A/N: She-ra and the Princess of power were made by J. Michael Straczynski and Larry DiTillio, I only take credit for my own added character's and storylines. Similarly, any references will be attributed to their original creators when they pop up.
I post on both A03 and FanFiction, take your pick in whichever you prefer to read.~.
I hope you enjoy!
Book 2: Of Schemes & Gathering
Chapter 3 ~ The Mask With the Friend
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Catra reached for the last sugar cube, happily allowing the block to fall into her cup. The overly detailed porcelain lay on the table, overflowing with cubes with perhaps the faint trace of steamed liquid.
If nothing else came from this excursion, she'd say she'd finally found use for Scorpia's socialising sessions. Which is to say, how to be polite and, more importantly, petty with a smile on her face. Luckily for her, she could make it a slow and meticulous act, watching as her host's smile slowly became a forced expression.
Less fortunate was her dwindling supply of sugar cubes. The once full jar at the table now lay rather empty - her cup having stolen the entire tray of treats.
"So," She offered, taking a sip - and necessary bite - of her drink. "As lovely as this conversation has been," By which, she meant three straight hours of tediousness. "I doubt you asked me for tee just to make small talk." With how hurried the whole thing was, she doubted - hoped - it'd been a social necessity.
It better have been a social necessity. Because as things were, the moment she got back to the Horde she'd be throwing herself into her bed and sleeping for days.
"Not at all," The two-horned Inquisitor replied smoothly, any annoyance she suspected he might feel laid heavily hidden between. "I do apologise for that. Despite the precedence my predecessors might have set, as the Suprema of the Inquisition, I tend to like knowing what's happening throughout Etheria."
Right. She'd almost forgotten with all the... she wasn't even sure what to call it, word-warfare? Verbal-dispute? It felt as exhausting as sparring with all its back-and-forth questions that didn't really answer. But he made it dangerously easy to forget that this was a high-ranking official who, for lack of better terms, was the highest ranking member of La Iglesia's military.
How old was the man, anyway? For all he sprouted white hair, Catra felt he was somewhere in his thirties. The two small pointed horns sprouting from his forehead were more of a for than an against to his age.
"A sentiment I agree with." Catra offered, taking a final bite of her mostly sugar tea. She dismissed the line of thought after another moment of contemplation. His age was more of a point of curiosity than a fact of any use.
Apart from knowing he must have been competent to have reached his position, obviously.
"Indeed," Apparently - hopefully, because please, please, please I am so done with this conversation! -, they'd move on to the actual heart of the matter. "How much do you know of La Iglesia's founding?"
"Less than I'd like, I admit." Most of what she did know of it was second-hand from Entrapta, actually. The older woman had quite the... colourful wording for any enforcement that censured science. They'd crossed paths, apparently.
It only ended when she'd realised Emily had been delightfully scandalised at some of the words being employed. It'd been hilarious.
"The term Iglesia originates from the word Eclesia. A village gathering. We worship the First ones, the creators of our origin."
What was it, Catra idly contemplated, that made people want to discuss personal history with her? It couldn't possibly be a coincidence with the number of times it'd happened. "I'm sensing a but in this thought."
"But-" He smiled just a little bit creepy, "we also had a more... ah, insidious objective, so to speak." Because of course, they did. "Suppression of any She-ra candidates in the most altruistic form possible."
"By most altruistic, you mean..."
"With as much as the situation would allow us, even if we sometimes were forced to take... shadier approaches."
There was a sudden sense of weariness flowing through her. With trepidation growing, Catra's finger tapped the teacup. After a sip, she tilted her head. "Why? Especially since the start of the war?" She would have thought they'd go out of their way to recruit She-ra's, not remove them.
Yes, they'd more or less removed themselves from the war, now. But their opinion of technology was hardly a secret. If they'd had a way to actively counter the Horde...
It did, however, explain why no She-ra's had been sighted in centuries.
