la-belle-novaturient

[la-belle-novaturient]

Character Aesthetic: The Bibliophile

                              ↳ “Sometimes stories and books are all that we need to take us away”.

[la-belle-novaturient]

adventures-and-thimbles:

Wendy laughed, agreeing. “Yes, I think we’ll be able to manage quite well! What do you think,” she mused, “Enchanted ruins with booby traps? Cursed pirates?Hungry sea monsters? All good options.

“An evil lord who relies on his ring to manipulate other people? Or maybe a dragon sweeps us off our feet and we have to rescue ourselves. Or who knows, maybe we’ll find a book that let’s us jump into it so we can live the story.”

[la-belle-novaturient]

adventures-and-thimbles:

Wendy grinned, liking the idea. She was more than open to meeting the other girl, she seemed like an interesting sort of person. “So long as the getting into trouble part is a guarantee,” she smiled, a glint of adventure in her eyes.

“With two very determined Ravenclaws, I don’t see how we could find anything else. I’ll do my best to plan for all sorts of trouble we could run into, and then I’ll expect you to do the same. That should cover us for all possibilities.”

[la-belle-novaturient]

Belle avoiding a certain Tristan Dubois in the Hogsmeade library

[la-belle-novaturient]

adventures-and-thimbles:

Wendy nodded. “I can understand falling out of touch with people.” She wasn’t sure when the last time she’d seen John was. Her heart squeezed a bit at the thought.

“Well, if we do decide to go on some kind of grand adventure, maybe I can find her again to ask her along. Three women are bound to get into far more trouble than just two, especially if we’re looking for it.”

[la-belle-novaturient]

insp.

[la-belle-novaturient]

shapeshifterdemigod:

Maui hadn’t been expecting the kiss at all so when she leaned up and planted it right on his cheek he sort of stop working for a moment. A slight blush dusted his cheeks and he coughed to dispel the shock. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders playing it off. “Ah it’s nothing. That’s just what I do. I help people when they need help. I’d hope anyone in my position would do the same.” He smiled and pushed off the railing heading back to the sail. “Now then, let’s go save your father.” He pulled on a rope and the boat gained speed. “We’ll be there in no time and then we can see what you’re new Veela skills can really do.” He had only ever met a few Veela in his life but the ones he did were formidable to say the least. No doubt Belle would use all her new power to her advantage.

Belle couldn’t help the slight surprise she felt as the blush spread across his cheeks. If she hadn’t been staring directly at him, she might have missed it. Still, she couldn’t afford to think of that right now or anything it might mean. He was right, they would arrive soon enough and she would need all her energy and mental facilities for that. “I guess we will. I won’t let either of you down.” She turned herself back towards the front of the ship so she could watch the ground speeding past below them. She wished she could appreciate this travel without the anxiety waiting for her at the end of it. But she wasn’t that lucky. “I think we’re getting close. I’m starting to recognize some of this from the mirror.”

Time for a Reckoning || Belle & Maui

[la-belle-novaturient]

adventures-and-thimbles:

Wendy laughed at Belle’s addition to the joke. They weren’t very exciting, she was afraid, but at least they could laugh at themselves.

“That sounds fun!” Wendy liked the idea of just spontaneously going, and she envied Belle a little bit that she had the sort of friend to go on spontaneous adventures with. That was special indeed. “Does Sophie live in town too?”

“I think last year was her last year of school. So she might be living in town now, I’m not quite sure. We haven’t spoken much since, which I suppose is partially my fault. I’ve been a little, well, distracted.” Trying to combat boredom while still trying to find her father had kept her more than busy enough over the past few months. 

[la-belle-novaturient]

shapeshifterdemigod:

Her shock was understandable for sure, but for Maui this was nothing to worry about. He stood next to her by the railing and leaned against it crossing his arms. “Well, here’s how I see it. You didn’t know and you can’t control it. Therefore if you did manipulate me in some way you did it without knowing and therefore can’t be held responsible. And as for the mirror and me helping you, well, I’ve seen a lot of things in my travels Belle. But if there’s one thing I know for certain it’s that when something is meant to be, it’s going to happen no matter what. Sometimes you just have to ride the wave.” 

He grinned a little and his gaze was nothing but sincere. “I was meant to help you save your father and it would have happened one way or another. The Veela thing is only a means to an end. A tool you could say. And I will help you learn to use that tool, if that’s what you want.”

The tense sick knot Belle had been carrying ever since her meeting with Chrissy finally began to loosen. The words and the accompanying sincerity of the expression were enough to convince her that he was telling the truth as he saw it. It wasn’t just something he was saying to make her feel better. Almost more importantly to her, she had made a point of suppressing the veela side of her as much as possible before this had even begun. So his words were entirely his own. 

