Lucky Rabbit

The children all split up to look for the missing feline, with Geraldine scouring the girls’ hall, Isidor looking around by the boys’ rooms, Suzanne searching the classrooms, Abbington heading for the stables and the pasture out back, and Thaniel assigned to the dining hall and the kitchen area. They all agreed that they would look around quickly, then meet in the dining hall if they found no sign of Miss Cupcakes. If anyone was missing after fifteen minutes, the rest of them would go to look in that person’s designated area, hoping they might have found or heard something, but were unable to return.

It was a fairly good plan for a group of six to ten-year-olds, at least while Pandy was just along for the ride. But then, as Thaniel entered the corridor leading back to the kitchen and Mrs. Farrier’s workroom, the boy paused, looking down at the rabbit in his arms. Pandy stared back until he finally glanced around before leaning in close and whispering, “Can you search upstairs?”

Pandy blinked. Had she heard that right? Was she actually being asked to participate, rather than just being carried around? Was she being treated like…a person?

She nodded vigorously, even as Thaniel hurried on. “You’re small, and quiet, and-” He stopped as he realized he didn’t need to convince her, then gave her a fierce hug. “Be careful, Bunny,” he murmured into her fur, then lowered her to the ground at the foot of the stairs.

Pandy glanced back, seeing that Thaniel was watching her with the expression of a child who has healed a bird’s broken wing, and been told that he must set it free. It was conflicted and proud and worried, and Pandy wiggled her nose at him, making him giggle. Then she turned and hopped up the steps, starting down the hall leading past the teachers’ offices.

In Gacha Love, there was actually another secret passage that led up to the Condor version of this hall. Clara used it to help Dorian – Pandy’s least favorite love interest – retrieve his knife after he lost it during a previous event. It had been found by the body of one of Killian’s first victims, but only because Dorian stumbled onto the scene before the masked assailant could flee, and Dorian threw the weapon at him.

Dorian knew his father, a royal guard, would recognize it and believe Dorian was somehow involved, so he and Clara had replaced it with another knife that couldn’t be traced to him. Honestly, Pandy had never been sure why he didn’t just explain what had happened, especially since Clara saw everything except the very beginning of the encounter, but Dorian had asked, and of course Clara agreed to help, since doing so gave a huge boost in Doarian’s Affection.

None of which mattered a bit right now, except that Pandy was curious if this, too, carried over from the game. If she kicked the leg of the table between the infirmary and the next door, would a crawl-space open beneath the table? There was only one way to find out, and wasn’t it a lovely coincidence that she could do so while also ‘looking’ for Miss Cupcakes? Not that Pandy thought there was any real need to worry about the cat. Miss Cupcakes might look like an adorable, fluffy gray kitten, but one look in those merciless yellow eyes and-

“Mew.”

Pandy reacted instinctively, hopping backward, away from the pathetic little sound. After all, while it was true that she and the fickle feline were currently not attempting to kill or eat each other, there was just no telling when-

“Meow?”

This time, Pandy caught a glimpse of a little paw poking out from underneath a door at the far end of the hall. It didn’t look like the paw was in distress, just scratching at the floor and the door in an attempt to get out. But how had the kitten gotten in there in the first place, and why didn’t she use the same technique to get back out? Because Pandy didn’t believe for an instant that Miss Cupcakes hadn’t gotten herself into this. Whatever ‘this’ was.

With a regretful look at the tempting table leg, Pandy hopped onward, flattening herself to the ground just out of reach of the persistent paw. Sure enough, her gaze met that of a Very Displeased Miss Cupcakes, who gave a soft growl, followed by a sigh as she withdrew her paw.

“Meow,” said Miss Cupcakes flatly.

Pandy couldn’t respond, but she felt her ears press against her back the way they did when she was trying to hide. The kitten was not happy that she was stuck, and she was even less happy that it was Pandy who had found her.

So the question was, what did Pandy do about it? She looked up at the doorknob, which seemed impossibly far away, though Pandy knew that a Hop could probably take her to the top of the door. Thanks to a morning spent in the comforting embrace of Suzanne’s Dark Aura, she was back up to just over a hundred Corruption Points, but she still hated to waste them, especially on rescuing the capricious cat.

Should she go and get Thaniel? But he could be anywhere in the kitchen, stillroom, or Mrs. Farrier’s sewing room, and who knew how long it would take to find him? Presumably, he would come looking for her if she took enough time, but what if someone came along and found both Pandy and Miss Cupcakes in the meantime? Pandy was all too aware that she – and the other pets – were only there on a trial basis. What happened if they were caught unattended in the teachers’ living area? Besides, it would only take a second to release the kitten, if she just…

Pandy thought. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. Thaniel wasn’t anywhere nearby, and apparently the hall at Falconet didn’t count, even though it was identical to Condor in almost every way. Though technically the event with Dorian had taken place in the chancellor’s office and the hallway immediately outside of it, which was behind Pandy now.

She shook her head. Why did her mind always want to wander at times like this? Pondering the aggravating persnicketiness of the magic that allowed her to use her skills wasn’t actually helpful right now. 

The original spell cost her one hundred and fifty-six CP to unlock. Hopefully, it would cost significantly less to use it now.

Use Ten (10) Corruption Points to cast Shifting Faces?

Ten? That was a lot, but not unmanageable, especially with Suzanne around. Pandy agreed.

Select shape:

Alexandra Wells

Nothing else happened, so Pandy eventually said, again, and when that still didn’t seem to be enough, added, Was that Ms. Wellington’s real name?

Casting of Shifting Faces successful. One use remains before next level.

