Out of the Frying Pan

Flowers for She-Ra Part 1

"I can't believe Mom agreed to let you stay in Bright Moon," Glimmer says for the fourth time as she's leading them down the hallway past the many, many guards lining either side. Is it better to think that Bright Moon just has guards every few feet or that there's only a couple but they all still hate her so much they're following her around?

"Yeah," Adora squeaks. "Awesome." What isn't completely awesome about being reminded no one thought this would work?

"It's so nice here," Catra says in a monotone.

"Okay, you've seen the dining hall, throne room, the portrait hall. So, the last stop on our grand tour is..." She throws open the doors. "...your new room! Ta-da!"

Adora gasps.

It's bright like the sunrise and she keeps looking up and up to find the ceiling so far above, feeling a second of vertigo when she does.

"Pretty standard," Glimmer says with a chuckle. "Catra's room is set up the same." Adora tears her eyes from the inexplicably see-through distant ceiling to stare at Catra, who's staring back at her with the same expression of baffled horror. Catra's room is some other vastness elsewhere?

Glimmer continues, "You've got your vanity" -she appears next to what looks like a desk with a mirror - "bathroom" - why is there a lopsided white container of bubbles what does that have to do with a bathroom - "crystals" - Adora clutches at the fact she knows what that is, crystals are sparkly things that have no point only why would they be here if they didn't do anything, she doesn't know this, she has no idea what's happening - "bell pull" - Glimmer yanks a rope and something dings - "tea nook" - a what what - "more crystals" - Adora tries not hyperventilate - "bed" - she fails where is the bed is it buried under the pillows how can she not understand something as simple as a room - "desk" but wasn't the first thing a desk what was the first thing then - "and, of course, the water fountain." Glimmer smiles at them like the things she just said are good.

Adora takes a steadying breath. The water looks recognizable. It's a stream going into a wide pool in a way that's making the back of her neck crawl in anticipation of Shadow Weaver shouting about wasting water which is really kind of ridiculous if you think about it because the most Shadow Weaver had ever been is disappointed in Adora, she never grabbed - She gulps in another breath. She can do this. "Is the waterfall for showering?"

Glimmer laughs. "Ha! Good one, Adora. Waterfall for showering." She waves her hand like she's batting away the very idea. "Now, Catra's room is right-"

"I'll just stay with Adora!" Catra yelps, jumping away from the open door, and Adora feels like dying with gratitude.

"Uh...?" Glimmer says. "I promise, your room has all the same things."

"It's totally fine!" Adora babbles. "I'd love that! I, I kind of owe her, and it'd be nice to pay her back finally! Catra let me share her bed back ho- at the Horde. I was assigned the top bunk but, uh, I fell out once." It's embarrassing to remember even now but she's already brought it up. "I was a really clumsy kid, and it was really hard to go back up there after I fell. So I'm happy to do the same."

"Why didn't you just switch beds?" Glimmer asks.

Catra laughs with only a slight edge to it, and Adora starts to relax as well. "Switch beds!" She laughs harder. "Oh I am so glad we didn't think of that. Shadow Weaver was so mad the next morning, I can't imagine what she'd would've done to me if she thought I'd kicked Adora out of her bed!"

"She wasn't that mad," Adora says defensively.

"The whole room went dark and crackly! I couldn't tell if I'd actually woken up."