#tcrmommabear writes

[tcrmommabear]

TCR B-Day Bash Day #3: Revenge

Gooooooood morning! We’re back again a day late, but with a much shorter one. This prompt is a continuation of a previous thing I’ve written, which you can read (or reread!) here!

Hope y’all enjoy!

***

"Just understand, if this doesn't work, I'm placing all blame upon you."

"Just trust me Baron, this'll be hilarious."

Baron couldn't say Muta's words sparked any confidence in the cat, but he didn’t really have a choice. He was here simply as a fellow victim and a witness. Muta said this prank would work well on Toto, and that the bucket of iced water would do no harm to anything other than pride.

While Baron knew better than to blame Haru and Toto for his reaction to the cucumber incident, he did find a little petty joy at getting back at his oldest friend.

Muta and Baron shuffled in further behind the couch, eyes trained on the cracked front door, with the bucket above filled and ready.

A pin could drop in the room and it’d be louder than the pair.

There was a slight shuffle to the right, a figure settling in next to Baron, but he paid it no mind. Likely Haru, just falling in next to the boys when she didn’t understand what was going on.

“What are we waiting for?” Toto asked.

“Toto to come through the front door,” Muta mumbled over.

And both were hit by the fact that it wasn’t Haru next to them.

“Toto?! If you’re not Haru, then where is she?!” Baron panicked.

“She went to get some cake for us?” Toto replied, eyes widening in horror.

The door began to creak open.

“Guys? I’m back-!”

"Haru, wait!"

[catsafarithewriter]

This snippet is entirely @tcrmommabear 's fault, for throwing a fake-marriage idea at me and then expecting me not to write something for it. Will I continue this? No clue. But you're welcome, shelbs!

x

The Cat Kingdom didn't have work visas, per say.

What it did have, however, was a mercurial monarch who could change the laws of the land on a whim, which was almost just as bad.

Not all of the proclamations that came from the palace were bad. Most, in fact, were just sort of odd. (It seemed bizarre to outlaw wearing pink on a Monday in a land that had never subscribed to the notion of weekdays, and Haru had felt quite sure she'd never fall foul of the treasonous crime of stealing from the castle fish pond.)

"But surely, there must be something I can do," she stressed to the hassled palace advisor who looked like he quite regretted coming into work today. "A form I can fill out, or someone I can appeal to, or... I don't know, a quest," she offered desperately. "You can't just kick me out of the kingdom because I'm not a Cat."

The advisor pushed the bridge of his glasses back up, in a gesture that somehow felt faintly apologetic. "Unfortunately, his Majesty has declared that no non-Cat shall reside in the kingdom unless bound to a feline by family or matrimony."

Haru paused to digest this statement. "I have to marry a Cat to stay here?"

"I don't suppose you already have a feline beau?" the advisor asked, in what was probably meant to be a helpful tone.

Haru flashbacked to her ex, who wasn't just human, but was also the reason she'd upped sticks and relocated to the Cat Kingdom. "I am tragically single," she deadpanned.

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you." The advisor hesitated, and then added in a tone which almost sounded genuine, "Such decrees rarely last long. After a month, he'll have forgotten all about it and we'll quietly repeal it."

Haru looked up from where she'd had her head slumped against the desk. "I can't just leave my job for a month," she grumbled. "I have bills to pay."

The advisor regarded her, his circular-rimmed spectacles giving him an almost owl-like appearance. "If you do fall in a sudden whirlwind romance, you'll need to book the wedding sooner rather than later," he said. "For obvious reasons, they're getting booked up pretty quickly."

"I'm not going to get married just so I can keep my job!"

The advisor gave her a wan smile. "People have married for less."

[catsafari25]

I was tagged by @let-the-whump-commence thank you! (Notifications didn't tell me you'd tagged me, thank you tumblr! 🙃

1. why did you choose your url?

It was the username I originally used waaaaaay back in my runescape era, because I like cats and safaris and then it stuck because I am No Good at change.

2. any side-blogs? if you have them, name them and why you have them.

*cackles*

catsafarithewriter: my TCR blog, with a dash of generic Ghibli.

sardinesandhumbugs: my witw blog :D

inventionofparanoia: originally my wolf 359 blog, then devolved out into generic podcast blog when the fandom appeared dead.

I do have at least.... uh, eight other sideblogs that I've mostly forgotten about and/or are only for personal reference.

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

It must have been back in 2012? I think I came across the term 'ace' just before the exclusionists hit, which was around that time, and it has been a trip watching this site's opinion on ace folk finally begin to calm the fuck down again

4. do you have a queue tag?

Yep, and it's 'cue cat' because I liked the alliteration and the homophone pun. (For sardinesandhumbugs its 'messing about in a boat on the river with queue' because I like puns and catsafarithewriter it's 'the cat queues')

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

A friend mentioned tumblr and I thought I'd give it a try - I figured it'd be an interesting platform for fandom shenanigans, and it's slightly more interactive than ffnet (but about as buggy)

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

Cause I'm ace and Belle was my favourite Disney princess growing up :D

7. why did you choose your header?

*goes back to check what my header is* oh, just because I like Doctor Who and Kingdom Hearts and I can't be arsed to change it

8. what’s your post with the most notes?

The road to el dorado meme about toilet paper from last year. (Technically originally posted on my TCR blog for some reason, but w/e) It's nice to know the half hour I spent photoshopping toilet paper wasn't for naught XD

9. how many mutuals do you have?

According to tumblr, 38? If I know you in person or you're a fandom mutual, you are a Mutual+ and you deserve all the good things <3

10. how many followers do you have?

268, honestly more than expected for this nonsensical blog and I'm fairly certain not all of them are bots :D

11. how many people do you follow?

404, but fittingly I'm pretty sure most of them are dead or inactive also I keep accidentally following people on the buggy tumblr app

12. have you ever made a shitpost?

asldkfjasdlfkj usually only on the fandom blogs

13. how often do you use tumblr each day?

Eh, I usually check on my phone in the mornings, and then on the laptop in the evenings.

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? who won?

