"Dressing cuter, huh? Can you tell me what kind of things you enjoy? That might help us triangulate a little."

“I uhhh… I wanted to be… very obviously girl coded. So I had wishlisted stuff like kneesocks and spinny skirts and cute pastel colours including lots of pink…” Gosh this is embarrassing to talk about. “And there was like… a trend of overly cutesy girls online I was emulating a little… collars and cat ears and stuff…”

"Hmmm. I think I know where to look, then."

Bluebells leads Andrea down an aisle and comes to a section marked "Puella". The aisle is full of soft pastel sundresses with floppy, shapeless appearances as if designed to look a little too big. Some have shoulder cutouts. There are striped stockings for sale, and arm warmers as well. There are collars in soft felt that look very cozy, with white d-rings attached to their velcro-up designs. 

A few of the dresses have patterns of flowers, butterflies or stars on them. There's one with a unicorn on it. There's also a selection of pleated skirts (again, mostly in pink and purple) and some lighter, strappier tops in white and pink. A shelf nearby has a selection of hair barettes and butterfly hair clasps. The whole aisle is incredibly adorable, overall. 

"How does this feel?" Bluebell asks. "Too cutesy, or just enough?"

“It’s cute! Though uhh… a little bit childish?… “ Shes definitely buying the kneesocks, and the collars are tempting. She goes looking through some of the skirts and the strappy tops. Though shes very self conscious about her shoulders so those moght be just for wearing in private… “What do they like… mean though? Pleatwise.”

"That's because this is the aisle for girls!" 

Bluebell pauses. "Sorry, I think I got the wrong word there. This is the aisle for... maidens. For women who enjoy being looked after in a parental way as a core part of their dynamic. You're precisely right that it's childish, that's what it's aiming for."

She blushes as the implications go through her. “I uhhmm… maybe identify with that? A little? If theres a whole aisle for it it’s not weird right?…” Awkward squirms. Back on earth there was all this discourse about how little aesthetic is just cover for pedos and yet here you can just… signal that, in public even.

"Yeah. I know your old world was particularly bad at this, so... be kind to yourself. It's okay to need time. 

No-one is going to hate you for wearing puella clothing. It's a fairly common pleat."

She can be brave! The clothes are very cute… plus if it’s not socially weird, it seems like a nice thing to be…

Andrea knows shes needs someone else in the lead socially anyway, this kinda just formalises that? Maybe this society with pleats and social rules about them might be easier to manage for her. Maybe, hopefully.

“I think I uhh… want to try it? The clothes… and the role too… maybe…” Ahhhhh even saying that out loud is making her heart clench.

"I think that's very brave of you, Puella Andrea." She smiles. "I know it can be hard to take on a new role like this, but you're taking that step forward despite your old hurts. I'm proud of you. Pick out some nice things and we can bring them to the cash register together, okay? You have enough allowance to spend on some nice clothes, don't you?"

As Andrea goes through the racks she also finds a squashy lavender sweater, in the cable-knit style, and some less shoulder-baring dresses. There's even one or two that are less squashy and more figure-flattering, though they're still one-piece. 

Calling it an allowance makes her blush, it’s already started has it? Gosh this is so weird to just… be this role. even if its only started right now.

Andrea picks out the most swooshy of pleated baby trans skirts. And the obligatory kneesocks and thigh highs, and some kinda childish blouses and tops… she grabs the dress with the unicorn on it feeling very bad and guilty even if it was fine here and nobody was judging her for it! She gets one of the more figure flattering cutesy dresses, as a treat, now she actually has a little bit of figure to show off. She still feels gross and mannish half the time but she did so many god damn squats for this body! It deserves some showing off.

Shes about to finish her selections before shes sees a pj onesie thats a doggy and she also guiltily grabs that, because it’s just too cute and she can wear it in private at least.

She longingly looks at the collars but maybe thats a step too far just to try this out.

Bluebell said they’d go to the cashier together, so she goes back to Bluebell. “I picked some stuff out…” She tells herself to stop feeling guilty about buying these! They wouldn't sell them if it was bad to own!

"I'll ring them through for you if you don't want to talk to the cashier," Bluebell says. "Is that okay, or do you want to keep being brave?"

Oh gosh thats very… thats very much the kind of thing one does for her role isn’t it? She’s having feelings about it just she isn’t sure wich. “I uhhh… I know they won’t judge me but it feels like they will because… back home they would… c-can you do it…”

"Of course."

Bluebell goes and rings through the purchases using her card, then passes a copy of the reciept to Andrea. "If we had an established relationship," she says, "I'd be able to take this out of your allowance directly. But some things take more consent than just a pleat. So this time I'll just pay and ask Amaranthine to reimburse me."

“U-uhmm okay… thanks.” Gosh they even have the banks enabling this kind of thing?… that could be a little risky she thinks… letting someone else spend for you…

”Should I change into these? Maybe you don’t wanna make our whole outing all about this though.” She can wait to get back to the temple dorms and find an empty room to try stuff on. 

"You can do whatever you like, sweetie, but I need to go open for my café soon so whatever you'd like to do you should do it quickly."

Eeee being called sweetie makes her heart flutter. She can do this, she’s brave. Even if ahhhh people will see her like that. “I uhhmm… yes I want to change…” She looks around for a bathroom to change in.

"There's a changing bench at the back of the store."

Bluebell leads Andrea to the back. There is, indeed, a bench. It's completely out in the open.

“There? B-but people will see!” I mean she knew nudity taboos were different, but in the middle of the store? She has enough anxiety about her body being judged without it being naked!

"Yeah, I've heard that can be an issue for people from your world. I'm sorry, I should have thought ahead and brought a cover-up..." 

She rubs the back of her head. "I can not look?"

“Fine! Turn around. I’ll just….” Distressed whining noises occur as Andrea tries to change behind a clothing display once Bluebell turns around. She’s continuously paranoid someone else in the store will look over at her. She has never changed so fast in her life. She emerges from behind a clothing rack wearing a cute swooshy pastel blue one piece dress. She feels childish, which is the point, but also a lifetime of instincts are hard to overcome that say to her that childish is bad. “I’m done now.”

"You look lovely." Bluebell smiles and pets Andrea's head a little. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" 

She takes Andrea by the hand. "Now, let's get back to my café. Ready?"

Ahhhh, getting patted is both actually very nice and a lifetime of instincts is telling her it’s infantilising and bad actually. Same with being led by the hand.

She has to tell her brain to just shut the fuck up and let her enjoy this. “Y-yeah…”