RE: [Fic] [Open] The Changeling
10-13-2022, 10:00 PM (This post was last modified: 10-13-2022, 10:15 PM by Matrix Dragon.)
10-13-2022, 10:00 PM (This post was last modified: 10-13-2022, 10:15 PM by Matrix Dragon.)
For reasons, Lynn asked me to post this on her behalf. I'll be posting as is, including some entries involving my Fenspace counterpart.
***
The alarm went off. I hit the snooze button, rolled over.
Seven minutes later, the alarm went off. I rolled back over, hit the snooze button, and groaned. Nene shifted over, and wrapped one arm around me, snuggling up.
Fourteen minutes, the alarm went off again. My bladder duly informed me that, yes, it was indeed time to get out of bed and face the day. I rolled back over, gave Nene a kiss, and sat up.
I only frowned for a moment, as I felt things jiggle. Not entirely unexpected now, but the jury was out as to whether it was welcome. At least I was awake enough to be aware of it this time.
I managed to do my business without the surprise drama that had occurred the morning before, and took a quick shower. Then, the traditional brushing out of my long hair. I hemmed and hawwed a bit in front of the mirror for a bit, before deciding to just leave it loose today - normally I’d put it into a ponytail, especially when going into the office, but it just felt more like a day to leave it loose.
Nene was checking herself in the mirror across from the bed as I came out of the bathroom. “Morning. How’s the shape feel this morning?”
“A little, erm, bouncier than I’m used to this early in the morning… but not in any way unpleasant. Just a little strange,” I admitted, digging out the “business office standard” - beige button up shirt with a light brown tie, and brown slacks - distinct from “field business standard” that was blue and black but otherwise of the same cut. The tie was really just for meetings - dress code was otherwise “make sure you’re appropriate for the occasion where you might be moving boxes or operating the forklift,” which usually meant a properly fitted jumpsuit. I pulled on the “magic underwear” - ‘waved shorts and bra - and got into the uniform. I usually left the tie “pre-tied”, but the tie wasn’t quite cooperating, so I groaned, undid it, and quickly knotted it back up.
“...and that’s a difference already,” Nene noted, eyebrows quirked. “You have always had trouble remembering how to tie that damned thing without looking it up, or asking me to help. This time, you just did it.”
That stopped me as I was cinching the tie up to the collar. I glanced in the mirror - yeah, that was indeed a nearly perfect “half windsor” knot I’d just tied in the thing, without needing to reference a set of instructions. “Huh. That’s… well, add that to the pile of things going strange this week.” I looked up at the ceiling. “Hopefully I won’t be having any more brain breakers. One was enough for this week, thank you.”
Nene came up behind me, and wrapped her arms around me, pushing my breasts up slightly as she did so, pressing her cheek up against my back. “I’d also like you to not have any more of those, but if you do, I’ll be here to pull you through like I did yesterday.”
I put my arms over hers, and squeezed them. “I’ll try not to put you out too much.”
*****
We got to the office a little earlier than normal, pulling up to the gate. I leaned out as the guard came up from his post.
“Morning, Mike. Anything eventful happen while we were out?”
“Nah, boss, it’s been nice and quiet.” He paused a bit, and leaned in closer. “You doing okay, boss? The last time I saw you come in like this, this early in the day, was the day you got back after that incident at Frigga.”
“Just a rough day yesterday, but I’m managing for now, thanks.”
“Just making sure, boss. Have a good day now.”
“You too, Mike.”
*****
“Here’s the way I see it… whatever you have going on, you’re the one who knows what you’re on about. All I need to do is just nod my head, regardless of whether or not I can understand, because at the end of the day, it doesn’t change that it’s your right to do it, and if doing it makes you happy, then that’s all that matters.”
*****
To: “SMOF Net” (Recipients redacted)
From: “Jeph Antilles” (LordAndMaster@jmc.fen)
Subj: OK, Folks, time to admit I'm making some changes
Date: 2023.11.06
OK, so I figure I’d best start here, before the rumor mill starts working in the next few weeks. I kind of figure people will start putting two and two together in a hurry.