Leaning up on her toes she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Thank you. For everything. I don’t-I don’t have the words to say exactly how much this means to me. But thank you.” She knew that intellectually the journey hadn’t gotten any less dangerous, but all of a sudden, it felt less desperate and more possible after all. 

Time for a Reckoning || Belle & Maui

[la-belle-novaturient]

shapeshifterdemigod:

There was truth to what she said for sure and the hand on his was more comforting than she could possibly know, but all the same the guilt remained. “The thing is, I could have easily gone back even for a day or so. Just to visit and let everyone know that I still remember them. Or I could have written to them. Something. But, I didn’t. I haven’t, and to be honest, I don’t think I will.” He was such a coward. Sure give him a monster or a dark wizard to fight and he could hack it no problem. But facing the accusations or the judgement or the anger from his family, now that truly terrified him.

“Why not? If I know anything about family, it’s that they care more about hearing that you’re all right than they do anything else. Write them today before you have time to think better about it and send it home. The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be to face them at all. I’m sure once you explain what you’re trying to do, they’ll understand why it’s been so long. And if they don’t, you’ll know you’ve tried. It has to be better than all of these ‘what ifs’ you’re torturing yourself with.” She tightened her grip on his hand slightly as she stared earnestly at him. 

You’re Welcome || Belle & Maui

[la-belle-novaturient]

thatch-loose-lipped-linguist:

“Ah, that is the goal of life, isn’t it?” Milo smiled.  “To have a job that is so enjoyable, it is essentially a hobby with a paycheck.”  He certainly felt that way with his work, though sometimes teaching was a bit more challenging when it came to uncooperative students.  “But if you think about it, Miss Moore, is that not what essentially is all of history?  Of course, some things are simply reports of major events, but small things come from the ones with the most to say!  Even when we look at paintings, we see plenty of self-portraits of paintings of families that said families commissioned to have hanging in their own houses!  History and reports are filled with telling others what we know.”

“Yes absolutely. Although one hopes that that paycheck allows you to indulge in other hobbies as well.” She’d love to be able to do more than just read about adventures, but who knew when that would happen. “Of course. But isn’t that part of why so much of it was commissioned and produced by the aristocracy? They had the time, money, and inclination to produce those major works. They were basically raised exactly to have large egos and to believe that everything they said and did was worth telling. It’s why so much of our knowledge of ordinary individuals comes through second hand sources until very recently.”

[la-belle-novaturient]

thatch-loose-lipped-linguist:

“Thank you very much for such an offer Miss Moore!  I shall take you up on it if and when I should find myself with the time for leisure reading, though I must warn you, I very rarely have such a time,” he chuckled.  “No I do not, but if no one does it, then the culture would be lost!  Future generations may never know what we as a society at this very given moment were thinking!”

“I was the kind of student who tried to make time for as much pleasure reading as possible. Now of course, any sort of pleasure reading usually ends up connecting to my job so it all comes to the same.” It was part of how she could get away with just reading when no one was in the shop. “I suppose so. But generally I think it takes someone with a significantly larger ego to perfect diary writing and publish it so it can be around for those future generations. Otherwise, most of what we have exists by accident.”

[la-belle-novaturient]

shapeshifterdemigod:

Maui listened intently as she explained her meeting with the Chrissy and the Nihil. Part of him felt relieved that she was now part of the fold and thus would reap the same benefits he had when he joined. But on the other hand he really would prefer it if she just stayed away from danger all together. But that was never going to happen so at least this way she had a little more fire power and support.

When she reached the part about her Veela heritage he smiled softly. He had knew something was different about her from the start and this made perfect sense. He has felt a certain pull towards Belle but it wasn’t like she could be held responsible for that when she was unaware of it. “Veela huh? Well you didn’t know so I can hardly blame you for any influence over me. I could no more blame you for being part Veela than you could blame me for being stupidly tall. But if it really worries you that much I can help you learn to control it. You can practice on me. I’m sure that’s probably a safer bet than making Tristan your human guinea pig.”

Belle had tensed in the resulting silence as she waited for his response, gripping the railing tighter and tighter. This was it. In a moment he was going to recoil from her at the way she’d manipulated him. Not that she could blame him. She despised any sort of manipulation of herself, and she found out that she was the source of so much about her life that hadn’t made sense. Why had she never been told? If it was strong enough to still be noticeable in her, her mother must have been significantly closer to a full veela. And yet she’d never known. 

But as he spoke, she looked up at him in surprise, shock at his casual acceptance clear in her eyes. “You...you really don’t mind? You’d even be willing to help me practice it? But - but I manipulated you. You might not have ever shared the mirror with me if I hadn’t had this gift, and then we wouldn’t be here at all. And people are said to do crazy things when under the influence of the veela. You would be all right deliberately exposing yourself to it just to help me?”

