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paixaorpg2009-07-14 01:17 pm
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One Step At a Time [Complete]
Character(s): Belle and Beast
Content: Shopping trip :3
Setting: Around the city
Time: midday, during week 6ish
Warnings: None needed...maybe Beast's temper?
To claim Beast's nerves were wound up would be to claim too little. He was more anxious now, he thought, than he had ever been before. Last time he had talked to Belle, he had sent her away in a hurry, when she asked him a question he wasn't ready to answer. After a week of being wracked with guilt over it, though, he was about to go try to talk with her. He was giddy again, but at the same time he was a mess of worry. What if she didn't want to speak with him anymore?
He wanted to dress up a little, but he had nothing to wear. He had no shirt with him, even, and hadn't gone to purchase any new clothing. To make him look even worse, his fur was starting to look a tousled mess, as he had no servants here to groom him. Appearing now every bit the monster he thought he was, save for the look on his face, he left his room, walking down to knock on Belle's door.
Except...he couldn't. He pulled back his arm to knock, and didn't put it forward to strike the wooden door. He huffed, and turned around, back toward his own apartment. He steeled himself, and tried again, only to fail the same way. This time, he almost got all the way back to his room before, yet again, walking over the Belle's door to try to knock one last time.
Content: Shopping trip :3
Setting: Around the city
Time: midday, during week 6ish
Warnings: None needed...maybe Beast's temper?
To claim Beast's nerves were wound up would be to claim too little. He was more anxious now, he thought, than he had ever been before. Last time he had talked to Belle, he had sent her away in a hurry, when she asked him a question he wasn't ready to answer. After a week of being wracked with guilt over it, though, he was about to go try to talk with her. He was giddy again, but at the same time he was a mess of worry. What if she didn't want to speak with him anymore?
He wanted to dress up a little, but he had nothing to wear. He had no shirt with him, even, and hadn't gone to purchase any new clothing. To make him look even worse, his fur was starting to look a tousled mess, as he had no servants here to groom him. Appearing now every bit the monster he thought he was, save for the look on his face, he left his room, walking down to knock on Belle's door.
Except...he couldn't. He pulled back his arm to knock, and didn't put it forward to strike the wooden door. He huffed, and turned around, back toward his own apartment. He steeled himself, and tried again, only to fail the same way. This time, he almost got all the way back to his room before, yet again, walking over the Belle's door to try to knock one last time.
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Frowning deeply at that particular thought, she stood up suddenly. Moping about wasn't productive in the slightest! So walked with a determined stride to the beat-up looking vanity, adjusted her appearance slightly and nodded to herself. It was time to go out and get some fresh air. If she happened to run into Beast while she was out, then...then..
She hesitated for the barest moment and sighed, shaking her head. Who cared about him anyway? He was moody, rough and not worth her time! Even if he sometimes had the most vulnerable, gentle expression on his face...even if the mystery surrounding him fascinated her so much...
Lost in these thoughts, Belle walked to the door of her and Yuna's apartment and opened it, eyes on the ground, just as Beast lifted his arm to knock again. The wistful, thoughtful expression on her face turned shocked as her eyes shot up from his furry feet to his face.
"Beast...!" she gasped, blushing at being confronted by the very person she had just been thinking about so much.
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He pulled up a finger as he looked at her again, thinking he had something to say, but right as he was about to speak it was just as quickly lost. He had a thoughtful expression for a moment, but that too seemed a hopeless cause.
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Fingers twisting absently in her apron, betraying her nervousness, she decided to do what she always did in uncertain social situations: rely on polite niceties and etiquette. "...h-have you been well?"
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He abruptly changed the subject, and looked a little less sad as he did. "I...need new clothes." At the castle, it wouldn't be a problem. But here, there were no servants to mend tattered shreds of pants and capes and shirts, so he would need to replace them.
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"A-alright. Um, would you like to go shopping, then?" she asked, lifting her gaze to his eyes again.
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He rubbed at the ruff of his collar nervously as he saw her gaze linger on his furry chest.
