Chapter 7

The rain continued to beat down against the glass of the library, while Catra and Amity sat together across a table in the kid’s section. Amity had gravitated towards this place – explaining that, with the painstorm, no one would be there – but Catra honestly found it kind of adorable. The place was all soft and pastel and pink. It reminded her of ... stupid people. She liked stupid people – they were so easy to manipulate. Amity...

Amity was...

Okay, Amity was wrapped around her finger.

But that’s different! Catra thought, defensively. I’m trying with her.

“So, uh, did you see Titan-Ra and the big fight with the Golden Guard?” Amity asked, smiling as she twirled her finger on the table, and some of her abomination goo formed into a small cup. She had liberally applied herself to the staff room in the library and gotten one of their clawfee makers out. Catra was so, so, so glad that her transformation into a cat demon had given her the ability to digest Boiling Isles food. She had read once that humans could basically only eat, like, four things in the Boiling Isles and one of them was griffon eggs. And that stuff was expensive.

Then what Amity asked penetrated her head and she jerked her eyes up from those delicate, pink, kissable fingers and started blushing. “W-What? Uh, no!” she said, reaching up and adjusting her glasses. Amity smiled at her, a bit sheepishly, as she opened the clawfee maker and started to pinch the claws off before they crawled out of the edges.

“Well, it was really amazing!” Amity said, her eyes shining brightly. “It was more amazing than watching, like, a real life Azura fight. Well. I mean. Witch fight. Since Azura is, uh, a witch.” She giggled. “But, like, she didn’t even seem to use magic circles. It was less like she was using magic and more like she was magic!” she said, pouring the clawfee into her summoned cup. “Uh, do you want some?”

Catra, who had clasped her hands before herself on the table, realized that she had nearly jammed every single claw into her own hands. The only thing keeping her safe was the thinnest of thin margins – she managed to draw her claws back into her fingers and stammered. “Y-Yes! Uh, let me get a cup of coffee, super fast.”

“Coffee?” Amity asked, her brow furrowing – but Catra was on her feet and zipping to the bathroom before she even noticed. She slammed the door shut behind her, then glared at herself in the mirror, taking her glasses off. She panted softly, trying to control her anger. Even here. Even right now. Even when she had everything, Adora still had to take things. Her fingers scraped along the porcelain of the sink with a hideous screeching noise and she saw her own face in the mirror – all angles and scowls and shadows.

“I’m ... not going to lose,” Catra whispered.

You sure about that?

The mirror didn’t actually speak. It was just her own thoughts. Catra turned away from it, her shoulders tensed and tight.

She doesn’t love you.

Catra snarled softly.

She loves me.

Catra spun around. Something dark and huge stood in the mirror. It reached out with a shadowy hand, grasping at her face, her shirt. Catra scrabbled backwards, but the fingers of the clawed hand hooked on her collar and yanked her over the sink, the faucet jamming into her belly. The mirror-face mashed against hers and a breath like cold death poured against her face.

She’s mine!

Catra slammed her fist forward as hard as she could and heard a crunch. The mirror split apart and the hand grabbing onto her collar shattered with the same lines and breaks, then faded away. Catra skidded and grabbed onto the sink with her hands, her knuckles stinging fiercely from the cracking impact. She panted, softly, her glasses teetering on the edge of the sink, threatening to plunge to the floor, while her legs dangled under her. She managed to get one foot under her, then another. When she stood, she was looking into a shattered reflection.

“ ... Adora?” she whispered. “Was...”

It had been big and dark. Titan-Ra was big and dark. But...

Could Adora be that hateful?

“Yeah,” Catra whispered. She looked down at her hand and saw that she had a slice along her knuckle, revealing pale white bone and- and she didn’t need to look at that. She hastily grabbed some towels from the dispenser and crammed them over her knuckles, covering the skin. She bit her lip, hard, and ... and didn’t quite remember what she had done to get back to Amity’s table. She was blushing and looking aside – and Amity gasped as she saw her walk up.

