CD Chapter Five (Patreon)

While Ava’s job at the Buy Fresh was tedious and physically challenging, her job at VaVaVoom was sometimes entirely too exciting. She left the Buy Fresh shortly after seven, and she was due at VaVa’s by eight. Fortunately, it wasn’t far away, though the relatively short distance separating the businesses contained a thousand sociological megamiles.

Ava usually took the bus to and from each workplace, but unless the weather was terrible, she walked the two miles between. She started over ‘sidewalks’ that might as well have been gravel, walked around a houseless camp, and found herself near grungy, silent parks, filled with determined, early morning joggers and the occasional mugger, but not much else.

By the time she was near VaVa’s, the ever-present graffiti on the walls had shifted from gang tags to artistic commentary on social issues, and political satire. The sidewalks were well maintained, and grates surrounded the small trees that lined the streets. The businesses were mostly art galleries, clothing stores, and modest, bourgeois cafes, with small outdoor tables occupied by people sipping coffee from tiny cups while staring at their screens.

VaVa’s fit right in.

When Ava rapped softly at the door, VaVa Voom herself, the owner and manager, looked up with a huge, welcoming smile on her brilliant scarlet lips. VaVa hurried across the shop, walking as easily as if her bubblegum-pink skirt wasn’t practically painted on, and the heels of her white shoes at least four inches high, plus a moderate platform.

Throwing open the door, VaVa motioned for Ava to come in. Her red mouth pinched in disapproval. “Oh no, honey, you are busted today! You know I love you, but you need to get out of sight before any customers see you!” She made mushing motions with her white-gloved hands, not quite touching Ava as she urged her toward the back.

A blonde head poked out of a back room, and a round face lit up with a bright smile. “Ava!” Mandy called. “Come see! We just got in something perfect for you!”

Ava groaned internally, but stretched her lips into a smile. Nodding at VaVa, she muttered a greeting, and hurried off through the store. Her dirty tennis shoes, khaki slacks, and brown, Buy-Fresh-approved Henley shirt certainly didn’t fit in, but she knew Mandy and VaVa would take care of that by the time the store actually opened.

The back room looked like a dressing room belonging to a Hollywood starlet or a Vegas dancer, with feathers mingling with (faux) fur and more tinsel than a Christmas tree. This was where all of the employees got dressed. They were only allowed to wear items available in the store, and an array of makeup was laid out in front of a brightly lit mirror, so they could make the look complete.

Amanda, who was nearly a foot shorter than Ava, but probably weighed about the same, held up a pair of hip-hugging black linen slacks. In her other hand, a fitted jacket swung from a hanger. The slightly exaggerated shoulders drew into a tight waist, with two beautifully draped flounces extending below. A single black button closed the jacket, and to Ava’s experienced eye, it was clearly meant to be worn with neither shirt nor bra.

Ava fixed her friend - probably her only real friend - with a gimlet eye. “No,” she said, firmly. “No cleavage.”

Mandy’s bright pink lips pouted. She was dressed in full fifties gear, complete with curly ponytail and poodle skirt. Her eyelids were over-the-top glitter, and a perky scarf was tied around her neck. “You have to,” she insisted. “If you wear it, these will fly out of here, but they don’t have enough bling for the usual crowd, otherwise.”

VaVa used her employees as living mannequins, and the strategy worked well. Shorter, rounder patrons could see Mandy sporting a look that would be perfect for them, emphasizing their fuller, more feminine shape. Meanwhile, taller, leaner customers could see how a look would work for them, bringing out their best features, while minimizing more masculine traits.

Ava gritted her teeth. Honestly, she’d been hoping for something with full coverage today. VaVa loved vintage looks, and a neck to floor Gibson Girl look would really have suited Ava. She could hide behind something like that. Even the corset might help her stand up straighter, no matter how tired she got.

“Fine,” she managed. “But I get a bra. No tape.”

Mandy pouted, but Ava could see that she wasn’t really surprised. In short order, the two girls had Ava stripped to her skivvies, wiped down with the plus-sized wipes VaVa kept for just this purpose, face washed, and hair dry-shampooed. A black, patent-leather bralette was positioned so it would just peek out from beneath the jacket, and Ava’s short hair was slicked down on the sides, and left full on top.

Once heavy, black glitter eye makeup and scarlet lipstick was applied, Amanda leaned back to take in the look. She whistled. “This is a great look for you. Super dom, but all business, too. Plus,” she reached up and lightly tapped Ava’s face, careful not to smudge the smokey cat-eye makeup, “your eyes look amazing.”

Ava cast a sidelong glance at herself in the wall-spanning mirror. She didn’t like to look at her eyes, which had been called ‘creepy’ and ‘disturbing’ more than once. She had complete heterochromia, and while her right eye was a deep, bright blue, her left was a gray so pale as to be called silver, and the iris looked almost white in comparison to the dark ring around it. When she was in school, she had even worn her long hair with bangs that swooped over the left side of her face, hiding the eye so that she almost looked normal.

