"What is a princess ball?" Catra asks as she picks up a scroll on Glimmer's dresser.
Glimmer drops her jaw and says, "What is a princess ball? Are you seriously asking me that right now?"
Catra squints at her, not understanding the implications of what she had just asked, because well, it was a simple question about something she'd never heard of. "Yes," she nearly hisses.
The princess drops the mirror she was looking into and gets up with Bow until they're both standing in front of her. "The All Princess Ball is a tradition amongst the kingdoms. It happens once every decade and it's finally my chance to go!" Glimmer explains with a little too much enthusiasm.
"Yeah," Bow says, "it's a place where all the princesses and their guests go to hang out and have fun!"
"Sounds stupid," Catra's sardonic tone doesn't deflate Glimmer whatsoever.
"Of course, you're going to bash it. You're from the Horde. They probably told you we roast children and perform seances or something." Glimmer folds her arms like she's won.
She wasn't wrong, but Catra would never admit defeat. "Psht, no. More of a ritualistic cock-fighting kind of deal."
Bow balks at her, "Seriously?" he asks.
Catra simply shrugs her shoulders.
"Well, you're all wrong. It's a fun get together, where war and discrepancies aren't allowed. It's just a fun night to get away from it all and pretend like there isn't an army trying to destroy our entire planet." The princess is winded by the time she finishes, but she does have a point Catra supposes. Seeing as she's been on the shit end of a lot of what the Horde has done to her recently. "I wish you could go," she continues, "but it's for princesses and their guests only. And Bow's my plus one, so I don't know –"
In the split moment between what Glimmer was going to say and what Bow says, Catra's face falls facetiously like she was going to miss out on a banger. But Bow just has to open his mouth.
"Actually, I'm going with Princess Perfuma," he says nonchalantly. "So, now you can go!"
"What!?" Glimmer shrieks and hurts everyone's ears. "But you and I always go!"
"Yeah, and now thankfully, I have a date, and you can bring Catra."
"But!" the princess whines. "It won't be the same." Glimmer isn't sure what she's feeling in this moment, but her emotions are raging at the idea of Bow dancing with an unmated alpha – cringe.
"I don't mind not going," Catra interrupts.
"Shut it!" the princess yells, and Catra mimes her face as she mocks Glimmer.
He stands and moves to walk out of the room, "it'll be fine Glimmer," Bow says. "I'm allowed to hang out with other friends." He finalizes his statement with the closing of the door and doesn't offer Glimmer another moment to speak.
The princess guffaws at her bestest and closest friend's nonchalance at the whole thing. Sure, she could bring Catra now, but that's completely sidestepping the whole thing!
"Damn, Sparkles." Catra says with a shit eating grin.
But then, the righteous fury of the princess turns onto the feline. "Oh, don't you even start. I am putting you in a dress!"
Catra's ears fall behind her head, and she hisses at the princess.
"That's right! Behold my fury!" Glimmer runs at the feline.
All Catra can seem to get out in the split moment before she's teleported by a leaping princess is "Glim, no!"
The princess teleports them to the top of Glimmer's room where her bed hangs. She laughs hysterically as they land, "you should see the look on your face!" she says as she hovers over Catra's petrified body.
The feline's eyes are bulging. Then, she sits up quickly shoving Glimmer off her to lean over the edge.
"Oh, c'mon. You're not afraid of heights, are you?" The princess takes once last chuckle before she begins to hear dry heaving. She rises quickly to move closer to Catra and puts a hand on her friend's back. "Shoot! I thought it would be funny, I'm sorry." She watches as Catra gags on nothing but the swirling her insides are doing.
Catra finally just closes her eyes and breathes in slowly – hoping the moment would just pass already – all while Glimmer never stops rubbing gently on the feline's back. The small circles Glimmer rubs begin to soothe her some.
After a moment or two more of silence Glimmer asks gently, "are you okay?"
"S'fine, Sparkles" she manages to get out. Catra sits back on her feet and Glimmer gives her some space. "Who do I need to nag to get my bed up here?"
The change of subject is a nice deflection and Glimmer happily takes it. "I'll let Hermon know you'd like a change."
Catra simply nods once as she contemplates what she could leap down on that would give her the safest landing.
"You don't have to go," Glimmer says tenderly.
Catra looks to her questioningly.
"To the ball," she clarifies. "I know it'll probably be nothing you're used to and there are a ton of rules." Glimmer chuckles lightly, "which I'm sure you'd probably ignore." She adds that last part under her breath, but Catra's ears could hear a pin drop in this massive suite.
"Yeah, probably." Catra bites her lip in contemplation.
An awkward tension fills the room as neither speaks for a pregnant moment.
But Glimmer's weakness for the uncomfortable causes her to fold first. "But I mean, that's not me uninviting you, or anything. I just wanted you to know that if you really didn't want to go, that you wouldn't have to worry about it. There would be no hard feelings or anything."
Catra just continues to stare at the princess with a look of confusion and feigning offense.
"Seriously!" Glimmer continues, "I won't be mad. And you wouldn't have to go, but I'd love to have you as my date. I mean, okay maybe not date, but my plus one." Catra's expression deepens in offense. "Not that you wouldn't make a great date! I'm just saying that you know, I don't think either of us would want it to be a date. Not that I don't want to date you, or anything. I just don't really think of you like that. Even though you're like totally hot." Glimmer makes a noise along the lines of a squeal and a chirp as she tries to shut her rambling ass mouth up.
"You think I'm hot?" the feline says with the straightest face possible until she just can't hold it in any longer. Catra just bursts into a raucous round of laughter. She laughs so hard that she grabs at her stomach from the clenching pain it brings her. Tears begin to fall from her eyes and Glimmer does not think it's nearly this funny. "You should've seen your face." A few more boisterous laughing fits later and Catra finally sighs in content.
"You're an asshole," Glimmer says.
"So I've been told. That's what you get for messing with me," the feline finalizes her point with her flinger poking at the princess's forehead. "Next time, think before you act, Sparkles." And with that, Catra leaps from the bed down onto one of the nearby stools.
Glimmer makes an impressed face as she steels herself once more before teleporting down. "Well, so what's the deal? Are you going with me, or not?"