She tried not to think where Adora ended on that line of planning.
"This war in itself is realistically inconsequential. Not dissimilar to most that have come before it." He waved away. "Some of our members did participate, true, but those that knew what mattered didn't much care who won this conflict. If anything, we wanted it over as swiftly as possible so we could maintain our task." A frown graced his features, seemingly frustrated at a thought. "A task we have now failed. I doubt it comes much to a surprise, but having a She-ra outside of storybooks makes our job all the more challenging to perform. We've already had to take more extreme measures to keep the status quo."
"...You haven't answered my question."
"I haven't, have I? In all honesty, it's rather straightforward. Suppressing the existence of She-ra denied the possibility of anyone touching the Heart of Etheria." Catra stared, having absolutely no idea as to what to do with that knowledge. "Similarly, suppressing technology would hide the possibility of anyone discovering the Heart of Etheria, which would lead to them discovering the Sword of Protection." He waved his hand dismissively. "The Iglesia's primary and sole concern is to ensure the complete restriction of the Heart. This is now in complete jeopardy, so we have to... cut our losses and do what must, yes?"
"And you just telling me this because...?" She prodded, teacup forgotten as she attentively peered at the white-haired man.
"She-Ra has found the sword, and with it, she now possesses the key that will doom Etheria. It's only a matter of time, now." He placed his teacup down, gaze sharpening as he leaned forward. "Which means I have to cut my losses and adapt to the new gameboard. Which I can not do until the upper busy body's removed." His lips twitched, slightly. "Lady Catherine does love setting up games in a rather neat manner, doesn't she?"
She still didn't know what the Heart of Etheria was. Which would be nice, seeing how it seemed to be a world-ending key-hold. "And that means...?"
"Well," He shrugged. "I need my bosses dead so their biases and spluttering won't pull the Iglesia down with them. Lydia wants them dead for revenge, which would also - completely coincidently - leave her as the sole leader of the Iglesia. And then there's you." He pointed at her, his gaze somehow reaching a deeper weight than it had any right to. "By intervening in the Rebellion's intervention, you become an unquestionable ally of the Iglesia. By extension, all the looser and neutral fractions will also start prodding to see if there's something to gain with an alliance. As I said," His lips twitched, ever so slightly annoyed. "It's all quite neat."
"Apart from the part where the Iglesia's core ideology is based on technophobia. Which, might make any alliance rather awkward with us. For obvious reasons, you understand."
"I think," He slowly replies, "that you might have entirely overestimated the level of difficulty it would take to integrate our societies." The horned man stopped for a moment, contemplating something before promptly disregarding it. "The Inquisition was founded for secrecy. But far more importantly, it was founded to manipulate society into a position it wouldn't get itself killed."
Catra frowned, leaning back into her chair with a certain sense of morbid fascination. "Are you truly saying you want to manipulate your entire society to do your bidding?" She asked, amused. "That doesn't sound all that altruistic. Or easy, for that matter." But hey, who was Catra to criticise? It wasn't like she had much room to complain.
Thought it always was nice to realise you weren't the worst sapient in the room.
"Fifty years ago? That would have been a challenge to work with. But at this point? Technology isn't all that of an issue as it once used to be." The Inquisitor stood, walking towards the window with a contemplative expression. "Most citizens think of technology as something to be distasteful, certainly something they are wary towards. It was a change we felt necessary on the possibility the Horde might win this war; therefore require sleeper cells to be implemented to maintain control. It'd take a year or two to have them relatively comfortable with an alliance. No more than three, especially if the Rebellion attempts to interfere - which I have no doubt they will."
This Inquisitor, Catra realised with a new sense of weariness, was just the tiniest amount of terrifying. Which was an experience she was becoming far too accustomed to for her taste.
And she'd thought Shadow Weaver and Adora were the biggest fish in the pond. Go figure.
"Fine," Catra clicked her tongue, feeling quite literally as if she were making a deal with the devil. The irony was not lost on her. "We have a deal. I'm in."
