Beauty X Beast ~ Twelve!

Danielle awoke to the gentle humming of machinery, a strange, rhythmic background noise. Strangely enough, it was a comforting reminder of the strange twist of fate that had brought her into such a wondrous location, as though the walls of the manor itself were welcoming her into a new day. 

Sitting up, she noticed Doc and Sneezy staring at the bed silently and followed their stares toward the foot of her bed. With a smile, she reached over and patted the animated footstool standing on her duvet. “Come here, let me have a gander at you… well! Good morning! You're looking better already.” 

Duke wobbled toward her excitedly, his movement closer to a middle-aged dog instead of the creaky, ancient hound it had seemed like the previous evening. The faded red and gold upholstery had regained quite a bit of its former vibrancy overnight, but a quick check showed there was still plenty to be done. “Lots of dust and dirt vanished; it seems that your joints are moving smoother. Are you plush? Well, at the minimum, you're a bit fluffier. I wonder how far my skill will bring you back before someone needs to come in and do some manual repairs? Want to test that out with me? Do you? Do you?”

Duke shuffled back and forth, practically vibrating with enthusiasm before bouncing on the bed like a dog expecting a treat. 

“I suppose I can only take that as agreement!” Danielle stood up, twisting side to side as a familiar tingle rushed over her skin. For just a moment, the air in the room shimmered ever so slightly, then the natural daylight began reflecting off motes of dust in the air as the aesthetic of the room shifted minutely to mimic her personal preference. “Ahh… feels like nostalgia and library. It's going to be a nice day.”

After a quick breakfast, Danielle excitedly made her way to her favorite place in the manor: the library. Instead of diving straight into her studies, for the first hour, she reorganized and categorized the books, placing them along the shelf in a reading order based on the prerequisites of information each contained. “There we go... now each title leads as naturally as possible to the next. No more searching for the next book I should read. Well…” 

She glanced at the arrangement once more, ever so slightly lamenting how not every book was meant to be read one after another. Instead, as dozens of different topics were included, there were often branching paths she could take. 

“General knowledge, specialized information, technical manuals, and scientific papers.” Danielle ran her fingers along the spines as she murmured, trying to decide which route to knowledge she would move along first. 

After making her decision, she slightly rearranged the order, then stepped back and smiled at the immaculate display she’d created—the simple organization optimized by her Alluring Assemblage skill. Looking over it with a critical eye, she nodded and pulled the first book in the row. “Perfect. Now that my workspace is ready for me, I can begin!”

When Danielle settled into study, Duke positioned himself at her feet, shifting until both of them were comfortable. Sneezy joined in not long after, a puff of steam and a metal-on-metal shriek resounding as he walked to the table. “I see you're working on combustion and non-magical machine empowerment. I don't know if you knew this, but I'm pretty awesome when it comes to fire and how things move when burning. Want me to help out?”

At first Danielle was going to gently refuse, but then she remembered how useful it was to have Doc mentoring her. With a simple nod, she invited the guard to join her and the automaton sent a rictus-smirk at his razor-edged peer. “Told you she would. You're not the only one who has useful knowledge!”

“Yes, you can burn things really well,” Doc snarked back. “Don't worry, I'll take over again when she gets to any other subject.”

“Are you… fighting over who gets to teach me?” A slow blush crept up Danielle's cheeks. “I've never had anyone fight over imparting knowledge to me before. Honor duels in hopes of winning my favor, sure. A brawl over who would help me carry my groceries home? Of course, who hasn’t had to deal with that? A couple people coming to blows over a lock of my hair that had gotten caught in a door and accidentally cut off?” Danielle shook her head and chuckled ruefully before finishing her thought.

“They treated it like a precious artifact—three young men had to be carried to the healer over that one. But teaching me? Something I actually value? Thank you. Also, you can both teach me at the same time. Two heads are better than one, so three? It must be superb!”

After such a passionate speech, the two automatons glanced at each other slightly guiltily, having no choice but to reluctantly join forces to better explain each topic.

For the next several days, Danielle immersed herself in studying at the oak table in the library. The only interruptions to this continuous activity were at the insistence of her guards, when they informed her it was time to eat or get some sleep. Only very rarely did the Beast drift in to check on her, leaving Danielle to hope that its initial irritation at her presence was giving way to being impressed by her devotion and work ethic.

The automatons had a subtle but profound shift in their attitudes toward Danielle. Upon her arrival, they had been standoffish, but after weeks of continuously remaining in her presence, they were closer to warm, pleased mentors. Now, instead of only answering questions she finangled from them by using loopholes, they were offering guidance and assistance before even Danielle realized she was starting to struggle with a concept. 

Doc seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of how things moved, broke, and were cut. On the other hand, Sneezy seemed to be able to offer practical tips to simplify even the most complex topics. 

