Home Late [Done]

[Nako]

It was late. Well past midnight.

Luckily, this meant that the likelihood the Czar was awake was quite high. The leveret had been... out quite a bit. Staying out from underneath the Czar's feet was the ultimate goal until Aleah found the catalyst to turn himself into a Jack. He'd tried everything from putting himself in nearly dangerous situations, and wooing Does. That... had brought interesting results. Of course, nothing would come to fruition if he stayed a leveret. He'd probably just become the laughing stock of rabbit society. Or perhaps he'd get killed. The latter seemed more likely.

Carefully, Aleah shut the door with a quiet 'click'. He hissed quietly to himself as the door gave a rather uncharacteristic squeak; a hinge that needed oiling, no doubt. Hopefully the Czar wouldn't hear. In his younger years, the battle-ready man would have no doubt heard someone entering his home. Perhaps he was settling down in his old age. Still, regardless of whether the Jack was complacent, Aleah knew his father could cut skewer him with a spear as easily as he speared the carrots on his dinner plate

[Harpsdesire]

At this hour, Alicia should have been long asleep in the nest of shabby (but fastidiously clean) blankets she called her own. The leverets' quarters at night was always full of rustling bedding, soft snores and snufflings, maybe the murmur of dreams. Usually it was a comforting sound, ordinary and homey-- tonight every noise seemed amplified to an annoying degree, and after a few hours of restless tossing, she finally left the room in a silent, moody huff.

If she was awake anyhow, she might as well be getting things done. No one could say that the highlander wasn't a most efficient and dutiful servant. Recognition for her abilities had so far been withheld, but one day the Does would suddenly notice that she had her paws in everything, that she was indispensable to the warren. Ah, what a day that would be...

When Aleah entered the warren, the creaking door caused her to look up from the end table she was polishing in a small alcove nearby, muscles tense from the unexpected sound. Who could be coming in at this time of night? Warren thieves?!?

Aleah. She had seen him before, although rarely, considering they were leverets of the same warren, but he always found his appearance a little startling. It wasn't that she found the dagger-clawed rabbit unattractive, just somehow.. arresting. Unlike most leverets, feminine or neuter-looking regardless of gender, Aleah was unmistakably male. He was also, she knew, the Czar's son, and probably not someone to be trifled with, regardless of his leveret status.

"Good Evening, Aleah." She spoke softly, lest he be startled by her presence. Alicia tried to cultivate a presence much like a Doe's, her voice genteel and posture proud. Although much of her time was spent in cleaning and laundry, she prided herself in keeping her coat pristine and her mane well brushed. Vanity was only part of the reason: she desired, and and had so far failed to obtain, the love and admiration of a Jack.

"Welcome home." Alicia smiled, submissive and sweet as a leveret was supposed to be. It was badly-kept secret, more of a rumor among the leverets really, that the young man aspired to become a Jack. Unlikely as the dream was, Alicia thought it was probably in her best interest to make a good impression. At the least, it was always good to have another ally in the warren.

((I think it's amusing that we have two bunnies obsessed with ranking up here!))

[Nako]

Aleah's breath hitched in his chest when he heard the rustling of feet on the warren floor. The Czar? No. Too light. Not a Doe either; the stride was short and indicative of something smaller. Another leveret. Now, what Aleah would have expected to come next was an accusatory hiss; the berating of an older leveret who'd gotten tired of seeing his face. Some leveret who took advantage of his submissiveness and didn't quite realize he had the ability to slice them clean in half.

Goodness, that was quite the aggressive thought, wasn't it?

Of course, that's not what was there to greet him at all. A voice so sweet, he almost wondered if it'd been a Doe. By the white rabbit, he must have been tired to think that! The only Doe that was a Highlander certainly would never speak to him like that... Valeny. That in itself was a very personal stab. For all that he was risking his life to take her away from that lech of a father.

But instead, here was a full maned leveret greeting him at the door, doing her best to hold herself with all the poise of a little Doe. She's always been feminine; perhaps not entirely because of her appearance, but her personality. It was really -quite- charming.

Despite himself, Aleah's tired face gave way to a large grin. "I have to say. That's the best 'welcome home' that's been extended to me in quite a while." He spoke softly as well, moreso that he didn't wake any sleeping rabbits in the warren. "Could you not sleep?"

