Phantoms of a promise

Notes

The chimes of her heels echoed throughout the corridors, along with the hum of the other employees.
However, there was something  unmistakably recognisable in that sound, in the rhythm or whatever...or maybe it was just the very presence of the woman who wore them.
She walked around like she owned the place and if it wasn't for the nametag on the door she closed behind her, you would have never guessed it wasn't hers.

She had chosen any single employer, scripted most of the project now photographed, framed and displayed along the walls and even had the chance to pick some of the design choices when they renovated the offices.
She might have not been the queen, but it sure felt like her reign and everybody acknowledge it.

Catra went straight to sit in her chair, but didn't miss the weird package on her desk.
It sure wasn't the dvd she had ordered on Amazon that morning, nor it could be the new prototype promised by Entrapta - who made a big deal about introducing her babies with the proper pathos - and she had already had her meeting with the headchair that week...so she really had no guess.
She took the phone a pressed the button to call her assistant.
"Yes, miss?" He asked.
"Where does this box come from?" She wondered.
"The one on your desk?" The blondie questioned.
"No, Kyle, the big one in the middle of the room full of sponsor stickers - of course i meant the blank package with no address." She sassed.
"Oh! Sorry, miss! A courier left it, specifying it was urgent and personal, that only you could open it." He whimpered.
"Kyle, I'm a gay woman of colour who runs a high tech company...do you have any idea of how many threats I receive daily?" Catra replied annoyed.

The brunette chose him as her assistant because he was discreet, almost invisible, put together and she saw potential in the boy...but he could be so, so dumb!
And not even a cute dumb- just an annoying dumbness that made her want to pour one of his stupid banana yogurts over his head.

"They said it was family-related and you never receive anything alike, so I just assumed you would want to open it by yourself." Kyle explained further.
"That sounds actually smart, say the crucial things earlier next time, we talked about this. - And call DT and Rogelio here now." She ordered, closing the communication, then collapsed back in the seat and released a sigh.

She really hoped it wasn't a prank or worse: she just didn't have time for bullshit and if it wasn't for how the neat box presented itself, she would have thrown it right away.

"Family-related" Kyle said.

Nothing more suspicious.

And brought there by a courier, no less.

Could it be a bomb? Not really - Entrapta's security system would have detected it.

Some creep shit? A cut thumb maybe? It would be more amusing then horrendous to her.

Something creeper? Like a dead animal? Maybe a cat that looked like her Melog?
No, only Catra would think of something like that.

Burned pride symbols? Wouldn't be the first or the last, DT could handle that like it was nothing.

Speaking of the devil, somebody knocked her door.
"Come in." She invited them.
"Good morning darling, what's all the urgency for?" DT wondered, as they entered the room along with Rogelio, the head of the security.
"Blank package for old little me." She said, pointing the damn thing in front of her.
They signed her words for their colleague and he stepped forward, Catra standing up to leave him room.
"Ok, I'm going to open it" Rogelio signed, before starting to cut the tape.

Catra was very clumsy with sign language, but she had been learning as much as she could catch and generally understood the security guard.
But she was hopeless with actually signing, because the mirrored action confused her and she would make huge mistakes, so she relied on interpreters if it was only the two of them.

Sign language was indeed one of the reasons she hired Kyle, as he was already fluent.

Anyway, on these kind of situations, protocol suggested that a security guard would open the suspicious box and she and DT would be there to damage-control what it's content could mean for the company.

Ever so slowly, the package was opened and Rogelio concerned frown melted in a relieved expression and then a confused grimace.
"It's harmless, just jewellery and a hotel card" he signed, picking the objects up and showing them.
Unfortunately, Catra recognised the eternian perfume bottle shaped like a sword in no time.
What was singular, was the white within the glass.
"And by the look on your face, kitten, we now totally know it's meaning." DT pointed out, while signing their witty words.
She took a moment to breath as steadily as she could, then reached her desk.
"This is family-related. You are dismissed." She stated coldly, but the anxiety was so obvious in her voice.
"You sure, darling? Seem a little pale there...and I have to say, the hotel-room card makes me curious." They pressed.
"I said you are dismissed." She repeated sharper and bitter.
That was enough to make the two flee wordlessly.

So there she was, sat at her desk in her sophisticated, neat and stylish office, that she worked her ass off to get, fidgeting with the perfume bottle.
How she had hated when she first saw the box it was in, how had she hated Lucy Hope for sending it.
One more time, this little thing could have been sent her to hurt and ruin Catra's life. Further.
But she opened it - she just had to - and picked out the note folded in it.
As she suspected, it was written in first ones's language.
Did she remembered it ten years apart? Yeah
Was it really necessary? She doesn't think so.
It really was an old trick and obnoxious, like the person who sent it.
They didn't live at Weaver's anymore, what was the whole criytping shit for?
But she decoded it.
Because of course she did.

"Hey Catra,
SOS.
Top secret.
Meet me at this place tonight.
With love,
A"

How could it be so in and out of character of her to send some shit like this?

Catra growled, knowing she would go, then destroyed the message and the notes to read it.

For how she hated her, she hated that "SOS" more.