Katie's mouth popped open slightly in a silent 'oh'. She gave a timid smile then. "Merci Monsieur." she says. She glanced over at the group by the fire again, then back to him.
Avenant seemed to darkly chuckle as Katie went off.
"Your idea!? Everybody knows it was mine!" Lumiere retorted to Cogsworth yet again.
Cherry frowned for Chip, seeing that his present ended up being a pair of mismatched socks.
Katie hoped someone would look over.
Mrs. Potts gave a small smile. "Actually it was Belle who saved Christmas." she says.
"Yes..." Forte agreed, twiddling his fingers, he saw Cherry going over to Katie. He gasped and went after her.
Cherry came to see Katie alone. "Hey..."
Katie looked at Cherry. Seeing as Avenant had gone for now. "I just saw Avenant, he was here... And I told you to stay with Forte." she says softly.
"I sensed trouble..." Cherry said to Katie.
Forte caught up. "Cerise, we can't be separated."
"Sorry... You saw Avenant?" Cherry asked Katie, curiously as the younger brother of the evil villager seemed to be gone in a flash.
"Yes, I did... and you could've just got Forte to come with you if you sensed trouble." she says.
"Sorry, Kat..." Cherry said softly.
"He didn't hurt you, did he...?" Forte asked, very concerned for the girl, checking for any wounds or scars of any type.
"Non... He did not hurt me," Katie says quietly. She hummed. "You two go back to the group, I'll go grab a drink and then I will be right with you." she says.
"We should come with you." Cherry suggested.
"I'll be fine, Nee-bear." Katie says quietly.
"You can't be left alone..." Cherry reminded her a little firmly.
Katie looked at her. "I'm only going to get a drink... I'll be a few minutes." she says.
"Kat..." Cherry put a hand on Katie's arm. "It was your idea..."
"Girls..." Forte sensed some tension coming between the girls he knew were best friends and close like sisters, even if they weren't biologically related.
Katie looked at her. "I'm just going to get a drink... I'm thirsty." she says still quietly. She turned and started to walk to the table with the punch on it, so she could get a drink.
Cherry let her go, but folded her arms.
Forte stayed with her, putting an arm around her. "Your friend worries me..."
"She's fine..." Cherry nearly scoffed.
Katie frowned a little. She headed straight to the table and got a drink. She sipped it slowly. Avenant seemed to blend in with the crowd again, he seemed to had been studying Katie though. Katie decided she would try to calm down a bit before she would join the others.
Mrs. Potts wasn't sure about telling the story of last Christmas.
"Come now, Mrs. Potts, surely you recall how I saved Christmas." Lumiere insisted, striking a heroic pose.
"Ah, ah, ah, no leading the witness." Cogsworth scolded him.
"Perhaps you could tell them..." Forte would allow it, just as long as she didn't make him look bad. "Tell the others."
"I missed Belle so much last Christmas..." Maurice said as he joined the others by the fire.
Cherry waited for Katie to come back as she stood next to Forte. Avenant kept looking to Katie, but blended into the crowd to look anonymous. Katie drunk her first drink, then got another to take over. She sighed and looked annoyed though. She didn't notice Avenant in the crowd but started to pass by where he was. Mrs. Potts looked at Chip. She sat down on the chair and pulled him onto her lap, and began to tell the story.
Forte allowed the story to happen, he was then unknowingly brushing some of Cherry's hair behind her ear.
"What're you doing?" Cherry glanced up at him.
"Oh, umm... You had a hair out of place..." Forte covered up, slightly nervous.
Cherry rolled her eyes, but listened to Mrs. Potts's story, she loved to hear the woman speak and tell stories, she was very whimsical and felt like the grandmother she had never grown up with.
Avenant decided to hear this story as well, but the happiness wouldn't last, he promised everybody that. Katie stayed on the outskirts of the group, sipping her drink slowly. Mrs. Potts told the story properly, but in a way to keep Forte happy too.
"Ah, ah, ah, that's where I came in!" Lumiere cut in when Mrs. Potts got to where how Belle and Adam were becoming friends.
Cherry rolled her eyes again, but had a small smirk to Lumiere, she never told anyone this, but when she was a kid, she had a crush on the man, it of course faded away as she was older, but still...
