Chapter Text
From the outside Razzle Dazzle seems to be an ordinary pastry shop, but inside of it, magic happens. Quite literally.
Razz, the owner of the shop, is one of the oldest and most skillful witches in town. Despite being rather eccentrical sometimes, the woman seems to know everything there is to know about magic. When she is not making pies, Razz makes potions for anything you need.
If there is someone who can make a potion to break a curse, it is her. And Catra is truly in need of one of those now.
When she decided to leave her coven, Catra knew what she could have to face. One does not simply walk out from the Horde – at least, not in broad daylight. Still, she wasn’t going to run away in the middle of the night. No, Catra walked out the front door with her chin up and her middle finger raised. And she felt amazing doing it.
The best part? Nobody even tried to stop her. In hindsight, she should have suspected that. In her experience, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
At first, Catra had paid no attention to Weaver's parting words. She was so used to her lame insults that it almost didn't bother her anymore – Weaver was the second in command in the Horde and a major pain in Catra’s ass.
"You will become nothing more than a stray cat, you ungrateful child," she had said. "And once you realize the mistake you made, you will come back."
Catra had thought Weaver’s words were just a very lame pun with her name. Stray cat. Catra. Very funny. But when she woke the next day, Catra finally understood the woman’s twisted humor. Because her ears were gone, replaced by another pair of ears on the top of her head. More specifically, cat ears.
There is no doubt that her new ears were a special parting gift from Weaver. The woman has a devilish sense of creativity when it comes to casting curses and, knowing her, Catra highly doubted that the effects of the curse would stop at the ears. Who knows what else would happen – would Catra start vomiting hairballs? Would she feel an uncontrollable urge to chase rats?
She is not eager to find it out, thank you very much. Before any of that happens, Catra will get rid of this curse.
After reasonably freaking out in the morning, Catra covered her head with a beanie not to alert anyone – or worse, make people think she is in a catgirl cosplay – and headed to Razzle Dazzle.
The sign in front of the door reads “closed”, but Catra knows Razz must be in the shop since she literally lives there. Through the glass, Catra doesn't catch a sign of anyone inside, meaning Razz must probably be in the kitchen. Since desperate times call for desperate measures, Catra decides to do the most sensible thing: break in.
Using the wand she keeps tucked in a pocket at all times, even though she barely has the opportunity to use it, Catra uses it to trace a sigil on the doorknob. The moment she is finished, it unlocks without a sound.
If Catra was lucky, she would get in the shop, Razz would do her thing and Catra would be back to normal and out of there in no time.
But of course, luck was not on Catra’s side.
As soon as she enters the shop, the bell at the door announces her presence. Alerted by the sound, someone opens the kitchen door. And is the last person Catra would like to see right now.
Luck had not only deserted her, but was also making a joke out of her life. What other surprises the universe had reversed for her in this fine morning?
“Catra?” Adora asks in surprise, frozen at the kitchen’s threshold.
Then she forgets to hold the door open and it promptly slams right into her face.
Adora stumbles back with a loud “ouch” and Catra has to repress a laugh. Under normal circumstances, Catra wouldn't hesitate to tease Adora for being her usual clumsy self. Shepresses her lips into a thin like to stop herself from saying something she shouldn't say. Something like her usual You're such an idiot , which in Catra's language translates to I’m stupidly in love with you .
Because they are not under normal circumstances. Things between them are not how they used to be, not since Adora left the Horde – and doing it, left Catra behind.
Catra holds back any sign of laughter, any smiles, and any other dangerous reactions that could reveal just how she feels at seeing Adora. And this is quite a task, because she feels a lot when she sees Adora.
Adora walks from behind the counter rubbing at her nose with a grimace. Then her eyes land back on Catra and she opens a blinding smile that brightens her whole face.
To Catra, seeing Adora’s smile always felt like coming home. Her heart clenches for a second at seeing it again after months. Catra tells her Adora-deprived heart to settle down. She cannot be so easily swooned by warm smiles and bright blue eyes.
"Catra, hi. Please ignore the fact that I was just kissed by the door." Adora says cheerfully. "It's so good to see you. Feels like it's been years since we last saw each other."
It does feel like years to Catra too, but it's been four months and thirteen days (not that Catra is counting or anything). The last time they saw each other, it was minutes before Adora jumped off the window in the middle of the night to join another coven.
"It's almost like you've been avoiding me," Adora adds, attempting a playful tone.
Catra looks back at her blankly. They both know why she has been avoiding her.
