BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AU 1

[enigmaster]

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[enigmaster]

[Yeah, have fun staring at what absolutely seems to be some sort of bat beast, Oswald. The creature in question is staring as well. When Oswald spins around, the creature's eyes get bigger, wider, and it just... backs up a little, on the ceiling, ears folding back a bit. Does it look... ...startled?]

[agoodname]

Ah. [It's....well it sure is something to look at. In the dim light from the windows he can get a better idea of the shape of it. Definitely bat-like in nature, but familiar to his dreams, which in this case, might've actually been real. It's...monstrous. It really is. Especially perched on the ceiling like that. There's a brief pause while Oswald's brain feels like it's starting to do try and do some some internal screaming--but he keeps his expression mildly friendly, even as the panicked urge to run wants to take over. He shoves it down, however, and idly stirs the pot, all the while not taking his eyes off the beast] It's not much--just rice and salted meat. However, I believe it's passible for what I have to work with. [he smirks, then] Or would you rather sit there staring all day? [dryly, with a hint of amusement. Well, at least his autopilot of snark is working. It's honestly what's saving him right now; if he didn't have that instinct, he'd be in a world of trouble]

[enigmaster]

[Edward's heart is beating at about a mile a minute, right now. The few times he'd shown himself to people in the past decade, it'd been quick. Maybe they'd caught a quick glimpse of him before he managed to scare them off and that was that. Before, Oswald hadn't been lucid. But now... Now, Edward really is being spoken to. For real. It's terrifying. He feels a little frozen, but he manages a quick snarl, before he instinctively backs up further. Maybe that'll scare him off...?]

[agoodname]

[that snarl is almost enough to make Oswald jerk back and bolt--and he does lean back just slightly for the briefest of a fraction of a second, before his expression morphs into something like a hurt pout] Really now. It's not as bad as it looks. [he sniffs, sticking his nose in the air] You could've just said you're not hungry.

[enigmaster]

[Edward blinks. What. What's... with this guy? Why isn't he scared? Edward... growls, a little. A rough, low sound. Ears pretty much on the back of his head, now.] Leave. [Now that Oswald is lucid enough to properly hear Edward speak, he'll hear... a pretty rough sound. Like someone who hasn't talked in a long time, whose throat is no longer used to the sound of it.]

[agoodname]

[Hold it together. He has to hold it together. Act like there's nothing unusual about talking to a large demonic creature sitting on the ceiling, even as his heart hammers in his chest. Instead, he rolls his eyes] Not that I don't hate to impose on you as an unwelcome guest but...how far exactly do you think I can get with this? [and he gestures with the pot at the crude crutch, arching an eyebrow] There's a reason I didn't venture up the stairs. [he turns back to the stove, setting the pot down and starting to open a couple cupboards. Every instinct is, of course, telling him not to turn his back on it but...again, if it wanted to kill him, it could've easily done so before.] Now, why don't you tell me where the bowls are, come down here, and we can discuss this like civilized--[people? No, er--]--creatures. Speaking to you like this is giving me a crick in my neck.

[enigmaster]

[There's... hesitation. This is all too strange and Edward's still very wary, but... But, after a moment or two of silence, he drops down to the floor. Not really standing, more like crouching. Like an animal deciding between fight or flight.] ... [That's... all he does for now, but. Progress?]

[agoodname]

Ah! Here--[and Oswald locates a pair of bowls--cracked and chipped and covered in dust--and pulls them down. He wrinkles his nose a bit at the dust] Ugh.

[yep gonna try and wipe those out with his shirt, before pouring the gruel into the two bowls]

There. I believe that will suffice.

[he turns with one of the two bowls, eyes alighting once again on the creature.

Yep.

Definitely horrifying.

Good thing he's starting to become used to it]

I'm afraid you're going to have to carry your own bowl--I'm going to have to use the crutch to move around.

[speaking of, he's reaching for that, shifting it under his arm and leaning on it]

Shall we adjourn to the dining room?

[enigmaster]

[When Oswald turns again, Edward's quickly backing up a step. But... as he keeps talking, he just looks at him. And, after a beat or two, he carefully moves towards the bowl, eyes not leaving Oswald until he's right by it. At that point, he's going to sniff the bowl curiously, looking at it. ... When's the last time he's even seen an actual cooked meal...?]

[agoodname]

[......it's very hard not to take, like...four steps back as the creature approaches, and sniffs curiously at the bowl.

He can't help but look almost amused because this is....incredibly surreal.]