I once had a discussion over fandom interaction, back last year when I really wasn't having a Good Mental Time and I think that's the closest I ever got to an argument. (Basically, I felt pressured to produce creative content, but was getting no feedback and apparently that just fed into an unhelpful anxiety-depressive slump)

15. how do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

They trigger my "you told me to do it so I won't" response so I don't. Also I know some folks who follow me get anxiety from those types of posts, so I don't want to spread that.

16. do you like tag games?

YES. NEXT QUESTION but I hate tagging people I don't want to feel like I'm annoying anyone

17. do you like ask games?

PLEASE ASK ME NONSENSE, IT MAKES ME LAUGH also any asks over fandom stuff is always welcome, I'm 85% on tumblr just for fandom shenanigans

18. which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

I honestly have no idea who is famous on tumblr; I just bumble around and hope for the best

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

Hella aroace, but platonic crushes on @let-the-whump-commence (you write so good! also hellllo angst!) @tcrmommabear (love of my life <3) @jeremystollemyheart (you just seem like a genuinely cool person and beloved witw mutual) and @wolfiethewriter (2020 was the year of garbage, but it was a little less garbage for you being in it <3)

20. tags?

^see 16. Please consider yourself tagged if you want to though <3

[catinthesewing-blog]

Free TCR prompt

Guys, help, I did the thing.  You know the one.  I had a great idea waaaaaay too late.

tcrmommabear’s doing the Birthday Bash Prompt vote for The Cat Returns’ 15th birthday.  And I voted about 15 mintues ago (before I forgot, again).

And then, only then, did the perfect story prompt occur to me.  The TCR crew as teenagers.  Not just Haru and Hiromi, but everybody.  Moody, angsty teenagers.  Toto probably isn’t goth, and gets really ranty about everyone calling him that just because he is pale and has black hair and likes to wear black.  The Bureau boys have a band.  I don’t know if Lousie would want to be in it, but Sephie probably does just for the noisemaking fun of it.  The gals definitely have motorbikes (they can’t get the license for full motorcycles yet and are grouchy about it).  Muta gets in trouble with about half his teachers because he “talks back” (ie, tells them when they’re getting something wrong), but the other half see beyond the giant loud exterior to the hard-working student who quietly watches out for the shy kids.  Baron’s about three hairs away from crossing the line between ‘preppy’ and full-on ‘dweeb-nerd=eradicate’, all stork-legs and elbows.  Lune and Yuki are lil’ bro and sis of Sephie and Haru instead of son and saved-foundling-cat.

Haru and Baron could meet when a chemistry class goes disastrously wrong.  Or equally amusing a cooking class.  Explosions and them soot-covered are all that’s required.  Or they all get not-really-justified detention and the teacher’s one of those weird ‘dance-it-out’ rom-com counselors.  The crew get teamed up in odd combinations for Driver’s Ed practice and drive (haha) each other crazy.  Haru, to everyone’s surprise, drives like a maniac.  Zombies attack the prom.  The Homecoming freshmen’s assembly production is “Zombies Attack the Prom”.  Really, anything in the mid-teens school experience gives all the awkward adorableness my fangirl heart craves.

I need this.  Why do I always get the great ideas too late?

Scratch that, why do I get ideas when I’m such a crap writer?

EDIT: O_o OMG, people, I literally just edited this to add an idea and there’s already a note?  How is there a note already?  You can’t be that desperate for TCR babbling!  This is madness!

[adalhied-prime]

WIP Meme

Hey demons, it’s me, yah girl back at yah again with a WIP meme for my fics. The original of this meme can be found on my writing tumblr here. 

Rules: Go to your current WIP and find the following lines, then tag at least three people who’s WIPs you’d like to see. 

I’m going to use my fic The AllSpark Changed My Life, a Transformers Bayverse fic. 

First Line of Fic

I was woken up by something jumping on the bed and climbing over me.

First Line of Current Chapter (CH 35)

After the celebration, time passed both quickly and slowly.

Last Line I Wrote

“~Miles will be as safe as can be. He will be training, but he will not be on the front lines of any battles. Most likely, he will be helping protect Alison...~” (this line is unfinished atm)

A Line for a Part I Haven’t Written Yet.

“Is she in on the rescue too?” I asked

“No, she’s a bitch and none of us like her, so she’s the decoy,” Bandit said.

Tagging: @galpalaven, @radioactivepeasant, @crazyfanatic97, @catsafarithewriter, @chez-pezeater, @tcrmommabear, and anyone else who wants to do this meme. 

[raythecomputerart]

Oh god

So I don't know why I insist upon writing for secret Santa when art is literally in my Tumblr name but like whatever, so...well then I apparently can't tag you Ro? I don't know why so I guess uh @mommabearsdayoff @tcrmommabear if you would be so lovely as to make sure Ro gets tagged for this? This is part 1 of 2 and I plan on posting the second part on Christmas Day so yaaaaay!

"Why would she do this?" The poor girl cried in despair, her constant obedience having caused her to have just lost her best friend Haru.

"...sadly Lucinda is known for...her horrible gifts." The girl's household fairy explained, her head weighed down by the awful things the curse has made Yuki do.

"I wish you could just take it away so I'd never be forced to do anything like this again." Yuki flopped down on her bed, she had already cried so many tears, she just felt dried up now.

"Well...you could...always ask Lucinda to take the gift back? Perhaps if you explained the situation you could convince her...I do believe my brother has heard that she isn't completely unreasonable." Despite Louise's hopeful words her tone sounded quite the opposite.

Yuki jumped up, "Do you really think it's possible?"

Louise looked at Yuki, sadness billowing up inside, she didn't deserve this, "...yes, yes I do." Louise got up and went into the cupboard and brought out a book, "I...I've been...keeping something from you."

"A book?"

"Well-uh-not exactly...you see, well it's easier if I just show you," she flipped the book over to reveal a face, "meet my girlfriend!"

And then the face opened it's eyes, "Oh hello there dear! Such a pleasure to meet you-to meet anyone really-the name's Persephone!"

