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“So, Cat.” A voice spoke softly and somewhat familiar from behind the rebellion's newest recruit, just enough to make her sensitive ears perk up. “You getting used to things here at Bright Moon yet?” Netossa teased, walking around and taking a seat across from an unamused Catra in the Bright Moon dining hall. “I know things are just a little different here than what you’re accustomed to.”
Catra was sitting alone and enjoying her lunch after she and Adora had gone on their routine two mile run through the Woods this morning. The blonde was to catch up with her and meet her there for lunch after her shower, but knowing Adora, (and coming to the understanding that you’re allowed to be in the shower for more than five minutes) she shouldn't have been surprised that the girl was a tad behind schedule.
“Ha, sure,” Catra laughed, taking another bite of her lunch as Netossa began to dig into her own. “I guess. What about you? You busy tossing your nets and being all, princess-y?”
“No no no, I don’t think so,” Netossa shook her head, causing Catra to cock her eyebrow mid-chew. “You’re not getting away with that this time.”
Catra swallowed and her face twisted as she tried holding back a smirk. “Get away with what?” She feigned ignorance, propping her elbows onto the table in a challenging manner. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Netossa threw her head back and let out a loud laugh, cracking Catra’s steely demeanor and making her smile the tiniest bit. “You really think you can keep being deflective with me? C’mon kid, there’s no fooling me anymore.”
“I think I still do a good job,” Catra shrugged, relaxing her posture and biting into another forkful of her lunch.
“So, really. How have things been? Does blondie have you acquainted with the whole castle yet?" Netossa took another bite of her food.
“Acquainted?” Catra rolled her eyes, "Try memorized. We go over the same things every day. I’m pretty sure by now I could even tell you how many pieces of furniture are in each room, and I’m not joking.”
The princess should’ve known better than to have a mouthful when listening to Catra’s answer, as she began to crack up and was swiftly reminded of how poor of a choice that was.
The feline continued, “I mean, really. Do I need to know the layout of the entire castle? It seems a little overkill, but don’t try telling Adora that.”
“A little?” Netossa asked with an arched eyebrow.
The two’s banter quickly grew out of hand and some of the princesses, even some of the Bright Moon staff began to glare in their direction at the noise disturbance that was their back-and-forth repartee.
Netossa couldn’t hold back her own smirk as she threw her hands up, “Hey, that’s your girl,” She said. “I don’t know what to tell you other than you signed up for this. You knew exactly what you were getting into the second you hung up your ‘bad guy’ cape.”
Your girl, those words echoed in Catra’s mind and made her blush like a kitten. “Eh, I suppose you’re right. I can’t complain too much though, you princesses don’t seem to be that bad of a bunch. After you get used to all the sparkly stuff, that is.”
Netossa shook her head and she still couldn’t quite quell her laughter. Catra was arguably the coolest ex-Horde soldier she’s met to date and although she was Adora’s girlfriend, that didn’t give her a get-out-of-jail free card when it came to being picked on, most notably when it came to Netossa herself.
“Is that so? Not that bad, huh? I thought we were a little better than that, but at least we seem to be making some progress with you. Maybe soon you’ll even have the nerve to grace us with that elusive smile of yours when we pass you by in the halls."
Catra chuckled, absentmindedly poking at her food.
“Seriously though,” Netossa said, “We’re all glad to have you here. Everyone's been telling me how much brighter Adora's seemed since—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Catra interrupted her by holding up her hand, stopping her from saying what so many others had already told her.
“Oh, wait…”
“What?” Catra looked up to her confusedly, before her eyes scanned the room as if she had missed something.
“Did you think...” The princess paused.
“What? Wait—”
Netossa grinned as she reclined back and crossed her arms triumphantly over her chest. She could see the gears grinding in Catra’s head, and the smoke beginning to plume out of those fuzzy ears of hers as she came to a realization, which only made the princess more pleased with herself.
“You didn’t just do that to me.” The feline accusingly pointed her fork at the princess. “You did not.”
“I do believe I did,” Was Netossa's smug reply as her palm met the table with a thud.
