There were a lot of things that still needed to be talked about. That needed to be figured out.

From what individual plans were, to what came next, to what issues were going to need to be resolved. Obviously, even though Glimmer had pardoned Horde soldiers who fought against the Galactic Horde and brought them back into wider society, that didn't necessarily apply to deserters, so that was going to be the source of a call before the day was out. There also came the issue of what exactly they were supposed to do for accommodation.

Adora had asked Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio if they wanted to come back to Brightmoon with them, and seeing if Glimmer couldn't find them a place to stay.

They had refused the offer though. At least for right now, they were happy where they were. They felt helpful, useful, like they were contributing to something productive, and they wanted to see that project through to the end. Geossphire would be a rebuilt village before the three of them moved on. That was something that the three of them had agreed on when they started to get to know the villagers here and began to work on fixing up the place.

After that, who knew? Maybe they'd find another village that needed help. Maybe they'd stay here for a while longer. Maybe they'd decide to stay permanently. Or maybe they'd take Adora up on the offer at some point. They promised to let her know.

How they would do that, they learned later in the day.

Outside of conversation, activity was done.

Catra ended up helping Lonnie fix up the wall that she had been working on earlier on. Finding a few holes in the wall that Lonnie had missed in irritation, patching up any weak spots, and getting more groundwork and wall built up by the pair of them working together than Lonnie had been able to do on her own.

Adora had helped out when needed, turning into She-Ra to move the heavier rocks with her enhanced strength. It had been a few hours of hard work, but it was productive work. It worked up a sweat.

To Catra, it felt good. It made her feel like she was paying her dues.

She made a mental note to see if there were any labour positions that needed filling in Brightmoon when they got back. Maybe there was something there she could help with.

Feel useful again, maybe.

By the end of it all, the border wall of the village had been wrapped up, checked for structural weaknesses, and fixed up where the need was. On one's own, the process might've taken another few days, but together, it was done in a few hours. Lonnie had even given Catra a pat on the back once they were done, and thanked her. It felt like the first step towards earning that forgiveness Lonnie promised she'd offer Catra the chance at.

How exactly she would know when she had paid her dues there, she didn't know. But she didn't mind that. Not really.

Later on in the day, Kyle and Rogelio both showed Catra and Adora someone that neither of them expected to see again once the Horde fell to pieces - Imp.

Apparently the two of them had found him in the ruins of the Fright Zone, and decided to look after him - Imp was a menace to be sure, but he didn't seem to have much of a survival instinct for the wild on his own, and they couldn't bring themselves to just leave him to starve. When learning that Adora and Catra were coming, they had opted to hide him in the surrounding forest, in case it had been some sort of arrest scenario that they were looking at. At least then Imp had a shot of escape and finding some other way to get by.

When they arrived, he was sleeping. He was wrapped up in a sort of harness - One he could easily break out of if he so desired, but didn't seem to want to, apparently comfy enough there. He was also surrounded by a bunch of candy bars - Presumably in case Kyle or Rogelio didn't return.

The wrappers were empty. He'd eaten them all. At that realization, both Kyle and Rogelio groaned.

It was hard for Catra not to think he didn't look too tough right now, remembering the danger this thing had put her in before.

Apparently he was going to be how the three of them would get in contact with Brightmoon if they ever needed to, and didn't have a direct line to the castle, since he could fly pretty quick when he wanted to. Catra made herself make a mental note to not shoot anything Imp-shaped if she saw it coming towards Brightmoon.

The rest of the day went by quickly, a mixture of conversation and activity. From old stories told from their various days in the war, talking about the places they'd seen and the things that they'd done - Some of which were more pleasant than others - to physical work, fixing up projects that Lonnie had been putting aside for a while now, aided by the two new pairs of hands. Each pair contributed what they were good at, to who needed it the most.

It felt almost like their old Horde days, where they were on construction duty, or on survival training courses. There was an air of … Not joviality, but almost lightheartedness to it all. Still some hostility, to be sure, but given everyone's history here?

Everything felt… Comparatively normal.

Like it used to.

Just… That little bit better…

...But weight still rested on Catra's mind.

"So, everything went okay then?"

"Yeah! A lot better than I think either of us expected."

"Well, I was expecting to get punched in the face a few times, so, you know. Anything's a step up from that."

"Catra." Adora jabbed Catra's arm with her elbow lightly, giving her that playful smirk.

"Alright, alright." Catra pushed Adora's arm away, giving her the same sort of smirk, before turning her attention back to Glimmer. "Far as things go, Sparkles, I don't think it could have gone much better, short of a marching band."

"I'll see what I can do." The holographic image of the Brightmoon Queen joked with a raised eyebrow and grin of her own. Her expression relaxed shortly after a few chuckles at her own joke, and became one of visible relief at the news. "I was starting to get worried that Bow and I were going to need to come after you."

The still surreal-to-see stars of night had come out by the time Adora and Catra had thought to head back to the ship and get in contact with Glimmer. They had gotten so caught up in everything that they had forgotten that they needed to check in with their friend to keep them updated. Given the full context of everything going on, Glimmer had been understandably worried about what could have ended up happening to them.

She was obviously relieved that her worries were misplaced.

"Sorry." Adora apologized, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "We've been helping with construction here all day. Lost track of… A lot of time."

"As long as you're both alright." Glimmer replied, shaking her head at the apology, like it wasn't necessary. "I'm glad that it went well for both of you. You all sounded close when you talked about growing up in the Horde."

"Wasn't like we had much choice. We had to rely on each other."

"Or you ended up like I did." Catra muttered. "I'm still… Amazed everything went as well as it did."

"You almost sound upset."

Holding her hand horizontally, Catra rotated it from side to side. "Not upset. More… I dunno, confused, I guess. I'm still processing it I suppose."

Glimmer nodded. "After what happened between me and Bow… I get what you mean."

Catra nodded back. Then she blinked. "Hey, Sparkles, d'you know if Scorpia is anywhere around you?"

"She's with Perfuma in the gardens right now. She's been worrying about you both as well, and Perfuma is trying to calm her down with flowers." At saying that, Glimmer seemed to get onto her tip-toes, to get a better look outside the nearest window and see if she could see the two of them. "...I'm not sure it's working. You want me to get her?"

