558/Two wheels, four legs, same thing

Two wheels, four legs, same thing
Date of Scene:	06 October 2023
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Hinoiri gives Adora a motorcycle ride to meets horses. The two talk about the latter's old fling and school... Hinoiri gives some of her VERY helpful insights on the matter.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Adora Rainbowfist

---

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara had, well... she was still in a pretty good mood. Feeling all that pain and dark energy out of her system, she felt... great. So she'd been pretty sparkly the last day or so.

Extra friendly, even. So it wasn't likely THAT much of a surprise to anyone when she'd seen Adora talking about going to the club later, catching the bus... that Hinoiri had looked up from her phone nearby and... "Adora, right? If you like, I could give you a ride. Assuming you're not scared of motorcycles, that is."

Why'd she offer? welllll... two reasons. She WAS curious about how the horses here were treated. Second of all... 'Adora'. A new, weird girl named 'Adora' who was from out of town and apparently Catra had a friend who betrayed her named 'Adora'? Yeah. That was... too good a chance to ignore. She was curious if THIS was the girl.

And from there, well... Hinoiri had offered her a helmet, had pulled up in the bike a little later (seemed she parked off campus), and they were off!

And apparently Hinoiri was very much the 'takes the speed limit as more of a suggestion'. "So, how you liking japan so far? How's it comparing to home?" she yelled back as she blew by down the freeway.

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"Um. I've never been on one, but I've ridden...some military vehicles and stuff back at the School. Sounds fun! I like trying new things."

She clings to the girl from behind, helmet secure. She's dressed for a day off school. She's settled a bit into a style of her own now that she's gotten a bit into fashion and just...understanding modern teen culture a tiny bit. Skinny jeans worn with Doc Martins, the laces replaced with yellow ones. A tellow and white flannel shirt over a white 'SAN DIEGO PADRES' shirt. Her belt matches. It's a look, for sure, and seems to speak numbers of the girl.

"It couldn't be more different!," she shouts over the sound of passing cars and wooshing wind. "But I'm starting to get it! Slowly! One of my new friends is gonna take me to the mall next week to get me my first phone, even! And sports are cool! And music!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara would have turned to look at the girl if she wasn't driving. "So, they had military vehicles at your last school? But they didn't have radios or tennis?" she yelled over the sound of the wind. "Wait, you don't even have a phone? Trust me, they're pretty cool! Take some getting used to, but worth it!"

Well, she couldn't object to the phone thing. It took her a while to get used to them having that massive network anyway.

"Anyone you miss from your old school? Teachers? Friends? Boyfriend?" Catfriend, but she didn't say that part. She drove inbetween two cars that were going FAR too slow, dashing out between them and breaking who knew how many laws, but she didn't seem to care. Hopefully Adora wasn't a nervous passenger.

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"They had radios, but they worked REALLY different. We had tech, but there wasn't anything for...normal living or fun. Any tech was purely for war..."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to the google and the sports channel! I wanna watch American baseball and football!" She shakes her head at the question about missing people. "From the School? Only one person. My girlfriend. Kind of. It's...really freaking complicated. But I miss a lot of folks from where I went after I got out of the school. I tried to get my girl to come to the new...place...with me, but she wouldn't." Her tone shifts to a sad one, and she clears her throat.

She clings a bit at the crazy riding, but doesn't seem at all afraid.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a light snicker. "Really? Just war? Who were they fighting? Or was it just one of those cooky places that are all 'Rawr! We have to be READY to fight at any time!"

She then swerved around another car that had decided to slow down suddenly. "Put your blinkers on, you donkey's flank!" she yelled at them, before speeding up again.

"Wait, you tried to get her to come here? Or was there another school you went to before here and after the military place? Were her parents not able to afford it or something? Nice, fancy place?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"They were extremists," she replies. "Fighting anyone that wasn't them. We were raised in that. Both orphans. Only had eachother..."

She hesitates a bit before replying. "Neither of us have parents," she explains. "I found out how messed up the place we grew up was and had a way out. I begged her to runaway with me to this group. A resistance group against the school," she tries to explain. "But Catra just...refused. I kept asking her over the years after that. Again and again and again. Eventually she realised how much she'd been abused and used and she joined me ande...we were in love..."

She glances aside to watch passing city streets.

"But now she's HERE and she doesn't remember most of that. Some kinda amnesia or...I dunno. Something. It's like two years of her life just didn't happen and she's still all broken and sad and angry and..."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times. They... "Huh. Sounds pretty rough. I never had any parents either, but hey. At least you two had each other, right?" she asked. "Though, sounds like she took it pretty hard. If you just left her there, abandoned her after being the only one she could depend on and all. Sounds pretty rough."

