Marrow placed a couple mugs of beer onto the counter. "Here you go Elm. That's the third drink Harriet's had today. Is everything okay?"
Elm nodded as she took the drinks. "She's just got rejected by Clover is all."
Marrow gave a sly grin and his tail started to wag as he smoothly poured another drink. "You know if Harriet needs someone to keep her company I'm always available."
"It'll never happen, Marrow. Just give it up," Elm said before she returned to the table where Harriet was waiting. Marrow's face fell and his tail slumped in defeat.
Elm placed the drinks on the table but Harriet wasn't paying attention. She just kept mumbling to herself about what Clover said earlier that day. "'Would rather be on the streets with James' he says. How could he reject the life I would bring him?"
"Maybe another drink will help," Elm suggests, pushing the mug towards her.
Harriet just shoves it away. "It's not. What am I supposed to do Elm? If I don't hurry someone else is going to snatch him up."
Elm clapped her friend on her shoulder. "Are we forgetting who I'm talking to? Who was it that took down that rabid bear five years ago?"
"I did," Harriet answered.
"Who catches the most game every hunting season?"
"I do."
"And who can do all that while still looking like the most graceful and beautiful woman in the world?"
"I can!" Harriet declared slamming down her mug.
"You see? Clover will come around. Just you wait," Elm assured. Harriet nodded and gulped down her drink.
The doors burst open, revealing a disheveled looking Ozpin. "Help! Can someone help me please! Clover! He's in danger!"
Harriet made her way over to Ozpin with a fresh drink in her hand. "Ozpin settled down. What happened with Clover?"
Ozpin took a couple sips of the alcohol before he started. "I found this hidden castle. The owner there, he took me prisoner. Clover found me and offered to take my place and that beast accepted it."
"Beast?" Elm asked.
Ozpin tried to say more but before he could he wound up passing out. With his hair out of his face, everyone could now see just how red he was. Harriet placed a hand on his forehead. "He's running a high fever. We've got to get him to a doctor right away." Everyone cleared a path as Elm carried Ozpin out of the building. Harriet close behind.
Clover had now calmed down for the most part. He was sitting on the window ledge staring up at the moon and taking in the fresh air. A knock at the door caused him to tense, not wanting to deal with the beast again so soon. Opening the door he took a peak out but didn't see the beast. Instead he saw a tray with food and a tea pot along with a cup and some sugar and cream. Clover poked his head out trying to find the person that left him this but found no one. Shrugging he brought the cart in.
The food looked delicious. A hearty steak with a small salad and some mashed potatoes. Clover went to pick up the tea pot and poured himself a drink when the pot itself hopped over to the cup. "No need to worry about that dear. I'll take care of it." Clover blinked as he got a better look at the tea pot and the cup beside it. Both of them were staring at him with matching silver eyes.
"Hi," the cup greeted.
Clover screamed and backed away from the tray hitting the wardrobe behind him.
"Woah hey easy now," the wardrobe said. Which also had a face and... cate ears? Clover backed away from it as well and was about to sit on the edge of the bed but paused. Cautiously, he inched over and poked the sheets a couple of times.
"That one's not alive," the cup assured.
"Okay so only half the objects here are alive. That's great. Wonderful even." Clover let out a nervous laugh. Either he was losing his mind or this was all one, big, horrific dream.
"Seriously Blake! You didn't give him a heads up?" the cup asked.
"Well he looked really upset when he came in. I thought it would be best to wait until he settled in a bit more," the wardrobe that was apparently called Blake said.
"She's right Ruby. It's been a very big day for him," the tea pot said as she hopped down with the aid of the cart and went over to Clover. "I am sorry for scaring you, Clover was it? My name is Summer. The little cup there is my daughter Ruby and the wardrobe is Blake. I know this is a lot to take in but the food is getting cold. I'm sure you'll feel better once you get something to eat."