"Well, gee don't get all sentimental on me or anything…"
Glimmer can't tell if she's messing with her or not. "You know what I mean." Gimmer crosses her arms over her chest.
A hefty sigh escapes Catra's lips. "I guess… since you're so desperate."
A loud, single bark of laughter comes from the doorway and the pair turn to face Mermista. "Good one," is all the woman says. The princess makes eye contact with Catra and the two share an amused look.
Glimmer acknowledges the other princess, "did you even knock?"
"Didn't need to. I could hear you lovebirds bickering from outside."
The two in reference look at each other with owlishly large eyes and begin to studder out their own explanations, each talking over the other.
"Save it," Mermista says as she raises her hand. "I'm going too, but before either of you asks me, I already have a ride."
"Aw shoot Merms," Catra says playfully. "And I was so hoping to escort you to the evening's pompous festivities." She even snaps her fingers for emphasis.
Glimmer shoves her elbow into the feline's ribs which earns her a glare and a hiss.
"Careful, don't poke the kitty too hard," Mermista intones her own meaning into the phrase as she walks away.
Glimmer just rolls her eyes and growls out a groan – her fluster apparent – as she closes the door.
"What, Sparkles? You don't want to poke me anymore in front of Mermista?" Catra's demeanor is nonchalant.
But Glimmer gets closer into Catra's space and their faces are inches apart. "I don't think you'd be able to handle this. It's nothing personal." The princess turns and walks back into the center of the room leaving Catra more than a touch pink. "Now, back to logistics. I was thinking of wearing purple! We could match –"
"No way in hell am I wearing purple. I'm wearing red. I look good in red. And I'm sure as fuck not going to wear a dress."
"You're not?" Glimmer asks as if the feline had a second head.
"No, gross. I'm not into it. I look good in it, but I'm not trying to attract anybody."
"Well, I get that. But you don't want to dress up, even if it's just for yourself? Look pretty?"
"Pretty? Ew, no. Descriptive words I will accept are," she pulls her hand up to count on her fingers, "hot, sexy, gorgeous. I'll even accept sensational and handsome; charming is one of my go-to's. But I hate pretty."
Glimmer puts her hands up in a mock defensive position. "Good to know," she smiles wryly.
"Also, why did you say that you 'get that?' I'm not trying to attract any dumb alphas, but I can definitely get anyone at your stupid ball thing."
Glimmer looks at the feline disbelieving, "you're serious?" Catra just looks at her, deadpan. "You're clearly into this Adora person."
"What?! I'm not into Adora."
The singular raised eyebrow expresses exactly how much Glimmer believes that line.
"I'm not! She's just… ugh. You wouldn't understand."
"I wouldn't understand loving someone who means the world to you, but you're too afraid to do anything about it, because you're worried they'll never feel the same and they constantly overlook you? Yeah, I totally couldn't understand that…"
Catra grimaces, "it's not the same as you and Bow."
"How not!? It's literally the same, but Adora is obviously in love with you. I mean she's a little obsessed." Glimmer rolls her eyes playfully, but it doesn't land well.
"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about." It's not that Catra thinks Glimmer is lying that's causing this reaction; it's that the princess could be right, and it scares the living shit out of her. Plus, relationships in the Horde are different. They didn't get the healthy attachment style that Glimmer and Bow grew up with. They got hell. And what do you do when the incarnation of Satan raises you? You survive until the day comes where you can be free from the oppression. That's all they've done their whole lives is protect and look out for each other.
Glimmer's face falls, "you're right. I'm sorry." After a pregnant pause Glimmer continues, "so, what are you going to wear, then?"
Catra smiles a Cheshire cat grin – her fang even sparkles. "Well, now, I don't know. I was going to wear a suit."
"Oh! That's totally cool. Spineralla's wife showed us her suit she wore to the previous ball." The encouraging tone was pleasant if not a little condescending, but Catra will take the nicety.
A moment later the feline is standing in front of Glimmer and her rack of dresses that she had been able to scour up. She had decided that if there isn't anything she absolutely loves in here, then she'd get Glimmer to call on their tailor for a custom suit. It's a win/win honestly.
Catra is still unsure about going to the ball, though. But that was until Glimmer started mentioning how she could get closer to Princess Frosta, and maybe a few other influential people, to get support within the rebellion. At least that's how she's going to swing it to her mother. In addition to that little gem, she's going to reason with her mother that Catra has to go. It will show the kingdoms that people from the Horde are just as trapped in this war as anyone else. Which means we need to rise together to bring the war to an end – or some other random foo-foo crap she said.
It's a bit of a stretch for Catra, but she's just more interested in proving Glitter wrong about being into Adora. She cares for Adora, and the dummy is gorgeous too, but that doesn't mean she's into Catra. They've just always been really close friends. Besides, it's not like Adora has ever shown any interest. It's always been about survival.
She shakes the thoughts from clouding her judgment any further, and she turns her attention back to what's in front of her.
The rack is full of floofy dresses, short dresses, long dresses and even revealing dresses. Those catch Catra's attention first. She pulls one off the rack and puts it up against her frame to get a look in the mirror. It's also the first one she decides to try on.
Catra steps back in front of the mirror after a quick change in the closet. She's in a long black gown with a slit opening the fabric from her left hip all the way down to reveal her entire left leg. The fabric on her torso crosses over just above her stomach, and the fabric wraps around her chest enough to cover her breasts before ascending upwards and around the back of her neck. It reveals plenty and when she turns to see Glimmer's reaction, she only catches the woman looking away and sporting a very red face. The feline chuckles at her flustered state, but she decides to move onto another option.
The next one off the rack is this deep maroon dress that nearly matches the color of her leggings. It, surprisingly, fits her frame as the fabric mostly covers her torso, but not past her cleavage, and descends only to her upper thigh. On both sides, running down the length of the dress, is an opening that's only held closed by a single crosshatch of lace. Catra makes sure to pull it down a little more without exposing herself up top. She turns her eyes in the mirror towards a very bored looking Glimmer sitting on a stool in the middle of the room. "What d'you think?" She sways her tail for good measure, but there's obviously no hole for it poke through, so it awkwardly lumps up the back of the dress.
