"Thank you so much, Crewel-sama!"
Kat bobbed her head and knees again, then ducked out of Crewel's office, closing the door behind her.
"Phew..."
She leaned against the wall, holding the stack of new-- or rather, secondhand-- textbooks and notebooks against her chest.
Her moment of respite didn't last long, though. Grim started tugging insistently on her pants leg, jumping up and down.
"Come on, come on, come ON!" He insisted.
"Let's hurry up an' get to those botanical gardens and get chestnut-pickin'!"
She rolled her eyes.
"Okay, okay, o-KAY! Calm down... Will you at least let me go back to the dorm and put these down first, huh?"
Grim grumbled, following her as she started walking back up the hallway.
"Ugh, fiiine... As long as we get there fast, okay?"
She rolled her eyes again.
"I'll do my best..."
It only took about ten minutes to get back to Ramshackle, drop off the new school materials, and make her way to the botanical gardens.
She decided to bring her new schoolbag with her, though, with only one notebook and a few pencils... Just in case. You never knew when you might need to write something down, after all.
Plus, she might feel like drawing something...
Even though her phone full of reference images was gone.
The gardens themselves were a huge glass greenhouse, glinting in the afternoon light.
She looked at it appreciatively as she walked around it, ending up at the back, where Ace and Deuce were waiting.
"FINALLY!" Ace snapped, getting up from the ground and brushing some dirt off his pants.
"What took you so long, huh?!"
She blinked, then turned on her heel, starting to walk back the way she'd come.
"Goodbye," she said flatly.
Ace spluttered, and she heard him running back up to her.
"H-Hey, WAIT!" He protested, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, okay?! Come on, Pre-K, don't leave... I could really use your help, alright?"
Rolling her eyes again, Kat turned, brushing his hand off her shoulder.
"Don't touch me without my go-ahead, but fiiiine.... Just to get you off my shitty old couch sooner, though."
Laughing quietly, Deuce pointed towards the surprisingly thick forest behind the greenhouse.
"Okay-- the chestnut trees shouldn't be far," he announced, starting to walk. "Let's get going, yeah?"
"Yep!" Kat agreed, starting after him.
She had to pause briefly for Grim to claw his way back up to her shoulder.
After that, the group walked into the cool, dappled shadows, a lot more pleasant than the last forest they'd been in.
It only took about another five minutes to find the chestnut grove.
"Whoooa!" Grim cheered, jumping down off her shoulder and starting to scamper around.
"Lookit all these chestnuts just lyin' around! At this rate, I'm gonna be stuffin' myself with marron tart for weeks! Gye he-!"
Licking his lips, he bent over, picking up a spiky brown lump that had broken open, revealing the gleaming brown nuts inside.
As soon as he grabbed it, though, he yelped, dropping it to the ground and running back to Kat's leg.
"Mee-YOWCH!" He complained, wringing his paws.
"These stupid spines just pricked my paws! Grrr..."
"Aw, geez..."
Crouching down, Kat took one of Grim's paws, turning it pad-side up.
"You okay? You aren't bleeding, are you?" She asked, running her thumb gently over the pink, squishy beans.
"No," he grumbled, letting her feel his paw-pad for any remaining spines.
"But it still hurt..."
Sighing, she scooped him up, holding him in one arm like a baby as she put her other hand on her hip.
"So, what do we do now?" She asked.
Deuce hummed, crouching down and poking a clump of spiny chestnuts with the tip of his magical pen.
"I don't think we're gonna be able to do this with our bare hands," he said, standing back up. "Plus, we're gonna need something to put them in, anyway..."
Crossing his hands behind his head again, Ace looked back towards the greenhouse.
"There's probably some tools in the botanical gardens, right?" He suggested.
Deuce shrugged.
"It's worth a look," he replied, starting to walk back down the path.
************************************
When they entered the greenhouse, Kat's mouth fell open, and her eyes widened.
The greenhouse somehow seemed even bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside...
Whether that was some kind of TARDIS magic or just an optical illusion, she couldn't tell.
True to its name, there were plants everywhere...
Trees, vines, flowers, bushes, all with barely a brown leaf or wilted blossom in sight.
