Capes and Crepes

Disclaimer: If you are under age, not a fan of mind control, enslavement, and a bit of bimbofication, or otherwise not permitted to read ahead, this is your warning. All characters are 18 or older.

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I'd just like to say that the following story draws a lot of inspiration from the works of Handcuffgirl, Madam Kistulot, and Trilby Else, along with a slew of awesome authors I've read over the years. Thanks to all of them for all the great stories, and sorry in advance for what it's lead me to write. Thanks also to all the people who took the time to read it as it was a work in progress and gave feedback.

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"Now tell me what you're going to do next."

"Gonna go and get help for myself. To stop drinking."

"Good boy. And what will happen if you ever try and pull something like this again?"

"Gonna...stop, then go home and think about why rape and muggin' is wrong."

"Good boy."

Anna Quinn, the superheroine formerly known as the Empress sent the intoxicated thug on his way, stumbling out of the alley and back to his home to sleep off the worst hangover of his life. Hopefully this would mark a turning point for the man, but that was up to him. She turned her attention back to the alley's other occupant, a young woman standing silently at attention with a vacant look and parted lips, running mascara at odds with her placid face.

"And what are you going to do next?"

"Go home...sleep..."

"Good girl. And in the morning, what will you remember about tonight?"

"Went drinking with friends...went home alone...saw a scary man..." Her face tensed up a little, "...but he didn't do anything. But made me scared...so need to be more careful in the city..."

"Good girl." Anna focused for a second, spreading her consciousness outward with a brief sonar-like pulse to take stock of the nearby minds in the area. As she picked out the safest route, she cleaned up the woman's face a little with a fresh hand wipe, "Now go left at the alley and you'll reach the subway. Get out of her and go take it."

The girl stumbled out of the alley, leaving Anna alone. She let out a well-earned sigh. This kind of crimefighting wasn't at all very flashy, but it was less traumatic for the victims and until the politicians did something about reforming the prisons, she didn't want to send anyone else behind bars if it could be avoided. Ten minutes of light brainwashing to make sure that both walked away in better condition was worth the effort.

Not that all the other superheroes saw it her way. In their view, invading someone's mind and tinkering with everything was even worse than anything that man might have been planning to do, that the ends did not justify the means. There were some things she'd been allowed to do--make people freeze, drop their guns, go to sleep--but that kind of direct control was ten times harder than the "wrong" way of doing things. Making someone scared to move, feel that their gun was hot, that they were sleepy...or even that they just wanted to surrender and be a good person from that point on. But no, that somehow made her the same as the villains. And she didn't even want to think about how insensitive they were to blame her for reading their minds, as if it was something she could just turn off and on like a lightswitch.

Ridiculous.

The whole situation made her nostrils flare just thinking about it as she began to head back towards her apartment, feet a bit sore from the long patrol. If they didn't want her as a superheroine, that was fine. The Empress would stay out of the limelight. But that didn't mean that Anna Quinn was going to stop helping people.

If there was one advantage to doing these patrols, it was that she could go out in her civilian clothing. Her old costume had been horrible. Purple to go along with her "royal" theme, and with a latex-like material that clung even tighter than a second skin. She'd been told it was bulletproof at least, but if that was the case, she didn't think it needed to show off quite so much skin.

No, this was definitely the way to go. An old, comfortable pair of sneakers, snug but not uncomfortable jeans, and a roomy turtleneck sweater. She still looked good. Every Gifted person tended to either look like models and celebrities, or wildly exotic with leafy green hair or scales, or downright monstrous with bodies of stone or shapes more animal than man. She was one of the normal looking ones, and she stuck to a workout and diet that made her look exceptionally nice. She looked ten years younger than her actual thirty-one years of age, and even with the glasses and simple blonde ponytail, the soft but striking lines of her face and her piercing eyes gave her an intimidating aura to even those who didn't know who she was.

She took out her phone and checked the city's online paper for the Heroes and Crimes section. She'd been doing this for a while now, and she felt it was past time someone noticed that crime in a two mile radius was at an all-time low. But no, nothing. Just stories of how Paragon had saved the city from aliens again and then a dozen articles on the newest outfits and wardrobe malfunctions.

Typical.