I’ve had my first stretch of almost 48 hours since the United Belters’ Alliance nightmare that I’ve been one single gender. Literally right before this I’d swapped like six times in one day.
The only problem? Well, that depends on if you would call it a problem, but the gender I’ve been stable with has been female.
I’m still personally sorting through the ramifications involved; part of this working has been just relaxing and going with the flow so far rather than trying to force back. We’ve got ideas of what’s going on, and I’ll be blunt and out with it, that odds are that I’ve been fighting with a transgender aspect of myself that actually influenced my biomod in the first place, and the UBA thing just hastened the timetable of what’s been happening, that I would have gotten into gender flipping with less and less predictability anyway.
from: jet.jaguar@friggarock.fen
to: lordandmaster@jmc.fen
Subject: RE: OK, Folks, time to admit I'm making some changes
Hey, how're you feeling?
I'm sure A.C's already been quick on the draw with her best advice - she's far more qualified about the practicalities than I am. I'm not sure if I've any to give that'll be helpful. If you need space to rest, or get away from the universe for a bit, we have a lot of that out here. I've a little secret hideaway - a pocket of another universe deep underground. Nene might know a little bit about what I'm talking about. It's quiet, it's out of the way and nobody knows it exists.
If you'd like to spend some time in a penthouse from 2032, Let me know and I'll make it ready, for as long as you need
If you're up for it, I might have some spare parts lying around - enough to build a hardsuit or two. Something a little special to wear when it feels like the universe is set against you.
Best regards. And best of luck
-Jet
***
I looked in the drawers, and I must have actually scowled when I looked in.
"What’s wrong,” Nene asked, in the process of hooking her bra on.
“I don’t have any regular clothes left. Everything I have left is the stuff that I ‘waved and had nothing but issues with. You know, the ones that turn into denim tattoos and shit.” I grumbled a bit, and resisted the urge to slam the drawer shut. “Y’know, it’s one thing if it’s for a Rock Band gathering, at which point I’d pull out that Priss outfit I put together and have at least a little fun with it, but this is everyday stuff we’re doing. In Serenity Valley. Where everyone knows us.”
“I’m not sure you have a choice,” Nene responded glumly. “I know my stuff won’t fit you, not unless you really want to bare your midriff in a... less than aesthetic fashion. Blue Sun doesn’t deliver on Mondays. And Mel said she won’t have our washer fixed for at least a few more days.”
“I could always try to… change to the other form.” I actually shuddered as I said that, there was something about the thought that felt very, very wrong, much more wrong than I had ever expected it could feel, and it must have been audible as Nene gave me a sharp look.
“OK, I can tell that idea gives you the actual willies now.” She frowned. “Well, you could always put that stuff on for now while we try to get you some more clothes that aren’t ‘waved. You could throw on that longcoat that you have and never wear.”
“I don’t wear it because the damn thing makes me feel like someone expects me to be some sort of damned hero, riding eternal, shiny and chrome,” I muttered as I yanked on the pair of black jeans that were on top of the, well, emergency pants pile, and suppressed the yelp as they practically shrinkwrapped themselves to my legs. “I think I had enough of that during the war. But I suppose it’s better than showing my ass to everyone on Main Street.”
“I dunno, I happen to like that ass,” Nene quipped as I pulled on a shirt, and it did a similar sort of shift, showing way more cleavage than I think I had shown with the Priss costume, and more than a little strip of flesh - practically more like an oversized push-up bra than a shirt. I groaned. Everything I’d tried to ‘wave for the variable gender thing that wasn’t footwear, regardless of the strain of ‘wave I tried, had done this to me, which is why it wound up in the pile of Emergency Clothes.
“Gods, I feel like I should be out on display somewhere.” I grabbed my boots - pretty much the only ‘waved daily wear that actually had worked out for me, yanked them on, and felt at least a bit of comfortable familiarity as they reshaped themselves to my feet.