"Sounds like some kind of fairy tale, though. So, what, be honest with me. This some kind of like, boot camp rivalry thing going on between your last two schools? Two years just up and missing? Sounds pretty wild. That'd be a heck of a head bump. But hey, if you 'helped' her once, at least you know what to do this time, right?"

She swerved around another three cars, diving in and out of traffic. Who taught this girl to drive?!

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"I didn't abandon her! I BEGGED her to join me. She even admitted that she knew it was a bad place to be and that she was being abused and used, but she was...obsessed with rising up the ranks and getting power. I gave her chance after chance after chance."

"Yeah. I guess. I'm not going to give up on her. I love her and I know the good she's capable of. She doesn't think she deserves a good life. That's the thing. I realised that eventually. She...hasn't realised that yet, this time, I guess."

With her arms around the other girl, it's easy to see the month or so old clawmarks running along her right forearm.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara actually jerked the bike a moment. Just for a moment, but she had it under control. Maybe a bump?

Except... now... "You begged her to join you? You want her to have a good life?"

She thought this girl was supposed to be like Sora or something. She got the power, then abandoned her friend. But... Begged her. Sora never begged her. It was always Hinoiri having to come back. Always having to bow. She was always in the wrong, her mentor always so hard, so cold. Always reminding her how SHE wasn't good enough.

"Well... maybe you should have stayed with her then. Maybe you could have helped her rise to power. I mean, if she becomes the number one with you, does it bother you that much to be her number two?" she asked.

"Were you number one at your new school?"

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"More then anything. I want her with me and...not being hurt and abused. She -deserves- a good life. She deserves love. Self-respect. Everything she denies herself..."

She shakes her head, then. "It's more complicated then that. I couldn't stay at the school. Not after figuring out they were...hurting innocent people. Killing people. Ruining lives. Plus there was the Sword..." She trails off and clears her throat.

"No. I was part of a team," she replies. "But that isn't how Catra saw it, I think."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Wait, what? They were killing people? What kind of school were you at, anyway?" Hinoiri asked. "Oh. Ohhhhh. I get it, right. You really need to choose your words better, you make it sound a lot worse than it was. Heh. What was the sword? Some kind of trophy thing you won for being able to, I don't know. Do laps the best?"

"Maybe she didn't want to just be part of your team. Maybe she was upset you weren't part of hers anymore," Hinoiri offered. "I mean, if you were her only friend, it must have hurt like tartarus when you just abandoned her because you thought everything was rough there. Sometimes life sucks, but that doesn't mean you can just give up and cry because things are too hard."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"The school was an extremist terrorist organization raising child soldiers to literally kill people," she states bluntly. "Called themselves the Horde. I left them to join the resistance -against- them. Sounds like a fairy tale, but it's fact. I didn't leave because it was -rough-, I left because they were -evil-. Like, world domination evil. Catra admitted she had known all of that before me and didn't care."

She takes a deep breath. "Our team never needed to seperate. It'd always been just the two of us. That didn't need to change, but she didn't get that. ...Still doesn't."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was quiet after that. Was very, very quiet after that. That... oh. That was... that was a lot of words. That was words she knew. And you know what? As twisted as she was? That was...

"Oh," Hinoiri finally said. How did you respond to that?!

"Sounds like... wow. You two... have been having it rough. Heh. Wow. That's... wow. I guess this explains why you're built like a minotaur, huh?"

... Yeah, she really had nothing to say here. She tried to think of it, but... "Lots of... horses.. there?"

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
The mention of her being built like a minotaur makes her laugh, breaking the tension a hint. "The Horde didn't have any. I didn't see a horse for the first time till I got to the Rebellion. There's more to that, but my story would go from 'that's crazy' to 'that's impossible' pretty quickly," the blonde replies with a shrug of an athletic shoulder.

The Park comes into view. Large and insanely majestic, with walking paths, sports areas, and all sorts of little venues to enjoy, nestled into Shinjuku.

"The horses are a bit further in if you wanna park."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod and then pulled over, parking and turning the bike off. She stood there for a moment, letting the other girl get off. And, well... She took her helmet off and flipped her head back, her hair bouncing free from the helmet.

"I'll be honest, pretty on point with that 'that's crazy' talk. Honestly, sounds like you're making all this up to sound cool or whatever. But... you're also almost eight feet tall and look like you could bench press me and my bike, so if you say it, I'm not going to argue," Hinoiri said with a light chuckle. "And either way, well... it sounds like your girl's in a bad way. You really think you can help her?" Hinoiri asked, resting her helmet on her lap and resting her arms on it.

"If she's lashing out at other people, it might end up hurting you a lot more... you ever think of just... cutting the cord? Finding someone else to fall for? Not saying you should, just curious."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"I'm 5'7"," she replies with a laugh. "But around here that might as well be 8', huh?" She sighs and climbs off the bike, nodding. "It's already happened, she just doesn't remember or...something. So I -know- it's possible. But I'm also pretty sure it's gonna get worse before it gets better, if she follows the same path she did last time."

