A/N: Final Word Count: 11.6k Pre-A/N's. Hoooooooh~ 2-3 Chapters to go! not as much in terms of "big finale" here in comparison to the first season, but, as I've repeated, and repeated about repeated XP, this is just about "half" a season instead of a full season in itself. And, let's face it; the finale to season 3 felt more finale-ish than this one did (though the twist at the end of this did leave me speechless). And as another reminder, i've yet to see season 4, so avoid spoiling please XP
Not as much in the terms of "girlfriend jokes" in this atm, but we'll still get a nice spicy dose of fun and humor throughout Catra's side of the episode for sure! Hope you all continue to enjoy the fic as we near the end of season 2!
Enjoy!
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"His what?" Catra was beyond words from the sudden announcement, the direction the entire day had brought her to.
At first, the day started out pretty normal, for what it's worth. Having little to no sleep all day since last night, thanks to Bow's tracker pad finally detailing the words "Serenia", "portal", and "Mara" to Catra, she couldn't get an ounce of sleep. With nothing to do and with boredom looming over her for the next several hours till sunrise, she decided to take the opportunity to train at the Beacon, having Light Hope construct over a dozen simulations for her to train through.
There, after an extensive workout regime that brought her to the brink of collapse, she learned there was something she could do to improve her connection with the sword. Seeing how she developed over the weeks as a person alone, her bond with the sword was nearing its completion on an emotional level, which made it harder to find more things to improve on that would strengthen her bond.
And the revelation she discovered was possibly the hardest part to accept through all of this.
See, as Light Hope agreed to, the girl was nearing the end of her development on an emotional level, which was fine for Catra's sake. There was only so much touchy-feeling stuff she could put up with before she screamed. However, if she had known that the next step of her journey was to obtain a true sense of selflessness, which required her to give up her personal dream for a kingdom, she would've gladly accepted any and all alternatives.
From there, making her way back to Bright Moon for a hopeful rest after all of this, she was met with a screaming Glimmer looking for Bow as soon as she collapsed on the bed. She discovered a note he shot through her window with an arrow, alerting her that he had to go somewhere for awhile and not to be worried. Suffice to say, it had the complete opposite effect as she ended up dragging Catra against her will across the forest, hoping to find any trace of her suddenly-missing friend at all cost.
What they discovered through their small trek of the woods was a strange library, one neither of them were aware of in the Whispering Woods. Teleporting inside they discovered thousands upon thousands of books, ancient textures, and relics housed all over the room, looking less than a medieval torture room and more like a common housing place for books. On top of that, they discovered Bow, the mighty archer, brought down to new lows with his white-colored shirt and his tucked in pants.
Other than that, he seemed fine. More than fine. In fact, he seemed more worried about the two being here than his own safety, ushering them to leave asap. Wanting to catch up on her beauty sleep, Catra was more than happy to oblige as she attempted to climb out a window above a bookshelf, one with an unhinged shelf as she reached the sixth row, and ended up crashing onto the archer himself.
It was the very moment after when Bow helped Catra up that two mysterious men walked into the room, catching the sight of the two heroes with a blush over their face, and still holding their hands until Bow became aware of the staring.
And the tragedy had only just begun.
"Bow, you shouldn't feel embarrassed about bringing a girl over!" The moustached man of the two commented, grabbing Bow proudly by the shoulders. "It's perfectly natural to start dating for a boy your age!"
"D-DAAAD!" Bow couldn't tell who had the bigger blush on his face between him and Catra. The only thing he could tell was that her and Glimmer's unannounced appearance was making things worse.
"I repeat: His WHAT!?" Catra's mind was swirling around with a mix of confusing emotions right now that she didn't even know where to begin. Angry? Embarrassed? Scratching everyone accusing her of something right now? If it wasn't for the way Bow called them dad seconds ago she would've gladly threatened the two to stop calling her that.
Drawing up to the girl directly, the man with the brown locks of hair gently grabbed her hand, raising it to his chest as he gently stroked her hand. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart."
"DAAAAAAAD!" Bow yelped again. The only silver lining to that line was that Catra didn't seem to be taking offense or embarrassment from it as she tilted her head to this.
"The family?" She repeated in a confused tone.
"Now Lance, don't startle the girl. She only just arrived." George smiled back briefly.
"Look, I don't know what you guys saw, but it's not what you think!" Bow stammered.
"Then why was she trying to sneak into the library?" George asked curiously, noticing the knocked over books and putting the pieces together, in the opposite direction.
That was the one detail Bow needed to come up with, or accept the explanation as he tried to think. Between Catra's natural aggression, his fathers' cluelessness to what they witnessed, and Glimmer who still remained behind the couch, holding his weaponry and looking more confused than the rest of them, there was only a few seconds to come up with something to explain all of this.
Too bad Catra wouldn't give him the chance.
"What? Okay, hold on, no. Back up for a minute here." Catra didn't know what was going on right now, but she wasn't going to let it continue while her dignity was at stake!
"Catra, no-!" Bow pleaded, knowing what she was going to do.
"I'm actually-"
"FROM THE ACADEMY!" In a mad dash, Bow rushed over to Catra's side as he interrupted the girl, throwing an arm over her shoulder as he smiled awkwardly to the loving parents. "I, uh, wanted to surprise you guys, so I kept it a secret, which will BE EXPLAINED," he said forcefully through his teeth, shifting his eyes to the dumbfounded magicat and the confused princess in the hopes they would catch on to his plea, "to everybody."
The supposed parents were too awestruck at the sight as they smiled warmly, walking up to the confused warrior with stars in their eyes, each of them placing a respective hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, I knew it!" George beamed happily.
"You have to tell us all the details!" Lance announced, not taking no for an answer. "How did you two first meet?"
"Are you majoring in the same subjects?"
"Has he met your parents yet?"
"How long have you two been dating?"
"Uhhh..." There was so much wrong with all that was happening that Catra didn't know where to begin. If it wasn't for the still-pleading eyes of Bow as he backed away, along with the gesture of a finger to his mouth begging her to be quiet.
Watching the pair carefully as he did, he quietly rushed to Glimmer's side, still keeping his focus on the parents, as he gestured for his gear back. Standing up quietly, she returned his belongings as he hid it under a small flap behind the couch, pushing it under slowly so it wouldn't creak along the floor. In an effort to give the archer space, Glimmer ended up accidentally backing up to a small vase atop a round table at the end of the couch, letting out a small yelp as she grabbed it before it fell.
It was all the dads needed to turn back again, noticing another girl with a face of question just as Bow got back to his feet again. Glancing between the vase and the dads, Glimmer gave another nervous smile as she set it back to the table as if nothing had happened.
"H-Hi!" She waved, trying to play along. "I"m Glimmer, um, Bow's friend from the... academy, too?" She had never put on such a spontaneous display before in her life, and if they ever felt as awkward as this did, she never wanted to do so again.
