mon ami

[beheld_beauty]

Not much happens at the castle. It's the two of them and the magic. She studies. He wanders around. He's not very careful about standing behind things - he does when he remembers and there is something nearby, but it's plain that nothing about being visible in the less-than-fluffy nude bothers Beast except on her behalf.

Finally she excises an hour of study time to spend on being able to look at him without intervening furniture or flinching. She finds it's possible to do this in her mindscape, without having to use a notebook. She can zoom in deep into a rose petal, find a level of detail beyond which there are no patterns, and write, directly there. This isn't an ideal memory aid - if she looks later the words aren't exactly the same - but it's much faster for sheer processing, and the chosen modifications morph into the structure of the rose without special effort as soon as she's sure she wants them.

She behaves with more equanimity about his nudity after that. "You can stop trying to remember to hide behind things," she tells him.

Comments

[deslandes]

They're such a nice point, though. All squidgy and everything.

[beheld_beauty]

Well technically they are not pointy feelings. They're all soft. They are pillowesque.

[deslandes]

Are they...

...cuddly?

[beheld_beauty]

Maaaaybe.

[deslandes]

Cuddly is good.

[beheld_beauty]

Belle comes to the end of her chapter. She puts her pencil down. She scoots back her armchair and holds out her arms in his direction.

[deslandes]

Grinning, he comes around the table and hugs her.

He is very fluffy.

[beheld_beauty]

Snuggle.

[deslandes]

"I love your snuggles," he confides.

[beheld_beauty]

Belle giggles. "You're quite snuggleable yourself."

[deslandes]

"I am! I am fluffy," he says happily.

[beheld_beauty]

"Hm, I bet you'd still be pretty snuggly just by dint of personality even if you were disenchanted."

[deslandes]

"You know," he says consideringly, "I do believe you're right."

[beheld_beauty]

"No firsthand experience to make this a certainty? I'm surprised."

[deslandes]

"Well, some."

[beheld_beauty]

"All too long ago to remember clearly?" suggests Belle. Scritch scritch scritch.

[deslandes]

He nods his fluffy head.

[beheld_beauty]

"Le pauvre." Scritch scritch scritch.

[deslandes]

He purrrrrrrrrrrrrrs.

[beheld_beauty]

"I do like you," she murmurs.

[deslandes]

"I'm glad."

[beheld_beauty]

Hugs. Sighs. Thoughtfulness.

"I'm pretty good at feeling how I want to feel, but I have to know what I'm doing," says softly. "I can decide to - to not be angry about something, if I want, because I know what it's like to not be angry. But I don't know what it's like to be in love. Even though I'd like to be."

[deslandes]

"I know what it's like for me to be in love," says the Beast. "I don't think I know what it's like for you."

[beheld_beauty]

Pet pet. "It might help if you told me more about what it's like for you anyway."

[deslandes]

"It's nice," he says. "It's a good feeling."