Chương 73: The Least Bad Option

Maus had watched the entire exchange from the treeline, and he had questions.

'You angry?'

'No.'

'Sad?' Scarlet considered the question for a moment.

'I stopped being sad about Kain a long time ago.' Maus went quiet before asking,'Then why'd you hit him?'

'It was the only option that wouldn't have humiliated him.'

'I don't understand.'

'Words alone were never going to make him stop.' Scarlet watched the road below them as the telekinetic platform carried them steadily towards town.

'I could have shut him up with magic. Taken his voice, closed his mouth. I could have verbally eviscerated him. Pointed out his flaws, called out his behaviour. Or I could have ignored it.' She felt Maus's confusion without his need to voice it.

'The first two options would have humiliated him in front of his people. He would have done what he always does and rationalised his own behaviour at my expense – it's sort of that family's M. O. – only now he would have resented me as well. Ignoring it was never an option. Not unless I wanted to become an easy doormat.'

'But you hit him? I'd be embarrassed if I got hit like that.'

'Firstly, you shouldn't be. If someone with that large a power differential strikes you and you survive, you should count yourself exceedingly lucky, or them exceedingly merciful. Secondly, embarrassment is not the same as humiliation.' Maus's ears twitched.

'But both feel icky.' Scarlet took a moment to put her thoughts in a way he might understand.

'Kain can explain away being hit. He can tell himself I lost my temper, that I resorted to violence because I couldn't win with words. He can paint himself as the unilateral victim of the exchange in a way that, while it might feel ' icky', doesn't damage his dignity. His self-perception.'

'Was he wrong?' Scarlet sent the mental equivalent of a smirk.

'Only mostly.' That answer seemed to stall Maus entirely, and Scarlet let him think. She continued when he sent another wave of confusion.

'I could have won with words, but it had a higher likelihood of producing an undesirable outcome.' Maus Blinked onto her shoulder from his hiding place in the treeline. It startled Myka badly enough that he nearly tumbled off the edge he was probing. Scarlet's psychic grip caught the back of his collar, saving him from an eighty-kilometre-an-hour tumble off the invisible platform. Both Maus and Scarlet ignored the interruption as she continued.

'Kain is a leader to that group. If I had dismantled his argument in front of the people who currently look to him for leadership, I would have undermined his authority within his group, and potentially outside of it. While he may be a truly awful brother he is, unfortunately, an incredibly competent leader, and I need him to continue leading.

'I have absolutely no desire to spend the foreseeable future negotiating with randoms, reassuring strangers, smoothing over Faction members' posterior pains when things don't go their way, or convincing people to do things that are manifestly in their own best interests.

'Statistically speaking, most people will end up being too foolish or too mediocre to bother with. Nothing wrong with the latter – our burgeoning Faction will require quantity as much as quality. However, awful as it sounds, I simply have better things to do with my time, and much safer, less taxing ways of exerting my authority.'

'Is that the fruit-light?'

'Beg pardon?'

'You know.' Maus sent Scarlet an image.

'Ah, the limelight? Yes. For us, it would be a horrific place. To preserve both freedom and sanity, we shall endeavour to remain outside of it.' Scarlet folded one leg over the other.

'Kain, however, wants to be listened to and revels in the recognition it brings. People respond well to him. He thrives when talking, organising, directing, convincing, etcetera. I intend to make excellent use of that.'

'Oh.' Maus considered.

'But if he's good at talking, and you want his help, why'd you hit 'im?'

'Because, of all the options, that was the least bad.' The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

'While I can't trust him to respect me enough to hear me out in good faith, I can trust him to act within his own best interest. That's why I'm not offering him trust and respect. I'm offering him tangible benefits, a System Contract, and a stage for all the recognition he desires.'

'Well, that's silly,' Maus sent. Scarlet responded with the mental equivalent of a shrug.

'Perhaps. But I have neither the time nor inclination to cater to his insecurities or field the attention of the group. So, I let him keep thinking I just'had' to resort to violence. In his own mind, he gets to remain the socially competent older brother dealing with his unreasonable little sister, and I get a boundary he is considerably less likely to test twice.' Maus was silent long enough that Scarlet could feel him working through it.

'But why'd you have to hit 'im?' Mause asked again.

'So that hopefully, I never have to do it again.' He stared at her, his thoughts churning so fast, they were a jumble through the bond.

'I think maybe I wouldn't hit him,' he eventually concluded. Scarlet sent over a wave of affection.

'That's okay, buddy. If it helps, I don't think you would've hit him either.' Scarlet reached over and gently stroked his head.

'You don't need to make the choices I would make, even when you understand them.' A pleasant pulse flowed through the bond. Then both Scarlet and Maus froze. [Intelligence +1.] [Perception +1.]'Boss!'

