Lucky Rabbit

The library was open, but no strange teachers lurked there. Instead, an elderly man introduced himself as Sir Zachary, and said he was a retired librarian. Now, he covered the libraries at any of the schools when one of the current librarians was ill or away for any reason. He valiantly attempted to persuade them to leave Pandy, Winston, and Miss Cupcakes outside the library, but gave in when an older student who seemed to be a library assistant told him that Chancellor Blackwood had allowed it.

At last, Sir Zachary was convinced enough to issue them their library cards, which came with a long list of instructions on the care of books. No eating or drinking while near the book, no folding pages, no laying the book down splayed out on its pages, no loaning the book to anyone else, and no removing books from school grounds.

“Finally, though some books may look like bricks, they are not building materials, and should not be used to create forts, castles, private rooms, or,” he gave the three pets a beleaguered look, “animal sanctuaries. Ah, and they also aren’t magical reagents, and are not to be used in spells or alchemical potions.”

All three children nodded, though Thaniel’s eyes were huge by the end of the recitation. It was obvious to Pandy, at least, that none of these things had ever even occurred to him, but the old man had provided a spark of imagination that the real librarian could well come to regret.

“Can we check something out today?” Eleanor asked, and Thaniel nodded.

“D’you have any Pirate Pete books?” Thaniel added, looking around at the shelves and shelves of neatly organized books that seemed to extend into a distance that the actual building couldn’t possibly contain. That made sense to Pandy, because everyone knew that the one constant in fantasy games was that libraries were effectively infinite, and while this wasn’t a game, the rule still seemed to apply.

Sir Zachary sniffed, his rheumy old eyes drooping almost as much as Winston’s. “We do have a,” he hesitated, “contemporary fiction section, but those books have a tendency to go ‘missing’ more than any other, so you may not check them out until later. In fact, you will find that when Professor Beeswick is not here, no books may be removed from the library at all.”

He turned to a girl who had been dusting shelves nearby. She was the same one who had informed him that the three animals were allowed anywhere in the school as part of a test program, and he almost smirked as he said, “Lilibet, please attempt to take book one of Atwood’s Complete Collection of Slightly Inaccurate Prophecies from the library.”

The girl, a pretty fourth- or fifth-year with long, straight black hair and brown eyes, sighed, but obediently picked up a very large tome with a title crafted from such elaborate gilt lettering that Pandy doubted she would have been able to decipher it if Sir Zachary hadn’t just told her what it said. With difficulty, Lilibet hauled the book toward the library door, only to come to an abrupt stop when she reached it. She held the book out in front of her, where it hung in the air as if pressed to an invisible wall, but no matter how she leaned or pushed, she couldn’t force it past the doorway.

Only when the girl was red-faced and panting did Sir Zachary tell her she could stop, and she caught the book in arms that trembled from its weight. Thaniel immediately started toward her, arms outstretched to help, but Geraldine beat him to it, and the two girls brought the really rather ridiculously large book back to the gap it had left on the shelf.

Sir Zachary didn’t seem to notice any problems, but just continued speaking. “Even if you have a library card, and would normally be allowed to check out a book, this is what will happen any time Professor Beeswick isn’t in the library.” His lips pinched slightly. “When I was the librarian here, any member of staff sufficed, but Beeswick is a bit more strict than I.”

Honestly, Pandy thought he was kind of awful, reminding her strongly of the Vice Principal of her middle school, though Sir Zachary was a good bit older than Mr. Thomas had been. Still, she doubted Sir Zachary would be any more forgiving of a student who accidentally dyed the floor pink in two and a half hallways than Mr. Thomas had been.

Thaniel looked like he’d still like to investigate the ‘contemporary fiction’ section, but both Eleanor and Geraldine were clutching their new library cards and looking like they wanted to be anywhere else. Each of them grabbed one of Thaniel’s arms and ushered him toward the door while smiling and thanking Sir Zachary and Lilibet for their help. If the thanks offered to their fellow student was quite a bit more sincere than that given to the old man, well, it probably wasn’t too obvious.

By then, it was almost time for lunch, so Eleanor and Geraldine went back to their room so Geraldine could change into her uniform, even though she technically didn’t have to wear it yet. Thaniel spent a half hour peering into classrooms, then hurried to join the girls when the lunch bell rang. They all ate, then explored the grounds some more – with extra time being spent with Eleanor’s pony, who had the unimaginative name of Misty, which Eleanor insisted she’d been given before Eleanor got her.

Time flew by now that the three children were reunited, and Pandy, Miss Cupcakes, and Winston were just along for the ride. Miss Cupcakes didn’t seem to like Pandy any more than she had before, but she liked Lord Winston even less. She didn’t go so far as to attack him, but she watched him with slitted eyes whenever she could, and made a point to stretch up and sharpen her claws on a fence rail right in front of his nose. Lord Winston, for his part, ignored the kitten with a polite disdain that made Pandy wish she could still laugh out loud.

