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Despite Cassandra's best efforts to find the truth, Munkustrap stays stoic and unbending. Even when Demeter threatens his dinner, his lips stay tightly shut and the grey queen pouts for the rest of the afternoon.
Cassandra had seen the night play out. They had watched Munkustrap invite the stranger into their midst. She saw how Munkustrap held her gaze with softer eyes than they'd ever seen from their leader, and given her his hand to take.
Mistoffelees is being just as cagey. His eyes are brighter, mischievous. The little Cheshire cat grin he gives her makes it all the more infuriating. Despite being a shy young tomcat, he somehow manages to withstand Cassandra's glare.
But Cassandra saw them, too; the way Mistoffelees and Victoria butted heads once Old Deuteronomy was safely back home. The way that Victoria believed in him when it felt like all was lost, and the strength he gained from that hope.
She thinks she'll crack the casing on the little white queen. She plays nice. Extra treats, a couple of gifts. She rubs up against her once or twice, giving the touch-starved young female the affection she craves. But even then, Victoria won't spill her secrets.
It's frustrating, to say the least.
"Who will it be?" is a question not just for the Heavyside Layer, it seems.
She's ready to give up. To stop pestering the three of them, and to devote her time to something that will actually yield results, when she sees what she's been missing this whole time.
Munkustrap's soft hands on Mistoffelees' chest. His quiet request for the spotlight, and the belief in him from the start. The way he watched longingly as Victoria and Mistoffelees' got to dance at the ball, while he clung to Old Deuteronomy's arm. The reassurance Mistofelees sought from the older tomcat, and the comforting way that they were never too far from each other at any given point.
The way Munkustrap practically passed the white queen to Mistoffelees with trust that he'd take care of her.
The penny drops, and Cassandra's eyes widen as she turns them to the high-rise that overlooks the square.
If she sees three silhouettes on the roof there, their tails entwined as they stare at the moon, well...
...she isn't going to tell anyone.