paixaorpg | Nothing to be Afraid of [Complete]

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Nothing to be Afraid of [Complete]

Character(s): The Beast and Yorda
Content: Yorda and the Beast meet.
Setting: The streets of Paixao
Time: Morning
Warnings: The Beast has a temper. ~~Do Yorda and her questions count as a warning?~~

Yorda loved mornings, fresh and clean and full of possibility. She loved the coolness of the air around her, and the sunlight - and even if there weren't any birds to be found here, at least she could attempt to imitate the sounds they had made with her own voice. Of course, she was failing miserably, but she had fun nonetheless, and she giggled to herself.

It was so wonderful to be free, with the world bright and full of possibility. The princess gave a soft, happy sigh, her eyes drawn to the domed ceiling of the city - she had not yet gone outside of the city, especially as there were rather disapproving guards posted at ever gate. Despite that, Yorda didn't mind - she never ran out of things to do here or places to explore, and today was one of those days.

She wondered what would happen today.

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Beast had finally started getting used to Paixao. All of it was still foreign, still unfamiliar, but it was growing less...intimidating, as each day passed. His heavy footfalls were more controlled, more quiet--he could no longer be heard coming before you ever saw him, unless he was yelling. It still happened often, Beast losing him temper over something small, then suddenly racing to an empty space to hide himself in shame.

He hadn't used the journal yet, even though Ian had shown him how. Beast was just too nervous, anxious of someone finding out what he really was, after talking to them for a long time. The rose...it had wilted more, but less quickly than before. But it drained his hope, as each petal fell. It now stayed in his room at Irelia, a run-down place that reminded him of his castle, though only one room in the place belonged to him.

The enchanted flower shone brightly as he walked out of his apartment, going out into the streets to relieve himself of the cramped feeling the room gave him.

Yorda blinked at the horned, hulking figure and froze for one awful moment. Was that a shadow? But then he stepped into the light and the princess breathed a quiet sigh of relief. No. THe shadows were gone now. They were free, and they would not come back. Well, at least the shadows from Yorda's own world wouldn't, but the Heartless remained, and they unnerved Yorda even more than her mother's shadows had.

Yorda found herself trailing along the Beast, however accidentally, and watched his horns as she walked. She had never seen anything like him before, and wondered where he came from. "Who are you?

Beast stopped mid-step, his foot falling heavily as his surprise brought the rest of his body to a halt. He didn't look back. "I'm...a monster," he said, pulling his eyes shut tight and his head to the right. His voice rasped and rumbled, echoing a little in the street, which suddenly was both crowded and barren at the same time, loud and deathly silent.

Yorda blinked. "What is a monster?" she asked innocently. This stranger seemed pained, and Yorda reached out hesitantly to pat his arm - he was so much taller than she. She stepped around to look at him, unflinching and unafraid. Yorda didn't know enough of the world to realize that he thought himself hideous, and she certainly didn't think he was hideous herself, being that she smiled brightly at him. "I am Yorda," she told him as a sort of greeting. "Who are you?"

"What is...a monster?" The voice was young, Beast couldn't bear to turn around and let her see his face. He'd never really given thought to just what a monster was, but it didn't matter. A hideous creature, unlovable, cruel, selfish, heartless...that was a monster. A low rumble was all that spoke of his inner thoughts, lost easily in the sounds of the city.

The Beast's actions confused the young girl terribly. Why wasn't he saying anything? Why wasn't he turning around? What was going on? Had she done something wrong? Yorda looked up at the other again, who towered over her, and walked around, trying to look at him. "Are you hurt?"

Beast kept turning as the girl tried to see his face. He wouldn't let her gaze upon him, she couldn't possibly know what she would see...how terrible his countenance was. He pulled up his cloak with a massive paw, blocking his face from her view.

"I'm fine," he said. The words were quick, almost snapped, but they sounded strained. Just those short two words carried with them some of his sorrow and self-loathing, laced with gloom and despair. He still had gained no new confidence...except...when he was with Belle...

Yorda stared at the beast again in confusion. He certainly didn't soundalright, that was for certain, and the princess wanted to help, but she wasn't sure how. Was he injured? She gently placed her hand on his arm again, concentrating and closing her eyes in order to allow her healing magic to wash over the Beast. There, that should make him feel better. Yorda smiled brightly up at him, hoping he was alright now. "Do you feel better now?" She didn't know what was causing the strange person to act in such a manner. Did she frighten him?