Danielle quickly began to realize that their construction had an immense impact on what they knew and their teaching style. Doc was crafted from a vast array of tiny cogs and wires, the installation of which required immense precision with tools even smaller than those used by jewelers and clockmakers. Each lesson delivered from him was carefully crafted, delivered with that same exactness. 

As for Sneezy? He had a more… pragmatic approach. He liked to burn things and was designed for getting the job done at speed. His personality was geared toward getting things done in the fastest, most practical manner. 

Together, they made learning quick, easy, and fun. 

Yet, even with her love of studying and learning, even with how much she had been taught, the Enchantress finally hit a breaking point.

“I've been sitting here for days; I need to do something.” Abruptly standing up, Danielle took a few steps toward the door of the library, even as her footrest grumbled at her gently for disturbing its rest. Before she was halfway across the room, the Enchantress slowed, then came to a stop. “Then again, where am I going to go? Doc, can I get access to a workshop of some kind to tinker with things? I need practical experience, or what's the point of learning all the places I've gone wrong in the past?”

“Access denied,” Doc informed her sadly. “Unfortunately, there is only one workshop, and it is perpetually in use. The goings-on within it are house secrets, and without permission from Comte LeKrout, you cannot be allowed to view them without rather restrictive oaths.”

Rolling up the long sleeves of her dress, Danielle shrugged and stepped closer to the ultra-thin guard. “That's fine by me. If I can't work somewhere else, let's do it right here. Doc, would you mind if I took a look at your components again? I want to see if I can make a better layout for your internals. I'll submit it through the Beast, but only after I'm sure it's going to help you.”

“That’s an acceptable option. Please don't hurt me; I'm very fragile when I open up to people.” 

“Same,” Danielle muttered under her breath as Doc willingly adjusted its position and allowed its components to retract, expanding out to nearly five times its width by separating its body to allow her access.

*Rrr.* The soft growl emanated from Duke, prompting a quick glance at the footstool, who was paying close attention to what she was doing… somehow. 

“Do you have eyes hidden behind that fabric, Duke?” As Danielle had expected, her question received no answer. Moving carefully, she returned her attention to the exposed innards of the guard, ever so gently twisting components in an attempt to determine their individual functions, while taking notes.

Between her previous research and her newfound knowledge, she was able to make a working theory as to what almost everything in the razor-thin chassis did. Yet, as per usual, she was completely stonewalled by the glowing lines connected to the protected core of Doc's body. Distractedly voicing her thoughts and expecting the usual refusals to answer, “I don't suppose one of you could help me understand how this works?”

“That… could work,” Sneezy replied with a hesitant note in his nasally voice. It took a moment for the Enchantress to understand what he’d said, as she was so lost in her thoughts. “The master has firmly instructed us to disallow you from tampering with our core, but has given no further instructions on allowing you to study and attempt to understand runescript. Actually, he gave you unfettered access to the library, which could be seen as an implicit approval for you to do so.”

“Runescript?” Danielle blinked several times before her mind caught up with the conversation. “Hold on, he has actual grimoires here? I can learn unaspected magic?”

Sneezy held up his oversized arms and waved back and forth, mimicking Danielle’s nonverbal communication. “Don't get too excited; the books on scripting are over there.”

Danielle's eyes followed the gesture to the highest space on the tallest bookshelf. “Going by how everything was arranged before I got here… that would make those the most difficult subject to understand in the entire library?”

“Correct, madame,” Sneezy stated in a relieved tone. “Once you have a firm grasp on almost every other part of how to make creatures like us, only then will the system glyphs, or runes as they are called, be legible. Without an understanding of their underlying concepts, the symbols themselves are completely unintelligible. They can even cause harm to your mind if studied improperly, such as being viewed during their inscription.”

“Hmm.” It took Danielle a long moment, but she finally tore her eyes away from the temptation of the books. “It seems I have a lot of learning to do before I get there. Now, I have a question for you, Doc. The Beast said I was allowed to continue working with you and Sneezy, but before I do anything like disconnecting a wire or remapping your layout, I want to make sure you are okay with me changing your structure. I don't want to break anything.”

Surprisingly, there was almost no delay in the razor-guard’s reply, “Anything you do can easily be undone or fixed, so long as you do not tamper with my core. You will not cause me injury, nor will I be uncomfortable with you rearranging my internals while active. Go for it. You’ll need specialized tools, though. Might want to start with him.” 

“No, I’m comfortable working with tiny parts, thanks to toymaking.”

“Ah. Yes. Go ahead and… adjust me.” Doc agreed with only a hint of hesitation.

“I'll be careful.” She turned to Sneezy. “Even if I'm not allowed access to the workshop, Doc makes a good point. I still need some tools; can you find a way to get them for me? I have an idea I absolutely must test. It's been messing with my head ever since I first saw how you were both arranged.”

Though he expressed some trepidation, her secondary guard left the room, returning a handful of minutes later with a large box of neatly organized tools. “Please ensure you put everything back where you found it. The lord of the house is… fastidious.”