It's not poisoned, I promise. [and with that, he's going to turn and slowly make his way to the dusty dining room, setting down the bowl before nudging the chair out and easing his way down into it with a small sigh of relief]

[enigmaster]

[... This is very surreal for Edward, too. For a bit, he just feels... lost. Should he bother with this bowl. Take it with him? What? At first, he just... gives it a small lick. ...It does taste. Nice. Really nice. So he'll... take the bowl with him into the other room, though he's not taking a chair. He's just going to a corner, keeping an eye on Oswald while he debates if he should eat the rest of this or not. (He settles on eating it, because he's been hungry for a while.)]

[agoodname]

[Oswald is going to tuck right in, honestly. He's just...going to tip the bowl back and kind of drink it??? Since finding cutlery seems annoying and quite frankly he wasn't down for searching. But he does peek out of the corner of his eye to see if this creature is eating.

Though after the first mouthful he ends up feeling almost ravenous, and downs several more swallows before lowering the bowl, licking at his lips to clean the excess]

Mn, not bad, if I do say so myself.

[he glances over at the creature. Maybe he can get it to talk some more?] What do you think?

[enigmaster]

[Edward starts at being addressed again, so for a moment Oswald will see... Well. Listen, he looks up very suddenly and he was in the middle of eating. So there's a bit of gruel on his snout, but more importantly? A blep. Just for a moment, before he quickly turns away a little. But it was definitely there.]

[agoodname]

[Oswald just stares a moment. That was....what was that? There's a strange, halting dissonance between "that is a terrifying demon-creature" and "awwww" in his brain right now, grating against each other, and he can't help but choke on an incredulous half-giggle as a result, eyes a bit wide.]

[enigmaster]

[Edward looks up at that. If he could blush, this is the part where he would. As it is, he just growls a little and turns away some more. HE'S NOT EMBARRASSED, YOU'RE EMBARRASSED!]

[agoodname]

[ashdlhkfhs that growl is enough to remind him that hey this creature has some long claws and looks pretty demonic--and he schools himself back into amused pleasantness]

Apologies. I'm afraid you've got something--[on your snout??? no, nope, too weird right now for him]--ah...just here. [and he indicates the side of his own nose, rubbing at it]

[enigmaster]

[He's just. Gonna wipe at his snout with his wing, trying to get it off.]

[agoodname]

[alskdhflskh okay yep this is still incredibly terrifying and he feels it in his bones but also that's kind of cute Which is some massive amounts of cognitive dissonance. Good thing he's used to pushing through anything happening mentally and keep up a good face. And he softens his expression slightly] Here--no, you're missing it. Come here, let me get it for you. [and he's pushing to his feet]

[enigmaster]

[Oswald stands up and, immediately, Edward presses a little further into the corner. Wary. Nervous. ...Maybe not the image of a terrifying demon like this. But he doesn't quite trust like that.]

[agoodname]

[Oswald huffs a bit] Come now--I only want to help. [and he holds out a hand, trying to beckon him] You helped me, after all.

[enigmaster]

... [He's... very wary, still. Edward doesn't much like or trust people and it's been a very long time since he's dealt with one for this long. Honestly, he's forgotten how to. But... But it seems safe enough. So, maybe a little slowly, he'll... approach.]

[agoodname]

[Oswald waits patiently as the beast approaches, keeping his hand held out. He can sniff it or whatever, if he wants. He'll just wait, keeping himself still but relaxed. It's almost like dealing with a skittish wild animal.

Just...patience and time. That's what he needs here. And to not freak out maybe at this giant beast getting very close to him.

The beast hasn't eaten him yet. It wrapped up his arm. It's fine.

Well, okay, that last part is a bit of a lie, but sometimes you have to lie to yourself to make things work. It doesn't stop his heart from hammering in his throat, though, despite how he appears]

[enigmaster]

[Skittish wild animal is right, honestly. Edward doesn't really sniff him, exactly, but he is keeping a very close eye on Oswald's movements. It's obvious to anyone right now that he's very tense. This is... really close. He doesn't like to be this close to people. But he's here, now, and he just... stays, for now, as much as instinct is telling him to get the hell out of here.]

[agoodname]

There, now, let me see--[and Oswald's pulling his sleeve down a bit over his wrist so he can wipe the gruel spots away gently with his sleeve] Ah..you'll have to bend down a bit. There's a spot I can't reach, just up there...[and he's trying to reach for it, but he really can't stand on his other foot for really any amount of time right now--and thus he wobbles slightly]

[enigmaster]

[It takes a moment, but he'll bend down. Fine, then. Which'll put them eye to eye.]