"Yes, yes!" Bow nodded with a fake sense of enthusiasm. "Catra, Glimmer, I'd like to introduce you to... my dads." Like they were with Glimmer, there seemed to be no end to the excitement the parents felt as they walked over Glimmer and Bow, warmly welcoming the girl in a tight hug.
"Bow, I had no idea you were so popular with the ladies!" Lance nearly cried it was so beautiful.
"I-It's not like that!"
"Come now, Lance, you know Bow wouldn't be dating two girls at once." George remarked, patting his fellow man on the shoulder. "We raised him to be much more proper than that."
"I kid, I kid." He nudged back, holding his hand tenderly. "I know our Bow better than that." If some powerful force in the world could put Bow out of his embarrassing-misery, he would gladly welcome it right now. He had too many questions looming over his mind from the moment they arrived.
Why were they here? Why didn't they listen to the letter? Why did they bring his weapons with them? And, most of all, how long did he have to live before Catra strangled him to death?
And that's if she was being merciful.
...
...
"I want security to be tripled around here!" Adora snarled as she paced back and forth in front of several of her friends. Namely, Lonnie, Kyle, Rogelio, and Scorpia, lined up and at attention with their hands behind their backs. "Bring all reports directly to me, and no one else. Got it?" Scorpia was tempted to shift her eyes around to watch the girl closely as she paced back and forth, distraught at her sudden change in personality.
It wasn't like the slow and gradual decline she's had over the last few weeks. She's been dealing with stresses from every corner of life within the Fright Zone, from missions failing, Lord Hordak's loss of respect, and a mountain of paperwork that never seemed to end. The girl was running herself ragged like no other, and still tried to keep up her appearance despite how much she was suffering from it.
So imagine her surprise this morning when she was greeted with a bright and cheery girl instead? The bags had left her eyes, her hair was neat and tidy, and she was smiling! A complete, and genuine, smile! Scorpia was almost touched at the sudden turn around. At the rate it was going, she thought she was going to lose Adora to whatever attitude she was creating. It was so refreshing to see her back to her cheerful self for a change.
So imagine her surprise AGAIN when it suddenly left her! Within the few hours that Scorpia had last seen her, she went through the emotions of her recent personality change that took weeks to go through within one morning. There was no way she could figure out what happened to the girl, whether or not she was just seeing things this morning with Adora smiling.
All she knew was that she was worried about her.
"Double our patrols, scan peoples' I.D.'s at every checkpoint, and-!" Adora's eyes widened in shock as she saw behind her attentive group of friends. Her eyes filled with horror as Lonnie and Kyle looked at her strangely, unaware of the familiar shadowy-figure that grew along the walls behind them that looked like Shadow Weaver.
"Ahh!" With a shriek, gathering her shadows over her arms in an instant, Lonnie and Kyle had to duck out of the way to narrowly avoid the massive arm of shadows that smashed behind them, impaling into the wall and leaving a fist-covered foot-long crater against it.
"Adora, are you okay?" Scorpia cried out worriedly.
"What do you mean her?!" Lonnie grumbled a little, feeling like she dodged a bullet the size of a baseball.
Nobody could believe what she just did or why she did it. They all looked back to their terrified friend as Adora breathed heavily, looking as if she had seen a ghost of some sort. It took her a couple of seconds to realize how she looked to the other four staring back at her, and discovering that the apparent shadow she was seeing was nothing more than her eyes playing tricks on her.
Pulling back her fist and standing with assertion as a commander should, she gave off a small cough as she tried to regain whatever professionalism she once had. "Ahem. U-Uh, that was just a... surprise test. Good dodging, you two."
"A little warning would've been nice..." Kyle muttered, legs still shaking as Rogelio helped him up.
"As I was saying, report anything suspicious to me immediately."
"You mean like the fact Shadow Weaver's cell is empty and destroyed? Why don't you start by explaining that?" Lonnie retorted with a raised brow. Lonnie's mistake was thinking she could get away with saying something like that to Adora in the snarky tone.
The second mistake? Saying it to Adora.
"Eh-!" Yelping, Lonnie found herself suddenly pulled by a large tendril groping the collar of her uniform up to Adora's face.
"I threw her into solitary last night, and she struggled! Got that!?" For once in her life, there was an actual sense of fear coming from Lonnie as she gazed into Adora's eyes. She had such a fiery anger burning within them, like a gasoline waiting for the smallest spark to set her off.
Lonnie was actually convinced that if she said the wrong thing here for a change, that Adora would physically rip her to shreds with her own shadows.
Slowly.
Gulping a little, she threw off a nervous smile as she gave a small salute. "Y-Y-Yes, mam."
"Whoa, Adora, calm down." Scorpia attempted to derail the tensions flaring up as she pushed the two apart a little. "Lonnie was just trying to-"
"I don't care what Lonnie was trying to do, Scorpia!" Adora shouted at her, walking back to the console along the wall behind her as she scraped her shadowy claws against it. If nothing of her current act bothered Scorpia, which it was, then what Adora did just now finally did.
Adora, this Adora, shouted at her. To her. Scorpia. Without a hint of remorse on her face like the previous times.
"I need soldiers that can do their job, and do it right. The next person to question me is going to see how long they last in that very same cell. Is that clear?" She glared back impatiently. "IS THAT CLEAR!?" None of the soldiers gave her anything other than an attentive nod and a salute. "Then get out!" And none of them bothered to waste their time as they headed for the door, Kyle sprinting as Lonnie walked with a quicker pace, and Rogelio taking it all in as normal.
Out of the four, Scorpia was the only one to look back as she passed the doorway, looking with concern over her friend's look of anguish and anger. "Adora-"
"!" There were no words conveyed between the two as Adora watched the door slam shut.
For the one second that Scorpia got a glimpse of her face, she saw it. Anger. Hate. Loathing. Everything that didn't make Adora her occupying her face, the shadows along her neck reaching her chin within a matter of seconds. It was the last Scorpia saw of the girl before the doors closed in front of her, worry crossing her mind for the safety and fear of her friend.
A friend that might have finally disappeared.
With her friend disappearing from view and the doors locking behind them, Adora finally collapsed to her knees. She gritted her teeth as she stared at her own two shadowy claws. She's never felt so much anger before, unbridled fury. Her claws sank into the console as she scraped them against the rough metallic surface as the tendrils grew along her back.
She still couldn't get the scene of this morning out of her mind, the immense feeling in her heart that sank with every flash. The way she thought things were finally starting to change, the idea that her life was finally going to turn around for one full morning, and the reality that sank in when she reached Shadow Weaver's cell today. There was nothing she could do to block it from her mind, to stop thinking about it for even a second.
And with every memory that looped through her mind brought with it a tear forming in the corner of her eyes.
"Ah, this has been quite a day. Wouldn't you say, Adora?" Aroda teased, appearing to her right as she sat atop the console with one leg over the other. "Clear dank weather as always, people smiling left and right, and mothers dropping their kids off somewhere and never coming back. Ahhh, what a life."