A tomato. That's the closest color depiction Catra can think of when Glimmer finally looks at her in the dress. "For crying out loud! This is a ball, not cocktail hour down at the pier." The princess whirls her head back around and stares at a wall across the room.
Catra's light squeaky chuckle fills both of their ears. "Damn Sparkles. Getting a little flustered, are we?"
Glimmer's responds with "can you blame me? I'm only just coming off my heat."
The feline continues to laugh as she rummages for another option. She's never had a heat before but has heard a few things. The lecture they got after Adora had left was full of medical stuff, but didn't really dive into the person's experience. "What does that matter?"
Glimmer turns to look at her, then turns away quickly as Catra has just decided to undress right in front of her instead of returning to the closet. The princess groans in frustration with her rebellious body and hears a squeaky laugh from behind her. She rolls her eyes but decides to answer her question anyways. "When somebody is on their heat cycle their hormones kick into overdrive. It's the body's way of telling an omega that it's time to mate and have kids. But it's all instinctual. Sometimes it feels like you have no control over yourself and you just want. You desire to be…" she pauses to find a good word. "You desire to be mated."
"So, you just feel like you want sex?" Catra asks as she rifles through finding another dress.
"Yeah, but it's more than that too. Let's take you for example. Obviously, you have qualities that are… nice," she grits out through her teeth. "And so, I notice that you look nice, and it makes me more flustered than usual. But there's also times where, when it's someone you really want, it's like your body craves them. It feels like their touch electrifies your skin and your heart races in your chest at the prospect of being close to them. And even the idea of them wanting you like you want them makes all rational thoughts go out the window, and you just start pining for this person like they give you air to breath."
Catra thinks deeply about what Glimmer is saying, because it wasn't described like that in the Horde. "Damn."
Glimmer just nods her head. "It can be so overwhelming sometimes that the instincts just take over, too. I've heard of princesses back in the day that would be deprived of touch, or relief, during their heats. Then, government councils would choose the princess's mate, and the omega would be so deprived of touch and desperate to feel mated, that they would basically cave into their instincts when the chosen mate would be given to them. When they finally mated, they were considered one unit and there was no choice in the matter. It's how a lot of forced marriages and kingdom unities were established before. The omega would usually have their first child after they mated. That way the kingdom would have an heir.
"That was before my parents put a stop to it, though. With the last princess alliance they established rules throughout the kingdoms that couldn't be broken, and that was one of them."
"That's disturbing."
"Uh, yeah. Thankfully, my mom had been given off in the same way, but she absolutely adored my dad." Glimmer says with a far off look in her eyes. "But they had also seen the worst aspects of it as well, and they didn't want that for me, or anyone else."
"So, they got rid of it for you? Cute." Catra's words have no heat in them. She's smart. She can learn a lot from a situation without having to ask questions and one question she didn't have to ask is where Glimmer's dad is now. Not only does she not care to dredge up shitty feelings, but she also doesn't like to open wounds that other's would rather keep hidden. Catra wouldn't want it done to her, so…
"Yeah, it's really sweet." Her face falls only for a second. "I wouldn't ever have a chance with Bow if the rules existed still."
"Why not?"
"He's also an omega. So, since we couldn't have kids, and he also doesn't come from a very affluential family, it would never be allowed."
Catra simply nods in understanding and the topic sort of just dies naturally.
The feline's eyes scan the rack for a few more moments before she pulls off another black dress. It's not as lengthy as the first, but definitely not as short as the second. This one hugs her frame and is attached all the way around. There's a window in the front that's opened enough to expose her cleavage and another opening on each side of her ribs – you can see her stripes, and it makes her feel powerful. It also comes with long fingerless gloves that go up past her elbows.
After a moment of adjusting, she directs her attention back to the nervous princess. "Alright, Sparkles. How's this one?"
The woman turns to face Catra expecting the most revealing option yet, but instead she's pleasantly surprised. "Well, it's not as bad as the second one. I love how you can see your stripes on your sides."
"Same!" Catra says enthusiastically as she gently slides her hands down each side. "It's definitely not as short, but it's still eye catching."
"Mhm" is all the princess can muster before turning a bit pink. "Great! So, is this the one?"
"Well," Catra drawls out. "I don't know. Still thinking about the suit."
Glimmer puts her hand to her forehead in attempts to control her emotions. "It's whatever you want. The dress looks amazing and I'm sure you'll look great in a suit, too."
"Oh, I definitely do." Catra turns back to face the mirror and adjust the sleeves on the gloves. "I'll think about it. Have your tailor make an appointment with me, yano, so I can see all my options." The feline smirks back at Glimmer with her fang just catching her lip.
The animalistic groan that comes from Glimmer, clearly from frustration with this whole situation, almost hurts Catra's ears. She does have to admit, getting to the sparkly princess puts a beaming smile on her face.
Glimmer throws a pillow at Catra before she teleports out of the room.
Scorpia begins trying on dresses. Ever since Adora filled her with so much confidence, she's actually been pretty excited about the ball. It'll be fun, and the food will probably be good. She's going to make sure she enjoys herself before the real excitement begins.
Oh yeah, they've concocted a devious plan and it's a sure-fire, grad-A plan. It'll definitely work.
The dress she tries on first is a long black gown and her pincers have bracelet corsages with black roses. She turns around to get Adora's opinion, but the woman is dead set focused on the invitation scroll. "Look, I know there are a ton of rules," Scorpia says, "but as long as you stay respectful, it'll go pretty smoothly."
The blonde shakes her head at that response. Without lifting her eyes from the page, she says, "that's what losers say. I am going to crush this ball. I've already developed a network of a few relationships on this chart from some of the intel on the guests who'll be attending." She points at said chart with a pointer stick. "Princess Glimmer will be attending with the archer. They've been seen together almost exclusively on every mission." She moves the pointer and smacks the paper. "This is Princess Mermista. Considering that we just took over her land, she probably won't be thrilled to see us. Thankfully, because of the clauses in place that prohibit any conflict from the outside, we shouldn't run into any problems. This," the pointer slaps again, "is Princess Frosta. She'll be hosting the event in the kingdom of Snows."