"Louise the book is talking." Yuki's eyes kept bouncing between the book that held Persephone and Louise.

"Well as I said, she's my girlfriend, we might a while ago and let's just say I had a magic mishap."

"Which has led to me being in a book for far too long, I left my home to explore the world with my love, instead I've been exploring these pages. Not the worst fate but not what I was wanting."

Yuki laughed slightly, little did she know that this was just the beginning of her adventure.

[onekisstotakewithme]

Plot: It was just an average day, until it started snowing in July. And Haru knows there's magic involved, so she heads to the Bureau for answers. Hinted-at Baron x Haru, and just some good old fun for my first foray into TCR in a year.

This is for @catsafarithewriter and @tcrmommabear thank you both for nudging me back into writing for TCR, and I apologize if this isn’t up to my former quality, but hey, I am back and ready to get back into action (I read wayyyy too much Bureau Files over summer vacation and too many Christmas stories so that’s where the snow in this comes from)

It’s also on Fanfiction HERE

[writing-ro]

Last Sentence Meme

Stealing from @barbex, cause I’m too impatient to wait to be tagged

Rules: post the last sentence you wrote of your fic or original writing, and tag as many people as you like.

The last line of the next chapter of The AllSpark Changed My Life is...

“Yup. He said that Megatron wanted Alison alive, so they were going to capture her.”

I TAG!: @crazyfanatic97, @catsafarithewriter, @tcrmommabear, @radioactivepeasant, and any followers who wish to do this. 

[nanenna]

Since @tcrmommabear ​ shared her Little Buttercups AU I thought I'd share the Undertale/TCR AU I've been dabbling with. I have no plans to actually write it out, but it's been a fun thought exercise and if it inspires others to do  their own thing it's well worth it. I've been calling it:

Cake Walk

Mostly because for Haru it's going to be a cake walk, just an excuse for a bunch of cute fluff. Now, aside from Haru in the role of Frisk there aren't really a lot of 1-1 character replacements because I think the story is more interesting when you don't try to fit characters into molds they don't really fit, so this is more about fitting an ~aesthetic~ than anything else. And as always: rounding out this huge cast with other Ghibli characters. So I'm going to be tackling this by location rather than characters.

The Underground

Starting this off with the Underground as a whole: TCR. TCR characters populate the whole of the Underground. Cat King is the Monster King, his wife left years ago but Lune and his fiancee Yuki are still around (sorry, no Flowey in this AU. I told you it's a cake walk!) Of course most of the Cat Kingdom characters will appear in and around the palace, but you will see Cats all over the Underground.

Also the ferry(wo)man is replaced by CatBus because I love Catbus. Random Monsters like Moldsmol or Froggits can easily be replaced by Totoros or those weird head bobble things from Princess Mononoke or coal sprites. So cute!!!

 The Ruins

Years ago for some unknown reason the Cat Queen, Persephone, just up and vanished. There are lots of rumors about where she went and why. The answer is she became disgusted with her husband and ran off... with Louise von Gikkingen. Now they live together in a cozy little home in the Ruins, it's Sephi who finds Haru (an adult in this AU) and welcomes her with open arms. Haru can't help but feel this motherly Monster cat lady is very familiar though she can't quite figure out why...

It's Sephi who gives in and shares a royal secret with Haru: the barrier doesn't affect humans at all. They can pass through it at will as if it weren't even there. It's Louise who insists that Haru prove she can defend herself before they let Haru try to cross the Underground and get out.

 Snowdin

This area won't be snowy, instead it will be replaced by the forest of Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime), with wolves replacing the dogs and San replacing the boss fight (though she's not Papyrus. Or Sans.) When Haru leaves the Ruins the first person she runs into is a dapper Monster named Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, the brother of Louise. He was just heading into the Ruins for a visit and, being a gentleman, offers to escort Haru to town. Unfortunately San and her sisters have other plans for Haru.

I thought a fun little twist to this would be that San is still a human, someone who fell into the Underground as a child (before Sephi left the King and moved to the Ruins) and was found and adopted by Moro. San doesn't realize it but until Haru fell she had the power of load and reset. Honestly it's the only reason she survived her childhood.

Also before leaving town (and thus when the San fight actually happens) Baron takes Haru to his home to settle her nerves. Obviously it's the Bureau and that's when Muta and Toto get brought along for the ride.

Waterfall

Replaced by the Spirit World of Spirited Away. It's wet, and swampy, and full of water so it makes sense. After Haru and Baron get past San and her sisters, Baron decides he's just going to have to take Haru the rest of the way to the capital. Together they travel through the wet, swampy area. They meet Zeniba (instead of Temmie village) and have a nice cup of tea and a cozy chat. Then to get out of the area they have to pass through the bathhouse and Yubaba doesn't like these interlopers wandering through so she sicks Haku on them.

 Hotland

Replaced by Howl's Moving Castle. Mostly we're skipping over the conveyor belts and puzzles and this area is just city near and around the capital. I'm actually a bit torn, what better to replace a royal scientist with than a royal wizard? But then Howl would really make such a perfect Mettaton and then who do I have actually be the royal wizard? Sohpie? Only if she's not human, I suppose she could be a crone Monster like Zeniba and Yubaba, they could all even be sisters. And yet... Howl already is a royal wizard. Either way Howl would be incredibly flashy and charismatic, trying to charm Haru the moment he sees her. Of course that causes a lot of jealousy from Baron and eye rolling from Sophie.

Calcifer would fit right in with the fire theme if it were kept. But mostly imagine the CORE being replaced by that weird dream Sophie had, or Howl being replaced by his monstrous form in general if he's gonna be a Monster. And yet he's still so charming and flirty! I love it!

 New Home

Replaced with the Cat Kingdom palace, of course. But here I'm mostly interested in the plot: this is when we find out when/why Sephi left CK. A small human child fell into the Underground years ago (not San) who was found by a young Cat Monster and brought to the capital. The child quickly befriended the young prince and introduced him to the young Cat Monster who brought her to the palace. The queen wanted to adopt the child, the king wanted ordered his wizard at the time (Suliman) to use the child to find a way to break the barrier and release Monsterkind. The queen was outraged, helped the human child get out the barrier, then left the kingdom. That child was Haru, and Lune insists on helping her get out once more.

