Beauty X Beast ~ One!

Danielle Marie Tinkersdottir walked down the cobbled streets of Frontière, a small town in the furthest reaches of Verdelune. Each step was filled with confidence and poise, an undeniable natural grace shining through despite her best efforts to hide it. She wore plain clothes befitting her station as the daughter of a humble Tinkerer, a toymaker who earned just enough to allow them to live peacefully in the sleepy border town. 

Only one small addition to her clothing set her apart from any of the other young women in town: a thin veil that fluttered in the wind slightly with each step, an unfortunate necessity for shielding herself against the prying eyes that far too frequently turned toward her, no matter what lengths she went to in an attempt to blend in. 

“But all of that changes tomorrow.” Danielle promised herself, a determined light shining in her eyes, though her coverings ensured no one could see it. “A terrible Basic Class, an absolutely brutal Advanced Class, but with my eighteenth birthday only a dozen hours away… all of the research and effort I’ve put into following in my father's footsteps means I’m sure to unlock a Tinkering class at the very least. No, with my attention to detail and ability to adjust them after they’re completed… perhaps I’ll even unlock a specialty class like Researcher!”

She ran a finger along her forearm, leaving behind a golden trail that turned into words denoting her abilities, vanishing from her skin and being replaced by the next line each time she finished reading the previous one. 

Basic Class: Charming Child

Basic Skill: Alluring Assemblage: Level 10/10. 

When arranging items, you [Perfectly] align them in such a way that is pleasing to onlookers. Items arranged by you will be [Perfectly] pleasing to the eye, making even unpleasant tasks desirable and wares worth more for sales or bartering.

Advanced Skill: Graceful Movement: Level 10/10.

Every motion you make is [Perfectly] controlled, enhancing your flexibility and fine motor control. As you progress through this skill, you become deft, adding a [Perfectly] captivating modifier to every motion.

Breakthrough Skill: Permanently Locked. You failed to reach Skill level 10 with your [Basic Skill] and [Advanced Skill] before advancing your class!

Advanced Class: Blessed of Beauty

Basic Skill: Resplendent Reflected Self: Level 10/10. 

Resplendent Reflected Self passively, continuously, and [Perfectly] amplifies your beauty in response to the admiration and attention you receive, based on the preferences of the people you are spending the most time around. Your looks and grace will grow more potent with each glance, with each pertinent compliment increasing the speed of adjusting to the aesthetic of the 5 people you are around the most by [10]%. 

Advanced Skill: Aura of Refinement: Level 8/10.

Your presence subtly, permanently, and [Extensively] enhances the beauty and charm of people and objects within your vicinity based on the local aesthetic, reaching up to [8] meters from your body. This effect is gradual and automatic, becoming more pronounced the longer you are around people and objects, or the more focused attention you give them with this skill.

Breakthrough Skill: Locked. Reach Skill level 10 with [Basic Skill] and [Advanced Skill] to unlock!

Her Basic Class had been a product of the combination of her father's technological assembly and her mother's unknown capabilities, as Danielle's father had never spoken about her mother. In fact, any time she tried to get him to open up, he would turn cold and ignore her for at least the remainder of the day. 

Even though her skills hadn’t aligned perfectly with what he needed, from ten years of age, when she’d first unlocked her Basic Class—as all children do—she had been able to help in his workshop, everything from placing his tools and cleaning his workbench to adding finishing touches to some of his works. Truly, it had been a delightful childhood, where she had thrown herself into advancing her skills with the fervor most children had. 

All of that had changed, practically overnight, when she’d unlocked her Advanced Class at the age of fourteen. That was the earliest that the second class, and the new skills that came along with it, could be imparted to a person by the system. She had unlocked her Advanced skill in a year, the fastest anyone had ever seen, all because the people of Frontière had never been able to keep their fool mouths shut. 

Compliments poured onto her like water falling from a cliff, progressing her Advanced Skill at a record pace as well. She’d only managed to keep herself from achieving a third skill from the hated class—a Breakthrough skill, which would further empower the effects of her current skills—by donning a veil to reduce ‘pertinent compliments’ and refusing to actively enhance people. Otherwise, it was likely that there would be no escape from gaining the attention of some highborn and becoming a bird in a gilded cage, forced to boost their looks while never being able to go into a public space herself.