Clover gave a shaking nod and got back up on the bed so he could partake in his dinner. Summer used some kind of magic to get the cart to let her backup and she poured some tea into Ruby. "You want cream or sugar?" Ruby asked.
"No. I take it straight," Clover said. "Um, are you sure it's alright? That I-" Clover really had no idea how to finish that question.
"No worries. Uncle Qrow drinks from me sometimes so I've gotten used to it. At least you don't have a big beak," Ruby said.
"Ruby!" Summer playfully scolded.
"Qrow?" Clover questioned. "That's the name of the one who is keeping me here?"
Summer nodded. "I know your first impression of him left something to be desired."
"Understatement," Clover muttered as he started to eat.
"But he's a good person once you get to know him," Summer continued.
Clover put down his utensils and wiped his mouth. "Why should I try to get to know the man who is keeping me prisoner? I can only imagine what he wants to do to me."
In the main bedroom, Qrow, Tai, and Raven are listening in on their conversation thanks to the magic lamp. It showed a smoke-like image of Clover talking with the others. At his words Qrow swatted the smoke away. "You see what I'm talking about Tai? I don't even know what I was thinking keeping that man in here." He slumped into his chair, head in his talons.
"And this is why I'm telling you that you two need to sit down for a meal," Tai insisted.
"Mr. Xio-long I don't think it would be the best idea right now," an axe said as he used some magic to place the logs into a fireplace before lighting it. A small mercy from the Enchanter. The inhabitants of the house were able to use a slight bit of magic so they could do their jobs despite being trapped in their current forms. "The fire is ready sir."
"Thanks Oscar. You can go back to the others for the night," Qrow said. Oscar nodded and hopped out of the room. "The kid's right. Clover here is clearly not in the mood for a candlelight dinner with his captor."
"I'm not saying right now. But it needs to be soon. We're running out of time," Tai said looking at the staff. The rust had now spread to where the gem was in the center near the top.
"But this is something we can't rush," Raven insisted.
"Besides, have you seen Clover? He's probably got tons of girls and even a few guys asking him out. What chance do I have?" Qrow asked.
"You just need to show him who you are on the inside," Tai said.
"I know what's on the inside. A spoiled brat with a temper," Qrow countered.
"But the right person can help you change," Raven insisted.
"Raven's right. Just look at what me and Summer did to your sister," Tai said, placing an arm around Raven who shoved him away but didn't bother to hide the smile on her face. Hope bloomed in Qrow's chest. Maybe those two were right.
Oscar went into the kitchen to find his friends putting things away for the night. A feather duster was wiping down the counters while a harp placed away the clean dishes. The stove noticed Oscar's arrival. "So what's the news?" the stove asked.
Oscar hopped onto a table. "Not so great. Qrow seems to be having second thoughts. And he used the lamp to check in on Clover while Ruby, Summer and Blake were talking to him. Let's just say it didn't improve his mood."
"Clover at least liked my cooking right?" the stove asked.
"No worries Sun!" Ruby's voice piped up as she joined them. "Clover said the meal was delicious."
Sun beamed. "Well I can take pride in that at least."
"How about we focus less on your cooking and more on helping Qrow get together with our new roommate," the harp, whose name is Weiss scoff, putting away the last of the dishes.
"Weiss is right. This may be our last chance to break the curse," the feather duster, named Yang, agreed.
"Not to worry Yang. I've already got a plan in motion," Ruby said.
"Really? What?" Oscar asked.
"Well, Blake, Mom and I were getting to know Clover over dinner. Mom is no doubt relaying all she knows to Uncle Qrow already so he can try and win Clover over," Ruby said. "Get this. He's into romance novels too."
"I thought Qrow didn't like that stuff?" Sun asked.
"He does. He's just too proud to admit it," Yang said. "And umm, how's Blake?"
"Same as always," Ruby said. "You know you can still go up and visit her."
"I don't know sis. With Clover there it might make things awkward," Yang said.
