MEADOWLARK | IC INBOX

[purrsistence]

@catra.victorious | ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

Comments

[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.

[overrate]

Maybe. But if they're anything like the people in charge of Gotham, they're just a bunch of people that decided to take what power they could get and punch down at everyone they could.

[ he stares into the distance, his jaw tightening in anger. ]

Fuck that. I'd rather join up with something that's at least honest about what it is.

[purrsistence]

[ She wants to say the Horde is honest, but... no. She only thinks of them that way because she sees through their bullshit. But most don't. Catra thinks about all those lessons about how the Horde is good and the princesses are evil. All the people who'd have left the Horde long ago if they hadn't been brainwashed or had somewhere else to go-- Adora, Scorpia, Kyle... hah. ]

Yeah, well. Sometimes you don't get the luxury of that choice.

[overrate]

Then it sounds like my life story ain't that bad, all things considered.

[ with a point of finality. he doesn't want to talk about this-- he hates talking about where he grew up. always causes people to pity him, and fuck that.

he doesn't want it. ]

[purrsistence]

[ She gets that. As if sensing the tension, Catra grins and elbows him in the side with good humour. ]

Yeah, yeah. Congrats, you win the "not totally the shittiest childhood" award! First prize: still treating me to lunch!