How do they expect an artist to work under these conditions! It was freezing in here. Not surprising since everything from the furniture to the walls seemed to be made of ice in this place. Someone must have told the little ice gremlin princess to chill out and she took it way too literally.
Double Trouble threw on another coat and then shifted back to their usual form so no one would be able to tell.
There! Flawless, as usual. One perk to the ice obsession was they could see themselves reflected back from absolutely every surface. Nothing like a touch of beauty to brighten up a room!
From the sounds of it, the party was already in full swing outside. Cheerful, lovely dovey friendship bleagh, the kind of drivel these do-gooder types were always still on about. The war's been over for months, bunnies, give it a rest already.
They were already regretting this. They'd swore no parties. It was beneath their talents as an artiste. But since the war was over and there was hardly a market for a mercenary these days with the princesses giving out mercy for free, they had to make money somehow. And the Kingdom of Snows had deep pockets.
There was a knock on the dressing room door and Catra poked her fuzzy little head in. "You almost ready?"
"I was born ready, Kitten!" Double Trouble said, doing a twirl. "Gotta say, I didn't expect a job from you so soon after the last time we saw each other. You didn't seem to like my little vibe check one bit but it was necessary. No hard feelings?"
Catra smiled, showing fang. "You mean that whole betrayal thing? Where you turned into everyone I cared about and then left me for dead? Why would I be upset about that?"
Double Trouble shifted into Adora, giving Catra a smug look. That had gotten quite a rise out of their kitten that night in the Fright Zone. But now? Nothing. A shame.
"Oo, honey, hanging out with these princesses has changed you. How positively dreadful!" Double Trouble shifted back into themselves and gave their hair a flip. At least they had the sense never to let anyone clip their claws.
"Yeah, well, it's time. So… do your thing, or whatever." Catra's tone was bored but she rubbed the back of her neck.
Double Trouble grinned. From what they'd heard, she wasn't going to like this one bit. Well, she asked for it. A deep breath, to get into character, of course! Then they channeled all the smooth smarm and oozing ego they remember from their stint at playing good little Horde-ling and began the shift. Megalomaniac wanna be god with juuuuust enough Zaddy energy. Easy peasy!
There. That's more like it! A reaction, at last!
Catra's breath caught as they finished and they could see themselves, polished white and grey in the door behind her. They struck that superior yet bored pose the role demanded. Horde Prime was a little taller than they were and they enjoyed the way Catra's ears flattened as she looked up at them, her eyes wide and afraid.
"A good likeness, hmm?" They said in Prime's smooth voice and couldn't help but grin as Catra took a full step backward. Poor kitten! No match for the power of an exemplary performance! "Is it everything you expected, Little Sister?"
"Yeah. It's great." Catra wouldn't look at them, just reached for the door and gestured for them to follow. Her tone was even but the fur stood up all along her tail. Double Trouble had to resist the urge to clap their hands in delight. Oh, DT, you scamp, you've still got it! "Come on. They're all waiting."
"I must confess, Little Sister, you catch me at a disadvantage." They didn't need to be in character right now, not strictly, as they were still walking through the area that constituted off-stage, but they did so like watching Catra squirm under the glare of her old nemesis. "I still have no idea precisely why you have hired me for this role or why it must be at this particular event."
They had reached the end of the hallway. From the sounds of it, the party was just beyond the next bend. To their surprise, Catra turned around and grinned and there was absolutely nothing friendly in the expression. "Oh, you'll see. Just remember that you'll get your payment when the job is done. And She-Ra will take care of any broken bones or other lasting injuries."
"Any— what?" They were so startled by that last bit that they actually broke character, a thing they never did. They were a professional, after all! But before they could say anything more, there was a new sound, a feral, joyous scream that filled them with absolute terror.
"PUNCH HORDE PRIME!"
It was the only thing they heard before a solid block of ice slammed into their face with the force of a wrecking ball. Once. Twice. Everything was blinding pain as they slammed backward into the frozen wall and crashed ungainly to the floor. The world swam in front of their eyes and there was no sound but the drone of their own ears ringing and… was their jaw actually BROKEN?
"Best birthday EVER!" they heard the little ice gremlin shout through the din of their own pain. "Again! Again!"
Then their vision came into focus on Catra's face and there was some expression about cats and the cream they'd gotten that fit if they could only get their thoughts unscrambled enough to remember what it was. Their former friend leaned down and smiled. Then she said something in their ear that they knew even without hearing it properly exactly what it was.
"No hard feelings."
