You gave up, letting Fionna keep the Artefact. Fin was right, you were simply planning to misuse it to your own ends and if Fionna could use it for self defence it probably served everyone's purposes a little better and a tad more ethically.
`Don't slip back into being a villain, now... I think you're a bit nicer as this cuter, softer version.` Fin commented.
`Oh don't start with me. You were pretty happy when I was bigger, too. Don't think I forgot how well your voice raised while I was-`
`N-now now.`
You smirked and stood up, looking at Fionna. "Keep it."
"Thanks. Now I just gotta figure out how it works..."
"Are we going to test it?" Asuka asked from behind.
"I think we should." She offered while Su nodded in agreement beside her, craning her head over to see it.
"How should we?" Fionna asked, looking around at the assembled party members.
"Relax. We can head back inside and test it at any point." You stated, looking to Carolyn, who went back to speak to the officers that were staying behind for the report. You stood up and walked up to her, tugging on her sleeve near her elbow. She turned.
"Oh, hey sweetie. Need something? Anything to tell the officers?"
"Sorry, I don't snitch." Your mother and the officer exchanged a raised eyebrow. As you said that.
"Anyway. Why's Jo- I mean... 'Dad' in the loony bin?" You asked because you noticed what Jacob mouthed before being loaded into the car. Those words, and the fact that it almost felt like he had more knowledge than he should about John's Artefact did not sit well with you.
"Oh..." She was hesitant.
"Can I finish up here? I meant to talk to you two about it when you were ready, but this really isn't the place and time, right?" She tried to sound nice, but she was not hiding the fact that she was correct, and that it was a conversation that had to happen later.
"Alright, Mom." You leaned back as she hugged you and kissed you again before shooing you off.
You returned to your friends and sister. "Alright, let's go test."
Fionna looked up from the watch. "Now? How are we going to do this? Trial and error?"
"Sort of. But I also know how it works because I saw it being used."
She furrowed her brow. "How did you see it being used when I didn't?"
"Because of what I told you about earlier, when it was used on me it affected the body, but since my Soul was different, or mixed or something I was aware during the control. So that meant that I could see, just not act." You explained as you lead everyone back up the stairs into your home.
"Wait..." It seemed to just hit Fionna that you were casually speaking of magic, and that she had casually accepted it.
You stopped in the doorway. "What?"
"Are you seriously not my Finn?"
"I already told you I wasn't. Asuka also knows. So don't say I didn't try to tell you, because I did. You didn't listen." You kept walking but Fionna rushed after you, grabbing your arm.
"So then where the hell is MY brother!?"
You hung your head and sighed. "You weren't listening at all, huh?" You tapped your head.
"He's still in there and I'm trying to get him out."
"How? What's your progress? What's the plan? Is it working?" She was speaking a mile a minute. Gradually Su and Asuka filed in after her and hung back to let the two of you speak.
"The plan is to improve Finn's life and right enough wrongs that his spirit is strong enough to regain control. Ideally... That'll happen at a point when both me and the other spirits in his head got another place to go."
"Hm." Fionna furrowed her brow.
"What's wrong? Not satisfied with that?" You asked, leaning close so that your face was near hers. She blushed and pulled back.
"No. The opposite... I think that's fair. I just can't help but feel responsible. Finn's spirit was so broken up that he lost control of his body?" Her lip quivered and it was obvious that she was trying to avoid crying.
"If I was more supportive... If I believed him without questioning him maybe-"
"Tch." You stepped forward and hugged her, patting her on the back.
"There there. Far as I can tell you just acted reasonably with the info you had. It sucked, but there's not much you could do. This guy also has to answer for the fact that he was a bit of a weakling in the Soul department."
Fionna smiled weakly and eventually hugged you back. "Thanks." As you both separated she asked after clearing her throat.
"Now are you gonna tell me how this thing works?"
"Sure." You walked up the stairs as you explained, but Maria intercepted you with a look of feat in her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, I could anticipate that he was going to have some type of power." She offered apologetically, holding her hands up in front of her while remaining in a bowed pose with sunken shoulders. She seemed dejected. You just patted her on the head and continued. Su lifted a brow, wondering why she was apologising to you and not her.
"Basically I think that the watch can be wound for... Maybe a few minutes at a time but what's actually limiting it is the potency of the item."
"The potency?" Fionna questioned, looking at it with a squint.
"Yeah. Artefacts typically have potency that's expended in the use of their features. I'm guessing that the watch has an amount of potency that allows it to be used for a number of minutes at a time before it recharges. All you have to do is open it, show it to someone with it wound and it puts them into a trance during that time where you can get them to do whatever you want.
"Cool. Would it stop someone in their tracks if they were trying to attack me?" She asked once you were all at the top of the stairs.
"Did you wind it?"
"Yeah..."
"Great. Su, try to attack Fionna." You ordered.
"Sure." Su shrugged, strutting towards her aggressively like hired muscle.
"W-wait!" Fionna held the watch up towards her as she advanced and cringed as Su got close. When she opened her eyes the watch was ticking and Su had stopped.
"It worked." She uttered in amazement.
You and Asuka were both blocking your eyes. "If they don't see it, it seems like it doesn't work." Asuka announced her observation.
"So now she'll do whatever I say?" Fionna asked with a perverted grin.
"I don't like that look on your face." You narrowed your eyes at her.
Fionna pointed at you and commanded. "Glomp onto my Brother and don't let go!"
Su smiled happily and quickly latched onto you, weighing you down with her own body as she constricted you like a viper. You groaned.
"D-dammit, get off!"
"Kiss his cheek every 5 seconds." Fionna ordered sternly. As she commanded, Su waited, then kissed you on the cheek. After another 5 seconds she tried again and as you tried to turn away she grabbed your chin and directed it back so that she could kiss your cheek again, and again...
"I-It seems like the subject will use the means they have at their disposal to carry out the order..." Asuka said while keeping her head turned away from the sight.
"Oi! H-how long are you gonna let this go on!" You questioned angrily.
"That's the point. I wound it for a full minute, so I'm testing when she comes to and measuring it with kisses. That's the only reason." She insisted.
"You have a WATCH in your hand that's ticking!" You pointed out.
Fionna smiled awkwardly. "Well... That is a good point, but we're already at this point so we might as well keep going."