The doorknob abruptly grew closer, and Pandy stumbled back as she discovered that being bunny-distance from an immovable object was not the same as being human-distance from that same object. Worse, she was naked again, which she really, really needed to do something about if she was going to continue using the spell.

The knob was cold in her hand, and it was a bit loose, turning a little too far before the latch finally snicked open. As it did, Pandy’s eyes focused on the brass plate that was now directly in front of her face. It read ‘Ms. Wellington’ in a font that possessed far too many swoops.

As the door swung open, Pandy fully expected Miss Cupcakes to dash out, back into the hall, but instead the kitten hissed and backed up, her fur standing straight up as she expanded to twice her original size. She glared at Pandy with all the loathing of a toddler who had just discovered broccoli.

Pandy knelt, trying to ignore the fact that the door was open and she was still entirely naked. It wasn’t like this was even her body, so why should she be embarrassed? It was just like wearing someone else’s clothes, right?

Her gaze passed the still-furious kitten and landed on the door behind the desk that occupied the majority of the room. If these offices were like the ones at Condor, then that door would lead to Ms. Wellington’s private space. Ms. Wellington, who most definitely wasn’t coming back, and whose clothes would fit the body Pandy would have to use for the next fifty-three uses of Shifting Faces, until Pandy reached level ten and could finally copy someone else.

Without looking back, Pandy pushed the door closed with her bare foot, then padded forward, placing her hand on the knob of the second door. When she tried to turn it, she felt a little tingle run up her arm, and the knob resisted before slowly, reluctantly turning. So apparently she counted as Ms. Wellington enough that even the magic in the doors recognized her, because now that she thought about it, that probably shouldn’t have worked.

She pushed open the door, and as she did so, a furry bullet sped past her feet, tripping her and sending her to her hands and knees. Her forehead banged painfully against something, and she yelped, hearing Ms. Wellington’s voice come from between her lips.

-16 LF

There was no light in the room, but Pandy’s exploring hands found a low table that sat beside something that felt like a large, soft chair or small couch. Unfortunately, there was no lamp on the table, and Pandy realized there might not be one in the entire suite. The Shadow was a Fire mage, after all. She probably never bothered with anything so mundane as candles or lamp oil. Why couldn’t there be electricity in this world? Steampunk was totally a thing, wasn’t it? They couldn’t just have a nice light electrical switch somewhere, to go with all of the fancy clothes and parties?

Pandy crawled along, feeling each new piece of furniture carefully, like a blind man who was trying to identify an elephant by touch alone. That was another, taller table. This was a wooden chair. Over here was the bed, which was surprisingly small and tucked back into a corner. In fact, the room itself wasn’t that large, and Pandy soon found herself back at the door through which she’d entered.

By now, she’d managed to climb to her feet, and she was only vaguely aware that nowhere in her exploration had she come across Miss Cupcakes. In fact, she was now trapped in a small, dark space with the murder-kitty, which was possibly not her best life choice. But what could she do? She really did need some clothes, and this was her best chance to get them.

Pandy stared around in frustration, wishing she could see at least well enough to be certain that there really wasn’t a lamp or candle somewhere in the room. Though if there was, she wouldn’t know how to light it. People here used magic or something like lighters that required clicking a button to create a spark. If Pandy tried it, she had no doubt she would burn the whole school down. If only she actually had Fire magic, like Ms. Wellington.

She froze. Ms. Wellington and Edgar. And Pandy could learn any spell from Gacha Love. Spark was the first spell Clara ever saw Edgar use, and he’d probably learned it at this very school. That meant it should be a relatively low-cost spell, even though it wasn’t one of Clara’s. All it did was create a tiny, burning spark that hovered in the air wherever Edgar placed it, but that was all Pandy needed at the moment.

“Cast Spark,” Pandy whispered into the darkness. “Use Corruption Points.”

Use Thirty-two (32) Corruption Points to cast Spark?

She grimaced, but said, “Yes.”

Casting of Spark successful. 100% experience gained towards next level.

Spark is now level 1.

-1 LF

And her finger was on fire. Pandy yelped, shaking her hand vigorously. The tiny spark that had begun in the air beside her remained in place, flickering gaily as Pandy blew on her finger. She glared at the tiny light, but her attention quickly moved past it to the pair of yellow eyes balefully glowering at her from the top of the small table.

“Hello, Miss Cupcakes,” Pandy said softly, refusing to attempt to pet or pick up the kitten, no matter how inviting that soft fur and those fluffy cheeks might be. That would be an excellent way to find out how many Minor Heals it took to glue ribbons of flesh back together after being shredded.

The cat gave a low, threatening growl, and Pandy took a step back, trying to get out of face-clawing range. She was pretty sure the kitten could still climb her like a pole, but at least she couldn’t leap directly for Pandy’s eyes.

“It’s me, Pandy,” Pandy said. “Bunny, I mean.” She pointed her forefingers into the air beside her ears and tried to look as rabbity as possible. Wiggling her nose was much more difficult in this shape. “You know me.”

Miss Cupcakes didn’t move, but her eyes narrowed, and the growl shifted to something a little closer to a meow.

Pandy backed up a bit more, glancing behind her to see that what she’d thought was a table was actually a small vanity. For a horrible moment, Pandy saw the dim, shadowy figure of Ms. Wellington, and a squeak tore from her throat before she realized it was a mirror, and what she was seeing was her own shape. Which was still completely naked.

Drawing in a breath, Pandy turned away from the horrifying image. Before she did anything else, she needed clothes, and clothes would be-

The light turned on, and a stern masculine voice said, “Ms. Wellington! Where have you been?”