“Elizabeth!?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, uh, I-I just ... th ... there was a wet floor, and-”

“Oh my Titan, your hand!” Amity said, taking her hands in hers, guiding Catra to sit at the table on her side. Their thighs pressed together, the armless seats making it easy to sit very close, as Amity drew the towels away, revealing brilliant crimson stains that poured from Catra’s gashed knuckles. She winced, looking away, while Amity clicked her tongue softly.

“Did the frigging assistant janitor forget to put up a wet floor warning again?” She asked. “How did you do this-”

“I kinda ... flailed and hit a mirror, I’m so sorry!” Catra said, in her best Elizabeth voice. Her best, it seemed, was more than good enough. Amity leaned low and started to twirl her finger over her knuckles, frowning as she drew a tiny shimmer of purple magic. The light flared and the blood slowed, stopped, then reversed. The cut sealed itself shut with a faint snip, and Catra blinked several times.

“You ... know healing magic?” she asked.

“Only a tiny bit,” Amity said. She sighed. “My ... Mom makes me help show off Dad’s new abomination inventions. There’s a lot of being tossed around – we witchlings are tough, but, it still helps to know how to do a little mending.”

Catra blinked, her eyes widening. “Your ... mom makes you fight abominations?” she asked.

“N-No, just abomination troopers!” Amity said, not meeting her eyes. She was still holding Catra’s hands, her fingers tracing the line between finger and knuckle, slowly moving down towards the tip of her finger, as if she had never seen a girl’s hand before. “T-They’re like abominations, but, you know. They have armor and guns.”

“T-That’s worse, though,” Catra said. “You do get how that’s worse, right?”

Amity grinned, shyly. She lifted her gaze and the two looked into one another’s eyes as Catra realized how very close they were sitting. Amity sat there. Then her entire face started to go very. Very. Very red. She sat up, then stammered. “W-W-Wow! Uh ... trash!” She pointed at the bloody scraps of cloth that Catra had pressed to her knuckles. “I’m gonna go deal with those!” She stood and hurried off. Catra breathed out a short, sharp breath.

Then-

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Catra jerked her head up.

The window looking in on the brightly lit kid’s section was now loomed in. The loomee was a thick mound of rubberized robes and cloaks which had a large, thick chitinous claw that Catra recognized after a bit as both the source of the ticking noise ... and the identifier of who was doing such a good job of loomesse.

Catra hurried over to the window, hissing. “Scorpia! What are you doing here?”

“Checking in on you!” Scorpia whispered. “You said you were gonna recruit Titan-Ra. Is that Titan-Ra’s secret form?”

Oh Titan, the last thing we need, another mistaken identity, Catra thought. “It’s complicated!” she whispered. “Get outta here!”

“Got it, going into stealth mode, wildcat!” Scorpia said, winking at her and clicking her claws in her next best attempt at finger guns. Impressive, considering she had no fingers with which to gun. Catra flailed wildly, trying to indicate she should no, leave, actually, go home, right now, when suddenly a bloom of purple hair and smiling features came into view as Scorpia ducked down. Entrapta waved at her.

“I’m here too! Observing you!” she said, then Scorpia dragged her down with a yelp. Then Catra heard a voice, firm, fierce, commanding – and completely unlike what she expected.

“Elizabeth! We have to get out of here, now.”

Catra spun around, her eyes widening as she saw Amity hurrying over, her face grim.

“W-What’s wrong?” Catra asked, forcing her voice to not sound too confident as she reached up, adjusting her glasses.

“I-I found the assistant janitor,” Amity said, grabbing onto Catra’s wrist, tugging her in close. “He’s passed out – he has bite marks on him!” Her voice was soft and scared. “I think something drank him. Like ... like ... a demon or...” She gulped, then whispered. “Something worse.”

Catra nodded, blushing. “W-We can use magic to keep ourselves safe from the painstorm outside.”

“Yeah,” Amity said. “Good thing the-”

The lights went dead.

“-power is ... still...” Amity was silent for a moment. The two of them exchanged a nervous look.