Shrugging awkwardly, she picked up the heavy, glittering black and silver jewelry Mandy had laid out for her. The necklace fell in so many strands that it only allowed a few glimpses of her white skin as it shifted. The chandelier earrings just brushed her shoulders as she slipped on the size 12 black platform heels she would have to wear for the rest of her shift, unless, God-willing, a customer bought them right off her feet.

VaVa poked her blonde head in through the door, rich brown eyes widening as they took in Ava’s new look. “Mmm-mm, honey, that is fierce! I am gonna sell so many of those today!” She flicked her fingers in a come-along gesture. “Now, let’s get to work, ladies! We have customeeeeers!”

Mandy and Ava exchanged looks, straightened their clothes, and headed out into the store.

❦ ❦ ❦

Unlike the Buy Fresh, Ava had a paid lunch at VaVaVoom. That meant her full shift was eight hours, but she only worked about six and a half, with lunch and breaks. She, Amanda, and VaVa were supposed to rotate breaks, but if it wasn’t busy, VaVa usually shooed both girls out around noon, especially on nice days.

VaVa had a deal with some of the neighboring eateries that her employees got discounts on their meals when they were dressed in their work clothes. The restaurants and cafes seated them outside or near the windows, and they added to the artsy ambience of the area, while also attracting people who would ask where they’d gotten their outfits. Ava and Mandy both carried VaVaVoom business cards for just such occasions, and it was a rare day they didn’t give out five or six while they were out for lunch. Ava was just grateful that no one who knew her from the Buy Fresh would possibly recognize her in the heavily-made-up pseudo drag queen wanna-be.

It was Amanda’s turn to pick the restaurant, and she’d selected a cute little fifties themed cafe that served mini burgers and truffle fries. Once they placed their order, they each sipped at their water, trying not to smudge their lipstick too badly.

“Did you see the new info drop from Veritas?” Amanda asked enthusiastically. She was a huge VO fan, and they had bonded over the game, back when Ava first started at VaVa’s. In fact, it was Amanda who had convinced Ava to start playing again.

Ava shook her head, glancing out the window beside them. A man was eyeing her clothes avariciously, and Ava pulled a business card from her pocket and set it in the window beside her, facing out. The man’s eyes skimmed the information, and he smiled a thank you at her before heading off in the direction of VaVaVoom.

Looking back at Mandy, Ava saw that the older girl was still waiting for an answer, so she shrugged. “I don’t pay a lot of attention to all that. It doesn’t affect me, anyway.”

Amanda blinked. “Doesn’t affect you? Are you kidding? Some of the tech they released first is already helping people in long-term hospital care! I mean, if they’d had this when your mom was-”

Ava glared, and her friend stopped, biting her lip. Mandy was the only person who had come into her life since her mother’s death that Ava had told. Usually, it just meant that the other girl noticed when something reminded Ava of her mom, and she would move in to give Ava a few moments to collect herself. It was rare for her to mention it directly, and Ava liked it that way.

Amanda reached out as if to touch Ava’s hand, but stopped when she remembered that Ava preferred not to be touched, even by friends. “Look,” she said, “I just mean that the technology they’re releasing is going to change things everywhere. Not just in the gaming industry. You really should stay on top of it. I mean, even Rouge-” She broke off again, and her guilty look piqued Ava’s curiosity.

“Rouge? Sounds like a gamer tag. Do you play with her?” She felt a bare pinch of jealousy. Amanda was the only person Ava regretted not playing with. She remembered back, before, when she had spent hours playing with her high-school friends, and it had been so much fun. Of course, she didn’t have time for fun any more, and she didn’t really care, since she wasn’t certain that ‘happy’ was a feeling she would ever have again, either.

An expression of relief crossed Amanda’s face. “Oh? Um, yep, she’s just a girl who plays in Refuge. We hang out in-game sometimes.”

“With your Viking axe-maiden?” Ava couldn’t held the twitch of amusement that touched her mouth. When she found out that Ava was playing a half-orc, Amanda had sent her a screenshot of her character, Tessle, who was a half-dwarf. Apparently, Tessle had glammed up her previous character, while dating a guy named Randy.

When they broke up, Mandy wiped that character and started over with one of the new half-breeds. In order to make sure Randy didn’t realize she’d started playing again, Mandy made Tessle as different from her first character as possible. She was short, squat, had an axe as tall as she was, and really did look like Lyle’s idea of a Valkyrie, complete with silver 'boob armor' and a huge, horned helmet.

Ava understood the urge to do something completely different. Though the catalyst was different, she had done the same thing when her mom died shortly after she graduated high school. New character, new name, vastly different face, race, and class. Sometimes she wondered if any of the people she had known before wondered where she went, since even her real-life address and electronic ID had changed. It didn’t matter, though. It wasn’t like she wanted to talk to any of them anyway. The person she was now and the person they’d known might as well be two completely different people, whether in VO or out.

