paixaorpg | The Way to a Man's Heart [Completed]

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The Way to a Man's Heart [Completed]

Character(s): Belle, Beast, Lumière!
Content: Belle invites Beast to a picnic.
Setting: Starting in Iriela Apartments and ending up in Jogo da Crianca
Time: Noon-ish, Week 21
Warnings: None.

Belle finished tucking in the blue and white checked cloth over the food in the basket, checking off a list in her head. Since Beast was French as she was, she'd decided to prepare something wholly French for the outing -- pan bagnat, a sort of seafood sandwich; crudites with lemon oil; gougeres, a light, delicate cheese pastry; and the pride of her picnic basket, the item that she'd stayed up late to create, meringue calissons. With a satisfied nod, she reached up to tuck an errant strand of chestnut hair behind her ear, ignoring the surge of nervousness that lurked just below the surface.

Yes, she mused as she gathered up a bottle of wine to round out the meal, she was surprising Beast with this and he was clearly not a fan of surprises. It was very possible he'd turn her away the door, growling and snarling like an animal. But Belle had missed him more each day she couldn't find him and a good meal was the best way to deepen any bond.

She exited her apartment and quickly headed towards Beast's, thankful she didn't have to carry the big basket too far. When Belle drew up to his door, she hesitated for the barest moment...then, ducking her head and inhaling a steady, deep breath, she knocked.

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Belle raised her eyebrow at Lumiere's reaction. She glanced at Beast as Lumiere did, wondering what secrets they still held, what words weren't being said. When Lumiere quickly and smoothly changed the subject, she pressed her lips into a thin line for a moment, even more curious now that it was obvious there was more to this than what was being said. But poor Lumiere looked so nervous and Beast hadn't even looked her way since the subject came up...so she sighed softly and smiled.

"Alright...if you'd like to hear the rest." She glanced once more at Beast before settling into a comfortable position once more. "Let's see, where was I...oh! The youngest son had made his way to the castle and saved the princess with his peach! Now, as you might imagine, the king was less than impressed with the small, plain boy who had done what seemed impossible. If he had to give his darling daughter to a man for marriage, it certainly wouldn't be this puny dullard! So he told the youngest son that he would only give him his daughter's hand if he could herd a hundred rabbits and not lose one for four days!

"The youngest son gathered up one hundred rabbits as soon as he could. Alas, as the king had hoped, they scattered! But the silver whistle the old lady had given him was as special as it was beautiful. Whenever the boy would blow the whistle, the rabbits would return obediently.

"On the second day, the king sent his daughter to retrieve one of the rabbits. The boy would only give her one for a kiss, which she obligingly gave. She brought the rabbit to the castle, but the boy blew his silver whistle, and it jumped out of the princess' arms and back to the herd!

"On the third day, the king sent his wife, the queen, to retrieve one of the rabbits. The boy would only give her one if she turned three somersaults! Knowing how much her husband wanted the rabbit, she reluctantly did so. She was rewarded with a rabbit just as her daughter was and the king quickly locked it in a room so it wouldn't escape. But the boy used his silver whistle and the rabbit escaped through a window and back to the herd!

"Finally, the king had had enough. On the fourth day, he went himself to retrieve a rabbit. The boy would only let him have one, however, if he would kiss his donkey's behind! The king was outraged, of course...but if he didn't take a rabbit and keep it hidden, this boy would marry his daughter by the next day! He quickly made sure no one was around to witness this humiliating act and obliged. Then he snatched a rabbit from the herd and stormed back into the castle!

"Immediately, the king ordered the castle chef to kill and skin the rabbit for stew. But the magic of the silver whistle was so powerful that when the boy blew it, the rabbit jumped out of the pot, into his skin and back to the herd!

The day had arrived when the boy was to marry the princess. But the king had one final trick up his sleeve. He handed the boy three burlap sack and demanded that he fill it up with three truths. The first truth he told was that he had kissed the princess, and that filled up the first sack. The second was that the queen turned three somersaults, and that filled up the second. But before the young boy could tell the third truth, the king quickly stopped him. It was better to let his daughter marry this boy that have the humiliating truth brought out before his court!

And that's how the youngest son no one expected much from married a beautiful princess and lived happily ever after."

Beast was more than glad to hear Lumiere ask for the story to continue. The answers to those questions of Belle's were ones he wanted to keep far from her mind. What would she think of him, if she knew he had been so selfish that the Enchantress had put that terrible spell on his entire castle?

Something about Belle's story reminded Beast of himself. But he was a far cry worse than simply being small and plain. That boy the king in the story had been worried about had not been a monster, not in words or deeds or thoughts. Beast...was nothing like him. He was terrible, a gruesome sight, filled with anger and loneliness and guilt...he was selfish and unlovable.

At least...he had always thought those things, until he had spent some time with Belle. She had been frightened of him at first, but she hadn't given up, or run away. She was brave, and strong, and kind...here she was now, telling him a story, completely ignoring his appearance and all those times he'd lost his temper and yelled at her...

"...Do you know any other stories like that?" he asked, an almost childlike sense of wonder and hope and curiosity in his voice. He was smiling, just a little, and looking her right in the eyes.