'Yes, I saw that. You're getting so capable.' Maus puffed himself up dramatically. His fur was a fluffy cloud around him as he stood on his hind legs and nuzzled the side of her face. Neither of them acknowledged a now-seated Myka as he watched the scene with bemused delight, somehow both incredulous and utterly charmed. Ahead, the first signs of the town emerged through the fading light.

Scarlet withdrew a small container from her stockpile of healing salve, then tossed it towards the healer, who caught it automatically.

"For Kain," she said. Myka looked down at the container, then back at her.

"Rub a little into the welt. It should be gone within the hour." His lips twitched.

"Could've let him live with it," he mumbled under his breath. Scarlet pretended she hadn't heard. She had made her point. Further humiliation would only undermine it. <-…-> At the edge of the tree line, just before they hit the town proper, the group came across a solitary Myka. Kain was the first out of the Range Rover, ignoring the eerily silent town for the moment.

"Myka?" Raj strode over.

"You safe? Any monsters?"

"No, I'm–" That was when Maus crawled out from underneath his cloak.

"She left a little protector," Myka said with a grin. Everyone but Myka was shocked at the sudden unfamiliar voice.

"Hello." How had they not noticed him? Now that he'd revealed himself, Maus's presence was just as obvious as Scarlet's, if not as menacing.

"You're all safe now. I gotta go. Boss needs me."

"Thanks, Maus." Myka held up a fist, and Maus bumped it with both tiny hands. The healer was just glad to confirm he hadn't been hallucinating Scarlet's mouse when he'd seen the little guy at the convention.

"You're welcome. Goodbye!" Then, before the rest of the group could process it, the tiny creature disappeared. There one moment, gone the next, along with that overwhelming, suffocating aura. For a beat, the group was silent.

"You good, though?" Raj asked, clasping Myka on the shoulder.

"Yeah. Really good, actually. Maus is... entertaining. A good companion."

"The mouse?"

"Well, he is a mouse, but his name is Maus. Like M-A-U-S."

"Like the book?" Sombra asked.

"What book?" Dan asked.

"It's this illustrated biography–""If we're done with the handholding," Kain interrupted.

"Did she give you any instructions, or anything?"

"Just to go ahead and settle down." He turned to Raj, his gaze briefly glancing at Kain before returning to the blacksmith.

"She gave me keys and the address for a place we could stay if the manor is unavailable." He turned back to Kain.

"Apparently there are motels in town? Scarlet said you knew of them. Though she wasn't sure what occupancy and rental look like right now." Kain rolled his eyes.

"The manor is fine." He turned to Myka.

"You're all welcome. I have no issue housing people I invited." Dan turned away, stepping slightly behind Sombra while the bigger, deadlier man completed a quick perimeter sweep.

"So, you do have a residence, then?" Raj asked. Kain's smile tightened a fraction.

"Yeah, but we never use it. Nobody maintains it. I just figured–""It's all right, man. I get it," said the kid who invited himself on the trip.

"Cleanup sucks." Kain's jaw tightened, then released quite suddenly as he rubbed at the welt with a wince and a scowl. Unflattering thoughts hovered like a nearly visible raincloud over his head.

"Oh, right. Scarlet left this for you." Myka pulled out the healing poultice. Kain turned to Raj, who was already Identifying it.

"Holy cow," she said, ignoring Sombra's judgemental look.

"I don't think we've ever had anything this strong drop before, and that's with our rewards from that Level 7." She turned back to Kain.

"That's a Tier 1 Healing Poultice. If we're careful, it could last us a few nasty fights."

"How... charitable," Kain managed. He applied a small amount to the welt to instant relief. He looked at the poultice in his hands for a long moment before sighing and shaking his head.

"So, did she say anything before she left, or...?" Kain asked.

"Nah, she said she'd find us if we decided to head into town, but if we were worried, we could wait for her."

"Right. Sure," Kain looked around at the group, even Myka.

"We all good with heading in?" he asked, to sounds or gestures of affirmation. All five of them looked towards the small population centre.

'Ghost town' wasn't the right word for it. There was obviously life here. It had simply hidden itself away. Further in were moderate signs of property damage, though it looked like it had been caused by a particularly strong beast or ability user rather than looting or vandalism. Rubble had been cleared away, and somewhere in the distance they could see rising smoke. The most perceptive could even hear the unmistakable sounds of conflict.

"Maybe we get back in the car first?" Dan said, preparing to finally sit in the truck bed.

"No." Sombra's attention remained fixed on the town.

"I'll sit there. You stay in the car." Something about whatever was making that noise was sparking against his danger sense.

"Besides, there are people in there." Dan nodded along with the rest of the group. They'd run into a human-shaped monster already, and the forums painted a grim picture of ability users who'd taken Integration as an opportunity to be the worst versions of themselves, plus superpowers. It was an unfortunate reality that Sombra was uniquely equipped to handle. They'd fought so many monsters together at this point that the group of four didn't even need to discuss tactics before moving forward.

For a moment, Myka just stared in the direction Scarlet had floated off before climbing into the car as well.