"J-Just shut up..." Adora growled, trying to push back the tears that rolled down her cheeks.
"Aww, come on, don't pout like that." She grinned, kneeling next to her as she rested her arms and head on the console. "I know, let's play a game! It's called "I have something you don't"! It's very simple, I'll go first to get you started."
"Aroda, I swear-
"First off, I have a mother-... Oh, wait..." She poked at her chin curiously, as if she didn't already know. "No, I guess I don't anymore... Okay, let me try again. I have friends who'll never leave me behind... Oh shoot, I forgot about Catra, didn't I?"
"Sh... Shut..." Her eyes continued to water heavily as Adora turned around, pressing her back into the console as she curled up her knees.
"Oh, wait, wait, wait, I got it this time! I have people who will never betray me- Oh, darn it, there I go again!" She pouted, crossing her arms as she puffed her cheeks. "Man, I'm really bad at this game, aren't I?"
"JUST SHUT UP!" She shouted, squeezing her hands against her head as she cried into her knees. She wanted to block it all out, to block Aroda out, but nothing worked. And why would it? After all, everything she said, everything she was talking about, was all true.
Shadow Weaver.
Her mentor.
Her mother.
The person she finally started to trust again for a brief moment, someone she thought who had finally changed after all this time. She thought she could give her a chance after Hordak ordered her disposed of to Beast Island within the next two day, ordering Adora to carry it out whether or not she could extract anymore information out of her. It proved to be the very mission that would finally send Adora over the edge.
From the beginning, she knew she couldn't trust Shadow Weaver. She thought she would try to manipulate her, get her to release her in some shape or form. And you know what? She was right. She used her at the very end, she displayed her cunning through and through like she always did. So why did Adora still fall for it in the end?
Because she finally started to trust her. After all the seemingly annoying tasks, she played on the girl's memories of her of the good times they had, their warmest feelings, began to display an affection that only a mother could provide, or the closest thing one could within the Fright Zone. Hearing it left and right from the people around her, she started to see Shadow Weaver as a mother herself again at long last, and snuck in a Sorcerer's Badge as Shadow Weaver requested, believing she would start to help her and provide useful information that would secure both their futures.
Instead, she provided another source of betrayal, the worst Adora had ever felt. Returning to Shadow Weaver's cell that same day, ready to start working together as they used to, possibly relieving herself of her position as commander as a gift to her former mentor, she discovered she was gone, vanished. All she had left were the few trinkets she made Adora believe she cared about, and a personal note thanking her for her help, practically mocking her in Adora's eyes.
She lost another potential ally, someone she began to think of as a mother, and, finally, someone she thought actually cared for her, a parental figure that loved her.
"She betrayed me... Like all the others..." Adora whimpered, trying to keep herself from bursting out in cry. She couldn't afford another repeat of her emotions making her shadows go berserk like in Shadow Weaver's cell or else she'd never be able to explain her way out of it. "I thought... I thought..."
"Aww, you thought she loved you, huh?" Aroda taunted, lying on the console now as she stroked Adora's head below. "You thought all those memories, all those feelings, meant something to her, like she actually started to care. And just like everyone else who showed you any ounce of affection and decency, she betrayed you in the end."
"Geh..." She couldn't think of a way to counter what Aroda said. For the most part, she was right. Save for Scorpia, and questionably Entrapta as of late, she had nobody else she could trust. And even if she did, what was to keep those she had left to trust from betraying her too? She was losing her grip on reality as the betrayals continued to surmount. Any attempts to trust somebody again could result in another betrayal, and she was losing Hordak's patience with every one.
"It's like I keep telling you, Adora. As a matter of fact, it's like that tidbit Shadow Weaver gave you before abandoning you like all the others." Aroda smiled as she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling with her hands under her head. "There's nobody else in this world you can trust more than yourself, Adora. And me. When it comes right down to it, I'm the only person you can rely on in the end." This was going too perfect for Aroda, so much better than last time.
Adora was doing all the work for her by living her own life. People were betraying her of their own accord, they were inflicting on her such betrayals that would traumatize the girl for life, and they were making it harder for her to turn to anyone else than herself to trust in. She didn't have to lift a finger herself or give Adora the occasional lie to push her in the right direction.
Adora was on the tip of her fingers, with nothing standing in her way or of her desires.
...
...
The heroes and the fathers sat at the fireplace of the establishment as they all had cups of tea in their hands. There were so many questions floating around Catra's head right now that it would take a year just to go through them all. The same questions were floating through Glimmer's mind, though she was more preoccupied with the somewhat-hurt feelings of all the secrecy behind this. Right now, they were more focused on maintaining appearances for Bow's sake.
So far, the impression they were given of the two dads were, honestly, perfectly matching with Bow's personality.
The one known as Lance seemed to be the energetic one between the two as he continued to run around the four situated on separate couches from one another. He went around the entire room of the library to make sure everything was spotless and clean, as well as making sure there were enough refreshments to go around. Judging by his constant smile, he seemed to be the one Bow got his optimism and excitement from.
For the other, known as George, he seemed to have a more regal appearance about him. He sat with a profound poster to his seat, sipping on his own tea as the three stared anxiously at the parental figure. With his appearance alone, it could easily be determined that he was responsible for Bow's professional side, always wanting to maintain a sense of security and professionalism when addressing others and situations.
It was the perfect matchup for these two that resulted in Bow, the person they've come to know throughout the years with Glimmer, and the months with Catra. From their appearance to their behavior, to their strive, they could definitely look at the two and feel confident enough to say they were his parents. What they couldn't say was whether or not that's something to be proud of.
"You want anything, you just tell me, and I'll get it." Lance announced as he stopped behind George briefly, knocking him forward a little from behind the couch. "You want snacks? I'll get you snacks!"
George brushed against his moustache as he left, trying to dry up the few droplets of tea that sank into his cup as he leaned forward. "Yes, so energetic. Heh. You girls must love attending the Academy of Historic Enterprises with Bow."
"Y-Yup, they sure do!" Bow said with a forceful smile as he sat between the two with Glimmer to the left and Catra to the right. "Right guys?"
"O-Oh, o-o-of course!" Glimmer nervously smiled in agreement, taking a quick sip of the tea as she steadied her trembling hand. "We love our... history. Right, Catra? ...Catra?" Shifting her eyes over to the girl, the three were brought to a sight of the magicat eyeing her tea strangely, the girl taking a few whiffs of the substance without taking her eyes off the cup.
"What kind of tea is this?" She muttered, raising a brow to the strange glass she was hesitant to drink. Before she even realized it, she felt her body being leaned back as a small pink pillow with red hearts was placed behind her head by Lance.
"Rest your head, darling." He insisted, still smiling brightly at Bow's new "girlfriend". "You must be exhausted after your long journey over."
"Oh, um... thanks?" She shrugged back, unsure if he even heard her as he dashed around the room thereafter.
"Catra!" Glimmer hissed a little louder, trying to grab her attention.
