[PUNCH CLOCK ANIMAL] MAYBEQUEST: PART 1

[skinstealer]

 
You head over to the box of clothes and start rifling through, pausing as you find a small shirt and hold it up as best you can with your thumbless paws.
 

MAY: Thought you said there weren’t any kids clothes in here.
FULLER: That? That’s a pockitt shirt. 
FULLER: And it’s still too big.
MAY: Eh, maybe for a tight fit, but I think we can make this work. 

 
Chance steps over to the box and looks over the shirt.
 

CHANCE: Yeah, I think that could work.

 
He rummages through the box and picks out as much smaller-sized clothes as he can, and holds them up to the kids.
 

CHANCE: Here! You guys can go through these and pick out whatever you’d like.
CHANCE: You can go get changed up when you pick something out.

 
For the next couple of minutes, Chance helps the kids pick out one outfit each, all three of them coming out after changing to present their new looks.
 

 
Dwayne picks out a vest and a long skirt, stepping out from behind the screen with a bit of a swish. 
 

DWAYNE: You know, I always wanted to try one of these.
DWAYNE: Director would neeeever let that happen, but now that I’m gonna be free? 
DWAYNE: May as well give it a shot.
CHANCE: Oh, yeah, that looks great!
CHANCE: I think it definitely suits you.
 

 
Chance looks through the box for a while until his face lights up.
 

CHANCE: Oh!

 
He pulls out a tunic-style dress and matching scarf that just so happen to feature colors very close to ones he already sported.
 

CHANCE: Look at that!

 
He holds them up.
 

CHANCE: Looks almost just like me, don’t you think?
DWAYNE: Perfect match!
DWAYNE: Look at you, you’ll practically be a model. 

 
Chance hurries and gets changed before stepping back out in front of the others, wearing his new outfit proudly.
 

 
Nelson’s a little shy after taking his turn, stepping out in what’s definitely the least covering outfit of the group so far. 
 

NELSON: This sort of works…
NELSON: I don’t have to worry about the sun burning me or anything, but the heat gets to me bad, so...something like this would be best, I think.

  
He turns to you, a little smile on his face.
 

NELSON: Am I pulling it off, Sup?
MAY: I don’t really know jack about fashion, not really the person to ask.
NELSON: Yeah, I mean, but- 

 
Fuller steps directly between you two, caught up in their own plans. The outfit they’ve picked is flowing and covered in abstract patterns, and you can’t help but feel like it both suits them perfectly and not at all. 
 

MAY: What’s on the dress?
FULLER: Eh?
FULLER: Oh, you mean-

 
They gesture to the patterns and you nod.
 

FULLER: They’re called gears. You find them in different kinds of machines.
FULLER: Get used to seeing them, Mockery’s full of clockwork. It’s Grind’s whole thing.
FULLER: But that doesn’t matter- you need to hurry up and get changed. Don’t drag your feet.

   

 
Finally, you go through the box yourself. You can’t deny that you waited out of nerves, wanting to see what everyone else picked. Everybody else probably knew this stuff better than you, even Dwayne seemed to have his shit together...and you have no idea what’d suit you. You find some shorts in your size and note the pockets- handy. Looking at most of these shirts makes you feel a little tense, knowing that what little clothes you have worn- the lab’s jumpsuits, primarily- were always way too tight on you. You don’t want that again.
 

MAY: Hey, uh...is there anything that’ll, like…
MAY: Fit me?
DWAYNE: Lemme see.

 
You make room for him to look through. 
 

DWAYNE: What you want is a poncho, I’ve seen them in magazines…
NELSON: The hell did you get magazines from?
DWAYNE: Same place I got my piercings. Secret.

 
He pulls out a large, patterned piece of fabric.
 

DWAYNE: Like this!
DWAYNE: Just put it over your shoulders.
MAY: Guess I can try that…

 
That’s the basics down, you guess...but it doesn’t feel complete yet. Your worries fade when you see one last accessory, realizing what it is after a bit of fiddling. 
 

 
Getting all the clothes on is hell, but you’d rather fumble with everything than ask anybody for help. There’s a tiny mirror in here behind the screen, and you almost startle as you look over yourself- you don’t look half bad, and there’s something kind of...freeing? About wearing clothes that you picked out. 

You step out from behind the screen. Dwayne gives a thumbs up, grinning as he sees the toothy mask. Fuller’s less amused, rolling their eyes. Chance just gives you an encouraging smile.
 

CHANCE: That looks great!
CHANCE: How does it feel picking out and outfit for yourself for the first time?
MAY: Y’know...pretty good. 
MAY: I could get used to this. 
CHANCE: Glad to hear it.

 

  

NELSON: Wow, Sup, you look...really good!
NELSON: If you need any help with any of it, like taking it on or off-
FULLER: Hold up.

 
They step forward, getting directly in Nelson’s blushing face.
 

FULLER: You’re a guard, aren’t you? One of the ones the higher ups jokingly call “interns”?
NELSON: I was before the escape, yes. All of us but Sup were.
FULLER: Mm.
FULLER: You’re talking to her a little too...familiar for my liking.
NELSON: I mean, we’ve known each other forever!
FULLER: Mmmmmmmmm.
FULLER: So you’re saying you had a history, before this escape.
FULLER: What is the nature of this relationship, exactly?

 
Nelson nervously looks at you, and you get the feeling that he wants you to answer instead.

You really don’t want to.