Shadow Weaver watched the shorter woman stare down at the item in her hand, and she turned it slightly so it caught the light, gleaming intriguingly in the red and green glow of the room.
"Well yes, but also not quite," she cautioned Catra, lifting a finger on her free hand for emphasis. "She would still need to be taken down. This will just give you the means to do so. She-ra is far too powerful to be undone by something like this alone, but this will make dealing with her much more...manageable."
A tight feeling swirled around Catra's stomach as she reached out a hand tentatively; pausing for a moment and looking up at the sorceress before closing the distance and taking it carefully from her hand.
Ignoring the feeling in her gut, she looked down at the object that now rested in her own hand. It shone brightly in the glow of the runestone, so small yet so full of power; promising her everything she could ever want. So this little thing was the answer to all of her problems, huh? With She-ra out of the way, Adora would be no problem for her. She'd always been stronger than Adora had given her credit for, and now it was finally time to show her that Catra was more than just her lowly sidekick. She would rule the world on her own.
Now that Shadow Weaver finally saw her for what she was, she could use the sorceress's knowledge and power to gain more of her own. Things were finally coming together. If only Adora had left sooner.
Shadow Weaver watched Catra take the crystal, a flash of satisfaction running through her as Catra examined it carefully. This was almost too easy. She'd known she could use Catra's lust for recognition to her advantage, but she hadn't realized how easily things would come together.
The look of brief hesitation in Catra's eyes was a bit of a problem, but she was sure she could squash that easily. Maybe it was her own fault, for fostering such a dependence on each other in the two girls, but it had been necessary to keep Adora under control as she got older; Adora needed to believe she continually failed to protect Catra and that she was the only thing keeping Catra from being disposed of at the same time, or her self-esteem could have potentially gotten too high for her to continue to fail to see the truth. She was just lucky at least that Adora was so simple and idealistic...and that Catra was unhinged enough not to care when she saw Shadow Weaver for what she really was.
"Adora has written you off for far too long," she told Catra, placing a hand on her shoulder as she stared down at the crystal. "She made a mistake in leaving you behind. Now, we can finally make her pay for her treachery."
She placed one fingertip on the crystal, tapping it with her fingernail.
"Hordak will be much the same; contact with the crystal will render him powerless enough to have him easily imprisoned. Or sent to Beast Island, whichever you prefer. That is, if the concentrated magical energy doesn't kill him outright. Either way, he won't pose a problem if we can absorb some of She-ra's power."
Adora lingered in her mind for longer than she was okay with; leading to thoughts of how things had once been. It had always been the two of them, and Catra had truly believed that it would always be that way. That Adora genuinely cared about Catra as much as Catra cared about her. That trust had been her biggest mistake. Believing that Adora cared for her had been her emotional undoing, and as Shadow Weaver touched her shoulder and offered her what she perceived as kindness, she suddenly felt filled with rage.
Things could've been so easy if she'd never met that stupid blonde. Now she was hurting, broken. And it was all Adora's fault. She'd never cared about Catra, and she'd made sure that Shadow Weaver didn't care about her, either. Thinking of Adora, her hand closed tightly around the diamond shaped object. Her grip tightened and tightened until she realized the edges of the object had cut into her palm. Stupid Adora.
Her voice shook as she spoke. "I'll get rid of them both. As soon as I can."
Maybe she wouldn't have to do anything to foster the necessary rage Catra would need to kill Adora; it seemed like Catra's wonderfully fractured mind was doing all the work for her. Shadow Weaver found herself unbelievably smug that she'd managed to mold Catra into being this easy to use, that she unintentionally given her so many weaknesses to prey on. Shadow Weaver had kept Catra around in the beginning because of Adora's insistence, and because she was afraid of what Adora might think if she disposed of the feline, of what she might realize. Adora finding Catra in the first place was an unfortunate and unexpected complication.
Honestly, she had never had a particular interest in either of the girls, only willing to extend enough goodwill to Adora to keep her under her control so she could someday use her power for herself. Admittedly, she had grown so proud of her own completely manipulation of Adora that feigning affection for her was fairly easy as it stroked her own ego, but Catra...
Shadow Weaver had never had much opinion on Catra either way. Her stubbornness and quick wit made her impossible to control without forcing her to depend on Adora, and for that she resented her. Not to mention she reminded her so much of a young Light Spinner that she projected much of her own regret onto her and punished her much more often than was necessary as a result; there was something cathartic about it. But Catra was proving to be an unexpected asset. Maybe she truly had made a miscalculation in disregarding her potential. Someone so unstable could be dangerous. That instability was proving to be an effective weapon.
