Beauty X Beast ~ Nine!

Danielle settled into her bed in the room provided by the automatons with a sigh. Though she was relatively safe and well-fed, her inquisitive mind was starting to grow bored. The first few days when she’d been not-quite a guest had been a whirlwind of mechanical marvels and interesting concepts. Now, she was simply growing frustrated, as the machines she truly wanted to study—the automated kitchen, wall guardians, and Beast—were far out of her reach.

“Sneezy, any chance the Beast will come back soon? He's been adjusting the protections around the estate since I got here, right?” Danielle called into the open air, knowing her guards wouldn’t have left her alone.

There was a slight hum of machinery, a telltale sign of Sneezy preparing to do anything other than simply maintain a vigilant watchful status, immediately followed by the nasally voice of the miniature flamethrower. “I do not know enough about the functions of the estate, BST model three’s itinerary, or the estate’s strategic operations. I have no answer for your query.”

Danielle let out another dramatic sigh, as it was the fifth time she had gotten the same answer. “I need something to occupy my mind; do you have any books I could read? Maybe I've been given approval to go to a different room in the manor? By the way, you seem to be speaking with a clarity you were lacking when we first met. Is that because you haven't had someone to have conversation with for a long time, or is it something I’m doing?”

“Unknown changes are occurring within my speech processing center. Thank you for alerting me to the anomalous change; I will report for unscheduled maintenance.” 

Frantically waving her hands, Danielle shook her head as she sat bolt upright in bed, “No, wait! That's not what I was saying, Sneezy. I was more thinking that my skills might’ve been acting as some sort of social lubricant, but I’m worried they are actually altering your systems.”

“Unknown. I will report for maintenance.” After a slight pause, Sneezy spun his head back and forth and steadily continued, “Unfortunately, none of your permissions have been updated. The Comte’s library is decidedly off limits, as it contains many years of his research, not to mention rare manuscripts his family has been collecting for generations. What sort of entertainment are you hoping for?”

“Honestly? I'd love to take a look at his research. I've been studying engineering for years, and I wanted nothing more than to follow in my father's footsteps as a Tinkerer toy maker.” Danielle relaxed slightly when the guard didn't leave the room to get checked on. A soft smile began playing about her lips as she daydreamed. “The idea of placing a gear here, connecting it to a lever there, then having it move with a life of its own? It's astounding. In no time flat, I'll have created a princess who can dance, and some wide-eyed child will have a toy they can play with for years, maybe even hand down to their own children, if they take care of it.”

“The library is off limits.”

“I know, I know.” Danielle waved the expected response away, then leaned forward, eyeing the small guard with interest. “Can I ask how you work? There's so much more to you than the mechanical portions, or I would’ve been able to create something like you on my own by now. You're clearly magical, Sneezy, I just don't understand how it all fits together.” 

For the first time in their simple exchanges, Sneezy hesitated. His mechanical sounds grew more frantic, gears whirring and clicking faster in the conversational lull. For the first time in their one-sided conversation, Danielle got an answer she wasn't expecting. “Checking against stated rules…”

“Sneezy?”

The mechanical sounds intensified, and the Enchantress gasped in shock as the small, mechanical man’s frame began shifting and sliding. After only a few moments, its internals were completely exposed. The intricate workings within—gears, pistons, wires—all of it was laid bare before her. Danielle rose from her bed, moving slowly so as to not startle her guard. “This is… okay? I can learn from you without getting you in trouble?”

“There are no explicit rules against it,” Sneezy responded without hesitation, showing that, even if his chassis had opened up, he was not helpless or inactive. “Likely, the lord of the house assumes no one will be able to glean sufficient information or reproduce his work from simple study and observation. Otherwise, it is probable he would have implemented a rule to stop exactly this situation from happening.”

“Good enough for me. I hope you don't get in trouble because I found a space where my curiosity found purchase, Sneezy.” Danielle didn't bother thinking too hard about the loophole she had discovered, as her fingers were practically itching to explore the intricacies of the design.

