The room was gorgeous to say the least; the walls, all a pleasant shade of blue, were adorned with old photographs that hung between dressers and bookshelves. Lumière hopped up onto the bed, causing a cloud of dust to rise.
The candelabra coughed, and Tyler chuckled. Smiling sheepishly, Lumière said, "We were not expecting guests, again."
"Do not worry, monsieur, I will have this place spotless in no time!" A pristine feather duster flew by Tyler's head, her feathers tickling his cheek. She seemed to dance around the room, collecting cobwebs from the chandelier effortlessly before landing next to Lumière on the bed. Tyler awkwardly blinked and looked away as the candelabra swooped her into his arms. "This plan of yours is foolish, mon amour."
"I would do anything to hold you in my arms again, Plumette," Lumière cooed, and Plumette giggled; the two quickly separated as Cogsworth cleared his throat.
"The mistress will be expecting dinner in a half an hour," the clock reminded them, and the two hopped off the bed and headed for the door.
"Oh, before it slips my mind; Madame Garderobe!" Lumière called, and Tyler stumbled back as the giant dresser awoke. "We have someone for you to dress!"
"My, it's been ages since I've had an audience!" Madame Garderobe reached out and grabbed Tyler's face. "What a handsome young boy; beautiful eyes, yes."
"Have fun, Madame!" Lumière called as he, Plumette, and Cogsworth exited. "I'll send your regards to the maestro!"
"Oh yes," Garderobe said distracted, sizing up Tyler for a second before digging through her drawers and pulling out an unflattering ensemble and dolling him up. "Oh, lovely." In the blink of an eye, she was fast asleep again, leaving Tyler to shed the stuffy suit and trousers, tossing them aside. Alone with his thoughts, he sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window.
Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, Olivia dragged herself to the dining room, taking her normal spot at the head of the table. She sat in silence, staring at the other end of the table, which had been set up as if two were eating tonight. It took a second for it to sink in and, when it did, she was outraged. She quickly stood, and her chair fell back harshly as she stormed into the kitchen.
"Lumière!" She roared, and all life in the kitchen froze. The candelabra turned in his place, smiling sheepishly up at his mistress. "He's having dinner? Who gave him that luxury?"
"M-Mistress," Lumière tried, kicking at a crumb, "he is a human. It would be rude to treat him like he is anything else; what if?"
"Don't say it," she murmured, becoming very sullen.
"Princess, it'll all be okay," Chip encouraged, and Olivia shook her head and sighed loudly.
"Why don't you try to invite him to dinner, dear?" Mrs. Potts offered, and Olivia groaned.
"What if he rejects me? I'm tired of living like this," she confided, tugging at the fur on her arms. "I'm a hideous beast; nobody could ever love someone like me."
"Now don't say that, mademoiselle," Lumière chided. "Where's the harm in trying? Come, let us go fetch him from his room."
"You gave him a suite?" Olivia asked as Lumière, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Plumette lead her up the staircase. "I suppose it was brash of me to leave him in that cell, wasn't it?"
"Don't dwell on the past, darling," Mrs. Potts assured her. "It's all done and gone. You have a bit of a temper, and understandably so. It just gets out of hand sometimes."
Standing outside the suite door, Olivia began to get a little timid; a side to her that the servants enjoyed to see, a side of the little princess that has too long been hidden away.
"Go on, dear," Mrs. Potts urged, and Olivia knocked on the door. The silence that followed made her heart stop, but it soon began to beat quickly as the door swung open. Tyler looked down at her, and she gulped before straightening to her full height.
"Uh, hi," she started, rather awkwardly at that. "I-I see you've made yourself comfortable here."
"Better than spending my sentence in that cell," Tyler answered, a little sharply. Olivia fiddled with the fur on her right wrist, and Tyler leaned against the doorframe. "What're you doing here? Found another way to make my life worse?"
Olivia slouched, what little confidence draining from her as she meekly answered, "No. I was here hoping you'd like to join me for dinner, but I seem to have lost my appetite. Please, do help yourself to whatever the chefs will make."
She bounded down the stairs and towards the West Wing of the castle, leaving Tyler to stare after her before turning to the servants, who seemed the slightest bit defeated.
