Etienne rubbed his eyes and pushed open the door to the hallway. He turned and looked around at his messy bedroom, before yawning and stepping into the hallway.
The TV blared from down the stairs, loud enough for Etienne to hear every word.
A news reporter speaking formally shouted out, "And we have just received confirmation that All-Star has successfully subdued the villian Aqueous! The whereabouts of the remaining members of the Round Table it still unknown…"
Etienne made his way down the stairs and spotted Gabe standing in front of the TV in the living room with an ironboard, preparing a black and white tuxedo.
As Etienne stomped down the stairs, Gabe turned and looked at him, "Ah, look who finally woke up! I went ahead and made your favorites, Belgian waffles, Canadian bacon and scrambled eggs! I still can't make them moist like my dad used to, though." Gabe let out a hearty laugh.
Etienne scratched his head and turned his nose up. He took a big sniff, and the smell of butter, fresh eggs, and cheese assaulted his nose.
His eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face. "You went above and beyond with this one, Gabe! It smells like I'm a kid again… waking up on those Sunday mornings…" Etienne walked into the kitchen, right behind the living room, and stared out at the bounty of food sitting on the island counter in the middle.
Etienne stared at the plate for a long time before slowly turning back to Gabe.
"Gabe, be honest. How did you do this? These are the same brands your dad used to get, the same syrup, the same bacon, how? Some of this stuff has been discontinued for a while!"
Gabe put a finger to his lips as if to shush Etienne, "A house manager never reveals his tricks."
Etienne grabbed a fork and dug into the packed plate. Between mouthfuls of waffle, he choked out, "I halfway expected you to be waiting by the door so you can lecture me on why I shouldn't have gone out."
Gabe turned back and looked at Etienne, "Eti, I was up waiting for you. I was in your room when you snuck back in this morning. I even said something, but I guess you didn't hear it."
Etienne thought to himself, "Damn, I was that out of it after that little excursion? I'm training right after breakfast."
Gabe continued, "I wasn't in there to lecture you. I know I can't stop you, I couldn't even stop you when you had no powers, so next time just put an ear piece in so I can know your status. Everytime you leave the house now, all I think about is how you may never come back."
Etienne nodded his head slowly, and timidly responded, "Sorry, I'll put it in from now on."
Gabe placed his freshly ironed tux on the couch and began to fold the ironing board, "So what'd you end up doing last night?"
Etienne, still attempting to talk through mouthfuls of food, struggled out, "I took a visit to Go-Go's and shut it down. I told them if the leaders of Go-Go's Disicples don't meet me, it'll be shut down for good."
Gabe nodded, "I saw that on the news this morning I thought it was you. So what, you going to keep cutting the power off every night?"
Etienne burped and shook his head, "Nope. Didn't say I was going to shut it down every night, just that it'd be shut down," Etienne's began to speak with a slow southern drawl, "Imma call Johnny Law on them, let the good boys know they're gathering heavy weapons in there."
Gabe snorted.
After putting his finished plate in the sink, Etienne stepped into the living room and asked, "Do you think I'm good to go out, or should I wear a disguise?"
Gabe shrugged, "Personally, I don't think you should go out, but if you wear plain clothes, you'll be fine. You don't look anything like you did when you left, I doubt anybody will recognize you."
Etienne put a firm hand on his shoulder, "I know I shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth, but Gabe, are you sure you're okay with all this? I can't imagine what this must feel like for you, last week you thought I was dead and now I'm…changed. And my mission…I just want to make sure you're okay."
Gabe put a hand on top of Etienne's, tears began to stream down his face, "To be honest, no…I'm not okay. When I saw there was a casualty at that club last night, it felt like a betrayal. I understand that your mission, no matter how much you try to restrain yourself, it will leave a trail of bodies…" His voice grew wispy, and his words, heavy with emotion, ebbed and flowed in the room.
Etienne opened his mouth to say something, but he remained silent.
Gabe struggled mightily to form the correct words, "If…If they are responsible for Dad's death, for Master Blessing…and Miss Amaya."
Gabe turned and looked at Etienne, staring directly into his eyes, "Show me something, Etienne! Show me anything, a receipt, a document, a memo, anything showing that they planned it or they were complicit in their deaths. I just need something to prove it wasn't an act of god like the police said."
Etienne nodded slowly, remaining silent.