Scorpia just stares. "Wow, okay buddy. Uhm. Do you know what you're going to wear?"
"Wear?"
"Yeah, like a dress," Scorpia gestures to her body. "Or a suit. It really doesn't matter, but you need to dress nice. It's a fancy occasion and –"
"Ah! Here," Adora says as she reads from a random portion of the invitation. "It says that attire must be formal. Well, it doesn't specify that I have to wear a dress and I'm sure I could maneuver much easier in a suit."
"Uh, yeah! Sure, if that's what you're going for. What do you think about mine?" Scorpia waits expectantly.
Adora glances up at the woman for a brief moment and then back down at the invitation. "Looks fine."
Scorpia drops her claws to her sides in disappointment and shakes her head as she walks back to her closet for another option. She yells from the closet space, "you really should relax. When was the last time you actually enjoyed yourself?"
The blonde's brow creases, "I enjoy myself all the time. I like to organize intel and devise plans. It's so fun! Plus, it'll put us one step closer to finding Catra."
"That's not what I mean. Have you ever done anything that puts you at ease? Like taking a nap, or a long hot shower?" The larger woman comes out of the closet and checks herself in the small mirror before turning back to Adora.
"Looks good," she says quickly. "But I do relax."
Scopria's face turns downcast at the hardly-a-response to her dress. It's a shorter hemmed gown in burgundy. She sighs and returns to find a different dress. "Yeah, making plans and focusing on missions isn't relaxing, it's a distraction."
Adora scoffs as she stumbles over what to say next, "psh, like, that's so not true! Distract me from what? I don't need distractions. I just need to finish what I'm preparing and planning for so that I can move onto the next mission." It all makes perfect sense in her head.
"You mean, you're not distracting yourself from your very real feelings and emotions about a certain someone you've been a tad bit obsessed over?"
As if Adora couldn't scoff any louder – never doubt her, she is a winner. "I am not obsessed! She's my best friend. In enemy territory! If you were that close to someone, you'd be worried too." Her rant loses some steam by the end. The emotions rising in her stomach don't feel good at all. "Why would I focus on my feelings when they can't do anything to help what's actually happening? They're the distraction," she says the last part under her breath.
Scorpia exits the closet and sits next to her friend. A large claw is rested over the blonde's shoulder. "I know buddy. But emotions help us understand what we're going through. If we listen to them, we might be able to learn from them."
Adora sniffs at her nose and quickly wipes at her eyes. "But I miss her, and I'm scared for her. Those don't help anything but remind me that I've failed."
"Whoa, what? Noooo. That's not it at all." Adora looks up at Scorpia confused and the larger woman just hugs her. "You need better listening ears, my friend. They aren't telling you, you failed. They're telling you that you care deeply about Catra, and that you'd do anything to protect her. That she's a very important person to you. Sometimes those reminders teach us what's truly important and helps us prioritize our decisions. Don't let them shame you."
"But," Adora's voice cracks and she rolls her eyes, frustrated with her vulnerability. "But emotions just get in the way. They're a distraction. Shadow Weaver said –"
"Shadow Weaver is not a great example of emotional intelligence. You're talking about what an old bitter woman said to you?" Adora just stares at her in disbelief. "Adora, Shadow Weaver is a brilliant strategist, if not a tad narcissistic, but she knows nothing about feelings, or friendship."
The Scorpioni's words are pretty undeniable. She's known for a long time that Shadow Weaver raises her wards to be capable and strong, but she hasn't ever taught Adora how to deal with her anger or distress. She especially doesn't appreciate Shadow Weaver's flagrant disregard for Catra, or their previous mission.
It's like the puzzle pieces are beginning to come together and almost make the final picture. She's just missing a few pieces to see it for exactly how it should look, and that frustrates her to no end.
"Yeah, I guess I've never really looked at it like that. I always want to do my best and make her proud, especially because Catra messes up so much. I just wanted to take some of the heat off her. Shadow Weaver always catches her misbehaving, and she punishes her the worst."
"Yikes, yeah it makes sense why you throw yourself into your work so much. Just," Scorpia moves to sit in front of Adora. "Make sure you're doing it because you want to. Catra isn't here to get in trouble anymore. What does that mean for you, now?"
"Well, but when I rescue her and she comes back home, then I'll have to keep doing it."
"But you haven't even been in the same unit for a few months now. What will it really look like when you find her and bring her back?"
That makes Adora stop in her tracks. She has been pushing herself like a mad woman for so long now to find Catra and bring her home, but what will that even look like? She wants to bring her home obviously so she can be safe from the princesses' torture, but she'd be right back in this place with Shadow Weaver. Back in their old unit that Adora can't even protect her from.
"Really makes ya think," Scorpia just randomly drops. "Welp! We should find that outfit you're going to wear. Can't go to the ball in Horde issued clothes, now can we?" She chuckles awkwardly and slaps Adora's back with a giant claw. The larger woman goes into the closet to try on something else.
The blond nearly falls to the ground after her body is propelled forward from the impact of Scorpia's claw. It also nearly knocks the wind out of her, but weirdly it helps her regain her focus. She does need an outfit because she's going to go save Catra. No matter what, at least she'll be safe with Adora again. Then, Adora can figure it all out from there.
Catra and Glimmer arrive at the ball and they walk in easily dropping their coats off at the door. They gave Catra a weird look and she wasn't sure how she should interpret it. Were they being racist, or they've just never seen a Magicat before? Catra rubs her arm in discomfort as they walk in – it's much colder than Catra had expected.
"Should've went with the suit, huh?" Glimmer's tone is mocking and Catra will have nothing to do with it.
The feline just walks in and doesn't bother giving the princess a response other than a glare. She did go with the mid length gown that showed off her cleavage. She's sure she'd garner some looks, but Catra is starting to wonder if it's going to be more due to her race than her clothes.
"Hey," Glimmer says lightly. "You look hot. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. They can all suck it." She laughs as they ascend the steps to greet the host.
"Shut it, Sparkles." Catra says it under her breath, with a small smirk, just before they reach Princess Frosta. The pair bows for the correct amount of time and Catra's able to get a good look at the so called 'Revered Hostess.' She's short and young as hell, but Catra had known that already. She made sure to get the down low from Bow on everyone she'd need to know about.
