Catra was with Perfuma for a little over an hour yesterday. It was time well spent, she liked hanging out with Perfuma more than she remembered. And there hadn't really been any time when they weren't talking. Perfuma was constantly talking about her worries for the wedding and what her vows should be, if she has any. Something Catra felt happy about when she was talking to Perfuma, was the way Perfuma seemed when she mentioned Bow. Every time she would mention him or think about him she would instantly calm down, relax, and smile. Catra used to do the same way, and every now and then she was like that again. There had been a moment when someone pointed it out when she was backstage for an interview. That was really the only time she actively avoided talking about Adora like that.
Catra had managed to convince Adora to go with her and Entrapta to the orphanage somehow. To Catra's surprise, which it shouldn't have been given Adora's aversion to kids before, Adora didn't want to go. They had actually talked about it for a while before Entrapta showed up in her van and Adora reluctantly decided to go along. Entrapta had brought Emily along, and Catra understood what Entrapta had been describing over the phone. It was far less intimidating than before, where it was as if a wall was barreling towards her. Adora sat in the seats behind Entrapta and Catra. She was crouched down with the sun visor open, she didn't stick her head out of it, but it helped her to not feel as confined. Adora had made a comment about this being the reason they didn't have a car. Catra and Entrapta laughed at Adora's position, Entrapta even suggesting that Adora could probably run alongside the car if she tried. The ride over to the orphanage wasn't tense the way the talk that Catra and Adora had before made it seem that it would be. They were too invested in Emily. Adora was holding the small robot the entire ride. Entrapta had scolded Adora at a few points for flipping Emily and poking and pulling at things on Emily she wasn't supposed to touch. She's still in her early stages, Entrapta said, no longer calling it a prototype. Entrapta rambled on constantly about Emily and about her plans for improvement the entire ride.
Catra didn't think Adora had ever even seen the orphanage that Shadow Weaver attempted to drop her off at the many times she tried. Catra didn't even know how the place would look. Back when she had visited it was a pretty big house. But it was terrible, the walls had been peeling and the floors had mold when she was there. Most of the kids stayed outside back then, the only entertainment inside was cleaning and reading. There was a bit of anticipation to see how things had changed. Was it the same house? She really hoped the floors got fixed, the last time she was there the kitchen floor almost fell through in a sunken spot. And the food hopefully was better, Lonnie told her that she had oatmeal practically everyday, with no raisins or sugar to make it better. And she did hope that the lady that used to be in charge was still there, she was so nice and silly. She would have been a much better parent than Shadow Weaver would have been.
It was the same house, only fixed up on the outside. The old cracking wood was now plastic, a quick knock let her know there was concrete under the plastic lining the outside of the house. The windows were the same, but they had different frames than what she remembered. Catra felt like she had slipped into a place where the landscape was strange, continuously forgetting that it's been almost twenty two years since she was here last. All of the memories of here visits seemed to come back quietly, passively, as if they were always preset yesterday as they were now. She remembered the fun she had running around with the other kids, and the police picking her up and Shadow Weaver dropping her off. Standing in front of the large house felt like reliving a memory where everything was the same but different, as if she had woken up and the rooms in her hall were on the wrong side. Entrapta stood in front of her and Adora, Entrapta had papers at the ready just in case. Adora was admiring the house, it was larger than theirs, it had to be to house plenty of kids. Catra wondered if they got a TV, if they did it would have been a black and white one. Surely an orphanage like this wouldn't have enough money to keep up with kids food and cloths to afford a luxury like a TV. And if they did have a TV, or even a radio, would kids recognize her? She had been getting recognized more and more lately, normally at the library or at the store. She had even been recognized the other week walking home from Kyle's. Catra wondered if that would affect her decision on adopting a kid. Would it make the kid suck up to her to try and get the good and easy life? Would it make them snobby? And would they even like the kind of music she made? That didn't matter as much as the others but Catra felt that she wanted to be able to share her music with her kid, if she got one.
Adora, wasn't entertained. The car ride over there had been uncomfortable for her large stature. She could hardly focus on anything Entrapta was saying because of her position and Entrapta was far too smart to keep up with. And she didn't want them to go today, it was too fast. She didn't mention that earlier when she was trying to get out of going, she should have though. But a thought came to her when she was making the excuses. That if she does end up going, and she meets a kid she likes, would she be ready then? She thought that maybe if they met the right kid she would stop all her unease and worry about having a kid. Catra and her had talked about that, being ready, and they were. They were ready to have a kid, sure. But Adora wasn't sure if she could handle it. During the week Catra finished painting the kids room, it being an outlet for her needs. She had decided on a blue, with red for the wood that touched the ground. Adora helped Catra of course, helping put the plastic down and opening the cans. Although, she was only doing it to entice Catra away from painting and into their room. When Adora had come back almost the next day to see the room almost done being painted, it was a wake up call. It was a wake up call that she should have had ages ago, it should have happened when Catra said it directly to her face. Catra was serious about wanting a kid, and Adora said they would have one when Catra was ready. They were prepared, they'd be great parents, they were stable and they almost never had a fight since they were married. Adora worked and Catra was practically well enough off to retire forty times over. Adora was worried about her ability to raise a kid. Catra would be the one at home with the kid most of the time, and if needed Rogelio could babysit if Adora couldn't. But when she was alone with a kid, what would she do? How would she feel? She didn't like kids, she could only tolerate them for a handful of minutes before she wanted nothing to do with them. And, she had never thought about how she would raise a kid. Her and Catra hadn't talked about that yet. Would they want their kids to go into sports? It was never brought up. And the line of questions Adora asked herself in her head but never out loud to Catra about what they would do eventually led to one she was ashamed to think of. Would they want a normal kid? She was only sure of one thing that she wanted from their kid, and the reason she hadn't said it was because she knew it was rude already when she said it in her head. She wanted a boy, maybe for selfish reasons and maybe to replace the fact that she didn't get to have a brother, or be there for Adam. But she wasn't going to say anything unless she was asked, she understood that she didn't want to be involved mostly.
