(D12 EE) Giving A Cat A Bath

[Kitsu Murato]

Murato sat in the bath with a soaked cloth over his face. He was feeling so much better than the last time he was in here. Now it was relaxing and he was happy.

[Usogawa Narumi]

After undressing and scrubbing down thoroughly, Narumi enters the baths proper and pads over to the bath.
Spotting the Lion, who'd always shown her kindness but also the last time she'd seen him had been their emotionally cursed double date...? This should be interesting, at the very least.
Slipping into the waters, she chirps somewhat hesitantly, "Ohayo, Kitsu-san. I hope I'm not bothering you?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"You are not Usogawa Narumi-san," he says, not moving, apparently recognizing her voice. "How have you been? Well I hope."

[Usogawa Narumi]

"Infinitely better, thank you, and yourself?" She sinks as low into the waters as she can manage while still upholding conversation.

[Kitsu Murato]

"Since our meal with Ishioka and Usogawa Emiko? Well enough with a fair amount of pain. Since our last meeting here? Well enough with significantly more pain," he replied. "I feel quite good right now, but it seems that we are made to suffer a bit for the happiness we find."

[Usogawa Narumi]

"Hai," the weight behind that one word is not insignificant.
"But perhaps everything will work out in our heart's favour, and we can move on from this," funny for the cynical Otter to spoke so... hopefully?

[Kitsu Murato]

As far as Murato knew, she was no cynic. He had only ever seen a more pleasant and positive side to her, with exception of the tense dinner where she and Ishioka had something going on that he had tried to help with. So it seems completely normal to him.

He finally pulls the rag from his face and looks to her.

"Thank you, by the way. Directly but inadvertently you helped me," he says. "Not through any roundabout with with anyone else either. And you likely didn't even notice. But thank you."

[Usogawa Narumi]

"... You're going to have to be more specific, if you don't mind? Consider me intrigued." She sits up a little straighter.

[Kitsu Murato]

"i was initially drawn to you. You are quite beautiful after all. And you were the first of those that I was interested in that just didn't have any interest. And that happened with almost every candidate i met in my initial few days. It was a theme for me, nearly every woman I approached seeming to find love somewhere else. I mean, it wasn't as crushing as the one that actually returned my affections only to fall in love with someone else and then turn me away. But my first few days here i came to hate myself because I thought that I was not worth the time to even be considered by others."

"But even after understanding your feelings for Bo, I saw you with Ishioka. I might have given up on trying if I had not seen that. You inspired me to understand that the heart doesn't always know what it wants all the time. And that my efforts were not necessarily going to be in vain. So thanks for that."

[Usogawa Narumi]

She blinks at the Lion, completely oblivious that he had initially felt anything toward her at all. Hints of colour bloomed at her cheeks, and Narumi smiled sheepishly.
Until he mentions Bo and Ishioka... and she sees what he's getting at.
Straightening, Narumi nodded slowly, "Saying you're welcome for your witness of my strife seems ...weird, but such is the way of it, I suppose.
The first few days were... something. I was very overwhelmed, and didn't notice if anyone expressed interest in myself- I was too busy getting to know who I could and offering to help, because it's the only reason I thought I was here. And everyone had an answer elsewhere; well, almost everyone. While I didn't hate myself... I just never saw myself as someone's possibility, of catching their interest enough to call intent.
You and I, at least in that one regard are not so dissimilar. Though I wasn't crushed in quite the same way, you saw the effect of it first hand, and I apologize."

Her head tilted to one side in thought. "So why thank me now? Has Kitsu-san's heart found what it wanted all along?"