A/N: Final Word Count: 8.5k Pre-A/N's. Hidy-ho folks! Monokub here back with another daily update, and man was this a fun one X) I know it might shock you people, but the entire chapter today is mostly about laughs and humor round the clock. I know, I know you might be disappointed-
Audience: GET ON WITH THE HUMOR!
-but I can assure you it'll still be just as fun as the main story ^^ Really not much to say with this one, so once again, enjoy!
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"Look, just a-" George tried to persuade as he reached for another jelly-filled pastry on the table.
*whap*
"Ow!" He yelped, pulling back his hand, shaking it a little.
"No." Lance stated, continuing to set the coffee table with another platter of delicious green-icing covered crumpets.
"Come on, just one-"
*whap*
"No!" He repeated, checking to make sure everything looked neat and symmetrical. "You will wait like a mature adult for the kids to come back. We don't want to ruin Bow's relationship with his girlfriend."
"I don't think the dear would be too disappointed if she noticed one out of a hundred different pastries missing." George tried to argue, looking for the perfect opening for when Lance wasn't looking.
"I don't care, it's improper manners." With the table fully set, he set his fists to his hips as he turned to his husband. "Bow has a real chance with a girl, and he might never get the same opportunity again once he takes over the library. You will not be ruining this for him! Is that clear?"
"Hmph," the other adult pouted a little, crossing his arms as he was forced to wait patiently, leaning back against the couch, "I wouldn't want them so badly if you made them more often, you know."
*creeeak*
"Ah, Bow! You're back!" Lance greeted as he watched his son pushing in his friends at long last, not after slapping away someone's hand for the fourth time. "I've set up refreshments! Help yourselves." He offered, gesturing to the wide assortment of snacks. "And, naturally, ladies first." There was no stopping the wildcat as she dashed for the couch again, seeing the wide assortment of food left for her and the others and fresh for the taking.
"If you insist!" Rubbing her hands with excitement, the magicat quickly grabbed a small paper plate from the corner of the table and began piling one of everything she could onto her plate. She left no spot open on her small tray as she took in the aroma wafting around them. She didn't know if it was going to be any better than the tea she was served, but if it tasted as good as it smelled right now, then she couldn't wait to taste that first bite!
"Ahem!" Glimmer coughed into hand as she sat next to her, intentionally brushing up to her a little to remind her. "I'm sure as Bow's girlfriend, you'll remember your manners, of course."
"Mmmh..." Catra grumbled quietly to the girl before eyeing the swirly pastry she took again, opting for a smaller bite instead of stuffing it all in her mouth at once, as usual. As annoying as it was, it was a small price to pay for everything she was doing this for. No, not for something simple like her friends or anything (not to say she wouldn't have done it if truly needed, not that they needed to know), but for something much more important. Something more valuable than life itself.
Explosive Arrows!
Perhaps, we should start over. The day started from one strenuous morning to a confusing morning to a possibly-hazardous morning all within a few short hours. Coming back from her extra-long training regime from Light Hope, Catra was dragged along by a panicking Glimmer who was worried about his sudden disappearance. Following whatever scent and trails they could, they discovered him at a mysterious library, one they were never aware of, within the Whispering Woods.
Exploring it for a few short seconds upon arrival, they discovered that not only was Bow seemingly-okay, he was also the son of two fathers who owned the estate, a blessing that they wished to pass off to Bow at some point. Neither of the fathers were aware of Bow's true history with the rest of the world, assuming he was at a boarding school, and begged his friends to continue playing the part to keep his cover.
That wasn't what made the day potentially hazardous.
The hazards of today were about to come from the misunderstanding that Catra, the very one and the same with all the anger issues, was Bow's girlfriend, and that Bow had been keeping her a secret to surprise them both. To keep up with the charade, he went along with the made-up story after they discovered her breaking into the library when she was trying to break out, begging Catra to play along once the three of them had a moment to themselves.
Naturally, Catra was pushed aside at the idea of being someone's girlfriend, especially when she discovered it meant pretending to be in love with somebody, something that would make her hurl if anyone ever accused her of feeling such an emotion. When it came down to it, Bow had to play at Catra's ego and interest as he offered to make her over a hundred explosive arrows for her usage, along with a few other favors, in exchange for putting up with the display and anything it might involve.
She wasn't one to let a good opportunity for some extra firepower go to waste. Besides, the deal got even sweeter once she found out the fathers were historians, people who might know more about She-Ra, and, to Catra's hope, the secrets to unlocking more of her power. She would take anything that helped her achieve She-Ra's status without giving up her dream for a kingdom.
Thus, we find our heroes as they were now, with everyone's reputation, and possibly Bow's neck, on the line if his secrets were ever revealed. All they needed to do was to pass off one simple afternoon, an evening at the most, by pretending to be members of Bow's boarding school, an on top of that, have Catra pretend to be someone's girlfriend for a few short hours.
None of them, Catra included, were feeling optimistic about their situation.
