"Buddy, that isn't red jelly from a doughnut." Tony snatched the Golden Scarab out of Itto's hands, stealing food right from an oni's mouth.
He rubbed its surface, then raised an eyebrow as though he had found something interesting.
Click.
With a faint sound,
the Golden Scarab suddenly split in two. Insect wings extended from either side of its upper body, which rose rapidly before stabilizing at a certain height.
Tony tried moving the palm supporting the base of the Sacred Scarab to the side. As he moved, the hovering "Sacred Scarab" shifted along with him, staying directly above his hand.
"Wow, what's that? It's so shiny and gold."
Paimon leaned over to inspect it. She tentatively swept a finger through the space between the Sacred Scarab and Tony's palm. "Paimon gets it! There must be magnets inside. Like poles repel, opposite poles attract. Lots of little magic tricks use that principle. The great Professor Lyney once explained the secret to Paimon."
"Is that one of your magic props, Tony? Are you going to put on a show for us?"
Paimon's curious questions drew the others over.
"Professor Lyney, huh... Didn't know teachers taught magic at school these days." Sam came over with a plate of cake to join the fun.
He scooped a bite into his mouth and asked Paimon, who was staring longingly at the cake in his hand, through a mouthful:
"Want a piece?"
Paimon would never turn down a little cake offered right under her nose.
"Mmm... Delicious durian mille crêpe cake."
Paimon shamelessly ate the cake while answering Falcon's earlier remark. "Lyney isn't actually a schoolteacher. He's a friend Paimon and the Traveler know."
Finishing the cake in her mouth, Paimon licked a stray smear of cream from the corner of her lips. She swallowed