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Belle came back into view, carrying a medium-sized basket and small drawstring bag she quickly pocketed. Smiling brightly, she stepped close to Beast and turned around to shut the door behind her, locking it. "There! I'm ready to go now." Turning back around, she gave him a quizzical look.
"What sort of style of clothes did you have in mind?"
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The thought was allowed to trail off, and that was when Belle came back to the door. If she had been a moment later, she may have returned to a much less enthusiastic Beast. Thoughts of the castle, now that he was stuck here, never did him any good--that was why he had snapped at her when she asked about it. Mrs. Potts would say he should take it as a learning experience, and that living in a city could give him a good lesson in controlling his temper.
And then she asked about clothing style. How could he tell her without making her ask about the castle again? He was accustomed to very fine fabrics...it would be strange, Beast thought, if they even had them here. That, and he didn't know what any of the clothing styles were called anymore.
"I'm...not sure. It's been a long time since I had to buy any clothes." His whole life was a long time, wasn't it?
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She nodded to herself. "Some generic clothes would be fine, then." She headed down the hallway, basket over one arm while she flipped open her journal to access the map. "There are several boutiques in Paixao."
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Worries flitted and flickered through Beast's mind like pixie dust, until finally his thoughts focused on one thing--he didn't deserve her.
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He cleared his throat. "Wh-white will be fine," he stammered, looking quite sheepish for a beast.
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...Wait. "France?!" Suddenly, Beast was wearing a big, hopeful smile, and looked very excited. He straightened up, trying to regain what he thought was a more princely demeanor (it wasn't, really, but it's hard to look like a prince when you're covered in fur and wearing clothes that haven't been washed properly in weeks). "I...I lived in France."
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"What time are you from?" she asked excitedly, tilting her head up to watch his face. "The year I was taken, it was 1658."
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In the castle, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, and Lumiere had done almost everything for him, in spite of his horrible temper (that Belle pointed out), and his childishness. They made sure meals were prepared, they kept the sitting room comfortable...and Beast, he'd just...let everything else go to ruin. The castle now was no better than the peasant housing he and Belle stayed at now...and it was all his fault.
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Instead, he looked away from her, eyes shut tight. A low, pitiful rumble said more than he ever could have.
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"Well," she said, slowing their pace as they approached. "Are you ready?" She smiled at him with an expression somewhere between support and concern. If one of the shopkeepers said something untoward or even if some innocuous thing happened to upset him, who knew what the aftermath would bring?
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"...Belle?" he asked carefully. "If we ever get home...I...I want to take you to the castle."
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"Alright...let's see what clothes they have," she said, looking to the shop front with a determined set to her expression. Leading the way, she opened the door and entered, a bell chiming their entrance.
The shop, though shabby perhaps by Beast's standards, seemed cozy and warm to Belle. Like many establishments in this section of the city, it was run by gypsies. There were odds and ends for sale everywhere -- a gilded candelabra, a dressmaker mannequin that was oddly realistic, a wooden pirate ship the size of a small dog. Fabrics and clothes were hung and draped like curtains on walls and blankets over other items, all with tiny white price tags.
An elderly gypsy woman hobbled into view, a toothless smile splitting her wizened face. The smile faded only a slight notch as Beast joined Belle, but the shopkeeper had seen her share of creatures in this city and was hardly screaming in terror at the sight of him.
"Welcome, welcome," she boomed, jewelery twinkling with her exaggerated gestures of welcome. "Come for a reason or are you just lookin'?"
Belle relaxed visibly, relieved that she wouldn't have to calm another townsfolk. "Thank you, madame...we're here for some clothes for my companion here?"
The gypsy woman gave Beast a quick once over and pursed her lips. "Hnn...not sure if we have anything big enough. Lemme look in back."
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Small glints of brass and bronze beckoned to him, inviting him to look at some of the strangest little things. All of them had something written on white tags attached with a string, or somehow glued on, but since Beast couldn't read their purpose was lost on him. He didn't dare pick any up to inspect them closer, for fear his large paws were not gentle enough to handle this delicate-looking objects without breaking them. That was just one shelf in this store, there were all sorts of things scattered throughout.
