It was hours later that Ezraphel was rudely awaken by several stinging rounds from that infernal contraption, right on her ass.
"AAH!" falling off the couch she flailed a bit and glared groggily around the room until she found Stanley.
He was holstering the pistol on a thigh holster while holding the M4 and while though it was not aimed at her he was in the perfect position to fire if he so desired.
"S-Stanley"
"Shut up" he said brusquely and turned on the TV.
Ezraphel was reluctant but complied and hesitantly looked at the screen to find that portrait of Druella again.
She gritted her teeth "why do you have that?"
"Shut. Up" he gritted more forcefully. Ezraphel was torn between compliance and outrage at the order but in the end she heeded it and he continued.
She didn't notice before but he had that device he told her about, a 'laptop'. He did something and right before her eyes Druella's portrait turned smaller and was in fact one of many and all of them, all of them were portraits of…
Ezraphel approached the television, looking on in disbelief at the various portraits of some of her family. Ezraphel wouldn't say that she was close to most of her siblings but she at least knew of them. Their mother made sure that if nothing else all her daughters would be able to recognize each other even though Lilims can tell by instinct whether another Lilim was before them.
Ezraphel knew all their faces and can put names to said faces if nothing else. She saw there were many of these portraits, not all of them of different Lilims but it was an impressive catalogue of her family. It couldn't be or rather it shouldn't be because as far as she knew and what Stanley told her there was no magic, their worlds had never crossed until she arrived and going through dimensions much like her species was only found in works of fiction here.
"You recognize them?" he question gruffly.
"My sisters" she spoke absently before turning to look at him "how is this possible? Why do you have this?"
"That" he gestured to the screen "is what I found when I clicked on a link for all the pictures on the Monster Girl Encyclopedia wiki"
"Monster Girl Encyclopedia" she repeated slowly, the name wrung a bell for her
"You know it?"
"A book about Mamono written by that Scholar."
"Yeah, that. On earth it's a thing" he fiddled with the device again and on the screen came what looked like an Encyclopedia entry…for Lilims. She knew of the Scholar's Encyclopedia but did not think he had ever interviewed a Lilim and yet there it was, shown on the brightly colored screen.
Lilim
Succubus Family, Demon Type
Habitat....Mamono Realm
Disposition...Lustful
Diet…..Mana of human men
The rest of the entry went on to give an overview of the 'Lilim' as a species, touching on their appearance, their power, their beliefs, their goals and the effect they have on the world. It was all generalized and narrow-minded to her, especially since she was aware of certain facets that don't line up with what was depicted. If anything this was just propaganda and the reason she knew this was due to her of course being a Lilim.
But wait…
"If it wasn't obvious" Stanley began with the glare "then I'll spit it out. Up until you showed up your entire world is or was just another work of fiction by some random perverted artist that took advantage of a fetish concept and started a fandom. See that?" he gestured to the entry "one of literal dozens of other entries he made himself and this…"
The picture turned to another portrait of her older sister "Mari" she mumbled.
"That wasn't even made by the official artist for MGE, that one was made by another artist who was inspired by him and is supposed to be an original character. So is this one"
'Ilassa' her brain supplied looking at the second oldest Lilim.
"And this one"
'Laila'
Although this portrait was crude and amateurish compared to the others, she would recognize her fifth eldest sister anywhere, if only due to the easily recognized vertical third eye on her forehead.
Ezraphel was at a loss for words, she truly was. How does one react to learning that your entire world is, in another world, a work of fiction?
"Hey" Stanley's word knocked her out of her funk and she turned to him numbly "you wanna know why I had Druella on my screen? It's because I was doing fucking research on you and your demented family. You worried about me falling for one of your sisters? Don't, because if I want to kill my humanity I'll just do it myself."
Ezraphel stared at him, an uncomfortable knot in her stomach, he glared back unflinchingly until finally she spoke "d-do you-" she tried to move forward only to freeze when he aimed the rifle at her sudden movement "do you believe I am like what that scholar says about Lilim?"
"I think you're dangerous and I don't trust you."
"…you do not know me" she spoke taking another step forward only to be startled back when he shot at her feet.
"If you're gonna play the 'let's get to know each other' card after slapping the shit out of me after smothering me in your chest after ambushing me for a reverse-rape play then you are both crazy and stupid."
