It's supposed to be a secret, Catra's made that much clear. And Adora gets it, of course! Totally gets it. It's not like she'd want to tell anyone about Catra grinding down against her the night before, her hip between her thighs, her hand on her breast, her teeth on her neck. That's-- that's just between the two of them.

But the fact that it's just between the two of them makes it all the more exciting, and Adora's been having a terrible time keeping a lid on her giggly energy all throughout the day. She's accumulated at least six counts of stop it, idiot from Catra by the end of dinner, just because she can't hold back her grin whenever they lock eyes, or when they touch.

Like in their afternoon sparring session, when Catra'd knocked her over and pinned her to the ground, and Adora's heart fluttered right up to her throat and all she could do was laugh and Catra blushed and that's. Definitely not acceptable cadet behavior, she gets that.

But she just can't help herself.

She makes her way through dinner in record time, practically buzzing in her seat in anticipation for the day's end. And just as soon as the two of them have finished eating, she latches onto Catra's side, bumping their shoulders and elbows together with a broad, eager smile.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Race you to the rooftop."

On the one-month anniversary of Horde Prime's defeat, the Bright Moon castle holds a party. To be fair, everyone's been holding a lot of parties. For the first time in centuries, Etheria's completely free of threats, its inhabitants no longer cowering in the shadow of fear. Any excuse to get out there and celebrate will do -- just so people get to spend time with their loved ones, singing, dancing, eating good food.

Adora was a little hesitant to get swept up in it, at first. She couldn't help but remember Elberon, how her carelessness almost cost a whole village -- and Bow -- their lives. She spent the early celebrations in the sidelines, watching her friends enjoy themselves, sampling as much of the food as she can, and gently nudging Catra into mingling.

It took her a while for this new reality to fully sink in; there's no trap, there's no ruse, there's no one looking to hurt them. And when she looks across the castle's brightly lit courtyard and sees Glimmer throwing kids up in the air and teleporting to catch them, and Mermista cheering as Frosta beats the living daylights out of a huge pinata, and Catra laughing about something silly with Scorpia as Entrapta shoves tiny snacks into her mouth... she really does feel like everything's okay.

And like maybe she's the biggest fuddy duddy out of the whole Princess Alliance for just standing off to the side, sipping juice.

"Heeeey," Bow calls out to her as he approaches, corralling a whole group of kids her way. "You know who we haven't seen in a while? She-ra!" And Adora just has to roll her eyes at him, because it's so obvious what he's doing, but-- all those kids are looking at her with their big, sparkly eyes now, and okay. Fine. Maybe she can revel in the attention a bit. Morphing her brace into the now rarely-used sword, she holds it up over her head, and lets the magic wash over her to a chorus of oohs and aahs.

So yes, she's kind of a sucker for the attention, and yes, she gravitates towards the center of the party much easier with the confidence She-ra gives her, with the applause and starry eyed stares she brings out of people. Adora gets it, by now, that she is She-ra and She-ra is her; that she doesn't have to hide her doubts behind her anymore. But like a security blanket, it's so easy to fall back on, and so hard to let go.

Also? She just likes being tall.

So she gives kids piggyback rides, and catches stray balloons that threaten to float up into the sky, and helps cut the cake (she wipes her sword before and after, so it's fine). She finds herself finally letting go, and having fun.

And she flexes for a lot of people. What? People like muscles!

As much as she enjoys the attention, though, there's always a specific kind of attention she enjoys more, and that's the kind coming from her girlfriend. So when she catches Catra in a moment alone, she slides right in there, planting one hand on the tree behind Catra and leaning down with a grin.

"Hey. What's a pretty girl like you doing here all on your own?"