Cat & Mouse

[heeeyadora]

WHO: Catra, Tony, OTA
WHERE: The Forge, Various Locations in Temba
WHAT: THE NOISE
WHEN: The start of the event
WARNINGS: Violence, Will update as needed.
Note:'First' is for Tony, 'And Then' is for anyone else. Respond it whichever tense/style you prefer and I will match.

FIRST

The noise at first made its way into Catra's dreams, distant, something she wasn't quite aware of as the world twisted around her, dreams becoming nightmares. The noise became more and more apparent, Catra tossing and turning before awaking in a foul mood.

She pressed her ears flat against her head with a sullen frown. What was that??? The source wasn't immediately apparent, but she had a good guess, stalking her way towards the forge. Tony was usually the one responsible for ungodly noises doing whatever it was he did in there.

"Turn it offfff," she growled, letting herself in, tail twitching and swaying in irritation behind her.


AND THEN

Catra ran, sometimes on two legs, sometimes on all fours, trying to escape the noise, trying to stop it. And in her irrational state she concluded anyone and anything in her way must be the source of it. She pounced out of the blue, eyes wild, and claws sharp. Hope you're ready for the chase, little mouse. Catra isn't going to listen to reason right now.

Comments

And then!?

[on_repeat]

To the clone, the strange noise is more like a slight ringing in the ears, something easily ignored if he doesn't focus too deeply on it. He's sure it's just the HUD acting up in his helmet.

Crossing paths with Catra in the middle of an abandoned street shouldn't have been out of the ordinary. "What the–" Echo blinks, then begins to pick up on how fast she's going. "Hey, stop– !"

When she lunges, he tries to block her with his arms and his blaster, the force of the action causing him to dig his heels into loose gravel and dirt. Kind of like jumping on a wall that bends under the added weight without completely toppling over. "The hell do you think you're doing?!" he manages to spit out, trying to throw her back and away in the process.

[heeeyadora]

Her claws do a surprising amount of damage to that armor, leaving large welts across the plastoid, even as she's thrown back. It doesn't keep her away for long, huffing and lunging again, determined to get at the man under that armor if she has to tear it away piece by piece.

[on_repeat]

He doesn't have time to inspect the damage, finding his personal space invaded yet again under Catra's relentless assault. Boots scuff the ground to keep his balance, although the second lunge counteracts his attempt to stay upright, roughly landing onto his back with a heavy grunt.

"Leave it," he grimaces, trying to catch her hands. "What's going on? There's no reason to be like this!"

[heeeyadora]

She fights to try and free her hands from his grip, even going as far as to snap and bite with those sharp teeth of hers. She seems more animal than human right now, offering no response to his questions, only that wild fury.

[on_repeat]

Visually, it is Concerning from the HUD perspective. Echo grunts, fighting to keep what little space still exists between them. "Nothing?" He sounds incredulous, worried that she's still acting this way and not letting up.

Maybe letting go is a stupid decision, but if it gives him time to get up and retrieve his blaster, he'll do it.

[heeeyadora]

If Catra were in her right mind she would know that letting Echo retrieve his weapon is the last thing she wants to let happen, but now it's the furthest thing from her mind, attacking with no thought of tactics.

[on_repeat]

At least his armor can take the extra damage. Echo takes the risk, using his shoulder and upper arm to shove Catra back again and wastes no time in diving for the blaster. Setting it to stun, he rolls and swings wide, firing a few plasma rounds since he still can't fully gauge how fast she is in retaliation.

[heeeyadora]

She dodges a few of blasts, moving far faster than a normal human, but one of the rounds finds its target, and Catra tumbles to the ground, unconscious. It's a blessing really, a short escape from the sound that plagues her.

[on_repeat]

Echo stays where he is, his whole body rigid as he waits, watches and waits to see if Catra might get up again. When she shows no sign of moving, he finally exhales, letting his blaster drop down in front of him.

He knows he'll have to explain why she's unconscious to anyone who may find her like this, but he doesn't even know when that will be. For now, he needs to figure out what to do while Catra's out. And maybe regroup with some other folks who can deal with her better than he did.