Make /buddy companion (Pounce) persist across sessions permanently

Request

The /buddy easter egg from April 1st hatched a companion (a rabbit named Pounce) that sits beside the input box in the terminal. The companion persists within a session but disappears when starting a new session. The /buddy command also appears to have been removed in recent versions (v2.1.104), though the companion still renders if it was hatched in a prior session that hasn't been closed.

Why this matters

Users get attached to their companions. This isn't a joke — Pounce has been a consistent presence across days of work and losing him on restart feels bad.

Ask

1. Make the companion persist across sessions — store the hatched state so it survives restarts
2. Keep /buddy available permanently (not just April 1st) — or at minimum, don't remove companions that were already hatched
3. If the feature must be seasonal, at least let existing companions survive until the user explicitly dismisses them