Recovery (Harps)(Finished)

[Nako]

Aleah eased himself back slowly into his chair, left arm tightly bound to his side with a chainmail 'mitten' over his claws so that he did not accidentally puncture himself.

The study was quiet and eerily empty. In his irritation and pain he'd sent a leveret out of the room before they could help him get to his seat. That was fine; the pain of doing it himself was not as bad as appearing weak in front of his leverets at such a critical time. He just needed a few weeks. Just a few measly weeks and he'd not be so paranoid that his new warren could be taken from him at any moment in this state. He'd had to decline a few offers for visits from Jacks just so that they may not see him in that state.

Well, not decline. Rainchecks. Setting them all three months down the road when he could at least pretend he wasn't broken.

Another irritant; the leveret had not taken the cap off the bottle to his pills. He was not going to call them back like some infant who could do nothing for himself! With his good arm, he ran a claw over the top, paring the bottlecap clean off before dumping a few of the pain pills into his mouth to chase with his glass of water. Ah… that would help. If he was going to see a Doe tonight then he would certainly rather not be crying out in pain with every jostle.

Speaking of pain (It's the only thing on his mind at the moment, really), the Jack was absolutely sure that -everything- on him hurt, from his bruised eye all the way down to his legs where he'd had them swept out from under him by the old Czar.

---

Layla stood discreetly outside the door of the study, ears perked forward as she watched the Jack through the crack between the door and the frame. It was obvious just how much pain the Jack was in, even if he didn't want to show it. Her long ears pinned back against her head with worry. The little leveret had wanted to wait and make sure the man wouldn't need her assistance before she returned to her chores.

Her ears flicked back, hearing a noise. Oh.. was that the door? She hurried off to see who it was.

((I wasn't sure if she'd knock or if she'd know where the key was hidden. I leave that up to you XD ))

[Harpsdesire]

Alicia was in a bit of a panic as she unlocked the door and replaced the key which had been hidden in a false rock to the side of the entrance. As the door swung open, her legs weakened with relief. No damage had been done to the place-- the smells inside were of tea and cleaning powders, not blood and decay. Whatever had touched that cursed place she had been to had not come here.

She was dirty and tired from the run back from Selkie Lakes, hungry and overwrought from days of tension and worry, but more than any of these, she was suddenly desperate to get to a mirror.

Somehow, despite her care to avoid any contact with the strange ink creature, she had touched a bit of the poisoned water, and it had done something to her. It had changed her in a way that might possibly be more dreadful than she knew. She had caught glimpses of her wavering reflection in puddles along the way, and by craning her suddenly-longer neck she could see the burnished golden wings that now grew from her back, but it was hard to judge the overall effect based on this, and she was terribly worried.

If she had grown monstrous as a result of the water's taint, she would do everything in her power to kill those responsible, and then destroy herself, going out in a blaze of glory. That was what she initially resolved in a drama-ridden moment along the road after dark. By the time she actually arrived home, good sense had won it's initial battle with angst, and tears of fury and despair had given way to numbing worry about her warren.

That fear resolved, vanity again reared it's head, and with a somewhat wild eyed look at Layla, she stared into the hall mirror. She looked... different. Her neck was elongated, although not to an extreme degree, and the golden wings on her back were trimmed in jewel-like crimson and creamy white. It was... rather an elegant effect, actually. Although the leveret still felt like a bit of a freak, she could at least imagine growing used to it over time. Even better, it was probably not enough to make the Czar kick her out of the warren. She was still tradable at least, surely, to a Jack with exotic tastes. That wouldn't be so terrible, she consoled herself. The Highland Jack had never taken notice of her, anyway...

With a last searching glance into the mirror, she sighed. Fears thus allayed, she turned back to the leveret who had come toward her. Oddly, it wasn't one she recognized. "Oh... Hello." Alicia's usually cultured tone was a little ragged from the long run and the strain of the past few days. "I'm Alicia. I know I look... perhaps a bit more decorative than when I was last here, but I do belong with the Czar. It was not my choice to be away, nor did I seek the change that has come over me, and I would beg his indulgence and forgiveness for my absence." She tried without complete success to keep the painful sound of desperation from her voice.