Taking the first bite already proved to be a challenge for Catra to get over as her eyes lit up. This was one of the best pastries she's ever had, perfectly blended with whipped cream, blue berries, and raspberries, topped off with a hint of a strawberry after taste.
She couldn't stop herself as she started gorging down on the sweet, delicious bites, taking another handful of the delicious pastries from the tray and putting them on her own plate. "This stuff's amazing!" She yelled, nearly shoving a handful of it down her throat, unaware of the crumbs she was spreading all over as Glimmer and Bow watched in horror. Not two bites in and she was already turning into a disaster.
Whatever force in the universe decided to bless them at that moment apparently did, though, as Lance sat on the opposite couch, watching with fascination as Catra stuffing herself. "Oh, I'm ecstatic you love it so much!" He said, taking another sip of his tea. "I can share the recipe with you if you like."
"Are you serious? Of course I want the recipe!" She beamed, taking another bite of the delicious pastry. "I can't wait to share this back at the castle!"
"Mh-!" Bow and Glimmer's eyes widened simultaneously, each of them with barely a bite into their own food, at the mention of it while the two fathers looked perplexed by the curious comment.
"The castle?" George questioned, leaning forward a bit. "What castle?"
"Whhhhat, Catra means is, the boarding school?" Glimmer offered, smiling nervously. She knew it was going to be the first of the thousand of nervous moments they had yet to go to. "You know, the "Castle of Knowledge", and all that. She considers every large structure a castle as an archaeologist. RIGHT-"
*thump*
"Oof-!" Catra nearly yelped midbite as Glimmer elbowed her a little.
"-Catra?" Blinking for a second, it took the girl a while to realize what she had said and what Glimmer had to do to cover for her.
Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, another movement Bow was thankful for that his parents didn't seem to mind, she nodded. "Y-Yeah, castles. You know, I just come across so many large castle-ish stuff, that every place feels like a castle to me."
"Impressive." George complimented, leaning forward a little in his seat. "It sounds like you have a lot of experience out in the field."
"Mmh... something like that." Catra shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck as she shrugged her shoulders a little.
"Is something wrong?" Lance asked, noticing the girl's discomfort, as did her friends who were genuinely curious.
"Mmh... N-Not... really, just..." She trailed off a little as the rubbing continued. What started out as a simple irritation began to grow into an unbelievable annoyance as she felt a crick in her shoulders, clearly from something she pulled during her training this morning. Not that she could tell them, of course. "Just a... pulled muscle I think from the traveling."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"Yeah." Her tail twitched a little as the irritation continued to grow. She needed something to stretch or to rub against that would straighten out her shoulders, feeling her joints starting to tighten from the aching alone. She tried to look around for a possible solution, something that could've come in the form of an answer. Or someone, as a smile grew over her lips. "Oh, Bow?" She called out, leaning back with a smile. "Why don't you give me one of those massages you usually do at the school?"
"What?" Bow questioned. He had an idea of what she was getting at, he just couldn't believe it would be so early into their charade.
"You know, those great shoulder massages you always give me? The ones before class?" She reminded, patting both her shoulders. "They always managed to freshen up my day."
"He gives you shoulder massages?" George asked, looking to his son.
"Everyday, in fact. You'd be surprised how many bones you pull when you're investigating dig sites and ruins every month."
"Bow," George spoke, the brief pause going on to add to his and Glimmer's nervousness, "that's so thoughtful of you!" He was so proud of his devoted son. He wished he could witness the joy the two brought each other at his boarding school.
"Y-Yeah, that's me." Bow feigned a smile, setting down his tea cup as he anxiously walked behind the couch. He eyed Catra's back a little unsteadily, watching as the magicat turned her head back a little to give him a sly smirk.
"What are you waiting for, Bow? I'm waiting~" She brushed back her hair a little bit, just enough for him to get a reach for her shoulders. With a small gulp, the thoughts of what would normally happen to him, or anyone, that usually approached Catra like this still in his mind, he slowly reached for the feline's shoulder, doing what he could to push his fingers against her shoulders soothingly, being careful not to hurt anything that could provoke her to spill the beans.
Within a few seconds, Catra felt like she was in heaven as she felt the aching motions of her shoulders beginning to unwind. With every creak that came from her unwinding bones came a small tremble from her bottom lip as she felt an urge to pur. She leaned against the couch as she took in all the relief leaving her tense muscles melting away like a puddle.
Looking back on it, it shouldn't have surprised her that Bow had an actual strong pair of hands, seeing how he spent a majority of his time pulling and shooting arrows constantly and making new devices everyday.
At the same time, Glimmer was hiding her irritated mouth behind the large cup of tea, eyeing the magicat with annoyance. Not three minutes into this little game and she was already taking advantage of him! He already needed her help, the least she could've done was try to make things easier.
Than again, sadly, it was Catra she was dealing with.
"Ahh, right there..." Catra sighed in relief as she felt her troubles melting away. Maybe she should hire Bow for this more often as one of the things she'd want out of this? "Thanks, Bowey."
