Pretty Pretty Princess: Redux

[enterstageleft]

Who: Those Who Play Games
Where: The Game Tower
When: Day 300

[ Today you step out of the elevators and into the game room to find yourselves in an airy Grand Ballroom. Maybe, if you've been here long enough--you might recognize this room?

At the front of the room is a buffet table featuring finger sandwiches, petit fours, and savory pastries as well as a variety of small desserts complemented by bottoms-up turned teacups and steaming hot kettles set up for self-serve. From nowhere to be seen comes the sound of instruments playing. Up above, tethered to the ceiling, are what appear to be long curtains. …

The small, square tables feature place cards that as of yet are mysteriously empty, but other than that--there is nothing on the table. Those who have walked in and might prefer to walk out again will find they are mysteriously barred from exiting…. ]


Tables || Sign Ups || Game Rules || Items & Effects || Turn In & Winning Criteria || FAQ || Talk to the Host

Comments

[dumbjockenergy]

[ normally Adora might say no, but--

wasn't this the argument she was just having with Sabre? about her right to kiss people if she wanted to? it certainly wasn't stopping Sabre in or out of game. she clearly didn't want to kiss Adora instead or something, so why should Adora hold herself back?

the pettiness feels ugly in her stomach, but the lipstick's effects and her own frustration wins out. ]

...Here?

[ and to think she'd only just had her first kiss. huh. ]

[beautifulend]

[ they cup Adora's face in their hand and rub a thumb over her cheek. ]

Anywhere you want.

tfw ur touch starved and don't even know it

[dumbjockenergy]

[ she's not expecting the almost tender touch, and she's leaning into it before she can think about it. it's like the time the other Adora had hugged her, the warm touch offered so easily, and without hidden intent.

there's a faint pink in Adora's cheeks. ]

Um. Some...somewhere private?

gottem

[beautifulend]

[ they chuckle and give her a quick kiss on the forehead. they're always so charmed, every time something like this happens - it's certainly a nice distraction from thinking about what the game made them feel. ]

Of course. Is the park okay?

[dumbjockenergy]

[ the tension lining her face and shoulders slowly seeps out, overtaken by a tentative and almost shy wonder. it's such a simple touch, but it feels so foreign. ]

Yeah, that's fine. Let's...Let's do that.

[ sorry she's in a little bit of a 'holy shit affection is amazing???' daze. this was different than the playful wrestling with Sabre or the aggressive, impulsive kisses from the game. it makes something ache in her chest. ]

[beautifulend]

[ they pull back to lead her by the hand, tail swishing back and forth as they leave the Game Tower. ]

You know, it's a shame. The kittens really don't know what they're missing out on.

[dumbjockenergy]

I think you might have the wrong idea about them. Kohime doesn't want me like that, and Sabre definitely doesn't.

[beautifulend]

Now what makes you think that?

[dumbjockenergy]

[ one hand in Sashay's, Adora uses her free one to pull her ponytail out and shake her hair loose, sighing. ]

Even if Sabre running off with other people wasn't a dead giveaway... When I first got here they completely stonewalled me and tried to push me off on the other. They always seem to be mad at me.

[ she slips the hairtie around her wrist in one easy motion, frowning. ]

Everyone keeps talking about their feelings for me but... sometimes I feel like they just hate me.

[beautifulend]

[ they squeeze her hand lightly, tail swaying slowly behind them as they head toward the park. they stay silent for a moment after Adora finishes speaking, looking up at the sky. ]

That's because they do. That doesn't mean they don't still love you all the same, Miss Wolf. Mm, have I ever told you about my Master?

[dumbjockenergy]

You haven't. When you say Master, you mean...like your teacher?

[beautifulend]

I mean the person who holds my leash.

[dumbjockenergy]

So an actual...Master.

[ something about the sound of it, so close to sounding like a pet doesn't sit right in her gut, and there's a creeping look of concern, but... best to let Sashay say what she's going to say instead of jumping to conclusions. ]

[beautifulend]

That's right.

[ they pause for a moment, their ears twitching. and then, with a deep breath: ]

I hate her more than anything in the world. I love her more than anything in the world. She's stronger than me and better than me in every way, and no matter how hard I try I'll never measure up. Because nothing I do is ever good enough, because I'm not good. I never was, because it was decided from the start by someone else entirely that I was the one who should be inferior so that she could she could shine even brighter.