“If this causes too much trouble, or you damage me, we may both be decommissioned.” Sneezy's voice carried a surprising note of worry, unexpected only due to his mechanical nature.

“I'll be careful,” Danielle promised easily, digging into his wiring. Despite her eagerness, as soon as she started looking through the complex network of gears and circuits, the Enchantress realized exactly how out of her depth she was. “At a glance, this is pretty overwhelming, Sneezy. I probably should have asked before now, but is there any chance I could have a notebook or something I could write my thoughts in?”

“D-zero-C will have one delivered,” Sneezy responded after a moment of silence, which could have been either hesitation or simply making the request. 

Danielle nodded distractedly, not wanting to pass up this opportunity to learn more about Artificing. Her attention was already back on the delicate mechanisms, and she moved carefully as she studied and thought through what she should be asking. 

“While self-study is admirable, I would appreciate it if you asked questions before attempting to discern the purpose on your own.” Her guard had noticed the shifting expressions on her face and spoke before she had a chance. “Let me be clear. You are free to ask questions. I may be unable to answer them. If I tell you not to touch something, don't.”

Though the offer had been made warily, Danielle immediately began bombarding him with questions. She started with simple, specific, pointed questions carefully chosen to demonstrate her knowledge and respect of the craftsmanship… which quickly devolved to technical questions and slight frustration over specific configurations.

“Why does this flamethrower mechanism require multiple tubes? Wait, before that, what are the tubes made of? How are the materials chosen? 

To her delight, the mechanical man replied verbosely to almost all of her inquiries, rather tersely as he explained his flamethrower mechanism, but far more detailed as he went over the composition of the tubes which delivered the compressed gasses to be burned. As to the reasoning behind the placement of his components? The automaton could only helplessly inform her that he did not know why his internals had been placed as they were, but even so, Danielle quickly noticed subtle shifts in his tone. The more she asked, the more the machine showed what seemed to be true emotion: specifically, pride in his creator. 

She also quickly learned which topics were absolutely off limits. If she asked a direct question about the Comte, the internal power source contained in an armored pocket, or the glowing script she found etched into certain joints and mechanisms, Danielle was met with firm refusal or even pointed warnings. 

Without those key pieces of knowledge, she was left floundering to make her own hypothesis. Over the next few days, she carefully wrote out her questions and thoughts on the matter, taking meticulous notes, sketching diagrams, and jotting down her observations. For the first time in her life, she was able to ask an endless deluge of questions and get patient replies to almost all of them. It was a refreshing change from her usual experience of someone going out of their way to tell her she didn't need this information, to push her onto the path they thought best for her.

After perhaps a moment of careful contemplation, Sneezy would either give an answer or not. Not once did he ask if she should even ask the question, and even if he didn’t always answer, Danielle was utterly thrilled with the experience.

Nearly a week into her gentle captivity, as she was asking Doc about the different alloys used in his armor, versus his internals, Danielle stumbled onto a fundamental disparity between her assumptions and the reality of the mechanical body. After rechecking her findings three times, she carefully formulated her question before actually uttering the words. “Sneezy… I have a question that might be somewhat impolite.”

“Not to put too fine a point on it, Madame Danielle, you currently have a grip on the equivalent of my major arteries if I were a human.” Sneezy’s near-humorous response caused her to raise an eyebrow and jot down another note. “Please request whatever information you are seeking.”

Danielle felt a quiet satisfaction. Her guard was clearly starting to trust her, and with that trust came the opportunity to learn more and faster than ever. She felt a twinge of guilt at the realization, knowing her stated goal remained unchanged: the Enchantress was here to recruit Sneezy’s creator and would have to be removed by force before she would give up.

“I'm wondering why you were designed like this.” She gently rubbed a fingertip over a rusted patch deep in the automaton’s leg. “You work amazingly well, but there's a clear lack of maintenance. Some of these sections are clearly very efficient, but without additional casing and lubrication, you're going to break down or rust to pieces. At the very least, you'll need replacement parts. You already do, here and here at least.”

