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You stand in the corner, watching the two Horde soldiers in the back room talking to each other. The cat-human hybrid won an enormous victory against Tung Lashor—the beast that not even Huntara, possibly the strongest woman round these parts, could defeat. No one liked her anymore but even her bitterest of enemies couldn’t disregard that no matter how they tried. Impossible, really. She was also from the Horde
The victory was unexpected and thrilling. Catgirl’s lack of muscles and brute strength was more than made up for by her agility, charisma, and intelligence. The will of her mind ultimately led to Tung Lashor’s downfall. He was never that smart. The buff woman with the pincers stood beside her.
She was silly—that one. Easily confused and laughing at and doing anything the catgirl said. The catgirl turned around and demanded that we praise her and cheer her on. It was so odd. She seemed overly cocky and full of swagger, but she gave that scorpion woman a reassuring smile. They seemed an unlikely duo, but their relationship seemed to grow immensely strong within a day. War will do that to you. But these women weren’t ordinary—your morbid curiosity led you to trail behind them as catgirl left with a smile.
“Can you believe this? They said this was called a ‘party.’ I like it. When we go back, there's going to be a lot more parties,” Catgirl laughed. The Horde was rather dreary and dismal from the stories people told. All kinds of outcasts and rejects made their home in the Crimson Waste. Everyone thought that people would die there. It was the desert. It was no death sentence. Not for anyone with a half a brain anyway.
“Uh, the crazy desert lady got away,” the scorpion woman said. You’d probably roll your eyes but she reminds you of yourself when you were younger—before you decided that listening kept you on your toes and talking led to destruction. You feel a sort of affection for her, like a younger sibling.
“Let her,” Catgirl argued. “We've got the most important thing right here. You heard that hologram. This is the key to the whole planet. When I bring this back to the Fright Zone, Hordak will see me for what I'm worth and I'll be back on top.”
She really sought the approval of that Hordak when he did nothing else but devastate the planet. Catgirl must have been experiencing an odd sort of attachment that the life in the Horde gave her. Huntara was like that, back when she was friends with everyone. It was such a mess—all of it.
“Or, you know, counterpoint, we don’t go back at all,” Scorpion Woman said. You shake your head, your eyes shimmering and watering a little. Things could never be that easy. They never were that easy. Especially when it came to someone you loved—the affinity and warmth Scorpion Woman expressed to Catgirl reminds you of when you loved.
“What? Why wouldn’t you go back?” Catgirl spat. You hold in your breath, an awful feeling in the pit of your stomach. You feel like you’ve seen this exchange before. You’ve been in this exchange before.
“Uh because you hate it there?” Scorpion woman retorts. You wish you could go up to her and explain. It’s not that cut and dry. You think that love will change things—that its raw power will lead to new paths, new decisions. They loved you. That’s what they said. And it was true. You felt it. But they stayed and you left. It didn’t matter how much love there was, none of it would change. You want to give Scorpion Woman a hug as you tell her that you know it hurts, but it’s the way it goes. That you have to accept it. That you have to learn to keep quiet, to find beauty in observing the world and not participating in it, it hurt a lot less that way.
“I don’t,” Catgirl said. She wouldn’t. She just wouldn’t.
“Hear me out, okay? Scorpion woman starts. She sounds like you all those years ago. Explaining, rationalizing, pouring your heart out. But the answer was still no. It would always be no.
“Within like, a day, you've defeated the gangs ruling the Crimson Waste and made yourself their leader. This is the happiest I've ever seen you. Scratch that. This is the first time I've ever seen you happy, period. So, why would we go back? Let's stay here. Forget Hordak. Forget Adora. Forget all of them. We could rule the Crimson Waste together, just the two of us. We could, you know, be happy.”
She won’t listen, Scorpion Woman, you think. She can’t listen. She’s tied to what she knows, not what she could possibly know. Catgirl is logical and rational, she is no dreamer. She will not leave. She can’t leave. And you can’t make her.
Catgirl stutters and makes excuses then runs away.
They all do.
But you’re still here. As Scorpion Woman walks away, sad and resigned, you kneel down and start to cry.