Lucky Rabbit

Dragon food was spicy. Not spicy as in hot – though it was that, too – but spicy like Indian food, with a complex combination of flavors that wasn’t always to Pandy’s taste. Still, she ate, and lapped up the golden liquid, which was sweet and probably not alcoholic, because she didn’t feel woozy after drinking it. Pandy had never much cared for alcohol, because when your luck was as bad as hers, you didn’t really need to encourage bad things to happen.

Dragons also didn’t talk while eating. Or at least, Professor Beeswick didn’t talk while eating. He also didn’t use utensils, though with his sharp claws, he didn’t really need them. Fortunately, neither did Pandy, so they ate in a rather companionable silence, until the librarian’s plate was clean, and he snapped his fingers again.

This time, the Skyril that flew down to them was more blue than gray, and it brought some of its friends. When the gray one came swooping in a few moments later, there was a bit of a tussle between them, with the blue and its allies emerging victorious. The gray-scaled elemental landed on the ridge of the roof, not far away, watching balefully as Professor Beeswick gathered up the corners of the tablecloth so the other Skyrils could carry it away.

Pandy watched all of this from within the safety of the dragon’s loose robe, where he’d tucked her after summoning the elementals. Being inside someone else’s clothing while they were still wearing it was a strange sensation, but Pandy was distracted not only by the unexpected heat but by the fact that the professor’s side was oddly hard beneath the tunic. It didn’t give like human flesh, and she wondered if the scales on his torso were larger and thicker than the ones on his appendages.

Once the tablecloth had been carried away, Professor Beeswick placed his hand in the center of the table again. This time, Pandy could see that the apparently random mosaic had a five-fingered pattern at its core, and the little tiles clicked down into the table before the table and floor, complete with occupants, dropped straight down.

Pandy tried to determine the point at which they shifted from dragon-home to school, but it must have happened when they were passing through the shadowy interior of the roof itself, because the world never so much as flickered. One moment they were on the roof beneath a clear blue sky, the next there was a ceiling overhead, and the table was just a table.

A young voice rose up from below, calling for the professor, and he patted Pandy absently on the head before starting down the stairs. No one noticed him until he reached the second level walkway, but by the time he stepped foot on the ground floor, several students stood waiting for him. Thaniel and his friends were among them, and the boy’s face lit up when he saw Pandy poking her nose out of the librarian’s open robe.

Without thinking, Pandy braced her back paws against the dragon’s too-solid side, launching herself toward Thaniel. The boy raised his hands just in time to catch her, and Pandy snuggled into him, almost surprised to realise just how much she’d missed him. She’d spent most of her time since being reborn with Thaniel, and while she was ready for some time away, she was also very glad to be reunited. She was even happier to see that he looked cheerful and relaxed, so nothing too bad could have happened during their time apart.

She turned back to Professor Beeswick, just in time to catch a look of bemusement that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. His usual imperturbable mien dropped over his face, and he pointed to James, the boy who’d gotten in trouble for turning down the corner of a page.

“You will be repairing books today.” He flicked his fingers, and an older girl appeared from nowhere to lead the unfortunate James away. Really, though, where had she come from? James himself was either a fourth- or fifth-year, and this girl looked like she was closer to Lian and Edgar’s age. She also had on a uniform that looked similar to the ones everyone else wore, except that her jacket was a rusty red color, rather than navy.

Each time Professor Beeswick gave one of the children an assignment, another of the older students was there to lead them away. Abbington and Geraldine were sent to dust shelves, while Isidor was the only student who didn’t receive any instructions at all, simply vanishing among the bookshelves after Professor Beeswick acknowledged him.

When only Thaniel and Eleanor were left, the dragon said, “You will shelve books,” and there was Lian, appearing from nowhere, looking slightly irritated for a moment before he caught sight of Thaniel and very, very nearly smiled.

Thaniel launched himself toward his brother in much the same way Pandy had launched herself at him, and with similar results. Lian didn’t snuggle the smaller boy to him, but he did pat Thaniel on the head as his little brother struggled to maintain his composure. For her part, Pandy wondered if happy tears would be just as good as sad ones when it came to providing her with Corruption Points.

Then another boy stepped out from behind Lian, and Pandy’s unlife nearly came to a halt. If meeting Clara felt like running into her favorite actress in the corner market, this was like bumping into a K-pop superstar at the neighborhood barbeque. It was Kaden. Prince Kaden, and for the third time, the library was the scene of a reunion as Eleanor hurried forward. Rather than hugging her brother, however, she stopped just out of reach, offering a graceful curtsey instead.

“What’re you doin’ here?” Thaniel demanded of his brother as he pulled away from Lian, giving Eleanor and the golden-haired stranger a confused look.

“What am I doing here,” Lian corrected absently, lifting a brow at his ‘friend’ before turning back to Thaniel. “Chores, of course. I’m helping out in the library.”