"Yeah, if you could."

With that, Glimmer vanished as she teleported away. Adora gave Catra a smile again in the meantime, knowing why she wanted to speak to her friend. Catra gave her a shrug, and a small smile back.

About fifteen seconds after she vanished, Glimmer reappeared, with Scorpia in tow. The second she materialized, Scorpia darted straight towards the communication device in the room.

"Catra! Adora! You're both okay? You're not hurt or anything?!"

"Relax, Scorpia." Catra quickly assured her, holding up her hands as if to physically push back the worries Scorpia was projecting. "We're fine. Everything went fine."

A huge sigh of relief left Scorpia's chest as soon as she heard that. Her claw rested over her chest like she was trying to calm down her heart-rate. "Phew! Oh - Oh thank…. Everything. You've been gone for ages and haven't checked in, I thought something might have happened to you and that we were going to need to come and get you out of there or - Or something, I don't know."

"It went better than I thought it would." Catra said, folding her arms. "Much better than I thought it would."

"What happened?"

"Kyle and Rogelio just… Forgave everything. And Lonnie… Well, Lonnie didn't, but she's said she's willing to see what happens."

Another wave of alleviation washed over Scorpia's face, and for a second, Catra thought that she might fall onto her knees. "Oh, Wildcat, I - you don't know how relieved I am to hear that. I was worried after you left that I might've made the wrong call and that I should have just, you know, left it alone, but - "

"I'm glad that you didn't."

Scorpia was a naturally chatty person, perhaps to a detrimental degree. She was prone to rambling in nearly all circumstances - when she was happy, when she was sad, trying to prep herself up, when she was relieved, or anything of the sorts.

But she was caught off guard by Catra's simple sentiment, and stopped her rambling dead in its tracks. She just sort of stared at the image of Catra on her screen, not sure what to say.

Of nearly everyone she'd known over the last couple of years, Scorpia was easily one of the friendliest and most loyal people Catra had met. One of the only ones that Catra had been able to comfortably even consider anything close to a friend back in the Horde.

And absolutely one of her closest friends now.

Catra just offered her a smile.

"Thank you."

At the gratitude, Scorpia blushed for a moment, before she let herself smile again. "A… Anytime, Catra. I mean it."

"I know. And thank you for that too."

"...I'd uh, I'd hug you through the screen right now if I didn't think that'd break this… Thing. Whatever it is. Looks like something Entrapta'd make…"

"You can do that tomorrow, if you want."

"Tomorrow?" Glimmer piped up, and became visible on the hologram for Adora and Catra. "You're not coming back tonight?"

Adora shook her head. "We're gonna stay here tonight."

"What for? The ship could have you back in like… Twenty seconds if you wanted it to."

"It's... " Adora scratched her cheek as she tried to think of how to describe it. "... It's sentiment, I guess. We all pretty much lived together. We had shared bunks and everything. We don't have that now… Or bunk beds. So it just seemed, I don't know, fitting to at least see them in the morning before we came back."

"This is all her idea." Catra informed them, using her tail as a pointer. Adora awkwardly laughed.

"I understand." Glimmer nodded. "We'll tell the rest of the gang. I think they'll be happy to know that everything is going well over there. We'll expect you for tomorrow, okay?"

"You hear that, Adora?" Catra asked, smirking. "No slumber parties."

Adora swatted Catra's tail away lightly before she answered Glimmer. "Got it. We'll be back before midday."

Scorpia and glimmer waved the pair of them goodbye as their holograms disappeared into the air. Once they were both gone, Adora and Catra let out simultaneous sighs, happy to have gotten that particular thing off their to-do lists.

Armed above her, Catra stretched, and hand in front of her mouth, Adora yawned.

"That went well." Catra commented. "I think."

"You seemed to be in a good mood." Adora pointed out, rubbing her eyes of welled-up yawn-tears as she spoke.

"It was… Good to let everyone know." Catra said. "Not sure why."

"Me either. But I get what you mean."

There were a few minutes of silence between the two of them - Comfortable silence - While Adora raided what had become the makeshift pantry of the ship for whatever food was still in there. She was able to find some fruit, bread, and canned tuna fish, and other foodstuffs to make what would be their supper - Tuna sandwiches. She tossed the can over to Catra, who used her claw to open the sealed container, and then slid it back to Adora, who then set to work actually putting together their supper. The whole scene played out in silence.

Thoughts still ran through Catra's head. Feelings and what felt like conflicts bothered her still. Internal contradictions she couldn't quite figure out.

Parts of her that still felt… Wrong.

A sigh escaped her.

"Catra, you okay?"

A push on the shoulder brought Catra back out of her headspace and back into reality. Adora had already placed her supper in front of her, but she hadn't even realized it. She'd zoned out so much she had barely even realized how the world had changed around her.

"Huh?" An involuntary noise came from Catra when she was brought back into reality. She looked at Adora, then her supper, then Adora again, and let out another exhale. "...Sorry. I was… Thinking."

"You've been doing that a lot today." Adora said, matter - of - factly. "It's fairly obvious when you are. You sigh a lot. You're not normally that out of it though."

She took her seat next to Catra.

"...Wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know." Catra said, immediately. "That's not a dismissal thing. I just… Don't know. I'm not sure my own head is making sense."

"Is it… Upsetting you?"

"No. Yes… Maybe?" Catra groaned, dissatisfied with her own answers. "...I dunno if I'm entirely okay with how Kyle and Rogelio forgave me the way they did."

Blinking, Adora tilted her head. "Okay with?"

"They barely asked anything of me. And they just sort of… Let everything slide. It doesn't… I don't know if I like that. I mean, I like that we're at least able to talk to one another now and that we're going to be able to see one another again, but it's just…"

Her foot tapped against the floor as she tried to find the right words.

"...Lonnie was the harshest towards me. That's pretty much a given. But I kind of… Prefer that? I mean, that's… Justified, isn't it? After everything, she treated me pretty much how anyone would treat me, and that was… Fair in my mind. Like… Right, I guess?"

Like she had done yesterday, Adora didn't interrupt. Instead, she just let Catra speak, let her get everything she needed to get out of her system out. Let her just talk.

