Published at 6th of November 2026 8:04 am

Chapter 63 Just Say Yes

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I make two phone calls as soon as I leave breakfast with Sylvester. The first is to Rorschach from my Cowl phone.

Hello? Rorschach asked warily.

I need you to buy something for me, I said.

Like what? Materials? Real Estate? What do you need?

Theres this restaurant called The Hunny Bun; its a breakfast joint, and I want you to purchase it. Then I want you to fire a particularly unfriendly, frumpy waitress named Sherry, I said.

She must be a huge fucking bitch if she pissed you off so much, Rorschach cackled into the phone.

Just get it done, I said, hanging up immediately.

I slide my Cowl phone into my jeans and switch to my civilian one. Aubrey picks up after a single ring. Clearly, she's been waiting for this call.

Eryk! She shouted into the phone.

Aubrey, hi, how are you? I asked.

Fine. I thought Id hear from you sooner, especially after our last conversation, Aubrey said pointedly.

Ive been extremely busy with things, sorry. It wasnt on purpose, I admitted.

Well, unless you're calling to tell me you're ready to help me kill Violet, I don't want to talk, she said coldly.

Do not say anything like that again on the phone. We need to meet and talk. Im not home right now, but Ill text you when I get back, and you can come over. Do NOT go online or talk to anyone until I text you, I said, before hanging up.

I need to get back to my place and figure out how to explain this all to her. I very much doubt that she will be content with Violet going to an Omnimax prison. She won't be happy until she's six feet under. Aubrey has not handled our friends deaths well. She's been on a self-destructive spiral ever since Marcus died; our friendship has strained in the last six months, and my neglect has only worsened it. Her discovering I've been lying to her about what happened at the docks might've spelled the end of our relationship and landed me in prison if I hadn't done serious damage control. I was forced into revealing my connection to Miles, and I'm sure I'll have to reveal my identity to him to keep up this charade. All of the work I've had to put in just to avoid murdering Aubrey has to be because of Callbacks compassion. That particular personality piece has affected me just as much as the others, but the effects are so subtle I don't even catch them. I incorrectly thought that the more dangerous personality pieces were ones like Punchs aggression or Carbons paranoia, but it's not those at all; Froggys addictive personality nearly derailed my life, and who knows how many of my plans or decisions have been subtly guided by compassion? It might be time to bring Kai into the fold completely. He's all but figured it out already, and he's been so instrumental in understanding my ability. Whatever I end up doing will have to wait; I have a more immediate fire to put out.

I punch my code in, and the door unlocks to my studio apartment. The lights are on, faint music is playing, and from the smell, someone is cooking in my kitchen. There's only one person with the code to my apartment, and that's Emma. Checking the power sense confirms it for me. But why would she be cooking? This screws with my plan to meet Aubrey. God fucking damn it. This woman can't keep getting in the way of everything. I step inside, take my shoes off, and prepare for a painful conversation.

Emmas standing in the middle of the kitchen, stirring something inside a stockpot; my nose tells me it's a type of beef stew. She doesnt cook; I cook. She better not be using a metal spoon on the stockpot. Shes wearing a purple dress, black tights, and an unbuttoned flannel. Id be lying if I tried to say I dont find the outfit attractive on her. Her back is to me, but with her superhuman senses, she probably heard me coming from down the hallway. Lets get this over with.

Youve returned, I stated.

Welcome home, honey, Emma said, smiling.

I didnt expect to see you again.

I was just working through some things, but Im back now, and I have come to terms with the nature of our relationship, she responded.

And what have you figured out?

That you dont feel the same way about me that I do about you. Ive been delusionally thinking that you would wake up one day and profess your love for me, that you could learn to care about me. But you cant, can you? You are emotionally unavailable, and no amount of cohabiting will change that, she said, sighing wistfully.

I told you as much when this arrangement began. I wont take responsibility for your inability to process what I told you then. Any expectations you had that led to your feelings getting hurt are self-inflicted wounds. You arent stupid, Emma, but you are naive. Its why I told you that traveling would be good for you; you need more worldly experience. Youve lived a very sheltered life. We can end this amicably and figure out a way forward for you, I said.

Is it too much to hope that youd let me stay?

Its time for you to go, Emma. Either willingly, or in a body bag, I said plainly.

Her shoulders slump at my words. Clearly, she was hoping for a different outcome. Ive already entertained this charade for way too long. Emma removes the spoon shes been stirring the food with, and its a wooden one. Good. She lowers the heat on the convection stovetop and places the lid onto the stockpot before turning around to face me.

You know I can hear your heartbeat? Its a steady rhythm that I find comforting. Until I notice that it doesnt change at all when you threaten my life like that. You really dont care at all about me, she said sadly. She wipes away a tear forming and smiles at me. I really hoped you'd change your mind. Well, you drive a hard bargain, but I think Ill go with whats behind door number one.