She pulls the helmet off. She couldn't wear her ponytail in the helmet, so her blonde hair tumbles to her back, framing her tanned face and bright blue eyes. "Never," she replies adamantly in reply to that last inquiry. "It's Catra and me until the wheels fall off."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded and slowly hopped off the bike, locking the helmets into their case. "I guess. I mean... you know?" she said with a shrug. "I guess well... if you really think she's worth it... then just never give up on her. At that point... I imagine she'd have nothing left to lose, huh?" Hinoiri asked with a small chuckle. "And hey, I haven't heard about any.... war.... hordes... or anything popping up in tokyo." Pause. "Aside from the mongols, maybe, but I think that was just history."

"So at least they're not here? Who knows, maybe you can bribe her over or something. Offer her a rule as team leader supreme of the Adora equine club or something." Pause. "Wait, wheels come off? Okay, if you're planning to knock the wheels off my bike I mean this with full sincerity. I do not care if you've got a foot or two on me our outweigh me by... I don't know how much. But you hurt the bike, I will break your arms," Hinoiri said in a... somewhat serious tone... but also a joking, almost playful tone. So Adora would know she wasn't serious.

She was serious.

"So, lead on. Let's go meet the horses, huh? I'm kind of curious how they're treated here. They were... pretty common where I was from."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"This wasn't in Japan," she replies softly. "And I didn't give up on her last time, so I won't this time, either."

She grins. "Just an expression. It means till the end." She turns and leads the way deeper into the park.

Eventually the little ranch area comes into view, with some folks tending to, or iriding horses off into the paths. They appear clean and in good spirits, with healthy coats and no visible marks of abuse. She leads the way into the horse paddock, where a beautiful brown mare is munching some hay. She reacts positively when Adora appears, and the girl fishes a broken carrot from the pocket of her flannel, holding it out for her.

"So she's a Miyako, which is one of the Japanese breeds. Very sweet girl. I named her Midsummer, which she seems to like.."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded and followed behind Adora. She uhhh... well... she... admittedly... she found her mind considering that. If Adora really meant that. A part of her wondered... what would have happened if she'd had a friend like that? Someone who hadn't given up on her? Would anyone? No. Probably not. She'd... only ever had Sora. And even she'd abandoned her in the end. It wasn't the same.

... But she wondered who really was in the right here. Was Adora exagerating? Or was Catra underexagerating?

She followed behind Adora, making a face at the smell. Ick. It was clean, but all that hay and stuff just... a part of it made her hungry, a part of it made her feel icky. She glanced up at Midsummer and...

... She curtsied. "Uhhhhh. Nice to meet you... Midsummer. I'm Hinoiri Kirara." ... In a strange turn of events, the horse leaned forward a little and nuzzled her face, making Hinoiri's cheeks go red. "O... kay then. She, errr, seems happy. So, uhhhh. So, your old school. Any other friends? Teachers, mentors you think about?"

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
Adora beams when the two seem to get along. She goes over to a supply area and returns with a brush, beginning to work any tangles out of the mare's mane. "She likes you. She's pretty obvious about not liking people." She considers the question about the old school. "I miss people from the Resistance. Glimmer. Bow. More. But from the School? Just Catra comes to mind."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a light snort and lightly patted the horse's nose. "Oh, wouldn't that be hilarious?" she asked, chuckling as if there was a funny joke. "I guess I'm just kind of a horse girl. Which is kind of ironic, I guess. I've never ridden one. Well..." she... supposed she'd been carried a bit as a foal, but that didn't count. "Nope, never. Maybe she can sense that?"

She did glance at the brush for a moment, then back to the horse. "So... they just... lock them in these stables? What do they eat other than hay?"

"... Wait, their names were Glimmer and Bow?" she asked. Oh. Yes. This was DEFINITELY the girl. "So not even a favorite teacher? Ouch. You know... you ever wonder if maybe that was it? I mean, if you hated everyone else there... maybe there was someone there that your Catra girl really liked, but she was scared to tell you? I mean... maybe she didn't think they'd be welcomed too."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"Catra hated everyone except me, and she was vocal about it," she replies, brushing the hair. "They sleep in here and go out into the yard at certain times. And the rides, of course. They city is too dangerous for them to be on their own, and outside of the city Japan has...well, wild horses can't make it. It sucks. But this is honestly the safest she can be, and still have a good life. Best we can give them, anyways. Food? A mix of alfalfa hay, grass hay and oat hay. And then vegetables when we bring them. I always make sure to bring her carrots."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara couldn't help but snicker. "I mean... yeah, she said that. But do you know that it was true? It took years for her to come along to your side, right? So there's got to be something else holding her back. What changed the first time you got her?"