Katie sighed silently. Ah, she was still peeved, she just sipped her drink again and stayed just close enough.
During the story, Cherry went to see Katie. "Are you coming or what?" she asked, a little impatient with her.
Katie looked at her. "I'm close enough aren't I? I'm no longer over at the drink and food table..." she says.
"Why don't you come a little closer?" Cherry asked, inviting her over. "I'd feel better if you were with me and Forte."
"I'm fine here, thank you." she says, taking a sip of her glass of punch.
"Come on, Kat..." Cherry grabbed her arm. "Why don't you wanna be with your Nee-Bear?"
Katie glanced at the hand grabbing her arm then her friend. She didn't want to, but got annoyed. "Let go of my arm please." she says.
Cherry let her go. "Come on, Katie, don't be by yourself..." she had a small smile and took her drink for her.
Katie, who was about to take another sip, blinked as her drink was suddenly gone from her hand. She blinked slowly. "Excuse me..." she says, her voice calm. "Go back to Forte... I'm going to powder my nose." she mutters, and walked off.
Cherry blinked. "Katie Kat...?"
Angelique, who saw Katie leaving, decided to go to her since they had become good friends.
Forte came over to Cherry. "Cerise?" He inquires, wondering what had happened.
Katie headed out of the ballroom, not noticing Avenant, or realizing Angelique was following too.
Cherry looked back to him. "I think Katie's angry with me..."
Forte put an arm around her, trying to be soothing.
Cherry actually allowed him too and buried her face against him. "We've never fought before... I didn't think we'd even get into a fight... We're always so nice to each other... Even if I get flustered over something..."
"Well, I've seen friends fight before, I'm sure once she's cooled down a little she'll come back." he says quietly.
"Do you think so?" Cherry asked, she really kind of needed him right now and felt a little attached to him now.
Forte nodded. He soothingly rubbed her back in a hug. Cherry sniffled. Forte got a handkerchief and handed it to her.
Cherry blinked, she took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes, blowing her nose slightly, handing it back to him as it dripped of her mucus. "Sorry you have to see me cry..." she said, though it actually wasn't the first time he saw her cry.
Forte shook his head. "Keep it," he says softly. "And do not worry, Cerise." he then adds, still soft.
Cherry sighed as she stuck close to him. Forte kept her close as Mrs. Potts continued the story.
Avenant scanned the room, looking for this Belle and 'Master', he didn't notice Katie had left.
"Katie...?" Angelique asked, deeply concerned for her.
"Angelique, I just need a moment," she tells her new good friend. "I'll be back through in a few minutes..." she says softly.
"Okay... Let me know if you need anyzhing..." Angelique nodded, then went back to the others.
Katie gave her a brief hug, then stood outside the ballroom, taking some deep breaths, trying to calm down. Angelique allowed her to go, then went back to the others. Katie sighed. Stupid invading man, if it wasn't for the danger of him, then they could just enjoy the party.
Fife was passing the hallways with his piccolo, he was going to preform his new solo to the crowd and he really wanted to show it to Forte to show him how far he had come along since becoming his apprentice when he was a lot younger.
Katie looked at him. "Oh, bonjour Fife." she says softly.
"Oh, pardon me, Katie..." Fife chuckled to her sheepishly.
"Maybe you should go and see everyone, show them you're okay." she suggests softly. She tucked a stray piece of hair back into her updo.
"Oh, I will..." Fife gave a nod. "I hope you get to hear the song... I've been working on it for a while."
Katie smiled. "I'm sure I will." she tells him.
Fife smiled and went back downstairs to meet everyone. He heard Mrs. Potts telling a story and decided to listen in as well. Katie sighed gently and after a minute more was about to go back in.
"Do you know anything about Avenant?" Cherry decided to ask the much elder man she was with.
Forte thought a moment. "Non, I'm afraid I don't." he says.
"How about Gaston?" Cherry asked, looking down from him this time.
Forte thought a moment again. "Him, I do" he says quietly.
Katie slipped back in, and found quite a crowd had formed between the door and the fireplace.
"Terrible man..." Cherry looked distant. "Wanted to marry Belle and have six or seven sons..." she remembered. "Adam made him fall to his death before I went back home and the spell broke..." she then looked back at him, realizing she had brought up the spell. "Oh, sorry..."
