BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AU 1

[enigmaster]

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tale as old as time

[enigmaster]

[Once upon a time, in a faraway land...

There stood a castle, hidden away deep in the woods. Unlike so many other castles, it was not grand or opulent, nor did it appear to have anyone of great wealth living within. Indeed, the castle seemed deserted for as long as it had been there. Tucked away as it was, it seemed more of a shameful secret to be hidden than anything else.

It's not a particularly well known location, though over the years some had visited. In a manner of speaking...

Now, it's a dismal place. The outside looks studry enough, but the inside has been looted and ransacked over time. Windows smashed, items stolen.

There are stories, too, of a monster living there. Or perhaps in the woods. Superstitions are always muddled like that. Though no one seems to have any idea what the monster may look like.

Now...

Why would someone be here? Did someone perhaps get lost?]

[agoodname]

[Lost? Yes, absolutely. Very lost, in fact. Also bleeding quite a bit from an arrow to the shoulder, dragging a twisted and mangled ankle behind him. It'd always been a bit off, but with the application of a wooden branch, it was now surely severely twisted if not fully broken. Making an attempt to regain his mother from Theo Galavan hadn't gone quite as planned, and when Butch betrayed him, he was beaten, brought to the woods to be shot and then left to bleed out on his own and probably die where no one would ever find him. But Oswald is nothing if not somehow incredibly, unbearably lucky. So stumbling upon the castle, despite the rumors, was a blessing. He wasn't dead yet. He does look like death warmed over, though, shirt dark with blood, stark red where it splattered against the pale skin of his cheek, leaning hard on the very thick branch that was used against him on his ankle. He drags himself determinedly through the snow-covered courtyard slowly, each step like fire on his ankle, but he grits his teeth. The stairs are another battle, but he pulls himself up them, wincing with every step he has to surmount. Finally, he makes it to the front door (or what's left of it,) fumbling for the handle until he can push it inward--and thats when his other leg gives out from the strain, leaving him to collapse on the floor. He breathes, for a moment. It's cold in here--but colder still out there. It's something. Oswald takes one breath, then another, then pushes up until he's putting most of his weight on the hip of his good leg and drags himself further in. The place is coated in a layer of dust, but with some dragging, he finally manages to find a room with a fireplace and a half-closed door near the entrance. Once over to the dust-covered couch, he pulls himself up and sits down heavily on it with a small, relieved sigh. The thing is torn up, dirty and cold, but it's better than being out in the elements. Oswald shivers, pulling his coat tighter around him, tipping sideways onto the couch. He'll just....nap for a moment. He's so tired. Just a moment, and then he'll start a fire. Warm up. Concoct his revenge. But right now...sleep. Just an hour or two, that's all.... And moments later, he's asleep]

[enigmaster]

[Oswald is being watched. Not that he has any clue, what with the state he's in. But from the darkness, there's a pair of eyes on him from the moment he walks in. Though Oswald was unlikely to notice even if he was healthy and lucid. It's from the darkness, after all, and... well. Humans do forget to look up. At first, there's the temptation to maybe scare him off. Quickly, carefully, just... get him out. But then, it becomes clear that he's injured. Dying, maybe? It's hard to tell from a distance. It isn't until he decides to sleep that someone decides to come closer and approach. That arrow... that's a problem. But easy enough to treat. ...Not fun to treat, though. It'd be very easy to just let this guy bleed out. He could just... remove the corpse later. Unpleasant, but easy. Yeah. He could do that. ... Not too long after, Oswald might get a rude awakening as someone is going to pull that arrow out. Don't worry, he took care of the arrow's tip, first. Don't want that snagging on any flesh. It's a clean pull, but the pain's probably not great.]

[agoodname]

[it's a sharp pain. It is absolutely more than enough to wake him. In fact, he's rather vocal about it; he screams, hand flying up to grab at his arm, but instead encounter's Edward's, grabbing on tight as his eyes open, trying to jerk upright. And for a moment, he's frozen there, staring at this giant bat-like beast hovering over him]

[enigmaster]

[Edward starts, immediately. Maybe that response should've been expected and it's... not that he didn't, exactly, but... But the sudden grip on his arm is terrifying, the noise is distracting, and he has the immediate urge to back away. To retreat to the ceiling and maybe shriek at this person. Instead, he stays where he is, frozen as well. And then he just... lets the arrow fall to the floor.] Stay still. [It's more hissed than spoken. He still has work to do here.]

