2240/Spirit Ember: Sense of Self

Spirit Ember: Sense of Self
Date of Scene:	16 January 2025
Location:	Cafeteria Plaza
Synopsis:	When the Spirit Ember Guardians find Catra in the school cafeteria, her true Etherian self is revealed. With the help of unexpected allies (join the MakeArt Club!), Catra finds her self-worth and stands on her own two feet. More trials await!
Cast of Characters:	Bow, Usagi Tsukino, Ahmya Karashima, Catra, Koji Silvia, Rashmi Terios, Hinoiri Kirara, Amanda Faust
Tinyplot:	Spirit Ember

---

Bow has posed:
~* FISH DAY *~                                

The Radiant Hearts Academy cafeteria bustles with activity, the air filled with the aroma of freshly prepared fish dishes. Long tables covered in pristine white cloths are adorned with trays of sushi rolls, fried fish sandwiches, grilled salmon skewers, and bowls of clam chowder. An ice sculpture of a fish, intricately carved and shimmering under the cafeteria lights, serves as the centerpiece on the main buffet table. Students move eagerly through the line, balancing their trays as they select from the bounty.

Clusters of students sit at round tables scattered throughout the room, their conversations filling the air with a cheerful hum. Some groups discuss classes, while others share laughter over inside jokes or compare notes about the latest school event.

In one corner, near a hand-painted poster advertising "Plush Cat Adoption Day," two young girls sit at a table covered with an eclectic array of colorful, handmade plush cats. The poster, decorated with bright, glittery letters and doodles of cheerful cats, reads:

"Adopt a Plush Cat! Handmade with Love. Donations Help Support the Arts Club!"

The girls, dressed in the school's orange and blue uniforms, are clearly the masterminds behind the display. One, with vibrant purple hair sparkling under the cafeteria lights, adjusts her glitter-sprayed locks as she organizes the plushies on the table. She picks up a small, striped plush cat and strokes its soft fabric. The other girl, with a sleek red bob tipped in frosty blonde, arranges a neat row of plush kittens, their button eyes twinkling mischievously.

The plush cats are clearly crafted with care and creativity. Each one has its own personality, from a tuxedo cat wearing a felt bow tie to a calico with tiny embroidered paw prints. Despite being inanimate, the plush cats seem almost alive as the girls manipulate them like puppets, adding voices and unique personalities to each.

One plush cat, a fluffy tabby with an oversized head, "says" in a high-pitched voice, "Meow! Who's looking for a snuggle buddy tonight?" Another, a sleek black cat with golden button eyes, adopts a dramatic tone. "Only the bravest can handle my mysterious charms."

The girls giggle and whisper to each other as they act out scenes with the plushies, drawing amused glances from nearby tables.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's lunchtime at Radiant Heart Academy, and while it certainly isn't the first time there's been a theme to the offerings, it's the first time there's been an ice sculpture and a plush cat sale.

Usagi Tsukino doesn't need a plush cat. She has a cat. Her fiance has a cat. Her good friend has a cat. Her fiancé lives above a cat cafe. She does not need a plush cat.

She still really, really wants one.

She's walking through the lunch line, filling a tray up salmon skewers and a large bowl of clam chowder alongside some warm buttered rolls, and her gaze keeps heading to the sign and the plush cats, longing.

"They're just so cute!"

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
    Ahmya Karashima is here within the cafeteria! Which is... really a very normal thing, she had just been eating her meal when the two girls had come in to set up shop, something which had drawn her attention. Her love of hand-held foods came in clutch here as she had just taken her bento box with her over to a table nearby the gaggle of girls looking at the plushies, taking a little bite of a rice ball stuffed with cream cheese, green onion, and salmon. Her one eye was quietly looking at the sleek black cat with golden button eyes. Because of course she was, it's Ahmya.

As usual, Hachi was here too! Chilling out in the north-east corner of the cafeteria in stealth mode, nibbling on a little rice ball of her own, keeping an eye on things in the cafeteria.

...Which mostly meant keeping an eye out for cute outfits to report to Ahmya because really, the Radiant Heart Academy was usually pretty safe so both of them were not in a high alert mode.

...She was very occasionally glancing over at the buffet table, considering sneaking over to get some extra food because, frankly, even if her parents had packed her food in spite of her telling them about the event... more food is always good for a growing mahou that regularly practices swordplay and climbs trees and stuff.

"I know, right? They're absolutely adorable, especially that one that exudes a mysterious magic through its golden button eyes." Ahmya comments at Usagi. It doesn't have any actual magic so far as she can tell but it's Ahmya.

People are mostly used to her by now. Probably.

Once the line dies down ever-so-slightly she would slip into it with an absent hum, taking another little bite of her rice ball.

Catra has posed:
Catra is... here.

At Radiant Heart Academy.

What? She heard it was 'fish day' and decided not to pass up on that. So under the pretext of coming to 'spy on them', just in case someone from Obsidian asks why she was at the Academy and what she was doing -- she certainly doesn't attend any classes here -- the feline fatale is busy using all her tricks to skip the line and load up a plate with sushi early. (Well, not all the tricks, but she's definitely being two parts sneaky and and one part a bit of a bully, giving a glare when someone tries to call her on skipping ahead).

Well, it's not really so much Catra as it is Rachel Miller, the ever obnoxious American tourist, albeit today Catra has adjusted her illusory disguise to be in school uniform. It's not quite right; the actual school uniform has a skirt for girls instead of pants, and it certainly doesn't include a leather jacket that's... oddly identical to the one Catra took from the Crimson Wastes, previously worn by (ahem) Tung Lashor (snicker).

Plushie Cats get a good look -- that Tuxedo Cat is exceptionally cute -- but she's not about to go over there just yet. First, fish.

Catra loads up a plate liberally with sushi, grilled salmon skewers, a sandwich, sashimi... The clam chowder is kind of ignored, but this is a girl who's hungry and she's not about to not try basically everything else. Once she's got what she wants she meanders off, gravitating towards the most under-populated corner to just stand and eat off her plate where she can keep her bichromatic gaze on everyone else.