"As soon as it is done, there will be no limit to what we can accomplish. You must be tired of Adora dictating what you can and can't do. The time has come for you to move forward on your own terms. Adora and Hordak will not stand in the way anymore. Soon, you will have everything you want."
Adora had always held her back; telling her what she should and shouldn't do, and ensuring that she never felt like she was as good as her. Always making sure Catra knew she was second best.
The sorceress's words were like a feast for her wounded heart. Everything she wanted? Catra didn't even know what that was, but it had to feel better than this. She could never have Adora, but she could still win. Having the upper hand had to feel better than this. Right? Right.
But something about the way Shadow Weaver was talking didn't sit right. No, there was something off, here. On her own terms? Catra had watched Shadow Weaver mold Adora into the soldier she wanted her to be. She'd watched from the outside as the woman had given her all the praise and adoration that Catra so craved. But it was always on Shadow Weaver's terms. So why the change of heart now?
"On... my terms?" She looked up at the sorceress with a mixture of thoughts and emotions that she couldn't quite place swirling through her. "What's in this for you?"
Unfortunately, Catra was far cleverer than Adora, something that was easy to forget. Bitter, spiteful, and not even close to as naive as the princess. It was no matter. Shadow Weaver knew how to deal with her now. She was erratic, but she was predictable to Shadow Weaver. Adora was Catra's achilles heel, and without her, Shadow Weaver would never be able to use her like a pawn this way. Maybe Adora defecting was a blessing in disguise after all.
At the beginning, her plan centered around using She-ra's power for her own gains when Adora was old enough to discover her true identity, as well as using She-ra herself to gain access to the Heart of Etheria. With Adora out of the way, she would simply be able to cut out the middleman. The Heart was unstable, but it was nothing Shadow Weaver couldn't handle. And even if she couldn't...well. Shadow Weaver would rather die than give up the chance to possess it.
"You're far cleverer than Hordak gives you credit for." A chuckle. "Of course I have my own interests in the matter. But they will not interfere with any of your plans. I have an interest in the war ending. There is something I want that I cannot obtain with the conflict at hand. So this arrangement benefits the both of us. And of course I want Hordak and Adora out of the way as much as you do. A partnership of mutual gain suits me just fine. Adora is weak. She was never destined to be anything more than a pawn to me because she lacked the strength to do what was necessary. She lacks the will to be anything other than someone to be used by others until she outlives her usefulness. Her weakness meant she could never be anything close to my equal but you..." Shadow Weaver gestured to the crystal in Catra's hand. "I've told you before you remind me of myself. You are not afraid to take what you want for yourself, and that strength makes you the only one capable of accepting my guidance."
"Watch your mouth." The words left her mouth before she even knew what was happening, and she quickly covered it and took a step back. Shadow Weaver was going to kill her for that.
Catra's first instinct was to snap back at the woman. The way she talked about Adora brought forth an inexplicable rage in her. Yes, she wanted that lying piece of shit dead, and yes she was planning on using this weird crystal thing to take her down and use the advantage it would give her to snuff her lights out, but Shadow Weaver couldn't talk about her like that.
Well, that was unexpected. Shadow Weaver raised an eyebrow. The irritation that rose at Catra's backtalk was quickly buried before she could show any indication of it.
If she was going to be able to get what she needed form Catra, she would lose credibility if she treated her like a stubborn child and punished her. No, she couldn't get through to Catra by lavishing her with praise and keeping her under her thumb in that way like she did with Adora, and she couldn't control her with threats or physical pain as she had when she was a child. Catra was still naive in her own way, but sensitive to the way Adora had been used as a tool, and she would catch on if Shadow Weaver were to do the same to her. No, she had to hold up her end and treat this as a legitimate partnership, as grudging as she was to do so.
"Angry? This attachment to Adora won't bode well for you. You know as well as I do that your obsession with her will only bring you more pain. Adora doesn't care for you. She made that clear when she left you behind for the princesses. What has she ever done for you? And here you are, standing up for her...angry on her behalf."
Shadow Weaver turned to lean down and look into her basin, conjuring an image of Adora as she was in this moment, her face screwed up with laughter as that boy who didn't know how to wear a shirt properly was saying something brightly and patting her on the back and Princess Glimmer was elbowing her in the ribs. "Will your tenderness for her be an obstacle? Or will you be able to reach your full potential? Adora is the one thing holding you back."
Untensing her muscles as Shadow Weaver didn't display any of the telltale signs that she was about to punish her, Catra lowered her hand and crossed her arms uneasily across her chest. She was still wary of the sorceress, even if she didn't seem to be enraged by her comment.
