5Adora adjusted her backpack full of the few things she owned in the world and continued down along the highway. Every now and then she would try and hold out her thumb and actually hitchhike, but she knew enough from pop culture that it was equal parts dangerous and usless. Which was maybe why it came as kind of a shock that a fancy car pulled off the side of the road just ahead of her. She picked up the pace to reach it, where the passenger side window was lowering to reveal a handsome guy with an amazing smile. She could just see a girl with dyed hair behind the wheel. "Um, hey, you uh... you actually stopped! That's... unexpected, honestly."
The guy gave her an even more amazing smile and a thumbs up. "Well, ya know, sometimes ya gotta throw a little good into the universe, just to counteract the bad."
"What he said. Hop on in!" The one with the pink hair smiled just as cheerfully and unlocked the doors.
Adora chuckled softly and climbed in, setting her backpack down next to her. "I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this. I've been hoofing it since Phobos and my feet are kiiiilling meeeeee..." She slumped back in her seat and finally buckled up. There was a heavy pause before she noticed that the car wasn't actually moving again. "Um, did I say something wrong?"
"Uh, no no, not at all! Everything is completely fine!" The guy seemed quick to cover for whatever was wrong with their driver.
"Bow, everything is definitely not fine. You heard what she said! She's from Phobos!"
"Glimmer, can you take two seconds and catch a breath? I seriously doubt she's going to slit our throats and steal the car or whatever."
"Um, I'm literally right here? What, just because Phobos is a little rough, that's reason enough to think about kicking me out of your car?"
The girl huffed softly and finally started driving again. "Whatever. It's fine. We can take you as far as Luna, but that's it."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
That seemed to be the end of it, and they drove on in very, very awkward silence. Every now and then, Adora would catch sight of the two in the front seat sharing strange looks, almost as if they were having a psychic conversation or something. At this point, she was just glad that they were still giving her a ride, so she turned her attention out the window and watched the scenery pass by.
When the car finally came to a stop, she was kind of shocked to see that they weren't on some kind of main street. Instead, they had pulled up a long driveway leading to a place that could only accurately be described as a mansion! "Um... wha?"
Glimmer shut off the car and turned in her seat to look back at her. Her face was significantly softened. "Um, this is my house. I thought... I mean, if you're out hitchhiking, it's maybe not for a good reason. And maybe you might like to go somewhere you can really relax." She laughed bashfully, ruffling her own hair. For just a moment, Adora was struck by just how cute this girl could be. Even if it wasn't that long ago they were practically yelling at each other.
"Even if I'm from a slum like Phobos?" Okay, so regardless of how cute she was, she was still kind of bitter.
The look of sheer pain on her face told Adora that maybe she'd gone too far. Thankfully, Bow was there to jump in with something a bit more helpful. "Everyone got a little heated, but let's forget about that! You should come inside and hang out for a bit, rest your weary bones. Ooh, we can order pizza!"
So that was how Adora found herself entering a freaking mansion with two strangers.
All initial tensions aside, Adora had to admit that being picked up by Glimmer and Bow was one of the best things that had happened to her lately. On their insistence, she was convinced to take off her boots and rest a while. The couches in the living room were like sitting on clouds, and she was fairly certain she didn't even know what an ottoman was until this moment, but she wanted them to be in every house she owned for all time.
Bow was mid-bite of his pizza, showing a strange lack of grace for a place that was so fancy. "So, Adora, what's the deal anyway? You don't exactly see that many people wandering down the side of the road these days."
She sighed softly, rubbing her arm. Of course this would come up eventually. Both of her hosts seemed like curious people. But it wasn't an easy story and it seemed rude to accept their hospitality and then dump all of her garbage on them. "Eh, it's not really all that interesting..." Yeah, very smooth, Adora. That's the ticket. They'll definitely buy that.
"I'm not buying it..." Glimmer said evenly. "You got a story in there, Adora. You should let it out! It'll be good for you~"
Gnawing anxiously on her lower lip, Adora did her best to find a little confidence. "Um, I uh... I grew up in a foster home over in Phobos. Uh, the woman who was taking care of me and this other girl... She was pretty awful. She put all these expectations on me, and she was constantly shitting on Catra. I couldn't take it anymore, so I left as soon as I hit my 18th birthday..."
Bow and Glimmer both had the decency to look a little ashamed of their prodding. Eventually he cleared his throat softly and reached for another slice. "Okay well now I feel bad for pressing you on this... That sounds legitimately awful."
She could swear that the other girl was starting to tear up just a little. "Oh my gosh, I'm such a jerk, I should never have judged you like I did! Adora, do you have anywhere to go? I don't know if I'd feel okay letting you just wander out into the world..."
Adora could hardly believe what she was hearing. All her life, she had heard that people in Luna were selfish and greedy and terrible. And yet the first two she had met were offering so much to her for seemingly no reason. "Oh, no, no, I couldn't possibly impose. You've already done so much for-"
"No way! You have to at least spend the night!" Glimmer suddenly jumped to her feet, only to lose her steam and grow embarrassed. "Um, I mean... please? You can take a nice shower, wash your clothes, get a good rest in? Come on..."
