Lucky Rabbit

Pandy ducked instinctively when Augustus said the name, but nothing happened. She didn’t even feel the Ominous Pressure of Being Watched. So she couldn’t say Ascyra, Keros, or Aglaea without them being aware, but this Big Bad didn’t have his notifications on? Or did this mean it wasn’t the right name after all?

The two men saw her reaction, and Professor Beeswick raised his brows. Pandy lowered her voice and said, “Can’t he… hear us? Or do we still have the wrong god?”

The Dragon shifted, wings lifting as his robes and hair began to flutter. “This is my domain,” he told her, gesturing around at the library. “I am no god, but this space is held within and by my magic. Without me, it would be as you once saw; an empty room, full of nothing but age and dust. Even Ismara herself would struggle to reach here without my permission.”

As he spoke, his chin lifted, clawed fingers flexing as his pale eyes shimmered. For all that he still had two arms, two legs, and a generally human-like face, at that moment there was nothing human about him. It was as though his Dragon rose up beneath his skin and stared out at Pandy through implacable eyes. What elemental tier was a Dragon anyway, and if gods had tiers, where did a not-quite-World God place on the scale?

“That said,” Augustus’s dry voice put in, “you probably shouldn’t get in the habit of speaking the name. Most of the time you will not lie in the heart of a Dragon’s domain.”

Professor Beeswick snorted, and his inner Dragon settled back into its normal resting state. His wings flapped once, and his expression was mildly amused as he nodded. “True enough. Now, get out so I can continue my research. With a name and a point in history to begin with, I should be able to find out more about this,” he smirked, “Zhery-wery.”

Pandy nodded eagerly. Professor Elarion Beeswick might be beautiful, but he was also utterly terrifying, and every now and then she remembered that he could eat her. Depending on how strong her healing really was, she might reform afterwards, but it definitely wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. She’d never had any great desire to experience existence as an endoscope, however temporarily.

Augustus led Pandy down the steps to the main floor of the library. It was quiet now, all the books on their shelves, tables clear, without a single child to break the peace. As they walked toward the door, Augustus softly said, “Will you return to Avington House?”

Pandy nodded. “After breakfast. I need to visit Saskia and pick up my clothes first, though.” She bit her lip. “Can I take Thaniel?”

The chancellor stared at her, but frowned thoughtfully rather than rejecting the idea outright. “Not to Saskia’s house, especially not after what we’ve just learned.” He saw her open her mouth to say that wasn’t what she’d meant, and gave her a smaller version of one of his teasing smiles. “But on Fridays, as you know, Small Group leaders are allowed to take their students on approved outings. I see no reason you couldn’t take all three of your students on an excursion, so long as you went directly home, and brought them directly back. Your house is, ah, unusually well-protected. You’ll have to keep any other guests you may have out of sight, however.”

So someone was watching Avington House and Eleanor. Pandy wondered how they chose the people who would do the watching, given that they didn’t know who had placed the poppets in the palace. Still, Pandy was encouraged to press a bit harder. “Could I keep them for the weekend? You said excursions can be longer than an hour. I know students at Condor can be away for a day or more.” In the beginning of Gacha Love, Clara went to a few dungeons with her Small Group before she began going on one-on-one missions with the love interests, and it always took all day Saturday.

Augustus’s brows drew down, but he didn’t refuse outright. “The old estates, the ones like Avington House, have built-in defenses. That’s part of the reason one of your guests came to you. I doubt if they’re in full effect yet, given the condition of the house, but what there is, plus watchful eyes and secrecy, protects you more than you know. Eventually, anyone inside that house will be safer than they would be anywhere except at the royal palace itself. In the meantime, it’d be best not to draw too much attention to it.”

“And someone is probably watching Thaniel,” Pandy said with a defeated sigh.

Augustus gave her an understanding smile. “All the more reason to fix the house as quickly as possible. We can’t be too obvious about helping you, because then certain people would wonder why we care so much. Once the relationship between you and I becomes clear, however, it will make sense if I give you greater leeway and freedom than the other teachers.”

“R- Re- lationship?” Pandy asked, feeling a bit faint. The implication had been there long enough for her to get used to the idea in a very general way, but he meant for everyone to know?

Smile widening, he nodded. “They’ll see it as social-climbing, at first, but soon enough people will forget about our difference in station and just accept it.”

“Social climbing?” Of course they’d think that. Pandy was just a teacher, and he was the chancellor. Was this going to turn into one of those boss-secretary love stories? Pandy wasn’t ready to be a romance heroine!

Augustus leaned in, speaking conspiratorily as his face grew far, far too close to hers. She could smell something minty on his breath, so they must have some kind of toothpaste or mouthwash here after all, in spite of what Thaniel would like her to believe…

“As long as you don’t use your higher station to get me into any… unfortunate situations, no one will think much about it,” he murmured. “But you know and I know that you would never think of anything like that.” He drawled the last few words in a very meaningful way, and Pandy let out a little squeak as her back impacted the door to the library. She hadn’t even realized she was backing up because he was moving forward in perfect tandem.

“You mean I-?”

He set a hand against the door behind her shoulder. Was he leaning? He was! Pandy had never been leaned at before, and if her heart actually functioned, it would probably be climbing out of her throat right now. In fact, there was a large lump headed toward her esophagus, and if he moved even a centimeter closer she might upchuck all over his cravat. Oh, no. She couldn’t vomit, so he was safe, but-

The first bell rang with the gentle chiming sound of the weekend alarm – not insistent the way it was on weekdays, but letting everyone know they should start their days if they wanted to eat. Pandy looked up toward the sound, and something warm touched her lips, as briefly as a butterfly’s wing brushing against a flower petal, and then Augustus straightened, returning to his proper chancellor-persona. There was still very much a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke, however.