Haru doesn't want to, she made so many friends on her way here and she wants to break the barrier just as much as anyone else. Through the power of friendship (and lots and lots of magic) she breaks the barrier and everyone goes free! And then they all lived happily ever after, the end!

[mommabearsdayoff]

I MADE A TCR BLOG BECAUSE Y'ALL DESERVE MORE STUFF AND I ASSURE YOU IM GONNA BE HELLA ACTIVE IN THE FANDOM SO GO FOLLOW @tcrmommabear ILL POST THE STUFF FOR TCR'S 15TH BIRTHDAY ILL WRITE MORE PROMPTS ILL REBLOG LOTSA STUFF AND YKNOW WHAT ILL COMPILE LISTS AND REVIEWS OF FANFICS AND STUFF CAUSE IM GONNA HAVE A SHIT TON OF FREE TIME SOON ENOUGH

[tcrmommabear]

TCR B-Day Bash Day #2: Masquerade

Hello hello, yes I know I’m late, but to be fair- this thing is roughly 2,700 words long, so I think I earned a little tardiness.

This is my Role Reversal AU, where Haru is the one who had to rescue Baron from the Cat King, and I just love writing pining Baron who thinks Haru is completely not interested. (As I’ve messaged @catsafarithewriter in the middle of writing to scream “SHE’S PLAYING IT TOO COOL”)

Enjoy my friends!!

***

Baron wasn’t having the greatest night one could imagine.

Though always grateful to do a bit of good and indulge some dramatic tendencies, it was significantly harder to focus on the former when he couldn’t tend to the latter. And he had so hoped to impress a certain someone, if she hadn’t so quickly gone missing.

To be absolutely fair, it was hard to find anyone in the mass of bodies and swirls of dancing. Baron had held sight of Toto and Muta for most of the evening, but then he was pulled into introductions by the Prince’s cousin, and even their well known shapes and masks had flitted out of view. He kept an eye out for the silver flash of their masks, or even the rustle of Toto’s wings, but had given up when he realized he’d rather try to find Haru. And not just for the dance he had desperately wanted.

There was an assassin running around, after all.

And in the spirit of continued honesty, Baron had to admit there wasn’t actually much he had to worry about.

He admitted this to himself even as he still dug through party goers and waitstaff, twisting and twirling and charming his way around the ballroom in the hopes of catching sight of her. Haru could take care of herself, so well that she could probably have done this whole mission by herself. The other three were here more as a cursory role, helping deflect attention while she did the actual sneaking around. But Haru had insisted all be present, said the Bureau wasn’t the Bureau without all its members.

That it was important to her for Baron (... and Toto and Muta…) to be there for her.

He still wasn’t at the point of admitting how much his heart had raced when Haru said that. Emotions were still odd for him at times.

(Especially what Haru drew out of him, piece by piece.)

So the group donned their best suits and gowns, covered their faces in silver masks, and headed off to stop a Royal Assassination. They had a moment with the family, who promised to stay encircled by their guard and away from the party itself, and the Bureau set to work looking for anyone, or anything, suspicious.

Which led to Baron’s current situation.

He’d done about three laps around the entirety of the ballroom itself, stepped out onto many balconies to glance about, and even hazarded a search through empty halls the masquerade was banned from. Not a sign of Haru among the crowds, hidden in corners, chatting with princes and kings, or miserably nursing a drink by the banquet table as Baron was up to now.

He wanted to be proud. He was proud. Haru was a phenomenal Bureau member, and would likely inherit the damn thing if Baron was capable of passing from this world, but…

He sighed, sinking further into the shadows, glancing about the masquerade ball. Elegant masks of ruby, gold, bronze, and lavender fill the space, cavernous and echoing. Baron had chosen silver, to remind himself of the mask Haru had thrown at the Cat King during their escape. To remind Haru, he had hoped, of another dance they’d shared before.

But one cannot break through to Haru when she focuses on a case. He’d been impressed by her drive in the beginning, had praised her openly and constantly for it when she’d first joined. But now, even on cases as lax (though no less important) as this one, she was gone. And he wasn’t sure how to try and get closer to her except during cases, seeing as she tried to keep as busy as possible in her everyday life.

Baron was going to have to admit it at some point. That he, likely, wasn’t an option for Haru, for many valid reasons, and that she considered him as nothing more than a work colleague. Maybe a friend.

Baron took another swig from his drink, sighed once more, and gazed out into the crowd.

And caught eyes with a silver mask.

Heat shot through his veins, sparks and fire, electrical impulses burning through the wood of his heart and searing her name. She was mid-conversation, it appeared, having just glanced and caught his eye. But her smile spoke so much more- joy, excitement, maybe a touch of relief at having found a familiar face, a couple dozen other emotions he couldn’t place but just spoke so deeply of who Haru was.

He smiled back, raised a hand to wave, but she’d turned away. Was back to the conversation at hand, leaving him to imagine if she’d ever even looked his way. He didn’t have time to mourn the chance encounter, to try and call out to the woman he’d spent the night looking for. There was a polite cough to his side, and Baron glanced to find a young woman by his side.

He recognizes her from earlier conversations, and a reintroduction from the Prince’s cousin. And despite his misgivings and soured mood, Baron can't help the inherent desire to make a continued good impression.

"Lady Ladonna Marie," Baron exclaims, taking her extended hand, "an absolute delight to see you once again."

She giggles as he kisses the air around her knuckles, dark blue eyes narrowing at him. He pities the poor fool that falls in her sights, recognizing the gleam inherent to nobles and riches. Baron knows all too well what she searches for, and yet doesn't think to worry for his own safety.

Lady Ladonna's hand lingers in his own, her grip tight around the fingers as he feels her rings digging in. She steps closer, Baron taking the chance to slip from her grip, and watches as she tilts her chin up to meet his eyes. He glances out, supposing she must be hiding from many admirers, as no one but the Bureau is aware of the assassin at hand. He smiles at her, wanting to show her a friendly face among the uncertain crowd.