As they walk off, they're greeted by Entrapta obnoxiously waving a recorder in their faces. "Hour one of the social experiment," she mutters to herself, supposedly, "it seems that everyone is enjoying the cozy atmosphere despite the actual temperature ranging from negative 5 to zero degrees Celsius."
Catra rolls her eyes as she watches the weirdo walk away to eat small shrimp appetizers. Her gaze lands on the entrance and she watches as Bow and Perfuma enter the ball. They're paired up nicely as their outfits match and it's the first time she's seen the flower princess looking so dressed up. It's so much prettier than her smock of a dress she wears on the regular, Catra thinks.
"I can't believe it!" Glimmer says, "They're even matching! That's our thing" she whines out the last word.
Catra rolls her eyes again and this time she's joined by Mermista. "What's eating the sparkly one?" the princess asks.
The feline simply points in the direction of Bow, and Mermista hums in understanding.
"Feelings seem to be getting hurt," Entrapta unhelpfully provides.
"I don't know whatever that is, but I'm going to go find something to drink," the princess droles out.
"My dearest, Mermista!"
The aforementioned princess turns as bright red as her dark skin will allow when Sea Hawk calls out her name. Catra snickers as her embarrassment. "Aw Merms, you didn't tell us you were bringing a date."
"He's just my ride. Just. My. Ride."
"Oh, I'm definitely her plus one," he interjects.
Nope, she was wrong. Mermista's complexion could go a shade or two darker in red. The princess just groans and leaves the vicinity.
After Catra chuckles at the awkwardness, she turns her attention back to Glimmer who is staring at the entrance with her mouth wide open. Catra looks to where her gaze lingers and notices Adora on the arm of some great big woman. Her heart immediately drops into her core at the sight, and her breathing increases. The blood rushes into her ears, and she can hardly think. Adora is here. But with someone else. Catra has never… no wait. She has seen her before. When they seized the Seagate.
The feline turns and runs to find some lost corner that she can hide in when her thoughts begin to attack. She never wanted you, Shadow Weaver would say. You're a distraction. And it proves correct when Adora, her closest friend, just shows up to some party when, for all she knows, Catra could be anywhere dying in a ditch somewhere. But she's here at this party, with some woman! A snarl escapes her throat as Glimmer walks closer.
The princess has her hands up in mock surrender. "Hey there, so… that happened. Why do you think they're here. We should say something, right?"
Catra just turns into the corner she's propped herself up against and ignores what she says. This whole plan was bullshit from the very beginning.
Entrapta moves closer with her recording device. "Catra, tell us how you feel about your mate bringing another woman?"
The growl and hiss that leaves Catra's mouth is enough to shut up the princess and have her be pushed back out into the crowd by Glimmer. "Ugh, okay. Just stay here. I'm going to go find Bow and address this to Princess Frosta."
As Adora walks into the castle she looks up and down at the architecture. She makes sure to take in every ounce of detail for any future debriefings from this mission. But as soon as a familiar scent hits her nose, she can hardly focus. Her eyes shift all over the open room – looking from one face to the next in hopes of seeing her. But she doesn't spot her.
Scorpia looks over and sees Adora's distressed face. "Hey, I smell it too buddy. I wonder if it's Princess Glimmer. I bet she's here. And if she's been a key component in Catra's imprisonment, then she sure will smell like her, huh?"
That makes so much sense. The disappointing feeling in the pit of Adora's stomach makes her tear up, but she blinks them away before anyone can notice. She'll just blame it on the cold temperatures drying out her eyes.
Then, in an instant, Glimmer appears just before they can make it up to see the revered hostess. "What are you playing at?" The sparkling princess shoves her pointer finger directly into Adora's face.
"What I'm playing at?" the question is followed by a deep guttural growl that reverberates through Adora's bones.
Scorpia pats the arm that Adora had linked through her own. Feeling the tension between the two growing, she tries to defuse it. "Hello!" she beams towards Princess Glimmer and the volume of the greeting makes the princess squint her face in pain. "We're here for the ball. I was invited and this is my plus one."
Glimmer turns on a dime and heads straight for the hostess. "Revered Hostess, you can't let them in! They're from the Horde!"
Scorpia and Adora both flinch in pain from the princess's own sheer volume in this echo-chamber of a room.
But Princess Frosta raises her hand halting Gimmer from continuing. "The rules clearly state that Princesses who are invited are welcome along with their plus one. Conflict will be left at the door. That includes princesses who come from the Horde. Now, be gone! Enjoy the festivities."
Glimmer groans and looks back at the pair with her menacing eyes.
Adora can smell Catra's scent. When the princess moves to walk past her, Adora grabs Glimmer by the upper arm and takes another deep inhale. "I can smell her all over you. I know you have her locked away in some prison cell." Her eyes darken and grow angry. "I'm going to get her back from you."
"First of all, ouch." Glimmer yanks her arm out of Adora's grip. "Secondly, you don't have to travel too far, trust me." The princess rolls her eyes as she walks past the duo and it makes flames enrage in Adora's stomach. She isn't too sure what it was supposed to mean, but the princess will get what's coming to her soon enough.
Adora turns to Scorpia while her eyes linger on her surroundings. She whispers, "alright, stage one, commence."
The larger woman nods in affirmation, and they part ways.
"Oh, my stars! Your girlfriend is so annoying. I don't know why you like her." Glimmer crosses her arms as she plops down onto a nearby chair.
Catra glares at the princess, "she's not my girlfriend! Just shut up already."
"Okay, well I can definitely tell you, that I don't know why she's here, but she's still obsessed with you. She nearly ripped my arm off in front of Princess Frosta, and she said she could smell your scent on me." The princess rolls her eyes again.
