Cursed Treasure [Nako]

[Harpsdesire]

Alicia had stood in that hallway for what felt like hours (really closer to 20 minutes), then reburied the bodies of her former Jack and his favorite Doe, aided by the dutiful but rightly horrified Layla. She found she couldn’t quite meet the other leveret’s eyes, then or even in the days that followed.

The once-proud highlander went about her duties at the warren with a shame-bowed head and never once left the dim safety of tunnels for the garden or elsewhere in the weeks that followed that horrible day. It was not long before she learned, at least, that she need only fear the curse one morning each midweek, and spent that time in her little bed, hiding and feeling sorry for herself until the few sparse motes of long-dead dust that the warren’s soil contained ceased swirling about her. Still, to win back the freedom to go outside during the rest of the week, she would have to discuss her curse with Aleah again, an alarming prospect.

Alicia tried to make up for her affliction in the ways she knew how—dutiful service. She found herself taking extra time to prepare for Aleah and his Does the most delicious and visually appealing meals she could, scrubbing floors to a greater than usual sheen and brightening Aleah’s personal study with wildflowers she had to ask one of the other leverets to pick. Yet she avoided him, scurrying out of his path when possible, and never meeting his eyes when she served at his table. She feared the disappointment and disapproval, or worse, the hint of sadness she might see there.

She had all but given up on making The Change. It seemed miles from her now that she was a cursed creature, less than worthless. She was a leveret. She washed and swept and cooked and scrubbed and hoped that the Jack she feared and longed for would not see fit to send her away. The leveret sighed heavily and carried a stack of clean linens to Aleah’s room, ready to freshen the bed he often shared with his Does. If not for the terrible injustice of the curse, perhaps he would have shared it with her as well.

[Nako]

Perhaps it would have bothered Aleah more if he'd had to deal with it on a weekly basis, but with the issue of needing to heal and Alicia staying well out of the way of the gardens, it had almost slipped his mind.

Almost.

He's also almost sold her. Almost decided to put her out of her misery as well. He'd gotten so far as the leveret's quarters and watched at the door, witnessing the rise and fall of her chest for several minutes before leaving. Death might have been kinder to her than rabbit society. But he couldn't do it. It wasn't something he spoke with to Delaney; it wasn't something he'd bother to share with her. His relationship, or possible relationships with other Does, and leverets to become Does was hardly her business. And Valeny… oh, his Valeny.

He sighed, leasing back in his chair and closing his eyes for a moment .They ached terribly, probably from his miserable lack of sleep last night. He'd opted instead of inviting a Doe to his quarters, to give himself time to do some things that Does didn't really help with. Like books and balances, making sure the things that the leverets had reported were actually adding up. Eegads… Cooky's spelling was horrible. Then again, he supposed that would be expected, she was only a leveret, after all.

Damnit. He was looking at the same line over and over again. Enough of that. He stood up, heading to his door. Perhaps a stroll through the garden would be relaxing. He paused, his door open and hand still on the handle.

Actually, scratch that. He'd take a bath, first. In a moment of forgetfulness he didn't close his door, as he usually did as a signal that leverets were not just to stroll in. Generally, he left it open when he wasn't in so that the leverets could come in and do their chores.

He gave a mighty stretch and headed to the bath, pumping up the bathwater and setting the coals underneath on fire to heat it before disrobing.

[Harpsdesire]

She was halfway through changing the linens when her large ears picked up the faint sound of splashing water. The bathroom door was closed, and the bather within had been still enough, or she had been preoccupied enough, that she hadn't noticed the sounds of still water lapping gently against a marble tub until it was too late-- the bedchamber was a mess of used linens on the floor and half-unfolded clean sheets on the bed.

