She gives a knowing nod.

Marlowe claps his hands together, his soft paws somehow managing to make a loud sound.

You notice that Roulette seems to shrink down at the back of the crowd, Devo sticking close by. Tim looks equally nervous as Marlowe comes by for the head count and you give him a reassuring pat on the back.

Everyone files out the doors of Laurie’s after everyone's accounted for, and you’re nearly blinded by the sun- you realize it’s your first time seeing it, a cartoonish orange shape in the sky giving off an almost harsh light. Your irritation with it is quickly replaced with a sense of wonder as you see how the snow glitters, even the dirtier clumps by the road appearing to sparkle in it. Thankfully, your outfit seems to be keeping you warmer than just going around naked.

You notice Tim keep turning back to check on Devo, a smile crossing your face. It’s cute…wait, is that how you are around Willow? Oh, god.

The streets seem a bit more welcoming than they were when you first showed up, though there’s a bit of an edge creeping in as you notice a few toys around the edges of your group openly carrying weapons, mainly knives. 

Vine keeps her voice very, very low, low enough that even Tim can’t hear.

Oh, shit. 

Ohhh, shit.

You thought you’d have more time before things heated up.

A chill runs down your spine at that, the realization that that could have been you fucking you up more than a little.

You nod, looking up at the snowflakes gently falling.

You’re not going to lie, you’re pretty freaked out by this. You could have gotten snatched up- so could Tim, for that matter. And somebody here at Laurie’s did go through that…

You really hope they’re okay now.

…getting here so early was something to be even more grateful of than you thought.

The group stops walking, almost making you stumble into the person in front of you. 

Marlowe claps again, bringing everyone to attention.

The group files in, and you’re immediately met with a warm, pleasant smell- the place is huge, full of aisles upon aisles of clothes, and people seem to know exactly where they’re going- except for you and Tim, standing awkwardly there with Vine. 

You nod, grateful for the help.

The dog next to you startles, clearly off in his own thoughts.

You’re given one of Vine’s token back pats and off she goes. 

You are once again struck with just how large the place is.

Vine’s off in the sweater section, and Devo and Roulette appear to be in the sleepwear aisle, the bear holding up some pants and appearing to ask for his friend’s opinion. Tim doesn’t move, still paralyzed by options.

You could go see how someone’s doing, help Tim find things, or go on your own clothing adventure. If the latter two, you can suggest any clothing, including “gear” or risque outfits.

His confidence seems to return at that, and the two of you start making your way over.

You start sifting through clothes, Tim occasionally holding up clothes against himself and asking you how it works with the red of his eyes and nose. It’s a bit hard to find something that fits, but you pull out something that makes his face light right up. 

It’s a white sweater with red stripes, with extra long sleeves- Tim looks around before slipping it on over his top, giving rolling up the sleeves a try.

He double checks the price tag, looking to see if there’s any misplaced stickers.

Your dog friend’s tail is wagging as the pair of you make your way over to get some pants, and this time, he’s the first one to find some dress pants.

You realize as the two of you look through stuff together that you’re having…a genuinely great time. You just met Tim, but he’s genuinely pleasant to hang out with, his positive attitude when excited almost infectious. 

You both manage to find the dress at the same time, pulling it out and holding it up. It’s purple, just like your ribbon, and long enough to reach your ankles. You try it on over your clothes and sure enough, it fits wonderfully. You feel…cute? Huh. Kind of nice.

It’s four dollars, and you are definitely getting it.

Even though he’s nervous at the prospect, the fact that his tail’s wagging gives away his excitement as well.

Once you get to the formalwear section, he clams up, simply shaking his head at most of the stuff you offer. 

Finally, you pull out a red and white striped suit, and his eyes light right up again.

You follow him to the changing rooms and sure enough, it fits like a glove. He looks sharp, and even with the twenty five dollar price tag, he’s willing to pay- he says that’s a hell of a deal, anyway.

Tim makes sure to check that Devo’s gone before heading into the aisle with you, and almost immediately goes for the silk section.

You follow suit, surprised at how nice the texture is. 

He gleefully adds his findings to the pile, and turns to face you.

He practically has to drag you over, just like you did for him with the suits, and before you know it, you’re looking at a rack of fancy, sexy outfits…some have loose threads here and there, but they all look to be in good condition otherwise.

You start sifting through, your face heating up at the thought of wearing any of it. Though…

Two things stand out to you.

A lacy piece of underwear labeled a “femme jockstrap” that could probably fit your tail, and a top/skirt combo with straps of sleek fabric banding across the chest and stomach- leaving plenty of skin exposed. The skirt also seemed…very short.

You remember the feelings you got over poking at your tail, and just about die thinking about the fact that it’d be exposed.

You turn to look, and sure enough, you’ve somehow missed the fact that your skirt rides up over your tail, not long enough to hang over it.

Your face is practically covered in blush at this point, and Timothy hesitates for a moment before trying to mimic one of Vine’s pats.

You check the prices, and somehow you’ve only managed to accrue 26 dollars worth of stuff. Vine did say she’d cover any extra, so…success. 

All of a sudden, you hear a slightly familiar voice from the next aisle over- still in the risque section.

Tim immediately shrinks behind the rack, scared shitless at the prospect of Devo literally around the corner.

The two of you focus back on the conversation at hand.

Next to you, Tim is going to combust.

Tim slowly makes his way over, with you hiding behind the end of the rack, listening in.

As you look on, Roulette backs up a few paces, probably not wanting to intrude.

It takes you a moment to realize they're backing up towards you.

Before you can move, they swivel around. 

