26.4 Ezraphel’s Hobby

The atmosphere was heavy following their lengthy conversation, and Stanley had no idea what he could do to break it.

Luckily, he didn't have to, as Natalie suddenly stood up and said, "whelp, this has been a great talk and all, but I'm going out."

'Going out?'

"Where?"

"I need to buy some new clothes."

"What's wrong with your old ones?"

"If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have the same frame now as I did before."

"So what you're saying is you got fat."

The deadpan way in which he delivered that sentence was betrayed by the obvious mirth in his eyes. Naturally, Natalie did not find it amusing but decided to teach her brother a lesson.

Thus, with a grin on her face, Natalie bent over towards him and groped her chest like that one old meme as she purred with a sultry look, "in all the right places~"

And just like that, it was a checkmate, and Stanley was no longer amused and rolled his eyes.

Natalie chuckled at his reaction "but seriously, my current wardrobe just isn't going to cut it for me."

"Just have Ez resize your clothes," he said dismissively.

"It's not just about the size, Stan. I need new clothes for a new me; I gotta show off this new figure properly, you know what I mean."

"I don't," he replied blandly yet truthfully.

"I know you don't. Also, I kind of gave away most of my stuff to goodwill because of, you know, my impending death" she trailed off with a shrug.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he waved her off. "You should still talk to Ez though because she'd want to be in on that action," he advised.

"That was the plan from the start. I need to get a disguise going and all."

"Not what I was talking about, but that too."

"What do you mean?"

"Ez," he called out.

"Yes Stanley~?" purred the Lilim in question, who suddenly appeared directly behind him before leaning forward to rest her prodigious chest behind his head while she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and began to stroke his head lovingly.

Natalie was startled by Ezraphel's sudden appearance, but upon seeing Lilim's antics, her eye twitched in annoyance. Ezraphel was absolutely shameless, and while Stanley looked annoyed, it was obvious to her that he liked the attention she heaped upon him, even going so far as to subtly lean into her chest.

For a moment, her annoyance at the shameless display got mixed with a hint of jealousy and frustration before she stamped it out with a frown.

'I definitely can't stay here for long.'

Unaware of his sister's thoughts, Stanley spoke up, "So I've talked it over with Ez while you were sleeping, and it turns out there's more to being a functioning Mamono, especially in today's society, so she'll be training you."

Natalie blinked. "Um, excuse me?" She looked to Lilim and said, "What does he mean by that?"

At this point, Ezraphel straightened up, "He means that as you are now, you are not fit to venture out in public by yourself. Yes, I can supply you with a spell to disguise your appearance; however, there are nuances to being a Mamono outside of your physical changes and your libido, as well as certain quirks inherent to Wights that you need to be acquainted with before you can be allowed to interact with normal humans."

"I don't feel that different."

"Hmm" Ezraphel gave a hum before looking down at the man in her embrace. "Stanley, what was it that you needed from me?"

"Nat needs help with getting new clothes."

Suddenly, Lilim perked up, "Oh! Will you be needing a few articles or a completely new wardrobe?"

The question caught Natalie off guard, mostly due to the feelings it stirred within her.

Meanwhile, Stanley looked to his girlfriend (wife) with a raised brow and said, "What are you talking about, Ez? She's not going to get-."

"The whole wardrobe," Natalie said, interrupting the man.

Stanley snapped his gaze back to Natalie, who had an interesting expression on her face.

"You want an entirely new wardrobe?"

"Yeah, now that I think about it, my old stuff just isn't going to work for me now."

"Oh, is that so?" Red eyes bore into the other woman's own paler shade of red. "May I ask why?"

"Like I told Stan, my old clothes just don't fit the same."

"A simple application of my magic could resize them."

Natalie's brows furrowed in mild annoyance "not what I meant. I'm going for something different when it comes to style that my old clothes wouldn't fit."

"Hmm, would you say that your old clothes are rather drab?"