Mandy mock-glared, but spoiled it with a fit of giggles. “Yeah. Tessle’s a lot of fun to play, though, especially now that I don’t have to worry about whether R3d… um, Randy, thinks I’m sexy or cool or whatever. You should really come to Refuge. It’s great, and I’d love to play with you!”

The waitress came by with their food, smoothly sliding the plates in front of them. Amanda had ordered the little sliders and house fries, but Ava just got the cheapest thing on the menu, which was a side salad. Still, it looked good, and she picked up her fork.

Mandy gave the salad a dissatisfied look, letting the previous topic drop. They both knew Ava wouldn’t go for it anyway. “You need to eat more. You already look like a stiff breeze would blow you over. We had to pad your hips so those slacks wouldn’t fall off you, for heaven’s sake!” She picked up a slider, taking out most of the first one in a single bite. Picking up the second little burger, she put it on Ava’s plate.

Ava’s stomach growled. Loudly. Flushing, she tried to give the burger back, but Amanda just laughed at her.

“Huh uh. I heard that. Heck, the people outside probably heard that. Eat the darn burger. It’s not like I’m going to fade away without it.” She patted her own round hips with satisfaction, and finished off the first burger.

Ava sighed, but bit into the burger. Perfectly seasoned meat juices coated her mouth, and she almost moaned in pleasure. She hadn’t eaten real meat in… Well, it had been a while.

Amanda blinked, and laid some fries in the spot recently vacated by the burger. “Girl, what do you eat? You look like you’re-,” she stopped, clearing her throat. “You look like you’re enjoying that a lot.”

Ava felt her face burn, but her hand went to the fries almost against her will, and she popped a potato bomb filled with salt and grease between her lips. “I can’t afford that stuff,” she muttered, covering her full mouth with her hand as she spoke. “I’m going to have to sell my VO pod, I think.” Have to, finally ready to, she thought, still angry at the events of last night.

“No!” Mandy exclaimed. “Uh uh!” She pulled out her screen. “How much do you need?”

Ava flinched, shoulders rounding as she drew back. She hated owing anyone anything, and while Amanda wasn’t one of the debt collectors that had hounded her after her mother’s death, she still didn’t know if she could look the other girl in the face if she borrowed money from her.

“Not much. It’s not a big deal.”

Amanda’s lips flattened. “Then it won’t matter if you borrow it from me, right? If it’s so little. Come on, what do you need?”

Looking down, Ava saw that her small salad had wilted from the heat of the burger and fries, and no longer looked nearly as appetizing as it had at first. She picked up her fork and speared a piece of lettuce, heavy with dressing. She’d eat it anyway. Calories were calories.

Amanda was still staring at her, tapping her screen with a pink-lacquered fingernail. “I know your e-ID, Ava. If you don’t tell me, I’ll just send you a grand. Will that cover it?”

Ava’s eyes got huge. “What? A thousand dollars? Where-? No! It’s just two hundred!” One hundred, technically, but she had a bad feeling she was going to have to refund the jerk’s money, even though the contract clearly stated that if she died, she wasn't responsible for any loot that dropped at time of death. Still, if she had told them that there was a stranger watching the fight, or at least found someplace else to hide, instead of stupidly trusting the woman just because she seemed nice, Ava probably wouldn’t have died, which made anything she lost her fault. Including that damned knife.

With a triumphant grin, Mandy tapped away at her screen, and an instant later, Ava’s screen pinged from the little clutch she was carrying as part of her outfit, which had exactly zero pockets. She glanced at it.

@AmandaTolliver55 has sent you US$300.

“Three hundred,” Ava spluttered. “I can’t pay that back!”

Amanda shrugged, leaning back so the vinyl seat squeaked loudly and popping the last of her fries into her mouth. “It’s a birthday present. Don’t you dare pay me back.”

Ava opened her mouth, doubtless giving an excellent disco fish impression. “But that’s so much! And it’s nowhere near my birthday!” No, wait, yes it was. She was born in August, and it was already late July. She hadn’t even noticed.

Her friend gave her a look. “I fill out our time cards. I know when your birthday is. I also know I can spare this. I, um, kind of made some money selling my stream from the Battle of Refuge, and while it’s not like I can retire, I have enough stashed away now that I don’t have to worry about money as much.”

Ava felt her eyes burn, and she looked up at the ceiling. She absolutely would not cry. Besides the fact that she just didn’t do that any more, it would ruin her makeup. When she felt like she had it under control, she looked back at Amanda, who was casually scooping the last of her Worcestershire ketchup onto a truffle fry.

“Thank you,” she said, and Mandy grinned, popping the fry into her mouth.