Forte had twitched at the mention, but kept calm. Katie decided to slowly make her way.
Cherry felt warm in Forte's hold, why was he so warm? She then looked over and saw her friend. "Kat!"
Forte glanced over too. Katie looked at Cherry, though she wasn't close yet due to the crowd. Cherry wanted to go to Katie, but waited for her to come over. Fife came down to the steps and joined the others with a friendly smile. Avenant still looked mysterious in the background as always.
Mrs. Potts smiled at Fife, still telling the story. The crowd was a bit too thick to get through, so Katie had to go around. She glanced over, feeling the gaze of the man, even if he didn't do it long. Avenant had been glancing to her, he didn't look as threatening, but he was indeed a reminder of Gaston.
"Katie...?" Cherry called quietly with a small smile, hoping she would come over.
Forte looked at Cherry. "The crowd seems a bit to thick for her to get through... It looks like she is heading around it to get here." he says quietly, being a bit taller.
Katie looked between the direction of the group, and Avenant.
"Curse you being a bunch of feet bigger than I am..." Cherry had a wicked remark, seeming a little different as she had taken sips from Katie's punch here and again, then looked to the punch. "What's in this stuff?"
Forte took it off her. "Alcohol... You shouldn't have been drinking it, Cerise." he says.
Cherry giggled then, looking a little tipsy now. "Mommy's gonna kill you!"
Forte frowned slightly. "You knew it was Katie's, Cerise." he says, his voice reprimanding, but not harsh.
Cherry still laughed, she sipped more, but whined once he held the glass above her, out of her reach. Forte put the glass high up on the mantle.
Cherry whined at him. "Why are you so mean to me!?" she grunted, stomping her foot and pouting, folding her arms.
"I'm not being mean, I'm looking out for you." he says.
"Waaaaugh..." Cherry groaned. Apparently she drank more punch than they both thought.
Forte sighed. He had to take her to her room. Cherry tried to reach for the glass until she was pulled away. "Hey! You can't do this to me! I am the Princess of Kalamazoo!"
The others glanced to Cherry before they went about their normal business. Forte lifted her up, carrying her off. Cherry whined, she tried to fight Forte as he carried her, but he wasn't going to let her stop him.
Avenant was looking around himself, and seemed to had locked eyes with Katie briefly. Katie almost froze at his eyes. Damn, she was a sucker for eyes at times. Avenant kept looking, he saw Katie's gaze and smirked, snaking over to her almost like the venomous reptile he resembled right now. Katie looked up at him, blinking.
"Well, bonjour there, mademoiselle..." Avenant greeted her, trying to use the same charm that his brother used with many women.
"Bonjour..." she says softly.
"You seem so lost and alone... A beautiful woman shouldn't be alone..." Avenant grinned to her.
Katie blushed slightly. "I'm not beautiful, monsieur." she mumbles.
"Oh, surely you are..." Avenant charmed her, playing with her hair slightly. "Are you seeing anybody?"
Katie opened and closed her mouth, losing her track of thought and not knowing what to say.
"Shy, aren't we?" Avenant chuckled, rubbing his fingers around her gloved arms and taking her hand.
Katie blushed and tried to take her arm back. Darn, alcohol was making her feel all fuzzy and his charm had disarmed her.
"Shall we dance when the music starts?" Avenant took her in a tango-like pose.
Katie found herself nodding, blushing even more at how close he was. Avenant grinned darkly and stroked her face with his hand that wasn't holding hers. Katie bit her lip softly. She tried to look away from his captivating eyes.
Adam had finished wrapping another present, he hid it in his coat pocket though as Belle finished wrapping Chip's present. "Are you ready to go, dear?" he asked her with a delicate smile.
Belle smiled at Adam and nodded. "Let's go." she says.
Adam kept the gift secure and smiled as he stood with his beloved, taking her hand, hopefully their worries would be settled for tonight when they would go down to meet everybody. Belle smiled at him. She walked out into the ballroom with him. Avenant put his arm around her and he looked to see Belle and Adam. Ah, that was definetly them, Adam looked a little familiar though, but no doubt that Belle was.