Amity started with Catra towards the door. Catra, her perceptions attuned to everything around her, flicked her ears up. She felt sick to her stomach, her hand rubbing along the back of her neck. Her other was gripping Amity’s hand, fingers interlaced, clinging together so tightly that she wasn’t sure how they’d ever let go of one another. But as they advanced towards the door, there was a sudden rumble of thunder and lightning and the illumination stabbed through the window, casting the jagged shadows of the window frame along the ground. There was the sprawled, insensate body of the janitor, laying near the public bathroom door. And there was, looming in the entry way, a huge, dangerous looking form. Amity skidded to a stop and Catra, reacting immediately, yanked her back around the stacks.

“Oh Titan!” Amity whispered, while Catra juggled her options. She could go out and fight it – but would Elizabeth Meow Meow Applesauce do that? She-

“Come on!”

Amity’s voice jerked Catra from her calculations and her thoughts, and her arm pulled her from cover. She bit down to keep from crying out and swung her head around to see Amity yank a book – and then a hidden doorway slid open in the wall shelves with a grinding creak and crunch, revealing a small nook that Amity immediately crammed herself and Catra into. The door slammed shut a moment later and the two of them stood perfectly still, the only noise being the faint sound of rain beating on the roof.

Catra and Amity stood beside one another, clinging to one another. Catra’s glasses had been knocked so askew that if she actually needed them, she might have been in trouble. But she slowly looked around the secret room, and saw there was a small bedroll, some magic lights, and several dozen books. Azura books, yes. But also journals. She blinked and reached up to tug her glasses into place, while Amity put her ear to the door.

“I can hear it moving on,” she whispered, then sat down on the smallish bedroll. “This has been an insane day.”

Catra sat next to her. She grinned, shyly. “Yeah.”

“D-Do you think it was whatever attacked the janitor?” Amity asked.

“Maybe...” Catra frowned. Or it’s Scorpia, helping some more. She slid her hand atop Amity’s hand. Amity’s entire face went red and she looked away. She tilted her toes up and started to bump them against the floor, her knees joggling in nervous tension. Catra’s fingers cupped her hand and she leaned against her. Her voice was soft. “W-Well, at least now we have an excuse for why we didn’t rush straight home.” She grinned, shyly.

“Y-Yeah! Uh! Heh! Wow. Two monster attacks in one day.” Amity whispered, her cheeks bright red. “Whattertheods!”

Catra slid one of her fingers between Amity’s knuckles. Her clawtip teased her skin, just so slightly enough to leave the thinnest, softest of white lines. A full body shudder went from Amity’s toes to her the tips of her pointed ears and Catra could practically smell how hot she was. She leaned in and whispered, softly.

“I ... c-can ... y-you hold me? Amity, I’m. Scared.” She whispered, her voice having just enough want, enough need, that Amity would need to either flee from the room bodily or-

Or slide an arm around Catra’s shoulders. Draw her in close. Catra nuzzled against her pale neck. Then she kissed her gently, her hand sliding around to cup Amity’s side, pulling her in close. Amity whimpered, then gave up even trying. Their mouths crashed together as if they were both on the highway and riding blindfolded – their noses bumped, their hands flailed, and Catra felt her fake glasses getting knocked so far askew that they nearly jabbed into one of her ear holes. Amity, to her surprise, actually pushed her onto her back and Catra allowed herself to fall there. She panted as Amity drew her mouth back.

She laughed, giddily. “W-Wow!” She said, panting. “Libraries.”

“Y-Yeah,” Catra said. Her tongue darted along her lips, then she grabbed onto the front of Amity’s Hexside uniform and dragged her down. She spread her legs and then locked her ankles behind Amity’s buttocks, drawing the other girl into a tight, almost desperate embrace. Their mouths pressed together, and tongue darted against tongue. Catra slid one hand down, one hand up. She tousled Amity’s green going on brown hair, while Amity tilted her head hard to the side, moaning into Catra’s mouth.

Catra couldn’t wait a single second longer. She broke the kiss, panting, whispering. “Amity, I need you.”

“U-Uh, you have me?” Amity asked, dazedly.

“Naked, I need you naked,” Catra clarified.

“I-I ... oh! Uh! I ... I’m...” Amity looked aside, blushing, hard. “I’m a ... virgin.”

