778/Cats In The Curry

Cats In The Curry
Date of Scene:	17 November 2023
Location:	Korma Chameleon
Synopsis:	Looking to try something new, Catra wanders into the Korma Chameleon... and gets food for thought, as well as for her stomach.
Cast of Characters:	Rashmi Terios, Catra

---

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The dinner rush at the Korma Chameleon is a time of paradoxes, especially in the late fall. The sultry warmth of a full restaurant serving hot food -- in more ways than one -- against the ever-increasing chill of the open air. The smell of the city giving way to what can only be described as a gentle hug made of spices. The concrete, steel, and bright advertising outside, and the summery reds, yellows, and greens of the house's decor.

It's as if the Korma Chameleon straddles the space between 'the city,' and another world entirely.

It's also busy as hell, and all hands are needed on deck. Even if, for the daughter of the owner-operators, that means putting off homework to wait tables.

Catra has posed:
This place feels comfortable, warm... safe.

Or at least it might to Catra, if it were less busy. Hidden under her guise of Rachel Miller the obnoxious American, she's sitting at a small table in a corner, mercifully beside a window, so at least there's that. It's just too loud. But it's cold outside and she's hungry so she's here, staring at a menu that has literally nothing on it that she has any idea what it is, with her earbuds in with something of an entirely non-soothing nature playing loudly enough that it must be at least low-key annoying to the people at the neighboring tables.

What even *is* a Tandoor Oven, anyway?

As she's busy looking over the menu, Nicomachea might, possibly, pick up on a dark energy signature; it's not... doing anything, it's just there. Looking at a menu, of all things.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The American with the earbuds is in Rashmi's section anyway, so she would have been the one to do the serving. But the ping of Dark Energy makes it all the more important that the service comes *promptly.* If they like the food, after all, they might not wreck the place and there might not need to be any fighting.

That would be nice, after the last encounter Rashmi had with the forces of Darkness.

So when she wanders her way over to Rachel's table, she has her *absolute best* customer-service smile, and to her credit she only bobbles the greeting a little when she recognizes the human guise of Adora's girlfriend, and coincidentally the girl who had to be successfully talked down from shooting terminal patients in the hospital.

Oh good. No pressure.

"W-welcome to the Korma Chameleon! Is this your first time here, because if so I'm happy to explain anything on the menu that looks interesting."

Catra has posed:
It takes a moment before she realizes that someone is talking to her. It's not that she can't hear over the music -- she can -- it's just that when you're doing your best to shut the world out, sometimes you can succeed just a little less than you'd like, and a little more than is practical.

Rachel Miller slowly turns her head to look up, and eyes Rashmi, visibly processing her appearance.

"Oh, right," she mumbles, thumbing down the volume on her music enough that it can't be heard outside her own ears anymore. "Uhm. Crispy Girl. Less crispy now I see. ...Can't remember your name though." She shrugs, and finally gets around to pulling down her hood. "You were there at the masquerade, too, I bet Adora thinks I didn't notice. ...I know you recognize me so you can stop being pretend-nice, you're not very good at it."

The disguised feline looks back down at the menu, then back up at Rashmi, "So what's a tan door oven? I have no idea what any of this is."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Caught. Loosing a sigh, Rashmi shrugs. "Okay well then I'll just settle for being pretty nice, modified by you're kinda intimidating, if that's all right. And it's--" she taps her nametag. "--Rashmi. There a name you want me to use since you're not, uh, in uniform?"

As Catra shows off her fairly understandable lack of knowledge of Indian food, Rashmi simply smiles gently. "...So this is an Indian restaurant, and that's where most of the recipes served here come from, India. It's a *lot* different from Japanese food, so we're really used to explaining things for first-timers. A tandoor oven, for example... It's a kind of vertical oven, you use charcoal to keep it hot. That means it cooks faster, and the food gets a little bit of a smoky taste which goes *great* with some recipes."

Catra has posed:
Catra blinks slowly. As if that explaination meant basically nothing to her -- which is probably not far off. She just stares for a moment, and shrugs her shoulders dismissively.

"Rachel," she replies. "Which I *hate* but it doesn't matter because it's not like I'd like anything else better. Hiding all the time sucks. The people here are idiots. This whole *planet* sucks."

