revivalproject | Never try to outstubborn a cat

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Never try to outstubborn a cat

WHO: Catra, OTA
WHERE: Tunnel -> factories
WHAT: Dragging a whole damn bed across the city. Obviously.
WHEN: July 10th, following release from the tunnels
WARNINGS: Angry cat, will update.

Catra didn't want to hang around in the tunnels any longer than she had to, but she also wasn't about to give up that bed. And so she could be found hauling the whole damn thing inch by inch, mile by mile from her room across Temba towards the factories, dragging it around determinedly by the bed frame. She had to stop periodically for breaks, flopping down exhausted onto the bed, but she would not be deterred from her mission. She was going to get this damn bed to the factories and away from everyone else if it killed her.

[ooc: Tag with which ever tense/style you prefer and I'll match.]

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"Heh," she grinned, flashing him a sharp canine. "Yeah, I can leave the stragglers for you," she teased, smoothing her hair back.

"I mean...I'm not going to freak out or anything..." she excused. Totally not a big deal one way or the other. "You really think you can take me?"

"Generous." Not that either of them would get a shot at the Agrii, at this rate. Hell, the Fleet had barely gotten a shot at the Atroma and even that had not gone entirely well.

"Nah, it's fine." He just smirked at what appeared to be at least some level of posturing. She reminded him of an alley cat, in a way: wary, slow to trust, and probably deadly in her own right. "You wanna find out?"

It was a pretty good assessment.

Catra got to her feet, gesturing to the bed with a welcoming smirk. "Give it a shot," she offered, seeming confident despite the size difference between them.

With permission granted he stepped closer, first going to the head of the bed, then the foot, inspecting the way the side pieces joined in. It'd be no use helping her if the bed came apart from the stress of dragging, after all. Apparently Agrii construction was strong enough for this though — a small miracle perhaps, given the apparent state of the rest of the planet — and took a firm grip at the base of the foot with his left hand. Lifting carefully he straightened, bedframe gripped in his palm, and looked at her.

"Which way?" It was probably some kind of cheating, using the prosthetic, but at least it could be used for something good for once.

"..." Her cheeks coloured a bit with the ease with which he seemed to do that. Was everyone here some kind of super powered something or other? It was almost worse than dealing with the Princesses back home.

"Okay, well first of all, that's totally cheating. And secondly- This way. Towards the factories," she gestured, flashing him an appreciative smirk.

"The hardware comes in handy sometimes. At least this is a good use for it." Not that he wanted her to feel bad about the strength difference, because he didn't. For him, he'd done so many horrible things with the prosthetic that the chance to use it to help another person was a nice change. "I mean, I'm sure I'm nowhere near the championship form you have, you'll have to let me know if you have any tips."

Best, he thought, to not call attention to the blush creeping across her cheeks. Act like everything was normal, just a casual stroll through a deserted alien planet. No big deal.

"Gotta admit, I don't know too much about the layout of this place. Got anything interesting to tell me about where we're going?"

"Yeah, looks like it'd be useful," Catra agreed, giving it a brief passing look. Her lips quirked, giving it some thought as she walked along. "Lift with your knees? I think I heard that somewhere before," she offered with a shrug. Her technique had mostly been stubbornness and brute force.

"Most of the people are back there," she pointed back towards the city center, "This section is more run down so they mostly avoid it. There's a forge, and mine over there. And a whole lot of factories. I think people used to live in some of these places, but I haven't explored it all yet."

He couldn't completely hide the grimace that crossed his face, for all that he tried to school his expression back to neutral as quickly as possible. "Sometimes," he replied, trying to make it sound as nonchalant as he could. She didn't need his issues. "Good advice though. I'll keep it in mind."

Lift with his knees indeed! Trite, but it make him chuckle a little.

"They're all back there and you're out here." He wasn't exactly surprised by that given her attitude thus far; in fact, he could relate to wanting space to oneself. "Got a story behind that?"

Ah. Her ears lowered for a moment, glancing away when she picked up on that grimace, though she too tried to act as though nothing had happened.

"Not really," she dismissed, shrugging a shoulder. "I don't know them...and- I dunno...it feels more like home out here anyways, so..."

Ears were a great indicator of mood, apparently; he wondered if she knew how much they broadcast. There didn't seem to be a good way to bring it up, however, other than reiterating that she hadn't stepped over a line. "Doesn't matter though, it's useful now."

That was all that mattered. HYDRA may have made him, but he could remake himself.

"I know how it is to need your own space." He identified with it fully, knowing full well what it was to need to remain separate from the bulk of the populace. "Not gonna bother you, knowing that I know?"

