The moment Clover announces the team arrangements for the day, the meeting room erupts into a cacophony of shouts, courtesy of Yang hurling out all manner of insults and threats. He expected opposition towards the decision, but the sheer intensity of Yang's anger still manages to surprise him. The others are quick to jump in, most trying to calm the raging brawler, while Harriet snaps back and earns the ire of Blake. He takes a step forward, ready to intervene, when he catches a glimpse of Qrow looking far too amused by the situation. Underneath the amusement, however, he sees the ever present fatigue that clings to the man.
Shaking himself free of the distraction, he focuses on the ongoing quarrel and wades into the fray.
It takes multiple attempts to placate Yang and Blake, and even after the arguing begins to die down, she and Blake both glare at him as he talks. It isn't until he declares the meeting over and Ruby jumps in to divert their attention that they stop.
Clover lets out a heavy breath. At least he knows to avoid any further arguments with the two.
An elbow to his side earns his attention. As he looks to his left, he is greeted by the sight of Qrow standing next to him. There is a teasing smile on Qrow's face, but it is the dark circles under the man's eyes, more prominent than ever, that Clover focuses on. How little sleep has Qrow been getting since that day in the mess hall? He feels a frown start to form on his face and forces himself not to.
"You weren't ready for that, were you?" Qrow asks, nudging Clover again.
"It was a bit of a surprise," Clover admits, "though I like think they understand why I made the decision."
"Uh-huh."
"You don't?"
"I do, but I think we both know how they feel about it."
Clover laughs. "They made sure to let me know." He places a hand on his hip. "I expected you to step in."
"Hell no. I know better."
"Scared of your niece?"
Scrunching up his nose, Qrow narrows his eyes at Clover and opens his mouth to make a retort, only to immediately be interrupted by the sound of his Scroll. He rolls his eyes as he pulls it out of his pocket to look.
Any hint of levity leaves his face once he reads the message.
"What is it?"
"James wants to talk," Qrow says, voice low.
"About?"
"Who knows," Qrow mutters as he roughly shoves his Scroll back into his pocket. "I'll go see what he wants and meet you guys in the hangar afterwards."
Though he is attempting to sound unbothered, Clover can detect the anger lurking underneath. As much as he wants to know why, he knows there is no point in asking Qrow questions he won't answer, regardless of Clover's curiosity. Instead, he simply nods and watches Qrow slink out of the room, doubts circling his mind.
What reason would Qrow have to be apprehensive of a meeting with James?
"Where is he going?"
Clover turns as Ruby and her teammates approach, taking note of the evident worry on each of their faces.
"The General requested to speak with him."
"...Oh."
Yang and Blake share a quick glance, then look to him with skepticism. A warning, or a message. He can't quite decide. The fleeting sensation of pinpricks runs across his skin, remembering how it felt to have Qrow's nails digging into his arms. The sudden, almost primal fear that took over, strong enough to stop a fearsome Huntsman in his tracks.
What could have prompted such a reaction? Why towards James, of all people?
He shakes his head.
The process of the teams preparing for their missions provides a only a momentary distraction from his thoughts, much to his dismay. He helps to check equipment and goes over the individual mission aspects with each team, but it doesn't take long for those nagging doubts to resurface. One by one the teams set off, until he is left with Ren, Nora, and Weiss to wait for Qrow. To pass the time the three engage in idle chatter, none of which Clover is interested in listening to. His attention stays on his Scroll, watching the minutes tick by on the clock.
It is Nora's voice growing louder that finally leads him to looking at her.
"You worried about Qrow?" Nora asks. "He's just talking to Ironwood, so there's nothing to really worry about, right?"
How should he answer? Under different circumstances he would readily agree. Now he isn't quite sure.
Unfazed by Clover's silence, she continues. "Do you think he's okay? I mean, he seemed okay during the meeting, besides being kinda tired."
"Even if something was wrong, I don't think Qrow would talk about it," Weiss says.
What an understatement.
Ren frowns. "He has become more distant of late."
"It's a shame. He was just starting to open up."
If Qrow had been willing to be vulnerable before, to let others see the cracks and reach out to them for support, why did he tell Clover he wanted to deal with his problems alone?