So many problems would have been solved if people just talked more. Especially Catra.

"They have the right to be upset with me. They… They should be upset with me, shouldn't they? After everything I put them through, that's like the one thing that they should have against me. But they just… Let it go, and I don't…"

Catra turned to look at Adora, and the expression on her face was one of a mixture between confusion and actual upset.

"...I don't think I deserve that."

"Catra…"

Eyes back on the table, Catra carried on talking. "At least Lonnie actually held me accountable for it. At least I feel like I'm doing… Something to make up for all the shit I dragged her through. With Kyle and Rogelio though… I don't think I deserve how good they've been to me. It's like..." She paused. "...Scorpia, Entrapta, Glimmer, Bow, and now these guys… It's like everyone I know treats me better than I deserve.

"...Do you think that way about me?"

That made Catra stop talking. That spoke for itself.

The truth was she did, to an extent. Maybe the worst out of everyone she thought like this about. Adora meant the world to her, before and after she left the Horde. Even when she was fighting against her like a raved lunatic, Adora still meant the entire world to her. That didn't change the way she treated her. That didn't excuse it.

But Adora almost treated it like it did nowadays. And that made Catra feel… Gross, almost.

...It was part of why she had been so adamant that the others didn't give Adora any grief for her own actions. That felt like the absolute least she owed Adora.

There had to be…. Some sort of equilibrium, right? Some line she would cross where she could definitely say she had made up for things? Lonnie at least was honest about it. It was why Catra preferred that.

"...Do you think I want you to make up for what happened between us?"

"..." Catra bit her lip again. Damn it. "... I… I don't think you do… And I almost wish that you did."

"...What about what I want?"

Catra returned her sights to Adora.

"I don't want that from you, Catra. I don't want you to feel like you constantly have to prove yourself to me, or to anyone. We - We saved Etheria together. Isn't that enough?"

"Feels like I did a lot worse to a lot of people for a lot longer for that to make up for all of it."

"Maybe…" Adora sighed. "But… What if those people don't want anything from you? What if they just… Want to get on with their lives?" She paused. "...Kyle and Rogelio seem to just want that. If that's all they're asking for..."

"I… I know." Catra sank in her seat a bit. Logically it made sense, she supposed. They wanted a sense of closure and to get back to their lives. That involved forgiving her. If that was it, then she should accept it, but… "I just… I just wish I could do something else for them."

"And me?"

"...And you."

"You're here." Adora's hand reached out and held onto Catra's. "That's all I ever wanted."

It was a sad smile, but a smile appeared on Catra's lips all the same. She really didn't deserve this, but here it was, all the same. And it was all Adora wanted.

"...You're far too good to me."

"Well, I love you." Adora smiled back at her, understanding and warmly. "I want to see you happy."

Before she could say anything else, Catra found herself pulled into a hug. No matter how many of those she got from Adora, they always made her pause and her heart beat that bit quicker. Every single time. They were always warm. Always comforting. Always just… everything she wanted.

She really didn't deserve this. But it was what Adora wanted.

...But she'd spend the rest of her life trying to make Adora happy. That was the least she could do.

"...I love you too." Catra replied, before returning the hug, and then letting go of her just that little bit so she could kiss her.

The stars were like a fairy tale come to life. Myths and ancient stories ingrained into an entire planet, suddenly brought to the forefront. Like the statues of long-lost civilizations and their Gods were suddenly transponded, and those ancient Gods came back to the world made incarnate.

Hardly even an exaggeration,m to tell the truth. So many people had spent their entire lives being told the rest of the stars had just… Gone. That there were no other planets than Etheria. That they were the one cradle of life in an otherwise empty universe.

Both those illusions were shattered in a single moment.

It was hard not to spend at least a bit of time staring at them before going to sleep. It had almost become something of a new tradition on Etheria.

A cool air would be pleasant, Catra had thought. It would be nice, after the day she'd had, to just chill in the cool air and stare at the stars for a bit, think about how she had been amongst them not too long ago, and how soon, she would be again, in this same ship.

Stars were incredible, and the fact other worlds existed was something that still messed with her mind. Even stepping on other worlds hadn't done anything to curve that particular mind-scramble. It'd be like if she woke up on a new continent of Etheria that everyone had just somehow missed for a few thousand years - Real, definitivally there, but difficult to wrap one's head around.

In and of themselves though, they didn't mean a huge amount to Catra. Not that she was disinterested in them though.

Travel was what interested her now.

The prospect was one that excited her if she was being honest. It felt like she had lost the chance to have a real adventure with Adora during the war because of their opposing sides.

Now she was going to get that chance again, and was going to get it with people she had grown to consider friends. It wasn't the journey that excited her in itself, but the people that she was going to get to share it with.

As she exited the ship and made her way onto the ramp though, she found Kyle, sat on said ramp, about halfway down, his back to her, messing around with what seemed like some kind of notebook. He heard her steps though, and vertically turned so his face was upside-down to see what was behind him.

"Oh, there you are. Hey."

"Hey." Catra greeted, a touch surprised to see him here. As she made her way to where he was, she asked, "What's going on? I thought you all went to get some sleep."

"Oh, er… Me and Rogelio wanted to say goodnight to you both. Like… Old times, I guess."

"..." Looking around, and then back to Kyle, she said, "...Can't help but notice Rogelio isn't here."

"He's… Chasing after Imp."

"What, did it run off?"

"Kind of. I think he got spooked by a shadow that looked like a Hordak Clone or something."

"...To be fair I would too." Catra muttered under her breath, before taking a seat next to Kyle. "So… why're you not chasing after him too?"

Sheepishly, Kyle scratched his cheek. "I… I'd only get in the way. I'm not as fast as Rogelio… A - And we kinda figured someone should stick around in case, you know, the other got lost. At least then in the morning it'll be easier to look for them."

"Fair enough." Catra shrugged. She then looked up at the sky above her. "...You uh… you left the Horde the day the stars came back, right?"

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. It was… Weird. Almost felt like a sign, you know?"

"I got abducted by Horde Prime the day the stars came back." She ran her fingers through her air, holding a few of the strands between her fingers. "He's the one who cut this."

"...Would it be weird if I said I think it suits you?"

