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"Hey mister?" Beau snapped out his pondering to see Chip jumping up and down excitedly trying to get his attention.
"Yes?"
"You 're really brave!" the teacup said shyly.
Bea blinked, stunned momentarily. "Brave?" no one had ever called him brave before... In fact it was always quite the opposite... "Dreamer, odd ball and coward..." Those were the names he was familiar with...
"Thank you... But you're wrong...I'm not brave..." he said gently to the smiling tea cup.
"Yes you are!" Chip argued, confused by the young man's modesty, something that was lacking in the castle...
"I've never seen anyone talk to the Mistress like that! I mean, aren't you scared by her..."
"CHIP! That's enough..." Mrs. Potts said sternly before giving Beau an uneasy smile.
"Children... However, that was a very brave thing you did my dear..."
"We all think so..." Madame de la Grande Bouche chirped, nodding in agreement.
Beau sighed, though he appreciated their words of comfort, they had also unintentionally brought up the very thing he had tried to forget over the past hour...
"Thank you... But...But its nothing I should be proud of..." Beau said grimly, his mind suddenly recalling that it was around now that he should have been arriving at the university gates... It was then that the gravity of his unfortunate situation struck him. Just the thought of how that opportunity had been viciously taken away from him almost sent him in tears of anger... Almost... All those years of studying... preparation... anticipation...Just wasted...
Mrs. Potts watched the young man's eyes turn red and bloodshot... As his body language got more tensed...His fingers curling into fists like he desperately wanted to hit something... Instantly, her maternity instincts took over and she found herself comforting him gently...
"Cheer up child... Hold your chin up high, believe me, it's not as bad as it seems...It'll be all right in the end, believe me..." she consoled. Beau almost let out a harsh laugh. As much as he cherished this teapot's kind words... He just couldn't bring himself to believe her... How could living with a beast in a castle not be bad? How could anything good come out of this?
Beau cursed under his breath.
"Thank you..." he said finally for his mind just couldn't find anything better to say. Mrs. Potts smiled.
"My pleasure... Oh! Look at me! Jabbering on when there's a supper to get on the table!" and with that, the teapot hopped out of the room followed by Chip.
"Bye Mister!" he called before disappearing behind the door.
Beau watched them with interest before a cough from Madame de la Grande Bouche caused him to turn around.
"So what shall we dress you in for dinner?"
Beau shook his head in disbelief, horrified that this wardrobe was going to attempt to... No she wouldn't "Dress me in..."
"OH I've got just the thing!" she declared joyously before pulling out an emerald waistcoat with elaborate silver trimmings from her drawers.
"This will look absolutely ravishing on you! The color will bring out your eyes and..."
Uneasily, Beau patted the side of the excited wardrobe. Her enthusiasm was touching and it almost made him fell guilty for what he was about to tell her.
"I'm afraid I'm not going to dinner..." Beau said firmly, handing the exquisite waistcoat back to her.
Madame's lip trembled. She looked thoroughly stumped. Was it due to his refusal of the clothes he had offered her or his defiance towards her mistress, Beau wasn't sure... But he was sure of one thing... HE WAS NOT GOING TO HAVE DINNER WITH A BEAST.
Before another word could be exchanged, there was a faint knock on the door before a tiny clock waddled in.
"Ahememememe... Dinner is served!" he announced gleefully.
Downstairs, in front of the fireplace, the beast paced back and forth nervously, her tail swishing madly as each second continued to drag painfully by.
"What's taking him so long..." she growled more to herself than anyone else.
"He should be here... Why is he late..."
"Try to be patient your majesty, the poor boy has just lost his father and his freedom all in one day..." Miss Potts reasoned gently only to get a low growl in reply.
Lumiere looked at Miss Potts uncomfortably before he too casually tried to calm the beast's nerves.
"Mistress... Have you thought that perhaps this young man might be the one to break the spell..." he began nervously.
The beast rolled her eyes before skeptically raising an eyebrow at the shaking candlestick.
"Lumiere, I'm not stupid..." she snapped before continuing her pacing.
"Very good then! All we need is you to fall in love with him, him to fall in love with you and POOF! The spell would be broken!" Lumiere declared happily.
The beast sighed and shook her head.
"It's not so simple Lumiere... He's so... handsome and I'm... Well look at me..." the candlestick and teapot flinched at their Mistress's fangs but said nothing as the beast continued her ranting...
" Its like everytime I'm near him... he acts like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world... anywhere except near me..." and for a moment the beasts ears flattened, her tail tucked between her legs, she now looked more like a lost sad puppy rather than a bloodthirsty beast.
For a moment, no one knew what to say... But Miss's Potts being her usual motherly self... brought herself to smile gently at the beast.
"Well tonight's your chance to change his mind about you and see past all of that..."
"I don't know how..." the beast said flatly, a frown plastered over her face.
"Well you can start by making yourself more presentable! Straighten up! Act like a proper lady!" Miss Potts commanded.
"Yes, when he comes give him a smile, a ravishing smile... Come! Come! Show me the smile..." Uneasily the beast smiled, or attempted to for all Lumiere saw were rows of deadly sharp teeth.
"But don't frighten him off!"
"Impress him with your manners and the art of conversation..."
"Don't overwhelm him though... You want him to feel at ease..."
"And above all..."
"YOU MUCT CONTROL YOUR TEMPER!" both teapot and candlestick emphasized with great effort.
Without warning the door handle creaked. Quickly, the beast shot up and took her seat, her face lit with apprehension. Unfortunately only an extremely nervous looking Cogsworth scurried in.
"Good evening..." he chuckled nervously.
The beast's ecstatic face crumpled like a deck of cards.
"Well... Where is he..." her voice dangerously silky.
"Who? Oh the young man... Well yes... you see your grace... the young man is in the delicate process... of... of...of... You see in these circumstances... he... he... he..." Cogsworth's nervous laughter waned, seeing there was no point continuing the façade he braced his nerves.
"He's not coming..." he finally admitted.
