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Post by Nako on Jun 8, 2011 0:01:10 GMT -5
The sun was rising ever higher in the sky, the morning chill lingering as the buildings blocked out some of the natural light. A clawed hand gently pulled forward a tall top hat, strange face staring down at the ground as moved toward a particularly nondescript home, its porch littered with a few toys in the likeness of carriages and horses, and a few blocks. Some color on the sidewalk caught his eye, and he gave a soft smile.
Children. He looked forward to those. Perhaps it was the Hisstor he was raised by that made him feel that way. But he knew that his definition of family would be forever different from Aimili's. Had she not achieved a status that Aleah could relate to as almost Jacklike, he might not have been doing what he was now.
What an awful truth, it was.
But for now, here he was, a Jack Rabbit in plain sight. It was a time like this that his long, cardlike tail was a boon instead of a burden. it certainly got him less looks as he strolled down the street in full wardrobe, looking terribly smart in a pinstripe vest and pants and crisply ironed white shirt. The pants. Oh.. the pants had been an ordeal.
The click of a door opening caught his ears, even if they were covered by the hat he wore. It would thankfully be Aimili who came out of the house, head lowered and busily rustling through a purse at her side. Goodness, she was absolutely oblivious to the fact he was even there.
He cleared his throat gently. "Aimili, I need a moment of your time."
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jun 9, 2011 6:12:47 GMT -5
Mornings were so often incredibly hectic. Mili had a to-do list that stretched for miles of things she had to get done every day before she could go to work. She had to make sure the older children were prepped and ready for school and the younger were ready for daycare. Sally needed extra attention during that time, to make sure the pains of having to stay at home weren't too severe. Which of course got Buster's attention, the excitable boy wanting to turn everything into some sort of game. By the time she finished handling him it was almost inevitable that Bobby would get involved as well, and then Mili would have to start the whole cycle over again. While Kieran took the others to their daycare, she took a few quiet moments to brush her beautiful Sally's fur, then got her own things ready for work once the Highlander returned. It was exhausting. But she wouldn't give up anything in the whole world for it. She had a family again, and it filled the dark cracks of her heart. But this morning, she found herself longing for the family she'd been forced to leave behind, the one that she had only recently managed to contact on some level. The secret family, that she couldn't talk about. The one that sometimes made her want to weep for the longing she felt whenever they crossed her mind. She wanted her brother, her sister. She wanted... She wanted her parents to know she'd had beautiful, healthy children. But they couldn't. She rummaged in her purse for her keys, lost in thought. The sound of a voice made her let out a quiet little canine yelp of surprise, immediately searching the area for the owner of the voice. When she found it, her mouth fell open slightly and she stared for a long minute. It was her brother. Bipedal, and with a tail that was more suited to the Canines she now lived with, but her brother. Unmistakably. She managed to close her mouth, smiling weakly. " A... Aleah, of course. Gladly. Please come inside, won't you?[/b]" Perhaps she could send Kieran out for a bit. She would be late for work, but... It would work out. She could say something happened with the children. This needed her attention. What could possibly bring a Jack into the city like this? To her? A Jack. Her brother. A Jack. Her mind spun. |
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Post by Nako on Jun 9, 2011 15:28:21 GMT -5
Ah yes, she was surprised to see him. Almost more surprised than he'd imagined she would be. Then again, he looked different than the last time. At the invitation to come inside, he nodded and stepped into the house, ducking just slightly so that the doorway didn't knock off his hat.
He did a full casual turn once inside, giving off the air that he was merely appraising the house, but in reality he'd be a fool if he didn't scope out the place, if only a little. Aimili was family, but there were likely other cards in the house.
"Ah… is anyone else here?" His tone maintained a conversational air, though he kept it low for obvious reasons.
Hm. Another thing about cards… the smell. It smelled slightly of soured meat, something he'd learned was from the high amount of meat that many of the cards ate. It was a smell he could never truly get accustomed to. At least after his many trips to the Capital as a leveret, it no longer made him want to vomit. The house smelled nowhere near as badly as the sweating bodies of shopping Cards. The terrible smell was merely an afterthought to the other scents that could almost be compared to a warren if you took away the smell of rabbits and dirt. A "home" smell, he'd settle on in his mind. Yes, that was a good way to put it.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jun 11, 2011 22:40:32 GMT -5
There were a thousand things racing through Aimili's brain in that moment. She needed to know why her brother would take such a risk, how he had become a Jack, what he wanted from her. She wanted to throw her arms around him and squeeze him tight. She wanted to scold him for coming here, and in such minimal disguise (though with that strange tail of his, she could understand why he hadn't gone to any real extremes). But it was all overwhelming. All she could do, in the end, was open the door for him and then close it behind them, watching as he gave her home a once-over.
"Only Kieran - my Jak's brother - and our Sally." She wrung her purse straps, looking thoughtful. Then she stepped forward, indicating a room with an open door. "We can speak in here without being disturbed. But don't... worry too much. This is a safe space to you."
She wasn't sure how to explain Jak's condition, and she didn't want to try, but she knew Kieran would give her the space she needed. As soon as she'd stepped into the room and closed the door, she gave in. Pulling her brother into a strong hug, Aimili pressed her face against his shoulder and all the questions came out at once. "What are you doing here? These streets aren't safe, you should have let me know you were coming in advance! Suits, you look so handsome, I can't believe it's really you..."
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Post by Nako on Jun 29, 2011 15:28:46 GMT -5
Was his discomfort really so transparent? His ears flicked back with irritation, more so at himself than at Mili's astuteness. It would only be normal she'd understand rabbit behavior. At least there was a room they would be undisturbed while they spoke.
