37

'Lucien, what's wrong?' asked Grace nervously.

'Nothing's wrong,' said the demon, getting up and looking at her suspiciously. 'Unless you think it is... Is it?'

Grace frowned. 'Please, don't talk in riddles. What's wrong?'

'Where were you?' said Lucien, walking up and down the room. 'Just now, and yesterday?'

'On a morning walk – with Azel,' said Grace.

'Just like I thought!' said Lucien, whipping around and looking at her with a strange expression. 'Is his company better than mine now?'

'What are you saying? No, it's not like that. I met him by accident both times; but I think he's not as bad as I thought he was – quite nice, actually. I'd like you to come next time, really.'

'Next time? So you're planning a next time with him already?'

'I meant on a morning walk! And yes, if we meet Azel, then I think we could all get along if we want to!'

'Get along? Azel? I see...' said Lucien, turning away with a grimace. 'Fine, go ahead and chum up with him all you like... but don't pretend like you want me there!'

'Huh? What?!' said Grace in surprise, but the demon had abruptly marched out of the room before she could say anything further.

She sighed and looked out of the window. 'What's with him now...'

The smell of something burning attracted her attention, and she rushed to the kitchen, where Lucien was frying a piece of steak to its doom.

'Lucien, are you all right?!' she called out, but the demon banged the frying pan back on the stove so loudly that it drowned out her voice. 'Lucien!' she called again, but this time the sizzle was too noisy.

The third time it was a clatter of plates, and Grace decided that it would be best to approach him after – or over – breakfast instead.

'Meowww,' said Kuro when she returned to the parlour.

'Good morning to you, too,' said Grace, before sitting at the table rather sadly.

'What's wrong?'

'Lucien's being weird...'

'When is he not?'

'No, especially so!'

'Really? I wonder why...'

Breakfast arrived, and so did its maker, who looked, if possible, even worse off than he had before.

'Hmm, something's burning,' said Kuro, looking at his plate, and then at Lucien and Grace.

'What do you mean? I'm fine!' said Lucien aggressively.

Kuro rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, sure.'

'Ugh, just eat.'

'I'll try my best.'

'Good!'

'I failed. This meat's as bad as your mood.'

'I said my mood's fine!'

Grace and Kuro stared at him with knowing disbelief.

'Okay,' retreated Lucien sheepishly. 'Maybe it's a little off, but I'll be fine. I'm probably overreacting anyway, I know it.'

'But on what?' said Grace. 'Is it because I talked to Azel?'

'Don't talk about him to me!' snapped Lucien, his hair beginning to light up. 'I bet he tells you all sorts of awful stuff about me! Between the damn Assistant coaxing you and the too-good-for-his-own-good Azel "spending time" with you, you'll hate me properly at the end! I probably don't stand a chance with you anyway between those two! Gah! Like I care, anyway!'

'Ooh, so someone's jealous,' grinned Kuro. 'That explains all the burning – hey, watch out before your flames set the table on fire!'

'I'm NOT jealous! I couldn't care less!' said Lucien indignantly, his fiery hair sending sparks flying across the room as he tossed his head on the side.

'Yeah, yeah. We can see that,' said the amused cat. 'Well, this is a fun new side of you to witness...'

'Is it really that, Lucien?' said Grace, bewildered. 'Are you really jealous of Azel because I talked to him twice? Seriously?'

'Twice is enough for someone like him,' said the demon grumpily. 'He's cool and charming. And you've got light energy. You probably belong with him, anyway!'

'Oh, come on, he's just like a friend—'

'Friend? What about me?' said Lucien hotly. 'I was your friend!'

'You're my best friend,' said Grace with a sincere smile. 'And nothing anyone else tells me – not even Azel – can change that.'

'R–really?'

'Of course, dummy!' said Kuro. 'I knew that all along!'

'Shut up, you annoying cat! You can't understand!'

'Hehe. Guess that's what love is like...'

'Who said anything about love, you idiot?! I just didn't want to lose her or have her hating me!'

'I can never hate you,' said Grace. 'And I don't think Azel does, either, by the way. He's just an angel being an angel.'

'I suppose... at any rate, I'm glad you think that way...'

'I didn't know you cared that much about me...' said Grace, torn between confusion and being somewhat touched.

'Tch, who said anything about caring?'

'Okay, if you say so...'

'What's with that grin?!'

'Nothing!'

'Ugh, I'm going outside in the pathetic yard,' said Lucien, getting up.

'As long as you don't set fire to it,' said Grace with a giggle.

'Hey, I'm normal now,' said the demon, running a hand through his red hair.

'So you admit that you were kinda nuts before?' said Kuro slyly, before jumping out of the way.

'I wasn't nuts, okay?! Okay, maybe, a little! But I couldn't help it! Hey, where are you?!'

'He's gone already,' said Grace.

'I can see that,' said Lucien with a grin. 'That leaves you! – won't you come with me? You should spend some time with me, too, you know!'

Grace laughed. 'Of course, silly.'

'Gosh, there's nothing here!' said Lucien, walking around the barren yard with Grace.

'Well, there is that weird plant which isn't so weird when you look closer,' said Grace, pointing to a strange yellow-leaved plant.

'It's a rather sickly colour,' said the demon. 'Though the one next to it is okay...'

'Oh, it's the petula plant. Azel told me,' said Grace.

Lucien laughed. 'He's obsessed with plants, that angel – the way I'm obsessed with books. I bet he's bored you with a zillion sentence-long plant names by now!'

'You're right about that,' laughed Grace. 'But it's not always boring.'

'Good for you! Maybe ask him about roses next time; if there's anything like it in Hell.'

'Why don't you ask him yourself?'

'He doesn't like to talk to me much. I suppose I don't, either. Neither of us are that bad, I think, but we have very different temperaments, which is why we don't get along. So, you ask him; he might know something.'

'All right. I will. By the way, Lucien, am I imagining it, or is this actually a mushroom over here behind this dried-up tree?'

'Mushroom?! Now you've gone nuts!' said Lucien, breaking into a laugh.

'No, really, look!' said Grace, bending to look closer at the strange object she had just discovered.

'Where?'

'Here!'

'Oh... it does look like one... how can it be?'

'It appeared out of nowhere, right? I'm sure it wasn't there the last time I looked here...'

'Exactly! And it has a green centre, too... and a yellow stalk – a yellow stalk! Oh my gosh, human! OH MY GOSH!!'

'What's gotten into you? Why are you so excited?' said Grace in surprise.

'Because, if this is what I think it is...' said Lucien, his eyes gleaming, 'it's the rare thousand-year mushroom! And it's an excellent conductor for portal travel!'