She sucks in a breath, but it becomes apparent that, maybe, she just... doesn't really have the energy to argue or fight, today; nor the emotional energy for the usual level of honeyed malice. She's just operating on a fairly basic level of grumpiness, apparently.

"I don't know, just... whatever your favorite is, I'll try that." She pauses, actually trying for a moment to flatten her ears -- which doesn't work while she's disguised. "Probably can't be worse than the Grey Kind, *definitely* can't be worse than the Brown Kind."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Well... how about this," Rashmi says after a moment of trying to parse what Grey Kind and Brown Kind might refer to. "Most dinners are about... three to four thousand yen. So for forty-five hundred, I'll tell the owner you've never had Indian food in your life and want to try as much as possible to find out what you like. Make it an even five thousand, and you'll never run out of drinks either. And you would be *amazed* at what Papi can do to fish."

Sullen and grumpy, Rashmi can handle. She volunteers her time in a *restaurant.* And besides, there's always the promise of that magic moment where a bite of food turns a customer's entire mood around.

"Deal?"

Catra has posed:
The wheels turn, and Catra thinks it over. It's not like she doesn't have the money, she easily does, Obsidian keeps her well enough paid that it's not an issue. She isn't thinking about eating and dashing, either; that'd just be a level of petty that she isn't interested in, at least, not right now.

Too lazy to be mildly mean? That's a new one.

It's more that she's weighing the desire to try things, against then having to actually try them. It's too loud in here as it is, and three out of her five senses are already being assaulted -- does she want to add a fourth, by tasting a whole bunch of things?

Yes. Yes, in the end, she does.

Catra bobs her head, and looks up at Rashmi. "Sure," she answers. "If you can stay and chat, just for a few minutes." She glances around herself, and looks over towards the door. "It's too loud in here. I don't know how you stand it."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"We don't have hearing nearly as good as yours, I imagine," Rashmi says with an apologetic shrug. "I can ask Papi about setting up a booth with a privacy curtain, that might cut the sound down later on. But..." She looks over her shoulder at her section, and starts scribbling some things down on a pad.

"...So people are starting to leave, and I *need* to take care of their tickets. By the time your first round of food is ready, the rush'll be dying down and I'll be okay to talk for a bit? And I'll make sure you have your drinks in a couple minutes."

Catra has posed:
Catra pauses for a moment, and rolls her shoulders once, giving a single bob of her head. And just a small one.

"Sure," she answers. "And no, you don't. I don't think I've met anyone here who does. And this world is just... so... *loud*. And everyone's always talking and talking over each other and every square inch of every building is covered in neon lights, and there's endless cars and noise and people and I *hate it*."

Catra falls silent, inwardly wondering why she's opening up to the Crispy Girl like this. She glances back, towards the rest of the restaurant and the people who are leaving, and then just... turns her music back up. "I'll be here," she mutters, directing her gaze to her smartphone and something she can scroll through without really paying it any attention.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi must just have one of those faces. It's probably got nothing at all to do with the fact that she would *like* for people to open up around her, and subtly encourages it. "Yeah, I can imagine," she says. "I'm sorry about that, I wish there was something I could do to help with that... But right now best I got is your lassi and first round. I'll be right back."

And with that, she starts making a circuit of tables in her chunk of the restaurant; quick chats with diners, bills given or collected, all on her way to the kitchen... And it's maybe thirty seconds after she made it *to* the kitchen that she emerges, flanked by two people with trays whose sole job seems to be collecting empty tableware from the recently-finished tables. In one hand is a wide tray, bearing a tall glass of thick, pale-yellow liquid, and it's set in front of Catra with a genuine smile. "So this is called 'lassi,' and it's yogurt, milk, a little sugar, and mangos for flavor. We have a *bunch* of different flavors too, if you want something different next time."

And with that she's back on her way to the kitchen, stopping at a raft of *different* tables to repeat the process, as the dinner rush starts to lurch toward its end. The noise pressure in the restaurant is already starting to ease, a bit, the clink of spoons and chopsticks against tableware slowly replaced with the much more muffled sounds of an active kitchen built to feed several dozen people at a time.

