today, chiefs of justice

How about 1, 6 and 18 for Christian, and 7, 10 and 24 for Gus?

Let’s tackle our boy Christian first...

Something this character is truly proud of

After the failed hazing attempt that was potentially throwing himself to Cyrano’s wrath the first time they met (which he isn’t terribly proud of, honestly, because not only was it a small miracle that he wasn’t sliced in half right then and there, it was a horrible first impression and Christian likes to think he’s better than that), Christian was challenged to three duels between him and the cadets who first put him up to the challenge.  Everyone tried to talk him out of it, Cyrano included, but Christian insisted--if he was going to win the regiment’s respect, he needed to prove he was worthy of it.  They were close fights that netted him a couple of scratches, but he still won, and he’ll never forget the round of applause he got from Captain Castel-Jaloux and the “Well, I’ll be damned” look on Cyrano’s face.

Something they lost, but would love to have back

It’s a silly, sentimental thing in his mind, but... he wishes he and his father had the relationship they had when he was a boy.  It used to be that they played and laughed together, and Christian would practice with his first sabre by the stables and go for rides with him through the woods behind his family’s estate.  It was fun.  Now, it’s like the elder Baron de Neuvilette has completely forgotten was fun even is.  He never laughs, barely smiles, and all of his letters to Christian are about his obligations to his family and the king now that he’s a man.  There are times Christian wants to tear up the letters, throw the scraps in his face, and say, “To hell with obligations, I want to feel like your son again and not just some kind of business partner.”

Special talents they have

Out of the three of them, he’s the best dancer--it’s the one “extra” lesson that wasn’t strictly relevant to becoming a soldier, but that really stuck with him as he grew up.  Roxanne’s told him horror stories of her trying to teach Cyrano to dance when they were children with... decidedly mixed results, and Christian’s jokingly offered his own tutelage, only to be met with a laugh and a “don’t get any ideas” from Cyrano.

And now for the best grandpa cat...

This character’s favorite character

Out of all the characters Gus has played, he’s gone back to Hamlet the most, but Faust and Cyrano were his favorites (hey, it’s canon in the Stuttgart and French translations respectively).  He wishes he could have gotten a crack at Mephistopheles, particularly the operatic version, but you win some, you lose some.

How they deal with pain

Gus tends to sort of... hide his pain, or at least try to.  He doesn’t talk about the mates he’s lost, but he still wears the quilt his first mate was wrapped in when she first got sick.  He’s scared of completely losing his sight or motor control, but he doesn’t draw attention to his infirmities and hates it when cats make a fuss over him.  He’s the sort to bottle things up, even if it’s the least healthy option he could take, and insist that “I’m not made of glass, you know.”  Part of it comes from the classic “The Show Must Go On” mentality where unless you’re bleeding out on death’s door you carry on no matter what, and part of it comes from a genuine desire not to be a burden on his loved ones.

What they wish they could change about themselves

The biggest regret Gus has is that he wasn’t a better father when his kittens were younger and still needed him.  He still doesn’t think of himself as a naturally nurturing figure--he’s better at being a best friend or a Fun Uncle (TM)--but he wishes he was.  He watches Jellylorum with her own kittens and the others in the Tribe and wishes he had her patience and generosity instead of being so set in his own ways.  And while he’s much more present for her and Asparagus now that they’re adults, part of him wonders if it’s not too little too late.