Indignation rose past remorse, her teeth with slightly elongated canines barred, instinctively her wings flared out, her tail lashed about and her fists clenched as she yelled out "I was not attempting to rape you!"
Stanley stiffened "I don't give a-"
"NO!" she interrupted "you have said what you wanted to say now you will listen to me."
"…"
"It was not my intention to rape you. I…I do not know by what means you are receiving this information on my world however whatever information you have is clearly flawed" she gestured to the television "not all Lilim are like what was described in that encyclopedia and I am certainly not driven by some instinct to corrupt humans and further my mother's agenda in this world."
She looked him in the eye when she said this and Stanley flinched because she knew that he knew that was one of his concerns with her very existence.
She used this chink to take cautious steps towards him "I came to this world for love Stanley…for you."
He snapped back to attention "don't"
"I apologize for hitting you" she spoke sincerely, her expression twisted in the highest regret "I did not know what came over me. Seeing Druella's portrait and knowing that you were alone gazing upon it made me react without thinking clearly. I know my excuse will never pardon this offense."
Stanley took a long moment to look at her before he spoke "you…don't like your sister much do you?"
"Druella?"
"Yes"
"No, I do not"
His rifle lowered a bit "why?"
Ezraphel frowned "we may be family but that does not mean we get along…or agree with each other."
"Isn't she making the world better for Mamono though?"
"Stanley, what do you know of Druella?"
He tapped the device and another portrait came up of Druella, this one in the same vain as the Lilim encyclopedia entry except dyed in black with the words colored red. Ezraphel peered at it, rolled her eyes at the quote and continued to read on in silence.
Eventually Stanley started getting a little anxious at her silence "well?"
"This…more or less sums up exactly what my sister is like" she said and sighed as another realization hit her "and I suppose if she is the only example of an actual Lilim you have then I understand why you don't trust me."
"So you're saying you're not like her?"
"No! Gods no! Druella is like a dog, a slave obsessed with nothing but gaining the favor of mother and father" Ezraphel started pacing "she adores mother and father to the point where her life revolves around them, especially mother"
"So she's a mama's girl?" Stanley awkwardly inputs with some of his snark returning.
"She is an attention whore."
That broke through Stanley's facade and he guffawed "pfft, WHAT?"
Ezraphel didn't hear however, her speech was turning into a full on rant now "always the center of attention, always stealing the attention from the rest of us, always looking down on us because we actually want to choose our own destiny instead of living to be instruments of our mother's plan. Druella is nothing but a…a…FUCKING BITCH!!!"
Ezraphel panted, having finally said that, she felt a weight off her shoulders and at the sound of Stanley's laughter that knot in her stomach unraveled.
Stanley didn't know what was funnier, her hatred for her own older sibling (which he can relate to) or the rant itself which capped off on one of the funniest things he has ever heard. He never thought he would hear Ezraphel of all people call someone 'a fucking bitch' least of all her sister. Stanley's laughter petered off and he looked at Druella's encyclopedia page and snorted
"She is a fucking bitch isn't she?"
Ezraphel's cheeks pinked as she realized what she had said, she held them in her palms in embarrassment but silently nodded at his question.
"Yeah she seemed like that kind of woman"
Of course being the antagonist of a b-rate hentai series about Heroes being corrupted he didn't expect to find any deep characterization from a literary standpoint. You don't read stories from Monster Girl Encyclopedia for that, you read it because Druella looks sexy, the female Heroes look sexy and if she's corrupting female heroes there is bound to be a Yuri scene or three written in there.
Finding out that Druella is actually a real person in another dimension made him ponder about her perhaps more than is necessary. Certainly he pondered more about her than she, as a character, deserves since she did her role well but that was her as a character. As a person, based on the events of the story which includes the companion stories for each 'Fallen Maiden' and her quotes, Stanley could actually see Druella two ways.
Keep in mind that in both cases he believes she is exactly what you get when someone decides that they know what's best for everyone because they have power, time, resources and a sense of entitlement. Druella is a Lilim princess who holds authority and dominion over her people with literal power and the resources of an entire species at her beck and call. Add to that her parents are practically Gods, her enemies are religious fascist and racists preaching genocide while she preaches peace and unity and Druella has the literal power, resources and moral high ground to do whatever she wants.
