I Like Rabbits, Especially White Ones ~ Ivy/Luna

The musical note of the bell warning of a customer was drowned out by the cacophony of noises coming from the hundred cages all around the room. But it was the smell that really got to Alice. Almost as bad as life at sea with males, Alice thought, scrunching her nose slightly as she entered the store. No, this was probably worse...

It had been an eventful couple of days since she'd been reunited with the Hatter. It was wonderful knowing that someone (the most important one, really) from Wonderland had survived the war.

Today the girl had decided to explore, and while roaming the streets had come across the animal emporium. Having nothing better to do, she decided to head in. Maybe I'll surprise Hatter with a rabbit, she thought with a smile, meandering through the rows in search of the rabbit hutches.

Like almost any other day, Ivy was out in the city, simply having a walk in order to take her mind off problems and all the trouble she had. She had started to get used to this life and didn't even want to go back to being a human. It was not that bad to have all that power, after all.

She picked the pet shop for the day, she didn't even know why. She had a cat at home, a black one; she had always been a cat-person. She was not going to buy a new pet, but maybe she was going to buy something for Negro, who knew? She entered the shop, only to be welcomed by a crazy noise.

Alice looked up from the hamsters that she'd been looking at, seeing that someone else had entered the store. Not someone that she knew, but that wasn't hard after all.

What was proper etiquette in this place? Alice wondered. Do I say hello, should I carry on and do my own thing...? She'd never managed to get as firm a grasp on etiquette as she should have. Not back at home, not Wonderland, not here.

She noticed the shop-keeper come rushing out, looking as if he hadn't slept in days. "Excuse me, but whereabouts are the rabbits?" the blonde asked politely, coming up closer so he could here her.

The owner simply pointed then waved in the general direction of the rabbits before turning to Ivy. "May I help you?"

The brunette looked over at the shop-keeper and, throwing him a small smile, shook her head. "Not yet, thank you," she said politely. She was not like that usually, but she could be nice when she wanted to.

She smoothed her large button-down shirt, then moved slowly through the shop, looking around. Of course, the first place to go was the spot where they kept the cats. How she loved those animals! She smiled slightly, then kept moving around, not knowing exactly what she wanted.

A kitten, who'd somehow cleverly managed to escape from its cage, came running past. Its tiny paws slipped from under him and the ball of fluff came skidding into Ivy, hitting her foot with a soft 'thud'.

"Oh geez not again," the shop keeper muttered with a sigh. "Can I have just one day without the wildlife escaping?"

But what would be the fun in that? Alice thought to herself as she passed the man. A day like that would be rather boring indeed...

Ivy couldn't help a soft chuckle seeing the lovely ball of fluff who had hit her foot. There were rare moments when she was more than a cold bitch, and being around kittens could definetly make her feel more human.

She bent down and picked the black cat up. "Aww, who's a gorgeous ball of fluff?" she mumbled, smiling sweetly, gently stroking his fur. Turning her eyes back to the shop-keeper,she gave him a smile. "He's adorable."

The shop-keeper gave a resigned sigh and simply gave a chuckle, shaking his head. "That lil rascal is our top escaper. His parent's musta been pets to witches, cos that guy can get out of anywhere." Coming out from behind the counter, he patted the fluffball on the head, much to the annoyance of the feline who gave a mew of disdain. "Obviously he thinks that this place is a prison. Never mind the fact that he gets better care than he would out there," he added with a nod outside, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

Ivy chuckled lightly at the shop-keeper's words, and at the kitten's reactions as well. He was so adorable, and despite the fact that she already had a cat at home, it seemed like she could never get enough. Still stroking the feline's black fur, she gently placed him on the counter. "Just give me a second," she told the shop-keeper. "I might take him."

With these words, she turned around and went further into the shop. She liked to look at pets, they were a guilty pleasure of hers. Wandering around with no definite goal, she suddenly bumped into someone, a girl. "Oh, sorry," she mumbled. It seemed like animals really made her a better person, since normally she would have probably told the person to watch where they were going.

The shop keeper almost beamed at Ivy's words. "I'm sure you'd make him a lovely owner," he said with a desicive nod before slinking away to his position behind the counter, letting her keep the kitten in her arms.

Alice had been lost in thought when she felt someone bump into her. 'Away with the fairies', her mother had always called in. 'Away with the Cheshire Cat', her father had called it, smiling knowingly. "No problem," Alice replied with a friendly smile. "Cute kitten," she added with a nod towards the ball of fluff. "What's his name?"

Ivy thought for a bit and realized that being nice every once in a while could not harm her; actually, it might be a pretty good thing. Whenever she was upset, she felt insecure or had many problems, she would be tough and a bitch to the others, so that they understood who was the boss. But being nice didn't necessarily mean being weak.

She gave the blonde a slight smile, as she went on stroking her new kitten's fur. "He is, isn't he?" she grinned. "Thanks. I haven't thought of a name yet, I am just buying him."

"Call him Cheshire," Alice replied, reaching out to pat the kitten who playfully batted away her hand and decided that the perfect form of entertainment right now would be to play with the buttons on Ivy's shirt.

The girl shook her head, looking slightly sheepish. "Sorry - I just knew a cat called Cheshire. Mischief was his middle name, much like your one's," she said, grinning at the indignant mewl that the kitten gave when Ivy's button refused to come off. Geez, Alice - get Wonderland off your brain! Stop it!

"I used to have the sweetest kitty back home, too. Dinah. Lovely creatures - cats. I do like rabbits more though." She stopped, shaking her head. "Sorry. I'm rambling on, aren't I? Anyway, I'm Alice."

Ivy looked down at the kitten when he started playing with the buttons of her shirt. He couldn't get more adorable, could he? Well, there was the prove that he was probably on his way to the trophy of 'cutest kitten' or something. Chuckling slightly, the brunette turned her eyes back to the blonde. "Mischief," she repeated with a smile plastered on her face, a smile you couldn't see very often on her. "I think it fits him quite well."

She raised her eyebrows but kept smiling hearing Alice's next words. "No, don't worry," she chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm Ivy. Rabbits, seriously? What's so cool about them?"

The ball of fluff stopped attacking the buttons on Ivy's poor shirt long enough to look up at her with an inquisitive look, as if knowing that they were talking about him. Letting out a curious mew, he stared at his new owner with his big wide eyes as if waiting to be made privy to their chat.

"Rabbits are wonderful to cuddle. And have you felt their ears? They're always so incredibly soft. Plus their twitchy noses are adorable," the girl replied with a slight chuckle. "I got led into an adventure by a rabbit in a waistcoat once and I guess ever since then I've had a penchant for them," she added with a slight shrug. Yes, Ivy would probably think her odd for saying that, but Alice didn't care. "But I take it you're a firm cat-lover then?"