"She could?" Catra sticks her head out from behind the giant ice sculpture where she was hiding and sees the familiar blonde poof from across the room. Adora had decided to wear a sleek black suit with a maroon tie. Her sleeves are snug against her muscle that hadn't been as prominent as before. Adora has gotten bigger, Catra realizes, since she last saw Adora – excluding the falling to her death part. The training in her new unit is treating her nicely. The black fabric of her pants hugs her thighs tightly before it descends to her black dress shoes. Catra has been privy to what Adora is holstering beneath her suit and between those thighs. Her mouth waters at a very intimate part of a dream they shared. Adora's girth was rubbing against Catra and… Shit. She shakes her head to focus. The shirt underneath Adora's black vest is white and makes her whole ensemble pop. The woman she's with is wearing a black and red gown with cascading ruffles. The dress shows off her incredible upper body while remaining quite feminine.
Catra grits her teeth as she stares at the two across the room being all cozy with each other. they split ways. Adora starts walking over to a group of women, while the other one stalks off towards the buffet. "Sparkles, you head after the big one, and I'll follow Adora. That way we can see what they're up to."
A petulant whine comes from the princess and Catra glares at her for the assault on her ears. "I wanted to have a good time! Why did they have to ruin it?" Glimmer teleports away and Catra looks across the room to see a very startled Scorpioni woman grabbing for her chest in alarm as Glimmer appears next to her. It makes the feline preen and laugh to herself.
Catra will have to stick to the corners just outside of Adora's perception, so she can try to figure out what's going on. She's always been able to outsmart the other, and it'll come in handy today.
Adora can't shake the fact that she can smell Catra clear as day. The scent lingers in the air like her ghost is following Adora around. It's maddening. The pang of desire to grab the feline and run away until she can be alone with her is clawing at her from inside. Her alpha is adamant and insistent. The smell is just too much right now.
The blonde shakes her head to hopefully clear some of the fog, and then goes to the opposite side of the room where she reaches punch bowl. She gets herself a full cup, hoping to cool her flaming insides.
After a few deliberately long sips, she feels somewhat relieved.
Now, however, she can feel eyes lingering on her. It's something new she's dealt with ever since she started harnessing her alpha. It's like an instinct used to protect herself from danger. Of course, many people in this room probably despise people from the Horde, so she wouldn't be completely surprised if everyone was just on edge because of her presence.
That revelation eases her nerves some, surprisingly. She hopes they're on edge, because her mind is like a livewire with how this night is supposed to go. They'll have to follow her plan to a T in order to be successful.
Adora catches something out of the corner of her eye and turns her head quickly to capture it, but it evades her senses. She crinkles her brow in contemplation, but she brushes it off as another guest or something. She pours herself another glass and downs it quickly before she moves to talk to some other people. She joins a group of mostly women who all seem to be listening to some guy talk about a horse that ate all the apples in Plumeria.
Then, the shadow appears again in her periphery. Adora quickly scans in it's direction, but it's gone again. Someone is messing with her. She's sure of it. It could be Shadow Weaver. The little goons she sends out to do recon are very similar to what she's experiencing. It's possible the older woman caught on, or she knew this event was happening and decided to do her own scouting mission.
Either way, Adora won't stand for it. She won't let anything interfere with her mission. You can count on it.
Adora notices Princess Glimmer storming towards her and was ready for a reckoning from what happened before, but the princess went straight after the archer boy. Glimmer says, "Bow, you and your date look nice tonight." It sounds a bit pinched from the way it's said.
Date? That doesn't make any sense, Adora thinks. The princess should've come with the archer. This is unexpected. What had she missed? Her intel was nearly airtight. She looks around the room and spots Princess Mermista with the sea captain and Princess Entrapta is walking around talking to herself. Her eyes continue scanning the room when she catches sight of someone walking into, and through, the crowded dance floor. A woman in a tight black dress with a… tail?
Adora's heart sinks, and she instinctively sniffs the air. The scent is strong in her nose as it fills her lungs. She nearly salivates at how sweet this smell is as it lavishes itself over her tongue. She follows it without regard.
Catra knew she was getting too close. The blonde's senses have gotten stronger. Before, when Adora didn't know she was an alpha, Catra could pounce on her from two feet away, because of how oblivious she is. Now, she apparently can't even get within thirty feet.
She weaves through the crowd in hopes that Adora will lose her scent, but as she turns back around to see if she's lost the other woman, she locks eyes with her instead. Adora's eyes widen comically large, and her mouth gapes open as she takes in Catra. The sight is doing things to Catra's insides and she can't help but admire momentarily, before she sets off further away from her friend.
By the time she reaches the furthest side of the crowd, the DJ announces that it's time for the first dance. She looks left and right as people begin to pair off when a presence stands right behind her. She feels the heat from the body radiating into her back before she feels anything else. As Catra inhales, her senses alight with fire. The smell is intoxicating and stronger than the feline remembers it. Then, she hears the person inhale her own scent, and it ignites Catra's insides into a roiling flame.
She turns to face Adora and notices the blonde's eyes are lidded and disbelieving. "You're here?"
Her breathy question is put on hold when Catra puts up her hand to prepare to dance. Adora moves mindlessly as she grabs Catra by the waste and thrusts their bodies flush together. The closeness causes Adora to groan into Catra's hair. "You're here, too? And you've brought a date?" Catra hisses out the second question as their bodies move to the music on autopilot.
Adora's face scrunches in confusion for a long moment until it finally clicks. "Oh, Scorpia?" she points in a direction behind her.
"Yeah, she seems a bit… clingy." The last word growls out of her mouth.
You wouldn't believe it possible, but Adora's eyes cloud even more at hearing Catra's anger. The jealousy she can feel from her partner only makes her burn hotter. The alpha squeezes Catra into an even more tight grip and Adora literally grinds her pelvis onto Catra's own. The feline's claws dig into the alpha's sleeved arms and worries she'll rip the fabric. But the vulgar groan that escapes Adora's lips puts those fears to rest.
All Adora can comprehend in this moment is Catra's body being so close to her own. It's as though they've been magnetized and moving to separate themselves for any length of time longer than a brief moment causes physical pain. The alpha inhales Catra's scent again and it smells even better coming straight from the source. "You smell different."
"I do?" the feline questions. "Well, I haven't been eating that Horde crap anymore. Turns out they're putting shit in it."
