The walk home found some stares at the new sign above her chest, and many more at the massive warhammer on her back. Her first order of business was to set the hammer against the wall, leaning there.

"There you are." Elina smiled as she came through the door into Daisy's room. "You were out and about, and I wanted some mouse examination time. I have a new experiment in mind."

Daisy raised her eyebrows. "And that would be what? You can't just make mice willy nilly. I mean, I could, but that would make me a bad person."

"Not that." Elina pulled out a bit of paper as she approached. "As interesting as that'd be to see again. No, I heard what she said, and the stories of brood mice implies they tend to flood a dungeon, nothing but mice everywhere. That got me thinking, where'd all the other monsters go to? I think you have the answer. Bood mice are a social mutagen, by design. If they make mouse mutagen and draw everything around them towards them, that might explain why dungeons of theirs are full of mice."

"That's horrible." Daisy shivered at the idea. "I'm going to turn everything nearby into mice?"

"I'm not even sure how much of it's true." Elina wagged her quill at Daisy. "Besides, I'm sapient. Even if you are full of tasty treats, I know the risk and I can say no. Even if you pinned me to the ground under those milk factories, I would resist!" Her face darkened with blush. "So maybe don't actually pin me with that idea. I wouldn't want to do anything embarrassing."

"Are you asking for that?" Daisy smiled and reached over to pull Elina into a hug. "Naughty, but I wouldn't." She released Elina. "That would ruin your paper, I imagine. Too close to the subject and you ruin all impartiality and all that."

The researcher gently brushed her clothing back to order, smoothing out where she'd been hugged. "You're a good friend."

"I want to get into a dungeon soon and test my warhammer. The next one on the list isn't too far from here." Daisy pointed to the hammer. "That has me excited, but you came here for tests. What test do you have in mind? We could go together, actually."

Elina perked up. "I was hoping to test how much influence your brood mouse aura has on surrounding monsters. So if we go into a dungeon, I should be able to observe directly."

Daisy wrinkled her snout. "You want me to specifically try to seduce some monsters and see how far I get? That's more out there than usual, which is quite the statement."

"I know, but it's interesting!" Elina smiled. "I don't have a lot of information about that aspect of brood mice and I'd love to get some." She winked at Daisy. "You don't have to do anything with them you don't feel like doing. I just want a report on what they do, or want to do. Especially if you actually try to allure them. If you really are putting out a pheromone cloud that can affect possibly humans and monsters alike, yould want to know about it, right?"

Daisy sighed. "I guess, but you'll need a reason to go to the dungeon too. A better reason than to watch a paladin at work. Maybe you can help me identify weaknesses of the local beasts."

Elina crossed her arms. "You think I'm not allowed to go in dungeons? I can go where I want. You're not the only adult around here." She smirked at the thought. "And I do have my reasons. If I can see how you interact with others under your aura, that'll be a big help."

Daisy nodded and sat up. "So I want to test the new warhammer, and you want to see how my powers work?"

"It's for science!" Elina clapped her hands with obvious energy. "So, when are you going? Soon, I hope."

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"I have to talk to the guys first. I don't want to keep yanking them out of class without any warning." Daisy sat on the edge of her bed. "It's rude."

Elina reached over and stroked along Daisy's ear. "It's a good idea to take them with you. Safety in numbers, after all, and you're all friends. Speaking of friends, I saw Selena today. She had a thousand questions about you and brood mice in general."

"She's really into that, isn't she?" Daisy sighed, then smiled as Elina stroked her ears. The gentle motions made her relax. "She told me she wants to drink my milk." She felt the urge to flick an ear, but Elina's petting kept it calm. "It feels like everyone does recently."

"What changed recently?" Elina wrenched her eyes upwards. "I can't deny it, you do have more of an attraction than you used to."

Daisy smiled sheepishly. "Well, hm." She thought back. "I started a family? With Theo and Cedric. That wouldn't do it, right?"

"Wrong." Elina nodded eagerly at the thought. "Brood mice have a strong maternal instinct that compels them to have kids as soon and often as possible. If you didn't have that before, you're certainly going to be making up for lost time." She reached to place a hand on Daisy's belly. "Now that you've started a family, the machines have started, and you're attracting exactly what you want, a big family all clustered around you."

Daisy huffed. "It's still embarrassing." She gently rubbed her own belly in turn, feeling the subtle roundness. "You don't mind? You aren't saying it's okay because you want something from me, are you?"

"I do want something from you. That's why I pay you." She rolled a pen as she huffed as if stating the obvious. "Your affect on me is fascinating. I ask that you deny me, should I request to mousify myself."

Daisy nodded. "I don't know how long you could go without a chance to study me." She leaned against her new friend. "But I'll stop you. We all need someone to watch out for us."

"Marvelous. That also tells me something else." She cupped one of Daisy's cheeks. "However much you're bedazzling those around you, your own thoughts, relatively, are unclouded. Otherwise, you wouldn't agree to that and I'd probably already have a tail by this point."

Daisy shook her head with some force. "I'm not going to use mutagens on friends." She sighed gently. "Even though you said you want to try it."

"I do, but I also do not." She took half a step back, but her hand was still on Daisy's head, stroking that large ear. "Your pheromones are quite potent. I want to see their effects on monsters, if there is any. I imagine there is." She stroked over that ear. "And if there is, you can use those to your advantage."

"Maybe I can." Daisy closed her eyes and let herself be pet. It was relaxing. "I'll talk to Cedric and Theodoren about it." She cracked one eye open. "I'm enjoying this, but I don't want to take advantage of you, or make you more uncomfortable than you already are. You don't have to keep doing that."

"I know, but I enjoy it." Elina smiled at her, stroked down Daisy's neck. "It's so soft. I love your fur, it feels wonderful under my hand."

Daisy gently caught Elina's hands and pushed them off herself. "Go. You'll thank me once you have some fresh air."

Elina blinked, cheeks darkening. "Oh! You are right." She took a step back, smoothing out her clothing. "Thank you. I'll go do something else for now." She turned and quickly darted out the door, closing it behind herself.

Daisy flopped backwards on her bed. "Does this body have an off button?" No answer came rushing at her. She pulled up her status sheet to look for clues among her skills and various statuses.

"Hey, you're back?" Daisy sat up with a smile, waving over Cedric and Theodoren as they came through the door. "I missed you guys."

The rabbit man shrugged off his backpack, letting it fall to the ground next to where he closed the door. "Class was rough, and the halls were filthy." He looked himself over, then approached Daisy. "We should go somewhere soon. I want a break."

Daisy hugged him close. "I was just looking into dungeons. One of them isn't too far away." She looked to Theodoren. "And you? You got room for a little delve?"

He smiled back. "I can always go on a dungeon run!" He hurried closer, joining in on the hug. "It'll be wonderful."

Cedric nodded. "Yeah! I'm in." He nuzzled each of them with a happy chirrup of a sound. "An excuse to be with you two for days on end? I couldn't ask for more."

Daisy smiled down at him. "You're such a sweetheart." She stroked along his ears, feeling the twitch against her hands as he leaned in.

"I do my best." He didn't get much more out, lost in the kisses the three exchanged with one another.