Koji Silvia has posed:
    *CRONCH*

    *MUNCH*
    *MUNCH*
    *MUNCH*

    *GULP*

From behind Usagi, Koji is watching her glowing over the plush cats, a fried fish sandwich in his hand half-eaten and a few crumbs on one cheek. In his other are a pair of salmon onigiri to be saved for later. But he wipes his cheek on the back of his hand, and then licks his lips before he finally says to his friend, "Where are you even going to put it?"

Exhaling once, he looks around and then says, "What do you want to drink, Usagi?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
One thing about Radiant Heary Academy... you don't *need* magic to expect prime silliness to cross your path. And when *cats* are involved, the silliness ascends to a level beyond.

At least the lunch theme includes a large about of fish things! Rashmi munches idly as she roams the displays, pausing to take a long, long look-over of the plush cat table, and the girls who can be blamed for this entire setup.

She wants one, too. Oh how adorable they are. And if it's not a present for Chrono, it *shouldn't* be unwelcome, right?

...Right?

"Okay I *gotta* ask,*" she says after a bit. "Did you two make all these yourselves? They're *amazing!*"

And her eye is drawn to one plush with a skillfully-crafted :< face, faintly grey-blue and wearing a vaguely military-style jacket.

...

"...I want that one please."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was... nervously... eying the food. She uhhhh... had a bit of a history with meat. That history was very 'Urg please, no'. So she was, admittedly, quite... wary of it. Would this be the meat she could handle, or would it be a step too far and result in her going down, with a sickness?

She didn't know.

Plush cats were nice, though. Maybe she should get one for her roomie. The tuxedo one she liked.

She put a sushi roll on her plate as well as a very, very small bowl of clam chowder. Maybe... if she picked the fish parts out it wouldn't be so bad? Well, trying new things... life was all about that. Right?

... Please?

She sat at one of the tables, looking at the food with... a wary look, opposite Catras. Okay. She could do this. She nervously opened her chopsticks and... Oh. Hey! A distraction. She got up and quickly moved over towards Rachel, sitting across from her. "Long time no see," she said.

Not that she was totally planning to dump her sushi and food off on the girl who liked fish if she couldn't stomach it. Not at alllll.

Bow has posed:
With everyone settling in with their fish-themed food, the two girls are happily hocking their wares! When Rashmi approaches, the purple-haired girl cheerfully offers up the grey kitten. "Oh yes, of course! Any donation to the art club is welcome!" comes her cheerful offer as she gestures to a coffee can that has been repurposed for the use of gathering donations.

With the others tending to their food, when the red-head notices the arrival of Rachel, she glances over at her purple-haired sister with a lift of her brow.

"Pardon us! We have a special delivery to make!" the purple haired girl says as she grabs one of the knit kittens and brings it with her as the redhead moves with her. Their movements are feline-like and familiar as they approach the cool and aloof Rachel and her... companion, Hinoiri.

"Hi!" says the purple haired girl. "I'm Shimmer!"

"And I'm Flare!" says the red-head with frosted tips.

"And this is a gift for you!" The pair say in unison, holding up a knit orange cat with black stripes... and mismatched eyes.

And when they offer it to Rachel...

There's no longer a Rachel.

But there is a Catra.

Exposed. No magic disguise.

In the middle of the cafeteria.

You could hear a fork drop.

*Ping*

Catra has posed:
Oh, good, a familiar face.

"Hey, Hinoiri," Catra greats, while she's busy stuffing sushi in her face. She's not bothering with chopsticks; and she polishes off an entire dynamite roll without any trouble, before moving on to the salmon skewers. Which are really good. Which is evidenced by the 'mmm' and 'mmmph' sounds she's making as she's eating. "I'm glad I snuck into this place for this. This is good. Can you believe it's free?"

And then, a couple of girls walk up to her, introducing themselves like they're from Etheria or something. Seriously, Shimmer and Flare? Catra's about to open her mouth to say something snarky and rather on the mean side to get them to go away, because she's eating, when they hold up the stuffed cat.

And then her illusion drops.

It takes Catra a moment to piece together why the place has gone so quiet; she looks down, and double-takes the back of her hand, which is orange and not Rachel-colored, and her claws are showing.

"..." She looks up, and glances around the cafeteria.

"..."

The feline's ears go flat, and her claws come out as she stands there, holding a plate of food in one hand and a half-eaten salmon skewer in the other.

"...What... did you do?!" she hisses.

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
Hm. Hm. The sudden notice of another person and the two skittering off gets a bit of a look from the one-eyed girl, who takes another bite of her rice ball. Her one eye -- and the hidden eye of Hachi -- both following the two cats at the gentle beckoning of Ahmya towards the two, an almost-imperceptible nod.

Weird she was, but she did also have a good sense for ... Things. Though it seemed to be relatively harmless as they offered a gift to one of the people who were hiding away in the corner, probably not a threat. Well.. sort of.

Magic. Huh. But not the way she expected. As the magic disguise drops, Ahmya is calmly walking over towards them, the silence in the room broken by the soft ~tak~ of her geta ringing out in the cafeteria. "My my. Rather rude to reveal a celebrity's disguise like that."

She lifts her hands towards Flare and Shimmer, reaching to take hold of both of their shoulders quite firmly. "Perhaps I should take the two of you to the disciplinary committee for such an act~." She muses out loud. Not even... seeming to pay much attention to Catra's form so much as more the action caused against her.

More importantly, in spite of the seemingly relatively gentle nature of her gestures so far...

She does not intend to let go of either of those shoulders.

"Hachi, I do believe we could use a distraction."

What.

Oh no.

Some poor soul gets the unfortunate role of having an eye-spider -- though to the non-magical folk, just looks like a normal if somewhat giant (Relative to a normal) golden orb-weaver spider -- drop on their plate.

Which causes a scream, as Hachi skitters under a table almost immediately to avoid the resulting attempts to kill it.

...Look, it's an effective distraction.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Cheerfully accepting the little plush, Rashmi is in the process of stuffing two thousand yen into the jar, when the girls excuse themselves to give the special delivery. Bobbing her head, she gives her new acquisition a fond squeeze, before tucking Chronya into her bookbag.

A bite of salmon disappears into her mouth as she watches the girls make their delivery...