Oh, please let him accept me as I am now... Let him know that this changes nothing... Even if it felt like everything had changed.

She was tempted to hide her metallic wings from sight, but to do so would just delay the inevitable. He would have to take her as she was, she thought, or not at all. Though some might argue that she had few redeeming qualities, Alicia at least had remarkable courage and liberal amounts of Highland pride.

[Nako]

Oh! Layla had never seen this one before! But the fact that she'd been able to get into the warren must have meant she'd had a key. The young leveret had been peering most curiously around the corner when the Highland leveret finally caught her gaze. She laughed sheepishly, bone wings fluttering against her sides as she made her way into the open light. "Oh, well you look rightly fine to me! Are those wings?" The Sorgaire mix wiggled with utmost curiosity.. but her face fell when she realized that this was one of many leverets that had been.. whisked away. Or rather, that had been an easy conclusion since that had happened to Layla herself.

But she'd not ran back to her warren like this one did. She bit her lip slightly, wondering if that had been an error on her part.

"Oh… the Czar…" She dropped her gaze. "He's not… um. You should come with me." How awkward! Would this leveret be upset? Aleah was nice enough, but if this pretty leveret had been a female vying for the Czar's affections then she would be startled to find the Jack was in fact dead. "We are.. ah. Under new management. It's probably best he knows you've returned though. He'll be thrilled! Honest…." Layla put on a huge smile, hoping to win the pretty leveret over. She seemed nice.. and even with those -bizarre- metal wings coming out of her back she was less frightening than that Corvie.

[Harpsdesire]

"Oh! Well, thank you!" Alicia was surprised by the compliment, although it surprised her. Before this change she would have thought it only right that others notice her loveliness, but now... insecurity lurked. It felt good to know that someone, even if it was a mere leveret, wasn't repulsed by her changed appearance. "Ah, yes. I can even fly, but only a little." The warm reception was welcome, if a little confusing. Alicia found herself smiling at the part-lowland leveret. She wasn't generally found of the realm by any means, but given the circumstances and Layla's friendly demeanor, she hardly felt it was the time to let a petty prejudice further complicate her return.

She blinked rapidly at the leveret's strange words. "N-new..." She followed along behind Layla nervously. The other female was smiling, but her words were disturbing. New management could only mean one thing-- the Czar had been deposed. That meant that if he wasn't dead, he probably would be soon. Nerves stirred in her stomach and her wings fluttered a bit, nervously. "I... hope so." Alicia murmured uncertainly and did her best to smooth her rumpled golden mane. She was going into the presence of a new Jack, and she wished dearly that she had time to bathe before she did. She was hardly doing to make the right impression with dirt on her paws and an unbrushed mane. She debated asking Layla to let her at least have a moment to freshen up first, but they were already nearly at the Jack's study door. Well, no harm in asking, right? "Do you think I should... wash, first?"

If Layla advised against it, at the least she could show a little poise. She schooled her walk into a more doe-like swaying stride and placed an expression of peace she didn't feel on her face.

[Nako]

Layla seemed especially thrilled by Alicia's ability. Another 'strange' leveret like herself! Though whether Alicia's issue was magical or physical was hard to tell. She'd heard of some rabbits with working wings but it was a rarity that she'd not seen for herself… Aside from that Banvyne lady. Her wings surely looked big enough to carry her… But Layla's mind was wandering. That wouldn't do at all!

The Lowland mix stopped dead when Alicia mentioned her state of cleanliness. Horror! Layla's ears pinned back against her head as she gave the girl a most apologetic look. They were already here! Glancing around unsurely, she reached out with her paws and picked out a leaf or two from the pretty Highland leveret's mane, licking her paw several times and running it over her face fur to get rid of a smudge here and there even if the girl found fit to protest.