Happily ever after, now there was the sort of ending Lumiere liked to hear. He could not help but admire the youngest son’s ability to carry on, regardless of the obstacles which were presented to him. Even with so many forces against him, not once did he give up. The Master could have certainly learned something from this story. Even in the darkest of moments, there was still hope. He was not to give up so easily, just as Lumiere refused to. And just as he had before, he would continue to light the prince’s path, burning as brightly as he could to keep the darkness at bay… Even if it left him with no light at all.

“Ce magnifque!” he cheered, applauding Belle by clapping his candles together. Her story had not only calmed Beast but proved to be something he had enjoyed as well. He was normally so quick to pass judgment and reject new things; the change brought a smile to Lumiere’s waxy face. “That was wonderful. However, I too must ask, do you know any others?”

Belle was momentarily awed at Beast's docile expression. Once again, she was struck by the vivid blue of his eyes, the undeniable humanity in them. Her heart fluttered a little she gazed back and she couldn't think of what to say next. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Lumiere's cheers broke the spell that had fallen over her. She looked away quickly, smiling a little self-consciously at the candlestick.

"Th-thank you," she said softly, brushing back a strand of hair from her eyes. "I'm glad you both enjoyed it." She glanced back to Beast, smiling wider. "I do know more, but I think we should probably head back before the food spoils. Another time?"

"Yes, as soon as we can!" Beast didn't hesitate in the least to respond--a rare, rare thing indeed, when his temper wasn't involved. He had found some amount of solace when Belle told her story, a quiet peace that he had enjoyed precious few times since that horrible night, and hardly any more when he had still been a spoiled human boy.

Then he realized how excited and unprince-like he had sounded, and straightened up, then, embarrassed, had to look away from Belle. "I mean...yes. I would...be...honored...if you would tell me another story. ...Soon." His voice was rather stiff, but that was because he was trying not to sound as happy about the idea as he felt, which was quite challenging for a man who'd lived as a beast for so long. He was so used to displaying his emotions in full force, whatever they were, that being around Belle now made him flustered at even the smallest expression of his feelings.

Lumiere nodded silently in agreement with the beast, amused by his behaviour toward the girl. The prince was trying to be a gentleman by his own will for once, something that the candelabra was very pleased to see. Whether or not it was because Beast knew he would scold him if he did not, Lumiere did not know. But he did not think much of that. He simply savoured the moment as it was.

“Do not forget to thank her.” He quietly reminded Beast, prodding him gently with his elbow. They wanted to make her feel appreciated, especially after all the effort she had gone through to prepare their lunch. After all, Beast was not the only one who wished to see more of Belle.

Belle had to bite her lip to keep from giggling at Beast's eager response and the following forced formality that followed. Oddly enough, she found him almost...cute! She never would have thought such a thing would be impossible when they first met.

"How about tomorrow?" she asked brightly, turning to pack up the basket. As she did so, she overheard Lumiere's quite coaching and grinned, thankful her back was to the pair.

"Tomorrow...?" A few seconds passed, and then Beast, with a smile to match Belle's brightness, looked up to her. He rose to his feet awkwardly, then quickly tried to fix his posture.

"Tomorrow...would be wonderful." He didn't say anything else until he heard Lumiere's gentle prodding. "...Thank you, Belle."

He wanted to reach out to her, to see how it would feel to touch someone he cared about...but no. He couldn't. That would be...asking too much of her. So he stood there patiently, watching her pick up the basket and doing all of nothing, nervously biting at his lower lip and wondering if he was supposed to say anything else.

Though he was quite pleased to hear the Master thank the girl, he could not help but shake his head while he watched Belle pack their lunch away. Beast had been unquestionably on his best behaviour, quite the gentleman indeed, but to have expected the Master to offer to help the girl truly was a bit of a stretch. He realized this after a moment of staring at the beast expectantly. The nervous look on his face suggested his thoughts were elsewhere, far elsewhere. He probably did not even realize the candelabra was looking at him.

“Master,” Lumiere began softly, so not to startle him. “I was thinking that since the girl was kind enough to meet with you at your door, perhaps it would be a good idea to escort her to her own? If not to return the favour, at least ensure her safety.”

Belle seemed unconcerned that Beast had not offered to help pack their picnic away. In fact, she was beaming as she finished putting the rest of the items in the basket. He was just being so much more gentler, for whatever reason, and she had hope they could become even closer friends in time. "I'll be sure to find you tomorrow, then."

She stood, wordlessly depositing the heavy basket into Beast's arms and smiled at Lumiere. "Of course, you're welcome to come along as well, Lumiere!"

Being made to hold the basket only surprised Beast a little. He had carried it here, after all...it only made sense. Belle's smile at Lumiere caught him, and his own lips broke into a toothy grin, without him even really noticing.

Find him tomorrow? Did this mean the picnic had been a success and that the girl wished to see more of the beast? The idea itself was meritorious. And she would most decidedly find him tomorrow. Lumiere would make sure of it. And she would find him the next day, and the day after that, and hopefully the many more which followed.

Lumiere smiled in return to Belle. “Merci, mademoiselle, I would like that.”

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The Way to a Man's Heart [Completed]

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