THE MOMENT
"I know your secret." Glory Rose was startled as she lobbed the trash bag into the bin behind the cafe. The sun was on its way down and no longer visible from the alley, leaving it all in shadows. She whirled around to see the newest hero, Strongly, a little too close behind her.
"Okay," she nodded and took a few steps toward the cafe again. She had no idea what he was talking about and him invading her personal space left her a little unsure. She wasn't scared exactly; but, she felt safer closer to the Supers currently visiting the front of the shop. Heroes or Villains, it didn't matter once they were on her property. She'd built a reputation on kindness to everyone, and luckily they respected it for the most part. She had the occasional upstart questioning why Heroes and Villains were willing to put aside their differences temporarily.
"I'm serious," Strongly said. He followed her; but, kept a respectful distance once she was through the cafe threshold. "I read your mind, I know what you really are."
"That's good," she nodded. "Then, I guess we don't have to talk about it," she turned to go further into the kitchen.
"Maybe we should just tell everybody!" he said. Glory Rose stopped. She visibly sighed, then returned to the back door to talk to Strongly. She used a softer, quieter voice.
"You don't want to do that," she said. Strongly ran his hand through his lush, golden locks and grinned.
"Is that right? And why not?" Glory Rose shook her head.
"There's no way to say this without it sounding like a threat. I promise you I'm not trying to threaten you; but, it really wouldn't end well for you," she said. "They're kind of protective," she used her thumb to gesture at the front of the cafe behind her. "I can't always talk them down."
"That's because they don't know the real you,' Strongly chuckled.
"You seem pretty sure about that. Did you read any of their minds?" she asked. Strongly shook his head.
"No way; they have mental defenses," he said.
"So, you did try?" she asked. "I thought the League had rules against that."
"You're not part of the league," Strongly smirked. "You're not even-"
"It sounds horribly intimidating," Glory interrupted him. "But, I do mean it sincerely. I'm giving you a friendly warning, the less you say about it the better."
"And what's in it for me?" Strongly asked. Glory giggled and shook her head.
"I run a cafe," she shrugged. "You want a free plate of chicken? A slice of pie?"
"You do run a very successful cafe; the hotspot for Supers. I was thinking of something more lucrative than dessert. There's not a lot of money in Hero-ing. The League's basic pay is barely above minimum. I save people from burning buildings and get the same pay as someone saving fries from burning oil."
"If you wanted money, you should have chosen to become a Villain," Glory Rose replied.
"I can do both," Strongly chuckled. "So, how important is it for you to keep your secret? Let's talk dollars." Glory giggled and shook her head.
"If we're talking dollars, that's easy. Zero. I'll be honest, I don't even know what you're talking about," she shrugged. "I was just looking out for you. But if there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that some people just don't want to be looked out for." She gave him a final, dismissing wave and spun around to head back to the front.
"HEY EVERYONE!" by the time Glory Rose reached the dining area, Strongly had flown around the building to enter it from the front. "SHE'S JUST A CIVILIAN! SHE'S NOT A SUPER!" he stood in the center of the dining area pointing directly at Glory Rose, the owner of the Cafe. Two seconds after his outburst, conversation among the patrons filled the air with the murmur of public spaces.
"WHY-," he started off strong, but lowered his voice once attention was on him again. "-are we here doing what she says? Why are we following her rules?"
"Fried Chicken!" a voice spoke up from somewhere in the back and the crowd laughed in agreement.
"All the food is really good here," a new voice spoke up. It was Strongly's mentor in the league, Hero One. He was a walking wall of muscle with a copper buzzcut and years of heroism showing on his face. He closed the gap and patted Strongly on the shoulder.
"It's just nice to have a space where work isn't involved. Everything is delicious and Glory is the nicest person you'll ever meet. Even Villains can recognize that," he said. "Her powers don't matter because she doesn't need them. Kindness kind of trumps everything. Over time, anyway," he smirked.
"But... she's nothing...," Strongly shook his head to try and understand why they were willing to cooperate. But, his thought train didn't make it very far as he began to feel pain in his shoulder. Hero One was squeezing it extra tight.
"Everyone loves Glory Rose...," he said flatly. "She's not 'Nothing'," he said.
"Okay, ow, OW!" Strongly tried to pull free; he couldn't manage it until Hero One finally let go. "Geez, I'm sorry," Strongly rubbed the pain in his shoulder. "I wish I'd never read her mind...," he complained to himself. A sudden rush of shuffling was heard and in an instant, every hero and villain was on their feet.
"You did WHAT?" Hero One asked. The cafe was deathly quiet while everyone waited for Strongly's response.
"I read her mind," he tried to whisper the answer, not registering that almost everyone there had some form of enhanced hearing. Strongly was suddenly terrified when all eyes, Hero and Villain alike were on him. But, somehow, it was even more disturbing when every person turned and focused on Glory Rose after his confession. At that point, he finally understood how much they all respected her.
It only took three words from her to mobilize the entire crowd. She uttered a simple phrase and Strongly was instantly dragged out the door on his back, taking punches and kicks the entire time. He relaxed a little bit knowing what was coming. He could take the pain, and he guessed he deserved it. He tried to endure what he could while his mind wandered back to Glory Rose. She may not have been a Super; but, she definitely had some power. As the beating continued, Strongly was thankful for her kindness.
He'd fought some of the villains before and he knew how savage they could be. At the time, he didn't know how special Glory Rose was; but he knew it now. The Heroes present couldn't have stopped them from ending him. They might have even helped. But, Glory set the bar with three little words.
"Don't kill him."