This relationship between himself and his card sister was perpetually confusing. For all that she looked like something he could see as a Jack, her reactions were so very Doelike that it was painful. Her mannerisms were so very 'mother hen' in how she complimented and babbled. He accepted the hug rather lamely, keeping his arms to his sides in a reflex very much learned so that he didn't harm others. When he pulled back, he managed a smile before finding his seat.
"I'm aware that my presence is… unorthodox to say the least. But there are a series of pressing issues that need to be dealt with. And.. it seemed appropriate to keep you informed of what has happened." He glanced around, finding a seat (on.. something…).
"I should also ask you to sit down. Some… things have happened."
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jul 10, 2011 17:12:53 GMT -5
The hug didn't strike her as odd in the slightest. Aimili knew of her brother's difficulty with regards to his hands all too well, and she was just thankful that her own arms gave her a way to show affection to her brother. Then she remembered herself, and blushed. This was not at all appropriate for a Rabbit... No matter how normal it felt now. She really was a Card now, in ways she had never dreamed she would become. Granted, there were aspects about herself that would likely never change, but... That was alright. It was important she not forget where she came from, or the family she had.
"Oh, it's alright... Just surprising." Her ears rose and her brow furrowed slightly. Issues? "I do appreciate it..." she said quietly, her voice fading as she tried to figure out what it must have been related to.
It must have involved her parents. Or their Warren. Or... something else, related to Aleah's Jackhood. After all, unlike in Card society where a bipedal form was an exciting thing but really not completely life-changing, for a Rabbit to become a Jack was... significant. Certainly, there were bound to be consequences to his change.
Aimili sat back on her bed, resting her hands in her lap and taking a deep breath. Then she gave her brother a small nod.
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Post by Nako on Jul 11, 2011 20:27:53 GMT -5
Her wary anticipation showed that she at least suspected the news was bad. Her expectant gaze made him wish to squirm uncomfortably in his seat, but he instead leaned further forward. There really was no way to sugar coat it. Then again, he'd went over just how he'd say it over and over in his head on the way there.
"Father challenged me when I returned after my change. He made sure to make it a fight to the death. He… died honorably. Happy, even. And… Ashta followed him into death. It really was all… Romantic in a horrible way." He'd refrain from mentioning how relieved he'd been that the Doe had died. Placing her in the hands of another Jack seemed so much worse.
He realized he had been holding his breath after revealing the news, and let out a soft exhale. Should he say more? He certainly had more to say. But, first he needed to gauge her reaction. How she reacted would tell him just how to word the next part.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jul 11, 2011 20:44:03 GMT -5
All in all, it was probably best that he just put the information out on the table as he did. The word "challenged" was enough to tell Aimili all she'd needed to know, and her ears and tail sagged.
She had known, on some level, that this would have to happen. There was no way their Father would step down without a fight, and there was also no way he would accept living in a world alongside a Rival Jack who was also his own son. She had often pondered what would happen when this day came when she had still been living as a Rabbit in her father-Jack's Warren, working alongside her brother, but she had always had to stop her thoughts. It was a dark tunnel for the largely-Hisstor woman to travel down. Now, she couldn't back away from it.
Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes, and she gave a slow, steady nod. "He would," she said quietly, unable to keep herself from smiling ever so slightly. "Aleah... Thank you. Thank you for telling me, and thank you for letting him have that. So the Warren... It's yours, now?"
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Post by Nako on Jul 11, 2011 20:56:50 GMT -5
".. Yes." He seemed almost reluctant to admit it. It was very strange, sleeping in the room where the Czar once lay. For the past few weeks he'd slowly replaced the things in the house that had exclusively been of the Czar's ownership, but he'd never admit that some nights he'd still jolt awake, terrified when he realized where he was, waking up out of a nightmare where the Czar loomed over him while he slept. It was a sobering reminder, and fear, that the Czar might find some way to awake from the dead and kick his ass if he let the old Jack down. One can imagine how close he'd come to shitting his pants when his damned leveret's curse pulled his father and mother from the grave.
"I would have come sooner, but I was unable to travel with the wounds I had sustained. Frankly, the old man kicked my ass." Now, he'd join his sister in her smile, chuckling under his breath with a strange fondness. "He had told me he was proud of me. Can you believe that? And… he had something else to say. He told me to tell my sisters… that he loved us all. " He sought out his card sister's gaze, eyes dark with intensity as he let the gravity of what he'd just said settle in. "Every fiber in me tells me that he was in his right mind when he said it."
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 6, 2011 21:43:37 GMT -5
Though her heart still ached, and tears still stung at the corners of her eyes, Aimili found herself smiling. There was something poetic about it, appropriate in the best of ways. Her brother was now the leader of the Warren they had grown up together in... The grounds he had spent so long beautifying were his, now, and he was no longer bound by the whims of their strict and severe (though... oddly nurturing, she supposed) father-jack. She was proud for her brother, for all he had accomplished.
But still, tragedy threatened to overtake her.
She laughed quietly, a small smile twisting on her lips, at her comment. "Somehow... I am not surprised. I can't see the Czar showing any mercy to anyone, but especially not his own kin." Her smile softened, and she reached out a bone paw hesitantly, touching her brother's cheek. "I can believe it. I'm proud of you too, and..."
Abruptly, her voice trailed off, mouth going dry. He had said something about the dead Jack's words about his daughters, but her ears could not believe it. Love? He loved her? But how was that even possible? "He was going to kill me," she whispered, still not able to fully process the words. She pressed her face into her hands, a low whine escaping her. "Oh, Suits... He loved me, still? I never..."
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