"Are you enjoying your evening, Baron Humbert?" She bats her eyelashes, and Baron wonders briefly if something is caught in them.

"The evening has been a delight, Lady Ladonna, and the guests wonderfully agreeable. One could not ask for a more perfect party."

"And surely you've had time to dance?"

Baron's smile shifts, his heart aching and fit to burst out of his chest and sail across to the silver mask. One that, as far as he can tell, hasn't glanced back at him. He shakes his head, moving to gather the drink he'd set aside at her approach.

"Unfortunately not, though not for lack of trying. My colleague remains to be seen, and I always endeavor to reserve my first for her."

"Ah, for her loss!" Lady Ladonna exclaims, her hand slipping into the crook of his arm. "Yet you've made many a friend and acquaintance here tonight, another is bound to jump at the chance."

Baron glanced at Lady Ladonna, slightly leaning back to regain some personal space, before looking back out at the crowd.

His eyes meet Haru's again, her mask a shining bone white underneath the light. He jolts, missing how less animated she is in her conversation, the stiffness to her posture. He instead fills with another ache in his heart, and wishes he was someone worthy of her attention. To be seen by a shooting star as it passes through the night.

"Why, I'd be more than happy to introduce you to the ballroom floor!"

Baron snaps back down to the Lady Ladonna, her smile twisting in a self satisfied way. He feels ensnared, in the slightest sense, and thinks of ways to extricate himself without giving offense. Despite the sour mood, he does have a job to do, and the time for dancing has long since passed.

Before Baron can respond, either to excuse or charm his way, another joins the fray.

"Baron, it's so good to finally find you! I would really like to be introduced to your friend here."

His heart seizes.

He turns to see Haru, shining and glittering and beautiful as always, standing before him and the Lady. Her silver mask twists and curls around her eyes, drawing attention to the depth and warmth he finds himself drowning in. Her short hair is slicked back, her gown a navy blue and studded with silver gems.

When he'd first seen her, he'd likened her to a deity of stars and night, swept away and swaddled in her mystery.

Her smile is tense, but he knows the difference between one of anger at him and one of discomfort, and Haru had only so far flashed him one of genuine happiness before being drawn to Lady Ladonna.

Their eyes hold, and Baron feels theady'a grip on his arm tighten to an alarming degree. He gently pries her hand away, stepping to his place beside Haru. Haru rests a hand easily on his arm, touch light and only to alert him that she's there.

"Miss Haru," he begins, before clearing his throat, wrangling in his excitement and nerves, "allow me to introduce Lady Ladonna Marie. Lady Ladonna, my colleague, Miss Haru."

"Lovely to meet you, Lady Marie, but I'm afraid we must part," Haru cuts, before the Lady has a chance, "for Baron, here, owes me a dance."

Haru reaches for the drink in Baron's hand he'd forgotten about and takes a sip. She smiles and raises the cup towards the Lady, before setting it aside and taking Baron's hand. She leads him to the ballroom floor, unaware of his heart hammering between the joining of their palms. He hardly dares to breathe, afraid to break whatever good luck has come along his path.

Haru stops abruptly, and turns, taking Baron’s hands into her own, before adjusting him into a waltz. He follows automatically, taking the lead as one song ends and another quickly begins.

“Quite a friend you made back there Baron,” Haru snorts. “Seemed to have no sense of personal space.”

“Lady Ladonna can be afforded a little leniency, being such a close friend of the Prince and his cousin.”

“Her friendship with the Prince does not mean she can treat others how she wants.”

His heart warms, wanting to soothe the annoyed expression on Haru’s face. He squeezes her hand, drawing her attention away from the lurking Lady. She meets his eyes, and his heart melts entirely, though the aches from earlier still pulse beneath his ribs. He dips Haru, enjoys the lighthearted smile that blooms in its wake, and continues their turn about the dance floor.

“I’ve been looking for you, Miss Haru,” he tells her, hoping his voice doesn’t betray the extent of what he means.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been trying to make myself difficult to find. I’ve narrowed our options down, but there’s still too many variables for me to make a guaranteed guess.”

“Any strong contenders I should be worried about?”

Haru snorts.

“You were just corned by our prime suspect.”

Baron sends Haru into a twirl, leading her spinning around him to grant him another look. Lady Ladonna seems to have abandoned her place in the corner, and maintains watch over him and Baron. Though she seems to have moved further down the banquet table, towards the drinks.

He pulls Haru close, keeping the Lady in the corner of his eye.

“Motive? Method?”

“Close friend of the Prince’s cousin, cousin is first born of the King's younger brother. Succession crisis, announce engagement to new Prince, score of a lifetime. Method remains to be seen, but her rings indicate poison,” Haru says breathlessly, eyes a little unfocused as she gazes up at Baron.

He gives a big grin, and lifts her up into a twirl, chuckling when Haru gives a squeal of delight.

“You never cease to amaze, Miss Haru, well done indeed. Has Muta been alerted to steal the rings?”

“Kind of? I’ve got him pickpocketing quite a few people, but I wanted to see if we could catch someone in the act, rather than hoarding jewelry and guessing who’s is who’s.”

“I suppose we have time, then, before we make our grand entrance. I never knew you as one to delay preventing an assassin for the dramatics of it all.”

“Please, Baron, we both know how much of an influence you’ve played into this. I did learn from the best after all.”

Baron flushes under the praise, especially paired with the way she looks up at him with her soulful eyes. He wants to sing her praises, lift her high above his head and twirl her around, desperately wants to dip her again and enjoy her laugh. He gets overwhelmed with the feeling of it all, the conflicting wants and narratives and the tilt of her smile, and pulls back.

“Yes, well,” he coughs, giving himself room to breathe, “there’s much you learned outside of me. I can’t take the compliment when I know I’ve only provided you a little.”

Her darling smile diminishes, and he wonders what could have stolen it away when all he’d done is be honest. He can’t get carried away, not here at least. They’re so close to solving this case, and maybe after he can come up with a plan to address all he wants. All he needs to do. He so desperately wishes he was more than a colleague and mentor.