Time for a Reckoning || Belle & Maui

[la-belle-novaturient]

shapeshifterdemigod:

He hesitated. There was no denying what he’d done and he’d always be ashamed of it. But there really wasn’t a choice for him now. He couldn’t go back. Not yet at least. He looked out the window as his guilt ate at him. “I left the island when I got my acceptance letter to Hogwarts. That was, almost 17 years ago. While I was in school I would go back and visit. But once I graduated I stopped. 10 Years I haven’t been to Motunui. I had my reasons but it can’t make up for the time I lost with Moana and my Aunt and Uncle. She forgives me, but it doesn’t make what I did right.” He’d always regret the decisions he made but the path he was on now couldn’t be altered. Not when he got closer to a solution everyday. “I stayed away because I was looking for something to revitalize the island. And everyday I get closer, especially with the Nihil helping me out. No matter how much I want to, I can’t go back until I have something to show for how long I’ve been away.” 

Belle hadn’t been sure what she was expecting, but she couldn’t help reaching out for his hand as he admitted to what he’d done. He looked so upset and ashamed of himself, to a degree that didn’t seem to match the words at all. “Maui, you can’t blame yourself for that. You’re here because you’re trying to do something good for them. You’re trying to help your island and your people. As you said, you’re getting close. Isn’t it possible that she forgave you because she understands exactly why you made the choice you did? There’s a world of difference between the choices you make a sa student and the responsibilities you carry as an adult. You made the best choice you could at the time. Blaming yourself for it now is only going to make it harder for you to accomplish it in the long run.”

You’re Welcome || Belle & Maui

[la-belle-novaturient]

adventures-and-thimbles:

Wendy giggled, a joke popping into her head based on the two girls’ limited travels. “Next in The Adventures of Belle and Wendy,” she began, sounding like a narrator on a tv or radio program. “The trip to the supermarket an hour down the lane,” she narrated. “Will they find the flour in time, or be escorted out of the shop by confused muggles?”

She shook her head with a smile. “No, but in all seriousness a night trip to a cathedral sounds lovely! I bet it was beautiful. I’ve never been in one at night. Why did you go?”

Belle found that she was giggling at the comment. She recognized the radio presenter tone to her voice, but also couldn’t hide how accurate that would be. “Oh no, they were distracted by the sugar! What will happen next!”

She smiled briefly as she thought back onto that night so long ago. “Mostly just to go. Sophie and I wanted an adventure, so we basically just picked a spot on a map and tried to see what we could see. When we apparated there, we ended up right next to the cathedral, so we figured it was the best place to start.”

[la-belle-novaturient]

shapeshifterdemigod:

He laughed outright as she attempted to say the name of the god. “Don’t worry I’m sure he understands. Maori words are difficult for non native speakers.” But as he sensed her growing nerves he became confused. Not want to be around her? What did that mean? Clearly he had no issue with her. If he did he certainly wouldn’t be out here on an epic dangerous quest to help her rescue her father. He shrugged and smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure whatever you’re worried about can’t be that bad. I’m a tough cookie Belle. I think I can handle it. I promise I won’t judge you. I’m like the last person who should be doing that.”

“I ended up meeting with Chrissy. She seems like a really sweet person, and she was really great about telling me the options for how we could rescue my father. Near the end of our conversation, she suggested that I join the Nihil. Like you did. Become part of the group and receive the extra power I would get to make sure I could be useful when we get to the compound he’s been taken to. So I said yes.” 

This was more the hard part. The part that might make him walk away. “She said that the kinds of powers we receive from the Nihil are based on who we are and what we want. So my power is that I gain conscious control over my veela heritage. The heritage I didn’t know that I had. Which means that the entire time we’ve known each other, I’ve been unconsciously influencing you to be more interested in me. I’ve done that with nearly everyone I’ve met who is interested in women. Which also means that Tristan’s behavior isn’t entirely his fault because he’s been caught in the same thing. I’m trying to get better at now that I know, but...it’s hard.” 

Time for a Reckoning || Belle & Maui

[la-belle-novaturient]

shapeshifterdemigod:

“You’re probably right. But I’m going to try. I have a lot to make up for and keeping her safe while I can is the least I can do.” It still broke his heart that he had left her for so long. She had forgiven him but he sometimes wondered if she was still angry with him. He would be if he was in her position. In any case he had already failed her once and he didn’t plan on doing it again. “She is the best part of me and if that’s not worth protecting I don’t know what is.” Family was everything to him. Something told him Belle could relate to that.

Just listening to him talk had her heart softening all over again. It was hard not to smile at a man who could pour out so love and determination for his young cousin so shamelessly. Her father was one of the only other people she’d known to do that, and her mother had said it was because he had always been secretly French instead of British. Maui wasn’t French, but it came out to around the same thing. “What do you mean, you have a lot to make up for?”

You’re Welcome || Belle & Maui