Wrought-iron gates and fences stood, in theory dividing the greenhouse into sections. They didn't seem to be doing their job very well, though. The plants grew through, around or on them, completely undeterred.
Wide stone paths crisscrossed the ground, and crystal-clear water flowed in shallow canals.
The canals were lined with bright blue tiles, giving it an almost artificial, brighter-than-life feeling that she'd always kind of liked at theme parks, mini golf courses or old movie sets...
But without the overpowering smell of chlorine and other such chemicals.
Indeed, as she took a deep breath, all she could smell was nature...
The scent of verdant leaves, damp earth and all kinds of flowers.
The tension she hadn't realized she was carrying drained out of her shoulders and upper back.
"It's gorgeous in here..."
Dammit, and she'd forgotten the stupid camera.
Well, when she'd left Ramshackle that morning, she hadn't even had a bag to put the stupid thing in...
"No kidding," Ace agreed, looking around in awe. "I didn't realize this place was so big..."
Deuce nodded, looking around as well.
"If it's this big, there's gotta be a groundskeeper or something somewhere in here," he said, turning.
"Let's split up and look for them, okay? They've gotta have some tools we can borrow."
"A'ight," Ace agreed cheerfully. "Then... Dibs on the right path, okay?"
Deuce looked back at her, and she shrugged.
"Okay," he agreed, looking back at Ace. "Then I guess I'll go left... Grim and Prefect-- I mean, Kat-- are you okay with going straight ahead?"
"No problem," she replied, shrugging. "I'll holler if I find anything, okay?"
"Same here," Deuce nodded.
Ace gave a two-fingered salute, turning on one foot and heading off to the right, where a small stone bridge arched across the canal.
"Aye-aye, captain," he called back lazily.
"See you later," Deuce smiled, waving as he headed to the left, with an identical bridge.
Kat smiled back, waving as she strolled up the path in the middle.
Grim hopped out of her arms, skittering along on the path next to her as she wandered aimlessly.
She wasn't really looking very urgently... She paused every few feet, touching a flower gently or crouching down to read one of the little silver plaques driven into the ground.
Ugh, she'd needed this...
It had really just been one fucking thing after another since she'd gotten here.
"Hey, hey-- check this out!" Grim interrupted her reverie, bouncing up and down and pointing at something. "There's a ton of fruits growin' over here!"
He paused, sniffing the air eagerly.
"An' it smells like they're ripe, too!"
He stepped off the path, drool already forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Um-- ABSOLUTELY not," Kat interrupted. She hurried forward, snatching him up before he could go any further.
"In case you forgot, eating things you're not supposed to is the whole reason we're even IN here, remember? Besides, I don't actually recognize any of these plants... I don't know if that's even safe to eat."
"Rrrrr..."
He grumbled, slumping in her arms.
"Besides," she added.
"The quicker we find the groundskeeper or... Whoever, the quicker we can make that marron tart, remember?"
This seemed to quiet him down a little.
She still kept him in her arms as she walked down the path for a few more minutes, taking in the scenery.
Suddenly, she stepped on something.
What the...
It felt like a thick vine, or maybe a root?
At nearly the exact same moment, she heard a noise-- a quiet hiss or growl, like someone muttering under their breath.
"Ow! Dammit..."
She jumped, looking down and stepping back from whatever had been under her foot.
At first, she actually thought it was some kind of thick, light brown vine, but...
The bushes next to the path had lots of big leaves, without any creepers or tendrils at all.
Then the leaves rustled, and she jumped again, holding Grim defensively to her chest.
"Hey," a gruff voice drawled.
The 'vine' yanked back into the bushes. With a few more rustles, someone stood up from behind one of the trees close to the path.
Leaning on it, they gave her a look that wasn't so much glaring as smoldering, a seething, dangerous look that burned like an ember.
"Oh-- g-geez, I'm sorry," Kat apologized, drawing back nervously.
"I wasn't paying attention, my bad..."
The person was...
Hang on-- this was the catboy! The catboy at the ceremony!
And she'd just stepped right on that tawny, brown-tipped tail!
Without the hood, she could see even more of his features.
