purrrnicious | Heart Game: Run #3

No? [ she arches a brow and starts looking around the room, like she absolutely believes that she hadn't been crying. ]

I wonder where that sound could have been coming from then...

[Adora stage whispers to Catra "I think it was you she heard" and Catra elbow her and says "Shut up, dummy!"]

[ she's going to poke around the dorm while she's "investigating the crying". ]

[What does she look at first?]

[ she's going to investigate all of the glass pieces on the floor. ]

[They're colourful and smooth –– they look a little like melted glass, but you can't be sure that's the material. When you hold one, it gives you faint feelings of safety, warmth, and affection.]

[ smiles. she's going to check out the doll next, since it's got some similar glass stuff going on. ]

[It's a little Adora! The thread connects to something small, hard and rectangular that's tucked into the jacket.]

[ she's going to reach into the jacket to find out what that is. ]

[As soon as you touch it, you fade into a memory, as if it were your own.

It's Catra, maybe six or seven years old, huddled up on the lower bunk on the end of the row of the barracks, cocooned in a plain, rough blue blanket, and she starts crying, though she’s trying not to make too much sound as she does. After a short time passes, another little girl enters from the hallway: Adora, but also maybe around 7 years old, and she calls for “Catra” and comes over before kneeling in front of her to pull the blanket away from her head. Kohime hisses, and Adora smiles reassuringly. It's the same scene they came upon when they entered.

Adora: Catra, it’s okay! It’s just me.

She sits next to Kohime on the bed as she rubs at her tears with a corner of the blanket.

Adora: . . .It doesn’t matter what they do to us, you know? You look out for me, and I look out for you. Nothing really bad can happen as long as we have each other.

Catra: You promise?

Adora: I promise. C’mon, let’s go back out!

Adora puts her arms around Kohime and guides her to her feet, then takes her hand and leads her out of the dorm and back down the hallway. Kohime's clearly cheered up by this, even giving Adora a little almost shy smile as they go.

You start the memory feeling sad, hurt, and scared -- but Adora's presence is a reassurance, she cheers you up and you feel like this person will always be by your side, so you can manage all the dark and hurtful things in the world with her help. You love this person.]

[ blinks. ok, uhm, she hadn't been expecting that. as soon as it's over she whips around and looks at the two girls. ]

... [ she goes back over and takes a seat on the bed nearby. ]

[Actually –– they're gone. So is the other Catra you brought with you, and room looks. . .

Well.

Things look a little bit different! The room is a wreck. The blankets on the beds are torn and shredded, scraps littering the floor. The glass gems that had trailed to the bed have been scattered, many crushed, and deep, angry gouges deface nearly every doodle and image on the wall. The plushie has been discarded, and looks like it has a little stuffing coming out from somewhere near the neck, and instead of a shield there’s now a sword. It’s not clear if it still has the glass piece.

The thread has been severed; one end hangs off the cartridge you have, the other still seems to be connected to something in the vent, drifting slowly in the airflow.

The room itself is now cold. It feels empty.]

[ she looks all sorts of... not thrilled. ] ...no. [ it takes her about .01s to get frantic. ] Catra?! [ guess who isn't going to help the room get any cleaner. she's going to freak out and start making a mess. ] Catra!

[ she's reminded of kohime's bedroom, which makes her wither after a moment and she drops to her knees, frowning. ] Get that. [ she orders her bot, pointing at the thread in the vent. ]

[It ambles on over and clamps down on the end of the thread, yanking –– something on the other end clangs loudly against the vent cover, catching and preventing the bot from being able to bring it to her.]

[ she picks herself up off the floor and goes to try to rip the darn vent cover off. ]

[With a little effort, she can get it off, and a second cartridge tumbles down, the severed thread attached to it.]

[ she's going to grab it. ]

[Another memory.

This memory opens to a chaotic scene. There's a small village under attack, its buildings really just huts and hovels made from clay and wood from the surrounding area. The locals are humanoid deer, dressed in simple linens and flowers, and they run in a panic fleeing from the Horde army descending on them armed with tanks, armour, and rifles. It's not even remotely close to a fair fight, these people are unarmed and were in the middle of some sort of festival. Their village is in ruins now, crushed and on fire, and Adora marches out into the middle of it to stand in the way of one of the tanks, demanding they stop.

It does –– and then Kohime, of all people, comes out, calling to Adora and happy to see her. She scampers on all fours along the barrel of the tank to pounce on Adora, knocking her to the ground.]

Catra: They let me drive a tank, can you believe it?!

Adora: Catra, I don't––I don't understand, what are you doing here?

Catra: Uh, duh, we came to find you! "Cover for me Catra, no one will even know I'm gone!" [She quotes in a mocking voice, making a face, before returning to her normal tone.] Seriously, did you just immediately get captured right after you snuck out, or. . . what are you wearing?

[She draws attention to the flower that Adora has in her hair, which Adora hastily knocks off, crushing it in the process. ]

Adora: Look, there's no time, we have to put a stop to this!

Catra: What? Why?

Adora: Because this is a civilian town! Look around, these aren't insurgents, they're innocent people!

