MEADOWLARK | IC INBOX

[purrsistence]

@catra.victorious | ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

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[purrsistence]

Tch. It's not that bad. They get fed and housed, don't they?

[overrate]

You see this place, right? That's how they pull you in. Then, what, they gotta bunch a desperate people who'll make more desperate people to pull in.

It's a fucking racket, and it's legal.

[purrsistence]

[ She makes an exasperated sound in her throat and looks away, annoyed. ]

I'm not saying they're great or anything, just-- y'know. If the Horde hadn't taken me in, I wouldn't be here.

[overrate]

[ oh.

it clicks.

now he gets it. and he shrugs, and then kicks the can again, the minute they come back to it, slamming it into the side of a building and watching it ricochet. ]

.. I probably would've joined a gang or something, if I hadn't caught a lucky break back home. Guess that's not completely different, but the "horde" sounds like some sorta comic book villain organization.

[purrsistence]

[ She just looks at him with blank irritation. ]

What's a comic book?

[overrate]

[ god, it makes so much sense now. ]

These drawn stories. Usually come in small books. Heroes and villains type stuff.

[purrsistence]

[ Doesn't it just? ]

... Sounds like kid stuff.

[overrate]

Please. Grown ass adults obsess over them.

[purrsistence]

What, don't they have anything better to do?

[overrate]

Obviously not.

Better not check 'em out yourself, or it might be like the video game thing. I've only met one guy who actually memorized combos.

[purrsistence]

What? Memorizing strategies is just effective. That's common sense!

[overrate]

What? No, I almost beat you with button mashing.

[purrsistence]

That's only because I haven't practiced enough. Give me a bit longer, I'll be wiping the floor with you!

[overrate]

[ psssh. he doesn't say much back to that, but the look he gives is plenty recognizable as "yeah, right." ]

I'll give you that, you actually practiced. I wasn't expecting that-- even if it did make you fight slower.

[purrsistence]

What? You were the one who said I needed a hobby.

[ Well, Jason and about five others, but still. The point stands. ]

[overrate]

Yeah, you did.

Especially after the Horde. Guessing the standards for entertainment are low,

[purrsistence]

It wasn't all bad! We mostly made our own fun. When we could get away with it, anyway.

[overrate]

And what did "fun" look like? Drill practice or something like that?

[purrsistence]

What? [ She laughs. ] Don't be ridiculous. Mostly we just goofed off. Played pranks on Shadow Weaver or each other.

[overrate]

Hey, I don't know what it's like. My life was completely different.

[ not in a good way, but he doesn't need to say that right now. ]

[purrsistence]

[ Catra doesn't really like talking about herself or her upbringing, though, so she jumps on that opportunity like white on rice. ]

... Oh yeah? What was yours like?

[overrate]

[ he considers that one, goes a little uncharacteristically quiet. he hates focusing on how abnormal his own upbringing was but-- the only person who gets it is the other jason, and it's annoying. ]

Mom and dad shouldn'tve had a kid. Spent most of their time tricked out on drugs and dumped me on my uncle. Who was a raging alcoholic and thought a bar was the perfect place for a 5 year old.

[ and then there's a half bitter laugh, half sigh. ]

Then he died and I basically ended up on the streets. Y'know, that kinda different.

[purrsistence]

[ Catra also goes uncharacteristically quiet while she listens and absorbs that. Finally-- ]

... Are you kidding me? That sounds way worse than the Horde.

[overrate]

I survived, didn't I?

[ famous last words ]

[purrsistence]

Obviously. I'm just saying-- I don't know. Everybody here loves to give me shit for defending the Horde, but nothing like that ever happened to me. Maybe you would've been better off with them, too.