It's 15 minutes to midnight where I am so this counts as a Friday update
"This is it," Cobra said. He squeezed his daughter's hand tightly as the pair stood in front of the old mansion.
Vivi swallowed nervously and they slowly approached the front door. Cobra raised his hand and knocked thrice.
"Beast!" he called. "I have returned as promised!"
A moment later the door flew open to reveal the terrible Beast, fur as orange as a tiger's and teeth as sharp as a shark's. Vivi clung to her father in fright as the Beast gazed upon them both.
"This is your daughter?" the Beast growled, eyeing Vivi, who shrank back.
"This is she," Cobra affirmed.
The Beast gave Vivi one last look before turning to Cobra with a nod.
"You will not harm her," Cobra blurted out, flinching slightly as the Beast suddenly glared at him.
"Of course not," the Beast said gruffly. "I do keep my end of a bargain. You may have a moment to say farewell."
Cobra and Vivi turned to each other and embraced.
"I'll be alright," Vivi murmured. "Don't worry about me. Perhaps I will be allowed to visit you every so often, or perhaps the Beast will become bored of my presence and send me away."
"We can only hope," Cobra said, his voice breaking. "My sweet Vivi . . ."
Vivi pulled back and briefly pressed her cheek against her father's.
"Come," the Beast snapped to Vivi. She flinched again, but slowly followed the Beast into the old mansion. She turned back and shared one last look with her distraught father before the door slammed shut. The only light now was that emitted from the sun behind the curtains.
"Don't dawdle," the Beast growled. Vivi jumped and followed the Beast a couple meters behind, passing a fancy coat-hanger in the landing. As they passed by a lit candelabra with three candles and a miniature grandfather clock on a table, the Beast glanced at them and said, "you will meet the servants soon enough."
Vivi silently followed the Beast up the creaky stairway and was brought to a lovely room. It looked recently tidied: The curtains, though shut like the rest of the place, were free of dust; the light blue wardrobe looked recently cleaned and straightened, with a vanity (complete with a cushioned stool) to the left of it having had its mirror polished; finally, a changing screen rested against the wall by the magnificent four-poster bed.
The Beast turned away from the mirror as if disgusted, but Vivi stared around the room in utter shock. Never before had she seen such splendor—and this was only the bedroom! Imagine what the rest of the mansion must look like!
"Don't introduce yourself just yet," the Beast said aloud. Vivi looked up nervously, but the Beast didn't seem to be talking to her.
"E-Excuse me," Vivi murmured, ever polite. "Who are you—?"
"You'll learn later," the Beast snapped with bared teeth. Vivi flinched again and shut her mouth. The Beast sighed and rubbed a huge paw on a temple as if in the throes of a headache.
"Dinner will be at eighteen hours sharp," the Beast said, abruptly turning to face the door. "You will be ready no later than the quarter hour. Your clothes are in the wardrobe and I expect you to dress for dinner."
"Dress for—?" Vivi blurted out, for this was a new concept to her.
The Beast whipped back around and glared at Vivi with bared teeth. Vivi flinched sharply and shrank back.
"You are living in my mansion, and you will do as I say," the Beast hissed menacingly.
Vivi bit her lip and gathered her wits about her. "Of course," she murmured, bowing her head slightly. "Forgive me, Beast. I merely wished for clarification on what you meant by 'dress for dinner.'"
The Beast pulled back, lips falling back over sharp teeth. "Wear something semi-formal instead of those peasant clothes," came the grumbled explanation.
Vivi glanced down at her clothes. They were rather worn from years of wear and tear. She wondered what was meant by "semi-formal," but did not want to risk angering her host (or perhaps "captor" was more appropriate), and so she nodded silently.
"I will be in my room," the Beast said, turning back to the door. "You may explore the mansion to your heart's content, but disturb me and face the consequences. The servants may also introduce themselves."
And with a whirl of the cloak, the Beast was gone, the door shut, leaving Vivi alone in the room.
Vivi looked around once more, admiring the lovely décor and splendor of the place. But soon her eyes brimmed with tears, for how could she properly enjoy such rich conditions without her father?
She fell onto the bed and began to sob softly.
