Dawning of Knowledge [Riku, Belle]

[Beast]

Twice before now Beast had played host to guests in his castle, and each guest was one person, each treated differently. The first had been Maurice, Belle’s father, whom he’d thrown into a dungeon after finding him within his halls and paranoid that the man had come to stare at the Beast. The second had been Belle herself, but instead of keeping her within the dungeon, he gave her a room in the East wing, fitting of her beauty, now that Beast had a chance to think upon it. Yet in recent days, it seemed Beast was playing host to yet more people. First, there had been Genesis, who came seeking to help protect the world’s neutrality alongside hunting down the Masked man who had manipulated his friend. Now, there was this Keybearer, Riku. Why he allowed this Riku to stay had been… complicated. Perhaps it was because the boy had actually come to understand the Beast and his ways much like Belle had. The boy also seemed so much different than four years ago at Hollow Bastian, changed… much like Beast had changed in all his years with Belle.

Perhaps that had been why he’d opted to give the boy the benefit of the doubt, and accept him as a possible ally. Genesis had spoken of a war in the worlds, a war of forced neutrality, and why this world, in it’s natural, almost twilight-like state, was both safest and at the most risk. If this war did come to this world, or Beast had to depart to take part in the war, he would need to count on people to back him up. Riku had seemed quite powerful all those years ago when imbued by the Darkness, but was he still? Presumably, with a key blade of his own, it meant he was. It meant that the boy might actually have gotten his heart set into the right place after all.

Grazing a claw over some of the books of the Library, Beast sighed lightly as he looked at the covers. Many had words, but they were foreign to him now. Anything he once understood was lost to him, and as he tried to kiss the meanings of the words, the letters seemed to jumble and scramble in his brains. Belle could still read them though, and read them well! She was a great person to have read stories as well, and it had been the best descision Beast had made to gift her the Library as her own personal place to go to. She had loved the Books, loved reading them, and loved telling Beast their stories. From Romeo And Juliet to Jason and the Argonaughts, she loved them all. Perhaps, if Beast ever became human again, he might learn to enjoy them as well…

Inside the Library was a fireplace, the wood cracking from the Heat. Beast stood looking into it and thought more on things. He’d offered the boy to stay and speak with him later in the Library, where he knew the Servants would not force themselves into the conversation. Belle tended to roam these halls though, but Beast would not be against her opinion or insertion into the conversation. In fact, he would gladly enjoy it, if only to give Riku a chance to see why he fought so hard to protect this world. By the fire were two plush chairs, a small table with a few books on each. A cracked pair of reading glasses rested on one table, next to a chair that seemed a little more beat up than the rest. Beast did not sit in these chairs, but stood beside them, looking into the Fire. If Riku wished to discuss the fate of this world, and the wars outside, then He need only find Beast here, in the grand library hall, light brilliantly by candlelight. And perhaps something good could come out of that conversation. An Ally in the war, a new perspective on what was happening… a new friend.

Time would tell in this tale.

[Belle]

Belle found herself, once again, lost on an adventure through numerous tales, her favorite being Romeo and Juliet, and fairy-tale stories, and the adventures that heroes and heroines went on through their life-stories. That was what she loved the most..the fact that the characters could simply leave normal life, and journey their world for fortune-seeking and epic journeys. She sighed, remembering when she had longed for a journey of her own, to venture out from the normal every-day life of the town to have her own adventure. It had seemed so far away, so very unlikely. In fact, she had only dreamed of getting anywhere close to an extraordinary existence..

But that was before she had come to find her father, and rescue him from the Castle dungeons. She had, for one moment, hesitated, briefly terrified of the Beast when she had first seen him. She had remembered the heroes of her beloved stories, who sacrificed for the good of others, and offered herself in the place of her Father. Father....she hoped he was doing all right. He had been sick when she had secured his release by staying. Everything had seemed so hopeless..so monstrous..

Things had changed..both in the Castle, and, she had noticed, so had the Beast. He was different...not as gruff, or as intimidating. He was a bit gentler..kinder. She smiled, looking around the upper level of the Library. He had, in fact, allowed her to have as many books as she could ever hope to read in her whole lifetime..so many stories, so many adventures.. The entire place was full of books.

Belle ran her hand over the cover of the book currently in her lap. She too, had changed..from being uncertain and feeling like a prisoner to caring about the Beast... Life hadn't been all peace, quiet, and happiness, though..Xaldin had made sure of that. She frowned slightly, remembering the Organization Member's constant appearances. She sincerely hoped he would never show up again.

A sound from the lower level in the Library made Belle stand, looking over the balcony. A shadow was cast on the floor by the fire. Had Beast come to join her, in this Paradise? She decided to find out, humming quietly to herself as she made her way toward the great fireplace, drawn to its light and heat. She smiled warmly when she saw Beast, folding her arms over the book she was currently reading.

"Good evening, Beast. Is everything all right?"

[Beast]

A whisper in the empty winds of the Library caused Beast’s ears to flicker about, catching and tuning in on the sounds of footsteps and humming. They were soft steps, elegant and graceful. The humming, beautiful and divine in sound. The music of it all soothed the Beast’s worried and questioning heart as he smiled, turning to look upon his beautiful lover, Belle, as she came down to see him. It seemed he had been right when he thought that Belle would exist within the Library, her own personal sanctuary to escape to toher worlds. Yet she could easily traverse true other worlds one day, as we once did. Her taken from me, me traveling and chasing after her to save her… It had been like the many romances Belle had mentioned to Beast before, and he smiled calmly at hearing her voice. He took a few steps toward Belle and towards her side, so the light might cast some of it’s warmth and glow on her instead of being shadowed by the Beastly Frame.

“Good Evening Belle,” He said, his voice soft. Though it sounded still like the Beast, only Belle could manage to somehow bring out what was truly human within him, his voice softening and the growls and roars quieting for even the briefest of moments. It was one of the few moments where Beast could truly feel human again, to be with Belle, to be drenched in the light of her beauty and love. Beauty and the Beast, the oddest of lovers and yet the most stable of all. “All is well, now,” the Beast responded in time to her question, accentuating the now. Partly it was to show that now that Belle was with him, nothing to ever not be all right. But also it was to indicate things had been tumultuous before, and it worried him. “We’ve had some visitors earlier, but they have since departed. One gave worrisome news, but though it might threaten your safety, know nothing would ever come to harm you,” Beast mused this as he brushed the back of his paw against Belle’s face, his human eyes glowing with that shine only a lover’s could have.

“Are you well, Belle?” The Beast asked, his eyes glancing down to the book clutched within her arms and then back to her beautiful brown eyes, “Have you begun reading yet another book? Which one this time?” Beast asked, genuinely curious and wishing to know. If it had been a story she had not told him before, perhaps she might read it to him. If it was one she had before, perhaps she might read it again, simply to read it and enjoy the tale. Such beautiful fantasies and worlds these books told.