Heavy footsteps halt any further conversation.
The relief Clover feels seeing Qrow is short-lived, turning to worry at the sight of the anger twisting Qrow's face. The irate man storms past them, pointedly ignoring an attempted greeting from Nora as he climbs into the transport. He perches on the edge of the bench and bends over, hugging his folded arms against his chest. With a sigh, Clover motions for the others to board and follows them. Clover reaches out a hesitant hand, his fingers barely touching fabric, only for Qrow to jerk away. A steady thumping fills the air as he begins to bounce his leg. Acknowledging his companion's obvious desire for space, Clover moves to the other end of the bench. The trio of friends exchange uncertain glances before taking their seats on the other bench.
The ride to the mission site is an awkward one, despite Nora's best efforts at lightening the mood. Eventually even she falls quiet, a pout on her face as she fidgets with her hammer.
Not once does Qrow speak.
The silence is broken when the pilot calls out, "We're approaching our destination."
It is no surprise when Qrow is the first to stand. What does surprise Clover is that Qrow is quick enough to fling the door open before the rest of them even have a chance to get to their feet. A blast of cold air washes over Clover, sending a flurry of snow swirling around him. Qrow refuses to so much as acknowledge Clover's attempt at an objection, launching himself out of the transport and disappearing into the billowing snow.
Weiss groans. "Seriously?"
His reaction time is lacking. In the time it takes for Clover to move a single step, the others are following after Qrow. Perhaps it is his annoyance that throws him off, or his worry; regardless, he lands a bit harder than he would have liked. He rolls to a stop and does a quick scan on the area. He expects to see Qrow behind them, but there is no sign of him.
"Come on!" Nora shouts. "We gotta catch up!"
Clover whips his head around. Sure enough, there is Qrow, closing in on the abandoned facility. Huffing, Clover jumps to his feet and breaks into a run.
Qrow had jumped barely a minute before them. "How did he get so far ahead?"
"Oh, did he not tell you?" Weiss asks.
"Tell me what?"
Nora shrugs. "I mean, if he wanted you to know, he would've told you."
"Is it something I should be concerned about?"
"Pfft, no. He doesn't go around telling just anybody about it, that's all."
A statement that does little to reassure him. He does have to concede that Nora is right; whatever it may be, Qrow must not have wanted Clover to know, or at the very least thought it wasn't important enough to mention. If they say it's nothing to worry about, he is going to trust them. There are far more pressuring matters at hand concerning Qrow, after all. He can always ask later when Qrow has had time to cool off—however long that may take.
Harsh gusts slam the open door against the wall, the sound of metallic banging just barely audible over the roaring wind. Spots of sunlight shine through the hole-ridden ceiling, offering just enough light to illuminate only a small portion of their surroundings. Clover enters with slow footsteps, scanning the dilapidated room for movement. Nothing more than snow moves among the shadows, but a flash of red at the edge of a beam of light alerts him to Qrow's position. He would swing across to catch up, but a single glance at the ceiling tells him it is too unstable to even try. He grabs hold of the railing, ready to vault over it. An ear-piercing screech is the only warning he receives before the metal falls apart in his hands.
He would jump down, but between the low visibility and the ruined floor, he concludes it wouldn't be worth it. Falling through a hole would be less than ideal. The stairs, while not as rusted as the railing, are still degraded enough that Clover refuses to trust them with his weight.
"This is worse than stated in the report," Ren says. "If we aren't careful, we may end up trapped."
Nora slaps a hand against her hammer. "I could break us out if that happened."
"And make it worse in the process."
"It wouldn't be that bad!"
Weiss rolls her eyes. "If there was a collapse, I would handle it."
Clover would rather not listen to the three argue. "You should be focusing your attention on the mission."
Letting out a loud laugh, Nora says, "You're one to talk."
He is not going to dignify that with a response. "Best to proceed with caution. Weiss."
With an affirmative nod, Weiss steps up to the edge of the platform, holding Myrtenaster upwards in front of her face. She swings the sword downwards in a wide arc and holds her free hand outwards. A series of white glyphs form in the air, a soft glow radiating from each, creating a descending path leading to the floor. Clover takes the lead and runs down the path, only slowing once he steps down onto the floor.