It took Vivi some time to compose herself. Once she'd dried the last of her tears, she stood, went to the curtains, and pulled them open, letting the afternoon sun pour in and light up the room. It turned out the windows were merely glass double doors leading out to a small balcony. Vivi slowly pushed open one of them—their hinges were in dire need of fixing after years of disuse—and went out onto the balcony. Her bedroom faced the backyard, as unkempt as the front, as well as the trees beyond. She smiled slightly as she spotted a flock of birds fluttering about the grass.
You may explore the mansion to your heart's content.
"Alright then," she murmured to herself, turning away and stepping back inside, leaving the door open to let fresh air into the room. She cautiously opened the door to the hallway, looked up and down, and then stepped out, shutting the door softly behind her.
After looking at the rooms up and down the hallway, she found an extravagant restroom, several more guest bedrooms, a linens closet, and elaborate double doors at the end of the corridor which Vivi could only assume must be the "lair" of the Beast. Naturally she tiptoed away and went downstairs instead.
As she passed by the candelabra and clock she'd seen before, she heard someone say, "Psst!"
She glanced around but saw no one.
"Madame! Over here!" a second voice said quietly.
She looked around, still confused by the lack of human presence. "Where are you?" she said quietly.
"Right here," the first voice said, and this time Vivi saw movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced down. The clock and candelabra were looking at her.
She shrieked and jumped backwards.
"Please do not be frightened," the candelabra begged, hopping a step forward and waving the candles on either side like arms. The candles were blue, engraved with spirals, and dripping slightly with wax. The center held a small human-like face, which oddly had a large drop of dry wax covering where the left eye would have been. One spiral curled above the visible eye like an eyebrow, and the candle was frowning as if concerned.
"This must be very strange for you," the clock commented, crossing its side panels like arms. It was of light yellow wood. The face was an actual face, with two round eyes, large lips, and an unusually long centerpiece for the hands (the ones which told time). The pendulum in the bottom half swung back and forth serenely. The clock looked at Vivi worriedly.
"Goodness, you startled me," Vivi said, slowly standing. She knelt by the side table, now eye-to-eye with the animate objects. "Who are you?"
The candle bent down in a bow. "I am Sanji, and this easily wound-up fellow is Usopp," he said, gesturing to the clock—Usopp—with a candle-arm.
"Is this a magic spell?" Vivi asked curiously.
"Technically, it's a curse," Usopp the clock corrected, "but yes, of course magic is involved."
"It's a long story, Madame," Sanji the candelabra said, "and we'll be happy to tell you all about it later. But forget about us; how are you faring?"
"We heard what was happening from the Beast," Usopp said helpfully. "We're truly sorry you got caught up in this, though we do hope you enjoy your stay, and perhaps—"
Sanji quickly reached over and wound up the clock hands several times to prevent Usopp from saying any more. Usopp jumped and shrieked as a cuckoo bird on a spring burst from the wood.
"I've told you to stop that!" he cried, stuffing the bird back in and closing the panel. "It feels like my heart is bursting out of my chest!"
"In any case, how are you faring?" Sanji repeated, ignoring Usopp.
"The bedroom is wonderful, but I do miss father," Vivi said quietly. "I'm sure I'll be alright so long as the Beast brings no harm to either of us."
"My deepest apologies," Sanji said cordially, patting Vivi's arm resting on the table, making sure the flame did not reach her skin. "I do hate to ask, would you be so kind as to take us around this floor? We can introduce you to the other servants and the various chambers of our Dame's mansion."
"Certainly," Vivi said politely with a small smile. "I imagine it's difficult to get around like that."
"Not impossible, but very tedious," Usopp agreed with a sigh.
Vivi smiled and picked them both up, blowing out Sanji's candles first to prevent her hair or clothes from catching fire. Sanji did not seem to mind in the least.
"Head to the front door, if you would," Usopp said, wriggling in Vivi's arms. She turned to the door and looked sadly at it, knowing the only outside she would be in now was the balcony in her room.
"Madame Vivi, I must apologize for this inconvenience," Sanji said, looking up at her. "We are mere servants, yet to ask our guest to tote us around like this . . ."