"Huh?" She eyed the girl as she gestured her head towards one of the two fathers before them, trying to give her the hint. "O-Oh, right! Um, boy, what great tea you have here!" She tried to feign any sense of appreciation, and completely missing Glimmer's point as she facepalmed, and took an entire mouthful of the tea before swallowing it down.
It proved to be the worst mistake of her life as the very moment she slurped her lips in satisfaction, her entire body shook on its end as she processed the taste slithering down her throat. Whatever flavor of tea this was, she officially knew it was awful. Terrible. If it wasn't for the fact she was trying to keep up appearances, she would've eagerly spat it on in any direction, regardless of object, or person, in her way.
And it was only apparent how much she disliked the taste to Glimmer and Bow as George seemed to smile at her eagerness to down the entire cup in one sitting.
"Bbbboy," she stuttered, mouth twitching as she tried to smile, "it was delicious..."
This was becoming a disaster by the second. Anyone whose known these three for as long as Glimmer has could see it. Nothing was making sense around here, questions were still left unanswered, and it was nothing short of a miracle Catra had yet to break everything around her out of sheer rage! The fact she was composing herself as much as she did proved to be the most exhausting experience she ever saw her go through.
Throughout all of this, she continued to eye Bow in disapproval as the archer-turned-historian tried to ignore her, taking his own sips of tea for as long as possible. The less eye contact he made, the less he had to explain, and the sooner the two would be gone. As long as he held on to that delusional frame of mind, then nothing bad could happen.
If he was lucky.
"Oh, thank goodness you approve of it." Lance sighed, appearing right behind his son and girlfriend. "I was afraid I messed up the recipe when I was making it. I was so distracted by the fact Bow brought a girlfriend home that I wasn't thinking straight. But if you like it that much, then it can't be all bad!"
"I-It's fine dad, really!" Bow answered for her, knowing Catra had to bottle up her emotion from the harsh reality. If she had just told the truth, she wouldn't be sitting there waiting impatiently as Lance poured another serving into her cup.
"Oh! I bet you'd be interested in seeing our collection of First Ones artifacts!" He offered, displaying one of the many cases on the walls behind him.
"Artifacts?" Catra replied, actually curious for a change as she saw the glass display behind him. With every boring thing that happened so far today, and somehow growing more boring by the minute, this was the first genuine detail that interested her.
"Yes! We've even got some new pottery shards from-" The father paused in his increasing excitement as he noticed something off about the supposed girlfriend. "Is that a sword?"
"A sword-?!" Bow's face lit up with worry as he looked back. With all that has happened between his fathers' discovery of his friends and Catra pretending to be his girlfriend, he had completely forgotten about the sword that was still strapped to her back.
Without any care or concern over Catra's reaction, which would normally be a death sentence in and of itself, Lance casually pulled the sheathe from the girl, examining the hilt in all its splendor.
"Wha- Hey!" Catra almost yelled, nearly reaching for the sheathe again before being stopped by Bow.
"Y-Yes, that's Catra sword!" Bow admitted, trying to pull it away from his curious father. "She... happened to find it on a digsite!"
"A digsite?"
"Yes!" The moment of confusion given to him by Lance was enough to pull the sword away from him and back into Catra's arms before she could react violently. "I... forgot to mention, she's an archaeologist!"
"An archaeologist?" Returning behind the couch to his partner, the two dads looked at each other for a brief moment.
"But I thought you said in your letters she had a major in arts?" George brought up, raising his tea. Bow almost fainted on the spot out of fear as he fell back into his couch.
"Uhh, y-yeah! I just recently discovered that... she dual-majors, apparently." He stated, trying to play off his nervous facade as innocently as possible.
The thing about lies in this world was that when one person lied, it beget another lie. Then that lie would lead to another lie in order to keep the first lie in check. Eventually, one would be swept away in a river of lies until they were eventually caught in their own trap from a raging river of death, one that dealt with troublesome individuals accordingly based on the lie that started it all.
Thus, it was with good fortune that the fathers seemed to buy into this lie as Lance's eyes shined, looking down at George with such enthusiasm you could cut a cloud of it with a knife. "Did you hear that, honey? Our boy's girlfriend is gifted in multiple fields!"
"Huh?" With her sword safely returned, she came back to the conversation as someone mentioned her being great at something.
"You must have fantastic stories to tell us about your archaeological discoveries!"
"Archaeo-what?"
*thump!*
"Ghhh!" She bit down on her teeth harshly as she stifled a shout of pain, feeling Bow's shoe crushing some of her toes as he tried to signal for her. "I-I mean, yes! Yes! I have stories, I have loads of stories! I'm, um, very good at archaeological... ing..." She tried to force another smile, already passing her daily smiling quota of one by three smiles ago.
"..." The two fathers stared at her in contemplation as Bow's body turned white. He could already feel the noose tightening around his neck from the weight of his lie that Catra just had to make worse with her input. He didn't have much choice in the matter, so it's not like he could've complained, but at the very least, why couldn't he get mixed up with the fathers thinking Glimmer was the fake girlfriend instead?
Catra wasn't fairing much better as she continued with the nervous smile. She felt so stupid right now or a number of reasons, but between lying about who she is and having a lame background like being an artist or something, why couldn't she get set up with a cooler background? Like being a demolitionist or something? At least then, she'd be set with something she actually knew a thing or two in!
Being the odd one out, Glimmer mentally sighed to herself as she tried to sip her tea in silence, unable to do anything without possibly making a scene involving Catra's dimwitted responses.
"You really are a piece of art, Catra." She muttered, taking another sip.
"...Hahahahaha!" In a united effort that only a bond like theirs could share, both fathers bellowed out with laughter as they held each other's hand, trying to contain themselves from the humor that the others weren't aware of.
"Bow, why didn't you tell us she also had a sense of humor?" George asked, raising his glass in approval.
"I've never met such a gifted individual with a sense of humor!" Lance added. "I can't wait until your brothers meet her!"
"Hacck-!" Glimmer choked up at the announcement, the warm liquid going down the wrong tube as she was caught by surprise. She patted a fist against her chest, attempting to clear the airways as she lifted her head. "D-Did you say brothers?"
"O-Oh, yes, his brothers." Catra played along, glancing her eyes at any possible distraction in the room. "He mentions them quite often. Both of-"
"Youngest of thirteen, all historians like us!" Lance continued, shifting about the room to find some more refreshments.
"Both of his... dads." She quickly recovered. "He mentions how both of his dads are so proud of them... heh..." She forced herself to swallow another teensy bit of the disgusting tea, trying to come up with any possible excuse to avoid talking further. She never thought she'd say this, but she'd much rather be fighting with Adora right now compared to this.
"We are very proud of them, all of them." George nodded as Lance returned with a tray of snacks.
"And we'll be even more proud once Bow graduates from the academy and takes over the library." Lanced announced, the two fathers holding each other's hand, looking to one another in awe. At the same time, Catra and Glimmer glanced at frozen Bow, one who couldn't be brought to swallow his cup of tea as he spat it back into his cup.