"Bowey?" George repeated, noticing the blush illuminating his son's face for a bit before turning to Lance. "Did you hear that, Lance? They're-"
"-already giving each other nicknames!" He finished for him. The two dads held each other's hand in awe at the moment, finding the scene and the moment itself a beautiful sight to behold as Lance leaned his head on George's shoulder. Catra was completely unaware of why they were acting like they were, and didn't really care as she lost herself to the relaxing massage.
Another issue Bow finally realized that he never discussed with Catra: how NOT to act like a girlfriend in certain ways, like what it looked like when a girlfriend gave a boyfriend a nickname!
"You know, Catra," Glimmer spoke up, nudging her a little, "a proper girlfriend wouldn't be asking her boyfriend for a back massage." She commented as she took another sip of her tea.
"Ah, don't be jealous because I got to your boyfriend before you did."
"PFFFFFFFFFT!" Glimmer choked as her eyes lit up, coughing out a mouthful of tea and nearly dropping her cup as well. Bow eyes went completely white like he died inside, unable to comprehend the amount of stress and and embarrassment Glimmer must've been feeling, including his own. "Hack-ough! EXCUSE ME?!"
"Yeah, really sad story, you two." Catra pretended to sigh in regret as she set down her tea, grabbing a napkin pretending to wipe her face when in actuality she was hiding the knowing smirk to Glimmer. "Apparently Glimmer had eyes for him first for, like, years now at the school, but she was too nervous to ever tell him about it. By the time she had the courage to say anything, I've been on a "dating" with Bow for the last two months." She sneered as she opened an eye to Glimmer. "Isn't that right, Glimmer?"
CATRA, I WILL SHAVE EVERY HAIR OFF YOUR BODY WHEN WE GET HOME! Glimmer screamed in her mind as her cup-holding hand trembled. Catra knew exactly what kind of game she was playing at, and she knew Glimmer wouldn't be able to argue against any of it. If she did, she'd either have to explain a made up story about what really happen, or Catra would continue calling her a liar and making a bigger deal about this when they were supposed to be undercover!
Catra held all the cards in this game right between her hands. And as long as Bow was unwilling to admit what was really going on around here, Glimmer didn't have a choice but to accept Catra's rendition of the events, however embarrassing or misleading they might have been.
With the biggest, forced, smile of her life, Glimmer twitchily grew a teethy smile over her face as her right eye twitched, sweating profusely as she had to speak through said teeth to forced out any form of response. "Y-YUP. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. SHE GOT TO HIM FIRST."
"Aww, I'm sorry to hear that, darling." Lance apologized with a mournful look. "I know what you're going through. Before I met George, I struggled endlessly to find the right partner I wanted to share my life with. And whenever I did, I was either too late or too shy."
"But thanks to that, we also met each other." George smiled, earning one in return from Lance. "What I'm saying is, you shouldn't feel so down because your first sight was already taken. You never know what fate has in store, and your true love could be right around the corner."
Recovering a little from her bright red face, the non-princess coughed a little into her hand, trying to cool her temper. "T-Thank you for the advice. You're right." Watching the two fathers glance back to the massaged Catra, Glimmer tried to think.
There was no way she was going to let her get off the hook for something that embarrassing or snide. Around here, she thought she was untouchable in every manner, allowed to do or embarrass whoever she pleased! Well, if she wanted to play the role of a fake girlfriend and an archaeologist, then Glimmer would be happy to oblige.
"Say, Catra, why don't you tell them about one of the sites you excavated?" Glimmer suggested with a proud smile as Catra froze mid-sip.
"Glimmer!" Bow muttered anxiously trying to keep a straight face. The girl was so caught up with getting a payback shot that she forgot they were supposed to be keeping a lower profile in the first place.
"...Excavated?" Catra asked in a hinting tone, keeping her eyes on the dads as she smiled awkwardly.
"You know, of the various digsites you've seen." She added, turning right to her with a smile. "I'm sure you must have something you can share with them."
"Oh, I don't think they would want me to bore them with any stories." Catra replied, forgetting where she was for a moment and their professions.
"Are you kidding? We'd love to hear some!" George stated with excitement, feeling his historian blood rushing through him. "We insist!"
"Of course you would..." Catra turned her eyes away as she took a seemingly-long sip to think.
Okay, she could do this. She knew what kind of game Glimmer was playing at, too, so she just had to think of something. She was the Queen of impulsiveness and quick thinking, self-proclaimed, and this was just another roadblock that Glimmer expected her to squirm her way through like usual. Catra wouldn't let her have the satisfaction of a victory, and knew she could come up with something!
...But what was there to come up with?!
She doesn't know much beyond the basics of what an archeologist does, scavenging ancient ruins and collecting artifacts from across the world. Save for the sword, which she couldn't go into detail over without possibly revealing her secret, she hasn't scavenged or collected a single thing that came to mind, no ruin investigated that-
Catra blinked. Wait, duh! She actually smiled to herself, to Glimmer's surprise, as she sat the tea and dish on her lap, recalling every detail that could help her in her time of crisis. "Well, where to begin?" She began, drawing Bow's attention as he failed to notice the expression on her face. "Well, there was the first excavation I had where I discovered some ancient First Ones ruins right along the edge of the forest itself."