On her way back, she noticed something new. Where before there had been a greasy fast food place, there was now Capes and Crepes. The first thing she noticed was the bright pink curtains that had been hung up to frame the large windows. But the second thing she noticed was the absolutely hilarious drawings of Amazon and Steel Sentinel on the posters. They were highly stylized in the japanese manga/anime way, but rather than the full-plate and robot suits, each was wearing an adorable if highly inappropriate maid uniform.

Curiously, they'd gotten Steel Sentinel's--Mandy's--electric blue hair down correctly in the picture. The last time she'd checked, she was sure that most people weren't even sure the Sentinel was a female, let alone what color her hair was. She must have had the helmet damaged in a battle.

Anna's stomach grumbled. She wasn't sure what kind of cafe was open at two in the morning, but there was a sweet smell coming from the crack in the doors. And a cream filled crepe sounded amazing right now, the establishment's taste in decor notwithstanding.

Her mind made up, she pulled the door open, a tinkling bell going off overhead, then the click of high heels as a young woman tottered over. A young woman not just in ridiculous knee-high platform heels, but in the same scandalous style of maid uniform from the posters outside. It was pink, with puffy shoulders and a low neckline, a supportive top pushing her modest chest up. Her entire skinny belly was naked, and the skirt rode so low on her hips that it seemed ready to fall off at any moment, so low that it was more than clear that she kept her most private parts hairless. As low as the skirt was, if she even bent over Anna would get an eyeful. She was pretty, with pale skin and mix of asian and caucasian features. She must have been wearing colored contacts to color her eyes the same cotton candy pink as her hair, done up as it was in fat pigtails.

"Good evening, Mistress! How may I serve you?"

Oh. This is the kind of place that's open past two.

"I'm guessing this place doesn't serve normal food, does it?" Anna was tempted to simply walk out the door without another word, but as bizarre as the sight in front of her was, being a mindreader had made her sensitive to even perceived rudeness.

The waitress (maid?) giggled with a look that showed that she'd heard that one before, "Don't be silly! We have all kinds of things here. There are crepes, waffles, omelets, cakes...just all kinds of yummy things!"

She pursed her lips. She knew the woman wasn't lying--her passive telepathy meant she knew at least that much, if not more, whether she wanted to or not--but the whole thing was a bit surreal. And she was hungry, "Okay, I'm game then."

She let the maid escort her over to a booth, then was left alone with the menu. She very nearly snorted when she saw the names of the items. Everything was named after a different superheroine or villainess. Amazon's Chocolate Pancakes, Sentinel's Silver Sundae, the Kismet Candy Bouquet. The menu was decorated with more of those stylized drawings like from the posters, helpfully labeled. She noticed that the maid who had welcomed was there too. Miss Strawberry. According to the tiny little biography next to her picture, she was a young new villain just getting started, mixing in nonviolent environmental terrorism with petty heists.

And she was for sale! Two hundred dollars an hour, with a half dozen additional options. Fellatio, S/M, Roleplay, Penetration...the whole thing was making her blush.

She looked at the others, and they were all for sale too. Of course. She'd had a feeling when she'd come in here just what kind of place this was. But how could they put the cost of a blowjob right next to the waffles?!

As she was looking at the menu, there was a slight cough meant to get her attention, "Excuse me, Mistress, are you ready to order?"

She looked up from the menu and saw a familiar face. Amazon. Not a cosplayer pretending to be Amazon. Amazon. She had the same towering height (made moreso by the platform heels), the same hard body with the powerful muscles, the same dark skin contrasting sharply with her shock white hair, the same unreasonably large bust that was now threatening to spill out of that woefully insufficient top, and her mind had the same unique 'sound' to it. Even so, it was impossible to believe.

Amazon did NOT wear skirts. She did not wear heels. She claimed to have been a virgin for all of three hundred years of her life. Nothing about this made sense. Except that in this city, it made perfect sense. Some people thought that Gifted people being so likely to be perverted deviants was a side-effect of their powers, but she'd read enough minds to know that it was more a matter of people in general all being perverted deviants on the inside. And it looked like there was one such villainous Gifted somewhere nearby.

"Is that...you're Amazon, aren't you? It's me. The Empress." She lowered her voice, eyes and mind scanning for anything sinister within a mile radius.