"Don't bother, Lance." George waved off, noticing Bow's strange, comparatively speaking, behavior. "It looks like he's not very... "cha-tea" today!" The father nudged the other as he laughed at his own joke. Lance could only turn away in embarrassment for the first time. The joke was enough to make Catra wanna hurl up a hairball instead of listening to another dad joke that terrible.
"Rrright." Bow spoke up, setting down his tea. "Well, I'm glad you all got to meet each other, but I'm sure Catra and Glimmer would really like-"
"A tour of the library!" Lance decided for him, popping up behind their couch out of thin air. "Of course, our Bow would find people who share his zest for history, and such a lovely girl to share it with!" The father felt a sense of pride just thinking about it, pressing the side of his face against Bow's.
"Who? You mean Catra?" Glimmer raised a brow, earning a small grumble from the cat who lowered her eyes at her.
"Mmmmmh..."
"Just wait till we show you the oldest part of our collection." Lance continued as Bow slumped back to the couch. "A shard of an ancient, defunct, rune stone." There was an audible clinking of glass as Bow's other dad set the cup on his small dish against the table a little roughly.
"If it wasn't of historical value, it would be long gone." He announced, a spike of ire in his voice. "No need to keep a reminder of the princesses and their war." Bow could already tell which of the three were put off the most by this as Glimmer expression dropped by a mere centimeter.
"Uh... But the Horde started the war." She reminded. "And the princesses are fighting to save Etheria."
"You're too young to remember the first failed Princess Alliance. I'm not." The older gentlemen stood from the table as he walked over to the fireplace. "I enlisted, fought for what I thought was right." A rise of tension started to suffocate through the air as the man leaned an arm over the mantle of the fire.
"Dad, can we not-" Bow tried to intervene, wishing to keep the two friends from another long-winded story.
"When I came home, there was nothing left in my village but ash. I vowed then that my family would never get mixed up in or the princesses ever again." There was an ounce of hurt crossing both girls' faces as they refrained from replying to this.
On Catra's side, it was a small sense of guilt as to what the Horde could've possibly done, remembering how badly one such village looked when she started her journey. For Glimmer, it was unease at the tension one of Bow's parents, which probably was shared with the other, was giving off by the mere mention of a princess. And there was nothing they could say in response or their defense without raising suspicion.
What would they say, anyway? They couldn't begin to imagine how horribly it must've been to bare witness to one's village lying in waste after a warrior's return home. To see everything they ever loved burnt to a crisp, knowing that friends and family were gone, never to greet you upon your return, was heartbreaking to even consider.
It's not like Bow didn't share the sentiment, either, lowering his head at the story he's heard a dozen times. It still did hurt him to hear everything over and over again, but now it came with the added dilemma of who Catra and Glimmer really were, knowing they had to keep silent through all of this.
The very father also realized he was depressing the mood, involving personal history with talks of wonder inside of the library. That's why he was glad to have found a partner in life, the very same who held his hand softly by the fireplace as he looked into his eyes. The very same, Lance, kissed his fingers softly, brightening the man's mood, and releasing the tension that spread throughout the room.
With both father's vigor restored, Lance returned to the small gathering, smiling with joy. "Well now, I know what would lighten the mood, baby pictures!"
"Did you just say baby pictures?!" Oh god, this couldn't be happening, could it? Catra brightened up unexpectedly at the announcement, a treasure trove of gold embarrassment she could possibly use in the future right at her feet!
Already, Lance was taken in by her enthusiasm, nodding in return. "I've got some great ones from Bow's first bubble bath."
"Oh man, I GOT to see thi-!"
"On second thought, I'm gonna show Catra and Glimmer my room now!" Bow decided, unwilling to take no. for an answer.
"Oh come on! Just one little bath picture-!"
"NOW!" He yelled, dragging both girls by the shoulder over to the door and pushing them out. Slamming the door behind him, he groaned. "Huff... All right, so listen-"
*thud*
"You have one minute to explain what's going on back there, or I will turn and use my sword into a hacksaw, and you know I'll do it!" Catra threatened as she shoved Bow against the wall of the hallway, holding him by his collar of his shirt and the sword up to his neck. In all likelihood, that was her holding back. "What the heck is with this "girlfriend" business and being some stupid archaeologist thing?"
"Shh! Easy, easy!" He pleaded, looking to the doorway that lead back into the library. "Don't let them hear!"
"Bow, I can't believe I'm saying it, but I completely agree with Catra!" Glimmer started, leaning closer to him with a stern expression.
"You're going to let her cut my head off with a hacksaw?!"
"Nooo, of course not!... Buuuut I wouldn't put it past her, either."
"I'm still counting here..." Catra warned, pressing the sword closer.
"What is going on here, Bow? Tell us!" He was afraid of the inevitable explanation scene he knew was coming, and he knew there was no other way around it as he gazed back and forth. He couldn't hold off on an explanation without risking a scene, and with both girls pressed into this mess, he didn't' have a choice. Sighing, moaning, and rolling his eyes, he relented as he pulled his hands over his cheeks.
"...My dad's don't know I'm a Rebellion fighter." He revealed, Catra and Glimmer blinking to each other as the warrior finally eased up. "They think I'm at a boarding school, and I'm supposed to be on break right now."
"So, this is why you've never talked about your past?" Glimmer was still beside herself at the announcement. Even if he was trying to keep a secret, why did he have to go so far to do it? They were friends, he could've trusted her. At the very least, he could've told her something after all this time! "I thought it was because it was dark and painful for you, but your dads seem so nice and normal."
"Look, I love my dads, okay?" He frowned a little as he opened the door slightly, looking back in. "I just never mention them, because they decided when I was a little kid that I was gonna be the one to stay home, and take over the library when they retired." He explained, watching as Lance set out another tray of goodies over the table. Eagerly, George attempted to sneak a treat away, only to be caught by a watching Lance, hounding the sweets-thief back. "But I wanted to travel, to fight. So, I did the only thing."
Pulling the door closed again, he looked back to his fellow friends with determination. "I secretly taught myself archery, ran away, and pretended I was at a made-up boarding school."
"...Wow..." Catra blinked, crossing her arms. "I'm impressed." If she had any compliments to ever give Bow in his life, that would be only one. Crafty, underhanded, and been doing it for years. Surprisingly clever. He definitely would've fit in with the Horde if they were raised together.
"Please don't be impressed with me..." He already had his dads thinking Catra was a girlfriend, the last he needed was for her to actually start being impressed with it behind the scenes. "You saw what they were like. They don't listen to me. They just assume they know what I want. And if Lance knew I didn't want to be a historian... Worse, if George knew I was a Rebellion soldier fighting alongside Princesses, it'd kill them."
"...Sooooo pretending that Catra is supposed to be your girlfriend, along with everything else, is your idea of keeping them from suffering?" Glimmer mentioned, gesturing back to the irritated cat.
