Delilah entered the shower and turned on the water. She flinched a bit as her scratched skin tingled in the warm water. She lathered her hair, her wings, and her body with soap and turned around to rinse off.
Delilah screamed as the water touched her back. She gritted her teeth as she continued rinsing off and wondered aloud, "Why is this happening to me? God, why can't I just conceive and get him to leave me alone already?"
Meanwhile, Sir Pentious was lingering on the stoop of his mansion while waiting for his Egg Bois to walk down the front steps. He couldn't stop thinking about the succubus taking a shower in his room.
"Boss, are you coming?" one of the Egg Bois asked.
"Yes," Sir Pentious said snapping back to reality. "Listen up, Bois! We are about to infiltrate the unknown, a place filled with the princess's delusions and fantasies. She may not be as diabolical as her father, but she is still dangerous. Do not let her insipid dreams into your empty heads. Our mission is to find out the hotel's budget, guest capacity, and whatever else the Devil needs to know about what makes it tick. You Bois need to focus and not let anything distract you. Do I make myself clear?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" both Egg Bois replied before marching out in front of their boss.
Sir Pentious looked back at his home one more time before he slithered behind them.
Back in the kingpin's bedroom, Delilah was done with her shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and opened the bathroom door to see that the bedroom was all clean and tidy.
"What the…?" Delilah said in surprise. "Did those Eggs clean up this room already?"
"Yes!" she heard one of them reply out of nowhere.
"Huh?" Delilah asked pulling out her talons and looking around for the source of the reply. "Who said that? Where are you?"
"Down here, miss," the voice said.
Delilah looked down and saw that it was only an Egg Boi holding a rolling stool.
"Oh," Delilah said retracting her claws. "You startled me."
"Sorry about that," the Egg Boi apologized while pushing the stool in front of him. "Would you like to get some clothes to wear?"
"Please."
"Then sit down here."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
Delilah gave him a confused look before she sat down on the rolling stool in front of him.
"Let's go!" the Egg Boi said as he started pushing the stool quickly out of the room and down the hall.
"What is going on?" Delilah asked. "Where are we going?"
"Well, we can't leave you without clothes. Can we?"
"Uh, no, but why can't I walk?"
"You're injured."
"I can fly."
"Don't be ridiculous. It's no trouble at all…Here, we are!"
Another Egg Boi appeared, opened the door, and stepped aside while Delilah was pushed in. The room was so dark that she couldn't see the hand in front of her face.
"Why's it so dark in here?" Delilah asked.
"Just a moment," the Egg Boi said flipping a light switch. "Here, we go."
Delilah's eyes grew wide in amazement. The entire room was filled with racks and racks of Victorian clothing for women and wardrobes covering the walls with even more. It was quite bizarre.
The most bizarre part was that there were Egg Bois everywhere scrambling to pull open the curtains and pulling out white garments.
"As Sir Pentious' new house sitter, you need to look your best, so we have to make you look fabulous!" the Egg Boi pushing the stool said flamboyantly interrupting her thoughts. "It's standard protocol to work with our boss."
"Yeah!" another Egg Boi said. "It's not like we ship you two or anything!"
"What was that?" Delilah asked raising an eye brow.
"Uh…" the Egg Boi said searching for the right words. "We got you breakfast. It's waiting in the dressing room."
The Egg Boi pushed her stool into a small room located just off the larger room. The Egg Boi flipped on the light switch to reveal a wood-paneled room furnished with a white-cushioned chair, a matching vanity and stool sitting beside the window, a matching wardrobe, and a divider screen with peacocks on it. On almost every wall were mirrors. On the other side of the room was an open door leading to a small bathroom with a cardboard cutout of Lilith sitting in front of it…Wait, what?
Delilah couldn't believe her eyes. The Egg Bois quickly realized what she was staring at and knocked over the cardboard cutout as quickly as they could before carrying it out.
"Oops," an Egg Boi said pushing a silver covered cart in front of her. "Pretend you never saw that. We got you breakfast!"
He removed the lid and revealed a small cart with pancakes, bacon, assorted fruit, and orange juice.
"Thank you so much," Delilah said excitedly picking up the fork and knife. "You have no idea how hungry I am…"
"Not yet," an Egg Boi said shutting the lid over the cart. "You need to get dressed first, silly. A lady doesn't eat naked."
Delilah grimaced, picked up the lid, and said, "I don't care. I'm starving."
"But you don't even have underwear on," the Egg Boi said shutting the lid.