The hallway is thankfully not in quite as rough shape as the entry room, but still enough to warrant careful steps. Clover turns on his light, illuminating the gloomy corridor. Qrow is nowhere in sight.
"Qrow is making his way through rather fast, considering the condition of the floor..."
Nora waves her hand around. "Well, he wouldn't really need to worry about that."
Clover side-eyes her, unsure if he wants to voice his mild annoyance. She simply smiles and shrugs.
Ren sighs. "Nora."
"What?"
Gunshots interrupt them, followed by the echoes of growls and roars filling the air. No more time for caution; Clover sprints down the hallway at full speed, followed closely by his young companions. The end of the corridor opens into a large room with a collapsed floor, chunks of shattered concrete and twisted metal laying in scattered heaps across the floor below. There they find the source of the noises: Qrow, locked in combat with a group of Grimm. The sound of metal scrapping makes Clover look up to see more crawling in through the ceiling, no doubt having been drawn in by Qrow's intense anger. Weiss uses her glyphs to target the airborne creatures, accompanied by Ren, while Nora drops down to the floor below with little thought. Clover readies himself to join the fray, but hesitates as he watches Qrow fight.
The aggression Qrow had shown during the Centinel extermination pales in comparison to now.
Wide, clumsy swings of his scythe carve chunks out of the monsters, dismembering each one limb by limb. He snaps and snarls as he takes hits he would otherwise avoid, but he returns the pain twofold.
Qrow, in this moment, is not a graceful hunter. He is an enraged beast, a predator tearing into his prey with unrestrained ferocity.
It is a strange thought, but Clover finds himself glad that he and Qrow aren't on opposing sides.
He shakes his head and jumps into the fight.
There is none of the usual synergy between him and Qrow. Entirely expected, but disappointing nonetheless, especially when it makes the battle far more difficult than it should be. He keeps some distance between himself and Qrow, in an effort to avoid the possibility of being caught by the wrong end of Harbinger. Even Nora avoids getting too close, a conflicted look on her face when she glances at Qrow. Weiss and Ren do their best to clear out the Grimm coming from above, but are unable to prevent all of them from making it past.
By the time they are finally able to clear out the room, the air is clogged with black smoke.
To his shame, Clover lets his irritation get the better of him, if only for a second. He grabs Qrow's shoulder, fully intending on lecturing his partner for letting his emotions run rampant. Before he can, Qrow shrugs Clover's hand off and whirls around to face him, teeth bared like a feral beast. When their eyes meet, the fury fades, his expression caught between anger and grief.
The moment is fleeting. Qrow turns his back to Clover, grasping Harbinger with such strength that his hands shake.
Clover inhales sharply. He knows he needs to be patient with Qrow, but the man makes it difficult at times.
He turns his attention upwards to where Weiss and Ren are. "Any sign of more Grimm?"
"No," Weiss answers. "Looks like we got them all."
That is good news, at least. Clover does a quick sweep of the room, searching for a way further in. He finds nothing; every doorway is blocked, each having collapsed inwards.
"The rest of the building is inaccessible, so I'm calling an end to the mission. Let's head back and report in."
Qrow strides past them, that same hurt look on his face, and climbs up to the floor above without saying a word to them. Clover watches him disappear into the darkened hallway with a frown.
Nora rubs the back of her head. "Seems like he's in an even worse mood now."
Weiss purses her lips. "What do you think he and Ironwood talked about?"
"Hard to say, but it couldn't have been good for him to be that upset," Ren says.
Clover has his suspicions. Ones he feels will be confirmed once he speaks to James.
"I'm gonna break Ironwood's legs," Nora mutters.
"I appreciate your concern for Qrow, but I have to ask that you not break the General's legs," Clover says. "That would do more harm than good."
"Still wanna do it though..."
"I think we should avoid jumping to conclusions until we know for certain what happened."
With a loud huff, Nora puts her hands on her hips. "No fun."
Somewhat concerning that her idea of fun is breaking people's legs, but he doubts she actually would. He declines Weiss's offer to use her glyphs to get them back up and instead follows in Qrow's footsteps. The path proves stable enough, allowing them to climb the rubble with relative ease. Walking through the hallway is just as slow going as the first time, and by the time they reach the entrance hall, Qrow is already exiting the building. Clover wishes he knew how the man could move so quickly, especially in a rundown place like this. They finally reach the door and find Qrow standing there with his arms folded, still scowling.
