Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Shopping Trip

ALLISON

Despite Carter’s suggestion to take her time, she really wanted ice cream. It was difficult to take her time knowing such delights waited ahead. A rapid survey of the basic clothing items available in the Ladies Department and a quick mental tally of necessary purchases assured her she could obtain two weeks of necessities, just as Carter had suggested, within their budget.

Two packs of plain white panties. A pack of tank undershirts. One package of plain white socks. Three plain bras that were not as exciting as she’d like, but which would provide sufficient support for her current breasts.

At least she did not need to purchase makeup. Allison could simply change the color of lips, cheeks, eyelashes, and other features to match her outfit or mood. She had not bothered with any of those cosmetic niceties for weeks, but now, she had excessive vigor—no, they had agreed to call it transformative energy—with which to pamper herself.

It was a little discouraging how fast the prices of a human female’s basic clothing added up, and the bras were by far the most expensive. No wonder Ryan always had trouble purchasing underwear for her! That, and he was also busy purchasing drugs.

Once she tacked on an estimate for local taxes, all her purchases would leave her with just over eleven dollars. What else could she buy with eleven dollars? The few cute tops she checked on her way back were all beyond that. There was so much cute clothing in this store, and many items that she would love to wrap around her body, but she could not afford them.

She was tempted to put back a basic item and splurge, but discarded that idea. Carter had freely gifted her this money to purchase the basic clothing she lacked, and she didn’t want to betray his trust. More cute tops would simply have to come... later.

Allison found the cashier, a young Black woman with a button-down shirt, pencil skirt, and fascinating but complicated hair, waiting at the counter for her. The woman offered a friendly smile as Allison approached. Allison smiled back.

A quick surface scan ensured she was human. Her nametag identified her as Callista. The only emotion radiating off her was the mild boredom one would expect in this situation.

“Checking out?” Callista asked.

“I am!” Allison placed all her items on the counter.

Callista efficiently scanned all her items with a handheld device. When she finished, she poked the register and looked up. “That’ll be $138.58.”

Carter’s budget had been almost perfect! She produced the appropriate amount of cash and placed it on the counter, but didn’t fail to notice how Callista frowned when she did so.

The woman grabbed one of the bills and then marked it when a pen of some sort. She then did the same the other bills.

Allison hoped she hadn’t violated some human custom. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing wrong.” Callista popped open the register and filed away the cash. “It’s just rare for anyone to come in here and pay all cash. Most use cards.”

“It is almost all I have.”

“Oh.” Callista presented visible sympathy. “Well, were you able to find everything  you needed?”

“I was not able to find any cute tops,” Allison said regretfully. “I mean, I found many, but I lack the money to purchase them. I needed to purchase these first.”

“Got it.” The woman now looked even more sympathetic as she stuffed Allison’s purchases into a single large plastic bag. It had the name of the store emblazoned on it.

“Are there any cute tops I could purchase for eleven dollars?” Perhaps she had missed something on one of the racks. She had been in an awful hurry.

“Not in this store,” Callista said. “But... you could try the thrift store next door? No guarantees, but maybe you’ll luck across something nice on the ten rack.”

Allison felt new hope. “Is it a Goodwill?”

“Not quite, but close. It’s not directly connected to us, but if you head out and walk around the mall, you’ll find it around the corner. It’s called Two Times Around.  The lady who owns it is a real gem, so if you need help finding clothes, just ask her.”

“I will try that!” Allison said. “Thank you.”

Callista eyed her with obvious amusement. “You’re welcome. Hope you find something.” She expertly counted out eleven dollars and some coins, then printed a long sheet of paper and stuffed it into the bag with Allison’s purchases. “Have a great day.”

“Thank you,” Allison said warmly.

After a brief examination of Carter’s wallet, she dropped the coins into her slacks pocket and stuffed the bills into the wallet, which she put in the other pocket. She then hurried out of the store clutching her bag of necessities. She followed the directions Callista had offered.

Outside, a surprisingly cold wind cut through her thin green shirt. Without an apron and with nothing underneath, the stiff wind chilled her human body. Allison was only aware of this on a surface level, and it would not have been a problem other than that her nipples were now significantly more prominent. Goosebumps rose across her flesh.

She clutched the bottom of her shirt with her one free hand, but that only made the problematic protrusion worse. Fortunately, there was no one around to gawk. She would have loved for Carter to gawk, but he must still be waiting for her at the food court.

She found the store—Two Times Around—without incident and hurried inside. The relief from the cold was immediate. This store was far less ornate than the first one, with plain gray walls and a large open space filled with long bars on racks.

A survey of employees found an attractive woman who looked to be in her late forties propped up on a stool behind the counter at the back. She had a magazine raised. She had brown hair to her shoulders, tan skin, and big glasses with thin frames.

The woman glanced up, nodded, and went back to her magazine. A surface scan confirmed her fully human. Allison was in no danger from her.

There were so many types of clothing here! She did not want to deny herself ice cream for much longer, but if she searched these racks for a good deal, perhaps she could find something cute. To her delight, she soon found that while the items on the racks were many and varied, each rack was labeled with a clear price. There was a ten rack, but also a five.