She was occasionally aware, but she had a lot less control over them than she did over her facial features.

"Mm? Nah. I can take you if you decide to cause trouble," she determined with a smirk, "There's a whole bunch of empty places around here if you're looking for somewhere away from the rest. It might not be as cushy, but...no one to bug you."

At least he wasn't going to call her out on it. That seemed like it would be unnecessarily cruel.

"Yeah, that's me. Trouble." He grinned at her, a bit exaggerated maybe but it was better than the narrowly-avoided unpleasant conversations. "Yeah? Already looks a lot better than what I'm used to. Maybe I'll be your distant, part-time neighbor." Not that he didn't already have an offer of somewhere to stay, but having his own space apart from that would be welcome indeed.

"Clearly. Taking on the bed wrangling champ on your first meeting."

Catra looked about the run down landscape with a hum. "...Same," she agreed, "It's got nothing on the Fright Zone. But more neighbors might be all right. I guess. You don't seem completely awful. Good to have around if I need help lifting stuff."

"What was I thinking," he murmured, just loud enough that she'd be able to hear. Strange how comfortable the conversation was, but he wasn't going to question it. It was a nice change.

"Fright Zone sounds... well, like a place that'd have to live up to that kind of reputation. Guess that makes this place the Mildly Annoying Zone?" Hopefully the Agrii weren't listening to them and getting ideas. He glanced sown at her again, weighing the options of what to say and how much. "Solitude's nice, you know? One of my favorite things. But sometimes it's good to have another person around once in a while so you don't forget what it's like."

Not that he was speaking from experience or anything like that.

"...It wasn't so bad," Catra dismissed, but it wasn't as though she really knew anything different. She gave a small snort of laughter at his suggestion though and nodded, "Sounds about right."

She hesitated then as he continued, ears lowering, and for a moment it looked like she was going to dismiss it again with another shrug.

"...Yeah. I guess," she agreed, trying to make it sound like she wasn't terribly bothered by it.

"Sometimes I'm amazed at what I can shove into the mantle of 'wasn't so bad'," he mused. He got the sense that she didn't really like talking about herself, though whether it was out of a desire for privacy or something else he couldn't quite pin down. Truthfully — and surprisingly — she reminded him a little of how he felt at times.

But at least they could still laugh. That was important. "Say it loudly enough and maybe they'll give us a sign."

He hummed softly in response to her words and the way her ears drooped that little bit. "If nothing else, I'm good for some heavy lifting, right?"

She offered a rueful smirk that, and nodded. "Get's pretty easy," she agreed. She felt there was a certain understanding between the two of them, one that remained mostly unsaid, but...she appreciated it.

She glanced skywards doubtfully. "Clearly their too cowardly to come down here. That's the whole reason they brought us here to do their dirty work."

"I could do it myself, you know. I'm just letting you because you seemed so eager to try. It's not because I like you or anything."

"Does, yeah." Which was enough said about that, mostly because it seemed like they had an understanding around those less-than-pleasant things. He experienced a brief distaste about the idea of someone so apparently young having such an understanding, but then again, he'd trained ones younger than her. What did that make him?

He already knew the answer to that question, and this was not the time to redefine a monster.

Following her line of sight for a minute, he shrugged his human shoulder. Funny how there seemed to be an unsaid agreement of looking to the sky in thinking about the Agrii; he'd caught himself doing much the same. "Cowards usually are pretty good at hiding behind delegation," he agreed, "and finding creative ways to make other people do their work for them."

This just in: the Agrii were middle management. Pass it on.

"I'm sure you've been silently judging my form this entire time." Easier to stray toward the almost-teasing than back into the too-close-to-similar truths they'd been dancing around. "And because you're so generous."

Catra'ss far too familiar with all that, humming thoughtfully.

She snorts, giving him a look, not sure anyone has ever described her as generous before now, and she smirks pointedly, shrugging a shoulder. "Yeah, well...I am known for my generosity."

Strange, how the similarities keep cropping up. And strange how it's not exactly uncomfortable. Not that either of them would ever admit as much.

"Known for a lot of things, huh?" he comments, trying to keep it casual. "Must be pretty famous, where you're from."

Though with a name like the Fright Zone, that might not be a good thing.

Her chest swells a little, though that pride is maybe a little short lived, a little tainted...

"Pretty famous," she agrees.

"Suppose it's weird here, being not famous." He steals a glance at her, sidelong. "Gotta start over from scratch and all."

For him it's preferable; anonymity is more than welcome, and solitude right alongside it. He has however noted that his viewpoint is somewhat unique and not at all normal in others' eyes.

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