“It’s only for a little bit… it’s not like we shouldn’t get you a new wardrobe anyway… a couple of nice dresses…”
“NENE!” I shrieked, while I grabbed the aforementioned longcoat out of the closet and shrugged it on over my shoulders. It still fit OK - my shoulders were less broad than the jacket had been measured for, but it wasn’t by much - I’d always been on the slim side. It did at least cover most of what I was allegedly wearing, which was about all I could say for it. “When the hells can I wear a nice dress with our schedule?”
“OK, see, you want to wear one, don’t you?” She got on her red and pink longcoat, which wasn’t going to be conspicuous at all over on Main Street, oh no. “OK, we’ll stick with mostly practical clothes. Pants, trousers, a handful of sturdy blouses. But I’d like to see you in at least one dress.” She grinned. “We do have to celebrate our anniversary in a month, after all.”
*****
We pretty much walked out of the first store after only about ten minutes of going through pants.
“...what the hells is up with the wannabe not-really-pockets on those things they call pants? Do they have any idea that pocketwatches are a thing here?” I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of my longcoat. “It’s almost like they’re there just to make one look good and practicality is way down the list of criteria.”
Nene sighed. “Afraid so there.” She looked back at the storefront. “I’m not sure how the hells they’re selling clothes all the way out here when they’re stocking those.” She pulled the end of a cable out of her longcoat pocket, and plugged it into a socket just below her ear, and her eyes focused on something in front of her that I couldn’t see. “OK. There’s a store just down the street that has more of what we’re looking for. Pants, shorts and skirts with proper pockets, and not those little sewn on strips meant to just look like pockets. I should know, I buy from them online all the time. And they are open right now, luckily, which was what I was specifically checking.”
The store we wound up at was one I’d not recalled ever seeing. I thought I knew most, if not all, of the businesses in Serenity Valley, if only by virtue of them showing up on our shipping docket at one point or another. But it’s also easily possible that I’d just missed it… it only went by the moniker “Atomic”, which wasn’t the most descriptive name for any sort of store to have, and last I checked, there were at least five companies in the Jovian lunar system alone using Atomic in their names. And the outside storefront didn’t give any indication other than a sign over the door that might easily be missed when you drive by it in any sort of ground vehicle.
“For the record, this place is pretty independent, they’re run by a couple of Fen with a distinct interest in serving people like us who want to look good, but need it all to come with a certain amount of… proper function, shall we say.” And with that, Nene pushed the door open, and led me inside.
The store inside was a LOT larger than I expected. Clearly it was taking up much more of the building than could be seen from the street,or someone had finally figured out how to do void locking. It was clear that the place was divided into several areas of specific interest. A large sign hanging from the ceiling just inside the door proudly proclaimed “Fashionable, Trendy, yet Practical Totality!” The center area was very much the “for most needs”, with the basic options well represented from my quick glance.
“Oh my… JEPH?!”
I turned, and had to blink at the pair of people who were behind the counter. Long black hair on the guy, short bright red hair on the woman, both obviously either dyed or the result of a biomod of some sort, but also both immediately recognizable to me.
“Rob! Cori! I wasn’t aware you’d come Up!” They came from behind the counter, and we exchanged a full series of hugs. “If I’d known, I would have carved out at least a little time to stop by.”
“Don’t sweat it… we haven’t been Up ourselves very long, and we’ve seen how busy you’ve been.” Rob leaned in a bit, and mock whispered, “it was kind of hard to not notice what that asshole corporate type was doing to you and your own operations at the time we got up here, and we thought you’d be way too busy putting all the pieces back in.”
I sighed. “Unfortunately, you were right about that… I still would have found a way, though.” I glanced around. “How long have you been doing this? Last I knew you were doing the convention vendor scene.”
“For at least a few years,” Cori replied. “The problem is that at a certain point, we were booking more flights to hit Convention up here than we were booking rooms downwell, so it just made sense to finally move closer to the action, and we decided to open a proper store while we were doing so.”