"You did?" Lance gasped a little.
"You did?" Glimmer repeated questionably.
"Oh, yeah, it was actually my first find. The entire ruin was built within the ground itself from a cave entrance it was sealed behind. I would've loved to show it to you two, but during the excavation, we had a cave-in. The entire place was buried under tons of rubble. I hope you understand." She waved her hand in apology.
"Oh, r-right!" Bow agreed as he looked back to his dads, finally understanding where Catra was coming up with this lie. "She brought me and Glimmer along, too. It was right around the time we first met her. Remember, Glimmer?" He hinted.
"Met her..." The girl blinked in contemplation before opening her eyes and mouth in surprise. "O-Oh, yes! That's how we all met and became friends!" Now she finally understood what the two were getting at, and where Catra was getting her story from.
How could she not remember the day? She wasn't coming up with some made-up lie, it was a real experience they had together. It was the first day the three friends met, the day when they came across She-Ra for the first time and were chased away by the giant bug creature into the First Ones ruins! Looking back on it, it actually was a sort of excavation the group had, one of the first unofficial missions they ever had together.
"Boy, you really should've seen her. It was... quite, the experience."
"It sounds like a fantastic tale." George nodded in agreement. "I wonder if I could commission a research team to find the ruins again? I'd be happy to pay you as well, Catra, to lead the excavation."
"Did you say, pay?" Catra grinned. The longer she kept on this act for, the more benefits there seemed to be behind it all! She was actually looking forward to continue this game of theirs for the rest of the evening at this rate.
"Hahaha, don't be silly, dad." Bow threw an arm around Catra's neck in a playful-looking manner, trying to cut the girl off before she could take advantage of the situation. "Catra would be more than happy to do it for free if she had the chance. Wouldn't you... dear?" He blushed a little at the name as Catra tried to unclamp the arm partially suffocating her.
"Y-Yes, of course... I was joking." She huffed as he released his hold.
"Please, you must tell us of another." Lance pleaded, on the edge of his seat with anticipation.
"Now, now, I don't think Catra would be interested in continuing-"
"Actually," Catra cut off as she held a hand up to Bow, "I'd be delighted to tell you more." The magicat stated as she began to regale them with moments from her past.
There were actually a lot of possibilities and examples she had to mention when it came down to it. She told them in detail, at least the parts deemed necessary enough, about the many "excavations" she went on, retelling them versions of the numerous missions she went on throughout the Rebellion and the places it sent her to.
To Bow and Glimmer's surprise, there was actually a lot she had to offer. She remarked the day she discovered the status in Salineas was actually a shield generator with a console built into the hand, how they came across several First Ones objects within Dryl, which were actually just pieces of tech Entrapta had collected through most of her life. And she went on with how she discovered the Mystery of the Beacon within the Whispering Woods all on her own, telling them everything they needed to hear without giving them too much information in the process.
Now that Glimmer really thought about it, Catra sort of was an archaeologist at this point, they all were. They've been to so many places across Etheria, finding First Ones ruins and technology across the world, even collecting some pieces for the Rebellion on the missions they were assigned to. In a bizarre way, Catra really fit the position of an archaeologist quite well.
Sure, she skimped on the details about them being missions and jobs from the castle, and she emphasized how it was usually her doing all the hard work and figuring out how they worked, even if Bow and Glimmer discovered most for themselves, but they weren't about to ruin the moment when Catra appeared to be on top of things.
By the time she finished telling the last of her most recent missions involving some ruins, the fathers were practically in tears. For once, it actually wasn't because Catra threatened them, scared them, beat them to a pulp previously, or all three. Instead, they were tears of pride.
"My word..." George sniffed. "Bow... she's perfect!" The announcement earned a completely satisfied smirk from the girl who leaned back into the seat of the couch, rubbing her knuckles against her chest like a professional.
"Well, I don't wish to brag, but..." It was no wonder Bow wanted to keep her a secret from them. Her, this girl, was everything the father's could have hoped for for their beloved Bow!
She was an archaeologist, an accomplished one who was still in boarding school, someone Bow would meet on a daily basis. She had fantastic stories and treasures she's collected over the years, unaware that the sword was the most prominent and impressive, and she had a sense of humor. She had every quality that a local historian could ask for!
The proud fathers couldn't wait to find out more about the outrageous girl, with every detail entering their minds being another moment of pride within their hearts. They knew, whatever happened, Bow would truly be happy with this girl.
"... Wow..." Okay, Glimmer had to admit. That was pretty good for Catra. She completely countered her own counter and paved her way through it. It almost didn't irritate her as Catra used the brief opportunity the fathers turned away to stick her tongue out at her victoriously.
Almost.
As for Bow, he couldn't even begin to express his relief, feeling a torrential waterfall of stress draining away as Catra recounted all of their adventures. The way his fathers appeared to be so taken with her, the fact Catra was actually making up believable stories all the way through to the end. He might actually pull this off!