"A little." Catra shrugged. "But… It's grown on me a bit. Might keep it a bit shorter from now on."

"...Seems like everything really changed then, huh?"

"...Yeah. It did."

For a short while, the two of them sat in contemplation, thinking back on that day. For Catra, it had been… Brutal. Between her fighting Hordak, and Double Trouble…. Doing their bit, messing with her head…

...Ruthlessly getting a message she… Really needed to hear through her thick skull. Whether she wanted to hear it or not.

Maybe Kyle was right. Maybe that day had been a sign.

Certainly hadn't felt like it at the time though.

"...I don't think anything is going to be the same after that." Kyle carried on. He had thought a lot about things, Catra noticed. "Seems like everything has to change after what happened. Like if we had to avoid everything because of a plague or… Something."

"Can't go back to how it used to be, that's for sure." Catra agreed, still looking up at the stars.

"The same goes for people." Kyle smiled. "I uh… I don't think I said this earlier, but, er… I'm really happy for you and Adora."

That same small blush whenever their relationship was brought up spread across Catra's cheeks. "Thanks. Glad I was able to get you all a few ration bars and a bit of entertainment."

"I mean it though. You both seem so much happier. Even more than when you were back in the Horde. And it's, well… It's clear that it's helped you a lot too. You're obviously not here because Adora dragged you here. You're here cause you want to be. It just… I'm really happy for you."

A smile she couldn't stop from spreading made itself known on Catra's lips. An acknowledgement that while Adora had helped, she'd made this choice on her own - There was something affirming about it. Like she was being recognized for her efforts.

The awkwardness of hearing about her relationship from someone else also contributed to that smile though, like a sort of defense mechanism had been triggered to prevent further awkwardness… However that would have worked.

Adora smiled when she was being awkward. Maybe that particular trait was rubbing off on Catra.

"Sorry we couldn't get Lonnie to come." Kyle then said, letting his smile drop. "She's… Still not sure what to make of everything.

"Honestly, don't worry about it." Catra assured him. "She was more than fair to me when she laid out her terms earlier today. I don't mind at all. It's… Still going to take some getting used to. For everyone."

"She'll come around." Kyle said, seemingly sure of himself. "I'm certain she will."

"Maybe." Catra nodded. "I'm still surprised you and Rogelio were so willing to forgive… Everything."

"...You know what leaving the Horde taught me?" Kyle asked. "More than anything?"

Unsure if she was supposed to answer, Catra didn't say anything, and just waited for Kyle to reveal the answer himself.

"...It's that people are good. There are… Some bad people out there. Hordak was one of them. But the vast majority of people? They're good, kind people, and they all want to just… Live well. And a lot of us do bad things, and sometimes it's because we don't know any better, or because we're forced into it, or because we're put into a situation where we don't know what else to do or don't have a choice."

While not as well travelled as Catra was, she got the feeling that Kyle was a lot more well versed in communication with the people whom's lands he'd travelled to. That he'd seen a lot of people, and spoken to them a lot more than she had. That he had come to understand people a lot better than she did.

"That doesn't make it okay - When people do bad things… And we… All did bad things for the Horde… But I...I feel like I understand why you did everything you did. And… And I don't want to fight anyone anymore. It's not like two wrongs will make a right here."

"It would be some sort of justice though."

"Justice was when the Horde was destroyed. The Horde raised us so we'd end up the way we did. That's gone now. This would just be… Pointless. You apologized. That's all I wanted."

A small sigh escaped her. Adora had been right, she supposed. What was she supposed to do, force him to roll out a list of demands?

"...Weird to think that was all Rogelio wanted too." She muttered. "No offense to the guy, but he never struck me as the forgiving type."

"Rogelio… A... A lot changed since we knew each other. I guess he calmed down too."

A snicker escaped Catra's lips. "Hey, you remember that time he got stuck in one of the pitfall traps when we were kids?"

"You mean the one that was too small for him to fall down?"

"That's the one."

Kyle couldn't stop himself from laughing either. "Took me like, twenty minutes to get him loose."

"He was so mad."

"Then he chased you for laughing at him."

Catra outright laughed. "He couldn't catch me if his life depended on it!"

"Don't know if I'd agree with that nowadays. He's pretty tough, you know."

"Maybe me and him'll have to spa sometime. Make it really feel like the old times."

"Somehow I feel like he'd enjoy that."

"You want in? I can take you both on at once if you like." Catra's smug smirk reached ear-to-ear, even though she was just teasing.

"No… No, I… I think I'd just get in his way."

Not… The reason Catra had expected. Still, she shrugged. "Fair enough… You, er, know I was kidding, right?"

"...Oh." Kyle paused before he answered. "Oh - Oh, yeah, I… No, no I - I thought you were serious for a minute there." He laughed awkwardly at himself. "Sorry, I.. Don't think I'm used to your sense of humour yet."

"My bad." Catra admitted. "Sorry."

"It's alright."

That oddity that had been pestering Catra all day came back in full. Kyle was different. There wasn't any ambiguity about it now. In nearly all other aspects, he was more independent, sure of himself and of his own convictions. He had grown. Changed.

But just then, it was like he had reverted back to his old self, in a brief moment of recidivism.

There was something… That Catra could feel. Something was bothering Kyle, but it was something that she knew he wouldn't ever admit.

So instead, she tested the waters.

"It uh… That's something that I dunno if I'll be able to change. My sense of humour I mean."

"No, no, really, it's okay." Kyle assured her. "Rogelio and Lonnie have… Different sense of humour to mine. I've picked up a bit of theirs, I know when they're joking. It's just a bit harder with you."

"Our sense of humour was mocking you back in the Horde."

"I thought it was all friendly teasing back then. Wasn't until… You know, getting trapped in the Whispering Woods that I figured out nearly everyone was just being jerks about it. When Rogelio did it I knew he was joking around. Same with Adora, Adora's too nice for that, but you and Lonnie…"

"Sorry."

"Please stop apologizing, I told you I forgave you." Kyle smiled, though he looked a bit tired. "Lonnie apologized too, a while ago now. She's still my friend."

Interesting, Catra thought to herself.

"...You think pretty highly of Rogelio, huh?"

"He's my best friend, of course I do."

