Chapter One hundred eighty-seven – Glitches Get Stitches

By the time the Reedsleys brought Thaniel and the others back to school, it was very nearly dinner time.

All of the children had bright, slightly sun-burned faces, glowing eyes, and the enthusiasm of someone who had exceeded their sugar saturation point by at least three thousand percent. Only Clara was her usual silent self, but even she looked oddly contemplative, her eyes lingering on Geraldine whenever the younger girl wasn’t looking.

By now, there were only a few other people – students, staff, and teachers – remaining at the school, and Augustus invited them all to push their tables together. Those who had gone to see the Grange displays regaled the others with tales of the wonders they’d seen. It seemed that while the farmers focused on growing the largest, best-tasting plants possible, everyone else focused on creating something new or so over-the-top that everyone would have to talk about it. Shoes that lit up seemed likely to become the newest trend, while enormous hats like the one Lady Reedsley bought dominated Grange displays throughout the city.

“There was one hat with an entire herd of sheep on it,” Geraldine told the extended table, spreading her arms wide to indicate the sheer size of the thing. “But I don’t think the milliner had ever actually seen a sheep, so they looked more like cats with human faces and wool stuck all over them.”

Thaniel nodded even as he attempted to hide a yawn behind one hand. “An’ there were birds made outta fire, and one hat had a ship on it that went up and down on waves.” He moved his hand up and down, indicating the rise and fall of this Bonnet Brigantine.

“The magical entries were amazing,” Eleanor agreed. “But I couldn’t believe what some people were able to do with just needle and thread, or leather and metal, or even paper!” She held up her prize – an adorable dog folded origami-style from what looked like a single sheet of paper. Each of the children had one; gifts from the Reedsleys to help them remember the day. Not that Pandy thought any of them would ever forget it.

For all the enthusiasm of the children, Lord and Lady Reedsley looked like they might well fall asleep in their Coq au Vin. They smiled around rather blankly, and as soon as their untouched desserts were taken away, they rose and made their excuses.

“Clara, darling, are you ready, or should we expect you up when everyone else goes to bed?” Lady Reedsley said, looking up from the kiss she had pressed to Geraldine’s wild curls.

Usually, Clara would simply rise and offer everyone her empty, pretty smile before bidding them good night. This time, however, she said, “I’ll be up in a little while. Mother.” There was a distinct and odd pause before she said ‘Mother’, and Lady Reedsley bit her lip before smiling around and saying her final good nights.

Somehow, Thaniel and his friends still had enough energy to play games, and when a few of the other students who hadn’t gone home and didn’t have family visiting asked if they could join, the addition of a few more players was greeted with enthusiasm. Soon, a rousing game using everyone’s Elemental Tiles was spread across five tables, and whoops of excitement mingled with good-natured groans of disappointment as the tiles a player needed failed to turn up.

Pandy and the other elemental pets watched from the side, and for once, Lord Winston’s energy seemed to be as droopy as his face. He’d had to remain in the carriage for most of the day, as had Miss Cupcakes, but if he was at all like a normal dog, he’d probably spent most of the time running from one window to the other, barking at anyone who got too close. You never could tell with Miss Cupcakes, since she always seemed to be either sleeping or sneaking, but this was a sleeping time, and the kitten’s nose was firmly planted beneath one paw.

Pandy, of course, couldn’t get tired, so she watched the game progress, trying to figure out the rules that everyone else seemed to know, until someone sat down in the chair next to her. At first she assumed it would be Augustus, but he had disappeared not long after the Reedsleys, and when Pandy turned to look, she found herself staring into Clara’s gorgeous blue eyes.

Rabbit and proto-heroine stared at one another for such a long time that Pandy had almost convinced herself the girl’s eyeballs must have dried out, and she would have to fetch a Water mage to relubricate them, when Clara finally blinked. Without a single flicker of expression, she reached out, booping Pandy’s nose. Pandy jumped. Clara jumped. Leaning forward, Clara murmured, “What are you?”