At least he decided to wait for them this time.
The ride back to Atlas feels even longer than their flight to the mission site, and all the more awkward. No one bothers to speak.
Their group is the first to arrive, despite how long their trek in and out of the abandoned facility took.
"You have the rest of the day off," Clover says as they disembark. "I'll handle reporting the mission."
Nora throws her hands up with an excited shout, earning a sigh from Ren and shake of the head from Weiss. Far too happy about her new free time, Nora bounces off towards the door, talking excitedly and forcing her two friends to rush after her. He watches them leave, a small smile on his face. It is quick to disappear when Qrow passes him, muscles tensed and shoulders hunched.
What is it that causes him to be so on edge in a place where he is safe?
That question echoes in his mind as he makes his way to James's office, only being silenced when he enters the room to find James sitting with his head in his hands. Had he been like this since he talked to Qrow? Just how badly had their conversation gone? It isn't until Clover approaches the desk that James looks up, surprise flitting across his face before his expression settles into something more neutral. His gaze drifts towards the door, then back to Clover.
"I didn't expect you to return so quickly. Where are your teammates?"
"Since there's no other work to be done today, I thought it best to let them have the rest of the day off."
More-so for Qrow's sake. He doubts a single afternoon of rest will be enough to help improve Qrow's mood, as much as he wishes it could, but he can hope.
"Understandable. How did the mission go?"
"The facility is useless. We would have to divert resources to excavate it, and considering the condition of the building, it wouldn't be worth whatever may be inside. I'm willing to bet it would be a net loss."
"That is disappointing." James hesitates, shifting his gaze downwards, before quietly asking, "How was Qrow?"
"He was rather upset, to the point of attracting Grimm." When James's head snaps up, Clover adds, "We had no major issues dealing with them."
With furrowed brows, James laces his fingers together and presses his hands against his mouth. "I knew he was angry when he left, but..."
"If I may ask, sir, what did the two of you discuss?"
James sighs. "The incident in the hangar. I simply wanted to know what might have caused his reaction."
There it is; confirmation that Clover guessed correctly. "Did he tell you?"
A half-scoff, half-laugh leaves James's mouth, a reaction Clover has never seen from him. "No, only that it was a 'bad day'," he says as he lowers his head. "He apparently thought my concern was only for how well he could perform in the field, and not for his well-being."
Taken aback, Clover drops his gaze to the floor, his mind racing. If Qrow truly believes that James has ill intentions, it would explain his reluctance to confide in others. That only left the reason for him reaching that conclusion. James has certainly made mistakes, a fact Clover will never deny, but he has only ever done what he thought was right.
Part of him wonders if he would be better off not knowing the answer.
"Why would he assume that?" Clover asks.
James shakes his head. "I don't know. I wish I did." He leans forward to massage his temples. His voice is low and uncertain when he says, "He is hiding something for one reason or another, and I have no idea what it could be."
The tone of his voice makes Clover uneasy. "Do you not trust him, sir?"
"That depends."
Clover frowns.
"Qrow has proven himself time and again on the battlefield. There are few others with his level of skill, as you've seen. I would gladly trust him with my life. As for taking care of himself..."
"I see."
"There's nothing we can do. For now, at least." James leans back in his seat, shifting his gaze to the window. "He has made it more than clear that he doesn't trust me, and even if he is more comfortable around you, he's told you nothing. I'm also unsure how he feels about the other Ace Ops. I suppose all we can do in the meantime is keep an eye on him."
How accurate the description of Qrow being "more comfortable" around Clover is up for debate, given how the man has been acting around him as of late.
A few seconds of silence pass before he turns back to Clover, a deep melancholy clouding his eyes. "If you find anything out, please let me know."
Caught off-guard by James's expression, it takes Clover a moment to respond. "...Of course, sir."
"Thank you. You're dismissed."
Clover nods and turns on his heel, marching out of the room. As the door closes behind him, an unsettling feeling passes over him.
There is trouble ahead, that much he is certain of.