘he’ would be safe from any attempts at a discrete retribution that Henry could conceivably cook up.

“To tell you the truth, it’s a little concerning that he can't remember anything about me… Isn’t it?” Nora said as she was trying to sound concerned. The truth was that she was enjoying herself. History was unfolding itself before her very eyes, and she was seated at the same table as a famous royalty, with a banquet across the length of the table from which she had taken a slice of venison, and small portions of various cheese she had longed to try out.

“Ah, but I’ve already explained this to you earlier...” Allison pointed towards Emil, gorging on a chunk of cockentrice from his, two-pronged fork, “And you… I’ve already explained many times! Travellers don’t have to meet each other in chronological order. The next time for me may well be the last time for you! As it happens you’ll encounter Nora again some time later in your life, but it just hasn’t happened yet.” Allison opened her visor and pushed a single grape into her mouth.

Emil pulled a length of thread from his mouth that had been used to join the meat of the chicken with the pork, “Oh… Oh! Yeah, I see!” Emil snapped his fingers, “I remember that you had already met me a couple of times the first time I met you!” He turned to Nora and grabbed her shoulders, “Looks like I'll end up in the company of some spicy ladies in the future! That was one hell of a straight you got there, I gotta give you that! Not everyone can land a hit on me so easily!” Emil laughed hartily, "Hey! You wanna go back to the Triassic? You won't believe what they don't teach you about dinosaurs in school!"

Nora lifted Emil’s hand off her shoulder and gave him a smile of strained patience, “Thanks, but I think it’s about time I go back to feed poor old Missy. It was, after all, you who entrusted that responsibility to me.”

“Ah, who gives a crap? We’ve got a time machine, remember? When it’s too late, or too early… That’s entirely your choice!” Emil said.

“Yeah, I understand, but… Once again the answer must be no. All of this has been enough adventure for a lifetime. Right now I just want to go back to my old, predictable life.”

“Besides, we… Kinda sorta managed to accidentally break the machine while landing.” Allison said, innocently popping another cherry tomato into her mouth.

“Such things happen! No biggie.” Emil waved his hand dismissively, “Lemme just take a looksie and see what needs to be fixed.”

As it turned out, all the machine needed was a little love, some caring fingers… And a sharp kick at just the right place.

While Allison configured the spokes and levers of the machine, patted her on the shoulder and grabbed her hand, “Allison… Thank you so much for taking care of my buddies-to-be when it’s called for. You did a hell of a job!”

“Hey! She’s my friend too now!” Allison laughed as she recoiled when Emil grabbed her hand a bit too hard, “And speaking of which, when you end up meeting her for the first time for real, you have to pretend you have never seen her before. Do you understand?”

“Oh… Not this crap again…” Emil grunted, “It’s best to be open and honest, and you’ll see it’ll work out just fine!”

“But Emil, she can’t know that she will be attacked in the future, or else she won’t let herself be attacked like that.”

“Ugh… You know what I think about that kind of talk. No, one ought to say exactly what one means and not hide what’s on ones mind…”

“Emil…”

“Imagine going around hiding stuff for people you trust… No, that certainly ain’t my style…”

“Emil!” Nora yelled and folded her arms, “This isn’t about what you, or what you want. Sometimes you have to show consideration for others as well! Now please do it. For Allison. And for me.”

Emil sighed and looked between Nora and Allison, who used her very best sad puppy dog eyes, ”Well, all right. This time let’s say it’ll go like that… But just this time!”

“Sounds great!” Allison clapped her hands and placed her hand on the lever, “Let’s go already!”

RRRRRING!!!

Nora opened her eyes, finding herself in her night-gown on Emil’s bed, with Missy looking down on her judgmentally. Looking back at the clock on the nightstand, she found out why. It was already one o clock, and the sun was high outside.

Vague images returned to Nora’s exhausted mind. Emil coming back with her and Allison, to confront the ninjas and kick them out. Allison had tried talking Emil out from using excessive ****, but when he saw them laying their hands on his Kirsi, their fates were sealed.

Watching Emil take on multiple armed opponents by himself was incredible. It was more like watching a dozen ninjas getting swept up in a tornado than a fight. Allison had said her farewells as she took Emil back to the Field, only to return to her own time when she returned the time machine to where it was.

RRRRRRRING!!!

As Nora went to answer the phone, she wondered if all of that hadn’t been a dream. In her sleep-deprived state, it all had seemed so foggy, and it certainly seemed… Too insane for reality.

Ninjas… Travellers from the 21st century… Emil being a knight… Dining with kings...

Those kinds of things don’t happen.

Certainly not to her.

RRRRRI… “Yeah, this is Emil Huhtala’s residence. How may I be of service?”

“Hey, hey, Nora! Emil here!”

“Oh, hello there, Emil! How’s it going for you? How did the operation go?”

Emil sighed, “Yeah, I wish I could come with better news, but… It was an astounding success! Ahahaha! Anders here will be just like new once he’s rested! Now I really got you! Ahahaha!” Slamming could be heard from the other end of the line, either from a fist on a wall or a table. The laughter of someone other than Emil from further away could also be heard.

Nora sighed as she twirled the phone cable around her finger, only to discover a portion of it had been wrapped up in silver tape, so as to affix a sliced cable.

She did not recall the phone cable being cut like this. But she did remember something from her dream.

Nora smiled, “Oh yes. Just make sure he doesn’t flail about too much.”

Emil paused for a moment, before laughing again much louder, “Ahaha, took you a while to finally catch up! Hope your head’s doing fine after…”

Nora cleared her throat, “You’re worried about mine head? Who exactly do you think got the better strike in?”