I scratched an ear. “Well, I’m glad you came here, although I would have expected you to open a storefront more on, say, Luna, than here…”
“Logistics,” Rob commented. “There’s already people selling stuff like this on Luna, and Mars, and Venus doesn’t have much market for any of what we’ve got.” Cori rolled her eyes a bit at that. “We definitely got into the market with the various miners that need something a little more practical to relax in, although we’ve also got the jumpsuit line just for them, plus it’s been easy enough to stuff product into boxes and take it down to have your people do the shipping.” He smirked. “It helped a bit that apparently the only people doing casual wear in Serenity Valley believed way too much in ‘looking like a Fen’ than in ‘looking like a Fen yet be practical’.”
“Believe me, I noticed,” I commented a bit bitterly. “Seems like those don’t think pants should come with someplace to put my PDA.” Cori eyed my longcoat. “No, I don’t wear this normally… unfortunately, most of my clothes are either dirty, or not really suitable anymore.”
“Oh?” Cori commented. “Something up with your biomod?”
“Just a bit,” I said. “It’s been a little unstable… and what I’m wearing under the jacket is ‘waved to fit both ways, except it kinda likes… being clubwear rather than practical.” I opened the longcoat a little bit so Cori and Rob could see.
“What do you mean? Those look like fine jeans there.”
I blinked, and looked myself.
At some point while being frustrated at the earlier store’s selections, I’d stopped paying attention to the fact that I was laminated in denim, so to speak, and the pants had loosened a little bit… and were now a skinny boot cut instead of fetish-worthy tight… and indeed, even my top had also relaxed a little bit, the hem dropping enough to sit just at my beltline, and the neckline no longer showing cleavage.
“Well, OK then… that… that explains what was causing that particular quirk.” I looked up at the ceiling, and muttered, “as if I didn’t already have enough evidence of the way this thing’s going at this point…” Even as I looked, the clothes didn’t do what I was expecting and reshrink back into the “even a Senshi wouldn’t wear it” category, but remained stubbornly casual.
Cori and Rob both clearly heard what I’d muttered and had clearly been putting two and two together, but it didn’t seem to phase them much if at all.
“OK, so now that we’ve established that you’re here both to buy clothes and visit,” Rob said, smiling, “let’s see if we can get you all set up while we catch up. Casual? Work? Dressy?”
“A little from all the columns,” Nene said. “Mostly casual with a little dressy, though. I don’t want to encourage her to work more than she already is.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nene, I don’t work that hard.” She shot me a look. “OK, maybe I do work a little harder than I should.” A harder look. “OK, OK, OK, sheesh.”
***
***
The alarm went off. I hit the snooze button, rolled over.
Seven minutes later, the alarm went off. I rolled back over, hit the snooze button, and groaned. Nene shifted over, and wrapped one arm around me, snuggling up.
Fourteen minutes, the alarm went off again. My bladder duly informed me that, yes, it was indeed time to get out of bed and face the day. I rolled back over, gave Nene a kiss, and sat up.
I only frowned for a moment, as I felt things jiggle. Not entirely unexpected now, but the jury was out as to whether it was welcome. At least I was awake enough to be aware of it this time.
I managed to do my business without the surprise drama that had occurred the morning before, and took a quick shower. Then, the traditional brushing out of my long hair. I hemmed and hawwed a bit in front of the mirror for a bit, before deciding to just leave it loose today - normally I’d put it into a ponytail, especially when going into the office, but it just felt more like a day to leave it loose.
Nene was checking herself in the mirror across from the bed as I came out of the bathroom. “Morning. How’s the shape feel this morning?”
“A little, erm, bouncier than I’m used to this early in the morning… but not in any way unpleasant. Just a little strange,” I admitted, digging out the “business office standard” - beige button up shirt with a light brown tie, and brown slacks - distinct from “field business standard” that was blue and black but otherwise of the same cut. The tie was really just for meetings - dress code was otherwise “make sure you’re appropriate for the occasion where you might be moving boxes or operating the forklift,” which usually meant a properly fitted jumpsuit. I pulled on the “magic underwear” - ‘waved shorts and bra - and got into the uniform. I usually left the tie “pre-tied”, but the tie wasn’t quite cooperating, so I groaned, undid it, and quickly knotted it back up.
“...and that’s a difference already,” Nene noted, eyebrows quirked. “You have always had trouble remembering how to tie that damned thing without looking it up, or asking me to help. This time, you just did it.”