"I'm sorry, I," Lance sniffed, wiping away a tear, "I've never met a school student so devoted to history as much as you."
"Yeah, what can I say?" Catra shrugged, grinning as she took another pastry from the platter. "I'm a keeper."
"More like a curse..." Glimmer mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes.
"And if you're so enthusiastic about this, I can't begin to imagine how excited your kids will be!"
"HAAAACKKKKKKKKKKK-!" All at once, Glimmer dropped her tea in utter redness, Catra nearly threw up on the spot, resulting in her choking on the pastry she was eating, and Bow collapsed behind the couch as everything of him went white. Never has anyone ever seen someone's face actually turn purple, but from the previous redness engulfing Catra's face and the lack of oxygen now going down her throat, it didn't surprise them.
"Now, Lance, don't go throwing ideas into their minds already." George said, patting his back. "They'll have plenty of time to start thinking of a family later.
"KKKKKHHHHHH M-M-MYYHHHHHHH-!" Catra choked as she tried to scream in terror, tears starting to form out of the corner of her eyes as she continued to suffocate. Her mind was screaming at her to abort the mission! No amount of explosive arrows, no level of compliments, no luxurious treatment from a pair of devoted fathers, were worth ANYTHING close to this!
"...Is she going to be okay?" Lance asked, noticing Catra's choking state. If she was lucky, she would die of suffocation right here and now before anyone tried to save her.
Sighing, Glimmer set down the tea in her hands onto the coffee tables, cracking her knuckles a little. "Allow me."
*WHACK!*
"Ough-!" Catra panted heavily as her chest rose and deflated repeatedly, leaning back into the couch as she was on the verge of death. Thank goodness Glimmer had enough strength in her arms to smack the choking hazard right out of her after slamming her fist down on Catra's back. It may have reinvigorated the annoying ache in her shoulders again as a result, but at least she was alive. "Th... Thank... you... G-Glimmer... huff... huff..." She wheezed, watching as the princess casually collected her tea again.
"I'm happy to oblige, Catra." There was no level of dishonesty in her voice as she sipped. If it meant she got to smack the living daylights out of Catra whenever she needed it, she'd be happy to do it anytime. In fact, she didn't need to wait. She'd do it any time Catra deserved it too if she got the chance.
With her breathing slowly returning to normal Catra's ears twitched as she looked behind herself, noticing a missing figure. "Hey, where's Bow?"
"Riiiiight... heeeere..." He mumbled, slowly raising a ghostly hand as he pulled himself back up to the couch. For a moment, he actually felt his soul leave his body as an unearthly amount of terror seeped into his minds. He was a little surprised he managed to wake up at all, assuming Catra would've torn his head off the moment the fathers mentioned anything about kids.
"Are you alright, Bow?" Lance asked, standing up from the couch. "You seem pale."
"I'm fine," he assured as the whiteness started to leave his skin, being replaced by a glowing redness, "I just... fell... on my own..."
"Bow, I can't do this!" Catra quietly whispered, coming closer to the archer's head as she leaned over the couch. "We didn't say anything about kids! The deals off!"
"Catra, you're not going to do anything with kids!" Glimmer tried to shush, leaning behind the couch too as she huddled in for the conversation. "Whatever they talk about that sounds embarrassing, just remember, it's all an act!"
"Catra, come on, it doesn't get any more embarrassing than that." Bow whispered back, getting to his knees. "George wouldn't let embarrassing talk like that continue anyway, so you just have to ignore it and pretend it's nothing."
"Who cares about nothing when he's talking about our children!?" She nearly screeched, her ears drooping as her tail dropped. There would be no end to the uncomfortable-ness that would befall her any time she saw Bow for the rest of her life if this sort of talk continued.
She didn't want kids, she didn't want to be a mother to anything, and she didn't want anything to do with this anymore!
"Hey, do you want to learn the secrets involving She-Ra, or not?" Glimmer retorted, pulling the girl a little closer by the shoulder. "Would you rather give up your entire kingdom, or would you rather put up with an act for one afternoon?" Catra frowned at the mention of her dream coming back again as Bow tilted his head at this.
"What about her kingdom?" He asked. "She still wants one?"
"I'll explain later, for right now-"
"What are you kids doing?" Lance asked, looking ready to step into whatever private conversation they were having.
"N-Nothing!" Bow smiled back as he and Glimmer stood up, Catra still leaning her head over the back of the couch. "We were just talking about... hoooow we should get that tour underway!" He rubbed Catra's shoulder as he kept his eyes on the parents. "Right... dear?"
"..." Catra frowned to herself as she sighed internally. There was no way she could afford to keep on a charade this embarrassing, but there was no way she could risk her only chance of maintaining a kingdom also. If her kingdom was on the line, then she didn't have a choice, unless someone was willing to put her out of her misery right then and there.
Begrudgingly, the girl slowly rose from the couch as she sluggishly got to her feet, straining every muscle from her physical training to offer a sincere, albeit strained, smile. "I... would l-love, to... d... d..." Catra swallowed back the bile rising to her throat. "Darling..."