"What are you doing here?" Catra asks flatly.
"I work here." From all the places for Adora to work, why the hell it had to be here? Ah, right, because everything seems to be working against Catra lately. "What are you doing here?" Adora looks from Catra back to the door. "Wait, did you break in?"
Catra decides to ignore the question.
"As much as it was a lovely surprise to see you," she says with every ounce of sarcasm she can inject in her voice. "I am here to see Razz."
Adora visibly deflates.
"Oh." She shifts on her feet for a moment. "Can we talk, though? I've been trying to reach you, but you don't answer any of my texts..."
"That was intentional," Catra says dryly. "I don't want to talk to you."
"I know you're still mad at me, but–"
"Listen," she cuts her impatiently. "I don't have time for this, Adora. I need to talk to Razz. It's an emergency."
Knowing that Catra never uses the word “emergency” light, Adora tenses, a frown appearing between her eyebrows.
"Emergency?” she repeats in concern. “What happened? Are you alright?"
Her hands hover in the air for a moment like she is about to reach out for Catra to make sure everything is in place. For a moment Catra fears that Adora will touch her, not knowing how she will react to that, but when Adora drops her arms, apparently changing her mind, Catra finds herself disappointed that she didn't touch her.
"It's none of your business," she snaps. "I'm here to talk to Razz , not you, so if you'll excuse me."
Catra brushes past Adora, bumping her shoulder roughly against hers.
She is making her way to the purple door behind the counter that leads to Razz's personal room, where she not-so-secretly attends clients who come looking for her potions, when Adora's voice stops her.
"Razz is not here."
Catra turns around with a heavy sigh.
"Just my luck," she mumbles. "Will she be back soon?"
"I don’t think so."
"Fine. I'll come back later, then."
"Uh. Actually..." Adora gives her an apologetic look. "Razz is out of town. She didn’t say when she will come back, but it’ll probably take a few days."
Catra's stomach sinks to the floor.
She can't stay like this for Morgana knows how long. What if the curse gets worse? Razz is the only person Catra knows that could help her.
"Fucking great." Catra takes out her frustration on the table closest to her, kicking it so strongly that it causes a napkin holder on top of it to tumble over. "I'm fucked."
Adora walks over and readjusts the napkin holder, which kind of makes Catra want to kick the table again just for the sake of it.
“Okay," Adora says cautiously, like approaching a scared animal. "What's wrong, Catra?"
Catra huffs.
"Everything is fucking fine, Adora."
"You used the f word a lot in the past minute for me to believe it," Adora says. Somehow amidst her troubled state, Catra still has half a mind to find endearing the way Adora refuses to say such a basic swear word. The only times Catra ever heard Adora curse were in situations when shit was really going down. "You said there is an emergency. What is it?”
"Like you care."
Adora throws her hands up in frustration.
"Of course I care," she exclaims, as if that piece of information was more obvious than it actually is. "I'll always care about you, Catra."
"That's not what it looked like when you sneaked off in the middle of the night and left me there in that hellhole,” she spits.
The words are out of her mouth before Catra can stop them. She immediately wishes she hadn't said anything.
It isn’t even a fair accusation and, deep down, she knows it. Adora had told her she was leaving. She had asked Catra to go with her. But Catra simply couldn’t. After all the times Catra had talked about running away together only to Adora outright reject the idea, truly believing that the Horde was not "that bad", and then suddenly Adora befriends some people she had never seen before that tell her “By the way, the Horde sucks, you should leave” and she changes her mind just like that, deciding to go with them.
Yeah, no, Catra couldn’t have gone with her, not when she felt so betrayed. When she left the Horde, she had to do it alone. And Catra is still angry, sure, but more than anything she is hurt .
She puts on a facade, closing her face in an effort to hide how hurt she feels, but Adora always seemed to have the skill of seeing through her.
"I've never meant to leave you , Catra." She reaches across the table to hold Catra's wrist. The touch sends a shiver up her arm, and Catra finds herself unable to move out of Adora's grasp, even though it is light and gentle, giving Catra enough change to escape if she really wanted to.
"I couldn't stay in the Horde after finding out that they were just using me,” Adora goes on. “Weaver said she was teaching me to use my magic "the right way", but what she was really doing was corrupting it, taking it to make her own magic stronger. And I just bought all of her lies like the idiot you always say I am. Even though you tried to warn me, I was too blind to see it."
Catra snickers, but doesn't say anything as Adora continues talking.
