Bunny ranch
Just past the Chalk pastures where Rughrats are set loose to graze, is a wide, fenced in area with several rows of medium sized wooden structures situated within. The small animal forms of Sylvanian bunnies roam around nibbling on the grass, but most are secured within the sturdy confines of the hutches which smell strongly of sawdust and rabbit.
After an interesting morning involving another small ritual to construct the antidote and for Miranda to consume it, the Lapi finds life quickly returning to normal. Everything she did, though, remains quite vivid in her memory. And she gets no chance to try and forget it either while at work, as she hears the voice of Liliana calling out for her. Just down the path, the Eeee can be seen heading towards the ranch.
Sitting in the grass in the minimal shade of one of the nearby hutches, Miranda watches the few bunnies out at the moment as they hop placidly around her legs, occasionally reaching down to stroke ones head with her thumb before watching it hop off. The Lapi's ears perk up and then flick back at the familiar voice of the Eee coming up the path. The immediate urge is to hide, but that would be very rude, even after everything that happened. So Miranda just continues to sit and wait, not sure what to do.
"Dere vou are," the Eee notes when she finally spots the Lapi. She makes her way over and leans on a hutch near Miranda. Her blue eyes are gone, replaced by the familiar blood red glowing ones. "Jus' checkin' up on vou t' make sure vou doin' okay. Evert'ing feel normal?"
Miranda looks a little uncomfortable as Liliana pauses nearby and tugs one of her ears lightly in an almost childishly nervous gesture, saying, "Yeth… Everything feelth mothtly normal now Liliana… umm… How are you feeling? Are you ok?" The rabbits grazing about the pen raise their twitching noses and blink at the strange sight of the Eee as she enters, then scatter in different directions.
The Eee shrugs. "I feel like me. Vell, de me before part of me vas sucked out. Dat sort of me," she tries to explain. "So, mostly normal now? Vhat no feel normal?"
"Oh… um, I do feel normal, really… itth jutht… err… I'mthorryformybehavior!" the Lapi blurts out before calming down a bit to add, still in an embarrassed tone, "I'm not uthed to haveing thertainn feelingth tho rawly in control like that… "
Liliana just stares at Miranda for a minute, then starts giggling. "Oh, dat," she says and waves her hand, "T'ink n'ting of it. Didja haf fun?"
The insides of Miranda's ears turn pink and she tugs on one of them again, but honestly admits, "Yeth… yeth I did have fun." The Lapi looks around at the bunnies hiding in the grass, only about five of them. "Ahem… are you any good at catching bunnieth?" she asks, trying to relieve some of the tension of the current topic.
"Pfft. I be a vampire. I good at catching lots of t'ings to eat," Liliana notes as she hops up onto the hutch. Her toeclaws curl down and steady her crouching stance on it.
Miranda stands and eyes the bunnies on the ground where she can see them before blinking at Liliana as she takes up a stance. "Um… okay, jutht be careful not to hurt them… and watch out, their teeth ar thharp!" the Lapi says before smiling slightly. "Ready, thet, go!" she calls out suddenly, trying to make a small game of it and bounds quickly after one of the cornered rabbits.
Liliana crouches down and those red eyes narrow to slits; making the Eee look very much like the predator instead of her usual happy-go-lucky self. The bat then launches forward, her wings whipping outward and casting a sudden shadow over one of the rabbits. Startled, the bunny darts back and heads more towards the Eee to get away from the sudden shadow. Liliana grins fangily and abruptly pulls her wings in, dropping down with a soft thud, then leaps towards the confused bunny.
The startled bunny bolts almost directly into Liliana's waiting clutches, while Miranda chases two others up against the fence and snatches one up in each hand by the scruff of their necks before holding them in a better position against her arm.
Liliana has a somewhat hard time of holding onto the bunny without actually hurting it. She just ends up gripping its scruff in one hand and holding it by its rump in the other. She carries it over to one of the hutches and puts it inside, then waits by the door so Miranda can put the two she has away as well.
The bunnies don't squirm around as much for Miranda as they do for Liliana, and the Lapi gently deposits the bunnies in her grip into the hutch Liliana holds open before looking around and saying, "Now where have thothe latht two gotten to?"