Catra has posed:
Catra doesn't directly notice the passage of time, really, she's just absorbed in her music and whatever's on her phone, so it almost comes as a surprise when there's a drink in front of her. Almost. But it's very hard to sneak up on the feline even when she isn't paying attention -- all those years of having to constantly watch her back, moreso than enhanced hearing. But the hearing helps.

And then there's a drink in front of her, and it smells... pretty great, actually. She tosses her phone on the seat beside her and picks up the lassi, holding it up under her nose and sniffing it carefully.

The thing is, she's just allowed one of her enemies to provide her a drink. One of the smart ones, too; not someone who'd just bullrush a problem straight on like Adora would either, but... more like an Entrapta, just without the maniacal behavior.

No, that's not right. Maybe just more like Angela. Or maybe Bow.

She glances over her shoulder, in the direction of the kitchen, and watches for a moment, to see if Rashmi is coming back, or maybe just peeking at her from somewhere, waiting for a result. Of course, she isn't, and Catra doesn't see her. So she turns back to the drink in hand, and finally puts it to her lips and sips it.

Of course, it's delicious. Maybe a tad on the fruity side for an obligate carnivore, but that's fine; the milk and yogurt is honestly fantastic, and the sugar makes it all glorious.

Without really realizing it, by the time Rashmi comes back, she's drunk it all.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The tray that Rashmi carries is *much* more full than the last, and by this point the noise-pressure of the diners has faded to a dull roar, perhaps completely masked by the music, or almost so. The first thing that gets set down is a small plate of flatbread, smelling strongly of garlic and herbs. "That's naan," Rashmi says, thensets down a large oval plate with half a dozen tumbler-sized bowls on, and a bowl of rice next to the lot. "So I'm not going to bother naming every dish, it's a lot of words that Japanese people can barely keep straight, let alone people from *seriously* out of country. But Indian food is pretty often also spicy, so the two on the left are the least spicy we make -- barely at all really -- and the two on the right are about the middle ground. Papi *refuses* to serve newcomers any hotter, he'd rather you taste *food,* not hot."

The cups seem to hold an array of different stews, each featuring one of three kinds of meat; chicken, lamb, or fish, and according to Rashmi the two major ingredients in Indian food are yogurt and butter, next to the spices.

And she hurries back to the kitchen with Catra's empty glass, this time coming back with two glasses of a *pink* liquid. "This one's strawberry," she explains, as she sets both in the middle of the table and slides into the seat across from Catra. Promise to sit and talk, kept, and she even gets to decide which glass to drink from, in case of trust issues!

Catra has posed:
Catra takes one of the glasses, once Rashmi returns with the drinks and slips into the seat opposite her. And, at least things are finally dieing down from the dinner rush, so she turns off her music and pulls the earbuds out. And now there's food arrayed in front of her.

And it smells amazing, no less.

While she might've been doomscrolling the entire time since Rashmi first approached her table, before that point she'd watched a few people eating in here, so she's not entirely without an understanding of how to... get the food in her mouth. So she tries a bit of Naan, with some of one of the mildest curries (the chicken one, as it happens). And she doesn't outwardly comment, and the casual observer might not notice any reaction at all, really, but someone who's really in tune with the emotions of others...

Would see that she definifely likes it. A lot.

"I don't want to talk about Adora," she grumbles, before readying up a bite of something else -- Naan with one of the fish offerings. "*Anything* but Adora. Ask me why I work for Obsidian, why I'm such a horrible person, why I came into the hospital with a big rifle, whatever, just... not about her."

She pops the morsel in her mouth, and once more, very clearly enjoys it." She chews, enjoying the flavor before swallowing. "...And you're..." She pauses, stumbling a little on the word, "'Papi' should be proud of his cooking, he's really good."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I'll let him know," Rashmi beams. "It always makes his night to hear that."

Taking the other drink, Rashmi retrieves some naan to snack on, nodding her understanding. "That's fine, we don't have to talk about anything you don't wanna talk about. So. I'm guessing that you use that music to help drown out people-noise. Got any favorites yet?"

