Chapter 7; Tea
She gave both cups a rinse and poured the tea. Haru sighed, the cup was ridiculous, but it really was the best she had to offer to the Baron. At least she didn't look as silly as the crockery – she had swapped her pyjamas for a white top with red trim and a pair of blue jeans.
"The tea is wonderful," Baron said, sighing with delight at the smell and taste of it.
"It's my own special blend," Haru told him, a smile on her face. "It's always a little different, so I'm glad you like it," she added, enjoying the aroma for a moment before sipping from her own cup. Amber-chocolate eyes closed in contentment and she "mm"ed happily.
Haru didn't stay sat at the small table for long; she made breakfast – salad, eggs, toast and cereal. If it had been a colder morning, Haru would have made porridge and laid out the honey and sugar as well as the milk, but it was warm for early spring, so she didn't. She only made enough for herself and Baron, since she knew her mother would sleep late – a Saturday habit, Naoko was up in plenty of time every other day of the week, Saturdays were just her slow days. Everyone needed them now and then.
"So, what was your dream about?" Haru asked, setting plates down and taking another sip of her tea.
Baron was caught by surprise and barely prevented himself from spitting out his tea in shock. When he was recovered, he put his teacup down and tried to recall the dream.
"It's already hard to remember," he started. "I think I was human, and I'm fairly sure you were in it, and a priest said push. I'm afraid that's all that I can remember of it."
"That's alright," Haru said, buttering her toast. "Want to hear mine?" she asked, smiling. She took a bite of toast while Baron nodded, meaning that he would like to hear. Swallowing her mouthful, she put down the golden slice and recounted her little adventure in dreamland.
"I was a cat again, and you and I were dancing, only we were in the Bureau instead of the Cat Kingdom. Then we had to stop dancing because there were kittens everywhere. I rushed to catch one that had climbed out on a balcony, and fell when it landed on me, then I was in the floor in my room awake," she shrugged and took another bite of toast.
"You want kittens so much you dream about it," Baron joked. He used some aluminium foil as a spoon to eat the breakfast Haru had set before him, and his emerald eyes shone, delighting in the taste. Here was something he hadn't even known that he was missing in his life: scrambled eggs.
Haru covered her mouth, smiling with a mouthful of food is not so attractive, particularly when the smile wants to give way to giggles. At last, she was able to answer; "Paws and tails, and they grow up faster than human children," she said, feeling content.
The young woman had every reason to be content: good food, good company, good tea, and her mother wasn't currently making a mess of the house with her quilting fabrics. The only possible damper was the proportional differences, and maybe species, but it didn't matter that much. She had told him how she felt about him, and their differences didn't matter to her heart.
"May I pose a hypothetical situation to you Miss Haru?" Baron asked, considering those parts of the previous night that his mind was not letting him forget.
"If you have something to ask, Baron, just ask. What's the point in being hypothetical? Alright," Haru said, hands up in deference. "What am I being hypothetical about?"
"Us," the figurine said simply. He felt as though he were walking on thin ice, though he knew Haru was comfortable with the idea… it was still unchartered waters for him.
"Sounds good so far," Haru said, her head in her hands as she listened.
Baron took a breath, reassured by the smile on the brunette's face. He pushed on, slowly becoming surer as he figured out what he was trying to get at.
"If you had the choice, Miss Haru, would you rather see me become human, or would you be happy to become a statuette cat and live in the Bureau?"
"When we were dancing in the Cat Kingdom a year ago," started Haru, phrasing her answer carefully. "I can remember thinking that being a cat wouldn't be so bad. It bothered me that no one had asked me first though. The life of a cat is much easier than that of a human," she added.