Hinoiri glanced back towards the horse and, nervously, she reached out and patted her on the head. Then, slowly, she reached up and began to scritch. Just on that realllllly obnoxious part she'd never been able to reach herself, that she'd eventually just used magic to itch. But horses here didn't have magic... The horse seemed to like it, at least. Odd, the horse seemed to like her, but Hinoiri seemed pretty nervous about it.

"Maybe they should have dafodil sandwiches or something," she said. That... was a joke, right?

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
"First time I got her? You mean after she turned on the Horde and joined me?" She considers that. "She told me she loved me and always has. That she didn't deserve good things and that she was trouble and broken. I told her she deserved it, and I gave it to her. We were happy. -Really- happy. And then...here."

She furrows her brow a bit and glances over at the other girl. "Dafodil sandwiches? Huh. I mean...worth a try, right?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara couldn't help but laugh. "Wow. Wooooow. You know, sounds like you need to kidnap her and put her through some therapy. 'I don't deserve good things, I'm tooooo brokeeeeeen'," Hinoiri said, actually *laughing* at it. "I mean, no offense. But damn. What kind of person thinks that? That seems like the ideal way to just have everyone around you kick you around. She sounds a lot worse than 'broken' at that point, more like completely shattered," Proooooobably not the best choice of words.

"I mean, it makes sense. Wheat is like a part of hay, right? You make bread with it, then put flowers and stuff in it. I don't know, it just seemed silly and funny," Hinoiri said, her cheeks going a little red. Yeah, she'd... tried... some things since coming to this world. Turns out things she used to eat? Not... always good here. As a human. And even if she liked some of the smells, they weren't necessarily 'good'.

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
She laughs. "She'd bite the therapist." She goes a bit quiet, then, as Catra's mindset is mocked, and she actually looks a bit annoyed or even angry.

"You don't get it. She had it hard. Really hard..." She trails off and shakes her head. "Forget it. Just...don't make fun of her, got it?" That tone switched FAST.

"And she's not shattered. She's been hurt by people in power and she thinks the only way to not be hurt is to be in power. She'll learn that's wrong, eventually, but she needs help getting there. But it needs to be more then just me. There were a lot of...uh...stuff going into it by the end."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small shrug. If Adora's anger bothered her, she didn't show it. "Fine, fine, I won't make fun of her. But... I mean, she's not wrong," Hinoiri said before she could stop herself. "If everyone walks all over you, the only way to make sure you can't get hurt again is to make sure you're too powerful to walk over."

"My mentor taught me that. It doesn't matter if everyone around you hates you and thinks you're a waste of space, if you're powerful enough they can't *do* anything about it so you can just ignore them. Sure, they'll talk shit behind your back, but people always do that. Maybe she wanted to become strong enough to make sure nobody could do that again, even your new friends if she joined you."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
She shakes her head at that. "Wrong. Just...wrong. That's what the bullies want you to think so they can feel better about what they're doing. There are a lot of people who don't live that way. Most people, even, I'd say. And they're stronger for it. And happier. Not just paranoid and bitter all the time. It's a cycle of abuse, with bullies making bullies."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small shrug. "Probably. I mean, I don't know. I'm just repeating what I heard growing up. So, I'm guessing that school used to have a lot of bullies then? Did you help keep Catra safe?" She finally pulled her hand back from the horse. "Or did she help keep you safe? Maybe she was just tired of always having to be protected and wanted to be the one protecting you. It probably sucks always having to be the one protected and never being strong enough to stand on your own."

She paused and sighed. "Sorry. I hope this isn't coming off the wrong way? I'm just trying to help give some advice. You really have a whole... thing going on with all this, seems like something you need to work out. Not sure if I'm actually helping or not, though."

Adora Rainbowfist has posed:
Adora Rainbowfist considers that as she walks over and puts the brush away. "I always saw it as us taking care of eachother. I don't know." She runs her fingers back through her hair and sighs softly. "It weas cool hanging out. I really appreciate the ride out. I think I'm gonna take the bus back, though. Nothing you did. I...just want some time to think, I guess."

She looks over and flashes a sad smile. "Take it easy." And unless she's stopped, the blonde leans in to kiss the horse's snout and turn, making her way back out into the park.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod and waved to the other girl. "It was nice talking with you! I hope you and your girlfried work things out!" she called before turning and walking away... and...

It really seemed both were screwed up, in the end. Catra... Catra had some issues. But this other girl? 'Bullies making bullies'? Please. All that mattered was power. Catra had the right idea. Become the boss... and nobody could hurt you. It wasn't like her world where you could, physically, become powerful enough that nobody could hurt you. But with the limits they had... it fit. She wondered if... maybe she should let Catra know. for now, though, she supposed she should head back to her room...

...

She missed hay a little bit, too.