"When I met Glimmer and Bow, and they told me about their coven, about how they use magic to help people and how they all treat each other like a family, it sounded wild to me. Just when I saw how different the Alliance was, I could realize that Weaver was using me as a tool to do her forbidden magic all of the time." There are signs of anger and regret in Adora's face as she shakes her head, as if to shake the memories out of her mind. "The Alliance offered me a chance to actually learn how to use my magic for the good. More than that, they offered me a place to belong."
If Adora had stabbed her in the guts it would probably have hurt less than hearing that.
Didn't you belong with me? , Catra would like to ask. All of her life, Catra felt like she belonged by Adora's side, and she really believed Adora felt the same. Even if not in the same way as Catra, at least as a friend.
In the end, it was just wishful thinking.
Catra abruptly pulls her wrist from Adora's grasp.
"Let me see if I got this right, some people you barely knew told you the obvious and you suddenly had a life-changing experience?” She claps her hands slowly. "Wow, congratulations. You really are stupid, Adora. If you needed someone to spell out for you that Weaver was a fucking bitch for you to realize it, I would’ve done it. Believe me, I knew it first-hand."
"Catra, I'm sor–"
"Don't fucking say you're sorry," Catra snaps, jabbing a finger at her. "It is easy for you to say it now, but you weren't there when I needed you most."
Adora flinches, a look of hurt crossing her face.
Slowly, her expression morphs from hurt to anger. She walks around the table and stops right in front of Catra, almost too close to comfort.
"Well, you weren't there for me either," she says. "Everything was different and scary and I needed you. I asked you to come with me, Catra. More than once. But you didn't even want to listen to me."
"As if you ever listened to me . Why did I have to go to you? Why do I always have to be the one following you around like a lost puppy?" Catra snips back. What she wants to ask is Why don't you ever choose me instead? , but she swallows the question.
Adora seems to turn her words in her head, her eyes moving frantically through Catra's face as she thinks. When the quiet lingers heavily between them for too long, Catra turns to leave.
Once again, Adora's hands close around her wrist, this time tighter, holding her in place.
"I know you don't wanna hear it," Adora begins. "But I am sorry. Not for leaving, but for not trying harder to talk things through with you. And for not knowing how to protect you."
Catra shallows. She couldn’t blame Adora for not standing up for her against Weaver, even though for some time a childish part of her did. Adora couldn't even protect herself, how was she supposed to protect Catra? No, Catra couldn't expect that for her.
"You're not a hero, Adora," Catra mutters without turning to face her. "I didn't need you to save me. I just needed you to be there."
"And I am sorry I wasn't," Adora says. "But I am here now. And I want to help you. You don’t have to join the Alliance with me if you don’t want to, but I don't think you should stay in the Horde, Catra."
Catra sighs and turns to her, slipping from the grip on her wrist.
"Do you think I don't know that?" she counters. "I've already left."
Adora's eyes go wide.
"You did?"
"Yes," Catra confirms with a sigh. "I know it's surprising for you, but I can make choices on my own without you there"
Adora chooses to ignore the snide. Instead of that, she opens a relieved
smile.
"That's great,” she says. “I was so worried about you, Catra."
Was she really? Adora looks so earnest that Catra can’t doubt that.
Then Adora’s smile slips.
"Wait, is this related to your emergency?" she asks. "Did they do anything before you left?"
Kind of surprised Adora connected the dots so quickly, Catra shrugs. "Weaver didn't exactly love the fact that I decided to leave.”
"She didn't hurt you, did she?"
“Does it matter? It’s not like it would be the first time.”
Adora steps into her space and puts both of her hands on Catra’s shoulders.
"Yes, it matters,” she insists with intensity, squeezing her shoulders gently. “Did she hurt you?”
“No,” Catra answers, if only to ease Adora’s visible worry. “No, she didn’t.”
Adora studies her, as if trying to see if Catra is telling the truth. "And you're safe? Where are you staying?"
"Yes, I'm alright. Scorpia let me stay with her," Catra tells her begrudgingly. "Happy now?"
"No. You still didn't tell me what the emergency is."
Catra groans.
She should never have come to the shop, now Adora won't let her go until she gets the whole story out of her. Catra could just leave either way, yes, but it doesn’t sit well with her to leave Adora worrying about her. She knows just how much of a worrier Adora is.