"The one and only!" Amazon did not say anything near that bubbly, "Oh! I didn't even recognize you out of the costume. The Owner is going to be so excited! He had your uniform done up ages and ages ago, but then you went and quit and he thought he'd never find you!

"Owner...right...Amazon. Focus. Doesn't it seem a bit strange that you're working in a place like this? Serving food, dressing all..." Slutty wasn't quite the right word for it, "...girly, and doing the...these things?" She pointed at the depraved menu with blushing cheeks.

"It was at first, but the Owner was really patient teaching me the basics, and it's a lot of fun! It's just ten hours a week but the tips are awesome, plus I get to wear this adorable outfit!" The powerful superheroine gave a giggle that sounded a lot like the Strawberry maid's. Wait, was she the real deal too? Was everyone on this menu an actual hero or villain?

"Right...wait. What do you mean he's got a uniform for me?" The idea that she seemed to have dodged a bullet with her retirement sent a chill through her.

"To work here, silly! You're gonna love it. The tips are awesome, and you get to wear these adorable outfits..." She tilted her head, "Oh! But you knew that already, cause I just said it! But you ALSO get to have lots of yummy sex with the Masters and Mistresses that come in, and if you're a real good girl, the Owner might even play with you!"

"Wow, that does sound awesome." Hopefully she was so brainwashed she couldn't pick up on dripping sarcasm, "Amazon, sweetie, do you mind if I get a picture, for later?" She took out her cellphone. She was going to save her, but she wanted something to rub into her face later.

"Sure! Just make it cuuuute!" Amazon grinned brightly as she smoothly went into a rehearsed pose, forming a heart-shape with her hands, "Cheeese~!"

Hello new phone wallpaper, "Thanks, sweetie. Now, is the...is the Owner here right now? I'd like to have a word with him."

She pointed to a rather inconspicuous door behind the counter, "He's in the back with the new girl. Do you want to meet him before or after you eat?"

Her stomach was still grumbling, and the crepes did sound sinfully tempting...but she really shouldn't. The food might be how he was luring in heroines. Even if it wasn't she didn't have time to waste, assuming she wanted to keep the element of surprise. And nine hundred calories? That was insane.

After though. When she'd earned it, "One...two strawberry crepes please. And take your time; I'll be saying hello to the Owner first."

"Two of Miss Strawberry's Strawberry Crepes, coming riiiight up!" She gave a bright smile entirely at odds with the battle lust Anna was familiar with, twirled 540 degrees, then tottered off on those heels to relay the order. Without the tiny apron, those red panties were peaking out of the of her skirt from the back view. Click. One more picture.

Putting her phone away, Anna decided it was time to get down to business. She could feel the two minds past the door, and it seemed like both were...distracted...in an intimate way. So her best plan was to rush in, mind blast him as soon as she had a line of sight, then break his will to get him to release the others. Whoever this was, they might have had an easy time being sneaky, but it was just their bad luck that Anna had skipped dinner before the patrol.

She put her hand on the doorknob, took in a deep breath, slowly exhaled...then opened the door and rushed in.

The office was cramped, small, and simple. Filing cabinet, desk, more of those gaudy posters hanging up along the wall. In the corner, there was a pillow with Sentinel's design plastered on it. The Owner was sitting there, hands folded, head rolled back as he took in the pleasure dealt in noisy slurps from under the desk, but it didn't take long for him to notice her, his eyes going a bit wide. Even so, he didn't get up from the desk, and whoever was down there didn't stop.

"Who are you?" He seemed a bit surprised, but more bemused than terrified.

Meaning he didn't realize she was the Empress, "I'm the Empress, you pig!" And she launched her most powerful mindbolt towards him, manifesting with so much psychic energy that even normal people could see the bolt of purple fire flying towards him, powerful enough to knock him into a coma, powerful enough for ten men!

And it fizzled. Halfway across the cramped office, the bolt of energy, her trump card, evaporated, much to her shock.

"Wow. You're a lot shorter than I thought. But I guess that's because you're normally wearing those heels, right?" He hadn't flinched, hadn't stopped the girl, and by the way he sucked the breath in through his teeth, he was enjoying it just as much even with her in the room.

