Peacock
She was smart, for a civilian peasant. Unlike all the others in the library, she hadn't just glanced at him and then looked away. Most civilians took in the tiara, the hair style, the boots, and wrote him off as a flamboyant, attention-seeking teenager. He liked the advantage that came from being underestimated, even if being overlooked made his royal blood boil.
But this girl, in the ugly flannel shirt and practical cargo pants covered in pockets, kept her eyes on him, ignoring the book in front of her. He preened as he strolled over to her. The book he had come to collect could wait. The girl was interesting, and it always felt good to be appreciated. He giggled as he slid into the seat next to her. She tensed, and reached a hand into a pocket. He had a knife pressed into her stomach before she could exhale.
"Ushishishi, you should be careful," he told her. To his surprise, she kept calm. Most civilian girls, hell most Mafia girls, would be terrified already. She obviously wasn't Mafia, he would recognise an up-and-coming like her, but she was definitely something.
"I'm always careful. Can I help you?" Her voice was as steady as her breathing.
"You're interesting," he said. This was the most fun he'd had all week.
"I'm so glad I could amuse you," her voice was dry. "Could I have the pleasure of your name?"
He decided to oblige. It wouldn't hurt anything, and she was so polite! "I'm Prince Bel."
He wasn't expecting her to burst out laughing. His grin widened in a way that made the recruits run for cover as he pressed the knife it closer. If she breathed in, it would cut her.
"I'm sorry, but it's just so perfect!" Perfect? Curious, and willing to be appeased, he waited for her to continue.
"You're flamboyant. Attention seeking. Attracting people while making them underestimate you. You like to put on a show. You're like a peacock. Being called 'beautiful' fits."
She was perceptive, and he wasn't sure whether to be offended or not. Peacocks were Luss's thing, not his. "Ushishishi, it's short for Belphegor. And I'm not female."
"Belphegor? Are you interested in demons? I was reading…"
As Bel was drawn into the discussion, which started on demons, and moved into philosophy, psychology, and molecular physics, he put the knife away. It had been forever since he had met someone who could keep up with him. As he argued with her about the validity of Freudian theory as a method of literary interpretation, he decided that he needed to visit the library more often.