Humming the cheery tune of a pop song, Ezraphel carefully applied special makeup to herself. This particular application was to emphasize a kind of aesthetic for her 'costume' for tonight. The story of how she found this particular costume was actually amusing. She wasn't originally planning to wear a costume, not really. Considering the nature of Halloween and the celebration of monsters, it made sense to her that she would simply be her true self for one night. Granted, she would place a small illusion spell on herself to make her form appear less authentic to everyone, of course.
She was certain that her Stanley wouldn't mind since she wouldn't be gallivanting about in public either.
'Honestly, he's such a worrywart about things like that,' she thought fondly.
Of course, in preparation for playing her 'trick', she sought inspiration from the internet. Swallowing her reservations a bit, she looked through a short list of popular horror games she could appropriate for her own means. It was then that she came across a most peculiar image. It was of a tall, pale regal woman in a white dress that wouldn't have looked out of place on a noble.
She seemed to have been quite the popular one too, given how there were so many different artist renditions of her appearance. Some were good, some were poor, but most were rather lewd, and those were the interesting ones. It piqued the Lilim's curiosity and had her research the character, finding more than a few similarities between her and the highborn Mamono Vampires besides their penchant for drinking blood. It also led to Ezraphel researching the game she came from, then the franchise, resulting in her watching and reading several videos about the Resident Evil games.
As for the character, Ezraphel was neither a fan of her personality, her history within the game, nor her transformation. However, much like with the game, her appearance could be appropriated for the Lilim's use. As a bonus, appearing as her would fit with the theme she was going for, and the thought of seeing Stanley's reaction to finishing her game only to be greeted with the sight of her dressed as one of the game's most popular breakout characters was too tempting to pass up.
So it was that Ezraphel decided that rather than use her true form, she would don the wardrobe of the famous Alcina Dimitrescu.
Sure, she was not as tall, aged, pale, or had those little imperfections caused by the character's condition, but most people recall the illustrations done by online artists when they think of her anyway. Besides, Ezraphel very much doubted such trivial nitpicks would factor into their scrutiny once they took a gander at her.
'Hopefully it will be the same with Stanley.'
That was a tricky one to determine since Stanley has the tendency to go against expectations. For all she knew, he could be coming out with those insipid airsoft weapons and pelting her with those annoying pellets like he did last time.
'That reminds me, I need to ensure that those weapons are gone after he finishes the game.'
Thinking of Stanley left her feeling a bit lonely.
"I wonder how he's doing."
With a wave of her hand, she was able to peer into the spirit realm she created to find that he was haggling with the Wight Golem.
"Huh," she blinked, "I didn't know he could do that."
Or rather, she didn't think he would, and the fact that 'Rowena' was playing along with him was surprising and a bit concerning. Ezraphel would admit that she wasn't a master at Golem creation, not in the sense that she couldn't or didn't have any experience with the craft, as obviously she could do it and has studied the craft for a number of years with her sister. The issue came with creating golems without imparting true sentience. For most crafters, making a sentient Golem would be an arduous task that required a great deal of magic, but Ezraphel didn't have that issue—quite the opposite, really.
You could actually say that Ezraphel was a bit overpowered in that sense, something she has taken note of over the months. Earth had so many restrictions and barriers for her to properly utilize her magic, and even after getting past those barriers, there were still certain limitations. Yet once she got past the natural magical gatekeeping and limitations of the world, the effect of her magic became stronger than it would be on Eos.
She didn't know if the cause was due to her own growth after months of almost daily and copious intake of spirit energy or if she was reaping the benefits of being the first magical entity in a non-magical world. Regardless, her abundance of power made for a detriment in this case. There was a fine line between a 'smart' Golem and a 'sentient' one, a lesson she learned with 'A' the first Golem she created way back in Easter. Thankfully, she took that lesson to heart with the follow-up Golems, who were all rudimentary in their intelligence.
This time around, she wanted to give Stanley a better experience, which is why all of the named Golems are based on the actual Mamono she met and got to know during her travels across Eos. With this decision, it would be a disservice not to increase their intelligence to go along with their personalities. She ensured that her changes didn't cross the same threshold as they did for 'A' or so she hoped.