"Ah, yes, the tour!" Lance clapped in eagerness as George stood by his side. "I almost forgot about it! Shall we?" He offered leading the way. With Glimmer following closely behind, Bow looked back to the still-shriveling Catra, one who had goosebumps riding on the edge of her skin, as he tried to offer a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
"I swear, you'll owe me big time for this, Bow." She muttered, walking ahead as Bow whispered a thanks in return. Neither of them wanted to continue waiting around or prolong the day as they reached the other three, staying close behind them as the tour officially began.
The one-of-two fathers lead the group around the library over to the display cases, the area settled with dozens of different relics and artifacts from ages past, all neatly positioned, dusted, and kept safely behind the glass cases that shielded them from the outside world.
"This is the 1000-year-old Colonia pitcher." Lance began as Catra drew up to it, keeping her arms to herself as she observed. Personally, she wasn't that the useless knick knacks they felt that deserved mentioning like someone's drinking jug, but if any of this stuff lead her to unlocking more of She-Ra's power, then she listened with an open ear.
"And this tablet," he continued to the next display, housing a diamond-shaped item, "dates back to over two millennia."
"Really?" Catra wondered as she resisted the urge to tap the glass. I wonder if it's older than She-Ra? She thought to herself as the tour continued a few feet away.
"And this," Lance paused as he came across a wardrobe, one with a small curtained fort decorated underneath that Lance was drawn to, "is where Bow played pretend as a little boy."
At the sight of the small forth, Catra and Glimmer immediately ducked to their knees, inspecting the interior of "Bow's Fort". It was housed with every possible thing they could imagine from a five-year-old. Decorative heart-shaped lights over above, a small personal rug which covered most of the ground, stuffed animals around every corner, and a small cabinet-sized stack of shelves to the right. It truly was the most interesting thing Catra had seen so far as she grinned.
"Okay, now THAT is just adorable." She commented. It was adorable in the sense that it was, namely for a kid, as the parents believed she was referring to, and adorable in the amount of ammunition it provided for her to embarrass Bow with once this was over.
And Bow blushed to himself knowing that as he stood cross-armed a few feet away.
"Let me guess, playing pirates?" Glimmer asked as Lance kneeled over.
"Oh no. Bow doesn't like pirates." He replied shaking his head. "Playing historian, getting ready to take over the library even then. Right, Bow?" Lance asked looking back with the others.
"Right..." He nodded back, unfurling his arms just in time to keep from looking bored or depressed.
"I'm sure most of this stuff might seem boring to you." George commented, patting Catra's shoulder. For a second, she thought he might've been aware of her real personality. "After all, I can only imagine the hundreds of artifacts you must have discovered during your excavations."
"Oh, not at all!" She shook her head politely, giving a small smirk back to Bow. "This stuff has been very informative, I assure you." She grinned a little at the knowing look he gave back. "Speaking of which, as a First One Archaeolo-guest-"
"Gist." Glimmer muttered, audible enough so only Catra's ears would pick it up.
"Gist," she quickly corrected, not that it didn't disgust Glimmer any less from the way she pronounced it, "would you happen to have anything here related to She-Ra? Like, something that ties into her past or history?"
"Ah, what a great question." Lance clapped his hands, impressed with the girl's insightfulness and intrigue. "Accurate translations are hard to come by, but we think the name was actually "Her-Ra"."
"...Her-Ra?" A strange part of her somehow found that to be the dumbest alternative to a name given, as well as the most believable name from anyone in the past. "Somehow I really doubt that-"
"Not that you would know, Catra." Bow reminded, throwing an anxious hand to her shoulder.
"She'd fight for the power of Grayskull."
"That actually sounds cooler to me." Catra chuckled a little, Bow fretting for a moment thinking she would say something damaging.
"And, rode on a dragon!" Moving away from the view, he presented a beautifully decorated vase, one depicting a beautifully artistic outline of She-Ra, the very person Catra was trying to be, riding on the back of a dark violet dragon.
It was almost as if she teleported as Catra instantly reappeared in front of the vase, her eyes widening in disbelief as her pupils grew to match their size. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, or that it was actually something amazing around here. She-Ra, her full self, riding on the back of a giant, most-likely firebreating, dragon... AND IT WASN'T EVEN HERS!
"SHE GOT A DRAGON!?" Catra yelled as she teared up. "THAT'S NOT FAIR! I WANTED A DRAGON!" Glimmer and Bow quickly rushed to the girl's side, trying to pick her up and her stories as the fathers became questionable.
"You wanted a dragon?" Lance asked for clarification.
"Hahaha," Bow laughed worriedly as he threw his arm around the girl's throat again, Glimmer trying to pat her shoulder comfortingly to get her to calm down, "you know? She told me how when she was a kid, she always wanted to ride a dragon. Exploring caves for one is what got her interested in archaeology." He shifted his head a little towards the tormented kitty. "That's what you meant, isn't it, Catra?"