Delilah did not have the energy to continue the argument, so she relented, sat back on the stool, and said, "Fine, but what is this room for anyway?"
"Would you stand up please?" an Egg Boi asked holding measuring tape.
Delilah silently obeyed. As soon as she stood up, the Egg Boi measured her bust, her stomach, and her height all within the span of ten seconds before he ran out of the room screaming, "I got her measurements, guys!"
Delilah looked after him as her face twisted in confusion.
"This is a dressing room for Victorian ladies," the Egg Boi standing by the cart said. "All wealthy British women used to have them."
"Is that right?" Delilah said sitting back in her chair and looking around the room. "It's absurd. Why would any woman need an entire room to get dressed?"
The Egg Boi scratched his head and said, "Well, don't women like to have privacy when they get dressed?"
"But why an entire room?"
"Uhhh…I don't know, but these rooms were meant to be gifts for a secret crush of Sir Pentious'."
Delilah smirked and asked, "Do you mean Lilith?"
"Uh…" the Egg Boi said searching for the right words.
"Ha. No wonder he was reluctant to offer me clothes at first. That doesn't surprise me. Most incubi would die for the chance to be near her. It's kinda sad."
"Yeah, well, you were hungry, right?" the Egg Boi said as other Egg Bois came in with the linens. "Let's get you dressed."
"Finally," Delilah said standing up from the stool and suddenly noticing the other Egg Bois pouring in. "If you're all here to watch me strip, you have to pay in advance."
"That's disgusting" an Egg Boi in the crowd said. "We're here to help you get clothes on."
"Why would I need help getting dressed?"
"All Victorian ladies needed help getting dressed."
"Why?"
"Because Victorian clothing is complicated," the Egg Boi who pushed her in said pushing her behind the divider and handing her a loose white dress and black garters. "First, you need to go behind here and put these on."
"Don't I get underwear?"
"This is the underwear."
"I mean for my ass!" Delilah snapped.
"Victorian women didn't wear underwear," the Egg Boi said calmly.
"What?!"
"Just put the clothes on. Gee, you're quite cranky today. Are you okay?"
Delilah winced as she pulled the shift over her wings.
Then she sat down on the floor to pull up the garters and said, "Let's just say I had a bad night last night."
"I'll bet," the Egg Boi said as he was handed the linen drawers. "The Devil sounded really scary. Here are your drawers."
Delilah smiled appreciating that he didn't want any details and looked at the strange pants she had been given.
"Why do they have such big holes in the back?" Delilah asked.
"That's so you can go to the bathroom," the Egg Boi said handing her the drawers. "Come on. Step in and I'll tie them back for you."
Delilah took the drawers, held them up in confusion, and said, "Do I wear them under the dress?"
"Oh, no, you stuff the shift into them."
"Why?"
"Because that's how Victorian ladies wore them."
"Victorian women made no sense," Delilah said stepping into the drawers and stuffing the shift into the pants before she tried tying the pants shut behind her back.
"Allow me, miss," the Egg Boi said running behind her and tying the pants shut for her.
Delilah felt strange having someone else help her out with clothing. She hadn't had a servant since she was living in ancient Israel. It brought back some memories she hadn't thought of in a long time.
When the Egg Boi was done tying the drawers, Delilah looked at her outfit. It was strange but functional, minus the fact that she didn't have a bra.
"I guess this is okay," Delilah said walking in front of the mirror and heading back to her stool.
"Where are you going?" an Egg Boi said. "You're not done."
"What?!" Delilah asked. "What else do I need to wear?"
"Well…" that Egg Boi said before an Egg Boi ran in with a ladder and a white skirt.
"You need to wear a petticoat," he said throwing the skirt over Delilah's head and pulling it down until he tied it in the back.
"And a corset," said another Egg Boi simultaneously climbing up the ladder, wrapping a black corset around Delilah's chest, and tying it up around her chest.
"And a bustle skirt," said another Egg Boi throwing the white item over Delilah's head so quickly that it got caught on her wings.
"Owww," Delilah said as she flattened her wings against her back so she could pull the heavy skirt down. "Watch the wings please."
"Sorry," the Egg Boi said as Delilah finally pulled down the skirt and looked in the mirror.
Delilah rubbed out the wrinkles of the skirt as she looked at herself in the mirror feeling flustered by all the attention the Egg Bois were giving her. She had seen this style of dress but had never worn it herself. The skirt was heavier than she was used to, but it was manageable.