“Baron, you must know I…” Haru begins, but Baron simply smiles. Smiles the smile for clients and light shows.

“Another time, Miss Haru, your charms will have to wait for after this case. There is an assassin running around, after all.”

Haru flushes in an odd way, pink dusting her cheeks and ears. He nods to himself, and continues to lead, the pair silent for the time. Baron still twirls and dips her, bringing giggles or smiles out of Haru to pass the time.

As he twirls her again, he spots the Lady Ladonna chasing after a servant carrying a tray of golden goblets. Specific goblets Baron had instructed the Royal family to stick to, to prevent a chance of poisoning or swapping of glasses. He dips Haru once again, letting her catch sight of the Lady’s movements.

“We’re on the clock now, I would say,” Haru murmurs, turning away from the Lady and locking eyes with Baron.

All previous notions of waiting until after the case abandons him when he realizes how close the two are. And Baron struggles not to lean down and kiss Haru that very moment.

The pair are, unfortunately, interrupted by Lady Ladonna opening one of her capsule rings and tilting it over a goblet as she orders the servant about. Baron and Haru freeze, glancing at each other again, before moving as one.

Baron leads her through a waltz once again, spinning and moving faster towards the pair standing at the edge of the ballroom floor. Baron lifts Haru after almost every spin, slightly higher and higher, stepping closer to the tray. He nods down at her, and she smiles, nodding back.

Baron lifts Haru high and spins her, her heels clacking against the tray and sending the wine spilling over the Lady Ladonna and servant. Haru leaps forth and grabs the Lady, while Baron moves to steady the flustered servant, both distracted by the sudden mayhem of the “accident”.

“You better hope that poison doesn’t seep through skin, Lady Marie,” Haru whispers, yanking rings off the Lady’s fingers to search for more capsules. The Lady Ladonna Marie sputters, but a glare from Haru is enough to set anyone to rights, and she folds easily enough.

“Let’s get these two sorted away from the crowd, Miss Haru, and inform the King the matter’s been resolved,” Baron motions to a side hallway, where two guards await them. The party still carries on, unaware of the plot foiled by a dance and a kick.

“Baron, about earlier-,” Haru begins, stopping Baron from moving with a hand to his arm. He glances down at her, her pink cheeks, her beautiful dress, her silver mask, and resolves to listen to any order, any request, any thing she might have to offer.

Muta crashes through the upper balcony, grips the chandelier to slow his fall, and comes crashing down on the ballroom floor.

The pair turn in time to see a dozen guards flowing out after him, Toto taking to the high ceilings in order to also give chase, shouting out unintelligibly to either the guards or Muta.

“I’m not the assassin! Stop chasing me already, I work fer the King!” Muta cries out.

Baron resolves, instead, to just let Haru handle easy missions on her own from now on.

[tcrmommabear]

A Kiss in Time

Well I figure, with the new year, and @catsafarithewriter kicking everything off with some sweet Bureau humor, I should return to my roots and start us off with some angst!

Hopefully this year will be kinder to us all. If not, you know where to go to get your hearts broken in some delightful ways.

Emara!AU for anyone who has seen or remembers it, enjoy folks!

As far as first kisses went, she could imagine worse.

Certainly better ones as well, but hell, you get what you put in times three.

Where she was concerned was how much could be read through pursed lips and an iron grip on his shoulders reigning him into place. Not a lot, she imagined. She was doing a lot of that- imagining, thinking- to keep herself distracted from the task at hand. But there was only so much she could do and she’d had worse ideas.

What hurt was it seemed to be working.

He still clawed at her arms and beat against her chest, but the hits didn’t have the same power as before, the same vitriol and rage. They still hurt, and she’d be sure to remind him of that.

It wasn’t until his own grip found her shoulders did she realize she could probably let go. It took a hand in her hair, angling her better, did it register that she should let go. After another few seconds of deliberation, and the stark reminder that they were very much in public and surrounded, did she break away. She caught some air in the crook of his neck, adrenaline streaking fire through her blood.

God were her shoulders bruised.

“Demeter?” he asked, and she prided herself on the fact that he also seemed flustered, but remembered he’d been in hulk mode longer than her kiss counted for.

“Yeah, it’s me,” she gasped.

“Oh good. I’d hate to have wasted that on someone else.”

She wasn’t expecting the laugh to come out of her mouth, but it seemed to spook the both of them, because his arms tightened around her, shifting to tug her even closer. He felt very warm through the layers of superhero suit they wore, his magic pinging off the metal of her legs.

It all felt too good and real and no longer like an objective for a mission. And she hated how much she cared. How much she felt deep in her skin, past the cold objective fear and the hum of Creation magic, deep into her heart and soul. She’s gotten too attached.

“Well now! Quite a spectacle, but I can’t argue with the results! Well done, Haru.”

Oh right. That cat is out of the bag.

She didn’t want to turn and face Macavity.

But she knew this moment ended long before he even spoke.

And her chance to back out and keep Baron, keep Humbert, safe, was long gone.

All she could do was play along.

[tcrmommabear]

Long Time, Not Seen

She wasn’t exactly sure what to say.

“Welcome home”? “Good to see you”? “Oh brilliant, I’ve been taking care of the Bureau while you’ve been gone, there’s a new crack in the ceiling from Muta’s failed baking attempt”?

Maybe an old version of her would say all of that. Sweep aside the anger and the demand for accountability and just… Accept what happened. All's well that ends well, right? The Bureau was still standing, the Earth still turning, and time just kept passing.

Not this version of her. No longer frightened and helpless and unsure.

She leaned further back in the chair, propping her feet on the desk. The twitch of his eye told her how much he disliked it. She hadn’t a place in her mind or heart to care. Not when he had no right to stand in her office.

He flashes her his million dollar smile, the one reserved for pretty clients and obnoxious ones. When she remains unaffected, he coughs, tries the simpler, patient one. It’s no more dazzling, but Haru’s learned not to look where he directs you to. She sees straight through to him, to where he hides his heart.