The five rack also contained tops. That meant she could purchase two cute tops in addition to her basics, yet as Allison approached it, she felt an unease she could not fully explain. This rack was exactly what she’d hoped for. That made it feel like a trap.

Her dopamine-flooded human brain had led her to compromise her normal syren defenses. An empty store with no employees save a bored woman behind the counter was an ideal place for a Tharon to confront her. What if all this had been set up to lure her in?

No. She was being paranoid, and she did want to look at these tops. She settled on alternating between sorting through the rack and casually glancing toward the doors to ensure no one else entered. As such, she almost missed the store owner’s approach until she coughed.

Allison spun around and suppressed a gasp. “Hello there!”

The brown-haired woman eyed her up and down. “Didn’t mean to spook you, hon. Are you shopping alone today? Or are you waiting for someone?”

“I am shopping alone,” Allison assured her. “I was hoping to find a nice top.”

“There’s might be a few that’ll fit you on that rack.” The woman watched her as if sizing her up. “Sure that’s all you need?”

Allison wasn’t sure how to interpret that. “Do I look as if I need something different?”

“It just struck me as odd. A pretty little thing like you wanders into my store, looking though tops on the cheapest rack, all the while checking the doors like someone’s looking to jump you.” The woman lowered her voice. “So I’ll ask, hon. Are you okay?”

Allison now had absolutely no idea how to respond. Her surface telepathic scan had assured her this woman was human, not an alien hunter in disguise, but Tharons were not above enlisting humans who became aware of their existence in their work.

Some humans even cooperated willingly. If this woman was working with the Tharons...

“You don’t have to tell me anything, mind you,” the woman added. “I’m just making conversation. If you’re doing fine, you just buy what you like and let me keep an eye out for troublemakers. I won’t let anyone hassle you in my shop.”

That was kind of her. “Thank you.”

“Here’s something, though. You notice it’s just me in here?”

Allison had noticed that. She’d assumed the store’s lack of other employees was due to it running on an efficient budget. Was this woman suggesting there was another reason?

“Last girl I hired to help me quit a month ago,” the woman said. “Mind you, she asked me first. First day she came in here to shop, she looked like you. A little worn down. Probably wearing all the clothes she had to her name, which wasn’t much.”

Was she that obvious? “This is an official uniform.”

“Sure it is, hon.” The woman smiled. “Anyway, my last girl eventually let on she was having trouble back home and needed to stay low. She still gave me three and a half months of solid work until she’d made enough that she could move on. I was fine with that.”

Allison smiled. “That was extremely generous.”

“It wasn’t charity. She worked her ass off for me, but I pay a fair wage and don’t need you to answer complicated employment questions if you can’t. To sum up, I’m down a shop girl again. I could use one. And I pay cash.”

Allison barely suppressed her excitement at what this woman suggested. “You need someone to help you run this store?”

“To keep an eye on it for me,” the woman clarified. “I wouldn’t hire you all at once, mind you. I’d need you to show up for a day shift for two weeks without missing work or causing me any problems. No fighting unless they start it, no drinking, no drugs.”

Allison simply nodded. She was too overwhelmed by this seemingly perfect offer to respond immediately. It felt too good to be true.

“You agree to those rules and show up on time and when I need you, I’ll pay you cash at the end of the week. You keep doing that, and we’ll talk about raises after you’ve been here a spell. It’s just an offer, if you need one, so no pressure to accept.”

This was obviously illegal, but Allison remained intrigued. “This would not cause you trouble?”

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The woman shrugged. “No more than usual. With an all cash business, it’s always hard to keep the books accurate. The tax man wants what the tax man wants, but cash is hard to keep track of at times.” Her eyes narrowed. “Just don’t steal from me. I’d know.”

“I’d never,” Allison assured her.

The woman’s warm smile returned. “Then we wouldn’t have a problem if you decided to come help me out. Again, your choice. Why don’t you take a few things home and think about it?” She paused again. “You have somewhere to go, don’t you? Somewhere safe?”

“I do,” Allison said confidently. That was thanks to Carter Reed. “And your offer intrigues me a great deal. May I think about it and get back to you tomorrow?”

The woman raised an eyebrow, and Allison wondered then if she’d said something wrong. Or perhaps it was her manner of speech? She’d need to analyze this whole conversation when she had time to do so and see if she’d done anything wrong.

After a moment, the woman shrugged. “Sure, hon. You take all the time you need. You don’t need to get back to me by tomorrow, but if you do, we’ll talk terms.”

“I would like that.”

“Great.” The woman offered her hand. “You can call me Miss Ellen.”

Allison shook her hand firmly. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Ellen.”

“I’ll let you get back to it. Find some little thing you like and pay when you’re ready.”

Miss Ellen offered a courteous nod and walked back to the counter from behind which she’d emerged. She hopped back on her stool, opened her magazine once more, and set to reading. She didn’t seem to have an eye on Allison at all.

Allison could not help but marvel at the woman’s kindness. She had no doubt Miss Ellen intended to work her hard should she accept this job offer, and she also had no doubt her offer of fair pay was sincere. She never intentionally read humans telepathically, but some—like Carter—were so earnest she caught glimpses without meaning to.