Also, to be honest, Catra wants to talk about this to someone. Being cursed is a deeply disconcerting situation, and maybe it would help to talk about it with a friend. The only other friend Catra has is Scorpia, but she can’t tell her anything about it, since Scorpia is a non-witch. Revealing anything about magic to non-witches is strictly forbidden. Adora, on the other hand, was her friend, but Catra is not so sure if she still is – using the present tense applies to them anymore. And yet, she takes the risk.
"Fine, you really wanna know?" she says exasperatedly. "I'll show you, but don't you dare laugh."
"Why would I laugh?"
"Just don’t.”
Despite her confusion, Adora nods.
Catra hesitates for a moment, wondering if she really has to do it. But Adora is still staring at her with worry, and Catra suspects that if she doesn't tell her Adora will literally go sick with overthinking. With a resigned sign, Catra pulls her beanie off.
Adora doesn't react for a moment, taking a minute to catch what is wrong. Catra notices the exact moment when Adora's gaze travels to the top of her head and falls on her ears. She lets out a tiny gasp that quickly evolves into cooing.
"Are they real?" she asks in awe. Before Catra can stop her, Adora reaches up and touches the ears. Catra feels them twitching in response like they have a life of their own. It is such a weird sensation, the ears feel so foreign, not like a real part of her body, but she can also acutely feel Adora's touch like it's on her own skin. "Where did your actual ears go?"
"I have no fucking idea. Can you please stop touching them?"
Adora hands drop from Catra's not-actual-ears.
"Right, sorry." Her lips curve into a smile that she poorly hides by biting on her bottom lip. "It's cute, though. You look adorable."
Warmth rises to Catra's cheeks. She hides her embarrassment by punching Adora in the arm.
"It's not cute!" she protests. "Are you a furry or what?"
The punch was not that hard, but Adora still makes a show of clutching her arm dramatically.
" Ouch ," she says pointedly. "No, I am not. I don't have a thing for cat ears in general."
"Does this mean you have a thing for me in cat ears in particular?"
The joke slips from her tongue. She was not supposed to be joking around Adora yet. Definitely not with this kind of joke, on top of it.
But Adora's reaction is worth it. Her cheeks darken to a shade of pink that would already be enough to betray her embarrassment, and she makes it more obvious by letting out an awkward laugh.
"Uh. That's not– " she coughs. "I still think you're cute when you have your normal ears."
Catra punches Adora's arm again.
"I said I'm not cute.”
"Okay, I get it." Adora raises her arms defensively. "Please stop harassing me. Your punch is incredibly strong for someone with noodle arms."
Catra huffs indignantly.
"My arms are fine."
"Of course they are," Adora reassures, but there's a smirk playing on her lips. "I think your noodle arms are perfect."
"Shut up or I'll punch for real next time."
Adora snorts. "Alright. Back to the topic,” she stares at Catra's ears again. “I’m guessing this is not a headband."
"No kidding," Catra says, rolling her eyes. "No, it is a fucking curse. That's what it is.”
"Oh. That's kind of..." she hums. "Not as bad as I thought it would be, actually." At Catra's glare, she adds. "I was expecting that Weaver had done something far worse, so I'm relieved the only harm is a pair of cute ears."
"Just because Weaver has done worse before doesn't mean that this isn’t bad.”
The words sober up Adora. She frowns and nods firmly.
"You're right. I'm sorry," she says. "She had no right to curse you."
"And I doubt the ears are all there is to it," Catra adds. “That would be too mild for Weaver. She won’t stop until she makes my life miserable.”
What had she said again? You will become nothing more than a stray cat . Did that mean that Catra could puff out and turn into a cat at any moment? No, that wouldn’t be possible… or would it?
Not knowing what will happen nor when just makes everything even worse. There is a sense of paranoia growing on her. Even after leaving, Catra stills feels stranded. Is like Weaver is there, looming in the corner of every room, ready to strike like a poisonous snake.
Adora must have noticed her tensing up, because she puts a hand on Catra's shoulder. Catra is so caught up in her own head that she startles.
"Hey, it's okay. It's just me," Adora says softly, her gentle blue eyes are piercing straight into Catra's. "You're safe now, Catra. I'm not letting Weaver do anything else with you." She brushes her knuckles on Catra's cheek before letting her hands drop. "And I promise I'll help you get rid of this curse."
The ghost of Adora's touch leaves a tingling sensation on her face. Catra hates that she loved the feeling. Hates that Adora’s words warm up her chest. Hates that she wants to curl up in Adora’s lap and never leave.
Catra needs to be independent, not rely on Adora. Not again.
