Fox has Azzy's right arm in his hands. He turns it over, then moves to the other one. Lily leans against the doorframe and crosses her arms.
"It's no use. First of all, it was on his forehead. Besides, he said it 'came back,' I guess." She shrugs at this. "So you probably can't see where it was."
Fox’s eyes bulge. “What! That's wicked. Can you do it again?”
Azrael shakes his head. "Lily would not appreciate that, and neither would her father. There was quite a bit of blood... But if you're curious about my itch, it’s right here."
With this, he lifts his hair to reveal his left temple, where a scar trails down from the root of his hair to just above his eye.
"Woah, Lily come here..." says Foxtrot. He continues, "It looks like a miniature version of a scar someone gets after getting struck by lightning… Uh, what’s it called. "A Lichten-something?"
Lily approaches and agrees. "You mean a Luxcollis scar."
"Yeah, after famous experimental physicist George Luxcollis."
Looking closely, Lily sees jagged deep-red lines, branching off each other like broken glass, branding Azrael's temple. She sees something else, too: a faint shape beneath the crack-like scar. It appears to be a circle with thorns jutting outward as well as inward.
"What's this underneath? A tattoo?" asks Lily, tracing the circle with her finger.
"Please do not do that," Azrael says gently, "it tickles."
Lily and Fox back away, sitting down to form a group triangle. Lily returns to her cross-legged position as Fox leans back on his elbows, looking at the ceiling. He sighs before saying, "So you cut that off? And it just came back, faded tat and all?"
Azzy nods matter-of-factly. "Yes, it reattached itself, returning to me along with the blood that had not yet lost contact with my body. It is not surprising. Do you remember when I jumped off that bridge into the river?"
"Haha, yeah, that was crazy,” says Fox, lolling his head. “You saw a fish and went for it like a bear. Like, how have you not seen a fish before?"
"The river was far too shallow. I broke both legs when I hit the riverbed."
Lily's jaw drops. "But you didn't scream or anything?! You swam out just fine - you walked home with us afterward for crying out loud!"
"Indeed, they had healed before I rose to the surface a few moments later. I felt no pain."
"So, what," Fox says incredulously, "does this mean you're like, immortal? Oh, can I-"
"No, you cannot push him off any bridges," Lily interrupts harshly. "In fact, I'm making a rule right now that you cannot do any form of intentional harm to him."
"Oh come on, it's not like he would mind!"
Azrael nods in agreement. "It's true."
"Not. Helping. Azrael," Lily says through gritted teeth.
Fox bursts into laughter, but his laugh is cut short when Azrael points out, "Who knows if I will heal next time, to be fair?"
A tense silence fills the room. Azrael continues talking.
"Do you remember when you went on that vacation during the summer, Lily?"
She nods. "Yeah, when I gave you that journal. What happened to that anyway?"
"Ah, well, when I opened it up it didn’t have any pages, so..." Azrael's gray eyes look down for a moment, then back at Lily. "But while you were gone, I accidentally got a bruise on my forehead. It had not healed for many days. Bruises I got before lasted only seconds. It is difficult to know when an injury might delay in healing or be permanent."
"Plus," adds Lily, "whatever gave you that scar was permanent too. What caused it, do you know?"
"I do not. It has been there since I awoke in this town last year, possibly before."
"Yeah yeah, you mysteriously woke up with no memories, we know that Mr. Smiles," says Fox waving his hand dismissively. "Maybe whatever gave you that scar caused your memory loss?"
"That proposition seems likely."
"Or," Fox continues, "what if it's a birthmark? Or a childhood scar? Like you fell down the stairs or something. Do you remember anything like that happening?"
"All I remember," Azrael recalls, "is walking for a very, very long time. Looking for something. Then I found you, Lily. And it felt like I found what I was searching for."
Lily widens her eyes, blushing slightly. "So... you came from outside the town? Past the cliffs? Does that mean there are people out there...?"
Azrael shakes his head. "No, I did not come from the Wilds. I... can't remember... rather, it pains me to think about," he says, massaging his scar.
"Oh-kay!" Lily stands up and claps her hands together. "Alright, I'll get you a glass of water Azzy. I think it's time for you to lay down. From now on, no knives for you without asking first. Dad will be home soon so I'll make dinner. Fox," she turns and points her finger, "You go home before your mom notices you've turned into a pillow. And no stabbing Azrael, you got that?"
"I'm leaving already?" Fox whines. "Fiiiiine, no stabbing Azrael. I promise. See you at school, Lils."
"Awesome. Thank you. Okay." Lily helps Fox to his feet and rushes him out. "No one stabs anyone or cuts off their own skin. Yes. That's good. See you."
Lily closes the door behind him and stands there for a moment, holding the doorknob. It was one thing when he never stopped smiling. Then he never needed to eat or drink or sleep. Now he's immortal? What kind of immortal doesn't know what a fish is? This is all too much... just who - just what - is this boy...?