[ it's hard, to actually say any of this. it's not something they've quite expressed to anyone else here, and their voice grows strained as they ramble on. ]

And she does shine. She's the most wondrous thing I've ever seen. I like to think I want to kill her as an act of mercy, to put her out of the misery of the burdens placed upon her, but the truth is that I mostly want to kill her because I don't want to be hurt anymore. I want to kill her because I want to be free. I want to kill her because I don't want to love someone who I can't look at without being reminded of what I'm not and never will be.

More than anything, I hate her because I love her. I hate her because I can't stop loving her, no matter how hard I try.

[dumbjockenergy]

[ that is... a lot.

Adora comes to a stop, holding Sashay's hand tighter.

she doesn't have enough memories back to explain why that hits her so hard, but it does. and maybe it should be because Sashay is talking about wanting to kill someone they love, but it's not. it's-- an ache in her chest, maybe. a sympathetic pain she can't quite name, like she's seen it before.

and then Adora is using their joined hands to pull them in, wrapping Sashay in a hug as tightly as she can. ]

That's not-- You shouldn't be compared to someone else like that. You're not worse or better or-- You're just different. And...And that's okay.

[ it's not the point of what Sashay was telling her, she knows, but... ]

And if you told her, maybe she'd understand. Maybe it would make it better. Maybe she just doesn't know.

[beautifulend]

No, you're right.

[ they grip her tightly, taking in a deep breath. this isn't about them, they know that, so they need to pull themself together - ]

Well, I don't know if she would understand. And I'm not confident it would make it better.

But I do know she doesn't know. That's why I'm telling you. So that at least Sabre can have someone who does.

[dumbjockenergy]

I appreciate that. Really. It...helps. But Sashay, it's--

[ complicated, so complicated. ]

I don't know. It's not allowed or it'd be bad or... I don't know. Without my memories, it's all so confusing. I feel things and I don't know why. But even if things between me and Sabre were like that, we just...can't.

[ it makes something in her chest tighten.

she gives Sashay one last squeeze before letting them go. ]

And anyway, if Sabre was interested in me, she wouldn't be doing what she's doing. Even the day I got here, she was sleeping with Angel.

Not-- Not that I care--! She can do whatever she wants. But she doesn't get to be a hypocrite and get mad at me while she does it.

[ Adora is...not very subtle when it comes to what their fight must have been about. ]

[beautifulend]

If that's what she was doing, it certainly wouldn't be fair, no. But that's not why she's mad at you, Miss Wolf.

[dumbjockenergy]

Then why is she mad? I've tried asking and it just makes her angrier.

[beautifulend]

She's mad that you're the only one who doesn't recognize the obvious. She's mad because despite everything, no matter how hard she tries to get you to pay attention to her, you won't pay attention to her in the exact way she wants.

[ They laugh, reaching their other hand to cup the one they're already holding. ]

Sabre loves you, Miss Wolf. And she hates you. And she's mad because she can't be sure whether you love or hate her back, but she's too scared to do anything but hurt both you and herself until you do something that makes her sure of one or the other.

If you're not going to kill her, you just have to prove your love for her. I doubt that'll be easy, and for a regular human I'd say it wouldn't even be worth it. She's desperate to love and be loved, and thinks that to be loved means to ensure nobody else ever is.

But you're a wolf, Arya. That's why you haven't given up, as anyone else would've by now. This is a hunt like any other, and love is your strength. And in the end, you'll save her.

[dumbjockenergy]

[ she doesn't say anything at first, stunned by such a thorough call out. she stares at the hand they hold, the same one that Adora wore the matching friendship bracelet she'd made for her and Sabre. it's golden twine, "💪 arya & sabre 🐱" spelled out across it by beads in their position colors. ]

Of course I wouldn't give up on her. She's been my best friend since we could barely walk. But she's Catra. And I'm not--

[ worthy of Catra's love. ]

It's really complicated.

[beautifulend]

I can tell. But nonetheless - there's one thing that's very, very simple. Whatever you were going to just say you're not? You are. That's just how life is, when somebody else has noticed you.

[dumbjockenergy]

I have to admit, this isn't what I expected when you said we should kiss.

[beautifulend]

That's how it goes, sometimes. Did you still want to?

[dumbjockenergy]

If you do.