the girl and the demon use the language of flowers to tell each other 'I hate you'

"...this one?"

"That one symbolizes despair."

Impostor Sionn's bravado weakened as he tried, and failed, to choose a flower that didn't mean something 'bad'. What had started as a silly game—to form a random sentence using the language of flowers—had soon become existentially depressing, because of course it had. By his eighth attempt, he seemed to forget that he was putting on a show. "Well... this one?" He pointed to a glowy, floating ball with two leaves sprouting at its top.

"That one means 'a cataclysm approaches'."

Both Reem and Sionn grimaced. "Yeah, no." she said. "My turn."

She'd long since come to terms with this town's insanity, but every now and then, things like rifle MLMs and flower shops full of hatred gave her whiplash anyway.

Sionn kept choosing the smaller ones with muted colors, so... didn't it make sense to choose the opposite? Probably not. Reem did so out of spite anyway. She pointed at a fiery red fern at the back, a sun-yellow vine curling around an edgeless sword, and the showstopper bloom at the center of the shop, glittering in all the shades the sky did when the day had yet to begin or end.

"I see," said the clerk. "Interesting. May I begin the translation for both of you?"

Sionn's was going to be funny. She smirked at him, but he pretended not to notice.

"Alright. Lad, through the language of flowers, you have this to say to your girlfriend: for years I have felt naught but loneliness; thus I shall share my despair through this world's final cataclysm."

Sionn turned his head to the side the moment Reem tried to look at him.

Joke...?

Even with his twisted sense of humor, that was...

"Lady, through the language of flowers, you have this to—"

"I did not say that," he mumbled.

"You did not," responded the clerk. "The flowers did."

"Then what did I say?"

"Based on what you picked? Hmm... despair... cataclysm... loneliness... hatred..."

To be fair, the clerk had given him the meanings of the flowers he pointed at.

...unless...

"Lies," Reem said.

The clerk was unmoved. "I do not interpret or twist: I translate."

"Nah. This is a weird shop. Why would you sell flowers that mean all that nonsense? I don't remember you being here last week, either, and I come here all the time, 'cuz the library's across the street. If Sionn isn't the one making a terrible joke, then you are."

"Those who react poorly to the truth are often the same who must confront it. Fortunately, your 'truth' is less damning."

The thing about Sionn's disregard for facial expressions as a demon was that, in return, Reem had to learn to read everything else—his tense shoulders, tight jaw, casual aversion for eye contact. 

Reem stepped in front of him, as though it mattered. "No thank you. It's probably something like 'my boyfriend is very cute and says stupid things sometimes'. Sweetheart, let's go."

While this didn't reach his eyes, he smiled.

His fingers were ice-cold when she took his hand. As they turned to leave, the clerk did not try to stop them. 

They walked past the library, one block away from it, then two. It wasn't even noon yet and the dirt road was already melting at the distance. Most saloons were closed at this time. Those who were awake worked; those who owned their mornings slept.

After they crossed the third block, Reem asked, "So! Are you gonna unleash a cataclysm full of hatred?"

"No."

"Mhm mhm, that's what I thought. Then don't listen to that old hag."

"I won't."

He would. 

"I bet mine was worse," Reem said. "That's why I ran away from the truth I needed to hear."

"Oh, I bet. You are mighty, Reem. Your sighs spawn tornadoes."

"Ughh, I knew you'd get like this."

"That just now caused a volcanic eruption."

When Sionn put on a show, did he do so for others, or for himself? "...right. You're such a jester. You should join the comedy club during open stage nights. In your demon form. I'm sure you'd get everyone rolling."

"It could work, so long as you are the punchline."

"And if that fails, you can always unleash your despair on everyone."

Silence.

Too far.

Well.

They'd gone too far minutes ago already—literally and figuratively.

"So—"

"For—"

More silence.

They were still holding hands. Well, then. If he didn't pull his away, neither would she.

Even more silence.