While Adora finished having an earthquake inside her head the door opened and Entrapta was the one to introduce them. "My name's Entrapta, I called ahead about viewing potential adoptions." Entrapta said, although ending her words like a question. It made sense to Catra why Entrapta sounded like that, she had known the girl for a long time now and a lot of the things she did that seemed odd made sense now. Entrapta had never been to this kind of thing before, and neither have Catra or Adora, this was new ground for Entrapta. Catra could tell from experience that when they stepped inside Entrapta would either start talking normal or shut up completely, hands to herself as if touching anything would break it. And if anything negative happened she would be super apologetic, it kind of pained Catra to watch her friend be so timid.
There was a couple at the door, a man and a woman. The woman was clearly part deer from the antlers on her head, small things, but noticable. Neither of them looked like the woman from when she was younger though, which was disappointing. She mentally wished that the old woman was well, blinking to get rid of the thought and focus.
The couple invited them in and they walked through the first room into an office directly off from the front door. The house was different, it was still aged though. The walls had been fixed, the floors didn't squish when she stepped and the doors could close. But the walls were starting to peel, there were bumps in the floor showing where the wood beneath was weak and needed to be fixed, and the metal on the door frame hung by a single loose nail and the wood behind that was chipped and worn. Catra hadn't seen a TV in the large living room that they walked sideways of to get into the desk room. When they had made it into the office Entrapta seemed to return to normal, working with papers and discussing legality of things was something she was good at. Catra and Adora didn't understand most of what they discussed with their papers unless they said yes or no. They were however, explained one thing directly from the two people that were in charge. Not all the kids there are adoptable, some of them are homeless passing through, and a few of them are foster kids until their parents can claim them again. Catra also hadn't heard or seen any kids when she was walking through. Although during the explanation she had heard a chair moving across the floor above her. They didn't have many kids that they could adopt, the amount countable on one hand. Catra wasn't sure if she should have felt relieved or disappointed at the amount. She didn't want to view them like different coloured t shirts, but the amount to choose from, she felt, did affect her decision. It was still comforting to know that there weren't a lot of kids waiting to be adopted.
They were explained that the couple would do their own background checks before letting Catra or Adora see any personal information on the potential kids. They did print out copies of files about the kids, it was like the kids had their own cover letter for a resume. They had the latest picture, age, hight, all the latest information that they needed to know about the kids and a little note about the kids from the couple. The longest information they were given about a kid barely making it's way to the second page. They would only be allowed legal information upon getting a kid, and going to city hall where they kept the important files. In the end the visit in the office had lasted two hours, Entrapta being the one talking the most. Adora had nodded asleep during the meeting, slouched over, elbows on her knees, and resting her head on her interconnected arms. By now she would normally be at work, wide awake, but she wasn't at work, nor was she wide awake. And Catra's answer about why they hadn't seen a kid yet came as all of the doors upstairs and to the sides of the rooms opened up and out came the kids through the hall outside the office. Many of the footsteps hurried outside, some of them walked slowly around. The voices that filled the hall was such an odd thing to hear after having not heard such a sound in years. It made Catra feel nostalgic in a way, and it made Adora slowly wake up. Supposedly the kids were supposed to be studying or reading quietly. Catra could tell from smelling that one of the kids was certainly not making their brain any better. They were led out of the building quietly, with no introduction to anyone. Catra thought that was for the best. It seemed good to not meet any of the kids if they don't adopt that one, what would be the point? Get the kids hopes up, no thank you.
They gave the couple a word of parting and got into Entrapta's van, all of them feeling exhausted after that. Not a whole lot happened, but they heard a lot and that was enough, using their ears was too much in there. It was almost night, even if the sky didn't show it. Everyone was unsure on what to actually call the time, it was no longer afternoon, but it wasn't yet the evening. Adora had a harder time getting into the van than she did earlier in the day, she was a bit stiff after being in a chair for that long. Even Entrapta's hair seeming droopy and worn out. Catra was tired but ultimately fine. Entrapta was the first one to speak up after having them sit in the van wordlessly for almost a minute. "So," Entrapta started with a smile, always being upbeat like her wife. "Scorpia told me to ask you to come to dinner with us. Would you be interested? My fascinating wife is making mac and cheese with hot dogs." Catra looked back at Adora over her seat to see if she would want to go. Wordlessly she glanced at Adora and Adora returned a nod and a shoulder shrug, or what she could do to shrug being so restrained. Catra mumbled or hummed something along the lines of agreement as she sat back in her seat. "Great, Scorpia found some tapes from the garage that she wants to watch with you two."
Man, I love pacing this as fast as a snail race don't I? And I bet you're thinking that the cry chapter will be like, soon. But it'll happen after I give them a kid. Now this is where you guys come in. I have three options, Felix, Cassandra, and Little Noella. All of them will be a baby so that wont change, but the name is up in the air right now. Please review and tell me what you think, and I don't know if you forgot, you can also tell me ideas. Also I haven't got the next chapter done, I haven't even started by the time this is going up. Work has kept me late and ideas for things to happen are running short, I don't know if you noticed that yet or not. I kind of ran out of ideas when Glimmer left their house in the beginning.