"Sweetheart, the first thing you need to know is that you are. not. VIP." Evelyn stated smartly as she lead her mute companion through the mall.
The Mall was filled with unfamiliar shops to Brayden. The last he'd seen it, it was half empty with long dark halls and metal chain gates locked in front of the entrances. The few places that were still open were cosmetic stores, a hair stylist, and a dollar store that some how made enough money to stick around. As far as he could tell that store had sold the exact same stock for the past 5 years without a single resupply. A few months back P&R had gated it off for "redevelopment". He didn't know it was open to the public... but apparently it wasn't. It was open to people with P&R ID's.
He couldn't help but snicker at the bad puns and clear rip off from actual franchises. Bed Bath and Prosperity. Prosperities Secret. Redevelopment's R Us. It made him want to tag the place with spray paint.
"Sure, you get to enjoy a lot of the same amenities, but at the end of the day, you are here to server." She turns and points a finger at him, then scrunches her face. "Keep close."
It wasn't the first time she'd told him to "keep close", or "don't wander", or "follow me", and every time he felt that anxiety to comply.
She shrugs as she keeps talking. "Sure you've got to work harder, but... Your schedules are usually..." She taps her lip. "Lower resolution." She decides on the description. "VIP's have custom schedules designed to manufacture their ideal lives... Your schedule is going to say stuff like. 'Go to mall' or 'leisure time'. Sometimes you get a special event where you basically take the fall for a VIP to feel superior. Maybe you stand next to a pretty girl so she can outshine you, or you let a guy shut you down to boost his ego." She shrugs, "But then you get to do what you want, within reason."
She holds out her hand suddenly. "Give me your phone."
He giver her his phone, feeling nervous about it being out of his possession. She keys it open, apparently being approved by the biometrics, and starts to scroll. "Here's your ID. It's not like a government ID, more like a personality profile... Our younger employees say it's like a video game with all your stats."\
She holds up his phone, and he reads the listing on the screen.
Role/Job: Live In Housekeeper/ Maid/
License: None
Sex: Female
Personality: Flighty, Submissive
Sexuality: Bisexual. Polyamorous.
Traits: Mysophobe, Naïve.
He glared at his phone and Evelyn interrupted his thoughts.
"Yeah. A lot of staff get bisexual an poly until the get matched with someone." She smiled dreamily. "It's not so bad, really."
He pointed at the "Submissive" trait, crossed his arms, and scowled.
"Give me your purse." She snapped with a sudden sharpness. He gave her his purse without thought. "Give me your phone." She stated with the same cutting intensity. He handed it over before he could stop himself. She turned the phone off, plopped it into the purse, and then dangled the purse by the strap on one finger in front of Brayden. "Yeah, submissive. Get used to it." She said wryly. "Take it."
Brayden barely had time to catch the purse before she turned and started walking.
"As your coach, I of course have a more comprehensive breakdown of your personality profile, but you've got all the information you need. My advice? Don't fight it. Let go of who you were, and discover who you ARE." She said it with a teeming faux compassion, then called him to heel and continued into the mall.
She showed him how he can make purchases with his meager P&R points, then flared with annoyance as she burned every last bit buying cosmetics and hygiene supplies, stuffing them into her purse. Her clothes were either very cheap, or entirely free, but Evelyn made all the decisions, and only bought the most plain, modest, and distinctly feminine clothing.
She showed him the hair salon, the grocery store, and the clothing store, all P&R franchises of course. His food was apparently free, but he was barred from most higher end establishments without a reservation and hefty point fee.
It wasn't long before they were back in the car. Evelyn pulled out her phone, and Brayden found a sudden tingling sensation in his neck and mouth.
"ah..." He peeped softly.
"So, any questions before I drop you off with your Handler?"
"Yeah. How do I leave?" He asked with a horse voice.
"You don't." She stated flatly. "And don't try it either, you won't be able to pull it off anyway. Once you're around for a while you can put in a request to go to another P&R town though. There's some nice places out there."
"So I'm in prison."
"Prison or Paradise, depends on what you make it."
The drove in silence, before making a winding ascent up a mountainside to the more luxurious developments.
They came to stop at a three story brick home with tall dark wood window frames and a steep slate roof tiles. Brayden could see a pool and pool house, sundeck, greenhouse, and even a turret in one corner giving a marvelous overview of the slowly gentrifying city below.
His phone buzzed and alerted him, "2:00pm Start work at the Weatherford estate."
"No more training wheels." Evelyn stated. "You smart off to your handler, and you're screwed. It's not so bad though, and I'm sure you'll find certain... benefits after a while. Now, go knock on the door and introduce yourself." She stated with that same anxiety inducing command.
Moments later, he was standing before the tall door. The VERY tall door. It was nearly twice as high as him in his new diminished body. One hand held his burse, the other his bag of clothes. Evelyn sat there staring at him, waiting for him to knock.