“Yes, Lady Avington, you are the higher-ranking person in this relationship,” he told her. “I’m afraid any number of eligible people will be sounding you out, and soon, so it’s best that we make our connection known as quickly as possible. Unless you’re looking for a noble mate?” He raised a brow, and Pandy’s face somehow managed to become even hotter, which she would have sworn was impossible.

“No, I… I didn’t think… No one ever wanted to-” Her voice choked off, and there absolutely had to be smoke coming out of her ears, though she couldn’t see it because she was utterly focused on the gray eyes that had suddenly become very serious.

“Then every person in your entire world was a fool,” he told her, and she could hear the sincerity in his voice. “You are kind, intelligent, funny, and never, ever boring.” He raised her hand to his and brushed his lips over it, sending Pandy into a state of existential meltdown. If she was a System, she would have started spitting errors like confetti.

For good or ill, Augustus seemed to sense this – honestly, it probably wasn’t actually difficult to tell – so he dropped her hand and stepped back, giving her all the space she needed. Glancing upward, he said, “If you want to get to Thaniel before the halls are full of students, you should go now. I’ll send for a hired carriage to arrive after the meal, and it will take you to Saskia’s home.”

She nodded, still speechless, and he gave her a small bow, entirely absent his usual teasing smile, and stepped around her to open the door. As he slipped out, Pandy released Shifting Faces, honestly impressed that she’d managed to hold onto it for as long as she had. There was just something about Augustus when he got into one of these moods that made her want to hide in rabbit form as much as possible. Not that that ever seemed to deter him, which, come to think of it, might be a bit concerning. Who flir- talked to a bunny like that?

With a shake of her ears, she set that aside and wiggled out into the hall, only to freeze instantly as she came nose to nose with Miss Cupcakes. The kitten was sitting in the middle of the hall, halfway through grooming her whiskers. Seeing Pandy, she hesitated only briefly before finishing the move, then gave her paw one last swipe with her tongue and turned tail, stalking away.

Now, the question was, was the cat’s presence a coincidence? Had she been listening to them through the door? Was it possible to listen to someone through the door of the library, given that it didn’t actually seem to physically connect with this hall? Did it even matter, given that the potential eavesdropper was an elemental cat?

The heat in Pandy’s ears argued that it did, but when Miss Cupcakes glanced back over her shoulder, Pandy followed, hopping into the lobby and then into the students’ wing, where voices trickled out into the hall from Ms. Davenport’s room.

“-very sorry, but that’s final. Your parents were quite clear that they feel the best place for you is school,” the teacher said, not without some sympathy. “Please remember it’s still very early in the year. I know things have been a bit… hectic lately, especially among your friend group, but in a few weeks you’ll feel as comfortable here as ever.”

“That can’t be right,” Geraldine said, and Pandy could hear the tears in her voice. “They promised that if I ever really wanted to come home, I could. You must have misread their letter.”

Ms. Davenport cleared her throat, and the soft rustling of paper reached Pandy’s sensitive ears. “Dear Ms. Davenport,” she read, “Our daughter, Geraldine, has asked that she be allowed to return home. We believe she has been unsettled by recent events, but as she is an intelligent and sensible child, we are confident that she will soon find her feet again. Please watch over her and support her in this difficult time. With Great Appreciation, Lord and Lady Reedsley.”

The paper ruffled again, and Ms. Davenport said, “I called you here as soon as I got their letter. I wish you’d let me know you were struggling so much, but now that I’m aware, I’m certain we can find ways to help you get over it. In fact, Ms. Arabelle will be spending time with Nathaniel, to help him deal with his own emotions regarding these events, and I’m sure she can do the same for you.”

“I don’t want to talk to someone,” Geraldine said, voice choked. “I want to go home. My mother needs me!”

“Clearly, she does not,” Ms. Davenport said, and Geraldine gasped as if she’d been struck. Voice gentling again, the hall supervisor added, “She has her husband and your older sister to support her, and obviously their priority regarding you is to make certain you have the best education possible. Now,” wood scraped over wood, and steps approached the door, “you need to return to your room to get ready for breakfast, as must I. I’ll begin making arrangements for you to speak to Ms. Arabelle, and I think it might be best if we also assign you a new roommate. I can think of a few young ladies who could help you refine your speech and mannerisms.”

Geraldine’s feet had been dragging along behind the older woman’s, but now they stopped. “I don’t want a new roommate!”

Opening the door, Ms. Davenport said, “It’s not about what you want, but what you need. As an adult, I know best how to help you recover.” She glanced out into the hall, looked entirely unsurprised to see Miss Cupcakes, but raised her brows when she noticed Pandy. “I will have to take your… pet into consideration, of course, but cats are generally unobjectionable.”

Miss Cupcakes preened as if this was the first sensible thing that had come out of the woman’s mouth, and Geraldine hurried to pick the kitten up, burying her face in the ash-gray fur to wipe away the tears glistening on her cheeks. To the kitten’s credit, she didn’t even flinch as moisture touched her fur, instead glaring at Ms. Davenport with half-slitted eyes as she began to purr in a particularly threatening manner.

In a last attempt to salvage things, Ms. Davenport gave a stiff smile and said, “In a few weeks, all will be well. You’ll see. Now, we both must prepare for breakfast.” With a nod that almost managed to include Pandy – what did the hall supervisor know? – she closed her door.

Geraldine stood in the hall for a moment, still clutching Miss Cupcakes tightly against her chest. Finally, the kitten gave a wiggle, and Geraldine gasped. “I’m sorry, Miss Cupcakes! I just… I just really thought… I would be able to go home.” She began to sob in earnest, and Pandy gave a quick glance up and down the hall to make sure they were alone, cast Shifting Faces again, then wrapped the girl in a hug. Some things were more important than secrecy.