"Not forever, just... You know... Until we finally leave again, hopefully soon." He muttered. Everything that came to him happened on the spot. He barely had time to himself to come up with something throughout all of this, much less a realistic reason for why Catra looked like she was sneaking into, instead of out of, the library.
"Well not soon enough as far as I'm concerned." Catra grumbled. "What the heck is a "girlfriend" anyway? And why do they keep treating me so nicely?" It's not that she minded, but she's never felt that kind of compassion or respect before from someone who didn't know she was She-Ra. The two allies stared at the girl in silence, wondering if she was actually being serious. "What?"
"...You're kidding, right?" Glimmer actually hoped for once this was all some joke to her.
"Kidding about what? I mean, I am a girl and we are... you know, friends." She rolled her eyes with a small blush. "Doesn't that make you his girlfriend too?"
"What?! N-No, of course not! It's not like that!" Glimmer quickly stammered, shaking her head and hands back and forth. Her reaction was just as confusing as the immense blush over her face, one shared by Bow for a brief moment as she looked around. "You really don't know what a girlfriend is?"
"Of course not. Why do you think I was asking several times when it was first announced?" She reminded, wondering if there was some hidden meaning behind it. "Why, should I?" It didn't sound too complicated to the girl when she thought about it. She's a girl, and a friend. Girlfriend. In that sense, Bow was a boy, and a friend. Boyfriend. Simple, right? If it was so simple, why were the two blushing madly and hesitating to tell her? "Will somebody just tell me already?"
"Um... H-How about Glimmer explains it? She knows a lot about it!" Bow offered, peeking back into the room to check on the pair.
"Bow!" Glimmer grumbled, being put on the spot like that. She turned nervously to the still-waiting Catra who lowered her ears to her, waiting for an explanation. "Um... you see... It's like when two people... like each other... very much."
"... So... they're friends then?" Catra would've scratched the back of her head with her own tail at the confusion if her sword wasn't in the way.
"No, not exactly." Her lip trembled as she looked at her own two fingers, poking them nervously as she went on. "You see, it's, uh, when two people like each other a lot."
"Yeah?"
"Like... Like, like, each other. A whole lot." She raised an eye at the still-confused cat, questioning how she still couldn't get it at this point. "Like...the "they-were-planning-to-get-married-eventually", kind of like. You know, like... they were in... love?"
"Oh..." All at once, Catra's pupils shrank, her ears and tails went off, and warning lights were going all throughout her head. "OOOOOOOOH." Now the two had to brace themselves for the aftershock. It never came.
It was the most unexpected reaction they were bore witness to as Bow looked back to them, wondering if he was hearing things. "You mean you're not mad?" He asked.
"Mad? Pffft, about what? Pretending and getting to lie to two people I barely know like I usually do? As if."
"Huff, oh thank you Catra, you have no idea how much that means to me." He smiled back sighing, placing a hand over his chest.
*shiiim*
"I mean, for a second there, I was pretty sure you were going to... D-Did you just turn your sword into a chainsaw?!" He stammered, watching a small flash of light glow over her sword before it transformed. Comparatively, it would've been much more preferable to have the hacksaw show up right now over the deadlier device now placed within Catra's hands, watching the girl sneering as she grabbed the cord to it.
"Give me a minute and you'll find out!" She snarled, pulling at the string as much as possible so she could get it to start up.
"Catra, no!" Glimmer panicked, throwing both her arms over Catra's free arm as she held the angry beast at bay, trying to keep her from raising the chainsaw any closer to Bow.
There were so many times Catra would be happy to help someone in the art of lying. Whenever they wanted her to put on an act for appearances, whenever they wanted to hide a surprise for someone, usually if they promised her a small gift for doing so, and whenever they needed her help in hiding or covering something up they did. Catra was always there to help.
Then, there were the few times that she wasn't there to help. For example; WHEN SOMEONE WANTED HER TO PRETEND TO BE IN LOVE WITH SOMEBODY!
Of all the revolting, sickening, things she could've been asked to do, pretending to love somebody, IN LOVE, at that, was the most disgusting thing she could've heard of! She knows plenty about relationships, to an extent. The typical birds and bees, what it means to be someone's friend, yada, yada, yada, and she was fine with swallowing her own bile to admit that she didn't mind being someone's friend.
But, no matter how much she was willing to help someone lie, no matter how close she may have been with them, there was no way, in this lifetime or the next, that she would ever, ever, pretend to be in love with somebody! She wouldn't even be in love with somebody period, and now they wanted her to put on an act to appease his parents!? He should've been grateful she didn't rip him apart on the spot!
"Let go of me!" Catra yelled, still trying to keep her voice down. Not to keep up appearances, just to make sure there would be no witnessing-parents when they found their son dead in the hallway. "There is no way I'm pretending to be someone's love-friend or whatever garbage you guys are saying!"
"Catra, please, I'm begging you!" Bow pleaded. It was the sight of him actually getting onto his knees and holding up his hands like a peasant that finally simmered Catra a little. "My dads really like you, and I can't have them thinking you were actually trying to break in here or something! They might found out the truth if they did."
"And make them think we're," her entire body shivered from just thinking about it, "some lovey-dovey garbage?! Forget it!"
"Catra, please, I'll... I'll do whatever you say! For the entire day!" There was a noticeable hesitation as the magicat tried to pull her arm away from Glimmer again. She eyed the archer in suspicion as he looked deeply into her eyes, his pupils growing along with his eyes in begfulness. "I'll even do all your chores for the next year!"
"No thanks, I do enough chores as it is." She rejected.
"What are you talking about?" Glimmer scoffed. "You make me do at least half of your chores, plus the chores I have to do!"
"And the half I still have to is still unbearable!" She countered. "You ever try to clean up stables with a stronger sense of smell?!"
"Catra, pleeeeeease, I'll..." There was only one thing left he had to offer, a surefire way to get her on his side. "I'll even make more exploding arrows for you!" As expected, Catra immediately perked up to the announcement as she turned back to him.
"...Like, exploding, exploding arrows?" She wondered. "Not those sissy firecracker-sized explosions? Like, the ones you make yourself to blow up droids and tanks?"
"I'll make you a hundred, no. Two-hundred! You name it!" He promised. There were too many reasons for her not to decline the generous offer.
First, she would admit, the parents were rather nice for someone they just met ten minutes ago, and she wasn't usually one to turn down people who were nice to her for simply being her, even if it came with the idea she was dating Bow.
Two, the fact Bow was pleading and groveling as much as he was by her feet. As much as she loved the idea of people begging her for something like their life depended on it, even she could admit it was rather hard to watch someone like Bow doing it, friend or not.
And third, explosive arrows. Explosive! Arrows! She would be a fool not to take him up on the offer! For what few arrows she ever got to test out in combat, they were always, literally and metaphorically, a blast! Watching those babies blow up things ten times their size, seeing droids getting knocked down and blasted apart from just one shot, it was exhilarating! This did, of course, mean she would have to play the role of a girlfriend-thing, but the price was almost worth twice as much as the expense.