Adora gives a quizzical look, but only hums, accepting the easily believable notion. "Smells good… really good." Her body grinds again against Catra's and an ache in her core reveals the tell-tale sign of her growth. She lightly traces circles on Catra's thigh as she reaches down for the hem of her dress. Her fur is so soft here, she could just get lost in it.
"Shit Adora," it would be more alarming if Catra's voice wasn't also laced with so much arousal.
Adora can only groan once again in response. "I hope you know this isn't why I'm here" she says as she attempts to regain her control. This is what she trained for: ignoring her stupid urges long enough to accomplish the mission. She can't let everyone down again.
Unfortunately for the pair, it's the part of the dance where they switch partners. Catra extricates herself reluctantly from Adora's grasp to move onto the next person when she nearly collides with Glimmer. "Have you seen her?" the princess asks with concern.
"Who?"
"Scorpia! I turned for a split second to go talk to Bow and I completely lost sight of her." The urgency in her voice tells Catra that something weird is happening.
When the feline is thrust back into the blonde's frame, she tries her best to remain present instead of succumbing to her hormones. She needs answers. "Where's Scorpia? Why are you here?"
Adora swallows as if she needs to wet her dry mouth. "She's probably off continuing our plan to rescue you."
"Rescue me? How did you know I'd even be here?"
Adora's mind clears some at the accusatory tone in her question. "I didn't know. We came here to capture Princess Glimmer. We were going to take her and get information out of her. To come find you."
Catra purrs softly at the thoughtful plan, but she can't get caught up in her emotions. "Adora, you don't have to do that. I've been trying to reach you so that you can come with us."
That jolts Adora completely out of the spell she was under. "What are you talking about? Why would we go with the princesses? They captured you." The anger in her voice raises with each remembrance, "she launched you off that deck on the Horde ship and you almost died!"
They stop dancing as their discussion becomes more heated. Catra tries to take in all what Adora is saying, but it doesn't make sense with reality and so it all seems a little bit confusing. Before Adora can explain anything or have a proper discussion, a deafening boom cascades from somewhere within the castle. Screams from terrified guests start to ricochet off the walls. Catra's eyes blow wide open, and she looks up into blue orbs. "What did you do?"
Another explosion occurs and Adora and Catra leap out of the way of a large chunk of falling ice. The pair land on their sides to the ground with an 'oof.'
Adora finally speaks, "it's the plan. We're gonna get you out of here," she says it with a wide grin.
But Catra rips her hand away from Adora and she rushes to get to her feet. "Adora, you're wrong. You shouldn't be doing this. The Horde is wrong, Adora."
Glimmer grabs Catra's arm like she's protecting her from Adora – which is laughable – and she teleports them away. They can hear Adora's primal scream come from within the ballroom as they land just outside of it by the coat closet.
Catra grabs Glimmer's shoulders to stop her from running off again. "Just wait a second. What's going on?"
"There are explosions happening! I was trying to save you from Adora."
"You don't need to save me from Adora. Look," Catra huffs to calm her racing heart. "She was telling me that they came here to take you and question you on my whereabouts. But now that I'm here, Adora wants to take me back to the Horde."
The princess's face falls into an apathetic one. "Are you?"
Catra looks at her confused. "Am I what?"
"Are you leaving? To go back to the Horde – where you belong? Where you've been trying to go this whole time!" The tears begin to prick at Glimmer's eyes and Catra is beyond confused. What could stir this emotion out of Glimmer? She'd never suspect it would come from anything Catra does.
The feline's face is riddled with confusion, but she responds. "No!" she yells in between ice falling around them. They dodge some and move to follow the crowd. Catra still addresses her as they maneuver, "I'm not going with them. I don't want to go back there. It's terrible and suffocating. I'd rather die, Glimmer." The serious tone she inflects into her voice is enough to retain Glimmer's attention.
The princess gives a terse nod of acceptance, and they leap apart to avoid being crushed by more ice. "Crying out loud! This is getting ridiculous! What do we do now?" the princess says.
Catra looks around and knows she can't let Adora get too far. "I need to stop her, Glimmer. She can't go back there!"
"Ugh! Okay, you go look for Adora and I'll go find Bow." Glimmer grabs Catra's hands, "be safe, okay?"
Catra must look horrified because Glimmer only chuckles lightly before letting her go and teleporting away.
The feline shakes her head and refocuses on her task. "Why did I wear a stupid dress?" she whines and runs back towards the ballroom. She dodges shards that fall around her when she gets to the main hall leading back to the place they started. She starts running down it when Adora slides into the same hallway about one hundred feet away. "Adora!" Catra calls out.
The blonde turns quickly, and the relief is visible on her friend's face. They start running towards each other.
When Catra is halfway down the hall she becomes too distracted and a large chunk of the ceiling cracks above her. A large piece falls, and the last thing she sees is Adora's horrified stare.
"No!" The scream is so familiar to how she once sounded before when Catra had been falling to her death.
Before the ice could reach though, it started floating above Catra's collapsed body. Actually, all of the ice begins to ascend back into its' rightful place.
Before she can question what's happening, Adora runs and slides into Catra's prone body. She shifts the woman around and checks for injuries. "Catra? Catra are you okay?" The urgency is clear in her voice.
The feline opens her eyes and spots Adora's fearful look turn into relief.
In one motion, Adora leans back and lets out a breath she had been nearly choking on, to then digging her face into Catra's neck. She's breathing in so deeply Catra's afraid the blonde will pass out. Then, she starts to feel the sobs racking through Adora's body. Catra reaches down for Adora's face and pulls her up so they can look at each other. The blonde's eyes are bleary with tears. "I thought I lost you again." Her lip quivers after she finishes.
Catra just looks at Adora in pain, and she wants to do everything in her power to take it away.
But a sound of more explosions knocks them out of their reverie.
They scramble to their feet, but Adora doesn't let Catra go more than a foot away from her body. "Adora," she pauses as she thinks of what to tell this idiot. "We have to stop this plan. It's already thrown out since I'm here. You don't need Glimmer."
Adora's determination rises on her face, and she nods. "C'mon. I know where Scorpia is. She's on a skiff just outside."
The pair run off holding each other's hands.