All the opportunity in the world to interrogate, even if she doesn't seem the type to be a *good* interrogator, and she asks about *music?*

Catra has posed:
"Marilyn Manson," Catra replies. "Rob Zombie. Nine Inch Nails. Rammstein." She keeps trying things, making her way around the semi-circle one dish at a time, and clearly, palpably enjoying every bite. "They're the best for drowning everything out, yeah. I'd use bigger headphones, but they don't really work with my ears."

Another black mark against this entire planet, clearly.

"People always think I'm being obnoxious when I stand beside them with the music turned up loud. Except I don't care. It's everything *else* that's obnoxious, I'm just drowning it out so I can listen to just one thing. I don't know how you people can stand it, all the... the everything all the time."

Giving away her weaknesses to one of her enemies, again, feels like an absolutely terrible plan. But then, she hasn't poisoned her, so maybe she's safe.

And if not then really who cares anyway.

"What do you listen to?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
At the second 'I don't know how you can stand it,' Rashmi helplessly shrugs. "Honestly, people on this world tend to just... filter out noises we can identify as 'constant.' Like we don't notice them until they're gone, then we can get *really* uncomfortable. It's weird, but brains are weird in general."

Across a food-laden table, Rashmi seems to be much more in her element than on the battlefield. "My music? ...Honestly I'm all over the place. There's a couple idol groups I like, some of my favorite movies to *incredible* things with orchestras--" She trails off, as the thought that she'll probably have to explain an orchestra occurs to her. "...Okay think like a small army, with like ten or fifteen kinds of instruments between them, and a conductor who keeps them all on beat. And every section is playing their own music, but you put it all together and it braids into just this *wall* of sound and feeling."

When the dishes are emptied, Rashmi grins. "So! Did you have a favorite? And I hope you're still hungry, you've got a whole nother round yet before dessert."

Catra has posed:
"That sounds like... too much, honestly," Catra replies. "I like these bands. Like six instruments, someone singing, and that's it. Perfect." Well, maybe not perfect, but she can tell what she's listening to.

She pauses, and taps one of the bowls, the more spicy of the two fish dishes. "That one," she replies, in answer to Rashmi's question. "Look, so... grab yourself a bran muffin -- I found one of those in the mall -- crumble it up, stick it together with something like, I dunno, molasses but without the flavor, add some sawdust and some protein powder, bake it into a dry brick, and that's the Brown Kind. ...Make it a little different and make it taste slightly more like porridge and you've got the Grey Kind. That's what I grew up eating, and I dunno how they managed to make it work for me 'cause I'm an obligate carnivore."

Catra glances over her shoulder, evaluating how populated the place is, before pulling her hoodie up over her head and dropping the illusion.

"I hate hiding," she reiterates. "So." She tilts her head, to gaze out the window. "You got friends, right? Do you have a best friend? Not like a boyfriend or girlfriend or anything, just like... a best friend."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Probably extra protein," Rashmi mumbles as to how they made it work for Catra, but the redhead looks absolutely horrified by what passed for food in the Horde and probably wouldn't have answered if she were thinking about the conversation.

Luckily, Catra points to one of the bowls, which gives her something else to think about. Nodding, she scribbles a bit more on her pad, and smiles. "Okay! So that's called Maacher Jhol. Ma-chur jol," she repeats, separating out the syllables to make it easier to pronounce. "And is there any one you didn't like so much?"

At the question of a best friend, Rashmi sits back, smiling a bit. "...Honestly having friends at *all* has been a pleasant surprise for me," she admits. "But I've gotten a lot of good ones since coming to school-- and if we're not talking boyfriends, then that's a really, really close race... but Molly-chan's probably my *closest* friend. You'd probably like her taste in music at least, and she's probably too scrappy for her own good."

Catra has posed:
Catra pauses, and shakes her head, "No, I liked all of them," she admits. Which, it really feels strange to admit -- liking things, that is. Doesn't really fit with her image, or else just she's unused to liking things. Usually it's much too easy to find fault with things and far, far too difficult to find a reason to like them.

But hey, with food, it's much easier. Pretty much anything that isn't a Grey Kind or a Brown Kind has potential.

