The apartment smelled faintly of burnt garlic and roasted vegetables. You had spent the last half hour carefully chopping, seasoning, and arranging the dinner plate, deliberately leaving out anything even remotely appealing to Power.

You knew exactly what you were doing, and the mischievous thrill of it made you smirk quietly to yourself as you set the table. After the near-death experience on patrol earlier—when Power had nearly knocked you off the roof while leaping between buildings—you felt it was only fair that she got a taste of her own medicine.

And oh, would she notice.

From the moment she burst into the kitchen, horns gleaming and fangs flashing, Power’s eyes immediately zeroed in on the plate. You could see the gears turning behind those eyes, the way her claws flexed involuntarily, as if she was ready to launch into a full-scale assault.

“What… what is this?” she demanded, flinging herself onto the chair opposite you, Meowy perched on her shoulder like a judge ready to witness her queen’s rage. “This… this is your dinner?!”

You said nothing, calmly picking up your fork and taking a small bite of your own portion, deliberately ignoring the tension radiating from her. Power narrowed her eyes, leaning forward with her horns practically scraping the ceiling. “Don’t… don’t act like this is fine!” she growled, her claws tapping impatiently against the table. “Vegetables?! You… you think I’m going to eat this?”

Her fangs bared in a grin that was more feral than amused. “Do you even know who I am, human? I am Power! Blood Fiend! Destroyer of worlds! Terror of the streets! And you… you just… sit there… with your little boring dinner, thinking I’ll submit to this atrocity?!”

You swallowed your bite and calmly reached for the napkin, deliberately chewing slowly to increase the suspense. Power’s tail flicked in agitation, Meowy letting out a soft hiss at her rising fury. She leaned closer, her horns casting jagged shadows across your calm expression. “I cannot believe this! After everything today, after nearly ending your miserable life on patrol, this is the thanks I get?! And you… you think it’s funny, don’t you?”

You still didn’t say a word, letting her ramp up the tension while your fork hovered midair. Power’s eyes flared with a mix of anger and disbelief, the small spikes of red along her horns seeming to grow as her blood surged with frustration. She jabbed her claw toward the plate, making the salad leaves tremble. “You think you can just… mess with me? Force me to eat… this?!”

She dramatically lifted a piece of carrot, holding it like a tiny weapon, and sniffed it with disdain. “I can feel the power of your cruelty radiating off of this… this betrayal in vegetable form. Do you know what this means, human? It means war. Absolute war. And I… I am fully prepared to win!”

Meowy yawned lazily on her shoulder, clearly unimpressed by the threat, and Power ignored him completely, slamming her claw on the table. “This isn’t just dinner. No, no, no! This… is a test! A challenge to see who truly dominates in this household! And I am clearly losing. Clearly!”

Her horns glinted dangerously in the kitchen light as she leaned across the table, her face just inches from yours, fangs bared. “Do you think you can just control me? Make me sit here and eat… plants… for your amusement?!”

You raised an eyebrow, fork poised, deliberately slow in your motions. Power’s eyes narrowed even further, and she let out a small, frustrated growl. “No… no, I cannot! I will not! The Blood Fiend cannot be tamed by… by this… vegetable tyranny!” She shoved her chair back slightly and stomped her clawed foot on the floor, the sound echoing through the apartment. “I… I demand… I demand meat! Or blood! Or anything remotely worthy of a Fiend’s appetite!”

Her tail swished violently behind her, knocking over a napkin in her fury, and Meowy leapt from her shoulder, landing on the table and swiping at the offending carrots like a miniature ninja warrior.