She was already putting off explaining to Stanley that she created a sentient Golem, but she couldn't keep 'A' a secret forever. Just thinking about that conversation made her feel anxious.
Where's a distraction when she needs one?
*Ding-Dong*
'Oh, thank the gods'
The sound of the bell had her red-painted lips curving into a smile.
"That's enough thinking for now. As they say, it is show time."
As she made her way to the door, Ezraphel picked up a basket of assorted candies that she and her Stanley had pre-packed into little goodie bags the day prior. Upon opening the door, the disguised Lilim was greeted by two children in costumes and an older man who immediately goggled at her appearance.
Meanwhile, the two children raised their bags and shouted, "Trick r' treat!"
Some Time Later...
Ezraphel didn't think she would enjoy actually giving away candy, but she was proven wrong. The moment she opened the door to a little girl wearing the most adorable princess costume shouting "twick r' tweat," her heart practically melted. It's been an hour or so since she started, and Ezraphel was thoroughly enjoying herself. Ezraphel came to the conclusion that she very much liked Halloween. Not that she could ever hate it, after all, a holiday that celebrates monsters, was always going to be something she loved.
When her Stanley mentioned that his house was popular during Halloween because he gave out high quantities of assorted, high-quality candies, Ezraphel was ashamed to admit that she was a bit skeptical. Not that she thought Stanley would be deluded enough to lie or overestimate himself, but there was doubt nonetheless.
The fact of the matter is that due to his, in her opinion, poor life choices, Stanley does not have the best reputation. At best, most didn't care for his existence, and at worst, some suspected him of being the unsavory sort involved in unpleasant businesses. The same line of thought extended to her, though due to her extraverted nature and charming disposition, she was able to curtail the negative preconception they had of her.
The good news was that, through her efforts, she was able to drag Stanley's reputation from the sewers. The bad news was that Stanley made little to no effort to elevate his reputation. He genuinely convinced himself that he didn't care what people thought of him. That's not technically true, but he's learned to ignore the noise, so to speak. The point is that Ezraphel was doubtful if the popularity he spoke of during Halloween was actually something of note.
It did not take long for evidence disproving this line of thinking to present itself.
When it comes to the neighborhood, not only was Ezraphel aware of how many people lived there, but he also knew at least one or two facts about them. No, she did not make it a hobby to spy on her neighbors; she didn't need to after befriending the neighborhood gossip. Also, for security sakes (as well as her own curiosity), she did peer into their lives with her magic to ensure that they weren't a threat to either her or her Stanley. Most of them are nothing of note, but some of them lead very interesting lives behind closed doors.
In any case, the original point is that she had a fairly accurate picture of how many children reside in the neighborhood, where they are in relation to her and Stanley's home, and how much she could expect at any given time. It took an hour combined with the rate at which the doorbell rang that she figured even Stanley himself might have underestimated just how popular he was at this time of year. It seemed as if families went out of their way to get here, and at various points, Ezraphel greeted multiple groups before sending them off.
A vast majority of the groups actually came from the neighboring community, and this is where things took a turn for the amazing. What really caught her by surprise and actually made her night, hell, her entire week, was the fact that a few of the people from these out-of-town groups who didn't know of her existence asked for Stanley himself. One of the highlights of the night was that one particular group seemed to be on friendly terms with him beyond him being just a generous stranger on Halloween.
When Ezraphel greeted them by the door, everyone seemed surprised of course but it was one of the children who asked for Stanley himself. Once she explained his absence it was the first and only time that night that Ezraphel saw someone disappointed by his absence.
How did that come to be?
Well, apparently two years ago, their youngest daughter got a bit overzealous with her adventure one Halloween and ended up slipping out of the group of kids who were being watched by their inattentive older child, a friend of the family. Said girl ended up ringing Stanley's doorbell with tears in her eyes, asking for help, and Stanley ended up walking with her, searching for her family. The search didn't take particularly long, and they didn't go very far; however, Stanley was with her every step of the way. He managed to distract the girl with the only thing that would be of interest to the eight-year-old, candy, lots of candy.
They eventually met back up with the group, and eventually their parents found out and personally thanked Stanley for his help. While this encounter did not bring the family close enough for them to consider Stanley a friend, ever since then, it has been something of a tradition for the family to visit his house first when they start trick-r'-treating on his street. All in all, it was a rather heartwarming story and by far the nicest thing she's ever heard Stanley do for a stranger.