Seeming reluctant at the request, Catra finally gave in as she rolled her eyes in response, backing the two away as she turned her sword back to normal. "All right, fine. But you better do everything you promised me!" Much like Lance, Bow instantly beamed at this with stars in his own eyes, another trait he seemed to take on after his dads.
"Thanks, Catra!" He never felt so thankful to her before as he squeezed the life out of her, the magicat squealing a little in pain and blushing as he finally pulled away. "I swear, you won't regret this. Plus this'll go on to help the rest of us, too!"
"What do you mean?" Glimmer asked, keeping a hand on Catra's shoulder to make sure she wouldn't lunge for the desperate archer.
"My dads have the biggest collection of First Ones artifacts and writing in Etheria!" He exclaimed. "This is the perfect place to look for answers about She-Ra, the Mara messages, Serenia, everything!"
"Really?" Honestly, that actually did sound pretty exciting to Catra as she put her sword away. "Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" It was perhaps the one thing in this world that mattered more to her than Explosive Arrows. Any key information about Mara, the mystery of the First Ones, and possibly information on how to unlock more of She-Ra's power was its own blessing in disguise. With it, she might not even have to consider giving up her kingdom! "If She-Ra is involved, I'll do it!"
"Does that mean-"
"You're not getting out of your part of the deal." She smirked, victoriously.
"Worth a shot."
"Catra, are you sure about this?" She had an inkling of the reason why Catra was up for it, to some extent. She just wasn't sure if she was really up for everything this could entail. "I mean, you're going to have to act professional around his dads. Like, really, professional."
"Oh, relax! I've already proved to you before I know how to act like you guys. Remember when we practiced for the Princess Prom?"
"You started three fires-"
"Exactly, and I've had more practice since then. It'll be fine." Somehow, the confident smile beaming off of Catra's face was more worrying than when she was attempting to disembowel Bow.
"This is gonna be a disaster." She groaned, rubbing her head. One way or another, it would be. Either everything fell apart and Bow would have to explain himself, or they would have to worry about Catra turning her castle into swiss cheese with all the holes she'll end up making with his arrows. Either way, they lose.
"Oh relax already. We'll be fine!"
"Yeah, Catra has the right idea." Bow nodded as he turned to the door. "Just remember, you have to pretend to be my girlfriend the entire time, Catra. If they ask you any date-related questions, just have them ask me. Tell them I asked you personally to tell them to ask me. All right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll be the best girlfriend-friend anyone can ask for. What's the worse that can happen?"
"You're the last person who should be asking that!" Glimmer snipped a little.
Right as he was about to open the door for the girls, he paused briefly to look back. "Oh, and by the way, I may have said in my letters that Glimmer is a physics major, Catra is an art major, nobody is a princess or has magical powers, and we all met freshmen year." All throughout the hasty proceedings, Catra was staring at the would-be boyfriend with a face of utter turmoil, her jaw and ears dropping further in shock, and a disturbed Glimmer who could only twitch her eyebrow in response.
"Okay, let's go!" He didn't give either of the two time to question or voice their opinion over the proceeding as he quickly ran behind them, pushing them through the door with a confident smile on his face.
This was going to be great! He was sure of it! If things went well, his father would think Catra is nothing more than his girlfriend, Glimmer's his friend, they're both professionals in their assigned majors, they would have their backstories covered throughout the visit, they wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his lie or make things worse, he could go on living as he normally did with his lie, and he wouldn't have to worry about any of this ever again.
And if he looked at the more plausible reality, he would realize that if any one detail wasn't accurate, he would be crushing both his fathers' dreams, discouraging them, proving to them that he was a horrible liar, Catra wasn't his girlfriend and she would likely cause a scene the moment the embarrassment became too much for her, Glimmer wouldn't want to be his friend anymore after all he pushed them through, he would no longer be welcome at either home, and the rest of his life would be nothing but misery.
So, he decided not to! He decided to keep every and all personal bad thoughts tucked away in the back of his mind so that when reality inevitably did crash, he would have a "happy place" to go into in the back of his mind. At worst, everything he feared would happen. At best, everything he hoped would happen!
From this point on, it was a waiting game to see what would crash and burn first; his wait for the girls to finally be allowed to leave without raising suspicion, or seeing how long it took before everything literally crashed and burned within the library.
Suffice to say, he wasn't looking forward to what the future had to hold.
...
...
Back in the Fright Zone, Adora continued to sort through the multiple stacks of paper surrounding her bed. So far, she hasn't heard anything about Shadow Weaver, and no one seems the wiser about her involvement in the endeavor.
She tried her best to keep to her work to avoid raising further suspicion through her emotional outbursts. As long as she kept doing her work like intended, she should be able to get through this ordeal without anyone finding out, and hopefully find a way to make up for this. To do so, seeing how the normal requisitions kept her too busy to the point of exhaustion, she stuck with the smaller files and requisitions for now, trying to do anything to take her mind off it.
*sheeem*
"Hey, Adora." Scorpia greeted calmly, checking in on her friend who kept her eyes on the papers. "Listen, I've been looking for anything suspicious just like you said, but, this is the Fright Zone, so, that's pretty much everything." She chuckled, trying to break whatever ice was over her friend's fiery move. The girl didn't seem to bat a single eyelash in her direction as she shuffled through another handful of papers, narrowing her eyes, as of Scorpia didn't exist.
"So, I was hoping you could just tell me what I'm supposed to be looking for."
"Ghhh!" That didn't seem to roll well with the Force Captain whatsoever. The very idea that she would bother her with a pointless question like that aggravated her when there was still so much work to be done! "Maybe if you spent a little more time thinking for two minutes instead of letting everyone else do the thinking for you, you wouldn't need me to tell you! Now get out!" She snapped, pointing to the door with a shadowy finger.
Scorpia was at a loss for words as she flinched. Adora had never shouted to her like that, never been so abrupt about Scorpia and her thinking. Worst of all, if she didn't know any better, she was pretty much convinced Adora actually insulted her for once. Her Adora, insulted, HER!
With that in mind, it was the final straw Scorpia could handle as she pushed her claws to her side. "Okay, shadowbunny." Scorpia began, walking around the bed.
"Shadow-what?" It was the one word that briefly drew Adora's attention.
"I really didn't wanna have to do this, but you leave me no choice." She stated, pulling up the ends of the bedsheets she was on.
"What are you talking about? What do you think you're doing?" She asked, leaning back a little. For a change of pace, Adora actually felt a little frightened as Scorpia held the blankets in her claws, staring menacingly at the overworked-commander.
Scorpia tried, and she tried, but Adora proved she wasn't getting any better. She tried being patient with her, she tried being reasonable with her, and tried comforting her when she needed it most, and nothing seemed to be working. Everyday she left Adora to her own devices, she seemed to be getting worse and worse, with no end of it in sight.