"Drab?"

"Dreary, uninteresting, dull..." Ezraphel listed off.

*Twitch*

That last word stuck with Natalie; however, she shook her head and said, "I wouldn't say that. I mean, they're fine," she replied, though she was clearly not confident in her words.

"And yet you seem dissatisfied." Ezraphel commented, to which Natalie lifted her gaze to look Lilim in the eye as she continued, "Well, if I may be so bold, I'd say your wardrobe seems perfectly suitable enough... for a human," she added.

The way she emphasized the last word caused Natalie to flinch.

Ezraphel continued, "However, Mamono have different sensibilities when it comes to fashion, and while not all Wights are caricatures of highborn pride and vanity, they do hold a certain level of gravitas in how they present themselves to the public and how they are perceived by others. Aesthetics are important to them in that regard."

Ineffectual as it was, Natalie took a breath to calm her nerves "that's a lot to take in."

"So it may seem," Ezraphel somewhat agreed, "however, I am all too willing to help you in your transition."

"And the clothes?"

"I can help with that too," she said, then straightened up and puffed out her chest. "I happen to be something of a fashionista myself."

"That's convenient," she said, then paused to look at her brother, "and it makes so much sense."

For his part, Stanley rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, I have terrible fashion sense, whatever."

"I would like to think that Stanley has developed reasonable taste in fashion."

"Really now?"

"Yes, in fact, he has been the one to choose his wardrobe in our most recent outings."

"Oh, that is a surprise," Natalie acknowledged before bluntly asking how long it took for that to happen.

At that, Ezraphel's smile lessened to a pout "shorter than I'd like."

"Is it because you don't get to dress him up like a life-sized doll anymore?"

"Can you two stop talking like I'm not sitting right here?"

Stanley's grumbling had Ezraphel once again doting on him. "Aw, I'm sorry, Stanley. Are you feeling neglected?"

Natalie rolled her eyes at the byplay. "I don't know what you're complaining about. At least you don't dress like a neckbeard loser anymore. The fact that for the entire time I've been here, you haven't worn the same clothes twice and they don't look like something from the bargain bin at Old Navy is actually pretty impressive, even if Ezraphel is clearly doing most of the leg work."

"Well, it was either he developed a proper fashion sense or I chose what he wore for the foreseeable future," Ezraphel informed.

And that's where Stanley decided to make his escape.

"That's enough of that," the man said, pushing himself away from his girlfriend (wife) and getting to his feet. "You two seem to be getting along just fine, so I'm going to fuck off now. Have fun doing whatever."

Natalie watched him leave, shaking her head before turning to Lilim and asking, "So what now?"

In response, Ezraphel gave a smile and made her way to the stairs, saying, "Follow me."

They went upstairs and towards the master bedroom shared by Stan and Ezraphel.

"Huh"

"What is it?"

"It's just now that I think about it. I've never stepped foot in that room once since I got here."

A prospect that, in hindsight, was very strange and highly suspicious.

"Ah, that would be my doing," Ezraphel answered with a bit of sheepishness. "I have made extensive changes to our shared bedroom that could not be waved away as mere renovations, and so I've cast an enchantment that dispels the notion of entering the room from one's mind."

"Oh."

"Also, Stanley was vehemently against letting you in the room."

"Oh?" Natalie replied with a raised brow.

Then Ezraphel opened the door, and her single brow joined the other as it arched just under her hairline.

"Oh!"

The wide-eyed Wight entered the room which was much larger and more grandiose than it had any right to be. It was a stark contrast to what she remembered it as being the last time she was there. The room was somehow as large as the living room. Its overall design looked straight out of some opulent mansion complete with numerous luxury pieces of furniture and a massive TV embedded in the far wall.

"Oooh~" Natalie took a moment to let the sensation sink in before looking down at her hand and saying, "yeah I can see why he wouldn't want me in here."