"I don't need your help," Catra says, sounding harsher than she intended.
"I know you don't need it, but you don't have to do this alone." Adora holds out her hand and it lingers between them like an open invitation. "Please, Catra. Let me help you.”
A lump forms in her throat at the pleading look on Adora's face. She is making it real hard for Catra to push her away like she was supposed to be doing.
What does it mean to be independent, really? Is it doing everything alone or is it knowing when to accept help? Maybe finding her own way and sharing her path with Adora weren’t mutually exclusive things. Honestly, Catra doesn't want to be on her own if it means being far from Adora.
Catra hesitates for a moment, then she takes the hand that is stretched at her. A smile lightens up Adora's face and she intertwines their fingers as if to make sure Catra won't change her mind and run away.
"Alright, dork," Catra says. "By any chance, do you know any healing spells that could cure feline symptoms?"
"Uh, no, nothing like that,” her voice weakens. "I don't know much healing spells like, at all. My powers are still kind of... hard to control."
Catra has never seen Adora being anything less than perfect at something, so it is hard to believe she is not first in class in the Alliance by now.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, I've spent my whole life being told my powers were meant to hurt people. Learning how to use them to heal is a 180° shift from what I used to learn at the Horde. I'm not doing great at it so far," she explains, sounding a little embarrassed to admit it. "There is no one else with healing powers in the Alliance, so I’m mostly learning with Razz. But her ways are... well, you know, very Razz-like. I don’t always understand her.” Adora sighs. “Sometimes I feel like I'm going nowhere."
Catra tugs at their joined hands.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Catra assures her. "You're Adora, after all."
"What does that mean?"
"You're skillful and strong and you always give a hundred percent at whatever you do," she says matter-of-factly. "Controlling your powers might be hard now, but you'll manage it. You always do."
The smile that Catra receives in response is a quiet and surprised one, like Adora didn't expect the compliments, and is absolutely worth it.
"Thanks," Adora says quietly
Catra shrugs.
"So, if you can't spell me back to normal, do you have any other ideas?"
Adora hums in thought. Before answering, she grabs her cellphone – which means she had to release Catra's hand, and Catra immediately misses the contact – and types furiously for a moment.
"Okay," she finally says. "I think I know someone who can help us."
Catra is immediately defensive. She didn't want to involve anyone else in this, much less a stranger.
"Who is this someone ?" she questions. "Don't tell me they're from the Alliance." Adora's face gives her away, and Catra is already shaking her head. "No way. I'm not going there."
"Too bad, because we already got us a ride."
Adora pockets her phone and reaches for Catra's hand again, but this time Catra moves away.
"Come on, Catra. They're nice people," Adora says. "And I think this person might really be able to help. He used to be Weaver's student too."
This information Catra was not expecting. Someone from the Alliance being Weaver's student? Sounded as unlikely as Catra being a princess.
"He was from the Horde?" she asks.
"Oh, no. That was back when Weaver wasn't in the Horde yet. They were both from another coven called Mystacor."
Catra didn't even know there was a time when Weaver wasn't in the Horde. It must have been a great time. Or most probably not, because the Horde was surely always awful either way.
"Micah knows her magic," Adora continues. "Maybe he knows how to break her curses too."
Catra scrunches her nose. As much as she dislikes the idea, it makes sense. She could bear dealing with the Alliance as long as they manage to solve her situation.
"Fine, I'll go," she concedes. "But if I don't dig his vibes, I will leave."
“Fair enough. I'm sure Micah will pass your vibe check.” Adora chuckles. “I gotta get everything in place in the kitchen before we leave. Will you wait for me here?”
Adora waits nervously for her answer, as if she is expecting Catra to leave the moment she turns her back.
“Yeah, I’m not going anywhere,” she agrees. "It's not like I have any other option."
This is enough reassurance for Adora. While she goes to the kitchen, Catra shoves the beanie back at her head to hide her ears again. It is absolutely maddening to wear a beanie in summer, and when they leave the store and are greeted by the sun, Catra wishes she could just pull it out.
It takes only a few minutes of waiting for a car to park in front of the shop.
"That's our ride," Adora announces, opening the door for her.
With "ride" Catra thought Adora meant "uber", but it is only when she gets inside the car that Catra realizes her mistake.
As soon as she sits down, Catra is met with two faces peaking curiously at her from the front of the car.
"You must be Catra!" says a guy with a huge smile directed at her. "We've heard so much about you."