[Harpsdesire]

Aleah's grin and surprisingly kind words coaxed a soft giggle from Alicia's mouth. It was partly out of surprise, as she had half expected him to lash out at her, hiding his guilty conscience under aggression. After all, Leverets were not supposed to be out of the warren at night, and no one liked getting caught in a compromising moment. Alicia was pleased to find that the male was considerably less fearsome in personality than he was in appearance. She dipped her head politely in response to his words, which she took as a compliment.

"I'm not usually prone to insomnia," She explained, a trifle sheepish, "But tonight sleeps seem to be out of reach. I'm not sure why, my mind is just busy I suppose." She concluded, shrugging slightly. Aleah himself looked rather exhausted, or perhaps it was just the dark markings under his eyes that gave him a weary appearance?

Part of her wanted to ask in return what he had been doing outside so late, but that seemed likely to upset him. Still, she was curious. Surely there was a way to find out without seeming confrontational. Although a little time to get used to the place had mellowed Alicia's excessive ambitions slightly, she was still wary of making enemies who could hinder her advancement. The little Highlander's life was marked by constant attempts to prove to those around her that she really was the prize she thought herself to be... or more accurately, hoped she was. When she wasn't trying to impress the does with her work ethic and competence, she was practicing her social graces or indulging in beauty treatments she hoped would one day make her one of them.

Carefully, she asked, "Are you restless tonight as well?" The poor leveret actually had the look of one who never got a proper night's sleep, maybe not a proper meal either. Despite herself, Alicia suddenly had a strange urge to care for the male. He looked like he needed a good dinner and a hot drink, and here they were standing in the doorway! "Have you eaten?" She questioned him tentatively, as she didn't recall seeing him around when she and the other leverets ate their evening meal.. Perhaps she had just missed him in the crowd.

[Nako]

A single ear quirked slightly higher than the other at her comment. Was she unaware of his condition? She certainly seemed none the wiser about his persistent insomnia, but then again he did not expect it to be a popular topic of conversation. With him being scarce for most of the time since before she was even a part of the warren, she wouldn't see much of his habits and his usually empty bed.

"Yes... you could say that." He agreed. After all, he -couldn't- sleep if he wanted to right now.

His mental pause was physically visible as his head tilted slightly to the side. Was she... offering to fix himself something? Well, he wouldn't assume that right off the bat. "Actually, no I haven't. I wouldn't suppose you'd accompany me? I suppose being caught in the kitchen in the wee hours of the night isn't as bad as being caught coming in the door." He hazarded a rogueish grin at the leveret, somewhat testing her capacity for humor. He really should have gotten to know the girl by now. Ah well, he'd admit that it was his fault.

[Harpsdesire]

"I'd be delighted to join you." She said, smiling at his words. Although she wasn't usually one to take pleasure in breaking rules, there was something about a stolen midnight snack that seemed quite worth any trouble she might get in to. A midnight snack with company was even more enticing, and with that devilish grin, Aleah was turning out to be quite good company, indeed.

Besides, if someone came in, she could always say that she'd had a sudden inspiration to organize the cupboards. From anyone else that might not be a believable lie-- coming from Alicia it was actually pretty plausible. Now that she had developed a reputation as an almost absurdly hard worker, it freed her up to do pet projects and take a few liberties here and there without anyone looking askance.

A small, mischievous smile graced her lips and she beckoned to Aleah, "No one will catch us." At least, she hoped not... Getting in trouble was against her personal code of conduct, and getting caught sneaking food might well prove to be a setback in her plan to be the best Leveret the Czar had ever had. Still, she thought she could bend the rules just this once-- Aleah was so thin! It couldn't be that bad just to get the guy some food.

Alicia started in the direction of the kitchen, moving with assurance and poise, almost as if she was an undersized Doe. "I can make you something, if you like. Maybe some chamomile tea as well, to help us sleep."

[Nako]

Ah, corrupting the innocent one broken rule at a time! Aleah snickered softly at her confident words. How very 'Highlander'. No wonder the Czar approved of her. Honestly Aleah was surprised he hadn't worked to get more Highlander females in his warren before. Of course, his amount of does had stayed quite constant, with Ashta very firmly set in the center of his world in respects to his Does. He tried not to make it obvious but... everyone knew. And that fact had been growing more evident as the Jack aged.