"Alright," Delilah said breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm looking good. Now, all I need are shoes to wear and I will be…"
"You're not done yet, silly," an Egg Boi interrupted.
Delilah's relieved smile slipped into a frown of exasperation as she said, "You're kidding. This is more than enough clothing."
"Yeah, if you still wanted to be a prostitute," an Egg Boi said before one of his colleagues elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh, sorry."
"What do I have to wear for you to consider me 'modest?'" Delilah asked using air quotes.
"Just a few more things," an Egg Boi said as they started filing out of the small room. "We still have to pick something out."
The other Egg Bois left before Delilah could respond. She felt her head spinning, so she sat down in the chair.
The Egg Boi who pushed her in pushed the cart in front of her and said, "You can have some food while you…"
"We found the perfect outfit!" an Egg Boi yelled as his colleagues filed back into the room.
Delilah glanced at the three-piece black outfit and said, "Isn't that a bit dressy for helping out around the house?"
"What are you talking about?" said two Egg Bois as they pulled her out of the chair and into fancy black boots that they tied around her feet before pushing her in front of the mirror.
"You should always dress to impress, Delilah," said another one climbing on a ladder that seemed to appear out of nowhere to throw a black skirt over the one she was already wearing.
Delilah barely had time to flatten her wings for the first skirt before another Egg Boi threw another heavy bustle skirt over it and said, "Sometimes in life, you need to dress for the job you want, like if you want to be a wife."
"What?" Delilah asked raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing," the Egg Boi said pushing her backwards onto the stool she was rolled in on while two other Egg Bois pulled over an ottoman and started combing her hair.
All Delilah could do was roll her eyes, cross her arms, and say, "If this is some kind of fetish, you have to pay me."
"What do you mean by a fetish?" one of the Egg Bois asked as he put a hair piece in her hair to hold it up.
"Never mind," Delilah said unfolding her arms just as another Egg Boi put the black long-sleeved, satin blouse on her from the front.
"Almost done," said the Egg Boi as he walked around to button up the blouse. "Oh, dear. How do you wear this with your wings? I can't close it all the way."
"You could button up the top and the bottom and leave the middle unbuttoned," Delilah suggested.
"That's brilliant," the Egg Boi said doing what she suggested. "You're a genius, just like our boss!"
"You figure out some things when you've been a winged succubus for 3,000 years," Delilah said with a slight smile as she stood up to look at herself in the mirror.
The dress was heavier and more fitted than she was used to. She could still walk, but her movements felt constricted. It would take some getting used to, but at least, the Egg Bois would leave her alone now…
"Hmmm…" an Egg Boi said. "I feel like something is missing."
"You can't be serious," Delilah said in exasperation. "What could be missing?"
"How about make-up?" said another Egg Boi.
"Yeah," said yet another Egg Boi pushing her back onto the stool and rolling her in front of the mirror. "Don't worry, Delilah. It'll only take a minute."
Delilah rolled her eyes and complied. What choice did she have?
A couple of Egg Bois put some powder on her face. Delilah shut her eyes and waited for them to finish.
"There, you go!" the Egg Bois said in unison.
"You look more beautiful than Queen Elizabeth on her coronation day!" exclaimed another Egg Boi.
Delilah looked at herself in the mirror. The whole outfit felt awkward, but it looked beautiful. She looked like a Victorian lady in mourning, except for the fact her blouse had flowery patterns embroidered into it. It felt like a fitting metaphor for what her life had become.
Oh, well. At least, she could always make adjustments when the Egg Bois left her alone…
"Thanks for the help…Wait, do any of you have names?" Delilah asked.
"We give ourselves names," said the Egg Boi who pushed her in turning around to show off the number on his back. "But we also go by the numbers on our backs to make things easier."
"Number 22?" Delilah read.
"Yeah, but you can call me Toulouse if you want," the Egg Boi replied. "I'm okay either way."
"Okay, Toulouse," Delilah said with a smile as she struggled to walk with her long, heavy skirts back to her chair. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat before I join you."
"Okay," all the Egg Bois said at once.
Delilah sat down in her comfy chair, lifted the lid off her cart, picked up her fork and knife, and prepared to devour her pancakes, but she got the feeling she was being watched. She slowly looked up to see all the Egg Bois watching her. It was unnerving to say the least.
"Can I help you?" Delilah asked raising an eyebrow.
"No, we just like watching you," Toulouse said sincerely taking a picture of her with his smart phone.
"You have nothing better to do."
"Not really."
Delilah's face fell completely. It was going to be a really long day.
