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

[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.

[pythbox]

"Hi," he says with a friendly smile, and tries linking her.

[beheld_beauty]

Her rosevines bite.

She grits her teeth.

"Who are you?" she says with a hiss that sounds like it's being funneled directly into his ear.

[pythbox]

"I'm trying to tell you!" he says. "You're spikier than most Bells. I'm another one of him," he says with a gesture to Beast. "I found him in his dreams and came here because he looks really fucked up."

All the while, he's echoing the whole conversation to Jane and Aegis.

[autokinetic]

Bird, show Jane where you are so she can put me there, Aegis suggests.

[beheld_beauty]

"He's been badly hurt. How can you be another of him - found him in his dreams? - what are you talking about?"

[pythbox]

He floods place-data at Jane and says, "It's complicated."

[beheld_beauty]

"I would like it explained."

[autokinetic]

Aegis pops into place. "Hi," she says. "We're versions of you and him from another, very different world, and we're here to help, can you tell us what happened to him? We can almost certainly fix it."