The Gruff Princess
Princess Haruka, age 14, height already almost 6 feet, hair waist-long, current mood extremely grumpy, let out a huge yawn behind her charming little hand, followed by a tiny cough, which fulfilled its role by declining any possible accusations against her pretty perfect manners, coming mostly from Mommy aka Queen Uranus XIII.
The two of them were sitting where the members of the Royal Family usually sit in the Parliament: their thrones. They were taking part in the Parliament because they, similarly to the head of the family (the King), had the fate of their country at heart. Even if they did not have much to add to the political conversations, that was a satisfactory way to appear useful and be accepted even while the King was abroad, or, so to say, out of planet.
Haruka would have given away all her mincing lady friends for accompanying him once only. She would have given away her dizzyingly high rank for seeing those other worlds, or even her own, outside the royalty. And she would have given away anything she had for having a tiny little bit more time spent together with her father. In private.
Being a princess, however, did not seem to include either of these.
"So we are only mincing lady friends' to you, aren't we?" snapped hurt princess Michiru.
Haruka rolled her eyes while the future queen of the Neptune was braiding her sandy hair into a tight bun she usually needed for actually feeling herself relaxed in her private time.
"Okay." she sighed. "I admit you're worthy enough for my friendship; but you're still mincing. Mincing and touchy and soooo fastidious-OUCH!"
It was Setsuna who hit her on the head with her staff she always carried around, being it literally the key to her home.
"Look." she breathed. "I'm not obliged to listen to your whining about how sorrowfully you're locked up here and how nobody understands you, I could as well go and have fun with the other girls in the garden, because I am perfectly satisfied with where I am and I have no special abilities either, and still I can find all the exciting things in taking walks and seesawing and picking flowers, so be glad that I'm sitting here with you and listening to your concerns about what your future life will be like without fighting one single real crocodile, because if I don't listen to you then nobody will, and if you still don't tend to appreciate my immeasurable amount of patience towards you then I assure you I won't ever…"
"Hush, Setsuna-san; you are being rude." Hotaru warned her, touching her arm to calm the furious girl. "Remember: never say things you don't want others to tell you."
"Oh. You're right." said the dark-skinned princess slightly blushing. "I have to apologize; I'm sorry for saying such things to you, lady Har…"
"Oh my God, don't you dare continue this shit!" Haruka jumped up at the moment her friends gasped at the ugly word. She ignored them. "Guess I'm off for a walk. Anyone interested in the Grand Cliff?"
"We've been there five thousand and two times." Michiru pointed out.
"The more the better. The Earth looks wonderful from every possible direction." came the answer before the blonde princess hastily disappeared from the room.