Beast almost stumbled as tension was suddenly drawn away, leaving him relaxed, and just a little less nervous than before. He let out a content rumble. His arm fell, his cape falling with it and revealing his face, which finally lost its lines of nervousness.

He took no note of the fact she could now see what he looked like. "What was that?" he asked.

Yorda smiled brightly up at the Beast, not caring about his appearance at all. "I healed you," she replied simply. The girl didn't know enough about the world to realize that most people would be afraid of the stranger in front of Yorda, and she didn't care about that to begin with; the way someone looked had never mattered to her. Everything was wonderful and new, after all, when one had been imprisoned and isolated for a countless number of years.

"You healed me?" Beast asked inquisitively. "I've never heard of something like that before..." Nevermind the fact it was due to sorcery that he looked the way he did. Even so, he now felt a little better, and couldn't disbelieve this girl. She was even more kind than Belle...was it this city?

...No. The first people he'd met here hadn't been the same as this girl and Belle were.

Yorda nodded at the Beast. "I can heal people. I do not know why," she told him. She blinked at him, then smiled. "Who are you?" she asked him curiously, standing on tiptoe to gently touch his face. She was happy at the thought of making a new friend - and the Beast's fur was soft and fluffy, besides. She liked it. "My name is Yorda," she told him.

Beast shied away from Yorda's touch sheepishly. Comforting though it was, it reminded him of how hideous his face was--even if she seemed not to care.

"I'm Beast," he said, sorrow darkly tinging his voice. He offered nothing more; the curiosity he had felt for her healing magic was gone now.

Yorda withdrew her hand, although she still looked up at him. "You sound sad," she told him, a small frown crossing her face. "Why?" It was such a simple question, but Yorda had no idea, of course, what the answers might entail. As far as she could tell, the Beast seemed like a perfectly nice person to her, and if she knew that people were afraid of him, the princess wouldn't be able to understand why.

Beast lost his temper quite suddenly. "BECAUSE I'M A MONSTER!" he yelled, just inches away from Yorda's face.

He didn't want to explain everything. "YOU'RE JUST MOCKING ME, AREN'T YOU?!" It was so childish...trying to scare her away so he wouldn't have to deal with his own guilt. She had done nothing...

Yorda flinched as the Beast yelled at her, tears filling her eyes. She hunched her shoulders but did not cower, recognizing the pain in his voice. "I am sorry," she managed trembling slightly. "I did not wish to offend you." She blinked at him, not knowing how to answer, until... "I do not mock people. That was what my mother did." Despite the terrible fright Beast had given her, she reached to pat him on the arm again. "I wish to be your friend," the girl decided.

Beast quickly covered his face with a massive paw, ashamed of himself. She was...apologizing to him, even. He peeked at her through his fingers.

"You want to be...my...friend?"

Yorda beamed at him. "Yes," she told him sincerely. "I wish to be your friend." She didn't reach for him again, but watched his face; hopefully he wouldn't yell at her again, but maybe she wasn't doing anything wrong this time. "Did I offend you?"

Lowering his hand, Beast gave Yorda a look of pure shock, then of distress. How was he supposed to...No, he couldn't. He turned away, a low growl accompanying the motion, and continued on his walk through the streets.

He had no answers for her.

Yorda, determined to get through to this strange new person, walked after him, watching him patiently. The Beast struck her as terribly sad and lonely; shouldn't she help him? At least, that was her line of thinking. Even though she was not fit to be a fighter, she could help people in other ways. It was the least she could have done, after all the things that others within the city had done for her.

"Must you follow?" Beast asked cautiously, his voice deep and sad. He didn't want to scare her away...she was too kind for that. He stopped again, slowly looking back at Yorda shyly.

"Should I not?" Yorda asked. "Do you wish me to go? You seem lonely, and I do not want to leave you alone." She was tempted to take his paw in her hand, as Ico did when they were walking somewhere, but the girl had no desire to be yelled at again (and she shivered at the very recent memory of it).

"I..." Beast paused for a moment, then looked forward again--away from the girl. "I should be left...alone." A deep, heaving sigh accompanied the last word.