Danielle kicked a rock, blinking as her thoughts returned to the present. Her gaze dropped to the basket she was carrying, filled with small wind-up toys which should appeal to boys and girls alike: knights in shining armor and princesses bejeweled with cut glass. Simply being in her presence meant that, even now, they were ever-so-subtly becoming more beautiful, appealing, and able to inspire desire. A smile appeared under her veil, and Danielle decided she had earned a bonus for herself. 

“Know what? I'm going to mark these up today. I've been carrying them around for a week. Whoever gets them won’t be overpaying, even when spending at a premium. I know Francois has been hiding a new booklet On the Artistry of Architecture in his shop, and today, I’m going to make him part with it! He's been holding out on me for too long already.”

“Ah, Belle, grace me with a smile!” 

At the shouted plea, the smile that she already had on her face—luckily hidden behind the thin silk—dropped away instantly. The streets of Frontière were already buzzing with activity so early in the morning, a time she’d chosen specifically in an attempt to avoid large gatherings of the tightly knit community. She had hoped the early hour would give her some cover, a chance to blend in, to be just another face in the crowd as people started their day. 

Unfortunately, ever since her father had moved them into the Kingdom of Verdelune, her ‘exotic’ origins of roughly two dozen miles away—yet still across the border—made her an oddity in a community that had lived together for generations. Each time she walked along the streets, her presence was like a stone dropped into a puddle, creating ripples of attention that followed her no matter where she went.

“Lift your veil for my son, and you’ll have a genuine marriage proposal as soon as your Full Class is unlocked!” a mother called out in a voice brimming with eagerness. Her grown son flushed a bright red… but he didn’t try to hush her. Why would he? What young man didn’t want the most beautiful girl in the entire kingdom, and what mother wouldn’t be thrilled to have a daughter-in-law who could restore a youthful appearance and ensure graceful aging?

For Danielle, passive beautification was already a side business she was partaking in. When she simply sat among a group of women in the town who would trade favors with her, Danielle’s power smoothed out their wrinkles, gave their skin a healthy glow, whitened teeth… the list went on. 

While she couldn’t actually return people to good health, she could make it appear that way. Frankly, it was the only reason the ladies of the town tolerated her presence. Even as they sent cool glares her way, they wanted to look in the mirror and see a reflection of beauty.

As per usual, Danielle responded with a polite, yet firm refusal to the shouted proposal. In an effort to hide the discomfort of the constant shouts, she kept her eyes forward, her steps brisk and purposeful. She’d set a goal for herself, and when she determined her next step, she wouldn’t be tempted off of her path by anyone or anything. 

“I’ll show them, someday. I’ll be recognized for my ability and contributions to people’s lives… not just my system-granted appearance.” Danielle held her head high, speaking quietly to herself. She would happily tell anyone who would listen about her dreams, but in a town like this, they would only smirk knowingly and shake their heads at her. “I will be a standout person, respected for what I can do, who I am. Not… not for the classes the system practically cursed me with.”

As she approached the market, more and more people called out to her, and whispers began stirring up under the breath of many.

“Tomorrow, we will make plans to be wed, Bella!” A rotund baker leaned out of his window and crossed his arms. His girth spoke of a man who clearly had plenty of food to spare—and the way he was standing was meant to call attention to that fact. In his own ham-fisted attempt at subtlety, he was attempting to show that she would never go hungry if she were a part of his household. 

“I don’t think your wife would appreciate that, Master Baker. Besides, I wouldn’t want to marry someone who can’t even remember my name.” Danielle gently smiled and continued moving while the older man clutched at his chest, as though he were deeply wounded, even as his smile widened.

“My son, then!” The baker tried one last time, but she merely shook her head.

“Why must she parade herself around here, disturbing the peace?” The voice of a washer woman near the town well was dripping with disapproval, and it was no accident that she was speaking just loud enough for Danielle to hear. “Not even an adult and already acting this way? I must shake my head at what her future will look like.”

“An outsider, just like her father. How full of herself must she be that she wears a veil like that? Too good for commoners like us to even look at her,” another washerwoman chimed in, her tone as scornful and sharp as thorns.