"Splendid!" He smiled in delight. "Well then! With that out of the way, let's go to business."
Catra blinked. "I thought that was the business?"
"Oh, heavens no!" He chuckled indulgently. "That was the starter. Now we can discuss what matters."
"Of course, we can." Catra echoed, not much caring if she sounded fed up.
"Let's start with the most obvious conversation. Light."
She took it back. The man might actually be crazy. "...Light."
"Light travels from a source, an emitter so to speak. Its trajectory is one of a straight line until it reflects on a surface. Indeed, everything our eyes perceive, be it shape or colour, is the reflection of light that we can pick up on."
"I'm assuming there's a point to this?" Catra prodded.
"Of course." The man smiled, peering into her with a curious gaze. "Tell me, Clara. If what we see is formed and reflected by light, and light itself requires something to emit it; how can we see outside? How are day and night cycles created? How are light and shadows created?"
"...Huh." Catra blinked. How... how had she not thought of that? Wait. How had Entrapta never thought of that? Or at least mentioned it. Or maybe the residential genius hadn't stopped and considered. Which, fair enough, she supposed. Being a genius didn't mean she'd have all the answers. Still- "What?"
"There's a reason all the Princesses were willing to follow our lead when it came to technology." The man explains absentmindedly. "And the production of light, or rather the complete lack of it is only a by-product of the problem the Iglesia has always stood against." At Catra's still dumbfounded expression, his expression turned into a somewhat amused one. "The Heart of Etheria manages the entire planet's energy production. Ergo its name; the heart. For example, creating a bio-luminant Thermosphere that works in a clock-like period."
"You're seriously telling me you create the light of Etheria?" Catra asked incredulously.
"Not create, per see, but rather produce. And we don't know how it works - the knowledge has long since been lost to us. I doubt we could even if we wanted to." He admits easily. "We used to work in the shadows of The Pearnula Empire, once. While our religions... differed, they understood what was necessary, and did everything in their power to ensure we got the job done. Similarly, when the Heart's energy output started to deteriorate, they were held accountable by all the Princesses. Which, as I'm sure you've heard, is what spearheaded the start of the Princess Civil war eight centuries ago."
From what she heard, La Iglesia had all but spearheaded that endeavour, completely replacing it as the dominant religion. Which made her all the warier of making any type of alliance with the man.
Not that she'd say that out loud, of course. "Which is why you want an alliance with the Horde." Catra nodded, finally placing the pieces together. "You want us to function in much the same way the Pearnula Empire did. If more directly than previously."
"The brighter the light..." The Inquisitor trailed off, an affirming smile gracing his lips. "Thought I should correct you on one misconception. For goodwill, so to speak." He met her gaze, mirth fading into something far more intense. "It is not the Horde of Hordak we wish to ally ourselves with. Rather it is your Empire we wish for as an ally." The man tilted his head, contemplatively. "What you do with that knowledge is entirely up to you. Whether you start wars, overthrow or obey; we expect you to understand that our alliance is with you, and for you alone."
"...Ah." That was... nice, maybe. Certainly flattering, she supposed, though equally migraine-inducing. "I understand. This alliance is one I will treat with the utmost Honour."
"And with it, we too shall be allies you may rely on." He nodded solemnly, offering a hand she would wearily shake. "And now that we've spoken of the problem, we can now explain the cause." His hand still firm, the man's golden eyes met her own. "I will tell you of the Hearts secret, and why it is one we have carefully erased from our lands memories."
And with a single sentence, everything Catra thought she knew was entirely upturned.
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"-mark's the 21st's final report." The man saluted, taking a few steps back, standing in formation at the wall.
"Well then," Catra smiled, straitening her stack of papers as she turns towards the group. It was her 'of course I'm enjoying my work - no, of course, I wouldn't much rather sleep through this' smile. The one she was starting to get far too uncomfortably familiar with." As usual, we'll now be reviewing possible reforms and concepts to be implemented throughout the Horde. Dr Errapel, the table is your's."