A girl with pink hair sitting in the driver's seat nods emphatically.
" So much," she confirms. “Adora talks a lot about you.”
Catra stiffs, caught completely off guard by the reception. She shoots Adora a sharp look that asks Who the fuck are these people?.
"Oh, does she really?" Catra says. "Because she didn't mention anything about you to me."
She pushes the door open and jumps out of the car while she has the chance. Catra barely takes a few steps from the car when Adora follows her, jogging to catch up with her.
"Catra, wait up," she tells her and Catra halts just to glare accusingly at her.
"I can't believe you involved your new..." Catra's face scrunches up at the word. " friends in this."
"I didn't tell them anything, I swear," Adora says quickly. "Glimmer texted me saying they were nearby and asking if I needed a ride home. That's all."
Knowing that Adora is physically incapable of lying, Catra doesn't doubt her. Which doesn't mean she is done being annoyed.
"You should have told me they were coming."
Adora tilts her head to the side guilty.
"If I did, you wouldn't have agreed."
"No. That's exactly the point," Catra replies.
"Come on, Catra." Adora reaches for her hand and pulls at it gently. "It's just a ride. I won't tell them anything about the curse. And ," she adds with a small smile. "I really want them to meet you."
Catra huffs, unyielding. "Why?"
"Because what they said was true." Adora bumps her shoulder against hers playfully. "I told them all about how cool you are."
Catra raises her eyebrows, but before she can argue any further the car's horn interrupts their conversation. The pink-haired girl puts her head out of the car to wave at them.
"Are you coming or not?" she asks.
Adora looks questioningly at Catra, who only scowls before walking back to the car.
As soon as they are inside again, Adora jumps up to introduce them.
"Catra, these are Bow and Glimmer," she says, gesturing at them in turn. "Guys, this is Catra."
Once again, Bow directs a smile at her.
"It's nice to meet you, Catra," he says. "Do you like tacos? Today is Taco Thursday."
Glimmer – who Catra mentally nicknames as Sparkles because of the intense glitter eyeshadow she is wearing – pipes in.
"Oh, we need to get you initiated in Taco Thursday," she tells Catra. "That's our tradition."
In a matter of minutes, these two strangers seem to have adopted Catra into their friend group without questions. Catra is not sure how to feel about it. She is terribly awkward when it comes to meeting new people, not counting the fact that befriending Adora's new coven pals was far from her wishlist.
"Sorry, guys," Adora says, coming to Catra's rescue. "Hate to break tradition, but we have other plans. We need to talk to Micah."
"Dad?" Sparkles asks. “Why?”
"It's kind of a private matter," Adora answers cautiously. "Do you know if he is in Brightmoon?"
"Yes, I think so," Sparkles examines Adora for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Okay, I'll take you there. But after that, we're going to get those tacos."
Sparkles starts the car and immediately speeds up. Catra fears for her life for a moment there as the car peels off the street.
“Does she always drive like she is speed racing?” she half-whispers to Adora.
“I can hear you,” Sparkles points out. “And the answer is yes, I pretty much do.”
Despite saying that, she slows down to a more reasonable speed – to Catra’s relief and apparently everyone else’s in the car.
“What’s Brightmoon, anyway?” Catra asks.
"It's how we call the Alliance's propriety," Adora explains.
All covens have their own propriety, a home where some of their members live, and also where they hold rituals, classes and meetings. Catra feels like going to the Alliance's propriety is like walking into a lion's deen, but it seems like this ship had already sailed.
"So, Catra," Bow turns in his seat to look back at her. "What's your skill?"
Catra shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She is always wary when it comes to talking about her skill. Because it is useless – at least that is what Weaver always told her, that her magic was useless and weak. Catra doesn't disagree with her. While other people have cool powers, like controlling the elements or flying, hers was... plain boring.
"Sigils," she says flatly, already waiting for the teasing that usually follows.
All you can do is draw? or Sigils is cheap magic , that's a few things she has heard in the Horde before.
Instead of any of that, Bow says "Oh, that's cool. I buy materials with sigils whenever I can. They always give a boost to my inventions. Do you sell something with your sigils?"
Catra blinks at the question. She didn't even know it was possible to sell stuff with sigils.
"No," she answers self-consciously. "What kind of things are there to buy?"
"All kinds of things. Sigils can be used in everything, really, like clothing, furniture, food..." Bow sends her a questioning look. "But you knew that already, didn't you?"