Solid oak. Doesn’t beat.

“How can I help you today, sir?” she asks, tilting her chin back to look past his left shoulder. Despite her anger, she’s afraid to look straight into his eyes. Even that green could captivate her wounded heart. She has to remain strong, sure of herself. She won’t let this be swept under the rug. But she’ll play this game long enough to get a kernel of satisfaction. She’s petty like that.

“A cold greeting for an old… Friend, isn’t it Haru?”

He hesitates around the word friend, which makes her heart clench in traitorous and conflicted ways. Even the familiar purr of her name does something to her insides, all cells of her longing and pining and wishing and wanting.

‘He wouldn’t have left without a word for no reason. Surely there’s something going on? Surely he still needs me, needs my help? He came back, didn’t he? Every time, he came back,’ she thinks, half frantically.

She takes her delicate, half hopeful heart, still engraved with the feel of his lips and the memory of their past, and cracks it in half herself.

No one gets to hurt her like that again.

“I don’t know what you mean. I see no friends in this building, besides my lovely little teapot, just an arrogant client who forgets who he’s talking to.”

His heels click as he steps towards the desk, setting his hat on the desk (‘With no respect for my paperwork’) and starting to discard his coat. He looks perturbed, maybe a little irritated, but so far she’s given him no reason to think that he’s not in control of the situation. It ignites a righteous, bitter fury that he thinks so little of her in that way.

“Come now, Miss Haru-” ah, back to Miss then, “I have a lot of work to catch up on. Please, fill me in on all I missed.”

He looks so expectant.

Haru forgets petty. Forgets angry, forgets hurt, forgets betrayed. Hell, forgets heartbroken and yet in love for a second.

Haru gets righteous.

“I,” she says, slowly rising from her chair.

“Am not,” she hisses, the walls of the Sanctuary shuddering against her venom.

“Your damn,” she practically howls over his indignant gasp, the sheer lunacy over being scandalized over a grown woman swearing.

“Secretary!”

The Sanctuary answers her call, her plea, her venom, and shutters its doors, locks its windows. The walls creak as they struggle to pitch forward, folding down to envelope and protect her. 

Baron shouts, taking steps away from her desk and towards the front door, panicked and brash. He looks around wild, rejected by the place that’s always let him come back.

Only then does the building settle, wallpaper wrapping tendrils of support around her forearms, tea cups rattling off the shelf and perfectly served on the desk. She breathes in the scent of her homemade brew, familiar and heartbreaking in equal measures. Only when her hands stop shaking, and she feels he’s suffered the silence just enough, does Haru meet Baron.

Brown eyes to green.

Her heart does a flip, but she crushes it flat.

“Times have changed, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen,” she says, pulling her chair back to the desk, “and I’m not one to forsake what change I’ve been given.”

The Sanctuary met her meaning, jostling the umbrella holder closer so she could pluck her own cane out, and tossed the sleek white sunhat onto her desk. She dressed herself, calm and poised, and came around the desk to stand before him.

At ease and within her own domain.

“Good evening, sir,” she spoke, never breaking eye contact, “welcome to the Bureau.”

[tcrmommabear]

TCR B-Day Bash Day #1: Music

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN, THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOOOWWWNNNN

No I will not speak about why I’ve been gone so long, or why this is the first thing I come back with outside of memes. I hope this prompts a giggle folks, as that was the whole basis I had for writing this as fast as I could.

@catsafarithewriter​ when you awaken my love, I hope this meets all your dreams and expectations

***

Someone was playing the piano.

And while beautiful, and normally not a problem, it was three in the morning on a Tuesday night. Still, Haru wasn’t one to judge a person’s coping mechanism, considering she was also awake and frantically baking out some complicated feelings herself. It wasn’t every day that a three year relationship ended.

She’d been hoping by the third batch of cookies, she’d be feeling a little more stable, but that was two more cookie dozens, an apple strudel, and a batch of blueberry muffins ago. She’d at least stopped crying, and Hiromi had stopped messaging at midnight when all Haru sent back was a picture of the messy kitchen and the fourth batch of cookies still being mixed.

She had thought her and Machida were doing better. At least “talk out our feelings before you storm off into the night” better. But apparently better really meant “I recognize we’re both feeling awful in this relationship and I think I need some space” and with that said, Machida disappeared into the night, and wasn’t answering any texts or calls.

The piano was still going, as she nibbled on a muffin on the kitchen floor, doodling mustaches on pictures of Machida. She had recognized brief scraps of songs here and there, but nothing she paid much attention too. She felt a small amount of camaraderie with the late night piano player, both causing trouble for their unfortunate neighbors. Haru at least had some bribes to get out of trouble.

The music lulled for a second, as it always did, before the next song began.

A familiar, soft note played out.

Haru dropped the muffin she was eating, bolting out her front door, down the hall, scrambling up the stairs, and to the apartment above hers.

She didn’t have time to knock, the piano player’s front door flying open as she raced down the hall. She managed to think a brief, “Oh shoot, he’s cute”, before her feet slipped. She rammed into him, both sprawling on the floor of his apartment.

“Are you alright-?!”

“Oh my god, I am so sorry-!”

They both paused in sitting up, tangled together for a moment as their eyes met. Haru recognized him, briefly, having seen him around the building a few times. She’d never been able to get a good look of him up close, but had known in an offhanded way he was polite and attractive. And on the verge of a likely breakup, it was a dangerous thing to fully experience now.

His eyes were very green.

He clears his throat, resting a hand on Haru’s shoulder and meeting her eyes with those very green ones. Her heart flutters, but just barely catches the dishevelled look to him, to the faint tear tracks on his cheeks.

“I’m so deeply sorry, are you alright Miss?” he asked, reaching to check her over.

She releases a shuddering breath, and scoots away from him. She needs air, and space, and maybe not to have a traitorous, broken heart.

“I’m fine! Please, my fault for going high speed,” she chuckles. She pats his shoulder, lingering a moment longer than she should.