Liliana closes the hutch, then just closes her eyes and listens for a moment. "Under de hutch over dere," the Eee says a moment later and points. Sure enough, there are shadows moving around under the enclosure.
Miranda gestures Liliana around to the other side of the hutch whispering, "If you can get them to come out from this side I'll grab them?"
Liliana winks to Miranda and slinks over to the far side of the hutch. The bat waits for Miranda to get into position as well. She then crouches down and yells, "Boogaboogabooga!" at the top of her lungs and lurches her hands under it in a mock grasp for the bunnies. Of course, this has the effect of the bunnies practically charging Miranda as the dart towards the side she's waiting on.
Crouching down, Miranda reaches out and, in a lightning quick move, snags both rabbits as they run straight into her hands, then unceremoniously deposits them within the very hutch they had been hiding under. The Lapi smiles a bit more relaxedly, concentrating on work having a calming effect on her.
Liliana rubs her chin, then tsks. "Dere be one bunny dat no been caught yet," she notes.
Miranda blinks and scratches her head, looking around, "I mithed one? That doethn't happen very of'en… "
Miranda is then rather unceremoniously greeted by a pouncing bat. At least Liliana is somewhat kind about it and doesn't flatten the Lapi to the ground. The Lapi is then greeted by a fangy grin and a comment of, "An now de last one has been caught."
The Lapi lets out a startled squeak as she is pounced on, blinking up at a rather imposing Eee and letting out a small cough. "Yeth… yeth I am motht definetly caught now!" Miranda stammers, but smiles. "Umm… thank you, for the help Lili."
Liliana leans forward and lightly nips Miranda's nosetip, then lets the Lapi go. "Oh, anytime," she says and returns to leaning one one of the hutches. "Dis vhat vou do most days?"
Miranda actually giggles slightly to herself as she rubs her lightly nipped nose. "Yeth. Athide from the odd choreth and errandth, thith ith what I do. I tke care of theethe little guyth. Thee that one in tha corner?" She points to an older looking brown rabbit in another hutch. "Hith name ith Thid. He'th mine. The retht I really jutht take care of until thomeone buyth or claimth them."
Liliana looks to where Miranda points, then nods slightly. "Ve don' haf pets in de tribe. Can't travel wit dem. I once tol' Djivan he coul' be m' pet rat. He chased me around de camp for an hour, he did," she says with a grin.
Chuckling lightly at the thought, the Lapi goes to lean next to Liliana for a moment, biting her lip in thought. "Umm… about tha furr pattern… " Miranda starts, rubbing one of her ears between her fingers… "A few of my relativeth have theen it… one of my auntth looked about ready to chhave me when thee thaw it… But, I like it… I want to keep it! I wath wondering when it might be okay to come by and get it made permanent?" she asks shyly.
Liliana's grin goes wide and she slinks over, then drapes a wing around the Lapi. "Oh? Vant it permanent, do vou? Vell, it does eventually grow out, but it kin be made so it can't be washed out an doesn' fade," the Eee notes. "Vou really sure dat vhat vou vant? Vhy, next vou gon' get earrings."
"Y-teth! Yeth I do! I like it! It… it maketh me feel like more than jutht my old thelf," Miranda stammers before her eyes go a little wide. "Earringth? I don't know about thothe right now… One thing at a time okay? Do you… umm… uthe your teeth for piercing ears?" she finishes curiously.
"Of course I do. Vou kin ask Olivia about dat, I did 'ers," the Eee notes and releases the Lapi again. "So, vou gon' visit de vampire vhich bit vour bum? I don' know if I like de idea of an undead vampire bein' left around."
Miranda looks a little embarrassed again, rubbing one of her feet lightly through the grass, her ears wilting slightly before saying, "I know… but… Thee doethn't theem like thome thort of horrible monthter… Thee jutht theemth kind of… lonely. Thee didn't actually hurt anyone when we went down there, and wath quite happy to give her blood tho I could be cured."
"Mm. Dat just seem strange t' me. Never hear' of an undead vampire dat vas nice," Liliana admits with a shrug. "But den, I guess I kin understand her feelin' lonely. It har' ven vou are considered a monster."
