Beauty and the demon LuciferXRin

chapter Nine- tail as old as time

It's been a week since I last saw Lucifer face to face. Not that I mind not having to deal with his stupid green eyes, soft pale skin, and delicate hair. Or the way he smells like lemons...

I do find that odd, he has the worst rot out of all the kings and yet he doesn't smell like death. Mephisto slowed his rot down and covers his scent with an obnoxious lavender perfume, so his scent is understandable. Iblis just smells like smoke, and it's hard to tell what Eygn smells like because he always smells like water. Astaroth is unbearable to be around because he thrives in his rot, and Amaimon and Beezulbub have perfect hosts who never rot, but that doesn't stop them from smelling like they just rolled around in a meadow.

But Lucifer just smells nice; in the past, I was at least able to get a hint of rot but he seems to have figured out a way to hide that.

I turn to Arthur. "Do you know how he hides his rot?"

"With clothes," He said bluntly.

"I mean the smell of his rot. Surely you remember what it smells like."

Arthur grumbled something under his breath, about being a Nephilim and not wanting to know everything.

I have been visiting Arthur almost every day now. It gives me something to do and he seems to enjoy my company. Normally Bon and Paku would join me but they are busy getting food for me in the cafeteria. Ever since I threatened the store workers Shima has been adamant that I stay away from large collections of Illuminati members.

Something about 'keeping the peace' and 'avoiding future incidents', he claims that it's to protect everyone but it's likely they are doing it because they are afraid I will get mad and destroy things.

"Don't tell me you don't have fun listening to people's conversations,"

"I don't. When you are surrounded by sadistic and antisocial monsters speaking about their inhumane experiments, having good hearing isn't a blessing. This room's lack of color drives me insane and the smell. I don't mind it being clean, in fact, I prefer it to whenever they wheel a cart of failed rotten flesh by, but it's just the same sterile scent. There's no depth or anything natural to it." He rolled onto his back, letting his arms sprawl out by his side. "The only time things change is when you arrive."

The tests they have done have brought out his more demonic side, undoing the order's attempts to make him indistinguishable from a human.

"How so?" I wouldn't think that they would try and change this place to suit me. After all, I'm technically not supposed to be here, but no one has stopped me so far.

"Your uniform is different, it has more color to it. Your hair, your eyes, and your skin all have complex colors and textures in them. You hold a conversation with me and talk about things other than death and murder, and you have a complex smell. You are a pleasant change of pace," He explained moving onto his side to stare at me.

I have noticed the more I visit him the more the light in his eyes seems to return. He's finally starting to seem like himself again, getting more confident and cocky and proud. It's strange to think how much I missed Arthur, in a way I almost relied on his dislike of me to grow my skills. He made for a wonderful competitor.

Maybe that's why I had made such a big deal out of his hair being short. I needed him to be himself again, and now that it has grown out he has started taking care of it. Sometimes I will sneak him a comb through the gaps in the clear barrier and he brushes it while we talk, that's really when he looks most like himself.

Maybe I care so much because I can't see him as Arthur unless his hair is long, it helps set him apart from Lucifer now that he's more demonic-looking. I know pretty soon the difference won't matter at all, the research has been steadily progressing and they are dangerously close to creating a perfect serum, but I don't want to disrupt their progress until I can get my organization formed and separated.