His hair was long and unkempt, with overgrown bangs, giving him a wild, untamed look. Two small braids hung down over his shoulders. He was wearing what looked like the school uniform, but without a jacket or tie.
His shirt collar was unbuttoned all the way down to his sternum, with his sleeves rolled up carelessly.
Christ, he really was good-looking...
Like, she'd never seen anybody who looked like this in real life, only in movies or pictures.
She didn't feel the urge to do anything about it, but it was still startling to see somebody who looked like that this close...
But the thing that drew her eye the most was his ears.
They were, without a doubt, the rounded ears of a lion, sitting just behind his bangs, the same color as his skin and tail.
One of them flicked irritably as she watched, and she shook her head, looking back into his face.
"I-- I'm sorry," she apologized one more time. "I'll... Look where I'm going next time..."
The lion-eared boy gave a quiet snort of amusement.
No, she wasn't sure 'boy' was the right word for him.... He looked at least her age, if not up into his early twenties.
" 'Sorry' ain't gonna cut it," he said, a small sneer curling his upper lip, showing a glint of white fang underneath.
His voice was low and drawling, almost lazy, but with an edge to it that made all the hair on her body stand up.
Grim, still in her arms, crossed his forelegs.
"You the caretaker or something?" He asked, looking him up and down.
"Man, you're kinda rude... You sure you should be talkin' to students like that?"
"GRIM!" She hissed angrily, shaking him.
The lion... Boy... Didn't actually seem to care, straightening up and crossing his arms as he stepped forward.
"Ain't nothing worse than lying down for a nice nap, only to have some jackass step on your tail," he continued.
"It'll ruin your day quicker than anything."
He was tall, too...
His posture had a kind of slinking, slouched feel, but he was probably the same height as Crewel or Crowley.
She couldn't keep back a shudder as he kept advancing, slowly, like a big cat stalking its prey.
"I am... So, SO sorry," she tried one more time, feeling her mouth start to go dry.
The way those emerald eyes skewered her, freezing her to the spot...
It wasn't like Riddle, who had a schoolteacher or commanding officer vibe to him.
This was a predator's gaze in the most literal sense of the word, setting off the alarm bells in her hindbrain like nothing had ever done before.
He stalked forward for a few more steps, then paused, ears swiveling.
"Aren't you-- Ahhh..."
He smirked, tilting his head back imperiously and looking down at her.
"Now I remember. You're the one who showed up right in the middle of orientation... The magicless little herbivore who got summoned by mistake, right? Hm..."
Giving a quiet, amused hum, he raised an eyebrow, taking one more step forward.
She retreated, almost jumping out of her skin as the back of her knees hit the dense shrubbery on the other side of the path.
Coming to a stop about a foot in front of her, he bent over at the waist, long torso bridging the distance easily.
Then he sniffed twice, nose crinkling like an animal's.
Kat froze instinctively, clutching Grim tight and making him squeak like a rubber toy.
Oh, god... Is he actually smelling me?! He'd better not try to kabedon me, I swear to fuck...
After a moment, he straightened up, giving a sardonic laugh.
"Heh... Looks like it's true! There's not a single whiff of magic on ya..."
He put his hands on his hips, casting a critical gaze over her entire body.
"Weeeell... Can't say I'm the type of guy who enjoys hurting someone so helpless..."
Grim shivered in her arms, going stiff. "K-K-Kat," he chattered nervously.
"I dunno what's up with this guy, but he's really makin' my fur stand on end!"
Yeah, no kidding, she thought, still unable to move or speak.
"...Doesn't mean I'm not gonna do it, though," the lion-man continued.
He walked in a slow half-circle around her, tapping his chin theatrically with a finger.
"Now let's see... I think that'll run you about... A tooth."
This jerked Kat out of her trance. She shook her head, the electric pulse of fear and adrenaline surging through her veins.
"W--Wait!" She protested, skittering sideways on knees that felt like water. "Whadd'you mean, a tooth?! Isn't this a little extreme for something that was an accident?!"
"H-Hey, Kat!" Grim yelped, putting his paws on her arm and shaking her urgently. "Start runnin', will ya?!"
"Too late," the lion-eared man sneered. Pouncing, he grabbed her by the lapels of her jacket, yanking her forward as he pulled back his other fist.