Miss Ellen felt the same as Carter. Open and earnest, at least when she had spoken to Allison. As she replayed their conversation and its implications, she would not be surprised if Miss Ellen, herself, had once been in a situation like Allison was now... or at least known someone who had. It explained why she had picked up on Allison’s worries.

It also explained why Miss Ellen had reached out to help.

Allison already felt she would accept this job offer, but she would present it to Carter first to see if he had any concerns she had missed. He knew far more about Earth customs and human behavior than she did, even now, and would detect any contractual traps. As she continued to slide tops from side to side, she found one that intrigued her.

It looked to be, as she had told Carter, indecent.

Unfortunately, a small attached tag revealed it was priced at ten dollars, not five. It seemed a number of items in this shop remained miscategorized, though Allison suspected that was simply due to customers picking them off the racks and putting them back on a different one. Miss Ellen did not seem the type to make such mistakes.

This single top would consume all her remaining budget, which would make it the only exciting top she purchased today. She had tank undershirts for days she did not intend to be exciting, but if she did come work for Miss Ellen, she would soon have the cash to purchase more tops. She snatched the indecent item off the rack and walked to the counter.

Miss Ellen barely looked up from her magazine at first, but then, as she eyed the top Allison had chosen, she cocked an eyebrow. “You found that on the five rack?”

“Yes ma’am,” Allison said. “But is actually ten dollars, not five.”

Miss Ellen still looked a little unsure. “Hon, you aren’t... when you say you have somewhere to stay, it’s with someone you trust?”

“Implicitly.”

“And you aren’t at a point where you need to look for work on the streets?”

That confused her. “What work would I find on the streets? There is nothing there.”

Miss Ellen set down her magazine and gave her a long, curious look. It was as close to a telepathic scan as Allison could imagine any human who was not telepathic offering. Allison had nothing to hide, and so she did not mind.

“Well, all right,” Miss Ellen said. “If it’s just because you like it.”

“I believe my partner will like it,” Allison said.

Miss Ellen relaxed and even smiled a little. “You have one of those?”

Warm memories of Carter lovingly fucking her on his couch caused her human cheeks to flood with color. “I do.”

“They treat you right?”

“He treats me wonderfully,” Allison gushed.

“Oh, well that’s all right then.” Miss Ellen’s smile grew. “Say, is this for a date?”

Allison considered a moment. “It would be perfect for that. I will suggest it.”

“But all the other stuff you got is those basics from Penny’s? What else you got?”

“Just these,” Allison said. “But if I come help you with this shop, I can purchase more tops in the future.” She pondered. “A skirt would be wonderful as well.”

Miss Ellen frowned thoughtfully. “You know what? I had something cute come in days ago. Didn’t put it out yet since I wasn’t sure how to price it, but as I recollect, it looked to be about your size. Not a skirt, but it would go nice with that top you picked out there.”

“I would love that!” Allison sighed. “But at the moment, I can only afford this.”

“Maybe so, maybe not. Do me a favor and watch the shop for a moment, will you? Make sure no one runs out with anything. I need to go in the back.”

“I will do that,” Allison promised. There was actually no one else in the store.

“Back in a tic,” Miss Ellen said.

She woman left her counter and went into the storeroom in the back. Allison saw no way anything could disappear from there, so turned to survey the store instead. From her position at the counter, she had a full view of most of the racks, and large round mirrors hanging in the corners allowed her additional vantage points. Surveillance was trivial.

Not long after, Miss Ellen returned. “Have a look at this, hon.”

Allison turned and evaluated the garment Miss Ellen had produced. Her eyes widened knowingly. It was similar to the skintight denim jeans Ryan had purchased for her, but in a significantly more risqué configuration. It had obviously been altered by its prior owner.

She looked up at Miss Ellen. “I would love to purchase that, but I cannot afford it.”

“Take it on layaway. How much cash you got on you?”

“I currently have eleven dollars and forty-two cents.”

Miss Ellen snorted. “All right, so, we’ll knock a few dollars off the top since you’ve been so polite, and since it was on the wrong rack. We’ll say seven for the top, nine for the shorts.”

“That is sixteen dollars,” Allison said plaintively. She hoped she wasn’t being rude.

“So you’ll owe me a fiver,” Miss Ellen said. “Today’s a down payment. You pay me some now, to show you’re good for it, then pay me the rest when you have it.”

“Oh!” Allison nodded. “Like credit, but just between us.”

“Exactly.”

“I would take that deal. I think these two items would pair wonderfully together.”

“So you think your boy would like this little get up?”

Allison breathed. “Miss Ellen, I think it will thrill him.”

The woman’s smiled knowingly. “He’s a lucky man. Now, pay up.”

Allison reached into her back pocket for Carter’s wallet and produced the last of his cash. When she reached into her pocket to retrieve the coins, however, Miss Ellen raised a hand. “Keep the change, hon. You’ll just owe me a fiver.”

“Understood,” Allison said. “And thank you. I hope we can speak again tomorrow.”

“That’s up to you.” Miss Ellen glanced back at her magazine. “My offer’s open.”

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