This was entirely unhelpful, and Thaniel wasn’t shy about saying so. “But this’s – is – Falconet. Why aren’t you at Kestrel?”

Lian opened his mouth to reply, but Kaden beat him to it. He had nodded to his sister, but otherwise didn’t acknowledge her at all, which was quite different from the warm affection his voice actor had given him in the cutscene where he talked to Clara about his sibling. He was a tsundere, though, and that fact was on full display as he spoke.

“They always ask for volunteers to help at Falconet at the beginning of the year,” the golden prince said. “We get extra credit for volunteering, so I suppose it’s worth it.”

Lian rolled his eyes at Kaden, adding, “We get credit-hours for volunteering, and we need a certain number of hours each term. Going off campus gives double-time, even if it’s just through a library transfer.”

Professor Beeswick was nearby, listening, and now he looked over at them. “All libraries are one library, at least when I’m the librarian,” he said, with a hint of a twinkle. “Now get to work, or none of you will get credit.”

Lian and Kaden nodded, and the professor went off to do whatever dragon librarians did when they weren’t feeding rabbits. Kaden led Eleanor toward the circulation desk, where a cart full of books waited, but Lian took Thaniel deeper into the library, to a section the first-years hadn’t yet visited. Here, they found tables piled with abandoned books, stacks of them simply waiting to be reshelved.

Thaniel stared at them, dismay writ large on his face. “Why doesn’t anybody put their own books away?”

Lian gave a very small smile, which was practically a guffaw by his standards. “Too many people put them in the wrong place, so there’s a rule that they’re supposed to be left on the carts or tables. Come on, I’ll show you how to put them back properly.”

Picking up a large, leather-bound book, Lian flipped it open to the inside of the front cover. A heavy sheet of paper was glued there, and he pointed to what looked like an embossed stamp in the center of the paper. “You’re going to put your own innate magic into this, and the book will show you where it belongs.”

Pressing a finger to the stamp, his eyes went distant, then focused on something Pandy couldn’t see. As if drawn by a string, he stepped around Thaniel to a nearby bookshelf, and slid the book into a gap on the bottom shelf. When the book settled into place, Lian gave a soft sigh of relief, nodding in satisfaction.

“It doesn’t take much magic,” Lian said to Thaniel as he handed the boy another book. “If the correct shelf is nearby, it hardly needs any at all, but if you have to go up to the other levels, it can take time and energy.” He hesitated, then lowered his voice and said, “Don’t push yourself too hard, and try not to- Don’t use any more power than you have to. I saw a Fire mage incinerate a book once, and he was never allowed in the library again.”

Thaniel’s eyes grew wide, and Pandy had a feeling he was thinking about the same thing she was. If Thaniel was a Dark mage – and there wasn’t much doubt at this point – then what would his power do to a book if he used too much? Would the tome simply crumble to dust?

Showing surprising sensitivity, Lian squeezed his brother’s shoulder. “Just watch me tonight. Practice your magic, and you can do it yourself next time.”

Thaniel nodded, relief flooding his face, and Lian picked up the next book. This time they had to go a little further in order to put the book in its place, and Thaniel started telling his brother about school as they walked. To Pandy’s relief, the boy didn’t mention her, just his new friends and classes, though he stumbled briefly when he mentioned his Small Group leader.

Lian frowned. “Wellington? I don’t remember a teacher by that name. She must be new this year. What’s she like?”

Thaniel stared down at Pandy, biting his lip, before he finally said, “She’s…really nice, but kind of silly. She likes tea and vegetables, and doesn’t do fancy things with her hair, like the other ladies. She gives really nice hugs.”

Pandy felt her heart melt, possibly literally, and Lian momentarily seemed at a loss for words. At last, he managed to say, “That’s good. I suppose…you can learn a lot from the other teachers.” He paused again, then slanted a look down at his little brother as he slid another book onto its waiting shelf. “Do you have Governance and Leadership this term?” Almost immediately, he seemed to second-guess himself, waving off the question. “No, don’t tell me. You know we’re not supposed to talk about it.”

Thaniel nodded, but said, “I have it, but none of my other friends do. I don’t like it.”

Lian nodded as if this was to be expected. “You’re not meant to like it.” Then, as if realizing that he’d almost said something he shouldn’t, he grabbed another book from the table.

They’d nearly cleared that table when the bell rang to let them know their time was up. Thaniel’s face crumpled at the sound, and he stared up at his brother. For his part, Lian glanced around, then said, “I’ll volunteer here for the rest of the week. Beginning of term is the best time to get your hours, when you don’t have as much homework, and there aren’t any tests.”

Thaniel immediately perked up. “I almost dropped a book, so I have to be here all week, too. I can see you again tomorrow!”

Lian nodded, but lifted a chastising finger. “You have to be more careful with your books. Professor Beeswick will give you a few chances, so long as you don’t do anything too bad, but then you’ll lose access to the library for the rest of the term.”

