private A Pony in Anima City (Private with Illiad Easle)

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari blushed again, but didn't comment on it, Maybe I will... he seems to like that sort of thing.

She was content to walk in companionable silence the rest of the way to the Co-Op, the joint nervousness of approaching a government building and being so close to someone who potentially had feelings for her, both very new experiences for her, kept her from initiating any small talk.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

The Co-Op visit went quickly and rather well, all things considered. After wards, she was given her ID card and they'd make their way back to the cafe and apartment. After he let them back in, he'd smile and go to get himself a coffee "whew, that went smoother than I anticipated" he'd smile to her, "we can work out the small flaws of your disguise now if you like., or we can wait a bit"

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari nodded, "I'd like to get them worked out sooner rather than later. Let's go up where you keep the clothes, there was good lighting in that room."

Once there she would strip down, revealing that her lower half, at least as much as was covered by the skirt with the exception of the tail which she had removed in the park, was still that of a zebra, though once disrobed she quickly corrected it to match, at least in coloration, to the rest of her body. "So... you wouldn't happen to have seen a gazelle nude, have you?" (Assuming Ash hasn't) "Well, I'll need some reference material then. Even though almost no one will likely see me naked, I always feel more comfortable if I'm confident that I have it right down to the most intimate details."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would nod and sit down, waiting for her to be ready, as she would strip down to nothing, his blush would only deepen and he'd look away, though the swaying of his tail and the perkiness of his ears would indicate he was happy, he was just giving her a little privacy. "Even with the mistakes, she looks so..beautiful" he'd think to himself before looking to her and shook his head "N-no I haven't but..we can look up references on my tablet" he'd say, looking back to her, helping her go through pictures.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Despite being nude, the way Mari reshaped her body wasn't anything salacious, it was art. She sculpted her body like it was made of clay, pushing and prodding with small rolls of fire until every part of her met her satisfaction. She didn't shy away from Ash watching her work either, in fact she was well aware of how happy it made him, and she figured he had earned as much.

When she was done, it was almost stunning the level of detail she had applied. While her body was quite attractive, it also bore a few natural flaws, a wrinkle or two, a bit of asymmetry in her coloration, a bit lacking in muscle tone, in all she looked natural, nothing like the filtered celebrity pictures they had found among the more realistic ones, she had even settled on a slightly larger bust.

She nodded as she finished her final review of her disguise, "Alright, I think that will do nicely. Thank you for your help." With a roll of fire she dropped the disguise entirely, going back to her natural changeling form. "Now that that's settled, I was wondering... Is there anything you'd like to see me do?" 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would then look to her "Well...other than changing your appearance, what else can you do?" he would ask her with a smile, looking her over, wondering just what she could do. the whole time, though as he was getting used to seeing her naked, he was still slightly blushing, as he would think to himself "Okay, I'm beginning to believe this is genuine, like..I care a lot for and about her, and I just want nothing but the best for her, well here goes" he gulps and smiles "Mari, if I may ask, have you ever been in love before? If you have, how can you tell if it is genuine?"

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Without her disguise, there really wasn't anything to see despite her being naked, her body was very androgenous, only slightly feminine, and everything was covered by chitinous plates that gave her a distinctly insectoid appearance.

Mari had been about to answer Ash's first question when she was surprised by his second question, "Oh! um... I don't think I've been in love personally, that isn't something most changelings do, but that does open an example of things I can do! So, changelings are emotivores, our diet is mostly feeding off of the emotional energy given off by other creatures. We gather that energy out of the air and store it inside ourselves, then we can combine it with a gel we make from our mucus and mineral water or any natural spring water to form an emotional gel that we can metabolize. Well, when we're gathering the emotions we can tell what type they are, sort of like an empathic, so we can tell what sort of emotions those around us are feeling, um..." She paused a moment, "You... well, I'd say it's a strong affection bordering on love, but I'm not an expert on it. I... " she blushed, "You've been so very kind to me since we met, no one has ever been so nice even before I came here, but especially since I arrived. I certainly could love you, in time, but we've only known each other for a day. Let's give it some time, alright? Make sure this isn't just a momentary thing?"

She let the moment hang for a moment before she continued, "Um... well, I can also do magic, mostly telekinesis and teleportation, but with enough concentration I can do some other spells. I, er, don't know if that's common around here, it was fairly universal where I'm from, just about every creature had some sort of magic to them. I haven't felt that here though."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would listen to her and nod "I see, that's actually quite interesting to learn" he would tell her, and tilt his head, thinking "So, it is genuine, at least I feel it right now", he'd smile at her "You are right, giving it some time and seeing if it'll grow is the best way to go about it" he would tell her and then listen to her "Mm yeah, I believe that magic like spells is something of a rarity or doesn't exist here" he'd say to her "Though I'm sure the humans would say otherwise, but that's just their ignorance and prejudices" he looks to her and sips on his coffee.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari was a bit disappointed that there wasn't much other magic in this world, "Well, I'll keep it under wraps then, wouldn't want anyone getting suspicious or draw to much attention to myself."

She thought a moment, "You've mentioned these 'humans' a few times now, I don't think I've heard of them before, what are they?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would nod and then think on how to answer her question "Well humans are, in a way like us Beastmen, only they cannot change form like we can" he'd say, explaining how Beastmen can change appearance, one to look human and one to be their beastman form "they only have skin and hair, no fur, pointy ears or tails" he'd then tell her to the best of his understanding the tensions between humans and beastmen.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari was a bit confused, "Can all Beastmen change their appearance like that? Then how could a human tell if those around them were not Beastmen? Though... if they are anything like those back home, it wouldn't matter, they'd be happy to accuse whoever they don't like." She sighed, "I get the feeling that Beastmen here are not so different from Changelings back home, both shunned for being what they are."