My previous offer has expired; you cant keep the powers, and I wont be funding your life going forward. Im not leaving you high and dry; Ill give you a sizable nest egg, you keep the car and anything else youve bought. Youll be free to do whatever you want with the rest of your life, free from your past and my influence. Its a fresh start, Emma, I said softly, approaching her.

Do I need to leave tonight? She asked.

I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her on the cheek. She smells of honey, cinnamon, and citrus. My hands are cold from being outside, and I feel goosebumps form on her from where Im touching.

You can stay till the end of the week, I answered.

Thanks, she responded faintly.

So what are you cooking?

Beef stew. My grandma used to make it for me whenever the weather got really cold. We'd get bundled up under the blankets on her old sofa and then watch a movie together. She was probably the only member of my family who really saw me, and I loved her so much. When she died, it's like I went back to being invisible. That was the first time I remember feeling hopeless, she paused. I really thought you could be the one to fill the void left inside me.

I dont respond immediately; this may be counterproductive to my goal of making her leave, but I stay close, hugging her tighter. For all the trouble she caused me, she certainly made my life more exciting. As a final thank you, I can try to help her find closure.

The problem with trying to fill your emptiness with another person is that you force them to empty themselves just to make you whole. I am a hollow husk of a person; I could never have completed you. Wherever you go from here, do me a favor and find another way of filling the void. Find things that bring you joy and have nothing to do with other people. You deserve that much, I said.

You might be the nicest asshole, you know that? he asked, chuckling sadly.

What can I say; I'm a man of many facets. And your grandmother's beef stew smells delicious; I'm excited to have some later, I said.

It won't be ready for another six hours, so you'll have to wait a while, she said, pulling away from me.

She puts on oven mitts and opens the oven, placing the stockpot inside. She closes it and turns around, kissing me on the mouth.

I have some pressing business that needs to be taken care of. A friend is coming by, and I need the apartment to myself.

I can get lost for a couple of hours; I guess Ill go shopping while I still have access to your credit card, she joked.

Thats fine, Ill let you know when my friend leaves. And Ill keep an eye on the stew.

Dont touch it; it is perfectly fine the way it is, she said sternly.

She sounds exhausted. A tiny voice in my head says I should say something else to her as she gets ready to leave. That I could have her stay while I talked it out with Aubrey, but thats just not reality. I could ask her where shes been; try and figure out a way to make this whole situation work. But she's more trouble than she's worth, and the sex isn't good enough to justify keeping her around.

Aubrey arrives at my place ten minutes after I texted her to come back. I know it's her because of the frantic banging on my door. She's so impatient. I take my time getting to the door, turning on the security screen to show the hallway. To absolutely no one's surprise, it is my childhood friend, Aubrey Iskan. She has a crazy look in her eyes, and I can tell through the screen that she's not been sleeping much. Considering how well my conversation with Emma went, I can only guess that I'm about to step on a landmine with Aubrey.

Its good to see you, I said, opening the door for her.

I wish I could say the same, she said.

Aubrey, I started to say.

Just dont, Eryk, okay? I dont want another lie to come out of your mouth. The only thing I want to talk to you about is how to get revenge on Violet. Besides that, I dont want anything to do with you anymore, she said coldly.

Listen, if you want my help, then drop the attitude. You arent the only one pissed at Violet, and you arent the only one who lost a friend, I said. Before she can make a snarky remark, I continue. Earlier today, the Union held a press conference from their internal Ethics Committee in which they disavowed Virtue because of her part in murdering the seven current members of the Villains Syndicate. A Cape named Sequence is also no longer a squad leader. Along with that, the Quinstin branch is going through a restructuring period. Shes going to an Omnimax prison, Aubrey, I explained.

Why the fuck didnt you just tell me that over the god damn phone? She asked angrily.

Because Im worried about you. This obsession you have with Violet isnt healthy, but at least shes going away for the rest of her life, I said.

Shove that sympathy up your ass, Eryk; save it for someone who believes it. I shouldnt have even come here, she spat.

Dont be like that, I didnt call you to fight.

THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT? She shouted at me. You couldve just told me about that bitchs fate through text messages.

Aubrey, please. Youve been so angry since Marcus death. Youre a ball of rage, lashing out at anyone and everyone. This cant just be your base state for the rest of your life. You wont get anywhere by snapping at everybody. I paused for a breath. You dropped out of school, and youre wasting away. Let me finish, please. You need a goal to work toward; you need a reason to continue.

Im not working with you; Id rather die than be a Cowl, she responded.

I told you Im not a Cowl, I corrected. I wanted to see you to tell you the news about Violet, but also to introduce you to Atonement. The Union let you down, just like it did him. I think that the two of you have a lot in common, and it would be good for you to meet him. He wants to become a true hero for Quinstin, and hell need support for that.

Oh, she said. I would be honored to meet him. Hes incredible.

He is, and just like I did for him, I will help you reinvent your Cape persona. Stinger can fade away from peoples memories, and you can debut as a new Cape, I explained. Just like him, I will help make you a hero. One that shines so brightly it cant be ignored. All you have to do is say yes.

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