Wait, is that Catra's disguise? ...What's she doing he--

WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

Her eyes flick back and forth as Catra appears as herself, without any illusion covering up her not-fully-human-ness... And starts walking swiftly toward the nearest tall thing she can break line of sight behind.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Yeah, most meals are," Hinoiri said before... slowly... she put a piece of sushi towards her mouth. No. No... Please no... Deep, slow breath...

Oh, another distraction, yay! Huh. Shimmer, Flare? "Performers?" she asked. Those couldn't be their real name... It took her a few moments to realize... something was up, though... so disgusted by the food... that when she saw Catra, well... eh, so she was a ca-- Oh crud. ALARMS!

It was a good thing she hadn't managed to eat anything yet, as she would have choked. Bucking, had her disguise malfunctioned?!

She blinked, looked around and... "Tah dah!" she said, quickly, jumping to her feet. "What an amazing cosplay, right?" she called out. "For all the cat lovers out there! Hit up the makeup club this evening to try it for yourself! Why, it's so good you can almost think it's real!" she said. "Ah ha ha ha ha... ha... So, um, who wants their cat-sguise next?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Well, I'd put it -" and she pauses, because that's actually a good question. A great question, even. She and Naru had always been good at filling a space with items, especially in their slightly smaller dorm room, but not that Chibiusa and Luna-P - and their furniture - were in the room, space was at a premium. There was no way that Luna would give up her spot on the bed for a stuffed cat.

She deflated, just thinking about it. Noooooo, there had to be a way to have an adorable kitty!

And the thought came to her!

"Mamochan's place, definitely! Anko won't bite it, not if I ask - unless there's magic, Ahmya-chan, are you joking me or are you serious!"

The question is asked in a half-joking wail, the sort of put upon response natural to any older sister who thinks she's being pranked.

And in the midst of all that perfect normality, there's a sudden hush, and Usagi frowns, shifting in her seat to look for the cause and -

"Oh, that's not good," she breathes, and then launches herself from her seat, already digging the Disguise Pen out from her pocket. Being that she's Usagi Tsukino, absolutely no is surprised when she 'trips', falling over into another student, knocking him into his friends and causing a chain reaction of trippijng, falling, food launched and distractions, which cover up her whispering, -

"Moon Power, turn me into a cat-girl like Catra!"

And then, popping up into the midst of everything, besides Catra, is a catgirl with odango buns, twintails, and silky golden fur, tail limp behind her.

"Surprise! Doesn't everyone want to just donate to the art club? They helped with the looks!"

Koji Silvia has posed:
    *GULP*

It's about the time that Koji is taking down the last bit of the fish sandwich when it happens, and he just ends up turning his head in the silence towards what happens, the shift, the hissing accusation... and he wipes his hand on his pants in the same manner that a gunslinger might tickle the holster of his pistol. But instead of dipping for that, his hand in his pocket comes out with a modern flip-open smartphone. With a practiced thumb-flick, he has it open and says in a soft tone since they're all standing so close...

    "Rashmi. We need a Barrier."

Followed shortly by...

    "Set Up."

    << SET UP. >>

As the text with those words in the same color runs along the screen from top to bottom in a banner scroll, the air around him turns night-time blue. His school unform turns into white energy, running up his form even to his glasses, all of which all fade out behind a full moon. He becomes a shadow behind it as a scarf unfurls behind the image... and then a Shoji sliding door suddenly closes on the image, slides back open, and standing there is Hanzo!

    (Yes, this is the obligatory per-episode henshin.)

Which may or may NOT be the best thing in the world since the last time Catra saw this particular sparklepants, he was nearly in a sword-fight with her, running from her at-the-time-boss. But with the onigiri now safely stowed away in Storage, and the blade of his Device sliding into his hand as he adds once more, "Phantom Shift."

    << PHANTOM SHIFT. >>

With a... depressingly cutesy *POOF* the fast-change of Hanzo vanishes before anyone can really notice and standing next to CatSagi is a Koji in cat-ears and paint-on whiskers, a uniform short-sleeve shirt with vest and tie, slacks, a Tabby Tail, and furry footie boots.

Backing the play, he spins, stands next to CatSagi, and does the sideways lion-style catpose as he says... hesitantly... "Nyan! That's right!"

Bow has posed:
The doll in Flare's hand has changed. It's no longer an orange cat. It's now a Rachel Meadows doll.

"This is not your trial." comes Flare's response to Ahmya's attempt at a distraction.

It's a trial. But what is the trial? What's the end goal?

Neither Shimmer or Flare are giving a hint as to what that is. Instead, the pair of them are watching Catra, to see what she does.

The students are watching various distractions sent out by the students. There's more than a few girls that are screaming about a spider in the cafeteria. Hinoiri and Usagi have come together to create their own plan, which is to make it look like this is the penultimate Makeup and Art Kitty Club Glow Up. Now if they could just agree with what club it is!

Then Koji too is joining in with his own transformation. Look around you, Catra. Look at how many she just had step up to help...

...but in the end?

This is Catra's trial. And while they are all helping. None of them are solving the problem. Shimmer and Flare do nothing to prevent the interventions or distractions. Shimmer plucks a piece of sushi and pops it into her mouth while Flare holds onto the Rachel doll.

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
Distraction and a firm hand have their place but frankly, Ahmya is quietly internally screaming at CatSagi and CatKoji and all of the other adorableness happening in front of her in spite of the fact that she is still, firmly, doing her best to keep hold of the shoulders of the two girls.

"Perhaps not." Ahmya responds simply. "It does not change the negative impact of your actions." Others are doing their Things, there's talk of a barrier, but frankly...

Ahmya isn't worried about that as much. This ... well okay it's a magical problem but there's no monster here.

Well okay there is but Hachi's a harmless monster see she's already back just hiding in a corner now.

Her one-eyed gaze turns back to Catra, even and calm. "Hey. Take a deep breath. You'll be fine. This is the school of weirdos, you'll get through this."

She couldn't do a barrier and her henshin would... well okay she could tie up the two troublemakers maybe, but ... at present that still seemed a bit extreme at the moment, when a firm hand and a mild spook from a giant spooder seemed to be good enough.

A lady holding a magical sword sure as heck wouldn't help with calming down the situation.

