Escaping Corruption (Seasons 1-3)

S3 - The sun and the snow

THEY anchor the ship at the harbour of Aziphiya, a strange rundown city a few thousand miles from Azuraigh.

Catra is incredibly weary of it, now that she has seen it.

The streets stank of death, the crooked, victorian-style houses in hues of black and grey festered rot. Blood dripped down from the gutters alongside some unnamed substance Catra doesnt want to know the origins of.

She does not want Aeris nor Glimmer to step a foot into the city's perimeter.

But she was a Horde soldier, she has fought to survive this long. And she will not let it go to waste. She could not hold them back from accompanying her.

And now the three are subtly making their way through the streets. They all don black, hooded cloaks. Aeris has glamoured her and Catra into more humanoid features, hiding their ears and tail, and humanizing their eyes. Alongside dimming Glimmers hair, which she was not the happiest camper about.

But they are more inconspicuous now.

Catra pulls Aeris close as they trudge past a pub with many middle-aged men intoxicated and smoking outside it.

One of them makes a comment on Aeris, and Glimmer blasts them angrily.

The man yells out in pain, and the three women make a run for it.

'Glimmer! What the fuck was that about!?' Aeris hisses as they race through the labyrinth of dark streets.

'OI! Aeris Lavinia D'riluth, you better watch that tongue of yours, little lady!' Catra scolds, grabbing the two princesses by their wrist and darting around a corner.

'Lavinia?' Glimmer snorts.

'Shut it. Catra's is Veronica. So she can't say shit.'

The two continue to bicker as they slow to a light jog.

Catra is beginning to regret allowing them to come with her.

All of a sudden, the rowdy men from the pub are snarling out angry comments from a too-near distance.

She suddenly realises that they are cornered.

The snarls gradually grow louder.

She sweeps her gaze around the alleyway.

'In here! Come on, quickly now!' A female voice reaches out from the dark corner.

A woman wearing a linen dress and an apron ushers them inside the side door of the dim building.

The three stumble into a narrow pantry area.

The woman shuts the door behind them.

'Who are you?' She eyes the three suspiciously.

'Ermm...I'm Hemera. This is uh...Hestia.' Catra gestures between herself and Aeris.

'And you are?' The woman turns to Glimmer.

'Eos! Yeah heh....Eos.' She rubs the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Alright....I'm Gaia. I have a spare room upstairs. Two beds. Will that be enough?'

'Its perfect. We can share. "Hestia" is my younger sister anyways.' Catra decides.

'Very well then. Third door on the right.' Gaia tilts her chin up as she speaks, an authoritive tone seeping in.

The three girls nod, and collectively vanish through the little doorway and up the stairs, and so into the room.

Immediately, Catra makes Aeris go get ready for bed.

Glimmer begins to sort her clothing for the following day, and Catra sits by the window.

She can't help but briefly resent Glimmer and Aeris for their bickering. If they hadn't done that, then they wouldn't have brought attention to themselves.

But a twinge of regret wriggled in as she remembered that she had not warned them of the terrors of Aziphyia.

She does not sleep well that night.