"I don't think you're a monthter, Lili," Miranda says sweetly. "You've been very kind to me."
"Vell, vou haven' seen," Liliana starts to say then just waves it away. "I jus' vish vour town vas a little more acceptin' of me. I get de feeling Morgan's mother no approve of me."
Miranda's ears flop down slightly as she whispers, "Morgan'th mom ith tha townth thenior witch… I don't think thee ith thappothed to approve of much outthide of tha town… "
"Meh, dat jus' silly. Dere a lot of good stuff outside dis town," Liliana says and skews her muzzle.
"I thuppothe there ith… I don't know about too much outthide of town," the Lapi replies, abruptly flopping on her back in the grass.
"Vell, vou shoul' travel some an see de worl' den," the Eee insists. "Lots to see and experience. De larger towns are quite de sight."
Miranda says, "Really? Hmm… Maybe thomeday I'll go and thee for mythelf… I do like it here though, thith ith where my family ith, and I'm really good at my job."
"I don know if I coul' stay in just one place forever. I fear I get bored," the Eeee says. "But den, mebbe dere somethin' in knowing vou alvays haf a placeto go. Ve sure don'."
"Yeth… both thideth have their benefits. I'll always be happy to see you visit, if, … when your tribe leaves of course," the Lapi says, nodding quietly to herself.
"Ve don' really haf any place to go currently an no one has chased us off yet, so I guess ve be aroun' for a vhile," Liliana comments. "I know ve can' really leave wit Bravil in de condition he in."
Miranda's look changes at Lili's comment, looking very concerned, "How ith he? He'th not getting worthe I hope? He seemed like a nice person in my dream. Odd, and a little over formal at timeth, but nithe."
"No change dat I heard of. I know Natasha is movin' him somewhere to do some sort of majic t' try an find out vhat is vrong. I t'ink Olivia is helpin' wit dat," the Eee answers and looks skyward. "He always been an odd one. Quiet, looks kinna scary, but always been generally nice. Been aroun' a long time. Long as I kin remember, anyway."
Scratching the side of her cheek in thought the Lapi asks quietly, "Do you think Natatha would mind if I came and watched? Or watched Bravil maybe? Would you let her know I'd like to help if thee thinkth there'th anything I can do?"
"Don' know. I kin ask her. She be an odd one, dat Natasha," Liliana says, "Did vou know Bravil vas de one who foun' an saved 'er?"
Miranda blinks at this new bit of information, "Really? No, I didn't know that. Thee really cares for him a lot."
"Yah. Hear' dat from some of de older tribe members. He brough' her into de camp. Foun' 'er half dead an almost drowned. Nursed 'er back to health an tried t' make her feel at home wit us," Liliana says.
The Lapi looks slightly awed, replying, "He thounds very gentle, Bravil doeth, even more tho than in my dream."
"I dun know, really. I see him fight before too, an he kin be vicious," the Eee notes and looks over to Miranda. "He kin be a bit protective."
Miranda hmms and just takes a minute to think and process all this.
"Vell, I shoul' be getting back, really. She may need help wit movin' stuff," Liliana says as she pushes herself off the hutch, then stretches.
Standing up Miranda nods, "Yeah. I have to let a few of the other rabiitth out to run around. Walk you to tha gate?" she inquires politely.
"Vell, I vas jus' gon' fly, but sure," Liliana says with a nod. She then holds out her arm expectantly.
Miranda takes the Eee's arm with an air of great dignity before breaking down into a small fit of giggling and heading towards the fence's gate.
Liliana sniffs and looks skyward. "Hmf, I be hurt, vou laughin' at me," she says, obviously joking as they approach the gate.
Still chuckling, the Lapi walks Liliana up to the gate, and then captures her in a warm hug before the Eee can leave. "Thank you… again. For being kind… and… well, you. I think… I think I'm becoming a bit thtronger perthon having met you Lili," Miranda quietly states. She then smooches the Eee on the muzzle, looking simultaneously embarrassed, and oddly content afterwards saying, "I thtill need more kithing practithe though… I don't think I'm getting it quite right."
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