Catra has posed:
All kinds of things are happening. Somewhere, people are screaming about a spider, which is a distraction for a few people. Other people are popping up beside her in cat-disguises, and Catra is briefly distracted herself, trying to decide if they're helping by taking attention away from her, or making it worse by drawing more attention to the corner she's occupying in general. Hinoiri is just shocked, which is a reaction, certainly.

Either way, Catra herself sort of destroys the effect by dropping her plate, which smashes on the floor and distributes sushi and salmon skewers across the talls in front of her, which leaves her still holding the half-eaten salmon skewer. She flinches at the sound of the smash; a brief show of weakness that makes her shoulders hunch and her lips peel back to show her teeth, eyes casting about quickly at the people assembled. Her free hand instinctively draws the hil for Powersend, but she doesn't activate the blade. Not yet, at least.

The Catra-plush now being a Rachel-plush briefly registers, as her eyes narrow and she falls into old habits. Hide fear with rage.

"What're you all looking at?!" she snaps, as her muscles tense up like compressed springs. But inside, her heart is racing; she's always despised that disguise, but now that she suddenly doesn't have it, in front of this many people for the first time...

How is she meant to deal with this?

Trial? What kind of a trial is this supposed to be?!

"Who are you?!" she hisses at Shimmer and Flare.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
As soon as Katji joins in, Usagi Tsukinyo is striking a similar lion-style catpose!

Aaaaand some students are screaming about a giant spider, and others are still picking themselves up from her enormous pratfall, and Catra is still standing there, frozen, and Usagi could have offered her the disguise pen, but who's to say that would work, anyway?

...She's really glad the disguise pen hides her identity. She kind of likes Catra, and wants better for her, but she really doesn't want her own identity outed, either.

"H-hey, hey, everyone, how's lunch going? Uh, if you dropped your food, don't hesitate to get some more great fishy snacks, they're purrrfect!"

And then Catra is very not-frozen and very angry, and oh boy, that sure is a sword, and this is most surely not the time for that, and -

"H, hey, hey everyone, we're just looking at three pretty kitties, right, haha, we're just going to get back to lunch now, razzmatazz!"

Yes, she does strike an old-timey dance pose, mostly to get people looking at her instead of Catra. Give em the ol razzle dazzle!

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara opened her mouth, paused. Sighed. "Catra... calm down," she said softly. "Remember, it's magic. they'll either think you're a cosplayer or they'll forget about this in a few minutes. Just eat your food like nothing is happening. Here..." she said, holding out her little plate of sushi to the other girl...

Before tossing her bowl of clam chowder at Shimmer's head and swiping at Flare's face with the tray. She had no henshin, but... well... you know what was distracting? Having a tray come at her face. And whoever this was was bucking with HER friend. "Something something this court's out of order," Hinoiri said. Well, if this was a trial, then she refused!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
'Rashmi, we need a Barrier.'

'This is not your Trial.'

What answers Koji's request is a string of nonsense Japanese words that... is each *one syllable off* from being a swear word.

It goes on for thirty full seconds.

<< So say hello to the Spirit Ember, >> her voice resounds within all the mahou in range, Hinoiri included. << It's an Etherian runestone that was believed lost to myth, and it's looking for someone to wield it. >>

Rather than henshin, she walks back out from behind her tall thing, and simply moves up to stand behind Catra. "...Wrong kind of trial, Hinoiri-chan. Like, test."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Fish day? Oh hell yeah, and they have sushi and sashimi?! ...Okay actually it's Japan so that's not that weird, if anything perhaps here it's the clayum chowdah that's out of place?

    Anyway, she's looking at the cat plushies while she's in line, and calls Rachel out for cutting in line -- "This is why people think us Americans are rude! Come on! Hey! I'm talking to you!" and then two girls are being all weird and catlike and then

    Catra.

    Now, she knows Catra's a villain, and potentially dangerous, but also, there is a very notable lack of evil speeches going on, so this seems to be a surprise unmasking and not an attack. (Which is concerning on its own, there's people who can mess with henshins?)

    Hinoiri is quick to action, and Amy raises her hand and approaches, "Ooh, ooh! Me, me, me!" to keep things going and then Usagi is a cat too with fur and everything and Amy stares in amazement for a second.

    Then Amy reaches under her blazer, a hand in back pretending to un-tuck a striped costume tail that's suddenly on her back, and pulling out a tiger-ear headband that would not have fit in any inside pocket the uniform blazers has, putting it on her head as she races over next to Usagi. Lifting her hands and posing like cat's paws for the crowd. "Nyaa!"

    And she whispers to Usagi beside her, "It made fur and everything? That's amazing. Also what do we do next?"

    She is unable to resist trying to touch the back of Usagi's hand. This plan may have also kind of distracted her.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Aaaaaand... Distraction Number One is transformed into Buy Time Number Two!

Which is why he moves behind Usagi Tsukinyo, back a few steps, and then does a leap over her, followed by a spinning flip, landing in a somersault, and then slides along the ground a couple feet on his knees as he holds his arms wide, trying to sell the bit with Moon until this gets sorted out.

    "Don't worry everyone, if you dropped a dish the Gymnyastics Club will clean it up!"

They cannot see the absolutely pasted smile on his face. Or the twitching eye.

     <<Rasmi... WHAT THE *$@&*$?!>>

Bow has posed:
"You don't know?" asks Shimmer, as she pops in another piece of fish.

Flare smirked. "She hasn't figured it out." She does a little dance with the Rachel doll.

Ahmya's words sound out and the pair watch her, wary, but at the same time, the pair don't seem to be terribly bothered. Instead, "It seems we have been forgotten."

"Unwanted." they say in unison.

Usagi is doing her best Cats-Impersonation, and she's drawing quite the crowd to her. The students giggle at her shenanigans. But there are a few that are definetly noticing Catra's freaking out over what she's decorated as.

The clam chowder flies at Shimmer's head... and she... 'shimmers'. One second she's there. The next? She's behind Flare and Ahmya, untouched by the bowl. Who else can do that?

Oh wait.

Flare, in the meantime is released just a little by Ahmya, just enough to dodge the tray aimed at her, and breaks into giggles. "Oh, no wonder you're her friend! You're just like her!" sings out the redhead girl, light flames flickering off her, as Rashmi starts on her plan.

