Tails crossed

1 // Waiting game

Waiting was nothing new or difficult to Double Trouble. When all you had was time, a magical barrier and a constant audience of masked Brightmoon guards with spears, it tended to make the stakes more interesting. They had maintained their form as Catra for the journey to Brightmoon. Adora had tried to make jabs at them, provoke them, and they had witnessed some of the most pathetic attempts at flirting probably ever.

She comes in here every hour on the dot. They thought, cushioned against a pillow within their small barrier.

Adora had insisted that they get at least one pillow, to which Glimmer begrudgingly allowed. Double Trouble had thanked her, which had appeared to make Adora startled.

"What? What are you planning with that, that you're thanking me for it?" Adora had narrowed her eyes at the pillow she'd given DT.

Right, it's out of her character to be grateful. They'd reminded themself.

"I'm planning to use this," Double Trouble had said, holding up the plush fabric, "To suffocate you." They grinned.

Adora had scoffed. She had almost seemed to like that answer.

—————-

She keeps smiling. She's too happy to be here. What the hell is she up to?
When Adora was not in the spare room staring at Catra, she was usually pacing in front of the room instead.

The capturing of Adora's enemy had truly sent her into a spiral. She worried about mundane things like whether or not Catra liked the food, or whether she was nervous, or if she was bored. She couldn't voice these questions to Catra, who would likely just tease her for coddling her enemy. It was so weird, though- Catra was here in Brightmoon! She wasn't a threat to anyone here, and there was that little sliver of hope that Adora could make her change sides.

Should I go back in? Adora stopped and faced the large set of doors blocked by a pair of crossed Brightmoon guard's spears.

"Again?" One of the guards inquired.

"Glimmer won't send anyone else in there." Adora shrugged. "Isn't it cruel to just leave her in there all day?"

"You want to talk about cruelty, Adora?" Glimmer's voice snapped.

"WHERE did you come from!?" Adora spun, startled to see the friend she was quarreling with.

Glimmer snapped her fingers, sending a puff of magical smoke dissipating from her hand.
"Duh. Anyway, what's really cruel is destroying the world over a grudge."

"I know what she did." Adora replied.

"You act like you don't care about how I feel!" Glimmer scolded. "Do you know what it's like knowing she's here, surrounded by the things my mother built and held together for so long? Knowing she doesn't care? She's eating my food, living in my mother's Castle, patting herself on the back for erasing Queen Angella from existence!"

Adora tried to embrace Glimmer, but the shorter girl held out a hand to stop her.

"I'm sorry. Glimmer, I do know that this sucks for you." Adora tried.

"Do you?" Glimmer was beginning to look red in the face. "Because you argued so hard to bring her back here."

"Did you want me to let her go?" Adora threw her hands up in exasperation. "Is that what you want to do, now? It's your call, your majesty. Go let her loose on Etheria."

"You can't do that." Glimmer snapped. "You can't force me to bring her here and then make what happens next my responsibility!"

"I can't change the fact that she's here. Do what you want now, Glimmer, but I thought it would be better if...!" Adora fumbled for words that she couldn't find.