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“Lucius, why do you let me stay with you?” He blinked, looking up at Aaron. He made a questioning noise, not feeling up to speaking at the moment. “I mean......you have that detective, right? He can help you a lot better than I can. I’m....” He sighed, frowning and looking away. “I mean, you found me in an asylum. That should tell you a lot about my brain, right?”
“Aaron,” Lucius started, looking for confirmation before continuing. “Aaron, you are part of my fold now.” He looked back at the map spread across the table of the diner, folding his hands like he’d seen his surrogate father do when talking with people in meetings. “I let you stay because you are useful to me. You help me, and you don't expect me to follow you.” He looked up, tilting his head. “Do you understand?”
Aaron shook his head, poking listlessly at his soggy waffle. “No, I don’t.....you’re too smart for me, Lucius.” He smiled weakly, scrubbing at his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. “I just..... I don’t understand why you helped me. Most demons kill me on sight. They want my ghosts. But you......even though you’re the Prince, you didn’t kill me when you had the chance. I don’t understand why you won’t just take my power for yourself.”
Lucius shook his head, leaning forward. His chest hit the table and he frowned slightly, unpleasantly reminded of his small physical stature. “Your power is more useful to me with you alive.” He didn’t elaborate, instead looking back at the map. “Do you plan to burn the building, or just the corpses?” he asked instead.
Aaron looked over at the pile of dead diner staff and patrons, fingering the long hunting knife on the table next to his plate. “The building,” he decided. “The corpses are of no use to me, and you’ve already taken their souls.” He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again the red was replaced by a steely blue-grey. “Besides, it’s been too long since we’ve set a proper fire,” she added, grinning wickedly.
Lucius sighed, but grinned internally, folding his map up and putting it back in the breast pocket of his vest. “Alright. Finish your food first. Then, we move to the research facility. The trumpets will not wait for us, and we must beat Isaac.” She nodded, eating the last bites of the waffle, before standing and stretching, sparks arcing out of her fingertips.
“Wait for us outside, Little Prince.”