Catra nodded, having a hunch now where this was going. "Say, what's that book, anyway?" She asked, pointing at the book on Kyle's lap that he'd been scribbling in when she arrived.

"Oh, it's a sketchbook." Kyle explained, holding it up. "I liked drawing in the Horde, but I didn't get a lot of time to do it because of the war. So I wanted to get back into it."

"I think I remember." Mulled Catra. "You used to show them to everyone at meal time. You were pretty good. I remember thinking so back then."

"D… Do you wanna see some of my sketches?"

"Could I?"

"Sure!" Kyle nodded, "Let me just find some good ones." He then began to flip through his notebook, very careful not to let Catra see beyond the book's hardback, and Catra couldn't stop herself from noticing that he was skipping over entire pages at a time, then holding them between his fingers, like he was selecting entire batches of art that he didn't want Catra to see.

He showed her some of the sketches he had done of the first village that they had come across, and of some of the villagers within it. Landscape drawings in particular, he seemed to have gotten the hang of, filling entire pages with well drawn environments. Some pages were more cluttered, like objects and faces, and hands - Lot and lots and lots of hands - that he was trying to get the hang of drawing out.

There were some of Lonnie, and some of him. There was even one of Catra, Adora, and the ship. That was the most recent one, in fact.

No Rogelio though. And Catra had a feeling she knew why.

"So, quick question." She asked, before she tapped one of the chunks of pages he was holding between his fingers. "What's on those pages?"

"E-Er, j-just some bad sketches I'm not… Comfortable with a-anyone seeing. They're r-really bad."

"So you're telling me that you've drawn our entire squad - Including me, of all people - But you haven't drawn your 'best friend' in that thing?"

That was a contradiction, and it seemed that Kyle realized that the second Catra began to point that out. His face went a shade of red.

"I knew it." Catra smirked. "Those pages are full of drawings entirely of him, aren't they?"

Lying was never the strongest character trait of Kyle's. He was too nervous, too easily caught up, and gave away signs way, way too easily. When he tried to lie, it was painfully obvious to anyone around him.

Everything made sense now. The thing that Catra recognized in Kyle, that she had thought was new, but Adora noticed was just enhanced. The way that he spoke and carried himself, the new sense of confidence that diminished when it came to Rogelio.

She recognized her love for Adora in Kyle.

Only his was aimed elsewhere.

"You like him, don't you?"

His face was bright red and he had started to sweat, but he seemed to realize that he'd been caught out. It looked like he wanted to protest, but he quickly realized how futile doing so was going to be. Lying wasn't going to get him anywhere here. He instead hung his head, and just sighed.

"...I-Is it seriously that obvious?"

Catra raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Not until now it wasn't, no. I thought I recognized something about you that reminded me of me. Didn't realize exactly what it was until just now."

Muffled by now hiding his face, Kyle muttered, "Then how did you even figure it out?"

"Mostly the drawing thing, and the fact you keep bringing up Rogelio and holding him up like he's some kind of messiah. The best friend thing only gets you so far. Trust me."

"You're not… G - Going to tell anyone, a - are you?"

"Why would I?" Catra asked. "It's not like I'd get anything out of it. Besides…" She paused for a few moments, running through what she'd do if that had happened, but between her and Adora. At the end of it, she sighed. "...I don't know if I'd even be able to face Adora if that was how she found out about me being in love with her."

It would be humiliating. Awful. How would she even be able to look at Adora after?

If she couldn't say it how and when she wanted to, when she needed to… What was the point? It wasn't like her actual confession had been perfect - Adora nearly dying and the planet nearly exploding, or burning, or whatever had been about to happen, that wasn't the situation Catra had wanted to confess in, nor had she even been sure she wanted to confess in and of itself, but it had been her confession to make.

Knowing that anything about her was revealed without her knowledge or consent was bad enough, for her feelings for Adora to be revealed by anyone but her, in whatever language they pleased, to twist or trivialize it…

That idea haunted Catra whenever she considered the possibility. And she wasn't planning on subjecting Kyle to that sort of emotional turmoil.

And even if she was that cruel - Again, she could gain literally nothing from it. Anyone could say what they liked about her time in the Horde, but she wasn't cruel for the sake of being cruel.

Not intentionally, anyway.

Kyle peeked from between his arms and hair. "N… Not even Adora?

"Not even Adora. My lips are sealed, I promise."

That seemed to relax Kyle, at least a little. His face was still bright red, but he let himself stop hiding his face in his hands and arms, and actually sit upright again. His body had become tense and rigid, and he was fidgeting at the scratches in his tracksuits.

It was easy to sympathize with him in this moment, Catra felt.

"So…" She started. "...How long?"

"I…" Kyle bit his lip before he answered. "...I don't know. A - A few years, maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"I think? I… I only think I realized it in the last year or two."

"...After Adora left." Catra noted.

"I… Tried to figure out just how you might be feeling after that happened." Kyle explained, keeping his eyes firmly focused at the bottom of the ramp, in case Rogelio showed up so he could shut his mouth before he heard anything. "You were so… Angry and upset all the time, and I… I wanted to understand how it felt. Why you were acting like you were - There… there had to be a reason."

"...Is that why you were so quick to forgive me?"

A nod. "Even after it became too much to take orders from you back then, I still understood why you were acting like you were. At least a little." A pause. "I… Tried imagining what it'd be like if my best friend left the Horde without me because someone they'd never met seemed to matter more to them than I did. I didn't get angry though. I got… Just, sad."

"And that was Rogelio?"

"Yeah…"

All Catra did was nod. This, specifically, she couldn't relate to. She didn't have a single moment that she could point to for when she realized she was in love with Adora. It wasn't a sudden thing for her - A slow thing, events that built up on events, until it became difficult to imagine her life without Adora there, and wanting to prove herself to her. It had just made itself known at one point in her mind and had been there since.

Maybe she could compare how she felt after Adora left the Horde to Kyle's revelation… And how much she realized that she needed Adora in her life.

She didn't know if that was a good comparison though.

"...So." She said, watching her wording, not wanting to upset him. "...What is it about him you like?"