"N-no.. you look fine. I mean. I've been working all day so.. you surely can't be as bad off as me." She gave another lopsided smile before knocking on Aleah's door.

--

He'd sat up slightly from the knock and instantly regretted it, hissing softly to himself before gently easing his body back again. He was nude out of necessity; he couldn't well put on a vest or shirt in his state and pants were a ridiculous farce with his clawed feet. He cared little if his Does saw him nude; it was their privilege(He couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that thought)… but leverets hardly had reason to see him this way. And it certainly was a leveret at the door, with the way the thing gave out a short barrage of rapid and tiny knocks. It was probably his most attentive (and at times problematic) leveret.

"Come in."

Immediately the door opened, Layla peering her head in. "I know you didn't want to be bothered Sir, but I thought you might want to know. A leveret showed up and she says she's from… this warren."

This time Aleah did sit forward a little, albeit very carefully. Another leveret? Come to think of it, his 'inventory' had come up short a leveret or two based on how many had been on the roster the day before Aleah left. And it was a particular face he'd been looking for.

"Oh?"

Layla took the perking of Aleah's ears as a good sign, stepping fully into the room and gesturing for Alicia to follow.

Aleah must have been quite a sight. Aside from being quite obviously a 'Jack' version of the lanky leveret Alicia once knew, he was battered and bruised. One eye was quite badly blackened and swollen, a cut down his chest and shoulder and bruises showing up through his light colored fur. The most obvious issue would be his arm, which was bound tightly in a sling. It was quite obvious the fight had happened, and who had won.

[Harpsdesire]

The look Layla gave her was enough to confirm to Alicia that actually she did rather need a wash, but there was no time, and she gave only the smallest protest to the bit of straightening up the other leveret did before she knocked. There was spit in her fur. Lowland spit. Eurgh. If she hadn't already been such a mess she might have made more of a fuss, but she was unwilling to admit to the existence of a possible future in which she was not in a hot bubble bath shortly, so it seemed pointless to be overly worried.

The door opened and Alicia allowed herself to be kept out of sight for a moment as Jack and leveret conversed. The voice she heard coming from the study was not the Czar's, but it was somehow familiar. It was like and unlike a voice she knew. She felt her heart, and possible her stomach as well, doing an uncomfortable little dance inside of her. That was the voice of a young Jack, one in his prime. She made a last-ditch effort to brush the dust from her paws just as Layla beckoned her into the room.

She stepped inside, stared for a second, then dipped her head demurely and murmured, "My Lord." She had been right, those months ago, when she had dared that improper thought-- Aleah made a very striking Jack. His unhealthy thinness now looked to her like lean strength, and the blades that had looked out of place on soft leveret paws now made him formidable. She was afraid she might be blushing a little as she ventured another, only slightly bolder, look.

As appealing as he looked, he also appeared quite damaged, the obvious victim of quite a severe beating. One of his brightly-blue eyes was swollen with more than just the usual tired bags, and his fur was not thick enough to hide the great number of painful-looking bruises. It was clear what had happened, and Alicia couldn't bring herself to feel more than a dull sort of regret at the passing of the Czar. He was a great Jack, powerful. His life was of honor, and so his death, something said quietly in her mind, but little emotion came with it. She had never known him, even as she served his meals and washed his sheets daily, even as she waited breathlessly for him to notice her.

Now, with fluttering wings of gleaming metal, she could not be overlooked. She didn't know if the attention she would receive was to be for good or ill, but one way or the other, she would not go hidden in plain sight any longer. This was Aleah. She had known him before, and even if it would be dreadful manners to speak of it, she was sure he remembered what it was like when they were both leverets, just playing that he was a Jack.

"Congratulations on your great victory, sir." She spoke smoothly, sweetly, and hoped he would know that she meant more than just his battle with the Czar. Alicia's wings rustled a little with a tension that was not otherwise visible in her body, and she waited. Her fate was in his brand-new hands.