“If I change how they are put away, it'll only be because the system made me do it differently.” Danielle grinned at the way Sneezy froze in panic then pulled out the first screwdriver and got to work. More than half the day passed as Danielle used the tiny tools necessary for such delicate work to disassemble, clean, adjust, and reassemble most of the mechanical sections of Doc's body. With a simple wipe of a cloth, her skills allowed her to remove patches of rust, shine metallic surfaces, and remove caked-on impurities, such as dusty oil.

While she worked, Danielle kept up a stream of conversation with the guard, testing its mental capabilities to ensure she hadn’t damaged or removed its ability to communicate with her. At approximately the halfway point, she had removed every single mechanical component except the armored core—but when she went to unscrew the plating, Duke growled and Sneezy *clicked* its nose threateningly. 

“I was just going to clean around the armor, not try to pry the core out!” Danielle protested as she quickly pulled her offending hand back. Her other guards didn't make another sound, but she felt a renewed sense of watchfulness from both of them. 

Returning to her notebook, she went back to the first page of the schema she’d carefully drawn out as she worked. Each page of diagrams was carefully torn out, then placed above her book for easy viewing access. Relying on her own knowledge—while also guided by the hand of the system via her Perfected Alluring Assemblage skill—she quickly drew a new diagram. 

What started as ten pages was reduced to seven, and once she was satisfied with what she saw, Danielle returned to the near-empty chassis and began replacing the components in their new position. 

“I'm not sure if you know this, but creating a design before doing the work is usually the optimal choice,” Doc grumpily informed Danielle as she started replacing the gears and cogs.

“As much as it pains me to ask you to step away, you should break for lunch. You’re already overdue, and this evening’s dinner is already approaching at a relentless pace.” Sneezy informed the Enchantress when she leaned back to gently wipe a trickle of sweat from her forehead. “As someone who is very fond of libraries, you should recognize that being overdue is not ideal.”

With a shake of her head, Danielle leaned forward and got back to work. “Sneezy, I'm not going to go have lunch and leave Doc here unable to move or carry out his own tasks. Even if I am hungry, I'm not a terrible person.”

“I think you're making the right choice,” the exposed guard agreed immediately. “What a good person you are. That is the only thought I'm going to share for now; any others can wait until I have been reassembled.” 

Two hours later, she had finished the main body and moved on to the limbs. The pieces that fit in these areas were half as large, so even though there were fewer of them, it still took nearly the same amount of time as the torso had before everything had been joined according to the diagram she’d created. Stepping back from the table, Danielle let out a long sigh and gave an exhausted nod to the guard. 

“Okay, Doc. Everything should be working perfectly; why don't you go ahead and try to close up. If that works, try moving around and tell me how you feel.”

“If?”

Continuing on as though she hadn't been interrupted, Danielle finished. “If it doesn't work… I'm not saying I'm going to leave you here for a while, but I might pass out if I don't eat soon.” 

Not needing to be asked twice, Doc smoothly and silently folded in the expanded innards of his chassis, compressing down until he was back to its normal active state. Sliding off the table, he took a few cautious steps, then waved back and forth in a windmill position. 

“This is… so smooth.” Excited at the flexibility and ease of motion, Doc sped up. His speed continued to increase until his casual windmill motion turned into a deadly blender—which was when things went wrong.

While its upper torso was still swirling, the automaton took a step and tripped—off balance from its own rapid movement. Doc fell over, its angular momentum causing the machine to ricochet off the stone floor and fly into the air. As soon as it left the ground, the guard stopped actively turning, no longer acting as a blender, but still a rapidly tumbling, three-foot-tall razor blade. 

Luckily, its direction was not toward any person nor the books. Instead, Doc slammed into the oak door of the library, quivering there like a thrown knife. “Wow. What a rush.”

Turning to Danielle with a gleam in its eyes, Sneezy spoke in a hushed whisper, “Do me next!”

*Rruff!*

“She can't work on you; it was explicitly forbidden by BST model three,” Sneezy cheerfully informed the upholstered guard dog. “What do you think? A quick dinner, then an increase to my functionality by shredding my body and putting me back together?”

*Puk.*

The soft sound resounded through the library, drawing Danielle’s attention back to Doc. 

She froze in concern as she saw the Beast pulling the razor-thin guard out of the thick wood of the door. 

He glared at the guard, then the marred surface of the wood, finally turning toward the Enchantress and slowly advancing on her, brandishing Doc like a sword. 

“What could have possibly convinced you this was a good idea? Thanks to your meddling, one of your guards can't control itself, and another is offering itself up for the same treatment. Is this your attempt at betraying us? Getting your guards to willingly destroy themselves? Seems I barely got here in time. Admittedly, I’ve been waiting for you to play your hand.” 

The Beast came to a halt, looming above her and staring down with six cold blue crystalline eyes. 

“I just didn’t think it would be so… amateurish.”