That stopped me as I was cinching the tie up to the collar. I glanced in the mirror - yeah, that was indeed a nearly perfect “half windsor” knot I’d just tied in the thing, without needing to reference a set of instructions. “Huh. That’s… well, add that to the pile of things going strange this week.” I looked up at the ceiling. “Hopefully I won’t be having any more brain breakers. One was enough for this week, thank you.”
Nene came up behind me, and wrapped her arms around me, pushing my breasts up slightly as she did so, pressing her cheek up against my back. “I’d also like you to not have any more of those, but if you do, I’ll be here to pull you through like I did yesterday.”
I put my arms over hers, and squeezed them. “I’ll try not to put you out too much.”
*****
We got to the office a little earlier than normal, pulling up to the gate. I leaned out as the guard came up from his post.
“Morning, Mike. Anything eventful happen while we were out?”
“Nah, boss, it’s been nice and quiet.” He paused a bit, and leaned in closer. “You doing okay, boss? The last time I saw you come in like this, this early in the day, was the day you got back after that incident at Frigga.”
“Just a rough day yesterday, but I’m managing for now, thanks.”
“Just making sure, boss. Have a good day now.”
“You too, Mike.”
*****
“Here’s the way I see it… whatever you have going on, you’re the one who knows what you’re on about. All I need to do is just nod my head, regardless of whether or not I can understand, because at the end of the day, it doesn’t change that it’s your right to do it, and if doing it makes you happy, then that’s all that matters.”
*****
To: “SMOF Net” (Recipients redacted)
From: “Jeph Antilles” (LordAndMaster@jmc.fen)
Subj: OK, Folks, time to admit I'm making some changes
Date: 2023.11.06
OK, so I figure I’d best start here, before the rumor mill starts working in the next few weeks. I kind of figure people will start putting two and two together in a hurry.
I’ve had my first stretch of almost 48 hours since the United Belters’ Alliance nightmare that I’ve been one single gender. Literally right before this I’d swapped like six times in one day.
The only problem? Well, that depends on if you would call it a problem, but the gender I’ve been stable with has been female.
I’m still personally sorting through the ramifications involved; part of this working has been just relaxing and going with the flow so far rather than trying to force back. We’ve got ideas of what’s going on, and I’ll be blunt and out with it, that odds are that I’ve been fighting with a transgender aspect of myself that actually influenced my biomod in the first place, and the UBA thing just hastened the timetable of what’s been happening, that I would have gotten into gender flipping with less and less predictability anyway.
from: jet.jaguar@friggarock.fen
to: lordandmaster@jmc.fen
Subject: RE: OK, Folks, time to admit I'm making some changes
Hey, how're you feeling?
I'm sure A.C's already been quick on the draw with her best advice - she's far more qualified about the practicalities than I am. I'm not sure if I've any to give that'll be helpful. If you need space to rest, or get away from the universe for a bit, we have a lot of that out here. I've a little secret hideaway - a pocket of another universe deep underground. Nene might know a little bit about what I'm talking about. It's quiet, it's out of the way and nobody knows it exists.
If you'd like to spend some time in a penthouse from 2032, Let me know and I'll make it ready, for as long as you need
If you're up for it, I might have some spare parts lying around - enough to build a hardsuit or two. Something a little special to wear when it feels like the universe is set against you.
Best regards. And best of luck
-Jet
***
I looked in the drawers, and I must have actually scowled when I looked in.
"What’s wrong,” Nene asked, in the process of hooking her bra on.
“I don’t have any regular clothes left. Everything I have left is the stuff that I ‘waved and had nothing but issues with. You know, the ones that turn into denim tattoos and shit.” I grumbled a bit, and resisted the urge to slam the drawer shut. “Y’know, it’s one thing if it’s for a Rock Band gathering, at which point I’d pull out that Priss outfit I put together and have at least a little fun with it, but this is everyday stuff we’re doing. In Serenity Valley. Where everyone knows us.”
“I’m not sure you have a choice,” Nene responded glumly. “I know my stuff won’t fit you, not unless you really want to bare your midriff in a... less than aesthetic fashion. Blue Sun doesn’t deliver on Mondays. And Mel said she won’t have our washer fixed for at least a few more days.”