It had actually been a while since someone asked Pandy this question – mainly because she was so bad at pretending to be a normal rabbit that no one needed to ask any more – but she still remembered what to do. She widened her eyes. She twitched her whiskers. She wiggled her nose. Clara booped her again, and this time, as she did, a vaguely unpleasant sensation passed through Pandy’s body.

Use 5 Corruption Points to resist Dispel? 

<Yes,> Pandy thought almost before she finished reading the words. She tried to jerk away from the slender finger touching her nose, but Clara’s other hand struck like a snake, clasping the skin behind Pandy’s ears in a grip so tight Pandy definitely wouldn’t have been able to breathe if that was a thing she did. A feeling like she’d just stuck her tongue on a nine-volt battery shot through her, and her whiskers actually crackled.

Use 50 Corruption Points to resist Purify?

<Yes!> Pandy almost shouted, wriggling like a worm on a hook. She could Bite, Scratch, or just tear herself free, ignoring whatever damage Clara’s Purifying Pinch might do to her. But that would attract attention, and really, she should have predicted this. Clara was the future heroine. If Lian had noticed Pandy was a Dark elemental, and tried to Purify her, obviously the main character of Gacha Love wasn’t just going to blithely go about her business and leave an innocent child with something she perceived as evil.

Clara’s fingers tightened again, and her eyes narrowed. Her lips drew back in something like a growl as another pulse of power flooded Pandy’s body. This time, she could feel her body stiffen, then go limp, flopping over like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Resist Sanctify failed.

Insufficient Corruption Points available.

Pandy stared at the words. Insufficient? She’d had more than four hundred and fifty Corruption Points just a minute ago. So many she hadn’t bothered memorizing the exact number, because surely she wouldn’t need them tonight, surrounded by friends and those she was beginning to think of as family.

Connection lost.

Unable to maintain Possession of Host Body.

Soul will be returned to Hell in 10…

Pandy?

9…

What’s going on?

8…

<I don’t know!> Pandy wailed. <She just disconnected me! Like I forgot to pay my electric bill!>

Do something!

6…

<You do something!> she shouted back. <You’re the god!> Wait. God. <Ismara!> Pandy screamed as her vision began to go dark. <Help!>

The world froze. Clara filled Pandy’s fading vision, her expression still utterly impassive as she watched Pandy’s small body quiver beneath her hand. Beyond her, Pandy could just make out Thaniel crowing in victory as he held up a tile. Geraldine was sticking her tongue out at him, while Eleanor and Abbington laughed at the pair’s antics.

The black letters Pandy was used to guttered out, and white letters took their place. They were faint – a suggestion of letters rather than sharp, distinct lines.

Unexpected internal interruption

ApplicationError: CommandUnknownException at 0xΔΕΜΣΕQ

> VitalLink desync detected. Adjusting delta.

CustodianChannel.deliver("ΣΤΑΘΕΡΟΣ: self-repair invoked")

print("Hello Pandora")

Hello Pandora

Time started again. Pandy pulled away, leaving a thick tuft of fur in Clara’s hand.

-3 LF

Clara’s hand opened, fur drifting to the floor. She half-stood, expression flat, eyes locked on Pandy. Her foot came down on Miss Cupcakes’ tail, and the cat yowled, whipping out a paw to rake her claws down Clara’s calf, shredding her tights and leaving deep scratches that swelled with red. Blood dripped to the floor.

“Miss Cupcakes!” Geraldine screamed, scattering tiles everywhere as she pushed the table away and jumped up. She looked horrified, torn between concern and anger. “Clara, what-”

Clara stood, looking down at her own leg as if it didn’t belong to her. Other people rushed to her side, but she didn’t move, just staring at the slow flow of crimson that now soaked her shoe. Only when the last adult staff member in the room knelt to press a handkerchief against the wound did she finally react, pulling away. Her beautiful eyes filled with tears.