Catra has posed:
For a moment it looks like Catra is going to manifest Powersend in full and go on the offensive. Her ears are flat, claws out, her tail is poofed up and she's a snarling, barely contained ball of livid feline. And there's chaos around her; Shimmer and Flare are busy judging her in some way she doesn't understand, Koji is flying through the air, And Usagi and Hinoiri are both being themselves, while Lahmya is giving up on restraining the culprits as a direct result of that. Oh, and Rashmi's here, so that's a thing, she can watch Catra have an absolutely miserable thirty seconds before she smashes a window and makes a run for it -- which she'd have to be content with doing since she smashed her (admittedly stolen) motorcyle and hasn't worked up to using the (admittedly stolen) black card (which she has somehow not given back to Glimmer yet) to replace it.

But then there's that word. 'Unwanted'.

She knows that word and what it means quite well.

Catra's arms tremble from the tension locked up in them, as she slowly, carefully, puts the hilt of her weapon back in her pocket. It's not like it's far away, afterall, it's right there ready for her to use it if she needs it. She takes a deep breath and straightens, focusing on her muscles almost one at a time to get just a hair of bound up energy to dissipate, so she isn't so bound up that she's about to snap.

"I know who you are," she mutters. She glances about herself, at the strange array of people who're all supposed to be her enemies who are coming to her defense, which is extremely strange in and of itself, and looks back at her current tormentors.

Well, it could be worse, they're not Joker. But maybe if she has to pass a test so they'll leave her alone? Fine. Or maybe if she just has to fail it and they'll decide she isn't Princess material? Also fine.

"ALRIGHT FINE, GET A GOOD LOOK," she declares, as she finally tosses the salmon skewer off to the side, and marches towards the center of the considerably packed cafeteria. "Go ahead! Everyone look! No I'm not a human being! I'm a CAT. Just like in those dumb shows you watch but better. Anyone confused?! No I'm not wearing fake ears and I'd like to see some nerd in a costume have a tail that works like mine because MINE IS REAL. Anyone have questions?!"

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
Chaos all around, really. Though... mostly of the fairly cheerful way. Except the ones still looking for the giant spider. It's probably fine. She gives a soft sigh as she releases the... one...? As Hinoiri comes in for violence, and she just calmly steps back at that point. Yeah no just holding them in place for a suckerpunch wasn't really her style, even if one... teleported, it seems? Weird.

Whatever. It's fine. "What are we looking at? Hum. A fellow class mate, I believe. Though I don't know if I've seen ~you~ in particular in any of my classes, but, well, there's always room for more at the Radiant Heart, no?" Ahmya replies evenly to Catra. "Now, I do recommend putting down whatever's in your hand. It seems quite dangerous while this situation is... less so."

She does, however, pause, as there is a full thirty seconds of near-cursing in her brain.

<< My my! Such language, Senpai! >>

And the two were talking about being forgotten and unwanted. "Naughty spirits, though? Hm." She crosses her arms absently, one elbow resting on the other hand as she taps her chin thoughtfully, shifting to a position where she can see both of the girls again with her one eye, the soft ~tak~ of her footsteps ringing out through the din of chaos.

"And putting someone through a trial... spirit ember..." Muse muse. And then. A snap of her fingers. "Oh! This has to do with that dream a while back, doesn't it? My, that was such an interesting dream at that. To think it was caused by a pair of troublemakers... such a shame."

...Yeah she's ultimately not doing much right now. Mostly because, well... it wasn't her trial, and except maybe Catra and Hinoiri, there wasn't much of a threat at present.

And then Catra starts to move over to the center of the packed cafeteria... something that Ahmya doesn't directly follow with her one eye, instead letting Hachi keep an eye on while she keeps the two mischievous spirits in sight.

"Does it actually help you with your balance?" Is Ahmya's question.

...Yep.

Such a pressing issue.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"You know, I'm going to take that as a compliment. My friend is pretty awesome."

<< ... The Spirit ember? How do we turn it off? >>

She still holds her tray up, but is, admittedly, unsure. << ... So swinging at it is... bad then? I take it? >>

Only for Catra to... announce what she is. Slow, deep breath, glances to Rashmi and Sailor Moon. Even if Hinoiri couldn't henshin... they could... right? << ... Don't let anything bad happen to her. This is your world, you know how best to handle... humans. >>

... She kind of felt awkward just standing there with a tray, though. And then Ahmya asks *the* question and... "Yes, tails help a lot with balance, actually. And for keeping insects away."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Hey, Amy-chan! Looking good!"

This is as much an honest compliment as it is more showboating to get attention off Catra, and Usagi slinks up around her and lightly bumps Amy with her hip, all cutesy, whispering back, "Oh, yeah it did! I wasn't sure if it would, but I mean, why not right?"

When Amy touches the fur, it does indeed feel like soft cat hair on Usagi's hand, but whether it's actual fur well, who knows. It's not like anyone is going to try shaving her and putting her under a microscope. "I think we -"

And then Rashmi breaks in, and Usagi is stifling a curse.

<<Oh no, not that again. But I don't see the flaming cats! You don't think these two are ->> She glances back at the two girls, with their human-doll in hand. <<Who am I kidding? That's totally them. I gotta admit gang, I have no ideas on this one.>>

And then Catra just... admits what she is. And Usagi considers, and blinks, and then claps a bit. "Yeah! You are a cat! Your tail is way awesome; mine is just limp."

If there's nothing else you can do, you can always cheer on a friend!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< Last time it was looking for a fight, it just sort of casually set fire to the Forbidden Ward, >> Rashmi points out. << That would be a bad thing that happens to *everyone.* But don't worry, I won't. She's my friend too. That's all we can do; support her. >>

Unlike the others, she hasn't donned ears or tried to distract everyone, and most of her attention is on Catra.

On the set of her ears, the frizz in her tail, the body language that speaks of fear and humiliation.

<< Catra-chan, >> she says for the Etherian alone. << We're not here to enjoy this, we're here to support you. We've got *your* back, okay? So... how do you want this to end up, and how can we help you get there? We'll help. >>

And really, that's the whole of her plan; support Catra, make sure she knows she's not alone, and that she has *help.*

Although, she can't help but side-eye Shimmer and Flash. "So... there's a *point* to this test, right?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji, however, is not a friend. He's never known her except for that one moment, and he has every right to be judgmental about it. In fact, of anyone here, he has to most right to turn this exactly into what Catra may be expecting. Why? Because that's how people are. They always meet expectations.