“I could always try to… change to the other form.” I actually shuddered as I said that, there was something about the thought that felt very, very wrong, much more wrong than I had ever expected it could feel, and it must have been audible as Nene gave me a sharp look.
“OK, I can tell that idea gives you the actual willies now.” She frowned. “Well, you could always put that stuff on for now while we try to get you some more clothes that aren’t ‘waved. You could throw on that longcoat that you have and never wear.”
“I don’t wear it because the damn thing makes me feel like someone expects me to be some sort of damned hero, riding eternal, shiny and chrome,” I muttered as I yanked on the pair of black jeans that were on top of the, well, emergency pants pile, and suppressed the yelp as they practically shrinkwrapped themselves to my legs. “I think I had enough of that during the war. But I suppose it’s better than showing my ass to everyone on Main Street.”
“I dunno, I happen to like that ass,” Nene quipped as I pulled on a shirt, and it did a similar sort of shift, showing way more cleavage than I think I had shown with the Priss costume, and more than a little strip of flesh - practically more like an oversized push-up bra than a shirt. I groaned. Everything I’d tried to ‘wave for the variable gender thing that wasn’t footwear, regardless of the strain of ‘wave I tried, had done this to me, which is why it wound up in the pile of Emergency Clothes.
“Gods, I feel like I should be out on display somewhere.” I grabbed my boots - pretty much the only ‘waved daily wear that actually had worked out for me, yanked them on, and felt at least a bit of comfortable familiarity as they reshaped themselves to my feet.
“It’s only for a little bit… it’s not like we shouldn’t get you a new wardrobe anyway… a couple of nice dresses…”
“NENE!” I shrieked, while I grabbed the aforementioned longcoat out of the closet and shrugged it on over my shoulders. It still fit OK - my shoulders were less broad than the jacket had been measured for, but it wasn’t by much - I’d always been on the slim side. It did at least cover most of what I was allegedly wearing, which was about all I could say for it. “When the hells can I wear a nice dress with our schedule?”
“OK, see, you want to wear one, don’t you?” She got on her red and pink longcoat, which wasn’t going to be conspicuous at all over on Main Street, oh no. “OK, we’ll stick with mostly practical clothes. Pants, trousers, a handful of sturdy blouses. But I’d like to see you in at least one dress.” She grinned. “We do have to celebrate our anniversary in a month, after all.”
*****
We pretty much walked out of the first store after only about ten minutes of going through pants.
“...what the hells is up with the wannabe not-really-pockets on those things they call pants? Do they have any idea that pocketwatches are a thing here?” I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of my longcoat. “It’s almost like they’re there just to make one look good and practicality is way down the list of criteria.”
Nene sighed. “Afraid so there.” She looked back at the storefront. “I’m not sure how the hells they’re selling clothes all the way out here when they’re stocking those.” She pulled the end of a cable out of her longcoat pocket, and plugged it into a socket just below her ear, and her eyes focused on something in front of her that I couldn’t see. “OK. There’s a store just down the street that has more of what we’re looking for. Pants, shorts and skirts with proper pockets, and not those little sewn on strips meant to just look like pockets. I should know, I buy from them online all the time. And they are open right now, luckily, which was what I was specifically checking.”
The store we wound up at was one I’d not recalled ever seeing. I thought I knew most, if not all, of the businesses in Serenity Valley, if only by virtue of them showing up on our shipping docket at one point or another. But it’s also easily possible that I’d just missed it… it only went by the moniker “Atomic”, which wasn’t the most descriptive name for any sort of store to have, and last I checked, there were at least five companies in the Jovian lunar system alone using Atomic in their names. And the outside storefront didn’t give any indication other than a sign over the door that might easily be missed when you drive by it in any sort of ground vehicle.
“For the record, this place is pretty independent, they’re run by a couple of Fen with a distinct interest in serving people like us who want to look good, but need it all to come with a certain amount of… proper function, shall we say.” And with that, Nene pushed the door open, and led me inside.