“There is no query in your words.” Sneezy sounded almost… resigned?

“Ah. Let me try again. Your designs are not put in place with thought to long-term maintenance or anything other than pure utilitarianism. Why? You would last so much longer with just a little more time spent on adjusting your design.” Danielle pulled her hand away, leaving behind a gleaming patch of metal where before there’d been a thick coating of rust. “There. I can't do much for you, but… you should have a greater range of motion now. Call it my thanks for humoring me the last few days.”

Sneezy *whirred* softly, his internals on full display, yet far quieter than previous thanks to Danielle cleaning as she studied. For just a moment, the thickly armored cylinder covered in glowing runes glowed brightly. 

“Thank you for attempting to assist me. As for my design, you must understand that the primary focus of the Comte is efficiency and precision. He believes in a ‘minimal viable function’ process for any of his projects which do not require robust redundancies. In this way, he can create two or even three times as many guards and utility automatons, such as you've seen in the kitchen—uhm.”

“Well. I think you’re worth a little more time and attention,” Danielle informed the flamethrower-guard, who had stopped speaking suddenly. Worried that she had pushed too closely to a forbidden topic, she shifted her attention and reached out to poke a metal plate, “Let's see if I can convince my skill to smooth over that patch; it looks particularly intrusive-”

“What am I looking at right now?” The horrendous voice of the Beast echoed through the open doorway, causing Danielle to scamper away from the open chassis of her guard in surprise. “I've been working for days to ensure the safety of the estate, resetting the protections, adjusting the mechanisms and locks. I come back here, expecting to find an annoyed recruiter for Verdelune’s war efforts. Instead, I stumble upon the very automatons meant to be guarding that recruiter showcasing their internals and leaving themselves undefended against any sort of attack she might be able to produce!”

“BST model three, this isn’t what it looks like!” Sneezy’s parts slid back into place, his metal covering clicking into position faster than Danielle had ever seen them move. “We were just-”

“Giving an outsider access to protected designs!” the Beast roared in reply, cutting off Sneezy’s protestations. “Why are you arguing with me? How are you arguing with me? What did you do, Enchantress?” 

Danielle rapidly shook her head. “I didn't do anything to him! I was just trying to learn. Well, I mean, I do have a theory as to why they seem to be gaining a bit more personality, it seems-”

“A theory?” The Beast stomped forward, its oversized hands reaching out and wrapping around the entirety of Danielle's arm. “It's time for you to leave, before you corrupt my mechanisms. The Comte has no need for the theories of an untrained peasant. His designs are perfect as they are! We don’t need or want your meddling. You’re lucky I have been instructed to release you, or… walk! It’s time for you to leave.”

As she was frog-marched from the room, Danielle leaned over and managed to snag her notebook, hoping she could talk some sense into the Beast. “Please! Hear me out, I need to speak to Comte LeKrout; it's a matter of life and death!”

“So you said when you arrived. Yet here you are, happily playing with objects far beyond your understanding.” The Beast growled back, causing Danielle to go still as she realized he was correct. “If you were so desperate, why were you not ruminating on your needs?”

Only as they exited the front door of the manor did Danielle realize the Beast was making almost no noise while moving. Even then, only his sudden crashing footsteps as he walked on the lawn drew her attention to that fact. She glanced behind them, trying to understand what had changed, only to see several cables extending up into the ceiling being retracted. “Are you on a pulley system when you’re in the house?”

Surprisingly, the Beast responded with more than threats or growls. “This immense design cannot run on internal energy indefinitely. I have a limited amount of time I can remain active outside of the building. A solution is being researched.”

“I have a theory about that, too!” Danielle shouted over the noise of the Beast’s crashing momentum. “Your designs are pure function; they aren’t designed to be harmonious. A huge amount of your energy is being consumed just by-”

They came to a sudden halt with the Beast looking up at the top of the wall. 