"I liked all them," she reiterates. "Your friend, Molly. She sounds cool if she likes the same music as me. Scrappy is good, that means she'll punch someone in the face for you, even when it's a terrible idea." She rolls her shoulders, still looking out the window. "I hope she never abandons you."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Pretty similar," Rashmi says. "Maybe look up 'punk' sometime. Lots of angry people yelling about things that suck. It's not my thing, the music, but I'm all for calling out stuff that deserves calling out, y'know?"

Then Catra herself veers the conversation dangerously close to Adora, and for a moment Rashmi falls silent, unsure of what to say. Finally, she settles on something that is the truth, but not a taboo topic. "...I've been abandoned before," she says gently. "And yeah... it hurts. It's not the same, but... it's close enough I can understand." She pauses for a second, starting to reach out, but halts before her hand moves far from the table. "...Other people're gonna reach out, though. Just... don't be too scared of getting hurt again, that you miss it. Nobody deserves to be alone forever."

And with that, she pats the table, and slides out. "I'm gonna go get your second round, I'll be right back," she says, and takes her tray into the kitchen.

Catra has posed:
"Some people do." Wether or not Catra is referring to herself isn't entirely clear, but one can probably guess. She bites her bottom lip -- showing some unmistakably feline teeth, and finally tilts her gaze back to face Rashmi again. She nods, "Sure," she replies.

"...Thanks," she adds, after a moments pause, like it's something she's entirely unfamiliar with saying. Perhaps, entirely unfamiliar with having a reason to say it.

Her mind clearly is in turmoil, rushing through everything Rashmi just said, but she doesn't pass comment on it openly. Just keeps churning it, picking it all apart from every possible angle while she waits for Rashmi to come back again.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When Rashmi comes back, it's with another half-dozen tumblers, but these all smell strongly of fish and spice, as though Rashmi had texted Catra's preferences back to the kitchen when Catra wasn't looking somehow. "So," she says, picking up the tasting experience as though a heavy weight *hadn't* crashed right into the middle of the conversation. "Luckily, where Mami's from there's *lots* of fish recipes, and Papi's happy for the chance to stretch his cooking legs. Hope you like them!"

And the variety is indeed amazing; three different kinds of fish seem to show themselves among the six bowls, and some are hot in a chili way, others in a mustard way, and there's one that seems to turn the tongue somewhat numb when eaten. "That's because of a kind of pepper Papi sometimes plays with," Rashmi explains. "It's supposed to do that, and with some food it makes it so you don't feel the heat so much and want to keep eating." And of course, more rice and lassi, this one a very *pink* color and smelling of flowers that Rashmi identifies as roses.

But if Catra wants to continue the heaviness from before, Rashmi is more than willing to give the outworlder the next swing.

Catra has posed:
Catra waits until Rashmi has sat down again, before she starts trying things; at first not speaking, just having a bite or two from each bowl, and figuring out which ones she likes the best. Which it turns out is basically all of them, in some level or another, it's just hard to work out which is a favorite. The fact that they're all fish really helps.

"So..." She trails off immediately after starting. "I'm still with Obsidian, and that's not going to change, for... reasons. And I know the next time we meet we might have to fight. And I can promise you I'm not going to fight any less than my best, ever, for *anyone*." She gestures around herself with the naan bread, "But I'll never come causing trouble here, okay? We can call this place neutral ground. I'll just... try to come when its quieter. Deal?"

As she waits for an answer, she scoops up the contents of one of the mustard flavored bowls, which definitely seems to be becoming a preference out of this lot, even though all of them are wonderful.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Deal," Rashmi says, nodding firmly. "I think it'd be insulting to you if I tried to hold back, so... If we *do* end up fighting, no hard feelings, okay? You'll always be welcome here as long as you don't cause trouble for this building."

Settling back a bit, she gives the thought consideration. "So... I'm sure you have your reasons, and I'm not gonna say you *should* leave Obsidian. Just... *if you want to,* gimme a call. Whether or not you want Adora-san involved, I'll find a way to help you. Not a suggestion, just... you have options. Your call when you wanna use 'em. And that'll be the last time I bug you about anything like that, okay?"

Notes are scribbled down as to Catra's displayed preferences, and she slips out again. "I don't know if you're a dessert girl or not, but like... *Nothing* from India is like any desserts Japan's got. You'll see."