First case scenario Druella could be a naïve self entitled brat so enthralled with her mother's vision that she goes on a misguided crusade to see it to fruition whilst completely oblivious (purposefully or not) to the feelings of everyone else. She puts up a front of this sensual messiah and adding an air of mysticism to gain more support and complete her image as the 'Messiah' of Mamono or something. She isn't really the one in charge but is mainly just a mouthpiece for the true masterminds who effectively use her to gain a foothold into the Royal Family and is almost entirely ignorant of the consequences of her actions and how they impact the world.
Second case scenario she could be a conniving self entitled bitch who, under the veneer of an adoring daughter and Mamono-Hero, carves a dominion for herself within the human lands in an effort to one day usurp power from her own parents and rule the world.
'Either case Ezraphel was right, she is a fucking bitch.'
But enough about that cunt.
Stanley tentatively placed his rifle to the side (though kept the pistol) and approached Ezraphel. He doesn't get closer than a couple of feet, enough that he could actually see her face whilst looking up at her.
"I keep the guns on me at all times to not get caught up in bullshit like what you just pulled earlier" he confessed bluntly.
Ezraphel shuffled her feet "I'm so-"
"Not done yet" he interrupted he stepped forward, paused then spoke "sit"
Ezraphel was taken aback "e-excuse me?"
"I wanna say this next part to your face, so sit down"
Ezraphel seated herself on the couch where they were now at relative eye level.
Stanley continued "this isn't the fucking Makai, I'm not some ignorant peasant or some church zealot. I'm pretty sure I can give your best scholars a run for their money based on how intelligent I am but that's beside the point. I may not like you but I don't hate you Ezraphel. If I'm being honest you scare the shit out of me and I was literally in the process of dumping you outside and forgetting your existence when you woke up that first time."
This revelation both shocked and saddened her, and she showed this through a sad puppy eyes complete with drooping ears and everything.
"When I let you stay in my house I didn't do it because I think you have nice tits or for the future prospect of sex. I did it because I trusted you enough to at least keep things civil while you stay here. Instead I have to carry a fucking weapon everywhere I go in my own goddamn house as a deterrent because you think it's cool to set up ambushes and tackle me to ground like we're goddamn animals in the fucking jungle. Now you're slapping me for looking at pictures of other women because what? You decide I'm your husband? I'm supposed to go along with it and I'm not allowed to look at other women?"
Ezraphel was keenly aware of the red mark and slight swollen side of his face and felt tears welling up.
Stanley saw this and he pointed to the area "don't ever fucking do that again or else you're out, understand?"
Ezraphel nodded rapidly "yes, I swear I will never again strike you"
He glared at her for a moment "good" he looked away and scratched his face "look, I'm gonna ask you something, do not lie" she nodded "are you going to try and colonize Earth for your mom?"
Ezraphel looked confused before understanding dawned and she frowned but nevertheless gave her answer in a calm yet blunt tone "Stanley I never cared enough for mother's vision to actively take part in the war against the Order. What I seek, what I have always sought is happiness" she reached out and took his hands in hers "and love."
Stanley stared at her wide eyed, his left cheek no longer the only part of his face red before he pulled away from her "that is the corniest thing I have ever heard someone say off screen" he backed away and didn't meet her gaze for a while before getting his emotions under control "this whole love thing sounds really important to you"
"It is" she confirmed with conviction.
"Right" he said slowly "so how about this, you don't force yourself on me and I won't have to shoot you, deal?."
Ezraphel seemed conflicted, on one hand those things really do hurt, in fact she still has some bruising across her body from the onslaught earlier. On the other hand "I do not like being separated from you" she admitted bashfully.
Stanley looked at her weirdly "y-you're serious aren't you?"
She leaned forward incidentally pronouncing her cleavage "of course."
Stanley looked between her face and cleavage for a second before continuing "how about a compromise?"
"…go on."
"I can stand you being…affectionate but if I don't like it you back off."
Ezraphel's red eyes twinkled and she shouted "deal!" before glomping him…
For about three seconds "Jesus Christ what the hell!" he yelled pushing himself away.
"I could not help myself"
He didn't look impressed "seriously?"
"Was it so bad?"
Again she did that thing where her arms were folded under her breasts to emphasize them and again Stanley looked between it and her expression, an expression which turned sultry as she literally shook her chest enticingly at him.
"Uh…" Stanley found his body unintentionally gravitating towards them despite his brain working overtime to prevent the entrapment. His eyes darting about even as his body pitched forward until they found the television and an idea came to mind.