Aleksandra had almost dozed off again by the time Aulfr woke up. She jolted awake in much the same way as him and gave him her usual blank stare at he looked up at her. But then that smile. That [i]grin[/i]. It immediately put her on edge and she forced herself to sit up as Aulfr climbed out of bed. She leaned against a mound of pillows, struggling with the fact that Aulfr might have possibly gone mad in his sleep. He was just wandering aimlessly, touching everything, and grinning that stupid grin all the while.

And then he was leaning over her, and she was getting ready to swing at him, injured or no. But he was just gloating over whatever she'd said. If it made him act this way, she was frightened to know what it was. But the longer she looked at him, at the way his smile softened him and made him look younger, almost boyish, the more she wanted to smile back at him in much the same way. Her lips were actually twitching with the urge to do so.

Abruptly, she shook her head and forced herself to scowl. "Do you want me to punch you, Aulfr? Because it seems to me that's what you're telling me. You want me to punch you." She pitched her voice lower, impersonation the guttural Noxan accent. "'Oh please, Aleksandra. You've got one hell of an uppercut. Bruise my handsome, masculine jawline for me. Also I really need a shave and a bath, because I smell.'" She threw in the jibe about his scent just to be mean. In all honestly, he smelled much better than she did. She hadn't washed herself in a week.

Before he could take her too seriously, she reached up and threaded her fingers in his hair, tugging him close enough that she could kiss him. Maybe it was just the drug still in her system or something more, but she nipped his bottom lip gently before pulling away. She met his gaze with her piercing blue-grey eyes. "Now please, what did I say? It can't have been anything too out of the ordinary. What on earth could make you grin like that? Did I make a very funny joke about the Oberjarl?"