"No more awkward than a feather duster flirting poorly with a wardrobe?" Weiss asks sarcastically.
"I'm not that bad at flirting!" Yang yelled.
"Are you kidding Yang? It took you like two years for Blake to realize you liked her," Oscar reminded her.
"And how long is it going to take for you to ask Ruby out?" Sun asked.
"WHAT?" Both Ruby and Yang screamed. One embarrassment. The other of protective anger.
"I'm not asking Ruby out! I just like her as a friend," Oscar insisted.
"Yeah. Yeah we're just friends," Ruby agreed.
"The door opened again and Summer came in. "Alright everyone. That's enough excitement for today. Come on kids time for bed." The kids groaned but grouped around Sun and started to fall asleep.
The next morning, Summer came to escort Clover to the dinning room for breakfast. Clover entered the room just as Qrow was about to leave. The two made the briefest of eye contact before Qrow hurried out. He almost looked bashful. Clover tried to put it out of his mind as he tucked into his food. The process repeated during lunch. A couple of hours later Clover decided to explore the castle.
It honestly was rather beautiful if not a little creepy. It looks as though it's been around for at least a hundred years. It was strange. Surely there are those who know about this place. Even if Qrow drove them all away or kept them locked up someone would have said something by now right. Then again, Clover did stumble upon this place through a magic portal so there must be more here than meets the eye.
Clover kept exploring, being caught up in all the paintings and tapestries scattered around the hallways he didn't notice where he was going when he discovered a room with the door slightly ajar and decided to go inside. The room was a mess. There were some mirrors that were shattered. Things were strewn about. Several paintings were shredded into pieces by what could only be claws. Or talons more likely. Clover managed to find what looked like a family portrait that seemed mostly whole. It looked like a king and queen standing proudly together. Their young princess looked regal in front of them.
But Clover could not make out the prince. Like the other paintings, the face here was torn to shreds. Clover tried to make out what he looked like, but all he could see were those burning red eyes. Strangely, they kind of reminded him of Qrow's eyes.
A faint blue glow drew Clover's eyes away from the painting and over to the balcony. By the entrance was a table which held a very peculiar object. It looked kinda like a lamp from the old Aladdin tales. Next to the table was a cabin with a staff inside it. The blue gem in the center was stunning and reflected Clover's face. But the base of the staff looked really rusted. Clover frowned. Can Qrow really not take care of his things? The lamp looked in pristine condition so why wasn't the staff the same. Clover decided to open the case up. He did his own metal working when it came to his farm tools. Maybe he could fix it.
A large shadow and a gust of wind drew Clover's attention behind him. Turning around, he saw Qrow looking at him with a fury that left him frozen in fear. It then occurred to him that he must be in the East Wing. The area Qrow told him never to enter.
Qrow dove towards him and Clover ducked out of the way but Qrow only shut the case to the staff. He slowly turned to face Clover. Clover started to stammer an apology. "I- I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was just trying to-" Qrow raised one of his claws and Clover froze, thinking Qrow was about to strike at him but instead Qrow destroyed the chair right next to him.
"Stay away from that thing and get the hell out of here right now!" Qrow demanded.
"I'm going! I'm going!" Clover cried out and bolted out the doors. Qrow watched Clover's retreating form and started to calm down. Groaning to himself, he sank down to his knees and gripped his head in his talons. He screwed up big time. But there was still a chance to make this right. He hoped. He hurried out the door and after Clover.
Clover was so frightened he found that he couldn't stop running. Down the stairs, out the main entrance, through the tree's illusion and into the woods. He kept running until he tripped on a tree root, bringing him back to reality. As he tried catching his breath he took a look at his surroundings.
He wasn't all that familiar with the woods, so he didn't recognize where he was. Clover looked to the sky to see stars littered around and the full moon high above him.
Oh shit!
"Well, well, well. And here I thought it was going to be a boring night," a voice called out amongst the trees. One Clover never heard before but knew who it belonged to. He looked around trying to find the voice as well as a branch or something to protect himself with. Not that it would do much good.