Errapel twitched, visibly unused to his new position. His features still held some of their gauntness; though he held himself with a commendable amount of ease as he reached for his laptop.
She felt slightly bad for forcing him into representing the entirety of their research department. Because even if he was the best choice, psychology and biology were the only areas he held any interest in. But only slightly, she was being dragged into this meeting too, after all.
Damn, she really just wanted to nap.
She pushed her musing back as the large hologram lit at the centre of the room. "To start with," He fiddled with the keyboard, schematics flickering into life as a model of their tank came to life. "We will be discussing the state of our armoured-combative vehicles. To clarify, we decided to name our current modal the Pincer. A durable, all-terrain weapon which allows us to penetrate our enemy's defences either through firepower, or the structure of the tank's frontal shape. With that being said, our team found many flaws in the vehicle's design, both structurally and conceptually and, as such, decided to divide its function into two separate models."
Kodiak blinked, gaze sharpening as he interrupted the exposition. "Pardon me, Doctor, but would that not remove the entire purpose of the tank?"
The Doctor smiled, and Catra suspected he'd been hoping someone would question the concept. "A Tank has two main purposes, The first is the necessity of heavy breakthroughs at well-fortified defences. The second is its ability to shield more vulnerable troops from enemy magic. Which is to say, we are not removing the purpose of the tank, as much as modifying it to better suit its role."
Catra raised an eyebrow, leaning forward as she gazed at the two new models. "Color us intrigued, Doctor."
"Before anything else," The Doctor started, "Is the need to stress our team's belief that the Anti-Gravitational-Repulsion Technology incorporated in our ground vehicles is not only unnecessary; but a significant liability to its structural integrity. For this reason, we chose to take a step back and utilise our automaton foot soldiers, modifying and reinforcing its leg's for further stability and speed." Lips forming into a faint grin, he took a step back. "My Lady," Catra twitched at the address, "it's our distinct pleasure to introduce the Heavy Loxodonta Mk.4, and her sister, the Light Cervus Mk.6."
Another member walked forward, nodding at the Doctor before he turned towards them. "The Loxodonta, unlike its predecessor, does not carry any main weapons on herself. Rather, she possesses four turrets on each side of the vehicle, leaving no blind spots to approach. Its armour is significantly more effective than its predecessor, which, when combined with eight, heavily reinforced legs, virtually makes her into a walking bunker." The image flickered, going from the large, eight-legged vehicle to a smaller, six-legged one. "Now, if the Loxodonta embodies resilience, then Cervus embodies impact. While his armour is not quite as reinforced, it is still significantly more resilient than the previous model. However, it's the main mounted cannon that we felt would truly set it apart from any of the previous models. We redesigned the installed canons from Project Dreadnought: Avalanche, adjusting its recoil and weight for easier transport. Simply put, while we believe that either model alone is more than an appropriate improvement, combining both models in any battlefield would provide a near unquestionable dominance of any conflict."
Despite herself - and the nightmare of the incoming logistics -, Catra couldn't deny that she was impressed. Still, she felt the need to ask; "Was the Anti-Gravitational-Repulsion Technology removal only due to structural integrity? While weaker, it has proven to be incredibly agile in our conflicts against the Rebellion."
"We also took into account the number of rare materials required to build the technology, my Lady." Errapel intervened with a charming smile. Yeah, there was no way he wasn't doing that on purpose. "Our current numbers indicate that the Loxodonta requires a mere seventeen per cent of the scarce materials used by the Pincer. Similarly, Cervus requires twenty-three per cent of the materials used by the Pincer, though please take into account that we are making very rare comparisons since the quantity and type of materials used between models contain design differences."
"Assuming we give the green light to start their manufacturing," An elder man - For the life of her, Catra couldn't remember his name - interrupted, "What timeframe are we looking at?"