"No," Yorda told him gently, "you should not." The Beast was hurt and alone, and Yorda did not want to leave anyone like that if she could help it, especially when she could tell that his hostility was only a result of his pain. "Please do not isolate yourself." It wouldn't help matters, not in the least. Even the princess, as naïve as she was, could see that.

"I've been alone for so many years," Beast said. But that wasn't true. He had all the servants in the castle who took care of him. For so long, he'd never left the castle, not once, until coming here...but he hadn't needed to. All those servants...had they been his friends?

He straightened for a moment, but then sighed and let his shoulders fall back down. "Why...are you worried about me?"

Yorda looked down at the ground. "I know what it is to be alone," she told him. "I was alone once, too." She didn't mind the thought, as she liked being alone sometimes and - although she didn't like the memories associated with it. "You will not be alone."

The girl tilted her head to one side. "I worry because you are in pain," came the answer. "Should I not?"

"...You don't care? ...About how ugly I am?" Brow drooping, Beast was trying (and failing) to look at Yorda straight on. He couldn't believe she was so kind. It really was like with Belle...his appearance was almost completely ignored.

"I...don't want you to worry about me," he said, something a bit more positive creeping into his voice. "It's...weird." His face screwed up, he couldn't think of anything better to describe it.

Yorda stared at the man. How could he think he was ugly? He had soft fur and big paws. In fact, Yorda found him to be interesting and adorable in his appearance. "You are not ugly," Yorda told him earnestly. She had never found another being ugly in her life; even the shadows which had come after her in the castle had a menacingly hypnotic air about them.

The princess tilted her head at the Beast's assertion. She had been called weird a few times by now, and although she didn't mind it, it kept coming up, one way or another. "Weird?"

Beast had an exasperated air about him for a moment. "I...I'm...not used to..." He trailed off, then rubbed at the fur on his collar. "I'm not used to people being nice to me," he blurted out quickly. It was hard to admit that to someone he hardly knew, but it was very true.

What few people he'd met since...then...he scared them. Before coming here, the only ones who'd shown him any kindness were his servants.

Yorda tilted her head at the Beast's words, understanding at once. Although Yorda had been locked away by her mother, she still looked for the best in everyone, and easily believed it of them, at that. The mere idea of deception had never even so much as occurred to the girl - whether that meant deceiving others (even those who could and would do her harm) or being deceived herself.

"I understand," she told him simply. "But would you not like others to be nice to you?" It was a simple enough question, she thought.

Speechless for a moment, Beast's eyebrows arched. "Would I like that? Yes." His shoulders fell at the answer, taking his voice and head with them, the whole movement ending in a sigh. Who wouldn't want others to be nice to them?

Belle! What if she thought the same thing?

Yorda nodded. "Then I would still like to be your friend," she told him, truthfully. She looked up at him contemplatively. "Do not be sad. I will not run away." He wasn't one of her mother's shadows, after all, and aside from frightening the girl earlier, he hadn't really done her any harm. Why shouldn't she attempt to befriend the beast, especially one as obviously lonely as he was?

At first, Beast couldn't believe what he was hearing. His stomach...fluttered, for a second, but was then still as he composed himself. He couldn't hide the surprised smile on his face, small though it was.

"Would you...walk with me?" His voice shook, and he now resembled a dog who just found a new person to play with.

At the Beast's smile, Yorda's own grew even brighter than before. "Yes," she told him happily. "I would be glad to walk with you." She took his large paw in her own small hand - while at the castle, Ico had held her hand in his continuously - and squeezed it gently, reassuringly. She wasn't going to go away any time soon, not unless the Beast wanted her to.

"I'm not going anywhere in particular," he said, still nervous and very shaky as she took his massive paw in her tiny hand.

Yorda smiled at the Beast, innocent and completely confused as to why he was so shaky. Was he afraid? Was he cold? He didn't seem to be either, though, so Yorda walked with contented silence, looking about her with her usual appreciation of the beauty of the city.

Beast slowly got used to having someone walk next to him, and soon his massive strides matched Yorda's shorter ones much better, so they could walk side-by-side more comfortably.

He had a few questions for her, but she seemed to be happy without talking at all.

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Nothing to be Afraid of [Complete]

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Oh snap I totally didn't realize I replied like that before. XD; Sorry!

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