Thaniel looked horrified. “Then I couldn’t see you! Or…can I go to the Kestrel library? Can you come visit my room?”

“The magic only works in the library,” Lian said, guiding his brother back toward the entrance, where Abbington and Geraldine already waited, looking impatient. The two didn’t approach, however, not after they saw how intently Thaniel was focused on Lian.

The other students who’d been assigned to the library for chores were rapidly exiting, and Lian pointed to the door as it closed behind one of them. “If I walked out there, I would appear in the hall at Kestrel. If you ask at the desk, you can read books from any of the three schools while you’re here, but you can’t check one out except at the school where it belongs. And you can only travel between libraries when you’re working, not when you’re there as a guest.”

Guest, not patron, Pandy noted. Whatever magic was at work here, it was obviously very powerful, but very strict. Which was probably for the best, because otherwise people would use the library like a train station, and Pandy didn’t think Professor Beeswick would appreciate that at all.

As it was, she wondered why this aspect of the library had never been mentioned in Gacha Love. Edgar could often be found in the library at Condor, and it was one of the options for chores, but Clara just put books away and flirted with the boys; she didn’t teleport between schools or use a magical filing system. Was this a part of this world that Keros’ magic hadn’t bothered to change because it didn’t explicitly break the original story?

“Are you gonna go, then?” Thaniel asked, face falling again.

Lian almost smiled again. That was what, three times tonight? He was obviously far more at ease now that he was back at school. “Our schedule is a bit different from yours,” he said, patting Thaniel’s shoulder once more. “I’ll be here for another hour, at least. I need to keep working, or I won’t get credit for my time, but you could stay. No doubt you have some studying you could do.”

Thaniel’s little nose wrinkled, and he was obviously weighing the benefit of spending more time with his brother versus being stuck in the library instead of playing with his friends. Then Eleanor and Kaden appeared from behind a nearby bookshelf, and Kaden said, “I suppose we could tutor you. That’s also worth double-time, since we’re here.”

Pandy noticed that while Eleanor still trailed her brother, much like Lord Winston trailed after her, the girl was now clinging to the hem of Kaden’s jacket. The prince was also taking small steps, allowing for his sister’s shorter legs, as well as how tired she now looked. The girl was definitely paler than she had been, and shadows were forming under her eyes. Had she been drained this much by the library’s magic shelving system?

Still, she managed a wavering smile and said, “We can stay. Our friends,” she gave a brilliant smile as she said the word ‘friends’, glancing toward Geraldine and Abbington as she did so, “are going to the stables to visit Brook, but they won’t mind when we explain.”

Eleanor, of course, had the benefit of having met Lian before, so she knew he was Thaniel’s brother. Thaniel, on the other hand, had never met Kaden, so he looked a bit surprised, then curious when he noticed that the princess still held onto the strange boy’s jacket. Eleanor seemed to realize what she was doing at the same time Thaniel registered it, and yanked her hand back, only to have Kaden catch her fingers.

“You’re still unsteady from the magic drain,” Kaden said, not looking at his sister even as his fingers tightened on hers. “You should sit beside me until we’re sure you won’t faint.”

“Faint?” Lian asked, sounding somewhat incredulous. “I don’t think-”

“It could happen,” Kaden insisted, red appearing along his cheekbones. “She put away twenty-three books.”

“Twenty-three? Her first time?” Lian actually sounded impressed, and he nodded respectfully at Eleanor, which made her blush even more than her brother. It was obvious that Lian knew she was the princess, even though her appearance had changed, which left poor Thaniel as the only one who wasn’t aware of all the relationships.

“She did very well,” Professor Beeswick said, making everyone except Lian jump, and even he twitched. The dragon stepped out from behind a bookshelf, and Pandy didn’t think she was imagining the amusement in his gaze as it rested on her, where she sat in Thaniel’s arms. He didn’t comment on the fact that Thaniel hadn’t put away a single book.

“If you’re going to tutor these first-years, you should do so,” the professor said, tilting his head toward a table and chairs that Pandy would have sworn weren’t there just a second ago. “I believe Thaniel needs some assistance with math, and while Ellie is caught up, no doubt she would benefit from some review. You have until the next bell.”

All four children watched as the librarian walked away. Isidor finally appeared, nodding respectfully to Professor Beeswick as he passed, and, seeing the tall boy join their friends, Geraldine and Abbington finally approached as well.

Geraldine, of course, recognized Lian, though she couldn’t possibly have known that Kaden was the heir to the country, because when she found out he was willing to be a tutor, she said, “I need help with history. I can never remember all the King Such-and-so did this, and Queen What’s-her-name did that.” Abbington tried to hang back, but Geraldine grabbed his sleeve, pulling him closer as she said, “Bing needs help with spelling and grammar, too.”

Lian and Kaden looked down at their young siblings, taking in the wide, hopeful eyes, and sighed in unison.