After dealing with a few guards trying to stop Adora and leaping and scaling the rising ice pieces, they make it to the roof of the castle. Scorpia is indeed waiting in the skiff and motioning for Adora to join her quickly.
The pair move next to the skiff and Scorpia addresses them. "Great! You found her! That was easier than I expected! Now, c'mon! We need to move before they come after us."
The larger woman reaches for Adora's arm, but Catra holds her back by her other hand. "I thought I said we didn't have to do this," Catra says in a tone that makes Adora confused.
"Yeah, you said we didn't have to grab the princess. Now, you can just come home with me!" Her smile is bright and beautiful, but Catra can't fall back into this old trap.
"I knew it!" Glimmer yells out above the sound of the skiff. "Horde scum! How dare you lie to my face!"
Catra looks back to Glimmer, who is red in the face with anger, and the feline tries to exude as much in her face as when Bow and Glimmer communicate telepathically. Glimmer seems to notice but doesn't understand at all. So Catra turns back to Adora and rips her hand away from the blonde's grasp.
Adora looks back at her with fear and confusion.
"Don't go Adora," the feline says with an aching knot in her throat. "Stay. Please, just… stay."
"Adora, we don't have time for this! The guards will be here any minute! Then, they'll capture us and torture us! I don't think I have the stomach for that!" Scorpia's fear builds and builds until she pulls back to sit in the driver's seat of the skiff. She looks at Adora expectantly.
The blonde looks between both women as she weighs her options. Then she finally comes to the most logical conclusion. She grabs at Catra's arm and says, "we're leaving! I don't know why you want to stay here! It doesn't make any sense."
Catra's eyes turn to righteous indignation. She looks at Adora like she's grown another head and she tries to yank her arm away. "Adora, I'm not going back there! Shadow Weaver is a manipulative fuck!" She turns and looks back to Glimmer with pleading eyes.
The princess shoots forward and grabs Catra's other arm. "Not today, you aren't!"
Suddenly, all three of them have been teleported into the air and they're all rapidly descending. Adora looks around and screams, but she hasn't let go of Catra's arm.
The feline glares at Glimmer, "you couldn't have thought of something better!?"
The princess just offers her a sheepish face as they all fall to their deaths. She notices that Adora hasn't let go of Catra, so she teleports them back to the rooftop.
Adora continues to scream as she's safely on the flat surface. Her head swivels to understand how she got here so quickly, but she hears Catra gagging a few feet away from her. When Adora looks at her she reaches out her hand, but before she can connect their bodies, Glimmer teleports her away once again.
Adora's alpha is sore. It's not standing for any of these games. Not when she's so close! Her alpha emerges and her body changes form. She moves to the edge of the castle and begins to scale it downwards.
"Adora! We don't have time!" Scorpia yells.
But she's on a mission. Catra was just in her grasp, and she won't let her go again.
Catra and Glimmer poof back into the restructured ballroom. Bow runs over to the pair with his arms outstretched. "You guys! I was so scared. I couldn't find you anywhere."
"We're alright, big guy." Catra offers quietly.
Glimmer looks at the feline with remorse. "I'm sorry, Catra."
"Don't be. It's all fucked up…"
Bow looks to Glimmer for some context, but she just looks downwards – disappointment clear on her face.
Then, they hear a yowling growl from outside. The few people that were sheltered in the room look to the ceiling only to find a shadow climbing along the outside. A few gasps are heard, even from Catra.
The being slams their fist into the exterior of the building and the skiff can be seen hovering just beyond them.
Catra knows who it is. She can smell her fear and anguish.
Before anyone can act, Adora bursts through the ice enclosure and launches herself inside.
Everyone begins screaming as her massive stature imposes on everyone in the room. Most, if not all, the alpha's in the room seem to be responding to her pheromones as well. She is incredibly intimidating. Her breathing is labored, and her eyes are glowing.
Catra swallows hard as she eyes her best friend. She's seen this part of Adora. In her visions. This is her. The golden woman.
"Holy shit!" Glimmer yells.
Adora spots Catra and all she can do is cower under the woman's powerful stare and her imposing presence. As Adora gets closer she widens her arms to sweep Catra up into her grasp. The blonde giant inhales near Catra's neck and seems to calm slightly. "Mate," she whispers over Catra's hot flesh.
Catra does her best not to move too much, although after hearing those words come from Adora's mouth, she can feel her lower half betraying her. She knows how domineering alpha's can be and it can get nasty. She's mostly worried about the people around her. If anyone tries to mess with Adora now, they're in for a world of hurt.
"Fuck, Adora." Catra lets slip from her mouth in between panting breaths. She'd never imagined anyone having such an affect on her, but this is seriously overpowering. She involuntarily reveals her neck for the alpha like that's what she's supposed to do.
Before they can move any further, ice surrounds them and cages Adora. The alpha cries out in pain as she's been sliced just enough to drop Catra to the ground. She rages from within her prison, but her arm heals instantly. The crowd gapes at her in fear when an alarming battle cry comes from the opening in the building.
"Don't worry Adora! I've got you!" Scorpia yells as she lands and collides her massive claws with the ice prison. She then grabs the fuming alpha and makes her way to the exit.
"Catra!" Adora's voice cries out. Her eyes are brimming with tears and she reaches for her in a last ditch effort to bring her with them. But she's too far out of range.
The feline reaches out towards Adora like her lifeline is being stolen from her. She tries to chase after them, but something is holding her back. The claws on her hands extend, but someone has locked her wrists into an icy prison. She watches as Adora is dragged out of the room and onto the skiff. The pair dash out before any of the guards can reach them.
Catra just lets out a painful sob. Her body can't cope with the loss of her mate being so close, and now, so incredibly out of her reach. She writhes against the restraints and snarls until she runs out of oxygen. The pain is too great.
Then, suddenly, she's overcome with exhaustion and begins to pass out.
The last thing she catches before she's out is Glimmer's voice saying, "this should help, Catra. Don't worry. We've got you. It'll be okay."
Then, everything fades to nothing.
A/N
Dont worry, Catra wasn't hit in the head... this time. Sorry for the false hope with updates. I'm not making promises anymore, except that I won't give up! This will be finished one way or another! lol Thanks again!