Ezraphel made her way over to the closet door and opened it with a flourish as she spoke "let's see if we can't dress you like a proper Mamono,"

Natalie expected the closet to have more going on with it; however, she still couldn't help but gape at what she found inside. Numerous outfits were suspended on clothing hangers, some of which had suit bags over them. She counted no less than a dozen drawers, likely filled with an assortment of clothing. There were shelves and pedestals displaying various shoes, handbags, and purses. There were even several full-length mirrors and a full-on makeup station in the corner.

"We're not there yet," Ezraphel commented, interrupting her thoughts.

"There's more?"

"So much more" Ezraphel answered as she made her way to yet another door that she was definitely sure wasn't there before.

Natalie opted to once again not comment on it and instead entered the room that was not as ostentatious despite being just as spacious.

"Where are we now?"

"This is my private workshop, much like Stanley's office," the Lilim informed. "This is where I come to immerse myself in my hobby."

"And your hobby is..." she trailed looking around the room.

One section had shelves lined with various fabrics of differing colors, while another had a workbench with cartridge papers and writing utensils, while on the nearby walls were the same papers with design illustrations. A sewing machine was located near the center of the room, with some half-finished works partially surrounded by mannequins of various sizes wearing finished and half-finished clothing.

"Fashion design?" the Wight finished.

"That's right~" Ezraphel answered with a grin

"Wow so does that mean the clothes you and Stan have been wearing-"

"Were mostly made or at the very least modified by yours truly," Ezraphel finished as she puffed out her chest with a proud smile.

Natalie couldn't help but ponder on that information and the implications.

'Doesn't that mean I've been mistaking Ezraphel's tailored clothes for name-brand stuff?'

Natalie would like to think of herself as someone who has a healthy engagement in the fashion industry. She could distinguish brands, discern a knockoff from the original with good enough accuracy, and most importantly, spot quality work. The clothes Ezraphel made weren't your bland t-shirts with graphics but what could be considered true honest-to-God high fashion.

As the implications hit her Natalie felt the fabric of a frankly exquisite red blouse and commented "this is amazing."

"Thank you~"

But now that she was thinking about it, a thought occurred which she voiced.

'This can't be normal.'

Ezraphel cocked her head "define 'normal'?"

Natalie startled a bit at the question 'did I say that out loud?'

Once again the Lilim spoke seemingly answering her question "you didn't however I am very adept at reading the hearts of others" her red eyes narrowed a bit "you doubt the authenticity of my work."

"I'm not doubting the authenticity of the clothing itself…just the method" she added after calming herself.

Ezraphel's brows furrowed even as she nodded "your doubt is a valid one considering all you've seen me accomplish thus far."

"It's nothing. You can forget about what I just said. I'm just being stupid" Natalie backtracked.

She really didn't want to make a mountain over a molehill with this. She didn't even care if Ezraphel used magic to make the damn things they were freaking amazing.

"Using magic for this would cheapen the experience at which point it would hardly be a hobby. So as a general rule of thumb I don't use it as much as I would in the past where it acted as a crutch. Though more often than not there are times I will still use the telekinesis and teleportation spells to move a few things here or there to hasten the process."

"Completely understandable" Natalie chimed in as she refocused on the matter at hand moving towards the design board and marveling at the illustrations on display.

She imagined herself taking a stroll down a street, strutting inside a club, or just walking into a room wearing her very own tailored clothing made by Ezraphel. She imagined turning heads, becoming the center of attention, gaining the lust and envy of men and women, respectively.

"Alright, I'm sold," she announced.

"Excellent!" the Lilim clapped in joy "I've already taken your measurements."

That got the Wight's attention "since when?"

Lilim rolled her eyes "Natalie I can discern your measurements with a single glance."

"Of course you can" Natalie grumbled.

With a snap of her fingers an assortment of fabrics of varying colors materialized behind her.

"Now let's give you a proper wardrobe to suit your new look."