Turning, Rashmi bops back into the kitchen, apparently lighter in step than her last trip.

Catra has posed:
"I won't," Catra replies, "But thanks." She enhs, and shakes her head, "Not like we ever got desert in the Horde," she points out, "I've hardly tried any, ever, so worst that can happen is I don't like them I suppose."

As Rashmi makes another trip to the kitchen, Catra waits, glancing over her shoulder -- carefully, being undisguised but for her hoodie -- gauging how many people are in the place at this point, other than her and Rashmi.

By the time Rashmi comes back, Catra is back to staring out the window, watching people walk by in the chilly air outside. (Something else she hates; Eternia really never got cold, except sometimes when Frosta was around, but that doesn't count.)

"You know the number of people around here is ridiculous," she points out, halfway through the rose lashi and clearly approving of it. "I think there's twice as many people in Tokyo as there were on all of Eternia. What do you need 'em all for? And they all look the *same*. No beastkin, no... no nothing. Doesn't it get boring?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When Rashmi comes back out, it's with two plates; one has half a dozen different confections, two each. Another plate has what is clearly Rashmi's favorite from among the six on Catra's, some sort of syrup-soaked spongy spheres, all in different colors. And is ambushed with a question about Earth life.

"...Well I mean, the number of people kinda builds up over... like, what... fifteen thousand-odd years," she says with a shrug. "And wars haven't really had a planetary scale until a bit over a hundred years ago? But I mean... there are differences. *Smaller* ones, but different enough that some people treat them as not-human. So, no, it doesn't get boring when it's all you know."

From there, she launches into an explanation of the desserts, and for some reason they're mostly made of cheese or pasted nuts, and a very specific kind of sugar. Her personal favorite seems to be called 'chom chom,' and is just kneaded fried cheese soaked in flavored syrup, each color a different flavor.

Once that's done, she tilts her head. "So with the restriction on subject in place... Was there anything you *liked* about Etheria?"

Catra has posed:
Catra sips the lathi as she listens to Rashmi explain the deserts, and once she's finished, she lets the question about Etheria hang in the air for a moment, while she tries the piece of chom chom on her plate -- it doesn't seem like she's being rude, for once, just needing time to think -- and she clearly enjoys the taste of that too.

"The Crimson Wastes," she replies at last. "I liked the Crimson Wastes. Don't get me wrong, I... mis the Fright Zone? That probably sounds like I'm making a poor choice but it was *home* for most of my life. But I almost had it made in the Crimson Wastes. Almost."

She shrugs, leaning back in her seat. "No rules, right? The strong lead and... basically get what they want." She shrugs emphatically. "And I figured that'd be me, and for a while it was, but it didn't work out." She sighs, picks up another desert example and looks out the window. "I kinda wish this world had something like that, but it doesn't. Oh sure, there's lawless places, but they're... different."

Catra pops the desert in her mouth, taking the time to enjoy this one too. "Being second in command of the Horde was kinda nice too," she muses. "Definitely miss a measure of, y'know, being in charge. But I'll get there. Just gotta climb the ranks. Again."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Nothing wrong with missing your home," Rashmi says quietly. "And... It sounds like things were *simple* for you, out in the Crimson Wastes. I can see why you'd miss that; knowing what needs doing, and just... *doing* it. Things get complicated pretty quick, when you have to take care of other people." For a moment, she contemplates a bright orange ball that smells of some subtle spice. Then she shrugs, pops it into her mouth, and lets the food give her an excuse to be silent and consider her words.

"What'll you do, when you're someone else's second?"

Catra has posed:
"Work on becoming first, I guess." Catra picks up another one, more or less at random, simpy because she doesn't know which ones she likes the best yet. But since she has two of each in front of her she's making a point of trying everything once and leaving the duplicate for afterwards.

"I *was* Hordak's second. But the Shadow Weaver betrayed me and he blamed it on *me* and sent me to the Crimson Wastes to die, except that I didn't and managed to come back with First Ones Tech instead. But if *I* was in charge then nobody's be able to do that to me."