It's no wonder he never told her anything about it.
Ezraphel could actually hear the excuse he would have for withholding such information from her, and it went something like this:
"If I told you about it, you would have held it over my head and been an even bigger pain in the ass."
Of course he was right, but she was nonetheless very miffed that he would hide something like this from her. Regardless, Stanley had some explaining to do. Ezraphel won't stop pressing him until he regales her tales of his altruism. Because in her mind, if he manages to do this once, then surely he has done it again, right?
While she held up hope that she would meet more of those who have been able to peer beneath the surface to witness Stanley's greatness, she was also fairly sure that it was a one-in-a-million fluke. The next hour proved this to be true, as while there were a few general inquiries into Stanley's absence, most didn't really care. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority approved of her over him, regardless of whether they cared to ask for him. That's fine she didn't hold it against them…that's a lie, she did but not by much.
The same, however, could not be said for the troublesome ones.
Ezraphel has been living in the neighborhood long enough that she has become something of a mythic figure in the community. Being a woman of such beauty in a somewhat small and close-knit suburban community would have already made her popular. Her being in a relationship with a man like Stanley didn't seem to diminish that popularity at all. Add the fact that Stanley would go on to undergo drastic physical changes seemingly (literally!) overnight, and well, let's just say it didn't surprise her that more of the older teens showed up at her doorstep.
She could even pick out some admirers for Stanley himself because, despite his surly attitude, he was still an Incubus, and while it may be muted in her presence, he still had his supernatural charm. It made him very noticeable to most women and even some men. He turned a lot of heads and those heads talked. It inspired a great deal of jealously for the Lilim and is a constant source of high number of seeming random bouts of public displays of affection she would spring on him. Not that he knew this because why would she ever tell him that he's attracting other women (and some men).
She doubt he would actually even care and besides she didn't need him teasing her on this.
Speaking of unwanted attention Ezraphel actually found it amusing that the two were seen as something of an urban celebrity couple. At least that's what one of said neighbors told her some time ago when they were gossiping. Apparently this assumption was due to a number of things observed by the general public about them.
Things like them being attractive to the point where they can legitimately be mistaken for actors and/or models. Then there is also fact that neither seems to work regular jobs yet they wear high quality clothes. Also whenever they are out grocery shopping they buy the high-quality or expensive brand foodstuff and pay with a platinum credit card. Ezraphel thought that the rumors of their wealth and fame/importance were a bit overblown, or understated, considering who and what she really is.
Regardless, Halloween presented the perfect opportunity for many to seek her out without seeming meddlesome. Once word of her choice in costume spread the situation turned from mildly amusing to bothersome. Ezraphel can handle being ogled but not when it interrupts or otherwise disturbs the trick-or'-treating process. When she opens the door, Ezraphel expects to be greeted by cute children wearing adorable costumes not horny teenagers and perverted old men looking to 'shoot their shot' as it were.
Things came to a head when a few particularly shameless young men decided to disrupt her night while she was in the middle of distributing candy. Ezraphel has heard her Stanley complain about, as well as seen a few examples of, these so-called delusional clout chasers obsessed with getting attention online through the pursuit of 'viral videos' at the cost of common decency or consideration for others,. Ezraphel did not care for people like this, and she wasn't about to become their prop or let them ruin the children's night.
It was a coincidence, then, that their recording devices all decided to malfunction when they tried to put her in focus. Ezraphel liked to think she wasn't the only one to savor their frustration when this fact became apparent. With no means of capturing her image or recording her on video, they eventually left. And by the grace of her magic, none of these individuals will be able to disrupt this neighborhood's Halloween night.
A simple spell urging them to behave was what he went with, though she was tempted to do much worse once one of the chaperoning parents divulged some of the things they got up to in the past.
Honestly, the nerve of them
After fixing the wards on the house to deter anyone other than legitimate trick-or-treaters, things wound down to a state of normalcy.
And to think it's only been a little after two hours.
"I wonder how Stanley is doing."
It's been a while since she checked while she was out putting up those wards around the neighborhood. As she looked into the pocket realm, however, her eyes widened.
"Oh, my…"