"I don't mind in the least," Vivi said reassuringly.
Sanji smiled, turned to the iron coat-hanger by the door, and said, "Brook, aren't you going to say anything?"
Two eyes, almost like holes, popped open, set closely together near the top of the hanger, where a top hat rested. Vivi jumped.
"Yo-ho-ho-ho," the coat-hanger chuckled, sweeping the top hat off with one of the hangers and bowing down fluidly. "Madame—Vivi, was it?—it's certainly a pleasure to meet you! I'd shake your hand, but I don't have any at the moment!"
"It's very nice to meet you too, Monsieur Brook," Vivi said, recovering quickly from her surprise and bowing slightly in return.
"No need for the Monsieur, Madame Vivi," Brook the coat-hanger assured her. "We're only servants!"
"And I am only a peasant, while all of you live in this great mansion," Vivi retorted politely.
Brook shrugged his spindly iron arms. "If you insist."
"Let us be on our way," Sanji said. They waved farewell to Brook and Usopp directed Vivi to another room. This one was dark, with a few cushy armchairs, a red oil lamp on a side table, and a cold empty fireplace.
"The Beast used to use this room for evening reading or barter with wealthy acquaintances from foreign lands," Usopp said rather pompously. "Fūrén Boa herself visited once, as well as Visconte Iceburg and Fröken Kaya. Now, however . . ."
"Our Dame has closed herself off from society and this room has all but been abandoned," Sanji finished sadly. He smirked and glanced at the oil lamp. "But Luffy certainly brings light to the darkness. Luffy?"
The oil lamp turned itself on, revealing a cheerful face with round eyes and a grin on the glass. "Hello," he said cheerfully, hopping forward on the table and wobbling for a moment.
"For goodness' sake, Luffy, you'll trip and start a fire!" Usopp hissed.
"I'll be fine," Luffy the oil lamp insisted. He looked at Vivi and grinned. "You're Madame Vivi? The Beast was talking about you yesterday!"
"Our Dame was pleased you were coming, even though she may seem moody at times," Usopp murmured.
"Is that so?" Vivi said. "It's nice to meet you, Monsieur Luffy."
"And the same to you," Luffy said cheerfully. He turned his light up and down, alternating the brightness of the room.
"We have told you how irritating that is," Usopp complained, shielding his eyes.
"You have," Luffy agreed. After a moment he ceased his playing and left the light dim.
"We still have a few more rooms to show off," Sanji said. "Luffy, we'll leave you, but I'm sure we'll see you again soon."
"Goodbye, then," Luffy called after them.
Usopp showed Vivi the way to the library. When they entered she looked around in amazement. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of books rested on shelves all around the room. A reading nook sat by the curtain-covered window, dusty from disuse.
"I'm sure our Dame could be persuaded to allow you access to these wonderful books," Sanji said.
Vivi nodded slowly. "That sounds wonderful," she murmured.
After a moment they left and headed to the ballroom. This was a large circular room, a magnificent chandelier hanging from the ceiling and patterned white-gold and light orange tiles covering the floor.
The dining hall was next. Sanji showed Vivi where she would sit, and explained that though none of the servants could properly cook in their cursed forms, their cookware was enchanted and could be used to make delicious meals with commands.
Finally, they showed her the kitchen. On the counter sat an odd green box-shaped object with two narrow slots on top and a dial below a lever on the front.
Sanji hopped out of Vivi's arms and rapped the box-thing sharply. "Wake up, stupid-head."
The box-thing jerked and two grumpy eyes opened on either side of the front dial. "Is the sun up already?" he mumbled.
"It's afternoon, you clod!" Sanji exclaimed, hitting the box-thing again. "Madame Vivi, I apologize for this fool's rudeness. This is Zoro."
"So you're Madame Vivi," Zoro said, eyeing her with interest before glaring at Sanji. "Quit hitting me."
"You can't hit back," Sanji teased, rapping Zoro again. Zoro rocked himself back and forth until he tipped over and crashed onto Sanji, pinning the candelabra to the counter.
"Ouch!" Sanji exclaimed. "Alright, alright, cut it out!"