[agoodname]

[The creature hisses at him, a low sound, and Oswald can barely make out what they're saying--his head feels like it's underwater and everything is kind of swimming before his eyes and it's very difficult to focus. But he must be dead. Yes. That's it. That's the only explanation he can think of--and then he starts laughing, neigh hysterically, clutching at this creatures'...arm???]

[enigmaster]

[What. No, seriously. What? Something about that response throws him a lot and Edward just stares for a bit, wide-eyed. And then he's... he's just... gonna try to shove Oswald off his arm. Buddy he needs that. This is hard enough with wings already.]

[agoodname]

[Oswald is easily shoved off because listen he has absolutely zero strength rn but he's still giggling a bit as he falls back onto the couch--though he's quickly gasping in pain at that because ow] Ah--[and he can't help the breathless giggle]--if you're here to drag me down to hell, you should know I'm planning on running the place within a month.

[enigmaster]

Quiet. [Another hiss, because listen, what is he supposed to do with this? And... right. Yes, okay, the wound, he has to keep working on that. ...There's a moment of hesitation, before Edward is going to close in on Oswald. Like, real close. Really close. And then to his shoulder. What happens next might feel... weird. Kind of like... an animal is licking his wound?]

be our (UNINVITED) guest

[enigmaster]

[It's a weird sort of routine they're in. Maybe routine's not the right word. But it's something, anyway, and time passes. Edward finds himself getting used to Oswald's presence. Expecting it, now, instead of instinctively tensing up just a little when he sees him. He's been cleaning, now, for Oswald's sake. He doesn't much enjoy the task, but apparently the dust is just that bothersome. He does it all the same, even if he grumbles a little. It's early evening and he's just taken care of some more cleaning. Which... does make Edward a little dirty himself now, from all that. Oops.]

[agoodname]

[great, because Oswald is just finishing preparing dinner. Which is rabbit soup. Again.

Listen, it may be monotonous, but it's better than going hungry.

His ankles been slowly healing, as has his arm. He's not 100% out of the woods yet, but he's certainly doing a lot better. He's a lot more mobile, and not getting exhausted just from moving quite so often, which he is rather relieved about. He can currently be heard clattering around in the kitchen]

[enigmaster]

[Listen, Edward will never complain about eating the same thing, he's all about this soup. He wanders into the kitchen, rubbing some dust out of his fur as he goes. To the best of his ability, anyway.] I finished up some more cleaning. [Happy now, Oswald?]

[agoodname]

[Oswald glances over--and the corner of his mouth quirks] I can tell. [he's....very dusty.] When was the last time you had a bath, out of curiosity?

[enigmaster]

[Edward looks up, wing still on his face mid-wipe. And he tilts his head.] ... Ummmm... [...y'know he's not sure.]

[agoodname]

[Oswald can't help but chuckle a bit at that. Edward pls]

I'd say you could do with one, perhaps. We could get this water heated up, and there's a bathroom with a tub down here that you could use.

[enigmaster]

...Is that really necessary? [He huffs a little, going back to wipe at his face. Bleh...] I've got it [wipe, wipe] under control.

[agoodname]

[._.] I think it's very necessary, yes. [dryly--and he's moving to go retrieve a couple large pots] We'll just fill these with snow and put them on the stove, and at least you'll be able to have hot water.

bats on ice

[enigmaster]

[It really is much, much harder to find anything in winter. There's no fruit, hardly any vegetables, and a lot less wildlife. Normally, Edward spends a lot of time sleeping -- conserving energy so he doesn't need to eat as much. Even then, it's hard. Harder, still, now that he has a human to feed. Not to mention being up more and burning through more energy. The rabbit and soup lasted them a bit, but their food's starting to fun out. Currently, Edward's looking into a pot... by just putting his whole face in there. Snout sniffing it.] ...There's nothing left...

[agoodname]

We have those two jars of preserved rabbit. [from the doorway, leaning on the frame and his crudely whittled crutch] They're not much and I'd prefer to keep them as emergency if possible, but I can make a much more watered down version of that soup if we need to.

[enigmaster]

...And how much can you get out of those? [It doesn't seem like it'll last them long.]

[agoodname]

Perhaps five days. Maybe a week we only eat twice a day and I really water it down. [ur a big boy there sir]

[enigmaster]

I guess.

[He sniffs, bapping his wing against the pot a moment.]

...I should probably go out.

[agoodname]

[.....] ...alright. Be careful.

[enigmaster]

Being careful doesn't get food. [And he's just gonna make his way to the door, exiting the kitchen. Time to go out and hunt.]

[agoodname]

[hhhhh] Yes, well, try anyway! [called after him--and then he huffs]