"In ideal conditions? Three to four months to redesign our main factory, and another month to build... oh, I believe our rough estimation was one-hundred and ten Cervus and seventy-five Loxondonta.
"Doctor," Catra hummed, eyeing the modal with genuine interest, "What would you recommend we do with the previous unit? The Pincer."
"If I may be frank, my Lady? Have them replaced for the newer models and decommission them for their parts. While not useless, we find them incredibly wasteful for the strain their cause in our supply chain."
She had the growing inking that efficient-resources-application was being highlighted due to her constant ranting. The fact that she'd fulminated enough times that her research department had taken it into account was rather telling.
"Which brings us to the crux of the matter," Kodiak sighed, "Resources. We've managed to mitigate the problem by prioritising and limiting it throughout our front. But we've started to reach the rock bottom of what we do, or rather, do not have."
"Which is why until we do find a solution," Catra stated after a moment of silence, "I've decided to suspend any planned or ongoing invasions. Furthermore," She raised her voice as others tried to interrupt her, "If strategically wasteful, we will pull back from the fronts, allowing a respite to both our supply and troops as we look for a solution to this crisis."
"With all due respect," A woman that name escaped Catra interrupted, "Many of our soldiers have died to either advance or maintain those fronts. To retreat with our tail between our legs now is..."
Catra grimaced, knowing exactly what point the woman was trying to make. "I have no intention of wasting the sacrifices our soldiers have made," Catra responds, feeling rather tired of the sheer formality she's found herself constantly returning to. "However, they died for far more than to simply gain some few metres of land. They died to ensure the Horde's victory. Our victory. If continuing expanding will lead to our demise then we owe it to the fallen to show restraint and wisdom." With that, Catra slowly stood, gaze sharpening as she slowly examined every single one of their gazes. "And if returning and regrouping are what it takes for us to win, then we're sure as hell owe it to them to carry through with it. Because of their sacrifice, and especially for the hopes their left to us. For the fallen."
Said older woman peered down at her, seemingly searching for something in her gaze as the second's tick by. And for all Catra doesn't know what, she met the woman's gaze without a thought, patiently waiting as silence fills the room.
"For those who have fallen." She finally murmured. Her expression was not quite happy; but certainly not unhappy with what she had found.
"For the fallen." The rest of the room echoed, somehow, the solemnly of the statement turning into fuel to their drive.
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She spat out a mouthful of dirt, ignoring the ache of her back as she forced herself back up. She usually enjoyed the growing burn that screamed throughout her muscles. But then, the adrenaline usually made it more than worth it, she thought irritatedly, using her spear to balance herself as she tried to steady herself on her feet.
Less enjoyable was being turned into a blob of bruises with no enjoyment of her own.
"Argh! Fiernz'ya-" Her fingers closed into a fist, a slight tremble flowing through her nerves as the pain grew. That hurt.
"That could have gone better." Julij sighed with a need to be overdramatic.
Catra sent them a glare with an accompanying snarl. "You've been holding back on me." She accused with a hiss.
And they'd been doing it a lot.
Almost as much as being forced to repeat the same set of movements for hours. Catra wasn't quite jesting when she said it'd been driving her insane.
"Correction. I was teaching you. Moving my level to slightly above your own is the best to create an appropriate level of growth."
She was sure that would have made some sense if it weren't hurting her bruised pride. "I'm quite familiar with pain, thank you." She bit out.
"And dirt." They added. For a moment, Catra thought of throwing her spear and trying her luck. "So! What have we learnt today?"
"To aim for the eye." She hissed instantly. And maybe kill that particularly annoying glint, she silently added.
"Good. That's good. Now, what have we learnt today that's useful."
Stab the eye twice, she thought frustratedly. "I don't know? Get faster?" She through her arms up in frustration. She wasn't sure as to the how, though. Dam it, her back was really starting to sting now.