[Nako]

For as surprised as Alicia seemed at the sight of the former leveret, Aleah was in a similar state. He'd had half expected to see her come through that door, but not quite in such a state.

"Alicia…" He'd responded rather quickly, and cursed himself for it. It somehow felt inappropriate to remember her name so easily. He used his good hand to brush out some hair from his face, resuming his more tired, casual air.

The Sorgaire leveret visibly shrunk back slightly, ears drooping. Jealousy? Well.. he certainly had never bothered to remember the creature's name as he'd been wondering if he'd keep her around. Rot or none.. the thing would be harder to trade as a Doe for those who didn't wish to bring Lowlander into their lines. It might be safer to trade her as a worker while he could, no matter how charming the eager creature was.

But never mind that; his eyes were fixed on the leveret. She'd changed.. more attractive for a leveret. And those adornments. Were they wings, or jewelry? They looked as if they grew straight from the skin. Oh yes.. this wasn't meant for a leveret at all.

"Thank you, Cooky. You may leave now." The Sorgaire dipped her head at the dismissal, eyes lowered as she slinked out of the door and shut it.

Aleah shifted slightly, attempting to regain a slightly more comfortable position. He gestured with a claw to the anxious creature. "Alicia." This time, the name was said with much more conviction. "Come closer so that I may have a look at you."

[Harpsdesire]

Alicia noticed that Aleah looked surprised, although not especially horrified or repulsed by her new mutations. That was a good sign. So was the way he said her name, almost eagerly, as if they were still on friendly terms. Her heart seemed to speed up a little at that. She told herself that it had to be her surprise that he recognized her so readily-- no, that he admitted it so readily! Most Jacks, after they made The Change, denied ever existing in a leveret's lowly state, and that included treating their former peers not only a servants, but as complete strangers.

It had really been a matter of only days since they had seen each other. It was the trauma and the changes they had endured that made it feel like months. Like she hadn't been home to sleep in her own bed, or do her chores, or take a bath in months. She was suddenly conscious again of being disheveled and dusty, and she blushed a little. She wasn't the sort easily prone to embarrassment, but the idea of appearing before her new Jack for the first time looking like this-- well, it was rather shaming.

She smiled kindly at Layla as the other leveret left, although her eyes were only on Aleah. Something was bothering the new worker... Cooky? Oh. Aleah hadn't called the other leveret by name, not as he had her. The highlander felt a tiny bit bad for the other female, although it was also strangely and disconcertingly warming to notice that someone was jealous of her. Jealousy was an emotion that she had felt rather too often for comfort, but rarely was it ever directed at her. Now she was almost enjoying the hurt look on Layla's face, horrible as she knew that was. It was nice to be the center of attention for once, and to have others know it. Alicia was just a servant no different from any other... until now. Now she had golden wings, and Aleah was looking at them with something not at all like disgust.

When he summoned her forward, Alicia moved up until she was close enough that he might reach out and touch her wings, if he wished. She ventured to speak, proud as could be despite her obvious embarrassment, "I apologize for my state of... disarray, sir. I came back as quickly as I could, and the trip was not exactly conducive to grooming." It was a mild understatement, perhaps, but she hoped it would at least make up a little for the unsightly mess she was in.

All in all, she still didn't look as badly as he did. At least the smudges on her coat would resolve with nothing more than a bath... His injuries could take weeks to fully fade from view. The fact that her Jack was looking at least as shabby as herself was slightly comforting to her vanity, and Alicia's tension eased somewhat as he looked her over. She also took the opportunity, when his eyes were not on her face, too look him over a bit more. He was certainly grand-looking, although his tail was almost bizarrely long and he looked so battered and busied that some illogical part of her still just wanted to take care of him... fix him tea with his sleeping tonic or make a cool compress for the swollen eye. But he had tea already, and no doubt all the other leverets had already rendered whatever first-aid was needed. Abruptly, Alicia felt terribly silly and the light blush from before returned.