Catra was sure her face couldn’t get any more red, and having all the other princesses eyes on her didn’t help her case. All of this attention was definitely a new thing, as well as someone actually having the guts to torment her, someone besides Adora that is. “You know, I think I take it back,” Catra stuck her utensil into the remnants of what little food she had left. “You princesses are crazy.”
“Hey,” Netossa said proudly, “It’s okay. Maybe I was going to say Adora’s been happier since you’ve showed up, or, maybe I wasn’t.”
“I can’t believe you.” Catra slid her chair out to get up. “I’m going to tell Spinerella on you, right now.” She growled. “Here I was beginning to think you were decent and turns out—”
“Catra, hey! There you are!”
A voice as sweet as honey sounded closeby and caused the feline’s ears to turn on a dime and her head to follow suit, only to see Adora jogging (practically prancing) across the dining hall towards the table her and Netossa were sitting at, closer the back of the room.
“Right on time,” Netossa said as she winked at Catra outside of the blonde’s view, just before she made it to them.
“I’ve been replaced, I see?” Adora knuckled the felines shoulder and leaned down to plop a big kiss into her fluffy mane.
“Could you possibly be any more embarrassing?” If she could’ve, Catra would’ve shriveled up into nothingness from Adora’s PDA. She wasn’t quite used to public displays of affection yet, especially in front of all these princesses who she was convinced still hated her every being, all but Netossa, that is.
Adora hunkered down on her knees to make herself eye level with the brunette. “I don’t know, would you like me to try?” She asked, poking at her ribs and causing Catra to let out a tiny, innocent squeak.
Catra couldn’t help but crack into a smile again as she stood all the way up this time, her freckled cheeks now more red than she could’ve ever imagined. “That’s it, I’m going back to the Fright Zone. I can’t stand you guys.”
Both of the princesses began to chuckle heartily and Adora slung her arm across Catra’s back, pulling her in tight to her side. The feline tried valiantly to act as if her heart wasn’t melting over how goofy her girlfriend was acting today, and just how delighted the mere sight of it made her. She’d missed this more than she could’ve ever described.
“Let’s go out into the Woods this afternoon, okay?” Adora asked, “I need to hit some stuff for a little bit, and I have this really neat spot I haven’t shown you yet.”
“Yeah let me go take care of this,” Catra gestured to her plate, “And then I’ll meet you outside?”
“You got it. See you in ten, and don’t be late!” Adora skipped off, and Catra held up a finger to make a rebuttal but the blonde was already halfway across the noisy hall. That left Catra standing with her nearly emptied plate, alone with Netossa once again.
“You’re lucky she showed up,” Catra whipped around to the princess.
“Oh quiet, you wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Netossa dismissed her with a wave of her hand as she to had finished her lunch and began to stand up. “This was nice Catra, thank you.”
“For what?” Catra scoffed.
“The lunchtime entertainment. I needed someone to pick on today, and you just happened to be the lucky gal,” Netossa jabbed her elbow into the shorter girl as the pair walked over towards the garbage cans to toss their plates.
"Oh, you’re so welcome. But don’t expect to get away with that again." Catra was starting to feel dizzy from the amount of times she’d rolled her eyes in that half hour alone, as she did so one more time. "Next time you may not get so lucky as to have Adora swoop in and save you, and I’m not kidding. Next time I see Spinerella you’ll be sorry.”
Netossa laughed off Catra’s empty threat and threw away her plate, walking towards the same door the feline's girlfriend left through moments ago. “Same time, same place tomorrow?" She asked over her shoulder.
“I’ll think about it,” Catra yelled to her.
“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t make me come looking for you!”
“Hey, wait! I never said I—” Before Catra could finish, the princess had already left the dining hall quicker than her girlfriend had. But for some strange reason, she couldn’t suppress the smile that tickled at the corners of her lips.
"Princesses,” She huffed. Finally ready to meet her blonde princess, Catra headed for the exit to embark on another grand adventure that maybe one day she’ll admit she loves. But for today, she could still pretend to be the 'cool' Catra she was slowly losing her grip on.