Jeez. How in the world could she possibly say no to a face like that? Yes, maybe they had gotten off to a rough start, but she would be lying if she said she didn't find this strange girl attractive. "Hm. Okay okay. No need to twist my arm. I really could use a good sleep for..." For the first time in ever? Ugh, don't be too honest, Adora. "For the road ahead, ya know? The world is my oyster and all that!"
"This is weird. This feels really weird. I shouldn't be here. This is a stranger's house. This is a stranger's robe. My clothes are in a stranger's washing machine. I never should have left. Ugh, Catra must hate me..." Adora slumped onto the bed, immediately sinking into it. "What is this thing made of? Pure fluff?" She flopped over and began pounding the mattress, attempting to make it feel more like the pathetic thin one she had back home.
Some gentle knocking at the door caused her to sit back up lightning fast. "Adora? Is everything alright?" Slowly it cracked open and Glimmer peered through to check on her. "I thought I heard you talking to someone."
"Heh, yeah, I was talking to... myself. Sorry..."
Glimmer slipped inside and shut the door behind her. "Pfft, no judgment here. I talk to myself all the time! I don't know if I can really call it 'normal' but... you're not the only one, at least!"
Glancing down, Adora became suddenly aware that she was kind of not wearing a whole lot and began adjusting her robe. A cute girl, an awkward situation, how had this happened? She was trying to get as far away from Phobos as possible, and all she'd done was make it as far as Luna before getting halted in her tracks. "Well thank goodness for that. Um, anyway, everything is just perfect. Uber perfect, honestly. It's all so much nicer than I'm used to! I don't even know if I'll be able to fall asleep, you know?" She began laughing anxiously, adjusting herself on the bed slightly. Yeah, definitely shouldn't have said that, Adora. Come on, be a gracious guest.
Her host seemed surprisingly willing to roll with this new information and just smiled pleasantly. "You know what, I think I know what we can do about that. Why don't you come down to my room once you get changed? You'll know it pretty quick, it's got a sign that's plastered with glitter." With that, she wandered back into the hallway, closing the door behind her once again.
She gave it a few seconds until she was sure that Glimmer had left before grabbing for a nearby pillow and groaning into it. "This is not good. Adora, you need to find some way to get out of this. You should absolutely not be alone all night in a room with a cute girl you don't even know! This cannot possibly end well!"
Still, shrugging her off and ignoring her offer would probably look even worse. So Adora changed into her pajamas and bravely strolled her way down the hall to the door, carefully stepping inside. There was an instant feeling of both relief and disappointment when she saw that Bow was also there too. Glimmer's room was much like the guest room she'd just been in, but much... brighter. Next to her fluffy bed was a futon that they were in the process of folding out.
Bow looked up at her as the frame snapped into place. "If you absolutely, positively have to have a crappy night's sleep, there's nothing better than a two inch thick piece of foam. What do you think, Adora?"
She tentatively came over and took a seat on it, immediately met with a much more familiar sensation. "Yeah... Yeah, that's way better. Or, well, it's way worse. And you don't mind me crashing in here with you tonight?"
"I'm with Bow pretty much 24/7, so I'm desperate to hang out with basically anyone else whenever I get the chance" she replied with a cheeky grin.
Bow scoffed, hands on his hips, practically pouting. "You're lucky I need my beauty sleep, or I'd be crashing your little slumber party just to make your night miserable, little lady. Now, come here." Bashfully, she shuffled across the room and pulled her friend into a tight hug, then he pressed a kiss gently to her forehead. "Our guest has a big journey ahead of her, so don't talk her ear off all night."
He left, and took some of the energy with him. Now it was just the two of them. Glimmer busied herself with getting out some bedding supplies for the futon while Adora stood around awkwardly. "So. You uh... You and Bow? Is that a thing or...? Very smooth. Very tactful. Amazing.
She shook out the blanket over the futon and put out some pillows as well, laughing bashfully. "It's a little bit more complicated than just that, but... Yeah. Kinda. He's much closer to this girl Perfuma, but we've gotten used to sharing."
That was definitely not the answer that Adora was expecting. Did people really do that? It wasn't that she felt horrified, if anything she was intrigued. "Oh..."
Glimmer went to the wall and flicked off the lights, then both of them climbed under the covers in their respective beds. "That's not freaking you out or anything, is it? I know we kinda just bullied you into hanging out with us, but I really am glad we were able to help you, just a little. And I'd feel terrible if we did all these great things only to end up scaring you off!"
"Hey. It's fine. Just... I didn't really grow up in a normal situation. So even a completely boring life would be pretty weird to me. And it's like... if everyone is happy and comfortable, then it's hardly my business." She shrugged and burrowed into the pillow beneath her. It wasn't until she lay down that she realized just how exhausted she felt, even if she had only been free for a day. "You seem like great people. Who am I to judge...?" Her voice slowly drifted off until she fell asleep.
The last thing she heard was Glimmer's soft laughter. "Night, Adora~"
