Chapter 7

Baron smiled slightly down at her as he reclaimed his batting gear, and felt the reward of her answering smile. It was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud: she became more radiant, almost glowing. That shy little smile that slowly grew as he watched, and walked her to his door.

Suddenly the smile disappeared, and a curled finger came up to her chin as her brow furrowed. Haru "hmm"ed.

"I'll need eggs, butter, cheese, a dish and oven of course, and some kind of meat or vegetables always makes a quiche better…" she said quietly, to herself obviously but Baron was close enough to be able to hear her musings.

"What's this about a quiche?" he asked, keeping his voice down, in case Muta heard – his appetite was famous with anyone and everyone who knew him.

"Lunch, a person's got to eat, Baron, and quiche is a quick, light meal that is both healthy and tasty," Haru answered, still thinking. Of course, if she were back home, she would know exactly where to find all the things she had just listed, but she didn't know if her host kept such culinary basics. Since he was essentially a doll, he probably didn't need to eat, but she did.

Baron nodded his understanding. Muta would be ready to eat too – of course, the large cat was always ready to eat. It was a common misconception that living creations – such as Toto and himself – didn't need to eat, even by some of the creations themselves, but they lasted longer if they put something into the bodies they wanted energy to come out of. He showed her to his kitchen and found aprons for them both.

Half an hour later, Muta's nose appeared in the kitchen door, which meant the rest of him couldn't be far behind.

"Hello Mister Muta," Haru said when she spotted that small pink triangle and creamy-furred muzzle. A cheeky smile dominated her face. "It's almost ready, so if you could set the table, that would be helpful."

The nose disappeared and the clatter of cutlery and crockery could be heard from the dining room. Haru took the quiche from the oven and asked Baron to slice it up while she dished the vegetables: carrots and spinach. It was a plain meal, but it would be tasty. Muta was just filling the water glasses when Baron and Haru joined him, each carrying two plates – their own, as well as Muta's and Toto's.

"Looks good, Chicky," Muta said, sitting himself down on – Haru was surprised to see – a reinforced chair. Of course, the cat's girth was impressive; the chair would have to be reinforced if it wasn't human-sized.

She just smiled to herself as she put his plate down in front of him, refraining from making any kind of comment, particularly the size of portion Baron had served to the already large cat.

Toto and Baron didn't need much, their slivers of quiche barely an inch wide, and the vegetable portions shrunken to match. Haru had a slice of quiche like others would have a slice of cake, only a little wider to make up for the eggy meal being flatter than cake. Muta had the rest. Two thirds of the fluffy yellow dish were on his plate, and half the vegies.

"I thank the ultimate creator, for giving me friends, cricket, and quiche," Haru said quietly, bowing her head over her food before picking up her fork and tucking in.

"Indeed," Baron added, a post-fix to Haru's saying grace, like some would say "Amen" after a prayer.

"So Chicky –" Muta started, reaching for the salt.

"Haru," Baron interrupted, a warning in his tone. "Miss Haru, Muta. Her name isn't 'Chicky'," he said, realising that he hadn't actually introduced his guest to his friend.

Muta pulled a face at Baron before continuing with what he had been going to say.

"Miss Haru," he said, starting again with a deliberate stare at his oldest friend. "What other talents are you keeping to yourself? Cricket, cookery, what else?"

"I paint," Haru said, loading her fork with greens. "And I sometimes save princes and escape kings."

"That was you?" Muta demanded, forgetting momentarily about his loaded fork. "I saw his majesty carrying you over his shoulder. Oh, the look on his face when you kicked him in the nuggets! I was laughing for hours after that. You're quite a mover Chi- Miss Haru." He'd caught the warning look from Baron just when he was about to call her Chicky again.

Haru blushed at both the complement, and Baron's behaviour. She wasn't really used to men, or males of any species, and here she was sharing a table with three such figures. She finished her meal as quickly as she could, though still politely, before she excused herself to get on with her painting.

"Of course Miss Haru, and don't worry about the dishes," Baron said, resting a hand on her wrist to stop her from trying to tidy up after herself.

Muta's eyes followed Haru out of the room. Toto was watching Baron as the porcelain cat-man toyed with his fork, his own green eyes on the nearly clean plate before him.

"You like her, don't you Baron?" Muta asked quietly when the door between them and Haru had been shut for nearly two minutes.