The old woman, though, gave Beast a fright. Suddenly, he was straight-backed and tight-lipped, tense and wary. "G-good day, madame," he stammered, trying to sound casual but instead coming off stiff and forced. Her appearance was...revolting. But after last time...Beast had nothing left to risk. And...now...he was no different.
His twenty-first birthday was drawing ever closer, and the only person he'd met who he had even a chance of falling in love with stood right next to him. He couldn't lose her because of something so stupid as being unkind to another haggard old woman.
No...Belle was his...
"ALL RIGHT!" cooed the gypsy woman as she barreled out of the back room.
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"Tch...take off your cloak, boy, and put this on." To illustrate this demand, the gypsy held up a long sleeved cream-colored shirt that seemed big enough to be worn as a short dress by Belle.
As for Belle, she focused on keeping the clothing in her arms together...but she was able to cast an apologetic, bemused smile to her friend.
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"Oh dear, you simply can't go back out in public wearing those ragged pants. We'll have to find you a new pair. Oh dear, oh dear, wherever am I going to find something in your size? You can't very well wear a kilt with those funny legs and how big you are, everyone would see your bare bottom..." She walked off to the back again, mumbling to herself.
Beast gave a pleading look to Belle, but didn't dare speak aloud, in case the gypsy was listening. He was sure he was blushing, but his fur hid that rather well--even though it couldn't hide how embarrassed he was.
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As the old gypsy woman toddled off to find some pants, Belle placed the rejected shirts on a nearby faded chaise. She smiled up at Beast, reaching up to adjust the collar of the new shirt. "I'm sorry about this," she said quietly, smile turning wry. "I'm sure she means well. How does the shirt feel?"
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"It's...tight," he conceded in answer to her question, in favor of stronger language. He tugged a little at the collar, making odd bits of fur stick out from it haphazardly. "Is this how all the peasants have to buy their clothes?"
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"If you like, we don't have to buy that shirt," she said softly, fingers tracing the stippled contours of land masses on the globe. "There are other shops we've yet to see, after all. Perhaps they'll have some clothing that fits better."
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At least the shop owner had been more than welcoming, even if she was very intimidating.
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Her customer shirtless once more, the gypsy cast her gaze downwards meaningfully. "You'll have to take those off if you're wanting to put those on," she said, grinning as she jerked a thumb towards Belle.
Blinking owlishly over at Beast, Belle blushed slightly, pressing the pile of pants back towards the old woman. "I...I'll just wait over..."
"No place to wait!" the gyspsy chirped merrily, eyes glittering with life. "Just turn around if you're feeling bashful, girly."
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"Well, I don't see how you're supposed to know if the new ones fit if you don't take the old ones off, deary. 'Specially not with how big you are, you'd never be able to tell!" She finally had stripped the shirt from him, with no terrific aid from Beast himself, and set it off to the side for a moment. Then she pulled out a piece of string and wrapped it around Beast's waist, then held one end in her hand and dropped the other to the floor along his leg.
"Belle?" Beast asked meekly, his pleading look currently aimed at the back of her head.
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Still holding on to Beast's arm, Belle sighed. "...my, I forgot how forceful some merchants can be..." She froze, gazing up at Beast, waiting for a surge of temper she was sure was coming.
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However, since he was so used to being fussed over that way by all the servants, he was overwhelmed instead of angry. "Are there any stores that you've visited, Belle?"
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She exhaled in a rush of air to calm her own frazzled nerves and lifted the great bundle of Beast's cloak up to him. "Would you like to go there?"
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He took a deep breath. This was still something that was always hard for him to say, since he'd never said it to the servants. "Thank you...Belle." Self-conscious, he broke eye contact.
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He padded quietly along behind her, smiling to himself while she couldn't see. She wasn't scared of him right now, and...she...she had accepted his thanks!
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