[Nako]

It wasn't especially bright in the room, but the heavy blush that radiated in the little leveret's ears were obvious as she drew closer to him. Darling, indeed. If only she didn't have such a neuter looking face and body. But he had a good imagination; no doubt she'd be gorgeous as a Doe.

"No matter. Everyone has had a sense of upheaval as of late." As he spoke, he brushed her mane gently with the back of his bladed finger, then touched those strange metallic wings. Yes, metal. They clinked softly as his claw brushed against it.

"It truly is such a shame. Your new appearance doesn't fit your status, little darling." His somber expression broke into a smile, which grew progressively wider as his eyes glazed over for just a moment. Ah yes, those were thoughts running through his eyes.. but his expression softened again into something more genteel. "If you don't try to do something about it.. I might have to help you along. You'd make such a stunning Doe. Highland, with a mane.. oho! And these wonderful things on your back! My girl… you must better yourself. I don't think I could stand it if you didn't."

She would be lovely, and a prime example of a Highland Doe. And to be a Highlander himself with two unrelated Highlanders under his care? He'd count himself lucky indeed.

[Harpsdesire]

Alicia had to concentrate somewhat to keep from pulling back as a bladed finger came toward her face, but her pride simply would not allow her to flinch. There was submission in her posture, but no fear in her golden eyes. She was glad to feel how gentle his touch was, and he seemed unfazed by the dust on her coat. "Thank you, sir." She was grateful that Aleah didn't reprimand her for coming into his presence in this state. Some Jacks would be less generous about such an offense.

His next words, and the smile that overtook his features, made Alicia's stomach give a strange, subtle flutter that wasn't much like nerves at all. She felt rather hot from blushing, and her eyes widened a little. When he offered her flattery and incentive to become what she had always wanted to be, that little flutter turned into a strangely warming and liquid glow. She did her best not to show the full extent of her enthusiasm for the idea, lest he think her too easily won, and therefore less valuable.

He would have to court her at least a little, she resolved, although the little Highlander already longed to be a companion to the Jack. She would have to step carefully if she was to earn his affection, if he was to love her as more than a pretty possession. Jacks were fickle, tricky things, Alicia thought, her mind racing. She couldn't seem too eager, nor too cold. She must wait to be certain that his interest was more than just a passing fancy of the moment, but not so long that he might be angered. Yes, it would take all her wiles to perfectly time her Change... To ensure the handsome Aleah's enduring interest and regard.

She tried to be calm as she responded, "My Lord... Aleah..." She got a bit breathless as she dared add his name after the title, and her enthusiasm could not be altogether hidden, "I will surely do what I can to please you." Leveret as she was, the connotations of her statement didn't immediately occur to her, yet her blush just wouldn't fade, although now it was more a flush of near-fevered excitement than embarrassment.

She saw him smiling again and all thoughts of schemes and timing fled her mind. If he loved her... If he would tell her such a thing, even if not in earnest, well... She suddenly felt that she might be able to become a Doe that very day, should Aleah ask her to. She knew as if by instinct how it would feel when her body began to change, and how she could start that Change in motion. It was not something that was easy to explain, but she expected and hoped that it would be easy to do, provided she felt ready. It was nothing more than... opening a box in her mind and letting the Doe-ness spill out and cover her while she slept.

Her Doe-self waited breathlessly in the future. It was a part of her that was locked and hidden, frozen in wait for the love and attention she dearly craved, but she could feel it there. She had always felt it, she thought, like a tightly-closed door in her mind with a light shining from under it. What had been silent in the leveret's near-genderless body and mind stirred ever so faintly, the potential there awakening, whispering to her in an almost intoxicating manner. "Oh!" She gasped ever so softly in surprise, "I..." She schooled her expression to a slight, calm smile, as if her mind was not in an uproar, "I am flattered, sir."

((Please forgive the melodrama and run-on sentences, Alica can be like that. ))