“ ... I really really really need you naked,” Catra whispered, unable to even to pretend to be Elizabeth Meow Meow Applesuace in that moment. Her left hand dipped down and cupped Amity’s ass through her skirts and Amity gulped, then shivered and then nodded, eagerly. She leaned back onto her hips, her hands going to her top. She undid button after button, then shrugged her shoulders, revealing her pale white bra, stark against her mostly red skin. Her blush, it seemed, went all the way down. She hesitated, then reached back, undoing a snap with a soft click. Then her bra fell forward and ... Catra had seen her naked in the shower before.

But it was different here.

Amity’s blush remained as she grinned down at her.

“H-how do I look all blurry?”

“Beautiful,” Catra whispered. Which was a lie. She wasn’t blurry at all. Catra had called a lot of girls beautiful – most of them in the Emperor’s Coven, mostly when she had started to grow up and stretch her legs. She had been shy and unsure at first, but with each conquest, she had gotten more confident. So why did her knees feel like they had turned to liquid? Why did Amity Blight, of all people, make her feel almost sick and nervous. It was like she was scared silly and drawn towards her like a moth to a flame, both at once.

Titan... Catra thought. That mysterious monster must have me more spooked than I thought.

“Elizabeth...” Amity whispered, softly. “You look at me like ... y-you, uh, want to eat me.” Her grin was shy and she giggled a little bit. “See, it’s, uh. A. Uh.” She trailed off, her courage failing her. She blushed and ducked her head forward. Catra sat up, pushing herself until she was bumping nose to Amity’s nose.

“Amity,” she whispered, instead of the sly little witticism she had been trying to throw together in the breath between laying back and sitting up. She freighted that name with so much ... more than she had expected. But it worked better than you look good enough to eat, Miss Blight. Amity leaned into her, breasts to breasts, mouth to mouth. Catra grabbed onto her ass, then started to tug at her skirts. Amity lifted one knee up off the bedroll, shifting to her side, and Catra skimmed her panties down, down. Amity had to lift her other knee, then fell forward against her, giggling and whispering.

“T-Thanks for just not tearing it off,” she breathed.

“I’m not feral,” Catra muttered as she tried to not mewl as Amity’s warm breath teased along her ear. “I know how expensive these panties can be.” She grinned as she got the last bit free, and Amity’s panties dangled from her fingertip. She licked her lips, slowly, while Amity giggled giddily, then leaned in and went back to kissing Catra right on the mouth. Now, it was her hands who were busy. Catra squirmed as she rolled her shoulders to help, and when her top joined Amity’s, Amity’s hands went right to her tits.

As expected.

Amity drew back, her eyes wide. “You don’t wear a bra?” she asked.

“Amity, look at my tits,” Catra said, her grin lopsided. “Do I look like I need a bra?”

Amity blinked, then blushed and then leaned forward. She hesitated ... then leaned in and took one of Catra’s dark brown nipples between her lips. She sucked gently, then leaned in, moaning as she kissed from breast to breast, sucking on Catra’s other nipple. Catra groaned and rolled her head back, her eyes half closing.

Then a very strange thing happened.

Rrrrrhhhrrrr!

The noise came, at first, from nowhere. Catra jerked her head up, looking around, wildly, then realized the noise was coming from herself. Amity didn’t even seemed shocked. She drew her mouth back, leaving Catra’s nipples glistening and moist. This added to their sensitivity, the tingling brush of the room’s air against her wet skin making Catra bit her lip to keep from moaning aloud. Amity was smiling up at her, her eyes just ... pure delight. She chuckled, then leaned in, pressing her cheek to the spot between Catra’s smallish breasts.

“You’re purring,” she whispered.

Catra blushed. Hard. A sudden sense of shame and confusion filled her, as if she had found herself dressed in a wild witch’s garb, or ... or ... honestly, she couldn’t think of anything even similar. Maybe if she had been attracted to a man, that might have been almost as upsetting and unsettling. She had never purred. Never, ever, ever. Not even when she had become the Golden Guard. But now, in this tiny room, with a monster sniffing around outside, while pretending to be an entirely different person, with this witchling she had known for ... less than a week, she was purring?