But then he looks at Usagi, looks at Rashmi, and then even Amy, and he just... shrugs...

Avoiding using the link because right now it might betray thoughts he's having about this whole thing. Instead, he just exhales once and says softly, "I still owe you for screwing up a perfectly good..." Again, he stops, and he looks at the girls, and this is honestly HARD. He's trying to find something, and his shoulders seem to get go of the tension, "Whatever."

So yes, he pulls the ultimate cat-move. he turns around, hands on the back of his head, and ignores it like it's nothing!

    "You didn't answer my question." His voice carrying that weighted resignation, "What do you want to drink... I may as well grab them for everyone."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Looking good! Amy poses. "Nyo~!" WaitdoesCatrahaveasword--

    Also Rashmi has important info in their brains--

    But Catra is... shouting that she's not human. "No! You're a-- well I mean you're still a person! And I think it's really cool actually because a world with only humans would be boring!"

    Ahmya's question distracts her. "So do your claw muscles feel like an extra finger joint? Do you have dichromatic or trichromatic vision? Is it safe for you to eat chocolate?"

    Then Amy realizes she's getting derailed -- like some sort of curious, easily-distracted creature -- and approaches Catra, reaching out to take her hand, looking into her eyes. "There's no shame in being something different or something weird! If everyone were normal life would be so boring!"

Bow has posed:
Shimmer is the first to speak, her voice a soothing melody that carries over the murmurs of the crowd. "Oh, Catra... such fire in your soul, yet such fear," she says, her glowing gaze steady on Catra. "You bare your claws and call it freedom, but your heart trembles with the weight of the fight. Do you act because you trust your strength, or because you fear what lies beyond surrender?"

Flare steps forward, a doll cradled carefully in her hand. It's unmistakably Rachel, crafted with soft features and a gentle, almost knowing smile. Flare tilts her head, her molten eyes burning into Catra's. "Is this who you truly are?" she asks, holding the doll out toward her. Then, her other hand ignites, flames spiraling up into a blazing effigy of Catra herself. The figure is wild, untamed, and powerful, crackling with raw energy. "Or is it this? A creature of fury, thrashing against the bars of a cage only you can see?"

The others are noted, but for the moment, the twin spirits are focused upon the feline - true, not made up.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Koji is given a Look. It's a Look that says, 'I know I dragged you into this but you're adorable and also I'm sorryyyyyyy'! It really is a very expressive look, mostly thanks to the eyebrows and eyes. Dreamworks would get it.

"Um, I'd love a melon soda? But I think there's probably bigger problems, but, firstly, Koji-kun, you have to know -" And she sidles in front of him. "You are so cute like this!"

She will deserve a flail!cloud to be honest.

But the thing is? Those girls are still there. Girls. Fire cats. Embodiments of the Spirit Ember. Whatever. They're still there, and they are still challenging Catra, but they're doing it with questions no one but Catra can answer.

"Ah, Amy-chan, you might not want to -"

Catra has posed:
"The tail does help with balance," Catra answers, her tone having gone rather placid. Maybe she's just surprised that someone asked a good question. Well, it is a good question, not something stupid like 'do you use baby shampoo' or 'Do you eat kibble' or something. "My claws? ...I dunno, they're not 'extra' to me, they're just normal, I dunno what it'd feel like not to have them," she adds, for Amy's benefit.

Amy is giving her a barrage of questions, and her eyes narrow with a return of frustration. "I see all the colors you do," she snaps, "And I can eat chocolate! I just have to eat meat a lot more than you do. I--"

She trails off, as Shimmer and Flare approach her once again; one with a doll, the other with an effigy of fire. She looks back and forth between the two; her claws are out again -- or maybe they're just still out, never having been sheathed -- and she grits her teeth at their approch.

<< I have no idea, >> she replies to Rashmi, after taking a moment to work out just... how to do that. Turns out you just have to think thoughts at Rashmi, or something like that. Or at least that's how she's describing it to herself.

"Neither," she answers at last, folding her arms across her chest as she glowers at the two girls. "Both, sometimes. Whatever I need to be in the moment. Whatever I want to be. Whatever I have to be. Depends. But I'm ME and that's for me to define, not for you to hold up two multiple-choice answers and expect me to pick one or the other."

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
Oh good the mischievous spirits are distracted and focused on Catra. Ahmya watches the others calmly as they do their various things... ask various questions... but really that's not her focus still. Nope.

...She takes this moment to finally transform into Goldenweb Yorotsuchi, her hands lifting in front of her and drawing the golden circle that turns into the hat to flip onto her head, leaving her transformed. And she quietly weaves a sealing charm.

And quietly walking up nearby one of those mischievous spirits. The ~tak~ of her geta going from loud to almost imperceptible. Of course... it's not completely silent, even with her careful footsteps. Even with her stepping out of them when she got closer.

And if her attention stays focused, Flare would find herself with a sealing charm placed upon her. Of course, being not necessarily /actual/ spirits, it might simply have the weird confusing situation.

Of having a sticky silken paper stuck to her back.

Gross.

...Also it has some weak purifying properties but honestly it's not even remotely like eating a proper purifying attack.

It'd be like putting a sponge into an inch of water in the bathtub. It technically helps. But not /that/ much.

Meanwhile, Catra is giving very good answers in general. "Oh, that's wonderful, sometimes I'd love to have something like that myself." She comments absently, as if she didn't just attempt to seal one of the two troublemakers.

Still focusing on... not really... making a big deal out of /her/ and more pointedly making a big deal out of the /spirits/.

Who she still firmly is wanting to take to the disciplinary committee but it might be a /different/ disciplinary committee now, depending.

"An excellent answer."

She's /definitely/ helping. Yep. Absolutely.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times and... admittedly? She hadn't expected Catra to give a good answer. She'd expected her to panic flail and go possibly razor claw. But she didn't! Good on her! However, the other girl was trying to do... something. And she sighed.