She was eager for the topic to change, "Well, no sense dwelling on it, I don't quite fit the clothes I was wearing anymore, so we'll have to switch to something better. Which reminds me, why do you have so many clothes? Is that common for people here?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would nod and not answer her first question as he could tell the topic was making her a little upset, how-ever at the question of having so many clothes, he'd smile "Oh you know, I like to dress up. Typically, it's girls who have this many clothes, but I typically just have a bit of a problem with impulse buying" he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck, leading her to his room to choose a new outfit "I see an outfit that I like, try it on, and if it fits and looks good on me, I buy it" he explains.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari nodded as she looked at what clothes he had available, "Does that apply to the more feminine clothes as well?" She looked over at him, genuine curiosity on her face, "I'm not judging of course, I often prefer more masculine attire myself. When I'm not disguised I don't exactly have anything to cover up so masculine clothing seems more comfortable." She'd turn back to the clothing, "Let's see, most of the gazelle in the pictures seemed to sport athletic clothing, so maybe something along those lines? What do you think?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He chuckles and nods "Y-yeah, my friends when I was a teenager dared me to wear girl clothes once and well, I was told I actually look good in them, and I actually felt really comfortable, so over the years, I just kind of accumulated a lot of outfits" he'd smile and nod "I think I can help you out with that" he'd say to her, looking in his wardrobe "Oh, here we go, here, try this sport bra, crop top and running shorts on" he'd say, giving them to her as he'd sit back on the edge of the bed

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari would change into her disguise once she was given the clothes, quickly putting them on and looking them over in the mirror, "The elastic does show off the curves and contours rather well, but I'm not sure if it's really me. Maybe something a little less... form fitting?" She tried another angle, "I do like how the midriff looks though, maybe this isn't so bad? I guess I could get used to it." She looked back at Ash, "Do you think it's appropriate for working in your café though? I wouldn't want to give your customers the wrong impression."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would smile to her "You look great Mari and you'll be fine, just don't show any more skin than needed" he'd tell her with a smile "Though in private you can be as..naked as you like" he sips on his coffee and looks at her "If you feel comfortable doing so, that is, I do find you very attractive, to be honest with you"

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari blushed when Ash mentioned how much he found her attractive, "Well... I'd be lying if I said looking good for you wasn't part of my motivations for this form. I'm glad you like it."

She looked a little less sure, and a bit tired, "You, um, mentioned a spare room? Is that where you'd like me to sleep for now? I don't mind if it's sparse, it'll be much better than the cardboard boxes I've slept in since I got here."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would smile at that "Well then, I appreciate it" he'd say to her, before stretching once more "Sure, probably best we have separate rooms for now" he'd tell her, getting up "Unless you don't mind sharing a room and bed" he would tell her.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari shook her head, "It isn't that I mind, because I don't, it's just... again, we only just met this morning. It wouldn't be right for us to get so... intimate, so quickly." She looked a little embarrassed, "I hope that's alright with you?" 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would nod "You're right about that, come on then" he would say waiting for her before he would then lead her to the room next to his room, which was the spare room "It's sparse but you can decorate it how-ever you'd like" he'd tell her. The room had a few boxes stacked up, mostly full of junk that Ash needed to get rid off, but it did have a small built in wardrobe and a double sized bed. "I'll probably need to wash those sheets before you use the bed though, I can't remember the last time I washed them"

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari was quite obviously impressed by the room she had been presented with, "Oh, no, this... this is far too nice. I, I've never had a space like this, all to myself." She looked over at Ash, her expression a mix of worry and hope, "You're... you're not joking... are you? Are you really letting me use all this?"

She turned her attention to the bed, "A little dust never hurt anyone, I can wash them myself in the morning, you don't need to worry about that now..."

She seemed on the verge of tears, No one, not even my mother, my queen, has ever been so kind to me. Were it not for his love I'd be sure it was a trap. She looked over at Ash, Can I bring myself to love him... as much as he loves me?

Maybe...

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

"Of course, those boxes are just full of junk, but uh..if you wanna look through them see if there's anything you'd like to keep for yourself before i chuck it all out, feel free to" he would say,going to open the window to let in some fresh air,coughing as the dust begun to settle "Uh yeah, this room definitely needs a dust and clean before I let you use it" he'd say with a frown, getting out a duster and vacuum cleaner.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari would hold out her hands to take the vacuum cleaner from Ash, "Please... you've already done far too much for me, done more than anyone else would, let me take care of this. Please, let me take care of myself in this instance."

If Ash let her have the vacuum she would get straight to work cleaning the room from top to bottom, otherwise she would stand by awkwardly as she tried to help in any way she could.

Once the room was vacuumed she'd go through the boxes and see what was inside.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would nod and give her the duster and vacuum "Alright, I'll be in the kitchen should you need me" he'd say, leaving her to her cleaning. Inside the boxes were mostly things like old posters, some old plush toys of his and other knick knack he just didn't have the space for, in one box, there were photos of him and a wolf girl, but the frames and glass were all broken, and it looked like the photos were tear stained.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari would rescue as many of the plushies as she could find, sorting them by their level of repair such that the ones in good condition could go on the bed and the ones in worse condition could be kept safe until she could repair them. She would look over the posters, but not knowing any of the items featured on them, be they bands, shows, or public figures, they did not hold her interest.

When she got to the damaged pictures she paused, Hmm... could be a sibling, or a lover maybe? Did they separate? Did she die? That might explain why he had so many feminine clothes that weren't exactly his size. She closed her eyes and focused on the pictures, as sentimental as they were they were bound to have some traces of the emotions felt toward the girl pictured, maybe they would illuminate the nature of their relationship and its termination. If there was a deep love and sorrow, it was likely a romantic one, if there was platonic love and grief, then maybe a sister who had died.