"Ella! You can't take them off!"
Isabelle was whispering sharply, trying not to draw attention as she grabbed Ella's hand to stop her from unbuttoning her jeans. The two of them walked down a busy downtown sidewalk, lined with tourists and local shoppers. They were drawing a few looks, although this was probably because of the faerie Eleanora's striking beauty and blue-tinted skin.
This outing came at the end of Ella's first full week staying with Isabelle. Most of that week had been spent on Isabelle's art practice. The faerie had kept Isabelle working from morning to night on her figure drawings, giving her breaks when she could tell that Isabelle's will was wearing out. She was impressed with Isabelle's stamina, she said, as well as her ability to endure the teasing that Ella had subjected her too in between drawing sessions-- not that Isabelle had much choice in that.
Staring at Ella's nude body for their whole session was hard enough for the still-denied Isabelle. Her desires translated into passionate art pieces, at least. But the "breaks" that Ella gave her in between poses felt like excessive cruelty. Ella would walk over to Isabelle with a great big smile on her face, ignoring her pleas, and slip her hands under Isabelle's clothes. Once she had succumbed and melted into a puddle on the floor (it didn't take long), Ella would whisper praises into Isabelle's ear, and her fingers would find their way between Isabelle's legs. Once she could tell Isabelle was close (and she could always tell, no matter how hard Isabelle repressed her reactions), she would take her wonderful hands away and leave Isabelle whining and squirming. Then it was back to work. Over and over, every day.
Sometimes Ella was out of the apartment, for reasons she wouldn't tell. It was Ella's strict instruction that this time was also to be spent practicing her drawing. A mirror dug from Isabelle's closet was stood up, and Isabelle would use herself as a subject. Her natural impulse was to get distracted from this task, but Ella seemed to have a sense for when she was dilly-dallying. Scrolling on her phone would earn Isabelle some stern words, but when Ella walked in on Isabelle getting passionate with herself over one of her nude drawings of Ella, she had made Isabelle take a cold shower. Ella's sense of mercy had kept this punishment short, but it still left a strong impression on Isabelle.
Going out today was a welcome variation to their routine. Isabelle had been feeling pent up, having only been to the grocery store in her recent memory. It had been a long time since she had been out of the house with anyone else to keep her company.
"You've been practicing so hard, Isabelle," Ella had said, "I believe it's time to for us to find you your beauty and confidence."
The first step, according to Ella, was to find Isabelle some new clothes. When she had suggested the outing, though, Ella had not anticipated that it meant having to dress for the outdoors. This had led them to their present conflict.
"Izzy, come on," the faerie whined, breaking her usually elegant demeanor, "you can't possibly imagine how much it itches! How can your kind possibly bear it?"
"I know pants suck, Ella, but you're not allowed to take them off while we're outside. We'll... get in trouble." She didn't have the time to explain public nudity laws or the risks of street harassment. "Maybe we can find something that you can wear at one of these stores."
"Very well." Ella replied curtly. She followed Isabelle into the doors of a boutique, waddling stiffly to prevent the fabric of her jeans from rubbing against her skin.
A bell on the door jingled, and the store attendant greeted them cheerily.
"Hi ladies! How are we doing today? Oh, I just love your hair!"
"Thank you!" Ella replied with a smile, the grace in her voice contrasting her stilted movements.
The attendant marveled at Ella as she moved around the store. She looked at the faerie with curiosity, the way that Isabelle's parents looked at people who had tattoos, then returned to organizing a rack of clothing. Isabelle had been anxious bringing a supernatural being out in a crowded public area, but the fear seemed to be unfounded.
Ella spotted something in a rack of clothes and dug it out. She held up a large, lace-adorned button-down to Isabelle.
"How about this one?"
"That's cute," Isabelle replied, "But just to be clear you can't wear that instead of pants either."
Ella frowned, and returned to searching. Isabelle trusted her faerie's advice in general (it helped that her brain automatically turned off and obeyed whenever a Ella told her to do something), but she wondered how a creature who didn't understand the concept of modesty would help her select a wardrobe. Then again, maybe her wardrobe could use a different sensibility.
Isabelle was wearing a cotton sweater and jeans; her usual outfit. She had a few dresses that hadn't seen wear in years; some were left ripped or uncleaned in the back of her closet. Every now and then she would feel inspired to embrace a cuter style, and would pick up some new pieces. A dress here, a crop-top there, or some cute shorts. But within a few outings, she'd catch a glimpse of herself reflected in some window, and that image would haunt her like a ghost. Who was she fooling-- everyone could tell she wasn't the kind of girl who wears dresses or cute shorts. So the clothes would be retired to the back of her closet, and maybe see use as a cleaning rag or pajamas if they were lucky.
"Oh, oh, Izzy!" Ella popped out of a rack of clothes that she had been immersed fully inside of.
Isabelle couldn't help but laugh. Ella had found what looked like an extra-long T-shirt, but was apparently a dress. It looked long enough to be worn in public, at least, while the T-shirt Ella had been wearing at home would ride up past Ella's ass if she leaned over. The fabric was thin, a bit light for the chilly season they were in, but Isabelle couldn't say no to the look of sparkly-eyed delight that Ella wore as she held up the dress.
"I think it's perfect for you, Ella."
Isabelle wanted to kiss Ella very badly, as the faerie scampered back into rack of clothes to pull out more colors of the shirt-dress she had found, but wasn't bold enough to display her affection. Besides, Ella seemed to view their kisses only as a motivational tool for Isabelle.
There was a growing pile of dresses in Isabelle's arms as Ella darted in and out of the clothing rack. She was surprised when Ella emerged with a dress that was entirely different from the shirt-dresses she seemed to be stockpiling.
The dress didn't have very much fabric so it was hard to tell the structure. It was backless, with some kind of ribbon or belt that would fasten around the back. The dress portion of it was very short-- likely much too short on Ella's long figure. Isabelle began to blush.
"Yes. Um, I mean, yeah I think you should definitely try on that one..."
Ella met Isabelle's gaze with a smirk.
"Isabelle, have you forgotten why we're here? We're shopping for you! But I'm glad that this piece is to your taste; I think you'll look absolutely magical in it. Come, let's try it on you."