#32 underneath

Natori’s insistence on having this conversation while engaged in his ‘housekeeping’ task seems to be working against him; Haru is almost certain he wouldn’t have divulged nearly as much were he not distracted by it. He hasn’t yet caught on.

“I couldn’t— I just couldn’t seem to get him to understand,” he laments now, still absorbed in digging out one particular scroll. She watches him approach it from the left, then the right, idly growing more frustrated as he can’t make up his mind on which would be most effective in removing it. The ladder he’s perched upon wobbles with a faint promise. "It didn't matter what I said. It seemed merely that Renaldo was determined to despise His Majesty, and the kingdom, and-and..."

Here he drifts off instead, hanging his head with an exasperated sigh (if one that is a touch morose, as well) as he finally seems to give up on his task.

she's naturally kind already, and with the events of the movie showing her just how powerful and how meaningful even her small actions can be, i do like the idea of her looking at some of the other characters who have helped her and offered her so much guidance, etc. and feeling that there must be something she can do in return for them as well

which is probably why i have a couple stories that only come about bc she sees some old hurt just covered up with a band-aid and wonders if maybe a little New Blood might be the trick to get that process going

i just like the idea of a haru who gets very determined and stubborn as she gets older, but never for the purposes of wounding someone, and not necessarily in a bull-headed or Sassy way, but just that she will see a problem that's not being dealt with and roll up her sleeves to go apply some gentle but Unending pressure lmao

Natori seems to be developing a bit of a sixth sense about her arrivals, Haru notes when he meets her just inside the castle gate. In truth, he explains when she comments a little too pointedly, he had seen her from a balcony when she arrived and resigned himself to playing tour guide for at least a little of the afternoon. 

“Do you have time to talk to me again right now?” Haru had asked him, and even she could see the silent but mighty battle between his sense of hospitality and his evident desire to abandon it. The former ultimately wins out, of course, albeit with a barely visible fluttering of his eyelids in exasperation.

“Of course, Miss Haru, but do you mind terribly if that conversation takes place in the library? I’m afraid there’s a number of, ah, housekeeping tasks I’ve been neglecting quite —ly there.”

Haru thinks about that for a moment. “...I don’t mind, but only on the condition that you can’t ignore any of my questions and blame it on the work.”

Natori also hesitates, squinting only slightly before eventually agreeing.

highkey always amused by haru Understanding she can't take cat kingdom inhabitants at face value anymore and has to be very clear with them. meanwhile another tiny paragraph

“Muta and the king didn’t like each other much, did they,” Haru notes.

where i realized that muta should have some other secret third name that he used in the cat kingdom proper, what natori originally knew him by, bc he doesn't recognize the name 'muta' in canon and i'm very amused and enamored by the idea that muta made up 'renaldo moon' on the spot bc it sounded suitably Dramatic, like something that would be remembered for a while and would make for a good storybook character name

and now natori has stubbornly and strictly kept on referring to him as renaldo moon and not the name he first knew him by

Out of everyone, Haru would never have imagined Toto would become a confidante and low-key partner-in-crime, but it’s exactly what role he’s quite naturally stepped into. So much so that she one day finds herself wondering if the real reason he and Muta bicker so much is that they’re so much alike.

and also

"Baron," Haru starts quite seriously, regarding him with a gaze she's certain must be somewhat admonishing, "You're using gossip to tell me not to gossip. You do know that, right?"

Baron, stoic and reserved as ever, fails to give her even a paltry satisfying facial twitch to her sharp observation. Instead, he appears to give it the same weight and careful consideration he would a declaration of utmost fondness. And she should know, she supposes.

“And is it working?” He eventually asks.

“Not really.” She at least has the decency to be apologetic about it.

And there he gives her a smile— just a little thing, a brief quirk of the mouth in hapless surrender. When he speaks again, it’s with a bit of resignation, albeit one tinged with affection.

“You’re a very kind soul, Miss Haru. It’s quite admirable. But kindness must be tempered with strength and respite, lest we unthinkingly wear it down into resentment.”

Haru frowns, lightly, but she doesn’t respond outside of it, and Baron seems to take her silence as an invitation to continue, still gentle, still quiet. She gets the feeling he wishes to distract himself with his tea, break the moment of vulnerable concern with something, and yet his limpid gaze remains fixed on her face. 

“Muta will land on his feet no matter the outcome. It’s important you do as well.”

Haru breaks their eye contact for him, there, feeling suddenly rather bare in a way she doesn’t truly recall Baron ever managing before. He’s quite intuitive, she thinks, when he wants to be. When she peeks back up at him, she finds that he has given into temptation, eyes downcast and lightly lidded as he takes a small drink. Her own gaze drifts back to the tea cup he had provided her with; she thinks maybe it’s the same set he had offered when they first met.