I stared at myself in the mirror as Azger stood behind me, still in their female form as they hummed with thought. I did my best not to move, letting the demon examine their handiwork.
As soon as they arrived, Azger was eager to get me to try on their outfit, revealing that Requiem intended on returning Luc for the date tomorrow night. I wanted to snidely remark that it still gave us a whole day to figure things out but considering Azger was choosing to help me, I decided it was better to stay silent.
The dress seemed to serve the purpose of both highlighting my angelic side while leaning into the fact I had fallen. The fabric was all black or teal, but the jewelry was white and gold, and honestly I was more surprised by how well it came together. Despite the colors, the dress was fully cohesive and elegant without clashing at all.
"It's missing… something." Azger finally sighed, and I did my best to remain still as they ran their hands around my waist. A jeweled belt appeared, only for the demon to shake their head and remove the piece. "No, no, the waist is fine…"
I took in a deep breath as they continued circling me, making small adjustments just to change their mind and remove the change shortly after. It was interesting to me that Azger only changed the accessories and not the dress' design in any way. I guess they were too proud of their handiwork to adjust it.
Azger wasn't well known for their interest in fashion, although Luc had talked about it from time to time. It was more of a secret hobby than something they actively pursued, because Azger actually worked in law on Earth. They had fought hard to overcome the natural resistance demons faced in any judicial or law career, but had won the trust of those around them by always being fair in their cases. I wasn't sure how Requiem felt of their achievements, but it was obvious Azger themselves were proud.
"Maybe I should cast the illusion, help me decide." Azger finally consented, and I was unable to help my shiver as they cast their magic. My body was filled with immediate disgust as the dark red magic flowed over my wings, and I closed my eyes to keep from focusing on it. My condition for the deal was that they hide my burnt wings, creating an illusion to make me appear more like a Peri than a fallen angel. I would still be viewed with disdain, since angels tend to look down on our winged cousins, but other angels would be less likely to attack Luc and me.
When I reopened my eyes, I could see the thin, full wings behind me, appearing like small raven wings as I stared. I attempted to open my wings and while pain still spread through my shoulders, I watched as the illusion fully opened the smaller wings. Perfect.
"Be careful, little Lin, I'll have to remove it if you want it to last your date tomorrow." Azger chuckled and I turned to glance at the demon. They were still studying me, not even meeting my gaze as they considered the changes they wanted to make. "Your body will reject my magic after a while, so my illusions will likely only last a few hours."
"How many?"
"Depends on you." Azger sighed, finally looking up to my face. Their expression was pouty, and I could tell they were finally considering changes to the actual dress. "It only works because you don't truly hate me as many of your kind does. It'll last until your hate outweighs my power."
I frowned with their answer, but accepted it as I turned back to the mirror, once again resting my real wings against my back as the illusion also folded to rest against my back. I took a moment to take in my appearance, trying to figure out what Azger was unhappy with.
"The split is nice, but I think too much skin on my legs is showing." I finally offered, moving my legs from underneath the skirt. "I think adding more layers, or something to cover my legs will help sell the look. At the moment, I look too demonic."
"Hmmm." Was the only sound that came from behind me as Azger approached me, and I watched as they towered over me again, examining my image in the mirror. Slowly, they nodded, agreeing with me as the demon circled my body. Their hand dripped with dark red magic and I did my best to swallow the instinctive feelings in me. If I wanted this to work, I had to accept that Azger was a demon, just as much as Luc was.
I felt my body calm down slightly as I thought of the vampire, and I tried to hold the image of him in my mind as I felt the material shift around my legs. This was for him, and to support him I needed to stand up to Requiem. He was depending on my hate and distrust to cause me to fail, and I needed to prove him wrong. If he wanted to try and shove me into the same box the Angelic Court had tried to put me in, then I would prove him wrong in the same way.
The thought brought a smile to my face and I looked to the mirror again as Azger moved from in front of me. The long boots that now ran up my legs to meet the split brought a smile to my face, reminding me slightly of my angelic form. Azger had also taken the chance to add a golden trim to the black fabric and I nodded with approval.
"I think this is better."
"It is nearly perfect." Azger agreed, finally moving their hands as if to set something on my head. I was surprised by the halo-like headpiece I felt them stick in my hair, awed that the demon would dare. I turned sharply to see their face and the devious smile they were beaming at me. "Father requires an ornate hairpiece, but he did not say it could not highlight the fact you are an Angel at heart."
"You really do want to piss him off." I muttered, turning back to see myself in the mirror. I had never felt my status as a fallen angel as much as I did in that moment, and I was surprised by how much it didn't bother me.
"Father has been spending way too much effort trying to make Lucien miserable." Azger sighed, once again standing behind me in the mirror. I looked up at the reflective surface to see the scowl on their face. "I understand his frustrations with Lucien's denial of his demonic side, but making him miserable will not help."
"Sounds like you know what will help."
"I do." Azger smiled, meeting my eyes in the mirror. They remained silent for a moment longer, causing my heart to start pounding as I waited for them to continue. That smile grew wider and wider as they stared, and once they finally did speak, a shiver of distrust ran through my whole body.
"You."