Julij groaned, muttering something inconsequential as Catra walked towards the river. "You've got good instincts." They commented as she reached to wash her face. "But that in itself is a problem. You rely on them too much, and completely ignore the technique."
She squashed the urge to bristle, instead choosing to send a glare she'd concede was entirely petty. "If it works, it works."
"But it could work better."
And dammit, they had a point. Why did they always have to make it so damn logical? "Fine. How should I be fighting then?" She bit out, her pride particularly hurting.
"For one? You should use your knife more, so far it's been little more than decoration. Keep that up and the poor thing might think you forgot about it."
Catra's eye twitched, refusing to agree or deny.
"For another, you should try training outside of sparring. While live combat is the best teacher, it's useless if you don't learn from it. Here." They made a grabbing motion, catching both the knife and the spear with an insulting level of ease.
"Right. And what do I use geni-?" Catra barely has a moment to catch the flying claymore, feeling all the more insulted when the blade pulled her down with it.
Refusing to leave herself grovelling, she stabbed the blade into the ground in much the same manner Julij would, using it as a point of balance as she glowered at them.
"Good." Julij rolls their shoulders, smiling in amusement as they met her gaze.
And dissipate into a blur, among her in an instant with the tip of her spear already aiming for her neck.
Catra dodges, barely. Throwing her weight onto the claymore's hilt, forcing it to fall into a spin as the tip of the blade becomes a sharp uppercut.
Julij dodged, spear stabbed into the ground as the knife spun in their hand.
She pulled back, swinging the blade sideways as she aimed for their torso.
Just as it's about to reach she spun the hilt, a far thinner blade leaving the makeshift holster. The larger blade spins towards them, her thinner blade already aiming where they'd have to dodge.
"First Art; Mirum Iocus." Her spear glowed, a flicker of danger screaming at the back of her mind as she barely, barely ducks under the cut.
And blinks, trapped underneath as the dagger points innocently towards her.
Catra blinks. "The hell was that?" She managed to ask, gently walking the blade out of her face as she balanced herself upwards.
"Well, I'm no expert, but it appears to be a da-"
She was going to stab them. Long and bloody and- "Oh, for the love of-, the glow. You can use that on anything?"
Julij smirked, smug and fat to amused as they threw the spear back towards her, dagger still in hand as it glowed in their hand. "It's nothing overly fancy. I could make it work with a spoon if I was bored enough." The glow dissipates, nothing but her dagger remaining. "It-"
"Wait." Catra scowled, glaring at the dagger as she forced herself up. Again. "You didn't use the incantation."
Julij blinked. Meeting her gaze as the dagger starts to glow again. "Not really, no." They smirked, spinning the blade between their fingers with practised ease.
"I-, then what's the point of the incantation if you don't need them?" Catra frowned, expression turning contemplatively. If anything, saying those mouthfuls would just hinder one's ability to fight. Why would they-, oh. "It's a distraction!" She clicked her fingers, pointing at Julij with a satisfied smirk. "You catch them off guard with... the incantation." Her words trail off as Julij stares back in bewilderment.
"Er, no. I just thought it was funny." Julij shrugged. "For example; Mirum Iocus means surprise joke. I just make them up as I go to make things fancier."
"...What?"
"Joking." They snicker, "You'd be surprised how many people stop fighting when you scream some ancient language in the middle of crossing fists." Their expression turned more somber, hand cupping their chin in a thoughtful manner. "It'd be funny if it weren't so depressing."
For a moment, Catra just stara. Seconds ticked by as she tried to make sense of the... creature's mind.
Eventually, she simply nodded, walking towards the edge of the pier before throwing herself onto the ground. "Right. Of course." She replied with indulgent exasperation.
Julij blinked, before making a comprehensive sound. "Ah. You don't believe me, do you?" Catra hummed unclearly, not having much energy to confirm or deny the accusation. "Wait, wait, wait. I honestly was being serious! It really is-, oh, damn it." They groaned, realising that Catra had long stopped listening. "I kind of dug that grave, didn't I?" They sighed, sitting by the edge of the port.