The feline regards Rashmi with her mismatched eyes, watching as she enjoys the bright orange ball. "Alright, your turn. What's so great about Earth? Tell me what I'm not seeing."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Honestly you're asking the wrong person," Rashmi says with a shrug. "I'm barely more than a teenager, and I've never actually *left* Tokyo my entire life, except to go a couple other places in this country. I've hardly seen much at all of Earth, except through like the Internet and movies and books. But I guess I'm one of those strange people who just... *likes people.*"

Sipping her drink, she leans back in her chair. "It's people that made some of the things I've loved all my life. It's people that *did* all the things that inspire me. Yeah some of them are pretty horrible, but like... Like you said, there's *so many people* in this city alone that even if I don't like a million of them, there's still *twelve more million* I could probably get along with."

Catra has posed:
Catra chews on that while she's busy chewing on a desert. She holds up another one, "Well, you can credit whoever came up with this food for doing good stuff, beats the hell out of the Brown Kind and the Grey Kind." She pauses, "I used to think the Grey Kind was pretty good actually. Until I tried something else."

The feline is about to pop the desert in her mouth, but pauses, looking back at Rashmi. "You should know what I'm like. I almost destroyed Eternia. Not like, a village, or a city, or anything. I mean the whole planet. Entrapta warned me that opening the portal might destroy the planet, but I didn't care, I just wanted to *win*, so I opened it anyway. And that was the last thing I remember before I got here. I--" She stops for a moment, "I've been... assuured that I didn't, that it's still there. But who knows, maybe that's a lie." She finally gets around to eating the desert, and chews it slowly, as with the others.

"You sure you want me in your parents' restaurant?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And Rashmi listens to this, nodding slowly throughout Catra's entire recounting of her sins. "Well... Maybe someday there'll be a way to get home, and you can see for yourself. But like... Now you know what could happen if you don't listen to people when it's serious. D'you think if someone said 'That'll destroy the planet' again, you'd ignore them this time?"

With a shrug, Rashmi picks up a pale green sphere, contemplating it for a moment. "Well... you're the one who offered the deal. I think you'll stick with it, just because you like the food. So honestly... it's not a matter of whether *I* want you here. Do *you* want to be here? Cos if it's gone, you can't, so... seems to me like the answer's pretty easy."

Catra has posed:
"Honestly... I don't know." Catra shrugs. "You'd think it would be sufficiently insane that nobody would ever do it the first time. But I did. Who knows, maybe that's why Obsidian keeps me around. It's definitely not for my personality." She works her way through the deserts as she converses; all of them are delicious, of course, so if Rashmi asks if she has a favorite it's going to be hard to pick.

"I gotta eat," she acknowledges. "And so does everyone else who works for Obsidian. We don't go around destroying things at random... or at least, I don't. And yeah, if this place wasn't here, I couldn't eat here, so I'd say it's safe."

Maybe there are other reasons; maybe there's something here Catra can get besides the food, but she isn't openly admitted to that. Not verbally, anyway.

"So. What do you do for fun on Earth? I tried watching one of those movie things but I can't believe how dumb it was."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"You'd think, but you don't seem like someone who'd make the same mistake twice, when there's a million fresh new mistakes out there," Rashmi says, a gentle smile hopefully conveying that she's daring to sass, only for a joke. "But seriously; you seem smarter than that."

Asked what's fun, Rashmi blows out a long, gusty sigh. "Man, that depends on what you *like* to do," Rashmi chuckles. "As long as it's not, like, pit fighting, you could probably find it here. Movies aren't your thing, okay. So how'd you have fun back on Etheria?"

Catra has posed:
And that's a good question. How did she have fun on Etheria? It's not like pit fighting is all that far from the truth.

"On Etheria I was raised to be a soldier and when I was old enough I started fighting," she answers. "Fun wasn't really a super big variable in the equation. Winning was fun. Losing was not fun. Winning got you more power and meant other people had a harder time attacking you. Losing got you thrown in a holding cell and sent to places like Beast Island or the Crimson Wastes. I don't... really have over much more to it than that, honestly."

"I want to be clear, I was okay with that," she adds. "I *like* fighting. It's simple and uncomplicated, just... hurt the other person as bad as you've got to until they stop trying to hurt you. Nothing else matters. Just *win*. That's it."