Catra: Yeah, sure, innocent people who kidnapped a Horde officer. Now come on, let's get you back to the Fright Zone. Shadow Weaver is freaking out. [Kohime takes Adora by the hand to lead her toward the tank, breaking into a laugh at this point -- only to drop into a flatter tone right after.] It'd be funny if she weren't such a terrible person.

[At this point Adora pulls away from Kohime, refusing to leave until the Horde stops attacking Thaymor.]

Catra: What are you saying?

Adora: I'm saying this is wrong! They've been lying to us, manipulating us, Hordak, Shadow Weaver, all of them!

Catra: ...Duh! Did you just figure that out?! Manipulation is Shadow Weaver's whole thing! She's been messing with our heads since we were kids.

Adora: How could you possibly be okay with that?

Catra: Because, it doesn't matter what they do. The two of us look out for each other, and soon we'll be the ones calling the shots. Now come on, can we go home already?

[At this point Kohime is imploring, smiling encouragingly at Adora, and fully expecting she'll come along with her. An explosion and screams interrupt them, and Adora's expression hardens into anger and determination.]

Adora: I'm not going home, Catra. I can't. Not after everything I've seen. Come with me! You don't have to go back there, we can fix this!

Catra: Are you kidding? You've known these people for what, a couple of hours? And now you're gonna throw everything away for them?

[But Adora still refuses. She says she has to do something, that she's sorry, and she turns her back on Kohime. And Kohime's expression just shifts. She pulls out a nice little taser baton and jams it right in Adora's back, knocking her to the ground. Adora is coming back whether she wants to or not! Though Kohime immediately apologizes, explaining she didn't think it would be so strong, only to give Adora another shock when she moves to get up, calling it a "reflex". She tells Adora she's doing this because Adora left her, and if she doesn't bring Adora back, Shadow Weaver will have her head for it.

That's about when Bow and Glimmer intervene, Glimmer firing her sparkle magic at Kohime to chase her off while Bow shoots a trick arrow that traps her in a net. Hissing and spitting, she goes down, only to break free moments later when Glimmer teleports Adora away, leaving Kohime to fight with Bow.

The end of the memory is just as chaotic as it started. Just when it looks like the Horde has the upper hand, a new princess emerges -- 8 feet tall and hella built, glowing faintly with residual magic in a new white skirted jumper and red cape complete with a tiara, and she just trashes the Horde with only a sword and ridiculous super strength. When she's defeated all the soldiers, tanks, and spider bots, someone calls a retreat and the new princess collapses, transforming back into Adora of all people. All while Kohime watches, stunned, and when Adora calls out to her faintly she takes one step back, then two, then flees into the smoke and dust with the rest of the Horde.]

This memory is... complicated. Catra is honestly ecstatic to find her friend, was worried about her––and fucking heartbroken when she refuses to come. She doesn't understand how Adora could have missed the lies and cruelty they were raised with. She doesn't understand how Adora could choose these people she barely knows over her. Adora promised her they'd be together, that everything would be okay, and now she's turning her back on her? She has to know what Shadow Weaver will do to her if she goes back empty-handed, and she doesn't care?

Was she even going to bother telling her she was gone, or was she planning to just stay with these princesses forever, letting her always wonder what happened?

. . .And why was anything only bad when it happened to these strangers? Why was it okay when it was happening to her?

The memory leaves you with a lingering sense of betrayal, of heartbreak, and all your insecurities and feelings of worthlessness flaring right up when the one person that you hinged all of your happiness, your safety and your self-worth on apparently turns her back on you without a second thought.]

[ she tosses the tape aside and curses under her breath. ]

I'm not going to be like her.
I won't do that to you, Kohime.

[ she turns and looks around the room. are there anymore threads? ]

[There are no more threads.

The room is dimmer, most of the lights shattered, plunging it into darkness. There’s also now a number of solid, battered pipes that run along the ceiling, leading up into the roof and elsewhere. They’re open to the room, covered with mesh grates that prevent you from entering, though if you go close to them they feel uncomfortably warm, though there’s slight suction in the air flow — it’s not clear where the heat is from since it’s an intake pipe of some kind.

You start to feel a bone-deep ache, not physical, but something crawling beneath your skin until you almost want to tear at your clothes, your hair, lash out at the walls, strike the beds, anything to get it out. With it comes a sense of dread, this place is not safe, nowhere is safe––

You may want to consider leaving.]

[ she grits her teeth and hisses, turning to punch the nearest wall or... whatever. it doesn't matter she's just upset. the room isn't helping and she lets out a scream as she snaps to the other direction to punch something else; again and again and again and again. she grinds her teeth together, hisses once again as she tries to keep from letting that emotion out. she hates that one. ]

[ she's breathing erratically,
and while everything is telling her to get the fuck out of here, to run,
she doesn't move. ]

[If she waits long enough, she'll be interrupted by the grating, unpleasant screech of claws on metal.

There is a Catra in her Horde uniform, perched on top of one of the bunks, marks scored in the wall beside her from her claws. She doesn't like friendly.]

Heeeey, Adora~

I'm not Adora!

[ she scowls and looks in catra's direction. ]

[She breaks out into laughter.]

Ooooh, the "hero" thing got boring already?

...

[ not the greeting she had been expecting. ]

Yeah. I was just getting some intel on them.

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