The store inside was a LOT larger than I expected. Clearly it was taking up much more of the building than could be seen from the street,or someone had finally figured out how to do void locking. It was clear that the place was divided into several areas of specific interest. A large sign hanging from the ceiling just inside the door proudly proclaimed “Fashionable, Trendy, yet Practical Totality!” The center area was very much the “for most needs”, with the basic options well represented from my quick glance.
“Oh my… JEPH?!”
I turned, and had to blink at the pair of people who were behind the counter. Long black hair on the guy, short bright red hair on the woman, both obviously either dyed or the result of a biomod of some sort, but also both immediately recognizable to me.
“Rob! Cori! I wasn’t aware you’d come Up!” They came from behind the counter, and we exchanged a full series of hugs. “If I’d known, I would have carved out at least a little time to stop by.”
“Don’t sweat it… we haven’t been Up ourselves very long, and we’ve seen how busy you’ve been.” Rob leaned in a bit, and mock whispered, “it was kind of hard to not notice what that asshole corporate type was doing to you and your own operations at the time we got up here, and we thought you’d be way too busy putting all the pieces back in.”
I sighed. “Unfortunately, you were right about that… I still would have found a way, though.” I glanced around. “How long have you been doing this? Last I knew you were doing the convention vendor scene.”
“For at least a few years,” Cori replied. “The problem is that at a certain point, we were booking more flights to hit Convention up here than we were booking rooms downwell, so it just made sense to finally move closer to the action, and we decided to open a proper store while we were doing so.”
I scratched an ear. “Well, I’m glad you came here, although I would have expected you to open a storefront more on, say, Luna, than here…”
“Logistics,” Rob commented. “There’s already people selling stuff like this on Luna, and Mars, and Venus doesn’t have much market for any of what we’ve got.” Cori rolled her eyes a bit at that. “We definitely got into the market with the various miners that need something a little more practical to relax in, although we’ve also got the jumpsuit line just for them, plus it’s been easy enough to stuff product into boxes and take it down to have your people do the shipping.” He smirked. “It helped a bit that apparently the only people doing casual wear in Serenity Valley believed way too much in ‘looking like a Fen’ than in ‘looking like a Fen yet be practical’.”
“Believe me, I noticed,” I commented a bit bitterly. “Seems like those don’t think pants should come with someplace to put my PDA.” Cori eyed my longcoat. “No, I don’t wear this normally… unfortunately, most of my clothes are either dirty, or not really suitable anymore.”
“Oh?” Cori commented. “Something up with your biomod?”
“Just a bit,” I said. “It’s been a little unstable… and what I’m wearing under the jacket is ‘waved to fit both ways, except it kinda likes… being clubwear rather than practical.” I opened the longcoat a little bit so Cori and Rob could see.
“What do you mean? Those look like fine jeans there.”
I blinked, and looked myself.
At some point while being frustrated at the earlier store’s selections, I’d stopped paying attention to the fact that I was laminated in denim, so to speak, and the pants had loosened a little bit… and were now a skinny boot cut instead of fetish-worthy tight… and indeed, even my top had also relaxed a little bit, the hem dropping enough to sit just at my beltline, and the neckline no longer showing cleavage.
“Well, OK then… that… that explains what was causing that particular quirk.” I looked up at the ceiling, and muttered, “as if I didn’t already have enough evidence of the way this thing’s going at this point…” Even as I looked, the clothes didn’t do what I was expecting and reshrink back into the “even a Senshi wouldn’t wear it” category, but remained stubbornly casual.
Cori and Rob both clearly heard what I’d muttered and had clearly been putting two and two together, but it didn’t seem to phase them much if at all.
“OK, so now that we’ve established that you’re here both to buy clothes and visit,” Rob said, smiling, “let’s see if we can get you all set up while we catch up. Casual? Work? Dressy?”
“A little from all the columns,” Nene said. “Mostly casual with a little dressy, though. I don’t want to encourage her to work more than she already is.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nene, I don’t work that hard.” She shot me a look. “OK, maybe I do work a little harder than I should.” A harder look. “OK, OK, OK, sheesh.”
***