Slowdown in Town

The first stop is our main stop. Ideally, it shouldn't take us more than half an hour to get me some new clothes but I think I'm going to surprise Anne with a few things for her. It's a good hour ride into town where Madam Odette's driver drops us off at her approved spot for me to go shopping. It's a decently sized store for the size of the town. They should have everything I'm looking for. A coat that will fit over the custom suit then I know I'll need a few long sleeve shirts. Maybe something thicker for when it really gets cold. An extra coat would be nice as well.

Anne follows me in grabbing a small trolley cart. I don't think I will need one but she just grabbed one. I wonder if Anne has gone shopping with Madam Odette and she just acts on habit like I do. Her job is to serve and work under her so I wouldn't be surprised if she just acts on some things without thinking.

We make it maybe ten feet into the store before a doe, who looks rather important, stops us asking if we need help. She's wearing a very business professional suit which is oddly uncharacteristic of everyone else I see working here. I say no to her but she continues to follow us around trying to stay out of sight. I keep pinging a short range to keep an eye on them. They don't mean any harm but I have a feeling I know why they are so nosy. Anne and I walk around collecting a fair amount of clothes that look decent, feel comfortable, and should fit. I just have to try them on.

I find the changing rooms and I can still feel eyes on me. "Anne, can you keep the cart right here?" I point to a spot against the wall where she'll have to keep it sideways blocking the aisle. She nods, "Yes, Sir Red." She stands there with her hands together in front of her while I look over what we grabbed. "I need you to stay here for a second." I grab a couple articles of clothing walking into the changing room. I shut one of the doors after hanging up a few things. I send out a ping and I can see the person is around the corner staying out of sight. Meaning they're trying to listen.

Sound is movement in the air. I can sweep the air away so it doesn't travel in a direction or block it completely to move quietly. "Focus Red." I'm still sore but something small shouldn't be a problem. I step out putting my finger over my lips letting Anne know to be as quiet as she can. She gives me a nod as I walk around her. With a quick focus and execution I create a small bubble around me. It keeps sounds in amplifying it for me but doesn't let it travel outward. I get around the wall dropping the focus. I can see the deer's short tail sticking around the corner as she leans in to try and listen. I can creep up behind her without assistance at this point.

She's not much shorter than I am but enough that I can lean over her and get to her ear without her knowing I'm there. With a quiet whisper I reveal that I'm there, "Whatcha listening for?" She launches herself forward from around the corner into one of the racks pushing it out of place. She clutches her chest trying to straighten herself up. I give her a chance to recover before I address her. "What's your name, please?" She stutters out "Vanessa" before she finally stands up straight again.

"Vanessa, pleasure to meet you. My name's Red but I'm guessing you already knew that, don't you?" I have a feeling that Madam Odette's all reaching hand played into this. "No sir, I was just making sure that you were well taken care of." Her nervous smile is a dead giveaway. I don't want to mess with this poor woman if Madam Odette is pulling some strings with her. Nothing I can do except get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible. "Did Lady Odette set you up for this?"

As her face goes white I already have my answer. "Yea, that's what I thought. What did she ask you to do?"

"Just to make sure you got what you needed…"

She's gotten even more sheepish. She's done nothing wrong. Madam Odette is a rather big player in this town. Everyone learns who she is at this point. I'm almost certain that she could own everything she wanted to. I'd bet with a few words she could destroy a business. Or just buy it to kick out someone she doesn't like. "Well Vanessa, I want you to know something. I am not Lady Odette, or by extension any part of her." I start of stern making sure that she understands that I'm not messing around but I quickly change my tone. "So just treat me like anybody else. Same with Anne. We're just customers."

She seems to be struggling with the idea. Does Madam Odette really have such a hold on her? And how? She reluctantly agrees. Even so she still sticks to us but is less secretive about it. The problem I ran into though, is that both Vanessa and Anne are so terrified of authority that their opinions on everything are "It looks good". I just have to pick what I like and hope for the best. The hardest thing to find would be the jacket that can fit over a proper suit. "Vanessa, do you have something in a coat, that looks formal, and can accent and cover a full suit with jacket?" Shouldn't be too tall of an order for her.

Her eyes seemed to light up when I asked her for help. She doesn't even give me a yes or no before she takes off heading in some odd direction. I have a feeling that she's going to come back with a few of them. Some choices would be nice to pick from. Since it's a pinstripe suit then something just as dark or darker would be perfect. I get to try on one more shirt before she comes back with just one. She has it draped over her arms with a gleam in her eyes, "This would perfectly compliment your suit by Armani."

"Thank you, I'm glad that… Wait. How do you know that it's from Armani?"

She freezes again as the glimmer fades. She keeps her lips tight while I see her trying to think of an answer. I see why she greeted us from the start. "Did Lady Odette call ahead? Or did she email you with a picture of it?" I think I already know but I want her to say it. The poor girl stutters a bit but she outs Madam Odette, "She sent an email with a photo for us to find a jacket before you showed up." She drops her head in shame. At least I got a straight answer from her. That's about what I was expecting. I can't keep her waiting though. It is a nice jacket too. "Then I'll trust you pick and take it. I'm also guessing she sent you the sizes for it?"

"Yes."

"Knew it. Alright, I'll take the jacket and this pile here. Can you hold them up front while I look around a bit more?"

Her face lights back up at being a help, "Yes! We'll have them waiting for you!"

She takes the pile plus the jacket quickly jumping off to the front counter. "Sir Red." Anne catches my attention, "Is there something else you need to look at?"

