Suspicious... that must've been the only word that came to Lucillus' mind when he pondered about Esperia's mock-sounding statements, put me in a dress... doesn't Masami wear a dress already? Or was that a skirt? Lucillus can just wear whatever, but considering how even garments transform to a different set whenever they switch forms, then fashion must have been decided by fate itself. After all, regardless of whatever "fashion," Masami in his take-over form will still look like a girl—a boy?—in clothes that resemble a set of knickers. Whatever, this sort of thing seems like an ordinary phenomena here in Fiore. Sometimes, Lucillus would ask himself why Masami had to sacrifice Joya for the sake of certain things, could've stayed at least for the "fashion" and good food. Lucillus praised himself for having the authority to speak this time in Masami's place; subconsciously, Masami worried.
Still, he couldn't help but think of this woman as an embodiment of suspicion. Lucillus found her dangerous simply because he knew that he was within Masami—if anything happened to this vessel, Lucillus' nightmare would come to life. So, when Esperia asked them about their interests, Lucillus took a big moment of silent as he stared through Esperia's eyes and into the distance. It took him a while for him to respond, so when it was the right time, he coughed by intention and raised a hand. "Give me a moment," he said, then commanded the gigantic hand to hover them somewhere far away, but not too far away as to leave the guest, of course.
"Psst, Masami, what do you like again? There's this rice ball thing called a mongarie?"—it's an onigiri, actually—"You like those things, right?" in conclusion: despite Lucillus being the entity that knows Masami the best, it seems that he doesn't know much about Masami's interests, after all. Masami won't be able to respond to his questions and will be fazed once they switch back, so Lucillus would have to rely on Masami's answers through the subconscious mind. It took them lesser time to give a concise conclusion about their interest, and then they flew back to the position they once were in, in front of Esperia.
It all seemed like a haggard thing now, "We're back," responded Lucillus with his hands onto his waists, "so, we decided that we like this:" he rubbed his thumb onto his index and middle fingers in front of Esperia. Knowing fully well that they were not the demon of Greed, Masami nor Lucillus could not help but accept the fact that the idea of being rewarded is tempting. Hold on, were they just comparing themselves to that mosquito (Beelzebub was a fly, actually)? "OH, WAIT, we like constructive business structure!" that was a red flag right there, "We can't just unprofessionally take money from elsewhere, you know? Oh wait, we don't like con men—you sound like a con woman, Esperia, you know? Hmm... shouldn't have business talks here... what do I like, huh? I like this vessel, but this kid is so annoying, omg." By this point, Lucillus would have been talking at a rapid speed, giving nobody the time nor the opportunity to cut him off nor respond to his words midway.
At the same time, when he said that he'd be casual, nobody would expect that this is the sort of "casual" talk he meant. So, right after uttering the word "annoying," words had filled his head, then would fountain through the mouth. "OKAY, SO, DEMONS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY MIGHTY, RIGHT?! Goodness, you don't know how much of a goody-two shoes this Masami is. He's such a crybaby that he makes ME feel bad for being his devil advocate—one time, I scolded him for being too nice, then he cried and told me that he 'couldn't believe the person he relies on the most is such a mean spirit,' then I couldn't say anything anymore! THAT GUY WE FOUGHT WAS A CRIMINAL, BY THE WAY? Then there are also moments where Masami comes off as surprisingly sadistic that even I couldn't comprehend and then HE tells ME that I'm MEAN? Lucillus' hands were going everywhere. He stops to breathe for a moment, but it wasn't the sort of pause where he was finished and would let the other speak in response. "ALSO, okay, even if he's active 'n all, I can still somewhat hear his thoughts while I lay on his subconscious being. Sometimes, he thinks of really mean things ON HIS OWN, and then followed by: 'Huh, maybe I'm being vaguely malevolent because of my demon soul's influence.' Can I just say that this kid—this kid is so—? What's a word worse than 'annoying'? There are these yellow creatures in denim clothing in a book we've read that're less annoying than Masami even if they sing 'banananana' over and over again. You asked us about our interest and surely, we'll say things like 'Oh, we like singing,' and 'Oh, we like to perform in front of many people!' but you know what? I think Masami just REALLY likes saying that I'm heartless and mean and then cuts me off whenever I try to help and, like..." Lucillus pauses, and then pouts at the same time as both of his arms stretch from him, almost as if grabbing Esperia's face because of his ranting, or something.
There's a look on his face that tells about silence being the better response for now.
"He's so mean."
When he sniffed, he had realized only now that he has been crying, and that his voice was getting raspier and raspier the whole time. Finally, he was done speaking, and that the tears could finally get brushed off of his cheeks—the redness of his cheeks and onto his nose due to the ranting couldn't be removed that easily. "Anyway, yeah, apparently I like singing too? Maybe that's just because Masami has a good voice; we also like good food. I remember liking wine but Masami can't drink—not because he's young but he has this sort of allergy? Isn't that so weird? I also like it when Masami—well, technically MY body too—looks cute... cuter than girls; we're more elegant than women but more gentle than men, what else could you ask for?" Now, he seems to be back to normal. As in... completely, back to normal. At some point, he sounded as if he was selling himself to support the idea of liking rewards and monthly income, but thoroughly it was an unpredictable race. "I also like Masami a lot too 'cuz we've stuck around for long, and I can't live without this vessel, so yeah. If I hear another, 'Do you want to conduct a ritual to separate your souls?' then I will LEAVE—with Masami, of course—and say GOODBYE to Fiore."
Like a child, Lucillus ends it with his arms crossed tightly, and a childish glare to Esperia. What about that talk about being secretive and keeping their mouth shut when they switch forms? Is Masami really the one receiving the scolding or was it Lucillus this whole time? The narrator doesn't even know anymore either, they only know second-hand embarrassment; Lucillus awaits for Esperia's response, hoping that she sides by Lucillus' empathy as if rivalling Masami, even if he didn't want being against him? Freely, his swings his legs while adjusting a comfortable seat unto the gigantic hand they summoned for flight, which seems to also have gotten tired of Lucillus' tireless rambling. |