Dropping Grim, she flinched, holding up her arms and bracing herself, when...
"LEONA-SAAAAAAN!"
Her would-be assailant froze, lowering his fist.
"...Huh?" He muttered, flicking an ear and looking around with a frown.
Someone was jogging down the path from the opposite direction, oversized shirt and jacket bouncing loosely.
Giving a quiet, disappointed growl, the lion-eared youth let go of Kat's jacket.
She staggered back, one hand on her chest as her heart raced so hard she thought it might try to escape from her body.
"Oh, for cryin' out loud... I knew I'd find you somewhere around here, Leona-san!" The newcomer scolded, coming to a stop with their fists on their hips.
They were almost the same exact height she was, with light skin, a sharp face, and a mop of sandy hair not dissimilar to Ace's.
Their build was slim, bordering on skinny, and even their pants were oversized, rolled up at the ankle.
They were wearing a yellow vest and armband, which marked them as a member of Savanaclaw.
And, unsurprisingly, they had a pair of animal ears and a tail.
What kind of animal she couldn't exactly tell...
The ears were roundish, but too big for a lion's or a bear's. What little she could see of the tail looked sort of canine, the same sandy color as their hair with a tuft of darker brown near the end.
They glanced at her curiously, with lazy, down-tilted gray eyes, then back to the lion-man... Leona, possibly?
"Didja' forget? You've got after-school classes today!" They scolded, tugging at his sleeve.
Kat stepped back, bracing for the explosion.
Instead of turning on the newcomer, though, Leona just sighed, putting his fingertips to his temple.
"Ugh... An' now the annoying guy's right back on my tail," he muttered, rolling his eyes.
The sandy-haired newcomer was really tugging at him now.
Grabbing his forearm, he pulled him, slowly but surely, back up the path, like a small animal dragging an oversized toy.
"Leona-san, you've already repeated a year!" They chided, with a cheeky smirk. "Keep this up an' next year, you and I are gonna end up bein' classmates!"
"Ahhhh.... Shut up already, will ya?" Leona growled, jerking his arm out of the smaller student's grip.
"I seriously can't stand all the fuckin' yappin', Ruggie!"
'Ruggie' huffed, putting their and/or his hands on his hips again and pouting.
"Oh, so you think I LIKE bein' on your case all the time?" He said irritably.
Clicking his tongue, he shook his head.
"Come onnnnn, man... You always kick up a huge fuss, but you could seriously just breeze through life no sweat if you'd just TRY!"
He grabbed Leona's sleeve again, tugging him insistently up the path.
Leona apparently realized he wasn't going to get out of this one.
He scoffed, turning and surrendering to the smaller student's herding.
He shot one last piercing look over his shoulder, tail lashing irritably.
"Tch... Guess I'll let you off easy this time. Next time you blunder into my territory, you better watch your back... Herbivores."
The last word was spat with such derision that it made Kat flinch.
The unlikely pair walked off, the sound of the sandy-haired stranger still scolding Leona fading off into the distance.
"Phew..."
Kat's knees folded, and she dropped to the floor.
"God, we've GOTTA stop tripping hostile encounters like this... My heart's seriously gonna give out!"
"Fwaaah... Man, that made me NERVOUS!" Grim squeaked, running up and hiding behind her to peer out at the shrinking figures in the distance.
"What was with that guy just now?! What, does he think he's some kinda bigshot gangster or somethin'?"
Kat shivered slightly, even though the air was warm.
"Yeaaah, I-- I don't think he was the groundskeeper," she muttered, rubbing her upper arms.
Those ears, though... And that tail.
The wild hair, the eyes... He was definitely a lion.
And that-- that scar...
Another wave of dizziness washed over her, and she closed her eyes, putting her fingertips to her forehead.
Then she sighed, getting up slowly and brushing off her pants.
"Oof... Okay, let's start--"
"HEEEEEEY! KAT! GRIIIIIM!"
She turned, blinking.
Ace and Deuce were jogging up the path towards them, with large wicker baskets hooked over their arms.
Ace, carrying two baskets, waved something in the air.
It was a pair of wooden tongs, which he clacked together for good measure.
"Check it
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