Chapter Twenty-Two - Dress for Stress


    <strong>Chapter Twenty-Two - Dress for Stress</strong>


    <em>Im not saying that counterfeiting should be punishable by death... but Im not not saying that.</em>


    --Bert McWeathers, Deputy Head of the Treasury Dept., Former United States of America, 2036


    ***


    Pop-up stalls were a prettymon feature. A corpo would rent out some walking space in a busy part of the city, and overnight a stall would appear selling whatever. Those sorts were usually manned by some sort of android and would have out-priced stuff for sale.


    It was pretty normal to see one appear in front of apetitors shop, just as a sort of insult, or as a way to drag customers away. It made for good artificial drama, and I remembered loving reading about two luxury brands being pissed at each other on social media.


    That was before I grew old enough to realise that both brands were owned by the same megacorp.


    In any case, pop-up stalls were kind of a neat way to switch things up in an area, but they had their limits. Lucy and I were heading to a corner of New Montreal that was known for its stalls. Id never been there before, because it was the sort of ce that was a bit too exclusive to let the likes of me in.


    At least, thats what I thought.


    We circled arge building a few blocks over from the centre of the city. Finding parking heres gonna be tough, Lucy said.


    Eh, I could park in the middle of the road, I said.


    Lucyughed. No, dont! Thats just abusing your privilege.


    I didntment on how Id done it a few times already. Instead I circled around another time while connecting my augs to the nearest buildings parking system. It wanted me to download some parking app thing thatd let me check on avability and reserve a ce in exchange for a mostly subscription thing.


    Myalis seemed to take umbrage to that, and the system folded as she poked at it. My auto-pilot found a spot in the VIP section and I turned the bike in that direction.


    Slipping into a parking garage and past its security, we drove up a ramp and into the reserved section, then right into a nice open spot. Alright, I said.


    Lucy pressed herself closer to me as she swung her leg off the back, then she hopped off properly and wiggled her helmet off while I stood. Her hair came out in a big poof, and I couldnt help butugh.


    Thats racist, she said.


    What? How?


    Youre mocking my hair, just because it cant handle hats, she said before cing the helmet onto the bikes bench. She ran her hands into her hair and tried to fix it, but the helmet had done a number on it.


    I think your hairs fabulous, I said.


    Lucy sniffed haughtily, but I knew that look in her eyes. Lucy was a lot of things, and vain was certainly one of them. Not too much so, but she did enjoy a solidpliment. So, what is this ce?


    I imagine you mean beyond the parking garage? I asked, then ducked her swat. Its a clothes ce. Myalis helped me find it. Its basically an entire floor with nothing but pop-up stands and merchant stalls and stuff. Its a bit exclusive.


    Oh, sounds fancy, Lucy said. But you know, Im not all about that fancy stuff, right? I do need new threads, but it doesnt need to be something too chic. Those credits could be spent on something else.


    I reached out and pulled Lucy in for a hug. I want to spend a lot of money to make you feel pretty, I said.


    Lucy returned the hug. Youre an idiot, she said. And besides, feel pretty? What if I want to be pretty, hmm?


    Youre already the prettiest, I said.


    Lucyughed, light and chiming and very much pretty. Even after all this time it made my insides squirm. Youre so cheesy, Cat.


    Just a little, I admitted. Come on!


    It wasnt too far from the parking garage to the rest of the building. We stayed close as we rode an elevator down, then made our way through a few corridors. The deeper we went, the more people were around. Eventually we rode a travtor along with some dozen other people to a sort of toll booth.


    The booth was manned by a pair of androids checking peoples ID and charging a small fee for entrance. It was just a thousand credits, about what someone would pay for a half-dozen cans from a vending machine.


    It was probably just enough to keep vagrants out and to pay for the security itself. Lucy and I passed without issues, which was nice. Myalis spoofed the ID thing, and I transferred over the entrance cost since... well, money wasnt as much of a concern, and while I could probably get in without paying, that seemed needlessly dickish. Wee to the Arcade, the android said in a smooth, feminine voice.


    The opening beyond the toll was a wide open space, but one with a wall just ahead of us, it forced peopleing in to pick a side and move. The wall did have arge screen on it with a map that would switch out to ads every few seconds.


    Okay, I said as I looked at the map, then I frowned as it switched out to another ad. Fucks sake. Lucy giggled next to me. Right, uh, looks like the middle part is all corpo stalls. Fancy clothes and shit. The outer ring is smaller shops and, uh, it looks like single-worker shops. Bespoke stuff.


    Bespoke? Lucy asked.


    Yeah, thats the gimmick here. A lot of the smaller stalls on the outer ring are basically run and owned by the same people. So they sell stuff that they make. I think some of them even make things custom on the spot.


    Oh, that sounds kind of awesome, Lucy said.


    Expensive too, I bet, but yeah. Theres supposed to be quick printers for harder parts and they have machines to put the clothes together on the spot. Some of them do things by hand too. You can get custom designs and gear.


    Thats pretty cool, Lucy said. Where do we start?


    I think thatd be up to you, I said. Youre the one that needs more clothes more than I do.


    You think you dont need new clothes? Lucy asked.


    I mean, I can go out in samurai chic any day, its kind of a universal fit that way, you know? My gear probably wasnt appropriate for every ce, but it was also samurai gear, which meant that I didnt need to fit in.


    Lucy reached down and grabbed my meat hand, then she pulled me after her. I jogged to keep up, then ran a little faster as Lucy lost her footing on a slight incline in the floor. She was still just a little bit clumsy.


    Right, okay, she said. So obviously we need to work on your design.


    My what?


    Your look, your style.


    I frowned. Whats wrong with my style? I asked. Is it the cat ears?


    No, those are fine. The tail is too, when you have it. Its more.. Hmm, actually, your overall design isnt bad, but its not all there. Youve got the long-coat and all-ck gear going. The pink highlights are a nice touch, they break up the darker shades and give some things room to pop. The cat theme is pretty subtle overall too.


    Alright, I said.


    But I think it could be better! Lucy nodded. You dont really give off a strong image except for like, the impression that youre cool and dark and mysterious. At least to people that dont know you.


    And thats bad?


    Obviously! You could pivot around and be cute and cuddly. You do have a cat theme going, you know.


    I absolutely refuse, I said.


    Lucy turned my way and batted her eyes. But it would be <em>cute</em>, she said.


    I poked her cheek. No, I said.


    Grinning, Lucy continued to walk ahead. Alright, fine. Right now your look doesnt say much about you, though, at least not to anyone looking. You dont have a lot of visible utility stuff, so you donte off as militaristic. You dont look sloppy enough to be casually cool. Dark and mysterious fits with the stealth stuff, but you dont have that... femme fatale assassin look.


    Should I? I asked.


    Well, youd need to ditch the long coat and wear much tighter gear. Lucy licked her lips. Thats not a bad idea, actually. A literal <em>Cat</em>suit.


    I... dont know about that, I said. I wasnt ufortable in my skin, but the idea of wearing nothing but something entirely skintight was pushing it. I didnt mind being exposed at home, between just me and Lucy, but going out in public that way would make me way too self conscious.


    Hmm, thats fine too. Still, we have to work on your image! Right now youre the unapproachable girl that shot the mayor. That might work for some samurai, but I think youre the sort that wants people to work with her. So... wardrobe change!


    ***