yes, there is beauty

[jovahs_heiress]

Angela stops at Milliways on her way home, Micaiah in tow. She cannot force the door to Beast's world, not with any coin she carries, but she leaves a note at Bar for him, asking that he go to the tower out back and identify himself to Jane. There's nothing else they can do for him. Belle, of course, will get a key if she goes to the bar.

Comments

[pythbox]

He frowns, shakes his head, spends a square to wake the Beast—

—and links him.

[deslandes]

He starts crying.

[pythbox]

"Something is fucked up here," Sue announces.

[autokinetic]

Aegis asks Jane to put her in too, and appears beside Sue. "Are you okay?" she asks Beast, putting her hands on her knees and leaning over him.

[deslandes]

"Ma belle?" he murmurs, and blinks up at her, and shakes his head, and cries some more.

[autokinetic]

"Was that - what is that, French?" Aegis says, frowning. "Doesn't Milliways have a translation aura?"

[mind_game]

[It doesn't cover names and similar,] Jane says.

[autokinetic]

"What happened to you?" Aegis asks, reaching out to touch the side of Beast's face.

[deslandes]

He flinches away, then presses his face into her hand with a shudder.

[autokinetic]

Aegis holds her hand quite still so he can be in contact with it or not as he likes. "Are you dreaming?" she asks softly.

[deslandes]

"Dream," he says softly. "Dreaming. I'm dreaming."

He closes his eyes and leans into her hand again.

[autokinetic]

"We can't go to his world if he's dreaming," Aegis murmurs, looking over her shoulder at Sue.

[pythbox]

"I could try," says Sue. "I could go through his door."

[autokinetic]

"When Alice got stuck in Jokes's head Stella had to physically go to where he was to get him out," Aegis says. "What if you get stuck? Angela couldn't force the door to his world when she tried."

[pythbox]

"I don't get stuck," Sue points out. "I am the anti-stuck."

[autokinetic]

"Okay, but - go in linked up to me and Jane - have you got coins?"

[pythbox]

"Plenty," he says cheerfully, and gives her a kiss, and leans down to touch Beast's hand. Hey. I need to go where you are. Come on.

[deslandes]

He blinks hazily, but after a moment he stands - leaning on Sue - and lets his alt lead him into the bar.

[autokinetic]

Aegis follows them in, and then sits at the bar to wait.

[pythbox]

He coaxes the Beast out through his door, and into...

[deslandes]

...a scorched and broken castle.

He whimpers and hides his face in Sue's shoulder.

[beheld_beauty]

Belle notices at once. She can't bear to leave her husband like this, physically or mentally, and she keeps trying new angles on healing the damage.

She writes (gently, gently) What's happened? Mon cœur, who's this?

[deslandes]

It's him. It's not him. He's dreaming. Is he dreaming?

[pythbox]

Sue reads the words on the wall.

"I'm Sue," he says, "and I'm gonna try something stupid."

As Beast stirs to wakefulness. Sue closes his eyes.

He doesn't have to move far. Just—to where—



He flickers out of the dreamworld and into reality, standing beside Belle and the Beast.

[beheld_beauty]

Belle doesn't, quite, startle her husband's head out of her lap, but it's a near thing, and she clutches at his shoulder a bit and her aura flares: you have alarmed someone powerful.