Seeds of Promise

[Clopin]

As Belle and Varian joined the others on the stage, Clopin began to address the townspeople who had been milling about to look at the inventions, as they had never seen such things before. The turnout was like the Festival of Fools, albeit a little smaller, and with far less debauchery (than he would have liked to admit).

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, creating a small hum of voices as they ooh'ed and aah'ed at the inventions lining the stage. Clopin waited for the stragglers, stroking his goatee as he eyed the entrants pensively. He couldn't help but be surprised when Varian guided his automaton up onto the stage, trailed by Dante, who then pulled away to join Clopin and Virgil.

The wolfdog pushed against Clopin, as he used the king's hip to push his snout closer to Clopin's ear. It was a trick Clopin had taught him when he was younger, so that Dante could pass messages to him without being heard. To everyone else, it looked like the wolfdog was simply trying to lick his owner's face. Dante's hind legs stumbled for a moment before regaining balance.

"Mon roi, Varian shows a lot of promise. We shouldn't take him lightly because of his young age." Dante whispered, before dropping back down to the ground again. Clopin nodded, winking at the wolfdog as he began to stroll past the tables with the smaller inventions, pausing to look closely at each one. He then continued on to the end of the line, where Varian's automaton stood, shining brightly in the light of the sun overhead.

"Varian, this is quite a splendid invention. Tres magnifique!" Clopin exclaimed, as he looked closer at the thing. The boy and Belle had much more in common than he'd initially thought, skillfully blending art and utility into one.

And for him, it proved to be a difficult choice.

After some time debating, and allowing the crowd to vote for their favorites, Clopin tallied up the votes, and then took a deep breath, before producing a pair of rather embellished badges with his royal seal on it. His cloak billowed out in the breeze as he read the winner from the paper that Dante had handed to him.

"Mes amis, it looks like we have an official winner! Thank you all for submitting your votes!" Clopin announced, his voice carrying through the breeze.

"In first place, we have the lovely Mademoiselle Lefebvre, followed by our young alchemist Varian, in second place!"

Cheers erupted from the small crowd below the stage as Clopin began to stride across the stage over to where Belle and Varian's displays were. By some grace of God, Clopin managed to rein in the strange, warm feeling he got whenever he was close to Belle, as he handed her one of the badges.

"Félicitations on first place!" Clopin said, offering her a warm smile as he placed the badge in her palm. He felt a small shock as their hands briefly touched, almost like an eletrical current had run through him. In an effort to keep himself sane and composed as the king, Clopin moved on to Varian, giving him the second badge.

"And for you, Varian, I have another offer for you. Dante had quite a lot of good things to say about you, and from what I can see, I agree with him. Along with this badge, I would like to formally invite you to be my student, and I your mentor." Clopin said, finishing his sentence with a low bow.

[Varian]

Varian didn't honestly care all that much whether he won or lost out, at the end of the day the chance to show the king what he could really do was all that he'd really wanted out of this competition. He'd grown up in Old Corona being regarded as a dangerous boy, someone to fear and shun, and he was quickly starting to realize that his previous fears of there being no place for him were senseless. While his eagerness had earned him the occasional scolding, he was valued, and that meant more to him than any first place prize.

Still, he was human, and he held his breath all the same when Clopin prepared to make the announcement. There was a release of pressure in a swift breath when it was done, and he clapped along with everyone else, throwing a bright grin at Belle, "congratulations! You gotta tell me more about your invention later," he gave her a good natured grin, clearly genuinely happy that someone who deserved it had won first place.

Varian's eyes almost sparkled when Clopin approached him and offered the second place badge, but it was the words the followed it that almost made Varian's heart beat right out of his chest, "m-me?!" he gasped out the words, feeling unbidden tears beading at his eyes that he was quick to brush away, hoping maybe the king hadn't noticed, "thank you! I-I mean...It's an honor...I'm...Wow..." He laughed giddily, then bowed in return, "I wont let you down, sir!"

---

[Belle]

Belle hadn't the luxury of time to get a good eye on the other inventions brought to the field. Fleeting glimpses perhaps as she'd walked to and from her tent, but time had been of the essence to perfect the final touches of her own baby. So the clambering of Varian's automaton up the steps of the stage were her first glimpse she'd gotten, and Belle was smitten. A moving suit of metal, without the use of magic and appearing some level of cognizance? Belle's hands itched with the desire, no, the need to get a look under the hood. Maybe just a peek at the schematics!

Practically vibrating and with her hands clasped under her chin Belle simply eyed the automaton as the tallying commenced. So taken with her apparent competitor was she that Belle took a moment to realize that the results were being announced! Smoothing out the front of her apron in an approximation of regaining composure Belle turned back to the king and crowd, a fleeting smile on her face.

Surely she'd misheard? Belle blinked a handful of times, but it didn't fully register until Clopin was before her again, his hand over hers as a badge was pressed into the palm she'd unconsciously raised at his approach. Hazel eyes fixed on the king's for a shocked moment before traveling down to their linked hands and the prize between them.

She'd... She'd won?

Belle raised one hand to her cheek as heat suffused her face in a sudden rush of adrenaline. "_{Oh my gosh.} I-- this is -- " Shock burst a laugh from the maid. Coughing to clear her throat Belle managed to squeak out a quick, "Thank you, sir," before her tongue completely fishtailed into a right flustered fix.

Thank goodness Clopin had to move on to present the second place prize. It gave Belle a moment to suck in a breath in an attempt at reining in some semblance of social grace under the gaze of such a large crowd.

Varian's congratulations did not go unnoticed. "Thanks, and to you too!" She answered in earnestness. "I would love to see the design specs for your automaton! I mean, if you'd like and the King is agreeable," Belle stepped towards the pair, one hand resting on Clopin's shoulder for a moment as she drew up beside them. Perhaps it was an excuse to touch the gypsy king, to test and see if he really was as warm as she'd felt before in the tent. Perhaps it was just a friendly gesture. Belle certainly wouldn't tell. "We could collaborate on a project together for the Rouges?"