Your girlfriend in shining armor (or at least, sharply dressed), here to rescue you!

You try to dart for the door, praying for a reprieve, only... Your dress stops you. Again. So it's more like you have to slowly crawl to the door with your stupid half-steps, at least until Maya takes pity on you and opens the door in your stead.

And, for once tonight, your prayers were answered! Because on the other side of the door, in all her glory, is you wonderful, amazing, time-aware girlfriend, Elizabeth! ...So considering the people involved, it definitely had to be Satan who answered this prayer, right? You officially forgive him for that prank with Maya earlier, then.

"Taylor!" Elizabeth shouts into the room from behind Maya, "I was so worried that you were going to ditch me!"

You open your mouth to answer, and then... Close it again, as Maya steps aside. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth had chosen to dress up a bit for your date as well, making you very glad that Maya had pushed you into doing the same. She hadn't dressed up much, unlike you... She was wearing a nice skirt and blouse, with a very professional-looking jacket. Compared to her normal outfit, it was pretty much just that she'd stopped showing off her cleavage. But that change was enough to give her an entirely different feel; instead of the fish out of water, she looked like a serious young woman ready to transform the world... At least for tonight.

It brought a smile to your face, as a little fantasy danced in your mind - you her punk-rock girlfriend performing for cheering crowds, before going back to your young CEO wife talking over dinner about how her company's new app was about to change the world. Two completely different people, united only by your love and a meddlesome best friend.

You glance down at your own dress at that, because... Well, the image wasn't quite right still. The makeup you could accept, but this dress seriously wasn't you; it didn't fit that picture at all. This was the dress for Elizabeth's trophy wife, there to sit quietly by her side at fancy parties, and listen to her rave about her brilliance after dinner, before her trophy pleased her for "desert". And that - that absolutely wasn't you, nor someone you suspected would make Elizabeth happy.

But as you look back to Elizabeth... Maybe the dress doesn't properly reflect you, but your appearance seems to have thoroughly enthralled Elizabeth, as she stands there gaping in stunned disbelief as her eyes devour your form. A sensual little smile fills your face as you realize that Maya was right about this much - Elizabeth would be eating out of your "hand" for tonight, at least, and would do anything you asked for. And you liked that feeling of power and control you had over her - not just her desperation for any kind of girlfriend, but her honest and complete desire for you.

Maybe your mind was overstating things, drunk on tales of succubae and Mayas luring people to their doom with their sensual wiles... But if it was, it was a fantasy you were going to be embracing wholeheartedly for the night.

"I guess that answers any questions I have regarding whether dressing up was worth it," You tease her, aware of the time even if you wanted to drag this out, "But now I have to ask, are we still doing dinner, or would you rather skip to desert?"

...But even with the clock ticking, you can't help but be amused by Elizabeth's fumbling attempts to reply.

"Yes, I mean, obviously, I mean," Elizabeth stammered, "I love your, I mean, pleasedon'tthrowmeaway!"

She stops, forces her eyes shut, and takes a deep breath as she collects her thoughts.

"Dinner!" She forces out, "I really want to show you off, and worship your appearance! I want to stare at you all night! I want to treat you to a place nicer than a dorm room! And... And... I want to pay for something nice to you, so I can pretend I deserve this!"

You frown for a moment at the implication - well, half-open statement, really - behind those words. As much as you were enjoying your imagined power over her, you didn't want that kind of relationship with her - the type where she paid for everything regardless of what you offered in return, or the kind where she'd feel like you owed her anything. You wanted your relationship to be one of equals, where you both brought and offered something the other valued - and not just either of your bodies, thank you very much.

"I thought we were going dutch?" You sound her out, "We didn't really talk it over, but..."

"I asked you out, so I pay," Elizabeth answered, shaking her head, "If you ask me out, then it's your turn."

...Huh. Well, that felt a little old-fashioned to you, but you didn't mind being treated every now and then - especially when it could play into your fantasy like this. Just so long as she actually let you ask her out in the future, rather than making excuses for why she should always pay... That was fine with you.

"Works for me," You reply, "But we'd better get going, or I'll end up paying for our first date after all. As it is, we're still going to have to spring for an Uber instead of walking like we'd planned."

...Privately, you hide your gratitude at the excuse this delay gave you for the Uber. When you'd made your plans with Elizabeth, you'd been planning to wear an outfit that you could actually walk in; had you been stuck with that original plan, you'd have made a total fool out of yourself, either with the constant tripping or by having to move at a snail's pace.

"Wait, no..." Maya interjected, tears welling up in her eyes, "We haven't done your accessories yet! Your dress is just begging for a necklace, and we haven't chosen a purse, and..."

You almost pause at that, before shaking off the obvious insanity. Yes, it was true, you were really only half-finished here; what you had looked nice, but you were actually aware of what you were still missing. It was the kind of thing that you thought Maya was going to be fussing over at the start of this; they might have been more punk-y than Maya liked, but you did actually own enough accessories to invite actual discussion. Putting on a bracelet or earrings was a tiny investment of your time that you didn't particularly mind - you'd even considered getting a nose stud or lip piercing if you ever came across something interesting enough.

But fretting about that now had an obvious issue...

"Maya, no," You gave a firm shake of your head, "The fashion portion of this evening is over. There's no point in dressing up if I miss the dinner!"

Your image serves you; you do not serve your image. You dressed up to bring Elizabeth under your thrall and have a nice dinner; missing the dinner would undermine both of these things, as you'd go hungry and would probably move on to "desert" far too quickly without a firm delay.

With that in mind, you reach for your shoes, before Maya swatted your hand away and hands you a pair of high heels instead.

...Really? Was she trying to get you killed? These weren't the worst shoes in the world, but they still threw your balance off compared to what you were used to, and you were already wearing the **** dress. It wasn't like anyone was going to see your feet to begin with...

"You realize I'm tall already, right?" You roll your eyes, and hope she takes the hint to let you off the hook, "I swear, between these and the dress, you're just trying to ensure I never walk again..."

"No, they also improve your posture and accentuate your legs..." She continues, "Though I guess the dress kind of downplays the effects."

...Ah, no, you'd just put her in teacher mode again. Well, heels it was for the night, then. If this got you killed, though, you were so going to haunt her.

...Okay, you probably would anyway, but, like. Vengefully, this way. Until you got over it.

"You can nerd out over accessories tomorrow," You smile back at her, finishing things up "But for now, the bracelet is enough, right?"

With that, you show off the silver bracelet you never took off (showers excluded). It was a treasured memento of your bond with Maya, and, briefly, you regret not having worn her necklace tonight; they'd have gone well together.

"That doesn't count, it's a friendship bracelet," Maya pouts, "But enjoy your date. You'll have to tell me all about it tonight!"

"You know it!" You yell into your room as you close the door, Elizabeth by your side.

...Ah, wait, you just closed Maya into your room, didn't you? The one with all of the demon stuff still in it? Was that going to be a problem?

...Well, whatever. You were feeling sexy tonight, and you were going to ensure you had an amazing story for Maya!