Handfuls of calls reached her ears, dozens of whispers prickled her senses, and though she had long since learned to keep her emotions guarded, the words still stung. Now even her attempts to avoid the attention by wearing a veil were somehow backfiring on her? At that moment, she felt more like an intruder than a member of the town, but if she wanted to feed herself and her father, there was nothing she could do but complete her tasks.

Danielle finally arrived at her normal selling space, finding that it had been left empty for her, though she only arrived once a week or so, when her father finished a new batch of toys. She set up the exquisite figurines, arranging them in a pleasing manner as dictated by her class skills, and let out a soft sigh as the scene she had created reminded her of a book she had loved as a child. “Someday, oh someday, I'll have more than this provincial life.”

The knights were standing in defense of the princesses, who in turn watched the iron-clad defenders with loving eyes while clasping flowers. After each of the main items for sale were set out, Danielle pulled the last of the items from her basket, two small mechanical birds which sang a familiar tune after being wound.

Music was a rarity in these parts, considered wasteful and unnecessary in this kingdom built on conquest and personal ability, especially here, where the greatest ambition anyone had was to one day be slightly more successful at their parents’ current job. This meant anyone granted a class dealing with music or artistry was typically forced onto another route in life, unless they were members of higher society, the children of merchants or nobles. 

In Frontière, life could be difficult, with a dozen eggs easily being worth half a day’s pay if you had to purchase them from someone else—and recently, someone had begun purchasing dozens of eggs a day, driving the prices up to untenable levels. “Now that I think about it, I bet the baker is going to start struggling soon. I’d warn him about the collapse of the local egg economy… if I thought he’d listen. I'd have to explain what ‘economy’ was, though.”

The exquisite toys, paired with the out-of-place yet soothing music, quickly drew a crowd. Children reached for the toys, only to have their hands slapped away by their mothers, who knew too well how breaking the often fragile toys was tantamount to purchasing them at full price without the ability to haggle. Yet, even so, they didn’t walk away cheaply: Danielle negotiated prices with the practiced ease of an experienced merchant, her father's teachings echoing in her mind as she carefully negotiated with each person, figuring out not only what they could pay but what they were willing to part with.

Before the bell was struck eight times, her table was completely sold out. Flush with success, Danielle gave a small curtsy to the crowd of people who were either walking away happily—having secured a toy that would likely be handed down for generations—or frustrated that they would have to wait at least a week for another chance. “Thank you, fine people of Frontière. Your kindness and generosity will see my aging father through yet another winter and help me keep him in good spirits.”

There were various polite murmurs at the sincere words, along with a smattering of people rolling their eyes, but a young boy who stepped forward was the only one to actually speak with her. “Hey, Belle, do you know why the town is named like it is?”

“Oh, not again, don't bother the toymaker's daughter with your inane-” The young lad’s mother reached out to grip his arm and yank him away, but Danielle had already swooped down to her knees to speak to the youngster at his level.

“Yes, history is so interesting, isn't it?” Danielle's eyes were shining as she dove right into the conversation. “Long ago, when your mother's father’s father was only as old as you are now, Verdelune was still a young kingdom. Our neighbors were fierce and greedy for our natural resources. Our king’s father was barely able to push back a half-dozen kingdoms holding royal abilities of their own. But his son, the current king, and his wife, the queen, came to power and defeated those greedy kingdoms; they claimed large chunks of those countries for our sake. This place, Frontière, was at the very edge of the territory that was captured for our people—now we’re right at the edge of the frontier. See how that word sounds similar to Frontière? That's why-”

The mother, seemingly having had enough, yanked on the boy and pulled him away while scolding him sharply. “You don't need to know any of that! You’re going to be a wainwright like your father. Stop filling your head with useless thoughts, like she does, or you'll never have a proper career. When you’re an adult making wagons and carts, you can walk any path you want. Until then, your entire focus must be on your future!”

Danielle started to stand up, not bothering to wipe the dirt from her dress—knowing that it would either vanish or integrate itself into her clothes in a pleasing manner—only to feel a pinch on her rear. That was quickly followed by a shout of pain, and she whirled around to see a young man clutching his hand where six small spots of blood were welling up. Her toy bird was fluttering around his head, pecking and squawking an alarm. “Pierre Bakersson! How dare you!”