Dinner came and went, and Pandy and Thaniel returned to their room as the girls returned to theirs. Thaniel still hadn’t told Geraldine or Eleanor about the secret passage. Thaniel read until lights-out, then climbed into bed, where Pandy joined him until his breath evened out and she was certain he was fast asleep, worn out by the day full of new experiences and playing with his friends. Which meant it was now her time.

In Gacha Love, Condor was protected by guards at the gates, and staff members who patrolled the dorm halls at night. There were no spells to keep the students safe, presumably because the plot required that a few of them be attacked when Killian truly entered his Dark path. If magic prevented violence or even things like eavesdropping on school grounds, half of the events in the game couldn’t have happened. It was a loophole, yes, but one that Pandy was grateful for now, since she could open Thaniel’s door – which was more challenging than she’d like to admit – and sneak out without worrying about anything more than the hall supervisor stepping on her and then returning her to Thaniel’s room.

It was a matter of minutes for Pandy to make her way back down the hall, past a few doors whose plaques now bore names, and then past the room where the hall supervisor slept. His name was Mr. Musgrave, and he bore an unfortunate resemblance to a muskrat, complete with quivering whiskers and a moist, prominent nose. He seemed nice enough, though rather nervous, and he’d stuttered during his self-introduction during dinner.

Surprisingly deep snoring emerged from behind Mr. Musgrave’s door, and Pandy hopped by, feeling fairly confident that she had nothing to fear from him, at least not tonight. She was glad Ms. Davenport wasn’t the supervisor for the boys’ hall, because that formidable lady seemed like she would be able to hear the faintest pitter-patter of soft bunny feet from a hundred paces away.

Down the stairs she went, casting nervous glances toward Ms. Davenport’s door as she passed, and out into the main hall. The door to the classrooms was closed, but that was fine; that wasn’t where Pandy was headed anyway. Not tonight. Fortunately, the wide double doors leading into the dining hall were open, though the door the servants used to bring in the food was firmly closed.

That was all right, though, because it was a simple double-swing door, and she was able to push it open with her new and improved Strength score of seven. There was a wide hallway beyond the door, with another set of stairs leading up to the live-in servant’s quarters. Pandy ignored that and pushed through another door to enter…the kitchen.

The smell of warm yeast and herbs filled the air, and Pandy paused simply to draw it in. She’d never been able to afford much in the way of fancy meals, and the only cooking she did had been learned by watching videos online, some of which were woefully inaccurate. But Bastian, one of the four love interests in Gacha Love, spent a good deal of time in the kitchens at night, and he’d actually taught Clara a few recipes that turned out to be real.

Fans of the game often posted images of themselves eating ‘Bastian’s Cookies’ or ‘Sweet Serenade’, an almond cake with raspberry coulis, hand-whipped cream, and fresh raspberries nestled among mint leaves. Pandy hadn’t even known what a ‘coulis’ was before playing the game, but even she had scrimped and saved until she’d been able to buy the tools and ingredients to make the surprisingly simple dessert.

While Sweet Serenade was a delicious cake – even when made by Pandy’s far-from-expert hands – the most important thing was that it, and Bastian’s other late-game foods, gave buffs when Clara ate them. In fact, it was this that made Bastian one of the favorite love interests, though his sleepy but gentle demeanor and pretty-boy good looks helped. Only Prince Kaden and his tendency to give Clara treasures from his family’s vaults consistently remained ahead of Bastian in popularity polls.

Tonight, Pandy was looking to make one of the simplest things Bastian created, when Clara got sick after the two of them were caught out in a storm during another event. He usually made baked goods, but in this case he’d attempted a soup, and his bashful embarrassment when he delivered it to Clara’s door made Pandy squee every time.

The soup was called ‘Bastian’s Cozy Cure’, and it consisted of rice and vegetables in a seasoned vegetable stock. The recipe was included in the official guide to Gacha Love, and Pandy had actually made it a few times, so she remembered the directions.

Cooking as a rabbit was no simple task. Fortunately, she had enough Strength to get into the magically cold room where the food was stored, and she could chop veggies with Scratch, though she had to use CP to do so. She had really hoped that Falconet might be enough like Condor for her to use skills in locations where events had occurred, such as the kitchen, but that hope was quickly dashed.

As a result, she put onions, carrots, garlic, and all of the other things she needed into her storage, then popped them out again on the huge wooden table that occupied the center of the kitchen. A single Scratch was enough to produce mounds of veggies, and she realized she had made far more than she needed, since she was used to cooking in large batches and then nibbling on leftovers for the following week, since it was too much effort to cook something different every day when she lived alone.

Undeterred, she found a pot with cooked rice in it, undoubtedly meant for some specific purpose, but more than enough so that she could take a bunny-sized portion and add it to a small amount of the veggies, along with a liquid that smelled like broth and hopefully was.