For about thirty seconds, Kyle didn't say a word, or look away from the bottom of the ramp, and for about half of those, Catra wondered if he had heard her, or if he was just hoping that if he didn't say anything, she'd lose interest and go away.

"...I don't know." Kyle finally said, quietly, and uncertainly. "It… It's not like there's just…. A - A few things I like, and then that's… It. There's… A lot of stuff."

Catra didn't say anything, but she gave Kyle a look, leaving the option for him to keep talking open.

What she recognized in Kyle was a complicated series of feelings and emotions that he hadn't had the chance to really figure out himself, because he'd never been able to express them out loud to someone. Not in depth, anyway. If he had told someone before she figured it out, she was certain it would be brief, surface level stuff. Something that he could say to feel better in the then and now, but wouldn't be able to figure out on his own. He was too awkward for that.

She'd been the same way. But she had had to figure everything out in the harshest way possible.

There wasn't any good reason Kyle had to.

A few seconds of silence more, and then Kyle spoke again. "It's… Back when we were training together, Rogelio kept an eye open for me whenever he could. And he'd always check up with me if I got injured. He… Always encouraged me to try and find a way that I'd be useful to the Horde… When all our instructors had already written me off as useless. He'd check up on me when I was upset, and he tried to make me feel better."

Gripping the book, Kyle looked like he was making the hardest call of his life. Without turning to face her though, he thrust the sketchbook towards her, offering it to her to look through. Taking it into her hands, and flipping through the pages, Catra saw the drawings of Rogelio.

And there were a lot of them.

Not an artist, Catra couldn't really say what exactly they said about Kyle's feelings towards Rogelio in each picture. It wasn't like she could recognize if there were emotions within each line, or whatever pretentious artists would claim when they looked at a piece. She could note that there were plenty of drawings of him, in various poses and situations, and at times, the sketchbook transformed into a sort of diary, with written accounts accompanying the pictures. Some drawings had annotations, with lines directing them to certain body parts, and notes on the other side. Some were drawing notes, like a misshapen muscle, or a particular shading technique he liked or disliked.

Others were practically gushing about Rogelio. More than once, these annotated sections would just lead to a heart.

"There… There was this one time him and I sneaked back onto the training courses after everyone had gone to sleep. He went through them with me over and over again, trying to help me figure out where I was going wrong or what I could do to improve my time. He… He's the one who said that I had a skill for mechanics. It's why I worked so hard to understand all the tech that we used to fight the Rebellion. I only figured out I was any good with that sort of stuff because of him."

One picture Catra landed on as Kyle spoke was of Rogelio hugging his friend from behind - Arm thrown over Kyles slimmer shoulders, and another patting him on the chest, like the jock he was. Kyle in the image seemed flustered - Self deprecation was a character trait Kyle did have down in spades - But he was noticeably happy in that one.

She recognized the look all too well.

That drawing, she could tell what he felt about Rogelio from.

"He didn't blame me when things went wrong. He didn't try to pass blame onto me. He just… He looked out for me, when it felt like… No one else would. I felt like I… Mattered to him."

Kyle was so easy to sympathize with for Catra right now.

Now that she thought about it, it almost sounded like what Kyle and Rogelio's friendship had been throughout their time at the Horde. They were often seen together, either as training partners or just keeping one another company. They spent the most time together, though Catra hadn't thought a thing of it at the time. Kyle was essentially the runt of the litter when it came to the Horde, and their squad in particular, but it was nearly always Rogelio that stopped the teasing before it got too much for Kyle.

It reminded Catra of how Adora would stand up to Shadow Weaver and the other grown ups for her whenever she messed up.

Everything he was saying now, everything he was describing, everything that he'd drawn…

Things almost felt like a parallel.

...And she could see it going the exact same way.

"...Makes sense." Catra nodded, when she realized Kyle was done talking. What more could she say to that? And there wasn't more that Kyle needed to say either. It was the briefest, and most accurate summary that he could give.

Probably the same as what Catra would say about Adora.

Thinking back on it now, she could remember a lot of these incidents. Even contributing to certain ones, regrettably. Given the environment they lived in, of course they'd end up falling for one another. She'd fallen for Adora in the same one.

A part of her was beginning to feel bad that Lonnie didn't seem to have anyone like that. That she knew of, anyway.

When it came to Kyle though, Catra understood - Despite what confidence he had managed to gain in his time from the Horde, away from all the constant belittlement and orders that were given by, well, her - In spite of those things, she knew perfectly well.

He had no intention of telling Rogelio about this.

Already he had asked that she not tell anyone, afraid that his secret was going to be revealed. That was evidence enough, but the sketches he had made it seem like he wanted to draw the fond memories he had of his crush as a sort of compensatory factor. Like he might not be able to confess, but he would at least have these drawings. Maybe to Kyle, those were satisfying enough.

For right now, anyway. Catra had thought the same thing about just being close to Adora.

It didn't work.

"...Kyle, can I… Give you some advice?"

He turned to look at Catra, who in turn looked back at him. It was like Kyle was trying to figure out what advice she was going to give before she even gave it, so he didn't have to hear it out loud before he was afraid of what he would hear.

No refusal came though. So Catra gave it.

"You should tell him."

"Wh - What?!" Kyle went beet red again, and his whole body went tense as stone.

"I'm serious." Catra carried on, and held up the book in her hands. "He means the world to you. It's obvious. And this is killing you." Her eyes narrowed. "Remember who you're talking to here. Trust me, I know what you're doing to yourself."

Anxiety, regret, self-directed fury and bordering onto hatred. All that, Catra had felt towards herself, masking herself under the guise of being just fine, and dedicated to the work she had to get done.

And so many times, she'd taken it out on the people she cared about. And the person she loved. They were on other sides of a war, sure, but she could count off the top of her head half a dozen times she'd used that to justify herself doing stuff she didn't need to, and that held no other purpose other than making her feel a bit better for a few moments.

It got really easy to justify doing that, really quickly.

"I - I - I can't do that!" Kyle protested, his hands turning into claws in front of his face. "What - What would I even say to him? And it - It's not like I can just say that and hope it'll be fine! We - We don't - We're wanderers right now! If I said anything, that - That'd be so - So - I don't think we'd even be able to travel together after that! Catra I - I can't just - "

"Do you know how miserable I was without Adora?"

