like, a warden," she said. "And I was, what? One of the
powers that be?"
"Uh…"
Luce laughed at her wording. She couldn't have been more right if she tried.
"Basically."
"Interesting,"
she said. "And did I sway you to our side?"
"Debatable," he said. "You put up a
strong argument, though, which is a testament of my being here."
"Wow."
She ate some more in silence, the air between them comfortable. Luce just
watched her, not interrupting, saying nothing. Eventually she pushed a plate
aside and cleared her throat. "You know none of that makes any sense to
me, right? I'm still just as confused."
"I
know you are," he said quietly. "If it's any consolation, I'm
confused, too."
"Okay,
new tactic," she said, pointing at him with her fork. "Since my
memory's shot and you said you'd give anything to have a clean slate, why don't
we start there?"
"Okay."
"Okay,
good." She nodded firmly. "So tell me something."
"What?"
"Anything,"
she said. "Just tell me something, whatever you'd like me to know about
you… no matter what it is. We're starting from scratch."
"Uh…"
Luce wasn't quite sure what to say. She was taking this all in stride, way
better than he expected her to take it.
"I'll
start," she said after a moment, turning her eyes back to her plate as she
shifted some potatoes around with her fork. "I love the smell of fresh-cut
grass, but it makes me sneeze."
Luce
smiled at her, a little surprised by the random nonsensical declaration, but he
wasn't at all shocked by the information. She'd been fascinated with the
concept of smelling. "I love fresh air."
"Is
that why you spend a lot of time outside?"
"How
do you know I do that?"
"Because
I spend a lot of time outside, and I see you almost every day."
"It's
one of the reasons."
The
other being he had nowhere else to be, but he kept that to himself for now.
"Well,
as you can see, I love food," she said motioning toward her plates.
"When I woke up, I felt like I hadn't eaten in forever . People always say that hospital food is horrible. When
they find out I spent weeks in the hospital, that's the first thing they
say—that the food must've been horrible. But I couldn't get enough of
it."
"What
was it like being in the hospital?" Luce asked.
"Horrible,"
she said. "Minus the food, anyway. They couldn't find anything wrong with
me physically, so they said it had to be psychological, but the psychiatrist
said I wasn't a danger to anyone, so I was free to go."
"So
you left."
"So
I left," she agreed, "and here I am."
She
finished eating in silence as the waitress returned with the bill, casting Luce
a peculiar look. Serah glanced at the check and pulled out some money, tossing
it down on the table. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Luce's stomach.
He hadn't thought this through at all. He knew little about the usage of money,
but he knew human customs after years of observing them from the pit.
He
knew he should offer to pay.
He
just wasn't sure how to go about it.
Before
he could try to materialize some money, or offer to pay her back or something,
Serah was sliding out of her seat. "Ready?"
"Sure."
Luce stood up as she strutted passed him on her way
to the door. Hesitating, Luce glanced at the apple in his hand before slowly
bringing it to his lips.
He
bit down on it.
It
was crisp, with a sharp sort of taste, intense and sweet. He chewed for a
moment before swallowing, shrugging as he tossed the apple down on the table,
discarding it.
It
wasn't half-bad, but it certainly wasn't worth losing your head over.
Something happened that afternoon in the
garden.
As Eve consumed the
apple, plucking another from the Tree of Knowledge to share with Adam, there
was a shift in the air. A chill rolled down Lucifer's spine, crawling across
his skin. He shivered from the unexpected sensation, blinking his eyes a few
times, watching as redness crept along Eve's bare flesh. It was as if the blood
had moved to the surface, flushing her a shade of pink, a sensation
powers that be?"
"Uh…"
Luce laughed at her wording. She couldn't have been more right if she tried.
"Basically."
"Interesting,"
she said. "And did I sway you to our side?"
"Debatable," he said. "You put up a
strong argument, though, which is a testament of my being here."
"Wow."
She ate some more in silence, the air between them comfortable. Luce just
watched her, not interrupting, saying nothing. Eventually she pushed a plate
aside and cleared her throat. "You know none of that makes any sense to
me, right? I'm still just as confused."
"I
know you are," he said quietly. "If it's any consolation, I'm
confused, too."
"Okay,
new tactic," she said, pointing at him with her fork. "Since my
memory's shot and you said you'd give anything to have a clean slate, why don't
we start there?"
"Okay."
"Okay,
good." She nodded firmly. "So tell me something."
"What?"
"Anything,"
she said. "Just tell me something, whatever you'd like me to know about
you… no matter what it is. We're starting from scratch."
"Uh…"
Luce wasn't quite sure what to say. She was taking this all in stride, way
better than he expected her to take it.
"I'll
start," she said after a moment, turning her eyes back to her plate as she
shifted some potatoes around with her fork. "I love the smell of fresh-cut
grass, but it makes me sneeze."
Luce
smiled at her, a little surprised by the random nonsensical declaration, but he
wasn't at all shocked by the information. She'd been fascinated with the
concept of smelling. "I love fresh air."
"Is
that why you spend a lot of time outside?"
"How
do you know I do that?"
"Because
I spend a lot of time outside, and I see you almost every day."
"It's
one of the reasons."
The
other being he had nowhere else to be, but he kept that to himself for now.
"Well,
as you can see, I love food," she said motioning toward her plates.
"When I woke up, I felt like I hadn't eaten in forever . People always say that hospital food is horrible. When
they find out I spent weeks in the hospital, that's the first thing they
say—that the food must've been horrible. But I couldn't get enough of
it."
"What
was it like being in the hospital?" Luce asked.
"Horrible,"
she said. "Minus the food, anyway. They couldn't find anything wrong with
me physically, so they said it had to be psychological, but the psychiatrist
said I wasn't a danger to anyone, so I was free to go."
"So
you left."
"So
I left," she agreed, "and here I am."
She
finished eating in silence as the waitress returned with the bill, casting Luce
a peculiar look. Serah glanced at the check and pulled out some money, tossing
it down on the table. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Luce's stomach.
He hadn't thought this through at all. He knew little about the usage of money,
but he knew human customs after years of observing them from the pit.
He
knew he should offer to pay.
He
just wasn't sure how to go about it.
Before
he could try to materialize some money, or offer to pay her back or something,
Serah was sliding out of her seat. "Ready?"
"Sure."
Luce stood up as she strutted passed him on her way
to the door. Hesitating, Luce glanced at the apple in his hand before slowly
bringing it to his lips.
He
bit down on it.
It
was crisp, with a sharp sort of taste, intense and sweet. He chewed for a
moment before swallowing, shrugging as he tossed the apple down on the table,
discarding it.
It
wasn't half-bad, but it certainly wasn't worth losing your head over.
Something happened that afternoon in the
garden.
As Eve consumed the
apple, plucking another from the Tree of Knowledge to share with Adam, there
was a shift in the air. A chill rolled down Lucifer's spine, crawling across
his skin. He shivered from the unexpected sensation, blinking his eyes a few
times, watching as redness crept along Eve's bare flesh. It was as if the blood
had moved to the surface, flushing her a shade of pink, a sensation
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