Getting a fire started was more than challenging. Most cooks were Fire elementalists, who could use their innate skills to start and control small fires, even if they didn’t have any elementals to help, so at first she thought she would have two find two sticks and rub them together. Fortunately, it turned out that the big iron stove had a button she could push to start a small fire, which burned merrily beneath the pot she put into her inventory, then took out when she was on top of the stove and the fire was burning. She barely even burned herself doing it.

Now, as the fire burned and the cauldron bubbled – why did that turn of phrase sound so familiar? – Pandy stood on her hind legs, carefully stirring the soup with a wooden spoon gripped in her front paws. She really felt like she needed an apron, but where she would find a rabbit-sized smock, she had no idea.

Closing her eyes, Pandy tried to think. Bastian was a Nature mage, with a focus on plants, and he grew herbs that Clara then blessed with her Light magic, which was boosted by Ismara’s Blessing. Clara’s spell was called Vita Herbalis, while Bastian’s was Verdant Surge. In theory, Pandy could learn both of them, so long as she had enough Corruption Points.

Vita Herbalis was a mid-game spell, while Verdant Surge was one Bastian had from the very beginning. Of course, he used it in battle at that point, causing vines to entangle the legs of monsters or opponents, and only after he grew closer to Clara did he reveal that it worked to strengthen the healing effects of the plants in the garden as well.

If Pandy was right, then Verdant Surge shouldn’t take too much CP to unlock. After all, Bastian had it from the start, just like Clara had Minor Heal. Of course, it was Bastian’s spell, not Clara’s, so it could cost far more or not be available at all. Vita Herbalis, on the other hand, was Clara’s spell, but unlocked only on Bastian’s route, and only after the midwinter ball. That could definitely make it require more Corruption Points. But Pandy had survived learning Wings of Glory, which was literally an end-game ability used only a few times.

As the soup finally began to bubble, Pandy edged over to the counter beside the stove. She held out her paw, and the bowl of bloody water appeared beneath it. Thaniel had scratched his leg in the stable, and when he was distracted during dinner, Pandy had soaked up the blood with the towel she’d used to dry herself off after the, ah, minor incident with the statue of Ismara.

Now, she dunked the towel into the murky water, wrinkling her nose as the scent of dirt and copper competed with the much more appealing smell of the soup. Once she’d thoroughly dredged the towel through the mixture, she leaned over and licked timidly at the foul fluid.

+1 Corruption Point for drinking a Weak Potion of Blood which includes Blood of an Innocent

Okay, that…wasn’t what she’d been hoping for, but it was definitely better than nothing. She eyed the truly disgusting bowl in front of her. At least she had plenty of ‘potion’, so as long as she didn’t actually disintegrate – again – or become immobile – again – then she should be fine. Yep. Everything was fine.

The next two slots in her inventory contained herbs she’d managed to gather from the garden before Eleanor panicked and ran. It was seeing them that had inspired her to try this before her other plan, and honestly, she thought it was a Very Good Idea not to just leap in where even gods might well fear to tread. The first herb was Perpetual Parsley, and the second was Radiant Rosemary, and Pandy crushed them between her paws as best she could, all the while thinking,

Her vision remained empty of words for several seconds, and Pandy began to suspect that this wasn’t going to work after all. This wasn’t even a spell the player was supposed to have. What had made Pandy think that-

Use Thirty-seven (37) Corruption Points to cast Verdɐnt §urgƹ?

Oh. That wasn’t good. Pandy waited for the god to appear and yell at her, but nothing happened, and the words didn’t go away. Finally, she said,

When Pandy was young and foolish – even younger and more foolish – she had found herself in possession of a fifty percent off coupon for a spa. What she hadn’t realized at the time was that the spa was run by a nearby beauty college, and all of the people working there were students. Which was how she found out what it felt like to have all the hair yanked from a large tract of flesh at once. That experience came to the forefront of her mind as she jerked, the little air in her lungs escaping in an explosive grunt. Fortunately, that was as close to actual combustion as she got, and when her vision stopped swimming, she was able to read another message.

Verdant Surge successful. Verdant Surge is now level 1.

To her immense relief, the spell name looked correct now, and when Pandy checked her Status, she saw that it was listed properly there as well.

Name: Pandy

Race: Rabbit? (Deceased)

Age: 24

LF: 1/1

Mana: 10/14

Stats▾

Strength: 7 Intelligence: 12 Agility: 15 Pain Tolerance: 1Skills▾

Hop: Lv.15 (28/55) Bite: Lv. 13 (1/37) Scratch: Lv. 10 (2/10) Minor Heal: Lv. 14 (33/46) Wings of Glory: Lv. 1 Verdant Surge: Lv. 1Boons▾

Ismara’s Blessing IMark of KerosCorruption Points: 51

Her CP was definitely lower than she’d like, so Pandy eyed the bowl beside her. The mess really was deeply disgusting, but she was undead, and surely throwing up wasn’t something her body was capable of any longer. She dropped the softly glowing herbs into the soup, brushed off her paws, and began to drink.