"Sure, sure," Catra voiced absentmindedly, enjoying the sheer strangeness of smelling clean water.
Julij let out a low whistle, legs dangling down the structured stone as they admired the clear water. "Damn, your girl works fast. She had, what? Six days? Maybe seven?"
"She's been working on it for a month, apparently." Catra hummed, her eyes remaining closed. "Though the research department asked for permission six days ago;" Even if Catra had the growing irking that her permission was only a formality. "So who knows?"
"Hmm," Julij tilted their head. "Well, they did an amazing job. This place is too gloomy with all the storm clouds."
Catra was fairly certain that the storm clouds were the Horde's natural weather state; thought she was too petty to tell Julij about it right now. "It's always been stormy. As far as I've known it to be, at least." Catra shrugged instead, leaving her statement vaguer as she stifled a yawn.
"You did well today." Julij offered, pulling out they're lighter as a faint, blue flame alighted in their palm. "These things take time, Clara. You're doing better than... pretty much anyone I've ever seen, honestly."
"Maybe," Catra conceded, feeling as her breathing slowed. "But better doesn't mean good enough, does it?"
"Sometimes it doesn't." They agreed, placing a cigarette between their lips. "And sometimes, it just might." They let out a breath of smoke, watching as the small cloud dissipates into the sky.
"...Could you not." Catra wrinkled her nose. "Those things reek."
"Aww." The cooed exaggeratedly. "Does my little bright-kitty not stand the smell of smoke?"
"...Julij?"
"Yes, Clara?"
"Fiernz'ya yourself, please."
Julij through their head back, a startled laugh escaping their lips. "That is not how you use that swear, kitty."
"You have my entire faith that you'll figure out the implication behind them." Catra drawled.
A faint breeze passed by her, the pleasant smell of salty sea reaching her as she focused entirely on the gentle crash of waves.
"You know," Julij mentioned absentmindedly. "I was being genuine when I said you were doing well." They let out another breath of smoke, turning their head slightly so they can gaze at her. "You have so much potential, kid. I sometimes find myself hoping I could strangle whichever trainer let it all to waste."
"Don't make this awkward, idiot." Catra huffed, ignoring the slight growing heat on her cheeks. "I already know I'm amazing."
"So you don't have a problem with me saying how amazing my adorable little student is?" Catra's eye twitched, contemplating whether or not she'd be able to reach for her dagger with enough subtleness. "Because I turned down a fair number of people that asked to learn under me, terrible reputation or not." Their expression turned more serious, peering into her as if they were waiting for something from her. "She-ra included, by the way."
Catra blinked once. Then twice. She stops herself from doing it thrice, turning slightly as she sent them an incredulous stare. "The alliance?" She manages to croak out, not quite sure how she feels about that idea.
"I did consider it." Julij shamelessly replied. "I see why you like her, she's a sweet girl. If a little too clumsy."
"I really don't." Catra clicked her tongue. "So why didn't you? If She-ra was so-" And here, Catra's lips do twitch "-acceptable?"
"Because when she came to ask me, she wasn't asking for herself. It was because she was ordered." Here, their expression did turn slightly mirthless. "And do you want to know something more, Clara? I am very tired of living in a world of orders."
Catra stared for a moment longer, nodding slowly even if she wasn't quite sure of the point they were trying to make. "Well," She replies instead. "As long as it's clear I'm your favourite."
She regretted it the moment it left her lips, groaning as a delighted smirk graces Julij's lips. "Wh-"
"Oh, do be quiet, you." Catra huffed, barely managing to suppress the embarrassed groan as she rolled her back towards them.
A moment of peaceful silence passed. With nothing but the slight growling of the sky's filling the silence.
"...What's that?" Julij asked, leaning slightly forward as they stare down into the water.