"... Shimmer's a dumb name anyway," she finally settled on saying. Catra was handling it well, so... there really wasn't a lot she could do here. Aside from look awkward with her tray. You go, Catra, kick their butts! Stupid weird fire cats... things...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Yorotsuchi-chan can you noooooot," Rashmi says under her breath, smile growing faintly brittle as Ahmya does her very best to help. "I'm pretty sure they're not gonna start an actual fight unless someone else starts one first--"

And now Hinoiri is helping! Rashmi lets her head fall forward with a deep sigh, then looks up to Shimmer and Flare. "Please forgive my friends. Usually fights happen by now, so I don't think they know what to do with themselves."

Koji Silvia has posed:
With a bit of a glare, Koji murmurs back to Usagi, "You do this to me every time. You just rush the goal and you drag me along with you... UUUGH. Would it -KILL- you to actually take a half-second to say the plan?! Nooo... It's just mad giggles and *BOOM* you're off!"

He hangs his head, acting as if the thing happening behind him is not happening, "I'm on the hook to clean up all this mess, now..." His teeth go clenched, "I swear Usagi Tsukino, one day I am going to grab you by your pigtails and fling you to Osaka!"

It REALLY doesn't help that the illusion is exaggerating all the pose-moods to nearly cartoonish degree. And it's not that he's not paying attention. It's that the friendly argument does something else. It saves face. So there's no lingering anger being directed towards a specific pair and their own troubles, or the annoying visions he probably wants to stab many times over.

As he stalks off, in everyone's head, probably because of Rashmi...

     <<I'm getting a broom and a mop and SOMEONE's Soda. Anyone who doesn't get back to me before I'm back loses out.>>

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Surprisingly, Catra answers the frivolous -- if scientifically interesting! -- questions, and ignores the serious reassurance. With info on the situation coming in over the telepathic link, Amy does her best to give the two cat girls who look the least cat a dismissive glare. "Excuse me I am busy trying to talk to my enemy here because she is a person. You two I'm less sure about:"

    And then she mimics their poses, with a 'this is you, this is how silly you sound' tone: "Ohhh, Catra, are you fire or are you fear?" Amy shakes her head. "You sound like the 'fear or love' scene from Donnie Darko, for crying out loud! You can't simplify life or people down to such dichotomies." She nods to Catra, who took a third option answer.

    Amy-tora looks back at the cat-but-not-cat-girls with her hands on her hips. "You're done here, go away and come back when you have material at a high school level."

    It would perhaps be more intimidating if it weren't coming from a 4'11" geek wearing tiger ears.

Bow has posed:
Shimmer and Flare linger, their forms shifting and ethereal, the cafeteria growing silent in their presence. Shimmer's glow softens, her radiant light dimming slightly, while Flare's fiery intensity settles into a steady, contained blaze. They regard Catra with an almost inscrutable expression, their forms mirroring the duality of the moment: calm and storm, warmth and fire.

Shimmer steps closer, her voice carrying a gentle resonance. "You are bold, Catra," she says, her words both acknowledgment and observation. "Bold enough to claim yourself in the face of uncertainty. That is not a thing to dismiss lightly."

Flare tilts her head, her blazing effigy of Catra shifting subtly, the fire flickering as if responding to her thoughts. "You wield your identity like a weapon," she says, her tone crackling with approval---or perhaps challenge. "It cuts deep, but does it heal as well as it harms? That is a question for another time."

The spirits exchange a glance, as though some silent understanding passes between them. Together, they take a step back, their forms beginning to shimmer and waver. Their voices rise in unison, a strange harmony of light and flame.

"You are seen. You are heard. Remember that, Catra. But you are not alone in these trials."

With that, they vanish, their forms dissolving into motes of light and ash that scatter into the air, leaving only a brief, shimmering afterimage before the cafeteria is restored.

The hum of mundane life returns in an instant.

The clatter of trays and the murmur of conversations fill the room again, as if nothing had happened. Students are sitting, laughing, and eating their meals. It's still Fish Day.

But for those who were part of the moment: Catra, Usagi, Rashmi, and the others, they find something strange in their hands: a small, hand-made cat plush. Each one is unique, stitched with care, as if it were meant just for them. The cafeteria feels the same, but the plush toys are proof that it perhaps, wasn't all a dream.

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
Aaand they're gone before the charm can be applied. "...This is going to make taking them to the disciplinary committee much more difficult." She comments absently as she shakes her head, before walking over to Catra. "Your magic probably works again by the way." She comments mildly.

And then she walks past, carrying off her loot for doing ultimately ~very little~. Muwa ha ha ha ha the best kind of loot. That starting to walk off is made more awkward when she realizes she forgot her geta and quickly turns around to hustle back and grab her geta again and slip them back onto her feet.

...And goes back to her seat, unhenshining like nothing happened and definitely not worrying about anyone seeing it.

It's fine. Magic is weird.

You know what's not weird?

Tasty rice balls. Those are just tasty.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi's eyes just... follow Ahmya for a moment. Then the redhead sighs, and walks up to Catra. "Hey. Catra-chan," she says, then pauses to think about what actually to say. "...I know you won't believe me, but... That was really, *really* well done. And since this was a trial... The next time they throw you a challenge, text me. I *want* to back you up while you beat this. Okay?"

Beat.

<< Koji-kun they cleaned up after themselves, you can just get your soda if you want. >>

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked and then sighed. Wow. Really, Rashmi? Here she was, behaving, hadn't taken any swings after Rashmi said what it was... And she still eats a stray remark for it. It was a stupid name. Who named their kid 'Shimmer' anyway?

Instead, she just looked to Catra. "Same goes for me... mostly... Except now that I'm just a normal human, no magic... I might just get in your way." That... at least might surprise Catra. Considering Catra was the only one she'd told about her being Equivalence... Maybe something happened?

Ofcourse, as everything turned back to normal, she realized.... it was still fish day. And she paled. "Okay, that's it. I'm going out. There's a salad, somewhere, with my name on it."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Noping RIGHT OUT of illusion and Henshin before anyone can take any pictures of him in this state, back into uniform and normal as he passes behind a pillar... only to stop when Rashmi delivers that news. This is limits to just Usagi and Rashmi via Hanzo...