She pops another desert in her mouth, and mmms. "These are really good, by the way."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yeah they are," Rashmi grins. Then, she mulls over what Catra has told her about life in the Horde, and tilts her head to one side. "So... I'm'a say something that sounds obvious, but you're gonna want to take some time to really chew on. Yeah this place is weird and awful for you and all, but... You don't *owe* anyone your allegiance here, Catra-san."

It might occur to Catra, or it might not, that this is the first time in the entire visit she's called Catra by *any* name, and it's not that of her cover ID.

"Maybe you think you don't have many options, but honestly? It sounds to me like you've never *had* as much freedom as you do, right now. You could just walk away from everything, go to Cat Island, and probably live the rest of your life without people hassling you to do more than help carry cat food. That's an option you have, *right now.*"

Rashmi taps on the table for emphasis, then settles back in her chair. "It doesn't sound like the kind of life you'd want, but like... Catra-san; *what do you want?* Like, *really want.* If having dreams for the future was trained out of you before... There's no one who wants to stop you here. You can dream. And then you can try and do it."

Catra has posed:
Nobody but yourself, Catra fills in, though she doesn't voice it. Well, that and the fact that without a power strutcture surrounding her, she just feels naked and alone and vulnerable. And she can't have that. She needs to feel safe.

No matter what the cost is.

"I'll definitely have to check out Cat Island," she answers instead. "Though... the cats here are... not like me. They're cute and all, but it's like, I dunno, you and a monkey. Does that make...? Yeah, I'm betting that makes sense."

Catra picks up the last desert, and pops it in her mouth. She definitely takes her time to enjoy it; and of the set of duplicates, it's the one she saved for last. One of the ones with a mild level of spice to it.

"Only dream I've ever had was winning," she answers, her tone turning a shade darker. "I don't know if I know how to dream anything else. It's too late, I'm already far too broken to ever be fixed. ...But I appreciate the sentiment. And the food was great."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Maybe," Rashmi says. "...But maybe not. Anyway, just... think it over, okay? Maybe you just need practice. And Cat Island... Yeah that makes sense. But the cats there... They're not afraid of *anyone.* Because they're all safe there, and any person they see, they know is gonna be nice to them, cos it's *their* territory." Chuckling she shrugs. "But it's not important for *right now.* Right now, the only thing that matters is five thousand yen," the redhead says, grinning. "And I'll write down the names of the ones you liked best, so you can ask for em by name next time."

Catra has posed:
"Oh, don't worry." Catra holds up her smartphone and waggles it in the air. "I made notes already. I can't go back to the kind of food the Horde had, I always make a note when I eat something I like." The feline shrugs, and stuffs the phone back in her pocket. "I'd return the favor, but... yeah, you don't want to try anything I can come up with. Probably better for you just to call it even here."

The feline gazes upwards, and around herself. "I'm guessing your family are really cool. You're lucky to have them. ...Thank your Pops for the food for me."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"They are, and I am," Rashmi says feelingly. "And I will, and you're welcome. Double welcome to come back when you like, too," she says, bobbing her head. "Also just... thanks for being cool about... eh. Everything. That means something, y'know?"

Catra has posed:
Catra looks up from the table in front of her, and quirks her lips upwards, just in one corner. "Well, like I said. Neutral ground. I'm willing to honor that. I don't know if I can get anyone else with Obsidian to buy into it, but I'll honor it at least."

Yeah, she's not going to be telling anyone at Obsidian about this arrangement, she'll get laughed at at the minimum.

"Thanks for helping me try all the food. It's some of the best I've had." Not that that's a super high bar, but still.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Anytime!" Rashmi says, getting out of her seat. "I'll be right back, I gotta get these to the kitchen." Without comment, she starts picking up the empty dishes, stacking them all onto the tray and taking them back to the kitchen, there likely to help with other chores now that business is winding down.

Some people are just too helpful for their own good.

Catra has posed:
And then, Catra is alone again. Well, not entirely alone, there's other people in the restaurant, but Rashmi is gone for a moment. She'll be right back of course.

Catra restores her illusion, so she looks like Rachel Miller once again. Her earbuds are returned to her ears, and the music starts blaring once again. By the time Rashmi returns, the feline is gone, and there's just a small stack of bills sitting on the table -- five and a half thousand yen.