Vivi pushed Zoro right-side-up and helped Sanji up.
"Forgive me for asking, Monsieur Zoro, but what are you exactly?" Vivi asked, staring at him curiously.
"I'm something called a toaster," Zoro muttered. "I can cook bread slices."
"A toaster?"
"Even the witch who did this to us didn't know what he was, I believe," Usopp said with a sigh. "Only Franky had seen a toaster before."
"And who is he?"
"You'll meet him soon enough," Sanji said reassuringly. "In the meantime . . . Madame Robin?"
"Over here," came a female voice from the cupboard. Vivi set Usopp down and hurried over to the cupboard. She took out a violet teapot and a pink teacup as they opened their eyes.
"Thank you," the teapot said. Her eyes were brown and diamond-shaped. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madame Vivi. I am Robin, and this is my son, Tony. We call him Chopper."
"Hi, Madame Vivi," Chopper the pink teacup exclaimed, looking up at her. For some reason the spot where his nose would be was blue.
"Hello, Madame Robin, Chopper," Vivi said kindly.
"You're looking as beautifully rounded as ever, Madame Robin," Sanji said with the grace of a gentleman. Robin smiled politely before turning to Vivi.
"I don't suppose I could ask a small favor of you?" she said politely. "I know you are our guest, and I wouldn't want to impose . . ."
"I should be saying that," Vivi said reassuringly. "Go on."
"Would it trouble you too much to bring Chopper and me up to your room?" Robin asked. "You see, his father—my husband—is up there, and we haven't seen each other in quite some time."
"Of course I'll take you up," Vivi said. "It's no trouble at all."
Robin smiled gratefully and Chopper gave a little hop in place. Vivi scooped them both up gently, carrying them by their handles with one hand and getting Sanji and Usopp again with the other.
"Thank you for showing me around," she said as she set them back on their table. "It was lovely getting to know everyone."
"Anytime," Sanji said genially, bowing again.
"We do hope you feel more at home here eventually," Usopp added kindly.
Vivi smiled rather sadly, shook her head, and proceeded upstairs with Robin and Chopper.
"Your husband is in here?" she asked softly, shutting the door behind her.
"Yo!" the wardrobe exclaimed.
Vivi jumped and shrieked, almost dropping Robin and Chopper.
"Franky, don't scare her," Robin scolded gently.
Franky the wardrobe grinned. His eyes were round and placed in the decorative top of the furniture piece, his mouth just below.
"Sorry about that, Madame Vivi," he said cheerfully. "Thanks for bringing up my family! Robin baby, Chopper, how've you guys been doing?"
"We're fine," Chopper exclaimed, smiling widely.
"As fine as a tea set can be," Robin affirmed, smiling at Franky as well. "I still must wonder why you weren't cursed to be a sugar bowl or creamer or something of the like."
Franky shrugged—as much as a wardrobe could shrug, that is. "Hey, who knows? Anyway, Madame Vivi, I love what you've done with the place. Who knew opening some curtains would make such a difference?"
Vivi stared at him in shock. After a moment she said, "Pardon me for asking, but where are you from? Your speech is . . . odd."
"More like when am I from," Franky said proudly. "I'm from the future!"
Vivi's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
"But as for the where—you don't know it, but it's nearly halfway 'round the world: A little place called Hawaii!"
"How far . . . which year do you come from?" Vivi asked.
Franky told her. "See, I accidentally pissed off this old hag," he explained. "Wouldn't you know it, she turns out to be one of the only witches left in the world! She sent me back in time, but, y'know, I've gotten used to it. Plus, I met my one and only dear Robin." He grinned again at his teapot-shaped wife. "This whole curse thing I'm still getting used to, though!"
"Would you all tell me more about this curse you're all under?" Vivi asked politely, setting down Robin and Chopper on the vanity as she sat on the cushioned stool.
"Of course," Robin agreed easily. "You're going to be living here, after all; you should know what's happened to us."
She took a breath and began.
So to clarify, this story's set in old-timey France. Technically the servants should be calling Vivi "Mademoiselle," but in 2012 that word was officially removed from the French language, and since this is an AU I wanted to reflect that modern change (mainly to help push it out of use).