"Shhh," he says, resting his chin on her shoulder and hugging her. "She's busy. Have some lunch, it's very good."

Chelise nibbles at some lunch disconsolately. "Too busy to say hello?"

He nuzzles his nose against her cheek.

She giggles and wraps her arms around his neck.

It is! Snuggle snuggle.

It is also more cuddly! And everything is better with purring.

"Do you think she'll ever like me?" asks Chelise after a few moments of silence apart from purring. "I don't know how long we'll be here. I don't think I could bear to be trapped in one place with someone who couldn't like me no matter what I did."

"Give her time," he murmurs. "I don't think she likes you or doesn't like you. I think she doesn't know you at all."

"But then why wouldn't she say hello and try to get to know me?"

"Because if someone doesn't break this curse one way or another, I will be trapped here alone forever," he sighs. "And there might not be time for her to learn all she'd need to learn to break it with magic."

"Oh, you poor thing, alone forever, I can't imagine anything more horrid - if there might not be time wouldn't it make more sense for her to do what I'm doing, then?"

"She does magic," he says, "you do belly rubs. Each to your own talents." And he nuzzles her cheek again.

Well, Chelise can certainly do belly rubs!

The Beast purrs and snuggles up affectionately.

"It's going to bother me if she just goes on not liking me. She likes you, doesn't she? How'd you do it?" Chelise asks after a long conversational lull.

"I don't know," he says with a fluffy shrug. "Maybe I didn't. Maybe it just is."

"Just is?"

"Maybe she likes me because I am who I am."

"Well - yes, but how did you demonstrate it, what did you do? If she only likes people because of who they are and not anything they do I might just be doomed, mightn't I?"

"I don't know," says the Beast.

"I don't think I could bear it! In a village I could just avoid anyone I didn't get along with, but there are only three of us here!"

"Would you?"