purrrnicious | Heart Game: Run #3

[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.

Wow. You must think I'm stupid, huh.

[She hopes down, her tail lashing, and starts stalking towards D.Va.]

[ she doesn't move. ]

No. I think Adora's stupid for having left...

But like I said before, Catra, I'm not Adora.

Is this all some kind of game to you? Is that it? You think you can just show your face around here, after what you did. . .?!

[She surges forward, slashing her claws and apparently meaning business.]

[ she tries to flip catra over herself. ]

I'm not her, Catra. I would never ever leave you!

[She rolls with the momentum, but makes a point to drag her claws as she does, aiming to scratch D.Va up.]

Don't lie! You already left me!

[ she gets scratched, her hand coming to her face as she scrambles backward and back to her feet. ]

She left, Catra! Open you eyes and look at me! I'm D.Va! But if... if this is what it'll take to make you feel better, then... do your worst...

[That didn't go so well the time with the knife. . .

But Catra presses her attack, tossing a blanket from one of the nearby bunks in D.Va's face to blind her and jumping up to kick her in the side.]

[ no.

no it didn't. ]

[ but if catra needs to get this out of her system, then she'll let her. she'll take all of the anger she's got. ]

[ she's hit with the blanket and then kicked aside, slamming into one of the bunks. she drops to her knees, grunting, and clutching at her side. her spiderbot just stands to the side, probably confused or something, but she doesn't give it any orders. d.va just coughs, keeping her head down. ]

...t- that's right, Catra, let it all out. [ it's a good thing she gave that knife to other catra or she'd be giving it to this catra to slit her up. ] You can beat me up, but I'm not going to leave, and I'm not going to hurt you.

[She snarls at her, swiping again with her claws to slash at D.Va, her movements a little wild, instinctive instead of following her training. And her claws hurt –– unlike Imeeji, they're stronger, enough to score rock and steel.]

[ she staggers back and clutches at her chest, blood dripping from the slash marks that catra just gave her. she laughs, tears stinging her eyes. ] Are you going to kill me, Catra? I'm not a lich here...

[Instead of answering, she drops for a low sweep with her leg, aiming to knock D.Va down.]

[ she falls on her back, but attempts to roll under one of the beds. ]

[Catra's scrabbling for her, trying to keep her from going and trying to get on top of her.]

[ she's just going to attempt to get the fuck out of here. she's not going to be able to talk sense into this catra, and she's not going to give her life to do so, because she wants to get to the core. she wants to open the locket... ]

[There's the door she came in that leads back to the lift room, and another at the other end towards the Prison.]

Re: Lvl. 2: Barracks

420blazeit - 2020-02-22 22:39 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Lvl. 2: Barracks

purrrnicious - 2020-02-22 22:45 (UTC) - Expand