#userstephy

Inej was nervous.

A feeling she knew little of until a few weeks ago. She had always been so sure of everything she’d wanted, a trait she was always proud of. She’d always been sure that she’d wanted more, more than what her little Suli town could offer, more than that vain brute Jan Van Eck and his right-hand man Pekka Rollin. An adventure in the great wide somewhere.

And then she met that cruel, bastard Beast. The man who had imprisoned her father, and subsequently Inej herself. The Beast, with his large black horns curling out of his head, grey skin that darkened the further down one looked, clawed fingers and large paws for feet, and a thin tail, always lashing about with a pointed tip. With his everpresent frown and furrowed brow and under-the-breath comments.

At first, she had despised him with everything she had. Ironic, how, after all her wishing and dreaming of freedom, she’d been confined to a crumbling palace, doomed for the rest of her life. But that was at first.

Now, although she refused to ever say it aloud, she was falling for the Beast. Something had changed between the two after he had jumped in and saved her from a wolf attack. Ever since then, they had read in the library together, walked the gardens together, explored the ruins of the castle together and tonight, they were to dine together. Kaz was falling as well, but Inej didn’t need to know that.

“Monsieur, you must quit your fussing. Inej will love the way you look, no matter what.” Jesper said, waving his candles around as he spoke.

Kaz huffed, staring at himself in the mirror. He reached up to realign his tie for the millionth time. He was in his finest suit, deep blue color with gold accents spirling down the blazer. His hair was combed back neatly, and he traded his usual black gloves for a pair of white ones. Although he refused to ever say it aloud, he was nervous for tonight. “What if I make a fool of myself?”

“You’ve already done that quite a bit, démon.” Matthias chuckled, a gentle ticking noise emitting from him as the seconds passed. A fitting nickname, one as brutal as it was endearing. For once, Kaz wished he didn’t have a clock with him. Every minute that passed was a minute closer to seeing Inej.

A frown formed on Kaz’s lips.

Jesper hopped up to the dresser, standing in front of the mirror to block Kaz’s view. “I think what the old clock means to say is, Inej already has seen you at your worst. Tonight, she will see you at your best!”

A small feather duster joined Jesper on the dresser. “Trust me, monsieur, if I can fall in love with this idiot, Inej can fall for you.” Wylan said, though a smile was on his face.

Across the hall, Inej was just about finished getting ready as well. She was dressed in a large, yellow ballgown, with edged rimmed with gold accents. She could practically hear her heart beating thunderously in her chest.

“Are you ready to go, madame?” Nina, a small porcelain teapot asked, perched on top of a small rolling cart.

“You look beautiful, Inej!” Kuwei exclaimed, climbing up to sit next to Nina. He, too, was a small porcelain cup, although he did have a chip in his rim.

Inej sighed and tore her eyes away from the mirror. “I suppose I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” She forced a smile to her lips. The butterflies in her stomach were beginning to make her nauseous. How she’d make it through tonight’s dinner, she didn’t know.

As if on cue, both Inej and Kaz made their way towards the grand ballroom. Neither quite knew what to expect, but their smaller friends shoved them along, muttering words of encouragement as they walked.

When they finally arrived at the daunting staircase, their eyes locked instantly. A shy smile appeared on Inej’s face as she took in the sight of the Beast. His jaw dropped slightly when he did the same to her. Jesper reached up and closed it. Slowly, they walked towards each other, a grin of excitement plastered on Jesper’s, Wylan’s, Kuwei’s, Matthias’ and Nina's faces.

“You…” Kaz was at a loss for words. “You look lovely.” He finally mustered, a small smile taking form. When was the last time he did that?

“Thank you.” Inej felt slightly breathless. “One could say the same about you.” She added after a moment. Was that a hint of a blush on the Beast’s cheeks?

Kaz stood up slightly taller, fidgeting now. He brushed his hair back, unsure of what to say next. They were simply standing there now, stares unwavering. Inej couldn’t let the smile slip from her face.

Finally, Kaz broke the silence. He offered his arm, heart pounding.