"The what?" Catra sighed, leaning slightly as she peers into the water.
"Er-, see there? It's like a shadowy-"
Catra yelps, face slamming into the freezing water. Worse, she swallows a mouthful of it. Momentarily shocked as her sour limbs flay manically through the water.
Choking, she reached for the surface, taking a mouthful of air as she vehemently glared at the laughing figure of her definitely not a friend.
"The hell?" She growls out, glaring at the giggling figure above her.
"O-oh!" They choke out. "Aww, is my little bright-kitten upset at a little cold?" They cooed exaggeratedly before laughing even louder. "That was brilliant! I can't believe you fall for something so-"
They never finish their sentence. A satisfied smirk forms on Catra's lips as her splash slams into their face.
"Aww," She echoes as they let out a splutter. "Is big bad Julij scared of a little water? Don't worry, I'm sure you-" Her sentence finishes with an undignified squeak, covering her face as Julij body-slams into the water.
For a moment, they both stared at each other, eyes narrow as the calm waves stand still for the smallest of moments.
And then Catra grinned, letting out a war cry as she slammed herself into the water, squinting as Julij threw a wave of water back at her.
And for all her training regimen went completely out of the window, she couldn't quite bring herself to care. Not at the moment. And not even with her fur coated with water and salt.
Not when she was unable to stop laughing, her hair soaked as Julij is dunked into the near coasted water.
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Before anything else, I wanted to give a big thank you Hubris+ for reading through the mess that's my grammar - It's always appreciated!
Huh, a new chapter is finally out; finally. I had half this chapter ready by the end of the first week, things in life just... got complicated - I'm working on it, but should be fairly under control by the end of this or next month.
But hey! Finally, I can start throwing all this in-depth lore everywhere. Not going to mention much, since half my fun in writing this is letting others try to figure out what the hell going on, but I will mention this is going to be very relevant for this fic. That's it tho. Yes, me having a problem with there not being a sun turned into becoming a centred story-point that will revolve around the character development. Sue me.
On another note, the Horde meeting was a bit of an explanation as an actual independent organisation structure started developing. That's probably the most technical I'll ever get with Horde weaponry and equipment, something to show that there is technical development in the background without boring everyone with facts that weren't all that relevant to this fic.
Loxodonta and Cervus are loosely based on Iron Order's Heavy and Hunter Mech respectively - I'm fairly certain I've mentioned I'd be using inspiration from other fandoms when writing this one, but If I didn't, here's your warning. Context-wise, these mechs are constructed for difficult-to-move terrain - which in Etheria, where the majority of territory has little to know industrialisation means that they're designed for the majority of it.
And before you say the Loxodonta's role as a damage absorber is a terrible idea; I know. Again, military technology is a new science in this world. Much like our World War, the idea is that one tank will absorb the damage, while the other will deal the damage. Of course, as time passes their going to realise that tanks are much more appropriate as heavy and quick hitters rather than the usually believed role of 'tanks'.
Technology-wise is a little difficult to explain. On one side, Hordak brings a sci-fi level of technology and knowledge which would usually take a millennium or two to reach - ignoring La Iglesia's sabotage of its development. On the other, Etheria is so far behind, it tends to mix in some strange level of Steam Punk that's only just started to take root now in the Horde.
And then there's Julij. This character in particular has been edited so many times through the years, that by this point they're completely unrecognisable compared to what I'd started. Ironically, what was going to start as a very minor Rebellion side character is going to end up being Catra's mentor (maybe-maybe-not parental figure; hell if I know). I just felt it appropriate that if anyone would work, it'd be an adult who liked messing with people just as much as Catra while being even better at it than even she was.
Nonetheless, if you felt I should have written something differently, be it personality and/or displays of different states of mentality, please leave a comment! Any advice is welcome and appreciated!
Anyways, I'll See you next time! Ciao!
~ Sapphire and Emeralds