Kyle stopped, dead in his tracks.

He hadn't asked to hear about why Catra did what she did, or what was going through her mind back in the Horde. It hadn't been relevant to his choice to forgive her. He hadn't needed to know, not really.

Hearing her talk about her feelings at all was bizarre. Her willingly throwing them up like this to relate to someone else on this sort of level?

That caught him off guard.

Catra let herself laugh, exactly once in amusement at how quickly that had made Kyle go silent, before letting out a sigh. "You were… Present, for most of it. You saw what I turned into. What… What sort of person I ended up turning into. I was so, so, so angry at her. At… Everyone. Everything. The Horde. Hordak. You. Lonnie, Rogelio… Everyone." She looked at her hands, gently opened so she could see her palms. "What did any of you know about what I was going through? You didn't know Adora like I did. You didn't know how much she… How much she meant to me. How much I needed her there…"

Her hands closed.

"None of you even knew her. Not really. Not like I did. And you didn't know me either. I had her, that was… That was enough. But you all acted like you did. Like you had… Any idea… What gave you the right to act like you did?"

Her hands loosened again, relaxing.

"So I stopped even talking to any of you. To anyone I didn't have to. All things considered, I got lucky. Really lucky, because of Scorpia and Entrapta being there for me. But I always kept them at an arm's distance because… They didn't know. Not really. And I couldn't even begin to explain why they put up with me for so long. But they helped keep me grounded, at least a little." She sighed. "Why did I even let it get that bad?"

She looked at Kyle from the corner of her eye. He was listening to her, carefully.

"...I didn't tell Adora how I felt, that's why."

Now her eyes turned towards the stars, remembering everything that she'd been through throughout the war.

"Because I was too proud. I keep thinking, if I'd told her how I felt earlier, what would be different about the last few years? What could I have avoided? Would I still be here now, with her? Or would I have... " She shivered at the thought. "...Would I have pushed her away because of… Everything that was in my head at the time? Because of how much I isolated myself. How much I relied on just one person. I keep… I keep wondering that maybe things would be different…. But I know for damn sure that if I had told her sooner, I wouldn't have spent the last couple of years trying to convince myself I hated her. And that..."

She swallowed.

"...That hurt a hell of a lot more than anything else. Because you keep trying to find excuses, reasons why someone hates you, so it's easier to hate them. And that numbs it for a while. I'm not…"

She turned to face Kyle.

"I'm not saying it's something you should do right away. Not if you don't want to, or think you… Can. But you are in such a better position that I was. You have Lonnie. You don't need to fight Rogelio. We don't need to fight each other. And I don't know if he'll feel the same way, and I don't know what'll happen… But you'll… You'll at least know. That's more than I got."

She placed a hand on Kyle's shoulder.

"There's no reason you need to go through as rough a time with this as I did."

For a while, it looked like Kyle processed everything, like he was going through it all and trying to figure out where he stood. Their situations were different, but the emotional problems were similar enough that Catra's words seemed to hold a certain amount of weight.

Catra handed him his sketchbook back, open on the hug page. As he took his book back, she offered him a smile.

"Think about it, at least."

Almost at that exact moment, the forest began to rustle, and Catra immediately felt herself getting ready to fight on pure reflex. Claws out and ready to pounce, before she recognized the silhouette that came out of the forest.

Rogelio.

In one of his hands, he had Imp, holding him by his wings so he couldn't fly off anywhere.

He spotted the two former Horde soldiers on the ramp, and waved at them with his other hand, saying something in his speak. Catra didn't have a clue what though. Sahe looked towards Kyle, and, with the side of her face that Rogelio wouldn't be able to see, let her lips curl into a smug look, and raised an eyebrow.

"E - Er…" Kyle's voice was a lot more unstable right now, and his cheeks were red. "He's just saying hi. And that h-he's sorry for taking so long to me."

"We kept each other company, don't worry." Catra told Rogelio, tapping Kyle's shoulder with her knuckles gently.

An eyebrow raised on Rogelio's face, but he didn't say anything.

"We - We should… Be getting back." Kyle said, getting onto his feet. "I-It's a lot darker than when we set off. We've been here a while now."

"Think about it." Catra said, quietly, giving him a nod as he started to make his way down the ramp.

He looked back at her, and thought for a moment.

"G… Good night, Catra."

"Night."

A noise from Rogelio gave Catra the impression that she understood what he was saying that time.

It was about ten by the time Catra and Adora decided that this visit was at its end, and that they were going to need to head back to Brightmoon. A lot of things still needed to be resolved before the Best Friend Squad was going to have the chance to head out into space and adventure again. They couldn't just leave Etheria a damaged world.

So back they would go, to help rebuild and resettle those who had been displaced by the war. And they'd go with promises to send whatever help they could here.

Catra couldn't help but think they wouldn't need much at all though. Not with her former squad here.

First, the villagers came to say their goodbyes to the mighty She-Ra, thanking her again and again for everything that she had done for their world. A number of them apologized for not being able to bring what was apparently a traditional token of gratitude in this village - A basket of fruit. They were low on supplies as it was though. Adora had to assure them all individually that it was far more important that they kept their supplies for themselves, and that she'd make sure Brightmoon sent something to this area to help them out.

Through the grapevine, or because a few of them had managed to piece it together themselves, a few of them seemed to realize what relationship Catra and Adora had with one another. Some offered their congratulations, while others thanked Catra for her part in helping to end the war. If some of them did recognize her as a Horde soldier before, her association with She-Ra seemed to cancel it out.

A couple of the more… Forward villagers commented how lucky a woman Catra was. Catra just smirked at them, and said she couldn't even begin to argue with that.

Once the villagers had said their goodbyes, and had left the former squad on their own, they all looked at one another.

Catra's eyes fell towards Kyle. He seemed to be avoiding her gaze.

Had she gone too far the other night?

"I guess this is it." Adora said, looking between Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio. "For now, anyway."

"We're gonna be seeing you again, aren't we?" Lonnie asked, an eyebrow raised, like she already knew the answer.

"Oh, of - Of course…. At, you know, some point." Adora's answer came. "There's a lot to do back at Brightmoon before we head out in this thing." She pointed at the ship behind her. "We'll see each other before then."