Catra knows Bow didn't mean to insult her, he looks like the kind of person who would never insult someone on purpose, but the question still irks her, because it points out how ignorant she is on the matter. She was supposed to know all that about her own skill, wasn't she? So why hasn't she heard anything about it before?
"There are a lot of things the Horde didn't teach us," is Adora who answers, sending an understanding look at Catra. "Catra is really talented, though. When I was around twelve, I was having really bad insomnia, so she drew a sigil on my forehead." Adora tells. "She had to draw it with a permanent marker, so I couldn't wash it out for a week, but I slept better than ever."
Catra chortles at the memory.
"Oh, you looked ridiculous. I couldn't believe you fell for it when I told you I had to draw it on your forehead for it to work."
"What, that wasn't true?"
Adora gasps indignantly at her. When Catra only chuckles in response, Adora pokes her in the ribs, knowing full well it is one of her ticklish spots. Catra yelps, squirming away.
"Do you have any more embarrassing stories about younger Adora?" Sparkles asks. "Feel free to share."
"I have tons," Catra replies, smirking at Adora. The only reason she says that is to tease Adora, though. She is not willing to share their stories with anyone else. There are some memories of Adora she wants to keep only for herself.
"No, she doesn't," Adora counters emphatically and promptly changes the subject. "Look, we're almost at Brightmoon already."
They are in a part of town where Catra hardly goes. Because it is the fancy part of town. This is the kind of neighborhood where all the houses are huge, all the gardens well kept and probably even if there was dog poop on the sidewalk it would be made of gold.
Catra has never seen a coven's propriety except for the Horde's, so she didn't know what to expect. But she definitely wasn't expecting a goddamn castle .
She gapes at the enormous building. It has actual towers on it, and at least a hundred windows. Compared to this place, Horde's home is a dumpster.
"Are you living here ?" she mutters to Adora.
"Yeah." Adora shares a smile with her, like she knows exactly how taken aback Catra must be feeling. "But I think I'll never get used to it."
Glimmer parks the car abruptly, and once again Catra questions her driving skills. She is thankful for finally being out of the car and safely on her feet, until she realizes she will have to get in that foreign building that looks like it belongs to royalty.
Adora takes her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze like she can sense Catra’s discomfort. Despite herself, it does help her feel more relaxed.
"Come on, dad must be in his study," Glimmer says, leading them inside.
If the inside of the building was already opulent, the inside is just like Buckingham Palace must look like. Catra feels completely out of place when she sees crystal chandeliers and marble floors. Adora's hand in hers is the only thing that keeps her from turning around and leaving.
After turning on a series of hallways and climbing a flight of stairs, they stop in front of double doors. Glimmer knocks on it and a voice answers a minute later, telling them to come in.
Glimmer pushes the door open and they follow her inside. Behind a cluttered desk, a man with a greyish black beard is leaning over books and papers. Catra assumes this must be Micah.
"Hey, kids." He stands up and pulls Glimmer into a hug. "Hi, baby girl. Came to pay your old man a visit?
Glimmer makes a face at the nickname.
"Dad, I see you all the time," she says with an eye roll. "Actually, Adora is the one who needs to talk to you."
"Yes, Catra and I have a..." Adora hesitates. "Hm, an issue we need your help with, sir."
“Ah, is it so? I’ll be glad to help.” Micah smiles at Adora. “But please, just call me Micah.”
“Sure, s– Micah,” Adora agrees. Then she sends a pointed look towards Glimmer and Bow. "I’ll catch up with you guys later?"
Glimmer raises her eyebrows.
"So much mystery. You really won’t tell us what’s going on?" Bow nudges Glimmer on the side and whispers something to her, making her sigh. "Okay, we're leaving. Don't forget about the tacos!"
After Bow and Glimmer leave, Micah turns to them with a kind smile. "Alright, what can I help you with, girls?"
Adora exchanges a look with Catra, who pulls out her beanie, revealing the hidden ears.
"This is Weaver's work," Adora explains to Micah, gesturing to the ears. "A curse. I thought that maybe you'd know how to break it."
Micah brushes a finger in his beard with a thoughtful look.
"Looks like it might be a simple transformation curse," he says. "If that's the case, I know a spell that should work."
Catra exhales a relieved breath. If he knew how to solve this, she would soon get rid of this nuisance and could go on with her life without any traces of Weaver left behind.
"Sit down, please." Micah indicates a chair to Catra. "It'll just take a moment."
Catra sits, eager to get this done with. Adora stands near, but keeps some distance so as not to disturb the process.