Tyrian steps out of the shadows. His scorpion tail swinging idly back and forth. His eyes sized up Clover's form. "Well now. You look a bit stronger than those waywards that travel my woods before. Hopefully you'll provide me with plenty of entertainment."
Clover's eyes darted around in panic before finding an opening towards his left. Without hesitation he darted off. Tyrian was unphased, letting out a mad cackle before chasing his prey. Clover kept zigzagging through the trees hoping to lose Tyrian. In his haste his foot caught on a root, causing him to trip and fall. Before he could get back up, Tyrian was on top of him. "You were fast I'll admit. But not fast enough." Clover could only stare as Tryian brought down his stinger.
A talon hand grabbed Tyrian from behind and threw him off of Clover. He got back to his feet as Qrow stood protectively in front of him. "Are you all right?" Qrow asked.
"Ye-yeah. I'm fine," Clover stammered out.
Tyrain had brought himself back up and gotten a good look at Qrow. Instead of being repulsed or even afraid he just laughed again. "Oh my, what a beast. And people call me a monster. Didn't know I had competition."
"You are far more of a monster than I am," Qrow retorted before telling Clover to get somewhere safe. Clover moved back and took cover behind a tree as Tryian pulled out a knife and then lunged to strike at Qrow. Qrow grabbed Tyrian by the arm and flipped him over. Tyrian straightened himself out right as Qrow started to pounce on him and the two rolled around in the ground for a moment before Tyrian was able to fling Qrow off of him.
Tyrain starts to repeatedly jab at Qrow with the knife but Qrow is able to parry with his talons. Finally Qrow was able to grab the arm that held the knife and sliced his talons clean through Tyrian's chest. But Qrow wasn't the only one to get a lucky shot. As soon as his arm was grabbed Tyrian struck at Qrow's abdomen with his scorpion tail. Tyrain stumbled backwards with a high laugh before falling on his back. The light left his eyes.
Clover rushed over to Qrow as the latter collapsed onto his knees. "Just hang on Qrow. Lean on to me I can take us back to the castle," he offered as he looked around before realizing he had know idea where he was.
"I can guide us back. Don't worry," Qrow assured.
Clover nodded. "Just talk me through it okay. Stay with me alright Qrow."
Qrow gave a soft hum and started giving Clover directions. It took a surprisingly short time to get back to the fake tree hiding the castle. Once inside Clover called for help and everyone rushed to their side. Summer, Raven and Tai had Clover take Qrow to his room in the West Wing, Clover hesitated at first, remembering what just happened barely over an hour ago.
"It's alright Clover," Qrow assured. "You're allowed in this time. I really shouldn't have yelled at you like that earlier and I'm sorry."
Clover let out a small sigh of relief as he set Qrow onto the bed. "I'm sorry too. I should have paid more attention to where I was going."
"Well it looks like we're both idiots then," Qrow jokes. Clover found himself laughing.
Summer came hopping in with Ruby in tow and the two jumped up to the nightstand. Summer poured some kind of liquid into Ruby. "Have him drink this. It should counteract the venom," she instructed.
Clover brought the living cup up to Qrow's beak and he started to drink. When he finished Ruby hopped back onto the nightstand and Qrow sunk fully into the bed sheets. Eyes fluttering shut. "Hey Qrow," Clover whispered. Qrow grunted to show he was listening. "Thank you for saving me."
"Thank you for saving me," Qrow returned. "Guess we're even now." Clover nodded in agreement and settled down in the chair next to him. Promising to the others to keep an eye on him. Summer and Ruby hopped out with eager looks on their faces.
"I admit I had my doubts. But this could be the beginning of something great," Summer said.
"I really do like him Mom," Ruby said. "Let's just hope they can fall in love in time." Summer thought back to when she chanced a glance at the staff earlier.
Please. Make it in time.