NYE Pt. 2

Abandoning Illia, Cress went to her room to change. The outfit she'd planned to wear was cute. Too cute. Light greys, sky-blues, and whites were great colors for an outfit, but next to Illia's alluring figure, it would be childish. In hindsight, it was an awful outfit for going out with Kirian, too, but that didn't bother Cress as much. What bothered her was the idea of someone thinking she didn't look good enough to be by Illia's side.

"So childish. I'm here bragging about not being afraid of things anymore, yet here I am digging through my clothes because I'm afraid some stranger will think less of me. Is this what normal people have to deal with? At least being afraid of spiders made sense."

Frustrated, Cress threw the sweater she was wearing into the depths of her closet. She didn't have the body Illia or Kirian had and her curves were in all the wrong places. Love handles, a belly roll… they'd never bothered Cress much. Until now.

"Why can't she be ten, no, twenty percent less attractive? Then I wouldn't be as stressed about this. I don't even know what shirt to wear let alone…"

Cress wanted to slap herself as she pulled the white shirt from the hangar. How could she forget? No one would understand just by looking at them, but there was no better or easier way to show she was Illia's.

"I should have made her something less practical so she could wear it! She can't just wear a six-eyed knit hat with that dress." A giddy feeling tickled Cress's chest. "But she's been wearing it! She looked so cute when she put it on the other day before I went to work. I'm glad you can't really notice her eyes even with the slits."

"What do you think, William?" Cress asked the bird sitting on her vanity. "Is it too much?"

A sharp chirp and flutter of approving wings answered Cress and she rubbed her finger over the bird's head. As always, he was right.

The sun was already setting by the time Cress finished her hair and makeup. Instead of braiding her hair she'd kept it down, taming the waves formed from braiding it so they almost looked like loose curls. She'd even taken the time to apply some oil to combat the mousy nature of it. She'd also changed her makeup routine from natural to a bolder style Kirian had taught her, using gold and silver eyeliner and shadow in tandem with a brighter blush blended with a glittery bronzer. It was still subtler compared to Kirian's, but she'd been happy with the results as she put on her frosted peach lipstick.

"How do I look?" Cress asked as she left her room. "Do I look weird?"

Each pair of Illia's eyes had a different expression to them as they examined Cress and the feeling made her skin crawl; not because of the eyes, but because she was afraid Illia wouldn't approve of the change. She'd chosen to abandon her glasses for the night, leaving the world slightly blurry and making it a challenge to read the finer nuances of Illia's expressions.

"I look stupid, don't I? I shouldn't have tried to-"

Just as Cress turned back to her room, Illia caught her arm to make her face her. Now that she was closer, Cress could see the twitches and shifts on Illia's exhausted face and there wasn't a single sign of disapproval or disappointment.

"My apologies," Illia said. She released Cress's arm and retreated a step "I was simply caught off guard by your transformation. I nearly mistook you for a Web Siren."

"A Web Siren?"

"One of my feral kin."

"Is she trying to compliment me? If a Web Siren is the spider version of a Siren, she probably is. But maybe I should mess with her for neglecting me all week."

"Oh. So I look feral?"

"N-No!" Illia's voice trembled and a drop of black blood rested where she was biting her bottom lip. "No. Please allow me to explain. We call them feral because of their wild nature and isolation, but in truth it is a slight born from jealousy. None can argue that even the most hideous Web Siren possesses beauty that shames the rest of the Southern Sands."

"So what are you trying to say? Say it properly."

"You look exquisite," Illia mumbled. "I loathe the thought of letting others see you."

"But I want them to see me," Cress cooed, leaning close and standing on her tiptoes to get as close as she could to Illia's ear. "Haven't you noticed what I'm wearing?"

Illia's eyes squeezed shut and Cress swore she could see her tan cheeks turning red (something Illia had informed her was impossible due to her skin being closer to a shell than actual skin). The sight sent Cress's heart into somersaults and she smirked, ready to land the killing blow.

"Why are you so embarrassed, Princess? Is there something wrong with the rest of my outfit?"

"They're fine garments," Illia said. She tried to turn her face away, but Cress caught her cheek with the tips of her fingers.

"Then what's got you so flustered? I'm not wearing anything special. It's just a white blouse and black skirt."

"Stop," Illia groaned, though she abandoned her efforts to look away. "You play a dangerous game, Little Sling."

"Oh. My. God. Is she turned on right now?! Who knew my feminine wiles were so powerful! She looks ready to explode!"

"No games. I just wanted to make sure that my special blouse was appropriate. I don't want to look shabby standing beside you."

"Hush," Illia said, refusing to let any of her eyes meet Cress's. "If you do not, I fear we will never depart for our engagement."

"Engagement? Oh, Illia, you're so romantic!"

The room around Cress spun as she lifted into the air and she gasped as her back rebounded off of her closed door. Illia loomed over her and the wall shook as her hand slammed the door frame. Terror tinged heat coursed through Cress's body and she couldn't decide whether to laugh or scream. Illia was a killer, but it was difficult to be frightened when she was sitting on the person's arm.

"Oh no… I'm trapped. What am I to do?"

"I wonder," Illia whispered into Cress's ear. "I wonder if you taste as appetizing as you smell."

The tickling whispers raced through Cress's core and she squeezed her legs together on her perch. Illia was more dangerous than she thought.