"Make sure we do."

Adora and Lonnie both hugged one another. Catra had to admit that she wasn't sure exactly how their conversation had gone, but they seemed to be on good terms now. Better than she thought. She smiled as she observed the hug.

Once they let go of one another, Lonnie turned to Catra. Melong poked out from underneath Catra's arm, observing Lonnie with an interest.

Lonnie looked at Melog for a couple of seconds. "...You know, I don't think I ever thought to ask. What…. Is this thing, anyway?"

"Melog." Catra answered, scratching the alien behind the ears. "They're a shapeshifting creature we found on another planet that just kind of… Imprinted on me, I guess."

Lonnie just blinked. "...Huh." Whatever answer she had been expecting, that hadn't been it.

"I… Seem to have an interesting life."

"...I haven't forgiven you yet, you know."

"I know."

"...But, you… You made a good start, yesterday." Lonnie admitted, a small red on her cheeks. "Keep it up, yeah?"

"I'll do my best. I promise."

At that, Lonnie held out her hand for Catra to shake. Not the same as a hug, but given the work that still needed to be done between them, it was a pretty big gesture. Catra accepted it.

"Good luck." She said.

"You too. Look after Adora."

"I will."

Kyle and Rogelio were next. Rogelio said something that Kyle had to translate. Catra didn't pay it much attention though. She could still tell that Kyle was avoiding looking at her directly.

Maybe it hadn't been her place to interfere with whatever emotional situation Kyle had found himself in. She had just wanted to offer help. Maybe that had backfired.

She'd apologize when he got here.

That came a few moments later, when Rogelio and Kyle both came towards her. Rogelio engaged in a dialogue that Kyle would have to translate. It was the first time he looked up around Catra, but he avoided looking her in the face.

"Rogelio says he's… Really happy to see you both, and that… You seem like a new person. And he's… Glad that you decided to come here. And if you need anything from us, don't hesitate to come find us. We're all still a squad as far as he's concerned. And… Squads look out for each other."

A smile appeared. "I'm glad I came here too, Rogelio." Catra said to the lizard creature. He really was the definition of a gentle giant in reality, wasn't he? "Hopefully we'll see each other again soon."

Catra then found herself wrapped into a bear-hug - If he'd done this to Adora, Catra hadn't seen - From the look she was giving her from here, she had to assume he had. His hugs were tight and left her without breath for a while after, but she allowed it to happen, and once released, got her breath back.

"I - I swear you weren't a hugger back in the Horde." She gasped. Her answer came in the form of what sounded like a laugh.

"Times change." Kyle translated. He then turned to Rogelio. "Hey, big guy, can I… Speak to Catra on my own?"

Rogelio nodded, and returned to Lonnie's side.

For a couple of seconds, neither Kyle nor Catra said anything. Catra had assumed that Kyle had wanted to say something to her, but he barely even looked at her. She had a feeling that she had really screwed up last night.

"Hey, listen, Kyle, I'm er, sorry about last night, I didn't mean - "

She was cut off when Kyle hugged her. Just like he had done yesterday.

"...I'll think about it." He said to her, whispering. "...Thank you for the advice."

It took her a second or two to respond, but she replied by hugging him back. "Good luck. I… I hope it works out for you."

"Me too. And good luck with Adora."

"Thanks." She paused. "You should visit us at Brightmoon at some point."

"Would we even be welcome there?"

"I'll put in a word with Queen Sparkles. I have a bit of sway with her." She said exaggeratedly, as if it were an achievement.

Kyle recognized the exaggeration and laughed. "...Thank you."

The pair of them separated from one another, and Kyle went back to his friends. Catra returned to Adora. The two of them held one another's hand, and began to climb the ramp back into the First One's ship.

Directly, maybe Catra wouldn't be able to pay back her debt to the people she'd hurt. Maybe there wasn't a line in the way she thought there was.

But she felt like right now, she had helped Kyle just a little bit. And maybe that was how she'd have to 'Pay her dues' - Doing things bit by bit to make things better. Maybe there would never be an equilibrium line. Maybe that was the point. To keep making things better.

Maybe that wasn't so bad.

Adora smiled. "You and Kyle seem to have gotten close while we've been here."

Scratching the back of her head, Catra replied, "Yeah, well… I see something of myself in him."

"Oh?"

"Can't share what. " Catra smirked, looking towards Adora with her eyes, before closing them in an almost dramatic manner. "I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Even from your girlfriend?"

"Especially from my girlfriend."

The pair of them laughed as they reached the top of the ramp. With one last look behind them at their former - Their Squadmates - Their friends - They waved as the ramp folded up into the ship, and they began to fly back to Brightmoon, to keep making things that little bit better.

Would you believe that the entire point of this story was for Catra and Kyle to talk about Kyle's supposed crush on Rogelio? And to that, I wrote about 20,000 words of context before that point.

Never let it be said I'm not dedicated.

This has been a fun experiment for me. She-Ra was a hell of a series, and it's one I've enjoyed dipping my hand into. Things felt a lot more natural the longer I wrote, and I feel like I've gotten a fairly solid grip on the characters here. Writing it took a lot longer though - I'm not as quick a writer as I used to be.

I do have a few one shots I'd like to try out with this series, including an introspective Catra one where she tries to explain why she did most of the stuff she did, at least from her perspective, to Adora. To sort of explain but not necessarily justify it. I dunno how long a oneshot it'd be but it'd be an interesting one to go over I think. Catra's an interesting character to me because I depressingly see a lot of myself in her. I've fucked up a lot of times and I've tried to come out of them better, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. I do believe in trying to improve oneself and the world at large one bit at a time, so… Here's to trying to improve.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this series - If you did, I have a lot of other stories, mostly My hero Academia if you're interested in that. I have a Twitter and a Tumblr, both under QuirkQuartz, where I talk about the stuff I do as well as a lot of politics - And argue with conservatives a lot - I'm an Anarcho-Communist so I'm about as far to the left as one can conceivably get (Shocking that I like She-Ra then, huh). I do media reviews occasionally on YouTube which I post there, so if any of that interests you, follow me there.

If not - I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you in whatever I write next - See ya!