Qrow.

Chapter 6 | Everything Has a Price

After sealing his fate for the next month and a half, Ryan happily grabbed the spellcast. Upon activation, it cast a projected screen in front of him. He first tried the gallery but it was past closing time. So, he called up the fairy. She answered, getting rather excited when she saw Ryan.

"Hello- Oh, Ry!" She squeaked, "Hang on, hang on. I'll go get everyone else." She put him on hold for a minute, no doubt running into the living room to find the others. Kitty turned the projection back on, now having the rest of the family with her on the couch.

"We were just starting to worry." Ghost said.

"I'm fine." He chuckled, "More or less. I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is Croc gets to go home in six weeks, and Jasper thinks we'll be able to get Felix's banishment lifted."

"And the bad news?" Ricky questioned.

"The bad news is in exchange for helping us out, I agreed to help Jasper out. They're really short staffed here, so as payment for his help, I'm going to volunteer here until they let Croc out." He explained.

"I should've expected as much from him." Felix replied, "Did you get to see Marci yet?"

"And Croc?" Kuza added, "Is he okay?"

"I did see Marci but I haven't gotten to see Croc yet. I heard him," He laughed, "He's hard to miss. The place is divided into three wards. One for general pop, one for the patients that need a little more extra care, and one for the patients that have to be kept locked up. Marci is in general pop. She's... Not well. They said after you left, she stopped speaking. She's so tired, she's like a zombie."

"It's... Also all the medication they keep her on to keep her stable. It zones her out really badly." Felix responded.

"I gave her your necklace when I saw her and that made her really happy. Now, I understand why they say she can't leave this place though. She needs the help. As for Croc, well... How do I put this..."

"They locked him up and threw away the key, didn't they?" Kuza muttered pitifully.

Hesitantly, Ryan said, "Yeah... They're having me shadow the two aids that work here for this week. So, one of these days I'll have to see him. Jasper said once they've finished training me, he's going to give me some of their patients. Hopefully I can talk him into letting me have Croc. He'd probably listen to me somewhat better too." 

"He doesn't listen to anyone." Ricky deadpanned.

"Well, he probably won't eat me like he would the other aids. That's what I mean. Besides, if he doesn't show good behavior, they'll turn that six weeks into twelve."

"When you do see him, please tell him I love him. I miss him really badly." Kuza responded. 

It was heartbreaking to hear. Ryan had seen both sides of Kuza; The tough body guard, and the kept pet. Initially, he'd hated what Croc had turned him into. They all did, but now, he couldn't bare to upset the poor thing. Losing Chris was hard enough on him. He couldn't take losing his Daddy.

"I will. Don't worry. There's..." He sighed, "One more thing, but if you guys don't mind, I need to talk to Ghost and Ricky alone." 

"We'll head upstairs." Ricky said, grabbing the gem off the coffee table. 

Being that Ryan's trip had only concerned Felix and Kuza, the couple was a little concerned about the secrecy. They shut their bedroom door and placed the spellcast on their nightstand beside their bed. As Ricky set down, Ghost cuddled into his side. They were so precious together. Ryan almost opened his mouth but quickly shut it when he heard their toddler.