The words uttered by the woman made her heart hurt. She knew they were true. She meant nothing to Adora now, and she never had. She'd been wrong about her. Why the hell did it matter to her if Shadow Weaver said those things about Adora? Adora had never been quick to get angry on Catra's behalf. No, she just let Shadow Weaver treat her however she wanted. Adora thought Catra deserved it. She thought it was all her fault. She'd never once stood up for Catra when their "caretaker" had torn her down, and she wasn't going to do it for Adora, either. Never again. That had been a moment of weakness that she'd never allow to happen again.
Pushing some of her wild hair from her face, she cautiously followed Shadow Weaver to the basin, peering in as well from a few feet away. Adora. There she was, having the time of her life with the people she'd decided that she'd rather protect than Catra. The people who were worthy to her, like Catra never had been. Seeing her smiling and laughing like that stirred a deep rage in her, and she dug her claws into her upper arms as they remained crossed over her chest. Adora. She was everything wrong with Catra. She made her weak, so she could feel stronger; made her the bad one so she could be the good one. But not anymore. Catra could never be better while Adora was still around. And even though she was gone, she was still around.
"Adora is nothing to me." She stared into the basin, overcome by more and more rage and sorrow as she watched her being better off without her. "I'll kill her. And then I'll be in control of everything, and you can have whatever she's holding you back from."
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"Well yes, but also not quite," she cautioned Catra, lifting a finger on her free hand for emphasis. "She would still need to be taken down. This will just give you the means to do so. She-ra is far too powerful to be undone by something like this alone, but this will make dealing with her much more...manageable."
no subject
Ignoring the feeling in her gut, she looked down at the object that now rested in her own hand. It shone brightly in the glow of the runestone, so small yet so full of power; promising her everything she could ever want. So this little thing was the answer to all of her problems, huh? With She-ra out of the way, Adora would be no problem for her. She'd always been stronger than Adora had given her credit for, and now it was finally time to show her that Catra was more than just her lowly sidekick. She would rule the world on her own.
Now that Shadow Weaver finally saw her for what she was, she could use the sorceress's knowledge and power to gain more of her own. Things were finally coming together. If only Adora had left sooner.
"And Hordak? How do I deal with him?"
no subject
The look of brief hesitation in Catra's eyes was a bit of a problem, but she was sure she could squash that easily. Maybe it was her own fault, for fostering such a dependence on each other in the two girls, but it had been necessary to keep Adora under control as she got older; Adora needed to believe she continually failed to protect Catra and that she was the only thing keeping Catra from being disposed of at the same time, or her self-esteem could have potentially gotten too high for her to continue to fail to see the truth. She was just lucky at least that Adora was so simple and idealistic...and that Catra was unhinged enough not to care when she saw Shadow Weaver for what she really was.
"Adora has written you off for far too long," she told Catra, placing a hand on her shoulder as she stared down at the crystal. "She made a mistake in leaving you behind. Now, we can finally make her pay for her treachery."
She placed one fingertip on the crystal, tapping it with her fingernail.
"Hordak will be much the same; contact with the crystal will render him powerless enough to have him easily imprisoned. Or sent to Beast Island, whichever you prefer. That is, if the concentrated magical energy doesn't kill him outright. Either way, he won't pose a problem if we can absorb some of She-ra's power."
no subject
Things could've been so easy if she'd never met that stupid blonde. Now she was hurting, broken. And it was all Adora's fault. She'd never cared about Catra, and she'd made sure that Shadow Weaver didn't care about her, either. Thinking of Adora, her hand closed tightly around the diamond shaped object. Her grip tightened and tightened until she realized the edges of the object had cut into her palm. Stupid Adora.
Her voice shook as she spoke. "I'll get rid of them both. As soon as I can."
no subject
Honestly, she had never had a particular interest in either of the girls, only willing to extend enough goodwill to Adora to keep her under her control so she could someday use her power for herself. Admittedly, she had grown so proud of her own completely manipulation of Adora that feigning affection for her was fairly easy as it stroked her own ego, but Catra...
Shadow Weaver had never had much opinion on Catra either way. Her stubbornness and quick wit made her impossible to control without forcing her to depend on Adora, and for that she resented her. Not to mention she reminded her so much of a young Light Spinner that she projected much of her own regret onto her and punished her much more often than was necessary as a result; there was something cathartic about it. But Catra was proving to be an unexpected asset. Maybe she truly had made a miscalculation in disregarding her potential. Someone so unstable could be dangerous. That instability was proving to be an effective weapon.
"As soon as it is done, there will be no limit to what we can accomplish. You must be tired of Adora dictating what you can and can't do. The time has come for you to move forward on your own terms. Adora and Hordak will not stand in the way anymore. Soon, you will have everything you want."
no subject
The sorceress's words were like a feast for her wounded heart. Everything she wanted? Catra didn't even know what that was, but it had to feel better than this. She could never have Adora, but she could still win. Having the upper hand had to feel better than this. Right? Right.