    <<I don't have a lot of empathy for someone who tried to take my head off a couple months back. Fine. She's off-hours and it means she's just another student. But both of you understand... if she goes murder mittens, I'm not pulling any punches.>>

But now he's off to get that soda as he adds over his shoulder, "Hey Usagi, can I have that bento box back later? You know... the one you yelled at me for a week ago and never gave back?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
So maybe compliment Koji on how cute his illusion is was not move, but on the other hand, his illusion is exaggerating his anger in a way that makes it really cute. Not that she doesn't take the anger seriously! Of course she does!

But it's good for him to get it out.

"I listen to the plan sometimes," she can't help but point out. "Same for sharing it! But sometimes it seems like the best thing to do is move, and well - I'm not going to leave you to clean it all by yourself!"

Of course she is going to help. Of course! She would never on purpose ditch a friend to pick up after a mess she partially made.

But then he's stomping off, and she murmurs, "It would actually be really impressive if he flung me all the way to Osaka." But after that?

There's an Amy and a Spirit Girls and a Catra to consider, and an Ahmya who is - yeah okay she's not going to get there in time to stop that, so instead she says to Amy, frowning not in disapproval but contemplation - "I mean, they might be people too. I don't think we shouldn't consider them people, just because they might also be a weird magic artifact looking for a wielder."

There are stories about that - so many of them. Sometimes a thing wanted to be used. A sword to cut, a home to shelter, boots to be worn. These girls are frustrating, and they might not actually be girls at all, but they could still be people.

"And I mean... that was a great answer, Catra-san. But I definitely think they like you."

This does not seem to be a good thing.

BTo Koji, and Rashmi probably, because she's maintaining the link -

<<Catra-san is a tough one for sure. I don't think you need to be super empathetic, you know? If she goes murder mittens, we handle it. And if she doesn't, we don't. She's maybe trying to be a better person... I think... but you know. The same way Hinoiri was, before she got better at it.>>

And then she's flushing, ahahaha... "Yeah, I'll give it back!"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy pouts a little at being called out on dehumanizing the artifact. "I was being mean on purpose... But you're right. I'll apologize next time I see them. If I remember."

    She nods to Catra. "It was a good answer. I didn't expect truthfulness and earnestness to work against people messing up your life to test you."

    Amy blinks and realization flashes across her face. "Huh. Like, most timse someone who thinks they're in a position to test you gives you a test, they want the answer they want, not the right answer. Like, teachers never like it when you point out the question is wrong. I used to get into a lot of trouble at school for that. I'm only doing better here 'cause I learned to give the answer they want...I guess the artifact is better at giving tests than that."

    Amy looks around the cafeteria. She looks at the fish. She looks at the line. She looks at Usagi.

    "I wonder what Mamoru would think of that?"

    And then she turns and gets back in line for fish, smiling.

Catra has posed:
And then, just like that, the two girls, Flare and Shimmer, are gone. And everything is back to normal. Catra hadn't even noticed that the cafeteria had frozen until it unforze, and it's... basically back to normal. She's not wearing her disguise, but nobody's noticing either. She does a quick double-take at herself, and at least the Crimson Wastes jacket is still there. So, that's a plus. Also, Powersend is still in her pocket, so that's another plus.

The feline looks up at the array of people who are supposed to be her enemies who all jumped to her defense. Even the ones that seem recalcitrant about it. Why on Etheria did they do that?

<< Your friends are weird, >> she thinks at Rashmi, but she doesn't sound entirely grouchy about it. Not entirely.

now of course Catra is still standing in the middle of the cafeteria, with people complimenting her on a good answer. "Uhm, thanks," she mumbles, to nobody in particular. "I just..." She sighs, ears going flat once again as she stuffs one hand in her jacket pocket and pulls out not Powersend, but her cellphone with a crack down the middle of the screen.

"I'm NOT a Princess," she growls, unwinding the cord for a set of earbuds from around the phone and stuffing them in her ears. She pokes at her phone and then some intensely loud music comes blasting out of it, to the immediate detriment of anyone within about ten feet; it's got a lot of angry guitar, and a female voice half singing and half screaming.

I'm not afraid of standing still
I'm just afraid of being bored
I'm not afraid of speaking my mind
I'm just afraid of being ignored
I'm not afraid of feeling, and I'm not afraid of trying
I'm just afraid of losing, and I am afraid of dying

Catra stalks back to the food lineup, still holding the plush that's... appeared in her hand as some sort of souvenir (and she is apparently unwilling to surrender it). She snashes up a trio of salmon skewers, and stalks directly for the exit. "Not a princess," she grumbles on the way, threading the most efficient route between people that she can find as she munches on the skewers, drowing the world out with excessively loud music. "Not a damn princess."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< They are, and they're the best friends anyone could want, >> Rashmi answers with a mental chuckle.

"Sorry, Hinoiri-chan," Rashmi sighs. "But like... I *just talked* about an entire ward being set on fire, and then there's flying trays and you're saying her name is dumb... Anyway. Sorry for that."

<< Koji-kun... I get it. But she also spent the best part of two weeks working herself to exhaustion because she didn't want *me* to get hurt. So... you don't have to like her, and I'm not gonna be mad if you don't. But honestly, anything that gets one more person away from Dark Energy is worth doing, y'know? >>

For herself, she reclaims her seat among her friends, and as Catra stalks past grumbling about how she's 'not a Princess,' Rashmi simply cannot help it.

<< Not yet... >>

<< *sound of phone hanging up* >>

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I mean, being mean on purpose is a good idea sometimes, but I don't think you want to be that kind of mean. Doesn't fit the person you are, you know?"

She turns her little plush cat over in her hands. It's got a fur pattern like a cheetah, with a white flared domino mask and :3 smile on its face. She's delighted by it's very existence. She will absolutely be taking pictures and finding a space in her crowded dorm room for Mamoru to see later, and then it will inevitably have to be turned around while they sneak a bit of kissing in.

"Honestly, I wouldn't know? I'm only trying on tests now because Mamochan and Ami-chan really want me too. It never mattered how hard I tried or what I did, so why bother, right? But since it matters to them... well, I'm giving it a go."

And she considers it, and says, "I'll ask him sometime."

And then they're off! Usagi to the seat she'd been having lunch at with Koji and Amy in line for fish.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    'It never mattered how hard I tried or what I did.' Amy has to give Usagi a tight hug, after hearing that.

    And then get fish!