He seems to appreciate the gesture, his own hand coming up to cover hers and lighting a fire from her fingers to her heart. She sees the extent of how rough he is, the misbuttoned sleeping shirt, the bloodshot eyes, and the (obvious) lack of sleep.

“Um,” she begins, unable to look away, “why uh… Why “Welcome to the Black Parade” this late at night?”

He snorts, “Is that what upset you?”

“Well, no, I didn’t care, I just recognized the song and know the usual, emo context.”

He snorts again, shaking his head, before releasing her hand. She doesn’t have long to mourn the loss, because he’s standing and offering it to her again, helping her stand. She risks a glance around the apartment, but finds nothing too interesting besides the piano just barely in sight around the corner.

“I suppose I was grappling with some difficult feelings tonight. I just started playing, and it wasn’t until I heard you running that I realized how late it was,” he says. He turns towards her, a sheepish smile in place. She likes his smile, she realizes.

Her heart had done a painful squeeze at the mention of difficult feelings, and she reaches out to touch his hand. It’s forward, and odd of her, but no good decisions were made after a night of breakups and baking. He doesn’t seem to mind, after all, and Haru takes that in stride.

“I know a thing or two about “difficult feelings” myself. Tonights been… Awful, and all I’ve done is cry and bake. Wish I had some piano skills to help with my feelings.”

He smiles again, putting a hand on Haru’s shoulder. She returns his earlier gesture, covering his hand with her own. They smile at each other, camaraderie in late night disappointments.

“My name is Haru, by the way. I live in the unit below you, and I have about 50 cookies I need help with. Would you like to join me?”

Her neighbor gives a big smile, bringing her hand up as he bows towards it.

“My friends call me Baron, as we are sure to be after tonight. As for those cookies, I’d be more than happy to help.”

Haru leads him down the stairs to her own apartment, and the pair sit together on her kitchen floor, munching away. It’s not until they’ve torn through a dozen between them, that Haru finally thinks to ask-

“What were you playing before Black Parade? Who broke your heart that badly?”

“Ah, Broadway. I was playing some songs from Phantom of the Opera,” he says into another cookie.

“It’s not everyday the longest running show ends, and it was enough to move me to tears.”

Haru throws a cookie at him before she can stop herself.

[tcrmommabear]

Took a surprise day off from work to see my grandma, now gonna spend the rest of the day doing TCR things and no one can stop me

[catsafarithewriter]

A/N: @tcrmommabear YOU HAPPY NOW? <3<3<3

Also: part 7. Let's see if we can hit double digits before I get poll powers.

x

"No ribbon, no wedding," the clerk announced. At least, Haru assumed he was the clerk. He'd introduced himself as merely 'Natoru' and completely bypassed any meaningful title.

He hadn't stopped smiling once since they'd arrived.

"But we don't mind about the ribbon," Haru wheedled. "Can't we just get married without it?"

"Mind?" the clerk echoed. "Mind?" His paws went to his hips with all the outrage his diminutive size would allow. "It's not about minding, it's about tradition! It's about the romance and the heritage. What will you tell your grandkittens when they ask of your whirlwind engagement?"

Haru and Baron studiously didn't make eye contact with one another.

"Perhaps you have spares?" Baron suggested.

"Spares? In this economy?" the Cat blustered. "We've been flooded with weddings this past week, we don't have spares."

Privately, Haru wondered just how many Humans the palace advisor had suggested the solution of temporary matrimony to.

"I'm starting to think kids these days don't have any respect for Cat tradition."

"Well, that's it," Haru said, seizing upon an idea. "I'm not a Cat. And Human weddings don't need ribbon."

Natoru's whiskers twitched. Haru allowed herself to believe that her ploy had worked, when, "But they do require rings."

"Not all of them–"

"No, no, I remember now – Humans wear rings for their weddings, how quaint."

Recognising the clerk's mind as stubbornly made up, Haru turned to Baron. "I don't suppose you have – no, of course you don't, because you have..." she stared at his gloves, "paws..."

Baron took a moment to register her distraction, but flexed his fingers when he did. "Human ancestry," he explained. "But, tragically, still no rings. Why are you making that face?"

"What face? I'm not making a face," Haru said.

"If you had whiskers, they'd be bunched."

Haru did her best to unwrinkle her nose. "I've lived in the Cat Kingdom for the past five years, Baron; I think I've just gotten unused to seeing hands."

"You have hands."

"Yes, but they're, you know, attached to me."

There was a not-unsubtle cough from across the room, and both of them remembered the clerk. The tan Cat stood there cheerfully, as if the two proclaimed lovebirds hadn't just been noticing one another's hands for the first time. "So?" he asked. "What's the verdict?"

"Oh!" Haru dug her hand into her bag and pulled out a small jewellery pouch. "I don't have actual rings, but I do have..." She hoisted out a pair of hoop earrings. "And, voila."

"Very nice," Baron said dutifully.

"They're presents from a friend," Haru explained. "Not exactly my sort of style, so never had the need to wear them, but..." She slipped one experimentally onto her finger. It was a little loose, but could – possibly – pass for a ring. She looked to the clerk. "Now will you marry us?"

"Me?" Natoru echoed. "Of course not! I'm only able to officiate Cat weddings! For a Human wedding, you'll have to go back to the Human World!"

"If you attack a palace staff member," Baron whispered, reading correctly the tilt of Haru's shoulders, "you'll certainly get thrown out of the Cat Kingdom."

"Worth it," Haru muttered, but she managed to straighten her shoulders without tossing Natoru out of the nearest window. "So without a ribbon, there's no way we can get married here?"

The clerk considered this, still smiling. "That's about the size of it, yes."

"You're sure we can't just... write an IOU?" she offered desperately. "Promise to get one later at the soonest conveni– no, okay."

"No ribbon, no wedding." Then, evidently feeling a tad too harsh, the Cat added encouragingly, "It doesn't have to be a fancy ribbon. Just any piece of long fabric will do. Why, the previous couple married using a hair... ribbon..." He trailed off, staring at Baron's neck.

No. Not Baron's neck.

At his bowtie.

"Ah," said Baron.