Micah takes a staff that was leaning against the wall, a long purple staff with a circular shape encrusted with blue crystals in the end. He stops in front of Catra and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then, he moves the staff in the air in a circling motion. As he does that, a purple light appears in the air, forming an intricate drawing. When he finishes the circle, he moves the staff forward and the light goes with it, flying straight at Catra.
There is a brief warmth sensation on her skin, but that is the only thing she feels from the magic. Catra doesn't notice any difference except for that, and when she raises her hands to her head she confirms what she suspected: the ears are still there.
"Why didn't it work?" she asks, disappointment sinking in her chest.
The expression on Micah's face already reveals that the answer is not good.
"It seems like the curse it's more complicated than I thought," he says. "I could sense it when I was casting the spell. It is a full transformation curse."
Catra sits bolt upright. "What does that mean?"
"It means that the ears are just the initial stage. In three days or less, the transformation will be complete."
The news is like a slap. It is exactly what she feared, but it still fills her with dread. Of course Weaver wouldn't do something so small as changing her ears. No, that would be a children's prank. She was going to literally destroy Catra's life instead by turning her into an animal .
"She will become a cat?" Adora asks in disbelief. When Micah nods ruefully in response, she urges. "But we can stop it, right?"
"I'm afraid I can't do anything," he says apologetically. "This curse was crafted so only its caster would be able to break it. Maybe I could do some research, but..."
Catra stops listening.
So this was the catch all along. Catra can't break the curse unless she goes crawling back to Weaver, asking for forgiveness. She would rather live the rest of her life as a cat than doing that.
Scraping the chair on the floor, Catra stands up and marches straight out of the door without a word, her mind clouded by anger and frustration. She doesn't need to hear anything else. It is hopeless. She might as well mourn the last days of her humanity alone.
"Catra!"
She hears Adora calling out to her, but doesn't slow her pace. Catra furiously stumps down the stairs, just wanting to leave this shiny place that is starting to give her a headache.
Only when she is at the gates does Adora catch up to her, stopping Catra by holding her elbow.
"Wait, Catra," Adora says while catching her breath. "Damn, you're fast."
"I didn't ask you to follow me," Catra snaps. “I didn’t even want to come here, in the first place. And I shouldn’t have.”
"I know you're upset, but don't lose hope yet," Adora says. "I promised I'd help you get rid of this curse, remember?."
Catra glowers.
"Maybe you should stop making promises you can't keep," she hisses. Adora winces, and Catra knows she understands exactly what she meant. When they were kids Adora promised that nothing bad would happen if they stayed together. And then she left . Catra won't linger into her words anymore. "Get your hero complex in check, Adora. I'm not your charity case, and I don't want your help."
Rationally, Catra knows that she shouldn’t be taking out her anger on Adora. But it is hard to be rational when she is so fed up with this whole situation. The truth is that she is scared . And if she focuses on being angry, then maybe she can forget about the fear.
A flicker of annoyance reflects on Adora’s face.
“Do you really think that’s why I’m helping you? That I just see you as a charity case ?” Adora snorts. “I’m helping you because you matter to me, Catra. Because we are friends. Unless you don’t want that anymore, too.”
Catra opens her mouth, but she can’t say that. She would never say that.
“Being friends doesn’t mean it’s your obligation to save me, Adora.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Adora confirms. “But I’ll do it anyway. I'll do whatever I can to help you, Catra. You want it or not.”
Catra sighs. Trust Adora to be insufferably stubborn as always.
"Suit yourself," Catra says flatly. “Can I go now or you’ll chase me again?”
“I won’t if you don't want me to.”
"Well, I don't. I want to be alone right now."
"Okay, I'll leave you alone," Adora says, watching her carefully. "But before that, I'll give you a hug."
Before Catra can prepare herself or even walk away, Adora is already wrapping her arms around her. It lasts only a split second – too quick to Catra even consider responding, maybe because Adora is afraid she would push her away (she wouldn’t).
“I will see you, right?” Adora asks, her hands still hovering over Catra’s shoulders like she also feels like the hug ended way too fast.
“Right,” Catra says, though she isn’t so sure of that.
As she turns to leave Brightmoon, still feeling the warmth of Adora's hug lingering on her chest, Catra really hopes that this is not the last time she sees Adora. But maybe it is. Maybe next time she sees her, Adora won’t be able to recognize her anymore.
Three days or less , Micah had said. This is the time Catra has before turning into a cat.