“You maimed me, you temptress!” The man she recognized as the baker's son bellowed as he stumbled away. “My father told me he had proposed on my behalf, and I was coming to make sure you knew I was on board! You turn eighteen tomorrow; how long are you going to put off accepting marrying me?”

“Try something like that again, and I'll let the other birds out to peck and claw at you every time you step out of your father's shop!” Danielle warned the grumbling young man. She lifted her hand, and the toy bird flew back to perch on her finger. Reaching back, she allowed the small machine to hop over and clip onto her belt; ready to dig its sharp talons into the next person who invaded her personal space.

Her excitement over the sales drastically waned after the duo of negative interactions, but as she stomped away, Danielle remembered having met her original goal—and that she had promised herself a treat. 

Taking a deep breath, she strode away from the mocking or covetous gazes and entered the nearby bookshop. As the scent of old paper and ink settled over her, the anger and annoyance started to drain away. Her eyes traveled along the shelves filled with books—a true treasure trove in this backwater. She had long browsed through all of the titles on display, so she walked directly past them and met the eyes of the shopkeeper. 

“Francois, I know you've been holding out on me. Someone told me that you have a copy of On the Artistry of Architecture by the scholar D. Koda in the back. Are we going to do this the easy way, or am I going to have to bribe someone to buy it for me at a massive discount?”

She was met with a deep sigh of frustration, and Danielle had to bite the tip of her tongue to hold in a snarky comment as the merchant shook his head.

“Why do you do this to yourself, Belle? You confuse your future, trying to undo all of your hard work, your skill gains of the past. The whole town has heard that tomorrow’s your birthday, and you’ll be unlocking your Full Class. Are you certain you should weaken yourself further?” The shopkeeper, Francois, eyed her skeptically, and Danielle felt a surge of anger as she saw an all-too-familiar glint in his eye. 

Before she could interject, he let fly the exact insulting words she’d been expecting. “I’ll just say what you need to hear. You don't need to bother with all of this… reading. Surely any man would marry you as you are!” 

“I seek knowledge for myself, not for the pleasure of others,” Danielle sharply retorted, her patience having already been fully spent this morning. “Perhaps you should fear for your own future? Why are you trying to convince a customer not to make a purchase? Do you want your business to fail? Are you cautioning me because you look at your own life and feel distaste?”

Moments later, she was leaving the shop with the book in her hand, though it was noticeably not wrapped in fine paper like all of her previous purchases had been. A loud cheer pulled her attention to where a crowd of young men were gathered around Pierre Bakersson, pushing a large mug into his still-bleeding hand and showing the small scars on their own hands.

“One of us! One of us!” The entire group laughed as they exchanged high-fives, bonding over how they had each earned marks on their hands from failed attempts at ‘courting’ Danielle.

She muttered furiously under her breath, lamenting the narrow-mindedness of the people from this far-flung frontier town as she stormed home. “Tomorrow, I unlock my Full Class. Tomorrow, I prove that my fate is my own, not something set in stone by my birth. I will leave here, create, innovate, and be admired for those things… not for a face that’s carved by the system to be pleasing to the eye.”

Luckily, not all hope was lost just yet. Even though the Full Class was almost always an upgrade based on how often, or sometimes just how the skills were used in the past, the desires and hard work of the person in question would sometimes persuade the system to grant a class and skills that either tempered or controlled the earlier classes. There was plenty of precedent of a Full Class shifting drastically away from the Basic Class, or even the Advanced version. Or—better yet—outright changing how the previous classes presented themselves. 

More than anything, Danielle wanted to be able to shift her ability to beautify to be completely external, allowing her to affect other things—only what she wanted to change, when she wanted it to happen. 

“How did the system document put it? There exists the potential to shift this from a passive ability into an active one? Yes. I want that. Otherwise… so long as I can gain a class that will offer me a profession, I will at least be content.” 

Holding back a tear of frustration as she passed by whispering wives pointing her out, Danielle looked up at the sky and spoke in a shaky voice, “Please… system, fairy godmothers, anyone who can help… don't let my Full Class be a direct blend and upgrade of what I have right now.”