Chapter 8

Emily stretched and heard her back pop from sitting on her desk all day. How some manage to do this is a question she will ask herself until the end of time. As she looked at the reports on her desk, she really wished she could burn it all.

It's been nearly two months since Goliath showed up, and Ellisburg is completely unrecognisable. A haven, as many are calling it.

Rogues are showing up from all over to set up shop here. Understandable, really. There was a Giant looking over them all; this is the safest place for new capes and even some older ones.

But that didn't mean she wasn't annoyed.

Emily sighed. At least they had come and registered properly. That was better than just showing up without any signs.

Glancing at the stack of papers, she groaned and continued working.

No matter how bad this was, it was honestly only slightly better than Nilbog. It's not like the PRT is doing anything other than administration as is anyway.

The various Rogues that have been appearing have changed the way capes are seen, at least around here. Especially considering that they are working together to help the community. Collaboration on this scale has never been seen before, especially since it looks like this will be a long-term thing.

Several directors were not happy about it. Shouting about threat ratings and other stuff, they were simply upset that the PRT had such a weak grip on this city and that their precious "Heroes" were not as popular as the unaffiliated Capes.

While she understood where they were coming from, even she could see that the situation was hopeless. Better to take what they could get and leave it as it was. It's not like they are planning for world domination. Hopefully.

A few hours later, with the hight of the stack of papers halved, she decided that she was done for the day. The sun was setting, and she was too tired to stay focused for any longer.

Getting up, Emily put on her coat and left the PRT building. She was feeling hungry, and she wanted a steak.

Walking on the street, she saw many people going about their day. Kids running around, dogs being walked. Honestly, considering how clean and aesthetically pleasing this place is, it looks like something straight out of a movie.

Although she did notice one thing, they were all happy. Sure, some to varying degrees, but all of them had a certain enjoyment that most don't in this new age of Parahumans.

She pushed open the restaurant door as she thought of that.

Ever since Parahumans appeared, there has never been a time of peace. No matter where you go, you always have to be wary of a Villain appearing and messing everything up. But here? Villains get killed faster than they can pop up.

She gave her order to the pretty waiter boy. She eyed the boy as he walked away. Nodding, she agreed with herself that the boy had a nice ass.

Thinking about Villains, she questioned if the PRT was doing things wrong. While the idea was fine, even nice, it was unfeasible. Heroes were glorified soldiers, no matter what people said. Bad soldiers, she corrected, remembering the fools that left her and her squad behind to save their sorry a-

"Excuse me, ma'am?" A voice woke her from her thoughts. She turned to see the pretty waiter boy looking at her with a worried face, her steak in front of her. "Are you ok, ma'am? Do you need anything?" The boy continued.

Emily shook her head and thanked the waiter. She should really stop daydreaming.

The steak was nice as usual.

She finished quickly and got up, leaving after she paid.

Once outside, she couldn't help but continue her thoughts from earlier. The PRT was unnecessary here. The Red Knights patrolled and kept the peace better than they ever could. The free housing and food that Goliath had given back to the citizens of Ellisburg gave him a lot of good rep.

Here, heroes aren't needed at all in any way.

She smiled at the thought. At least things seem to be looking up. The world is shit but the fact that the people here are safe enough to not need heroes, even if this is almost like the land of a Warlord, is never a bad thing.

She reached home and went in, shivering from the change in temperature. Did she leave her air conditioner on?

Walking into her living room, she froze. Inside was Glaistig Uaine. The Fairy Queen and the only cape to have escaped Birdcage. And she was sitting on her couch with a ghost serving her tea.

Of course, that wasn't all; the world isn't that kind after all. In front of Glaistig Uaine was someone she could recognise easily, albeit a far smaller version. Goliath, in all of his monstrous glory.

She shed a silent tear, cursing all that was divine and not.

They turned to look at her. The silence seemed to stretch.

She had a smart idea. She smiled the brightest damn smile she has given her whole life. Then she turned around and left, slamming the door as she ran out of the house.

Yes, the house. It's not her house anymore. Fuck that. Fuck this. Let them do whatever, be it kill each other or get kids; she doesn't care.

She is going to call this in because she is a good soldier, then ignore everything else, go to a bar, and get wasted. Maybe find a hot guy and release some stress.

Yeah, that's a great plan.

Fuck capes; they are the cause of all her damn problems. She almost wished she had a Corona Pollentia, just because she was sure she would trigger and then she could spread her misery.

Huh, was that how villains felt? She hates that she could relate.