Well no more. Scorpia had finally had it with her stubbornness. If she was going to play hardball with everyone, then Scorpia was going to play it right back tenfold. It wasn't a punishment, it was a reminder. A reminder that if she crossed the wrong person again, then she would make sure she would never forget it! She knew, deep down, Adora brought this on herself!
She smiled.
"W-Ahhhh!" Adora cried out in fright as she was suddenly entangled in a mess of blankets that Scorpia through over her. By the time the wrapping was done, all that was left was Adora's face peeking through the opening as Scorpia cradled her in her arms like a newborn.
"Shh, shh, shh. Just let all your cares go away." Scorpia cooed as she closed her eyes, rocking the fussy captain gently. "You're safe. You're safe here."
"Ahh! Scorpia! Let me go!" Adora screeched, trying to untangle herself from the surprisingly sturdy bundle of cloth. She couldn't afford to use her shadows with all the emotions running through her heart right now without risking the chance she'd hurt Scorpia in the process. Ironically, throwing a tantrum like the newborn she was made out to be was her only defense as she tried to push herself away.
Scorpia couldn't help it. She didn't know much about young children of age, but she knew deep down that everyone just needed to feel comforted at some point, and Adora needed to let go of her worries. Deciding to put the two together, she opted to go down the middle by combining the two, cradling the young captain as she did and assuring her that all her troubles were gone.
All while being completely unaware of the tantrum she was throwing as she hummed softly. It wouldn't have mattered if she gave it much attention, anyway. Between the way she's been acting the last several hours and now, there was hardly a difference. Until the girl would finally calm down, she refused to let Adora anywhere outside of her grasp.
"Scorpia, seriously, put me down right now!" Adora continued to be ignored, reaching her breaking point as she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Let all your problems drift away. There's nothing we can't handle-"
"I HELPED SHADOW WEAVER ESCAPE!"
Except for that.
Scorpia actually froze at the announcement as she watched a mournful frown appear over Adora's face, seeing the pain through her eyes as she turned away. "How are we supposed to handle that!?" Scopira looked as shocked as Adora looked regretful, the girl pouting slightly as she turned away.
"What?" She needed to know if she was hearing things as she set the girl down on the bed, sitting across for her.
Now Adora didn't seem to want to turn from her blanket, holding it a little tightly as she pulled it from her head. "Shadow Weaver used me to help her escape, okay?!" Her voice cracked a little as she teared up at the mention. She couldn't bring herself to look Scorpia in the eyes as she spoke.
"She tricked me into giving her some old badge she had that she used to escape. She made me believe there was a real bond between us throughout the day, she was insistent that she regretted her past mistakes and acted like she really cared for me like a daughter, and when I finally dropped my guard around her, she escaped! And now I have to find her before Lord Hordak learns the truth!"
"Adora..." She couldn't begin to imagine how the girl was beginning to feel, seeing her shuffling her shoulders from the mere mention of Shadow Weaver.
She wasn't oblivious to Adora's relationship with Shadow Weaver. She knew it was strained after the events over a month ago, she knew she was the very one who raised Adora into the great person she was today, and she knew Adora began the entire event without a shred of trust within the wicked witch.
For her to turn so suddenly, to do anything thinking she could trust Shadow Weaver, even a little, and then have that very person betray her a minute later? She must've been devastated inside, crushed.
Trying to offer a small smile, she scooted a little closer to the Force Captain, leaning her head into her chest as she patted her back. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. I'll help you look for her all over. And I bet Entrapta can whip up a locater, too!"
"No!" Adora instantly whipped back her head, looking strained as she gave a small angry look with tear-filled eyes. "She's too close with Lord Hordak, okay? She spends almost every day with him, she's going to let something slip! As soon as we tell her anything, she's going to blab about it to Lord Hordak, or someone else, they'll inform Lord Hordak themselves, and then I'll be counting down the days to my execution until-!"
"Okay, okay!" Scorpia spoke softly again, comforting the girl as she cried back into her chest. She began to feel sorry for the very girl she thought was being unfairly cruel towards everyone this morning, seeing how much she's lost of herself within the last few hours alone. "Then we'll make sure it doesn't happen. Wherever Shadow Weaver is, we'll find her, the two of us, and not a word will leave this room."
"N-No!" Adora choked a little to say.
"No?"
"Scorpia, you don't understand, do you? I'm the reason Shadow Weaver got out to begin with! I was tricked by the very person I didn't have an ounce of trust in, and I still helped her escape! The minute Hordak finds out about it, he's going to make me suffer, and I can't let that happen!" It wasn't just her own safety that she worried about through this madness. She knew that anyone affiliated with her that tried to help the girl cover up her crime would suffer just as much as she would.
Scorpia was the last person on her mind that deserved any form of suffering.
"Shh, shh, shh, calm down." Scorpia shushed again, rubbing away her tears with the blanket. "You don't need to worry." She gave a comforting smile as she saw Adora turn her head away again. "I'm your friend, Adora,", she reminded, glad to see Adora perk her head up at the mention, "and I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."
"D... Do you promise?" She squeaked.
"I prom-!" She didn't even get the chance to finish her sentence as Adora pushed her head into her chest again, the taller girl giving a smile to her as she hugged her back, patting her head soothingly.
This was what Adora needed right now. It was all she had left. With the number of people in her life dwindling and the amount of trust she could afford to give starting to wane, she needed all the real friends she could count on, the people she could trust.
The next time someone betrayed her, she didn't know what she would do. She was declining off the deep end with every betrayal, every person who stabbed her in the back, making her regret her life's decisions over and over again. She needed someone, anyone, she could turn to for comfort at this point. And, thanks to having a true friend like Scorpia, she didn't need to look very far.
Unfortunately, the peaceful talk that was being dragged out of this didn't go unnoticed by prying ears. Within the tall vents above the room, a small imp was listening. It heard every detail, every word, every confession that came out of Adora's mouth, and it giggled.
It couldn't wait to inform its master...
...
...
...
A/N: And another chapter bites the dust. 2-3 chapters folks, we're almost there! I'll be honest, i thought this chapter was going to be longer by the way it felt like it was drawing out, ended up being wrong in that regard... huh...
Oh, by the way! You guys remember Petie doon on instagram? (writing it as insta gram in case fanfiction's stupid non-linking thing erases the word) He made 2 brand new, freaking amazing pictures! What are they of? Oh, not much, just the SEASON 1 FINALE ENDING IMAGES BABAY!
I'm serious, they are freaking amazing, and they really capture the emotion of the season's ending right to its very core. Massive and huge thanks to Petie doon for the amazing work he's done and continues to do for this fanfic and everyone who enjoys it. Everyone be sure to drop by his gallery on the site and give the pictures your thoughts because they are freaking beautiful.
With that said, not as many "girlfriend shenanigans" this chapter around, but no need to worry- we'll have plenty of that good ol' fun waiting around next chapter, and even then, hopefully people got enough laughs to go around in this chapter as well X)
Hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!