But something about the way Shadow Weaver was talking didn't sit right. No, there was something off, here. On her own terms? Catra had watched Shadow Weaver mold Adora into the soldier she wanted her to be. She'd watched from the outside as the woman had given her all the praise and adoration that Catra so craved. But it was always on Shadow Weaver's terms. So why the change of heart now?
"On... my terms?" She looked up at the sorceress with a mixture of thoughts and emotions that she couldn't quite place swirling through her. "What's in this for you?"
no subject
At the beginning, her plan centered around using She-ra's power for her own gains when Adora was old enough to discover her true identity, as well as using She-ra herself to gain access to the Heart of Etheria. With Adora out of the way, she would simply be able to cut out the middleman. The Heart was unstable, but it was nothing Shadow Weaver couldn't handle. And even if she couldn't...well. Shadow Weaver would rather die than give up the chance to possess it.
"You're far cleverer than Hordak gives you credit for." A chuckle. "Of course I have my own interests in the matter. But they will not interfere with any of your plans. I have an interest in the war ending. There is something I want that I cannot obtain with the conflict at hand. So this arrangement benefits the both of us. And of course I want Hordak and Adora out of the way as much as you do. A partnership of mutual gain suits me just fine. Adora is weak. She was never destined to be anything more than a pawn to me because she lacked the strength to do what was necessary. She lacks the will to be anything other than someone to be used by others until she outlives her usefulness. Her weakness meant she could never be anything close to my equal but you..." Shadow Weaver gestured to the crystal in Catra's hand. "I've told you before you remind me of myself. You are not afraid to take what you want for yourself, and that strength makes you the only one capable of accepting my guidance."
no subject
Catra's first instinct was to snap back at the woman. The way she talked about Adora brought forth an inexplicable rage in her. Yes, she wanted that lying piece of shit dead, and yes she was planning on using this weird crystal thing to take her down and use the advantage it would give her to snuff her lights out, but Shadow Weaver couldn't talk about her like that.
no subject
If she was going to be able to get what she needed form Catra, she would lose credibility if she treated her like a stubborn child and punished her. No, she couldn't get through to Catra by lavishing her with praise and keeping her under her thumb in that way like she did with Adora, and she couldn't control her with threats or physical pain as she had when she was a child. Catra was still naive in her own way, but sensitive to the way Adora had been used as a tool, and she would catch on if Shadow Weaver were to do the same to her. No, she had to hold up her end and treat this as a legitimate partnership, as grudging as she was to do so.
"Angry? This attachment to Adora won't bode well for you. You know as well as I do that your obsession with her will only bring you more pain. Adora doesn't care for you. She made that clear when she left you behind for the princesses. What has she ever done for you? And here you are, standing up for her...angry on her behalf."
Shadow Weaver turned to lean down and look into her basin, conjuring an image of Adora as she was in this moment, her face screwed up with laughter as that boy who didn't know how to wear a shirt properly was saying something brightly and patting her on the back and Princess Glimmer was elbowing her in the ribs. "Will your tenderness for her be an obstacle? Or will you be able to reach your full potential? Adora is the one thing holding you back."
no subject
The words uttered by the woman made her heart hurt. She knew they were true. She meant nothing to Adora now, and she never had. She'd been wrong about her. Why the hell did it matter to her if Shadow Weaver said those things about Adora? Adora had never been quick to get angry on Catra's behalf. No, she just let Shadow Weaver treat her however she wanted. Adora thought Catra deserved it. She thought it was all her fault. She'd never once stood up for Catra when their "caretaker" had torn her down, and she wasn't going to do it for Adora, either. Never again. That had been a moment of weakness that she'd never allow to happen again.
Pushing some of her wild hair from her face, she cautiously followed Shadow Weaver to the basin, peering in as well from a few feet away. Adora. There she was, having the time of her life with the people she'd decided that she'd rather protect than Catra. The people who were worthy to her, like Catra never had been. Seeing her smiling and laughing like that stirred a deep rage in her, and she dug her claws into her upper arms as they remained crossed over her chest. Adora. She was everything wrong with Catra. She made her weak, so she could feel stronger; made her the bad one so she could be the good one. But not anymore. Catra could never be better while Adora was still around. And even though she was gone, she was still around.
"Adora is nothing to me." She stared into the basin, overcome by more and more rage and sorrow as she watched her being better off without her. "I'll kill her. And then I'll be in control of everything, and you can have whatever she's holding you back from."