“Please don’t throw me over.” Danielle’s words were met by a snort of disdain, then the machine crouched, its hand extending to wrap around Danielle's waist before pouncing upward. The sudden movement pulled a scream from her lips, then they landed on the wall with a *clang and a clatter*. 

Danielle expected to be looking out over the untamed countryside, but with a deep feeling of dread, Danielle found her eyes locked on a banner in the distance. “Gasteel Company. Oh, no.”

A huge line of people were marching into the area, and the beginnings of a camp had already been set up. Their sudden arrival had drawn many eyes, and as the Beast and Danielle watched the frantic activity below, a familiar figure appeared, waving happily. 

“Madame Danielle, you're alive!” 

Swallowing her suddenly very dry throat, Danielle croaked out a reply, “Lefroupe? What's going on? I thought I was to be sent here alone?”

“You were!” The scribe chuckled as he let his eyes trail over the mechanical monstrosity gripping her. “However, your loving fiance has deep concerns over your health and well-being, and sent us—all of us—to check in on your welfare. It's good to see that you’re alive and… being treated well?”

“He's not my fiance!” Danielle felt a caustic snarl erupt from her mouth and blushed furiously. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and tried again a moment later. “I will not be marrying Gasteel. I'll throw myself head-first off this wall first.”

“See, that wouldn't be a great idea if you want to maintain the status quo.” Lefroupe rubbed at the back of his head in agitation, seemingly pondering for a moment before nodding sharply and explaining himself. “You would be dead, your father would be dead, and the Comte would need to appear before the king to prove his innocence in the matter. I don't know if you've had a chance to talk to the man himself yet, but… I don't think he’d appreciate that very much. Are you sure you don't just want to accept the noble title and a happy, calm, peaceful life? Were I in your shoes, I would’ve jumped at that chance. Almost anyone would have.”

“No one’s stopping you, Lefroupe. Make your play. I’d love to be replaced.” Danielle called back angrily, getting only a chuckle of appreciation from the scribe.

“I lack your… natural and system-enhanced charm, I'm afraid,” Lefroupe stated wryly. “Anyway, we'll be out here, waiting for your success. Or, more realistically, your acceptance of the situation. Well, they will. I’m leaving to report on your health in the morning.”

The grip around her waist tightened slightly, and Danielle had a moment of feeling absolutely sick as she turned her attention to the Beast. “Please… wait. Don't put me out there with them. They have my father. If I fail to recruit the Artificer, I will need to marry the baron to save him. I… I don’t want that to be my life. I can’t.”

“Tell me true. Until you go out there, or the Comte officially refuses, are you in a stalemate?” The Beast’s voice was much quieter, clearly aimed at not projecting his question to the assembled soldiers below. “If you remain here, not having an audience, without a yes or a no, there is nothing forcing you to take action against Comte LeKrout?”

Danielle thought for a long moment, going over the actual terms of the agreement she’d made with Gasteel. Ever so slowly, she started nodding, and a small smile appeared on her face. “That's… yes, that's true. I hadn't thought of it like that.”

“In that case, do not ask to see him again, or I will let you. He’ll refuse, and you’ll be off to a Class Shrine to be married before you can try a second time!” the Beast growled at her, then turned and hopped over the wall, his mechanical legs absorbing the shock of their fall. 

As he released Danielle, he plucked the notebook from her nerveless fingers and began flipping through its pages. Even though its features were mechanical, and therefore not expressive, Danielle could still see that the Beast was shocked and surprised at what he was seeing. “This is your work? Your questions? You were not given instructions on ways to get close to LeKrout?”

“Quite the opposite, in fact. If I’m reading the situation correctly, I was set up for failure at every turn,” Danielle quietly replied, hoping he would give her back the notebook. “I learned from my father how to be a Tinkerer, and I've been reading every book I could get my hands on ever since I was a child. I guess I just want to see how the world works?”

“Hmph.” The Beast started moving again. “Follow me. Since you're going to be our guest for the foreseeable future, against my recommendation, I've been told to grant you access to a new part of the estate.” 

“Do not make the Comte regret this decision.”