“Oh,” she said, sinking to the ground and pressing her hand to the injury. “Mother,” she sobbed. “Where’s my mother?”

The staff member – the same young woman who had hit Ms. Wellington in the face with a door, and later come to tell her that Luca had arrived with her dresses – pressed a hand to Clara’s shoulder reassuringly. “We’ll have Mistress Rose here in a minute, Miss. She’s an excellent healer, and she’ll have you fixed right up.”

Clara sniffled, then shook her head. “I… I can do it myself. I just-” More tears spilled down her cheeks – perfect, crystalline drops that caught the light and glittered as they fell to the floor. Bravely, she held her trembling hands over the oozing tears in her flesh, and closed her eyes. Light formed around her hands, growing stronger and stronger until a few of the watchers had to look away. When she raised her hands again, the pale skin visible through the holes in her tights was intact, though smeared with blood.

The heroine managed a shaky smile, looking around at everyone. “I’m so sorry. That was silly of me, and Geraldine, it was all my fault. I stepped on Miss Cupcakes’ tail. Of course she scratched me. And then it hurt, and I just couldn’t gather myself for a moment.”

Geraldine threw her arms around her sister’s neck, her own tears emerging from rapidly reddening eyes set in a blotchy face. “She shouldn’t have hurt you, though. I’m sure she’s sorry, too!” She released Clara, falling to her knees to stare at the cat, who was sitting underneath a nearby table, licking her abused appendage. Geraldine reached for the cat. “Come on and tell Clara you’re sorry, Miss-”

The kitten’s back arched, and she hissed, batting at the questing fingers. It was obvious to Pandy that she didn’t want to hurt Geraldine, and her claws weren’t out, but the girl quickly drew her hand back, looking like her heart was about to break. Turning to her sister, she said, “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She doesn’t usually act like this. You know.”

Clara gave the soft, sweet smile that graced every Gacha Love ad ever made. “We’re all tired,” she said, starting to give Geraldine a one-armed hug, then pulling away as she realized her hand was bloody. With a small, awkward laugh, she continued, “I suppose this is a sign from Ismara that it’s time for me to go to bed. We have another big day tomorrow.”

She crouched down to Geraldine’s eye level and smiled reassuringly at her sister. “I’m absolutely fine, so don’t worry about me. You know I don’t hold grudges.” She gave a tinkle of laughter to indicate this was a joke. Geraldine nodded, but Pandy shuddered. Those blue eyes were locked on her, and Pandy felt very strongly that not only was that not a joke, but Clara was straight-up lying.

No one else seemed to notice, however, and soon Geraldine, Eleanor, Lord Winston, and the staff member escorted Clara up to Lord and Lady Reedsley’s temporary quarters. The rest of the children gathered up the scattered tiles, and did their best to return the tables and chairs to their usual places. Miss Cupcakes didn’t follow Geraldine for once, but stayed beneath the table until the girls were out of sight, then made her way toward Pandy.

Since Pandy didn’t seem to have been involved in the brouhaha, Thaniel had only glanced at her, smiled, then joined his friends in cleaning up. He didn’t notice the scattering cloud of white fur or the ears Pandy couldn’t quite raise up from where they were pinned against her back. That was probably for the best, though, since the ears covered the reddened, bare patch on her neck.

Miss Cupcakes paused to sniff a particularly large tuft of fur, then a single drop of blood that sat, half-hidden behind a chair leg. At some point when Clara was on the floor, her skirt must have wiped up the other spots, leaving only this one. The kitten let out a soft, low rumble of a growl, then looked up at Pandy, her pupils so large the yellow irises were only visible as a thin ring.

With trembling legs, Pandy hopped the last few steps to Miss Cupcakes, and licked the blood.

+100 Corruption Points for Drinking the ⧫Ⱡɵⱺᕱ ⱺƒ ɊᶅɇȵⱤ