"No particularly. I did notice that there were a few things you were looking at though."

She acts as though she was busted for doing something she wasn't supposed to. I can only laugh and smile, "Go take a look. We've got plenty of time. I'll be around. Just let me know if you find something you like." I send her off on her own. It's kind of like a child being given free reign of a toy store for a while. She's hesitant waiting for a catch but she eventually wanders off with a big smile on her face. If I remember, Madam Odette gives those who work for her two or three full months of paid vacation time so they can go see their families. I wonder if Anne has been able to use that time to go see hers. I wonder because she seemed rather reserved about what she was looking at.

Her eyes seemed to catch onto a lot of simple designs. It kind of suits her. She has an interesting personality but she keeps herself rather simple. Even around the home she's very upright, professional, with a good sense of what's going on. When she relaxes though she still keeps an air of professionalism about her. As she disappears behind a door to change I look around the section of the store from a chair. There's a lot of really high end designs around here. Some names even I recognize. There's not a lot that really interests me personally. It might be because they're on mannequins of different shapes and sizes and not someone's actual fur.

The doorknob clicks as it opens. Anne steps out in a bright yellow sundress that floats as she moves. She gives a quick spin for herself in the mirror before swaying side to side. I think she's forgotten I'm her. She turns around to quickly remember turning even more red than her fur already is. "How does it look?" She still sways herself a little bit as she tries to hide a smile. "I think it suits you very well."

I don't get a verbal answer back, just a nod as she heads back to the dressing room. She tries on a few other items. Bright and cool colors seem to fit her best. She has an odd patterned blue and white dress that almost looks like the ocean that really works with her. She grabs a few smaller things, bracelets, a necklace, and a thin shawl to go over her shoulders before she hangs the rest up heading to the counter to check out. They ring up her items getting them folded and ready to go. Before she can dive into her purse I throw my card into the reader. As she looks up she sees me signing. I can only give her a grin as the receipt prints. Ooh, she got flustered too.

I got her good there! I even grab her bags heading off to where I see the small pile of what I picked out is waiting for me. They see me coming and immediately start rushing to get them ready to go before I hit the counter. They have my total and machine ready to take my card. Quickly glancing over the total I see a hefty 19% taken off with the note of "Special Service." It's still a 4-digit total for the few items I got but I'm still a little miffed that I'm getting this treatment because of Madam Odette.

Still, I pay without batting an eye knowing what I have stored away. My items are handed over in a sharp looking leather bag that keeps them standing up and pristine. I motion for Anne to head out first and I'll follow behind. As we step out we see that eye catching limousine pull around to the front with the driver jumpin out getting the door. We must have been there for at least an hour. Was he watching the whole time waiting? Poor guy. This job cannot be easy.

We don't have a set timeline. Anne's job is to make sure I'm taken care of so we may enjoy some time out while we can. "Hey Anne, how does lunch sound before we head back?" She may try to hide her excitement but her ears give her away. "That's a yes. I'm not too keen on the area. Do you know any simple places around here?" I have to emphasize the "simple" portion of that. It seems that my reputation is no longer just limited to the grounds. I've helped run enough errands that people remember seeing me alongside Madam Odette. Whether they think I'm part of her help or not doesn't seem to matter. Even then her employees are treated a lot better than most.

After some small talk Anne was able to decide on a small deli hidden away in the downtown area. I had the driver park a ways away and we would walk the rest. Don't need anymore attention than we'll no doubt already get. Just stepping inside the air feels very different. It's refreshing! Nothing fancy, nothing extreme, just a little shop run by a couple of old bears that look like they've been together for 30 or more years. The wife is nice welcoming us with open arms as her husband begins warming up to get what we need. Anne gets a pretty thick sandwich loaded with all kinds of meats and cheeses with some green and veggies on it as extras.

As for me. I have a hard time deciding but they have a ham & cheddar melt that sounds amazing. I don't know how they did it but the ham and cheese is hot while the lettuce and tomatoes are crisp and cool. There's a small metal table outside under a canopy where we can eat and enjoy the weather along with each other's company.

We chat about whatever. Anne talks about her family a little bit and how skeptical they were of her coming out here to work. But she's saved up enough that she plans on leaving in a year and going to school where her savings will be able to pay for everything she'll need for the four years she'll be there. That gives me a little bit more scope on how well Madam Odette takes care of her people. Wonder what else she does?

I could do this all day but I don't have all day. And I know neither does Anne. She may be helping me most of the time but I know she has her other duties. We finish up our lunch before we start heading back to where the driver is parked. He has the windows down and seems to be enjoying the relaxing breeze blowing through. He may have nodded off but snaps awake when the door behind him shuts. He looks almost concerned before I wave him off. I know that everyone has their strict rules they work and live by but with me, I operate a little differently. My arms work thus I see no problem getting a door for myself.

With a long drive ahead I'm able to lean back and let the food settle. For such a small looking meal it sure was filling. Well worth the money compared to some of the places I've been taken to. My eyes wander until they rest looking out the window at the passing scenery. The wooded areas blur past with green and brown slowly turning warmer colors as autumn gets closer. They stop and change to fields that look ready for harvesting. The year is starting to come to a close. Soon, the temperature will drop and it'll be winter. I wonder how things will change around the grounds.

When the snow falls, how does the surroundings change? Do a lot of the employees leave for the winter if the work slows down enough? Do they get to go see their families? For the holidays as well? What am I going to be doing during that time? I bet I'll be studying still. I'll figure it out as it comes around. No sense worrying about it now.