Catra sniffled a little before she could reply. "Yeeeeeeees..." She moaned.
Why was the universe conspiring against her?! Why was it being so cruel to her?! There were a few things the girl wanted in this lifetime since she was a kid. Ultimate power to crush her enemies, her very own kingdom where she was in charge, and, at the very end of an ongoing list, a dragon! An actual dragon that could breathe fire on her enemies and soar her through the sky at the same time! What kind of kid wouldn't wish for something THAT awesome?!
Instead? She got stuck with a horse! A talking, flying, horse with a horn! Okay, sure. She would admit, not to anyone out loud, that if push came to shove and she had the chance to take a dragon over Swift Wind, she'd stick with Swifty after all they've been through. But even then, why couldn't she get that choice in the beginning of all of this instead of a pony of all things?!
It wasn't fair!
"Anyway, uh, where was I?" Lance spoke up, trying to think for a minute.
As he did, Bow leaned closer to the magicat's ears, trying to straighten out her standing. "Every time you say something damaging, I'm taking away ten arrows." He warned whispering to her. All he needed was a certified moan to know she got the message.
"Princess nonsense." George answered for Lance as he walked past Glimmer, his voice filled with an ugliness for the phrase.
Coming up to another display behind a curtain, they pulled it back to reveal what might've been the second-coolest thing around here. Within a round glass case was a floating shard, one undoubtedly filled with some type of energy, as it hovered a little above the podium. It continued to glow with its energies coursing through it and all its pinkness, glittering with sparkles that almost looked like Glimmer's own magic rubbing off of it.
"The rune stone shard." Lance introduced as Catra gathered around it again. "It's the oldest First Ones object in our collection." If there was anything to calm Catra down from her dragon disappointment, this would be the closest thing to it. There was no telling how much power this thing had, or if it possibly could have some connection to She-Ra. Before she could even think about reaching for it, Lance continued on as he stood next to the display. "But enough about that. Tell us about your studies, Catra and Glimmer."
"Huh? Oh, you know, I already told you about a lot of it and all." Catra tried to play off as she scratched the back of her head.
"Yes, I know, but what about the stuff they actually teach you?" He emphasized, rubbing his chin in curiosity. "What kind of things have you learned."
"... Uh..."
"Uh, you know, physics are good." Glimmer shrugged, trying to give Catra a few seconds of precious time.
Problem again. Catra knew the kind of stuff archaeologists did, to a degree, but not the specific stuff its studies and teachings would entail. She had to think of something fast as she tried using her personal history again. "Well, I know how to dismantle and assemble the basics of a droid."
"Wait, robotics? I thought you had an arts major and were studying to be an archaeologist?"
"Uh, s-she is!" Shoving past Glimmer, Bow walked to the girl's side with a confident smile, throwing an arm around her shoulder as he tried to get the story straight. "She's taking other electives throughout her freetime, so she can keep her options open for the future."
"Y-Yup!" Catra nodded with a nervous smile. "You know, got to keep my education going, right?"
"And robotics will help with being an archaeologist?"
"Of course it would! With all the ancient technology I come across, it helps to know as much as I can in case I need to deactivate an old security system or something."
"But you would need a computer's major for that, and that's a different subject."
"I-I-I know it is, and, uh... Hoof, is it warm to anyone else?" She pretended to feel a little hot as she started to sweat from nervousness, fanning herself a little.
"And how are you affording all this free time if you're dating?"
"Well-"
Glimmer sighed with a small smile as she watched the two continuing to work together, whatever they were saying appearing to bring a smile to Lance's face.
"It's great to finally meet you, Glimmer." George said, stepping to her side as they smiled to one another. "To be honest, we thought Bow was making you up."
"Really?" She questioned, looking back to the two to see something going on. Whatever it was that revolved around Bow squeezing Catra's ears a little and Catra pulling at his nose, it seemed to be going fine as it sparked an inaudible laugh from Lance.
"You know how Bow is, shy, quiet, not so many friends." He commented, approving of their small bantering as nothing more playful teasing with one another, seeing how Lance was laughing. "From his letters, it sounds like you really brought him out of his shell."
"Yeah..." Glimmer smiled warmly on the inside as she watched the two. His words weren't just a comforting length of words that related to Bow, but also a reminder of how much Catra had changed since they first met.
As she watched the two continue to add on to their increasing lies, as stressful as it would appear, it was something kind of warming to Glimmer. Aside from all the things she wants out of this, it was comforting to see her pushing so hard to help somebody else around here, and one of their friends at that. No matter what she insisted on or how much, she knew that she truly cared for everyone else and was willing to do anything she could to help them, even at the risk of embarrassing herself.
She still had her snarky, sarcastic, self. The side of her that seemed disinterested in anything that didn't benefit her, and, truthfully, she was a little lazy as well whenever something didn't interest her. But even then, she's still shown so much growth over the time they've spent together, times Bow and Glimmer spent trying to get her to open up. They've come to realize Catra's just the kind of person who kept things to herself, and they were just fine with that.