They walked four blocks away from the library, then five. By the sixth, Reem turned them around. Sionn complied. He was weird. Why turn his face away from her like that? Didn't that just make it blindingly obvious that he wanted to hide his expression? 

This place really was a ghost town during the morning, wasn't it?

While Reem was indifferent to silence, Sionn was not. After it suffocated him for long enough, he asked, "Why did you request my company in the first place?"

"Me?"

"No, me."

"I mean, I didn't. Didn't Lev tell you we'd be having a study session at the library?" Though with their earlier squabble, to research about the night of the black moon was probably unwise.

Besides, what was there to know about it that wasn't obvious already? If people were mean to those who were marked, then those who were marked would feel cornered and awaken. In other news, the sun was hot.

"He said that you wished to converse about something." Because he was in a bad mood, Sionn added, "Though he also admitted to relaying the message in your stead given how bashful you were."

"Huh? Why would I be bashful?"

"I'm just relaying the message."

Since Sionn said this out of petty spite, Reem believed him, so then... what? Had Lev summoned them using different excuses? To what end? 

Earlier, in passing, Lev had mentioned a 'date', but Reem would've thought that he'd just said that to avoid saying 'your demon' in front of his friends, because... children logic?

Made no sense. "Ehh... well... at least you know why I mentioned the library earlier. Cuz I thought that's what we were gonna do. Going to the library. Not, you know."

"So?" He asked.

"...so..."

***

"It's not going well," Mahieu said.

To the telesphere before Lev connecting to Mahieu, the former said, "Of course it's not, you dumbass. Why would you bring demon king shit up? They're supposed to be having a date!"

Mahieu, currently disguised as an old lady selling flowers across the street, responded, "I just thought it'd build character."

"Told you I should've gone instead," Lenna said.

"Well it WOULD'VE been you if you weren't late as fuck like always."

"Fine! Sorry," grumbled Mahieu the old lady. If he moved too much, or too suddenly, the illusion broke. "What was I supposed to tell them, huh? You barely even told me what the plan was before throwing me out the window. Literally! We're so lucky the girl didn't see this or else the whole scheme would've fallen apart."

"It's not luck," Lev said. "It was all planned from the start. Most of it."

While Lenna paced around the library trying, and failing, to cast an illusion upon herself, Sinon sat across from Lev, beta reading his novel. 

"Now what?" Asked Mahieu. "Do I chase after them? What's next on your plan?"

"Shut up, Mahieu."

"Shut up, Mahieu."

"Shut up, Mahieu."

"WHAT."

Lenna exploded into a (sparkly, pink) smoke puff. She wasn't a disfigured loser who hid her face any longer, but a musclebound brute ready for violence. In spirit, anyway. She jumped, clapping. "Yay! It worked!"

It was an esoteric right, even as an illusion.  "Great," said Lev. "Now we move on to plan two: the rescue arc. Since he's walking under the sun and his disguise does affect him physically, the demon is too weak to do anything right now. Your job is to attack either of them and have the other one do the rescue."

"Gotcha!"

"Sinon will join you after she's done with the... research."

Lenna the not musclebound brute saluted, then skipped out the room. 

Since there was nobody else aside from them and the librarian, she just kind of let them do their own thing. Just as Lev began to consider adding her to his plan to save the world, the librarian spoke: "Just so I understand, are you children trying to set up a couple?"

Sinon and Lev exchanged glances. She shrugged, so he nodded. 

The librarian's pupils were slitted, her teeth sharp. With her spectacles and the way she'd slouched up until then, Lev hadn't been able to tell. 

Immediately, Sinon and him stood up.

The librarian laughed. "Calm down. I'm on your side."

Sinon chanted under her breathe, summoning her axe.

"Or should I say half?"

She stopped. 

"Half demon, half human. Somehow, you've managed to belong. Now isn't that interesting?" The demon librarian stood up. "Would you mind telling me more about your plan?"