Their camera-head points in your direction, the robot now right next to you.

You freeze.

They stare blankly.

At least... you think so. Their lens aperture doesn't give you much insight into how they're feeling.

They look back at Devo once, then-

You have to play it cool. Suave.

...you're probably not in trouble, right?

You walk over a little ways, getting some distance between you and the other pair. You won't be able to hear their conversation now, but....

They also wouldn't be able to hear yours.

The robot glances away to the side, taking a moment before it addresses you.

It doesn't say it in an accusatory way, as far as you can tell, but the question throws you off regardless.

You...aren't sure how to answer this- but your silence speaks volumes.

The robot nods slightly.

It pauses.

At this point, the robot glances away from you entirely.

It resumes eye contact.

Roulette's shutter 'blinks',
and it moves its gaze straight ahead now, close enough that you can hear the rotors moving.

You flash back to what Vine told you on the way, about newbies getting hurt by that Saddler guy.

The robot stares at the floor.

With that, Roulette makes its way back over to the risque section, hanging back to give Timothy and Devo plenty of room.

You start shuffling back over, returning awkwardly to your hiding place.

From what little you can see, Devo looks…uneasy at that. 

Tim’s tail is wagging a mile a minute.

Devo hesitates for a moment before reaching his hand out to shake, and Tim eagerly takes it.

He starts walking back, turning for just a second.

With that, he zooms back to you, practically flopping over and wheezing when he does.

His tail is wagging again as he explains, and you can’t help but smile to see your new friend so happy.

It takes a bit to find Vine, but luckily, she’s at the end of the check out line. 

She reaches into her embroidered purse and pulls out some bills, rifling through them to make sure the right amount’s there.

The line moves slowly, but you get a peek at Vine’s haul as she starts to pay. All stuff with hand-done embroidery and patches…

She hands over the money and her clothes are bagged, and then it’s your turn. You try not to feel nervous as you hand over your two piece outfit, but the cashier doesn’t even bat an eye. A little thrill of excitement goes through you as you take your bag and join Vine on the side, Tim scooting forward to pay for his pile.

You…aren’t sure how much to say, but…

You shuffle in place a bit. 

You nod.

Vine nods along, taking in your words. 

Tim comes over to join you, bags in hand.

As if on cue, Marlowe’s voice comes over the store’s speakers.

 

The walk to the pawn shop is easy, just a bit down the street…Tim seems to be regretting forgetting to put on his new pants, but you can tell by the way he keeps glancing back at Devo that he’s not too upset by getting distracted. Vine keeps an eye on the both of you, making sure you don’t get too wrapped up in your conversation to be unaware of your surroundings. 

The store itself has two floors, and when you’re welcomed inside, you’re taken aback by just how much stuff is in here. There’s floor to ceiling shelves and stuff mounted on any shred of open wall space, and you can barely hear Marlowe’s opening spiel. 

Well, they’ve got pretty much everything…what do you look around for?

You start wandering around, starting with the craft section- it’s full of scraps of all different kinds of material, but they’re definitely…scraps. You’d probably have an easier time ransacking cheap clothes from the thrift store and making new fashion from that than trying to piece stuff together here. Maybe you could make some accessories?

You pick out a sewing kit- five dollars. That’d be necessary for sure.

There’s…the names of fabric start coming back to you as you look stuff over. 

Velvet, silk, terrycloth, leather….what kind of textures and colors should you look for?

You decide to look around for something warm to start….sure enough, you find some flannel and wool, in mostly neutral colors…

There’s some black leather, too.

Flannel is 7 bucks for a yard, 8 for wool, and…there’s only a few scraps of leather, but if you were to pick them all up, they’d be 12 bucks. 

What about…a laptop? Or a phone? Something you could get in-demand entertainment with…

You have to go to the top floor to find the electronics, and god, all the plastic here is really banged up- but there are options. Laptops are 50, a phone is 30.

Hm. Decisions, and you still want a weapon-

He holds out a plastic sword, all one solid color- red, of course.

There’s a look in his eyes you can’t place.

You try to hide your excitement at the premise of having some extra spending cash.

You take a second to pick up a plastic phone the size of your palm, startled when a little keyboard pops out of the bottom when you apply a bit of pressure- well, a keyboard sticker, anyway. You get the feeling you’ll be able to type on it just fine, and the sign next to it says that wifi still works. You…aren’t sure what wifi is, but hey, if it’s advertised, that means it must be good, right?

You put it in the crook of your arm along with the sewing kit, and let Tim lead you over to the weapons section.

You get a strange sensation as you approach it, seeing plastic pieces of all shapes and sizes- including some you’ve never seen before in your life, greebled and highly detailed. You don’t even know how someone would use them…

Oh, boy, these are really beat up. You’re presented with a rack full of scratched up plastic, but try to focus on what you think would work despite its condition. Maybe a slashing weapon, something sharp-

Your wing finds itself already touching something, and when you refocus your eyes, you’re holding a dented, scuffed baseball bat.

The shop suddenly feels...quieter, somehow.

Feeling an odd sensation, you turn and look up.

Across the store, you spot Roulette.

It's holding a bulky adjustable wrench, the robot in the middle of the same motion: looking up in your direction.

The two of you catch each other's glances simultaneously.

Something's...

You can't place it.

But the bat in your hands feels heavy, and you can feel your wing-fingers clench and unclench around it, seemingly unconsciously.

It feels like something is bubbling up within you.

A half-formed memory of something you'd really rather not remember.

You could risk it and dig deeper, 
or shake it off and leave it buried.