""What...how...what did you?" Her fight or flight instincts were kicking in bigtime. She'd battled other psychics before; it was one of the more common Gifts. There were techniques for redirecting an attack with a smaller one, or putting up a shield to resist it headon, or even melding one's aura to let it phase through harmlessly. But she'd never seen her attack fizzle. It shouldn't be possible!

"Stopped you from making a big mistake, that's what. I'm the Owner. Nnf...I'm a supervillain, baby." He reached down, under the table, eliciting a squeak, then his body jerked, spasmed, "And...nnn...only thing that can beat a villain is a superhero." He leaned back into his chair, head rolled back so that he was looking at the ceiling with a dumb smile on his face, "And you look like a soccer mom, not a superhero."

Well, he didn't look much like a supervillain! He was fat, ugly. Beady eyes behind thick glasses, an unshaven and patchy beard on his oily skin, and he had thick, almost swollen lips. He was dressed in a t-shirt, black and roomy even on his wide body, with Amazon's new look on front, taken from a slightly overhead view to make sure that her bust took up most of the picture.

"...well, you don't look like much of a villain!" Was she really going to follow his line of reasoning? She should get the hell out of here. If he could do that to her best attack and had someone like Amazon under his thumb, she was in trouble. But then, she wasn't sure she'd make it out the door even if she did run, "How did you stop that attack?"

If there was one thing she could always count on, it was that villains loved the sound of their voice, loved explaining how powerful and clever they were, "It's my Gift. I set the rules for this building, and everyone has to follow them. And rule number one is that I'm invincible, and the only way to defeat me is in a totally awesome superhero battle."

A Meta-Gift. A Gift that operated on concepts, not physics. That sent a real chill down her spine. If what he said was true, then his was an S-class Gift, the absolute kind that couldn't be taken head on, only circumvented. Which meant she was in hot water. And would explain why he was still smiling and relaxing, slouching in his chair as whatever girl underneath was cleaning him up with her tongue, possibly getting him ready for the next round. She needed a plan if she was going to escape, let alone beat him. She had to think fast, had to...to...

"Well what are you waiting for? Hurry up and go get changed, then we can have our battle!" He made a shooing gesture at her, and she somewhat sheepishly let herself out of the room. Changed...that's right. He'd said that the only way to defeat him was in a ' totally awesome superhero battle'. And she couldn't do that in jeans and a sweater.

Did that mean...she could leave? Go home, on the pretense of retrieving her costume? Then come back with a wrecking ball. If his powers extended only within the building, then the obvious answer was to destroy the building.

"Welcome back!"

"That was quick. Did you finish talking to the Owner already?" Amazon and Strawberry were both looking at her expectantly, leaning forward with their bottoms sticking out in exaggerated poses.

"Uh...not quite. Apparently I need to change into a proper costume if I'm to fight him. So...I'll just step out real quick and be right back." She said as she began to casually, casually, not panicking at all, walk towards the exit.

"But then your crepe will get soggy..." Amazon sounded heartbroken over the very idea.

"Oh, that's okay, I'm not really that hungry anyways, and..." And the door was just within arm's reach...

"Hold on, you're the new girl, Empress, right? We have a costume you can use in the changing room." Strawberry helpfully chimed in.

Right...a costume. Like the ridiculous outfits those two were wearing. Her old skintight costume was bad enough. Besides, she wasn't even planning on wearing a costume ever again. No, she'd pass the situation along up the food chain and have it dealt with on its own. There was just no way she was going to--

--to waste time heading home. He was a supervillain, and she couldn't bear the thought of her allies suffering even a minute longer than absolutely necessary. No, she wasn't going to run away. She was a superhero! She'd fight! Even if it meant squeezing into some ridiculous outfit...

"Okay, fine, let me see it."

"Yay!!!" The two were in perfect stereo with each other. Weird.

They led her upstairs towards the changing room. Thinking back, there was about five stories to the building, so she wondered what else he had going on inside his 'Domain'. She really only had his word so far on how his powers work, and even then he hadn't explained much.

The room was simple. Soft blue carpet, benches running through the middle, and lockers lining the walls. Lots of lockers. Sixteen on either side, thirty-two total. How many were being used? Just who did he plan on having them used by? And out of all the big names in the city, she was on his list?