Here she was, smoothing out the sheets, and her Jack was in his private bathroom just feet away! The gentle lavender scent she had added to the bedding in an attempt to soothe Aleah's insomnia did nothing for her own suddenly jangled nerves. Alicia just couldn't bear to be so sloppy as to leave the room in such a state for Aleah to see when he emerged, so she would just have to finish up as quickly as she could and hope he wasn't too far along in the bath. Who knew what unpleasantness might result if he caught her here? The fact that the door had been open and she was performing a legitimate chore was hardly a defense against the swift and often irrational anger of a Jack... A Jack who had once asked her to become his Doe. She cringed at the thought, a little pleasure still mixed with the pain the memory brought.

She fumbled with the sheets, her usually nimble paws clumsy with hurry. At least there seemed a pretty good chance of escape-- many Jacks had been known to linger in the tub, especially if (and she found herself blushing a little at the thought), he had a Doe in there with him.

Although if he had, she'd probably have heard more splashing earlier in the bed-making process, and then might not be in this mess at all! Well, fretting about it wasn't getting her out of there any sooner, so the little winged leveret applied herself to the task, hiding her metallic wings as a fringe of golden feathers so they would be less likely to snag on the delicately woven sheets.

Just a few more seconds, then safety.... There! She tucked in the last corner, fluffed the pillows energetically in relief and began to gather up the used sheets and pillowcases from the floor beside the bed.

[Nako]

Sure, she could have possibly gotten away, had Aleah not woken up from a very brief doze in his tub. It might have been the noise that woke him, but the noise didn't register past his subconscious reaction as he realized his bathwater had run cold. The splashing was of him getting out of the tub, briefly rubbing himself briefly with a towel before heading to the main chamber of his room.

He didn't notice the leveret at all, striding boldly across the room with a towel obscuring most of his view. He walked within two or three feet of Alicia, completely missing her as heh realized his door was open. Huh. Did he do that? Thinking nothing more of it, he shut it, heading toward his dresser to retrieve some clothes. Another soft sound. Perhaps it was the slipping of the sheets in the leveret's arms. Maybe it was a gasp. Whatever it was, one of his ears perked up past the towel and he turned around.

There was an obvious pause as he locked eyes with the leveret, stopping dead in his tracks as his brain registered just who was in his room. Why was she in here? Ah.. yes. The made up bed… the sheets in her arms. That much was obvious. He took a moment to ask himself if he felt embarrassed. No… not really. That wasn't the right word for it. But there was certainly a strange tension in the room. He had practically been avoiding the leveret for weeks, putting off a difficult decision. The truth of it was he really didn't want to give up on her.

But the chance of disappointment… it was hard on a Jack. Does were such time consuming things. To have a defunct one…

Without saying anything, and still blocking the door, he carefully took the towel from his head and folded it over his arm. What to say> Well, perhaps he'd keep it simple. "Hello."

His voice came out a little too quiet to him, not as arrogant or flippant as he'd imagined it in his head.

[Harpsdesire]

Just as she had collected all the sheets and turned to make a silent retreat from the room, the bathroom door opened, and Aleah stepped out, directly between Alicia and her path of escape. Could she sneak around him, had she time to hide before he noticed her? It seemed that such was not her luck.

The leveret's eyes widened a little, and she instinctively moved into a more submissive posture as her Jack lowered the towel and stared at her. If Aleah wasn't embarrassed, Alicia was a bit-- and not by seeing him clad in nothing but damp white fur. A Jack's clothing was more for adornment than modesty, but the situation, to be cornered between Aleah's bed and the wall when he come out from a bath... it was a little awkward. She could meet his eyes for only the merest second before she dropped her gaze to the floor.

At least he didn't sound particularly angry. If anything, he seemed... just the tiniest bit... vulnerable, maybe? "H-hello, sir." Although nerves were evident in her voice, the tone was still cultured, smooth and sweet. "Pardon the intrusion, I thought you were elsewhere."

The tips of her ears trembled slightly, revealing her agitation and discomfort. Eyes glanced towards the door, but unless he moved a little to the side, there would be no easy way out. "Shall I leave you, my lord?"

It might have been her imagination, but it almost seemed that there was a delicate thread of... something, in the way he looked at her, and Alicia was not sure if it boded well or ill. She bowed her head even a little more, breathing in the lavender scent that hung faintly around the freshly made bed.