She's been meaning to ask for a while, but no occasion has come up.
"You never explained why you killed your father beyond him being - unpleasant."
"Should I be fearing for my life, should I wake up in a bad mood one day?"
(Perhaps this is a good time to mention the scars on his true form's back and thighs.)
"Is that where the scars came from? I had been wondering if your habit of wrestling rosebushes was a very old one."
"I don't remember all of them," he says. "I think there were more - from other places, later. But most of them, yes."
Comb comb comb. "I think you're all untangled now."
"Thank you for that, too," he says, and turns, and nuzzles his catlike nose against her hand.
"That looks really strange if I focus on your trueshape," observes Belle.
"In fact, a fair fraction of what you do is strange when I focus on your trueshape. Did you always act like a giant cat? Did the behaviors come with the curse? Did you pick them up as you got accustomed to the form?"
He's already on the floor; he flops onto his back at her feet, still purring.
"I am slowly becoming used to the fact that I see both forms but I only get fur if I actually put a hand out."
The Beast laughs and purrs at the same time, an interesting if inelegant combination.
"What do you want to do when we break the curse? One way or the other?"