Because in the end, it made it all the more warming when she finally trusted them enough to tell something about herself.
"I guess we did..." She replied, almost alluding to the fact she was referring to herself and Bow about Catra opening up. Their conversation together even got a small chuckle out of Catra as she pulled Bow's arm away, their explanation coming to an end.
"I completely understand." Lance smiled with a clap, satisfied with whatever winded explanation Bow and Catra came up with together.
"So for school, we've got this First Ones puzzle to solve." Bow said, wanting to move on with their main objective, something Catra almost forgot about as she stared at him in confusion. "That we could use your help in. Have you ever heard of Serenia?"
"Oooh!" Lance squealed as she rushed to several adjoining file cabinets in another corner of the room, his partner following him eagerly as Glimmer returned to the duo.
"How'd you talk your way out of that?" Glimer asked curiously, keeping the conversation between the three of them as Catra and Bow awkwardly smiled to the dads.
"Long story." Bow said, short and simple.
"But if anybody asks," Catra added, "I now have five different majors, know two forms of self-defense, and work part time as a fisherman's assistant."
"Huh?"
"Just roll with it!"
...
*thud*
Back at another coffee table, coming to another section of the library, the three friends sat along the floor as Lance and George dropped an entire pile's worth of scrolls, maps, history logs, data recording crystals, and so forth atop the table. There was barely an empty space of the table viewable from above. And while Catra was interested to learn all she could about She-Ra, she wasn't willing to risk devoting the next seven years as an actual scholar to understand all this data.
"Serenia was the name of a mythical First Ones hero." George explained professionally with his hands behind his back. Catra poked at some of the scrolls, almost flinching as one unrolled into a seven-foot-length sheet of details. "Although some of us think she was a real person." He said with a small snark to the tone, apparently part of some argument the fathers had in the past that Lance came out on top of.
"Mh-hm." Lance smiled back a little like he had won, again. "Some of us also think the Elberon vase dates back home to only one millennia." He sneered, raising his brow and crossing his arms.
"Is this everything you have on Serenia?" Bow asked as Catra and Glimmer continued to sort through the stack.
"Oh, no. I'm so sorry. Ha, ha. That's everything from the first floor. There's more on the second floor."
"There's another floor?!" Catra moaned as her ears drooped.
"Ugh, this is gonna take hours." Glimmer groaned in agreement.
"Hours, days, maybe weeks." For some reason, Lance smiled at the prospect for reasons they were about to fear as he glanced at Catra and Bow. "And if you're lucky, it might take you a whole lifetime." They were oblivious to the duo who blushed in response to the announcement as Lance hugged George a little, pulling him a bit by both his shoulders.
"Oh. You're so corny." George commented, rolling his eyes a little but accepting it as he held Lance's hand.
"An entire..." Catra squeaked.
"Lifetime?" Bow finished off. To the parents, it looked like another awe-able sight as they appeared to be finishing each other's sentences. To the duo who blushed, and Glimmer who was just as aware of the issue, it was a problem.
How were they expected to convince the pair for the rest of their lives if this is how long it took?! They weren't just talking about this being a one-time meeting, they were actually expecting to see each other time and time again in the future, growing, bonding, maturing together. Even if they decided to say they broke up at one point, they still needed to keep their story straight all throughout the proceedings.
On top of that, there was only so much that Catra could be expected to sit through, a limit to how many embarrassing situations she could put herself in before she finally snapped. The girl barely trusted herself with her emotions these days, and she knew for a guaranteed fact that she wouldn't last another week of this acting, much less another day!
And if she could, it still meant nothing in the long run. As long as the lie persisted, it would prove to be their downfall time and again as they kept having to build off of one another, were expected to play the part of their lie to a T, and go along with anything else they added every time.
It was impossible.
"Yup. Just picturing all the wonderful years you two could be spending together warms my heart." Lance commented, unaware of the warm red going the heroes' faces. "But before all that..." In a mad haste that only took the matter of seconds, Lance reappeared at Catra's, Bow's, and Glimmer's side, placing a spot of tea right next to them, before being situated on the couch behind Glimmer and Bow. "We wanna know."
"Uh, know what?" Catra questioned, taking a small sniff of the tea. Thankfully, it didn't appear to smell the same as the last time, though that didn't mean it couldn't taste the same.
"Come now, you kids have kept us waiting long enough." George said from behind the same couch. "Tell us everything."
"Everything...?" Bow was a little worried if he meant the truth, or something worse than the truth- another lie.
"Yes, tell us. We want all the details." At this, the two fathers clinked their glasses together before looking back, ready for an exciting tale. "We want to know how you two first met!"
...
...
...
A/N: And another chapter down! We're either officially halfway through the fic, or at the halfway-point. Idk if this'll turn into another 5 parter (I doubt six) or if i'll extend the finale to make it extra long and all since its the season finale. Either way i wanna thank everyone for their constant support of this fic and helping to keep the series alive. I hope to continue to bring you good she-ra-ness even after the main series comes to an end...*cry* this may X*(... *sniff*
So with that being said, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!