"I would love that, in fact." Aleah said as they slipped into the kitchen. "I could get used to being waited on. Especially if it involves making me a tea that's bound to put me to sleep. Ah.. on that note. There's a tonic in the cupboard. Perhaps a teaspoon of that in my tea. Don't worry, I'm allowed to use it. Without it I actually don't get more than an hour's sleep a night. That is excuse enough for us to be in here."

Hm. He scratched his chin with the blunt end of one of his claws. "It's Alicia, right? We hadn't found much time to talk, what with all the errands I've been on." Errands, well it really was a truth; it's just that some of his 'errands' were of a more personal nature.

[Harpsdesire]

Alicia had no notion that Aleah's snicker was at her. She giggled back, covering her mouth with a paw to smother the sound. Every footfall sounded magnified in the nighttime stillness. Feeling very conspiratorial, she entered the kitchen and stoked up the banked fire enough to light the area in a flickering glow. Too many lights might alert other nocturnal wanderers to their position.

"Wonderful." She smiled at how pleased Aleah sounded. "I'd be happy to make it for you." Although daily serving the Czar and his does was a chore (and sometimes woke an uncomfortable jealous feeling inside her as she pampered the lovely females), somehow waiting on another leveret felt fun, like she was still a child playing 'warren' and serving the other little ones imaginary cakes and tea. But what should they eat?

"I'm in the mood for something light, I think." She answered herself out loud, placing the kettle on for tea. "What do you feel like eating, sir?" She used the title in fun, not unkindly, bustling about the room and gathering the sleeping tonic and dried chamomile with agile paws. Hopefully between the soothing herb and the medicine, Aleah would be sleeping like a baby bunny in no time. An hour's sleep a night... poor thing. No wonder he looked so exhausted.

She heard his question over the subdued rattle of a pair of teacups on saucers. "Alicia, yes." She was a little embarrassed that she hadn't introduced herself before this. Aleah was the Czar's only son, and easily recognizable, besides being the frequent topic of warren gossip. She had taken it for granted that he knew her on sight as well, a grievous social mistake not at all befiting a lady of her quality. She poured boiling water over the chamomile in a teapot and continued on despite her slip-up, "It seems you're very busy. I haven't seen you many times since I've been here."

[Nako]

Sir? Now that was beyond delightful. Aleah's face split into a grin that was brighter than his usual tired smirk, fully appreciating the light role play. "Hmm..." He made a long, contemplative sound, rapping his claw gently on the counter. "Would there happen to be any celery in the vegetable bin? Celery with a pinch of salt certainly seems like a light enough snack." His voice took the air of a near Jacklike air, lilting gently and with care at certain words to convey a meaning of aloofness, though if she turned to look at him, he'd truly just be grinning like a fool. It was all fun and games... for now, at least.

But when would that time come? That really was the question he asked himself as he watched the fellow leveret move about the kitchen. What a darling thing she was... that mane was just unbeliveable. So much of it.. was it hard to care for? A Doe always had leverets at her beck and call, but for a leveret to put so much pride into her looks and to keep herself so clean and tidy.. it was a certain level of commitment. It made him wonder if all the Does would be truly so beautiful if they had only themselves to take care of their fur and manes. That begged the question... what would Alicia look like as a Doe? Probably stunning. Perhaps with the proper coaxing she'd take that step.

"I run errands rather often. I have more experience in dealing with cards than many of the younger leverets."

[Harpsdesire]

Alicia couldn't help but giggle a little at the aloof way Aleah spoke, and how greatly it contrasted with his wide smile. "I think we do have celery. I'll get it for your right away." She bobbed her head in a tiny bow, continuing the game.

It was easy enough to get some celery from the bins, and there was enough of the vegetable there that the stalks she took would never be missed. As she got out the items she needed, she listened to Aleah's words with interest. "Cards.." She shuddered. She had never met, or even seen one of the strange creatures. They were said to be larger than Jacks and terribly dangerous, with deadly and unpredictable magic. "I'd be afraid to deal with cards." She admitted, "It must be fascinating, though."

A small plate, a few cuts with a heavy kitchen knife and a salt-sprinkle later, the simple snack was completed. She poured two mugs of tea and set them at the table along with the plate of celery. This was apparently where treating Aleah like a Jack ended: leverets almost never ate with their masters, as if they were somehow equals. A Jack who asked his leveret to dine with him was almost surely lusting after her and trying to convince her to make The Change.

She added a spoonful of sleeping tonic to Aleah's cup, then a little honey to her own before taking a sip. "Honey in yours?"