Page 111 of A Soul to Embrace

Goldie stood from some kind of stool and came out from behind the counter. Her long red dress with a side split danced across the wooden floors while a set of tall, strappy black shoes clicked on each step. Zylah noted that the dress was formfitting and was so tight it allowed her large breasts to pool into the low neckline as if they were moments from spilling out.

“My breasts are not that big,” Zylah commented, pointing at her bosom. “I don’t think such an outfit will suit me.”

The female gave a sultry laugh while shaking her head as if Zylah had said something strange. Now that she was closer, she noted that the little Demon barely came to her chest height even with her tall shoes. Yet, she suddenly felt too big and imposing,and Zylah backed up a step and cast a set of reddish-pink orbs at Jabez to ask for assistance.

His expression was blank, and he remained where he was seated.

“Everyone can pull off this outfit, no matter their body shape.” She tentatively reached out to Zylah’s side and gently nudged her to the left, where all the garments were hanging. “But don’t worry. If it’s not something you’d like to wear, I offer many styles. Do you know what you’d prefer? Your current outfit is a bit... how do I put this kindly? Crude? Do you want something this short again, or something longer?”

Too many questions were thrown at her, and she didn’t like the mean comment regarding the dress Jabez had made for her. She looked over her shoulder to see if he was upset, but he looked the same: completely unhelpful.

“No. I don’t know what I want.”

“Hmm. Alright, big boy, are you willing to be a good puppy and sit there for us, no matter how long this takes?” she asked, slightly raising her voice.

“Depends on if it will take until dawn,” Jabez answered nonchalantly. “There are other places I want to take her.”

Goldie looked at Zylah from the corner of her eye and drifted her gaze down to her feet before coming back up to her face. Zylah was not surprised she wasn’t put off by her skull like Fayren was at first, due to the glamour hiding her, but it still felt strange to have it looked upon.

“No, it won’t take that long,” Goldie eventually responded, before going through articles of clothing, pulling hangers apart to get a better look at each one. “Alright, Zylah, your height will be a bit of a challenge, since I don’t get many people in this tall, but I think I have three outfits we can start with to get a better idea of what you’d like.”

Like she’d done this hundreds of times, Goldie pulled pieces of clothing from their poles. Moving quickly as she searched, she threw them over her shoulder one by one while taking wide steps to avoid dozens of others. It was like she knew roughly where they were located within her mind.

“Could you please follow me to the change room, Zylah?” Goldie gave the smallest bow, and her tall shoes clicked as she walked away.

Zylah rushed to follow, wishing she didn’t feel so out of place. Goldie gestured for her to stand inside one of the booths before hanging up two of the garments on a hook to the left and then placing a set on the right one.

“Get changed, then come out and show us,” she said, offering another welcoming smile as she closed the white drape.

Zylah’s breaths sounded loud in the confined space as she reached down to pull off her light-grey dress. She halted as she took in the garments before her, unsure which one to start with; there were too many choices. She would have preferred to have been given one at a time.

I don’t... like this.This wasn’t fun, and her knees knocked together when she was unclothed.

When she took too long, Goldie called out to her, and her fur puffed in worry. She quickly turned and grabbed some kind of long, frilly white tunic and shoved it on.

Since she’d seen Jabez button his tunic many times, she tried to copy what she could remember. She fumbled with the buttons down the front, and not even sheathing her claws seemed to help.

Shit,she muttered, having learned this was an appropriate word for moments such as this.Shit! I don’t know how to do this!

Giving up, she yanked on the brown skirt, and was thankful there was only one large button which was easy to threadthrough the hole. With her hands now shaking, wondering if she was taking too long, she attempted to do up the stupid tunic.

“Zylah?” Goldie’s voice called. “Do you need some assistance, doll?”

“I... um.” The embarrassed hue in her sight brightened. “Yes.”

She almost shrieked when Goldie opened the drape and entered the tight space with her.

“First time with buttons?” she asked, her tone lacking any condescension or judgement. She shone her red eyes up at Zylah, and they came across as kind and understanding. “Don’t be nervous. Many people who come here are new to them. I’m happy to assist, and you can watch what I’m doing to learn.”

She said this, yet she was so swift that her hand movements were almost a blur. Zylah did observe the way she pushed them through the holes and used her fingertips to wedge them a certain way. Once they were done up to almost her neck, Goldie undid the button of the nearly floor-length skirt so she could tuck the white tunic into it. Then she yanked it up to Zylah’s waist, and put the button through a different hole she hadn’t seen to make it snug.

She opened the drape and gestured for Zylah to exit before spinning her to some kind of reflection. She was more interested in what the odd device was, considering she’d never seen it before, and wondered how it was standing out in the open.

“Here, let me adjust the mirror for you,” Goldie said, as she tilted it back slightly to allow Zylah to see herself in full. “What do you think?”

She shrugged and turned to Jabez; she would make him help her pick something since this was his big stupid idea. His face was already in her direction, and his features cringed to the point his lips pulled to the side and partially revealed his fangs.

“Do you like it?”

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