and sighed. “If you ask me, you’re a lovely
young thing, there are so many things I could drape over your form
and you’d look wonderful, but you know how this goes.”
“The Countess gets
what the Countess wants,” Aspen said, realizing what was about to
happen after glancing at the slim purple gown on the bed. She put the
napkin down and finished swallowing her last bite of pineapple. “I’m
glad you didn’t let me finish that plate before this.”
“Are you ready?”
Tinick asked.
“How many sizes am I
supposed to go down?”
“Three. Well, three
and a bit,” she said, activating the garment wrapped around her
subject.
Aspen exhaled as most
of her body was squeezed, almost falling over before it was finished.
Then she tried to inhale and only caught a short breath. “Oh my
God,” she gasped. “To tight!”
Tinick loosened the
garment’s grip on her a little and Aspen was able to get most of a
breath. “I’ve caught people,” she gasped, “wearing these, is
it always this tight?”
“Oh, you’d be
surprised at how tight this could go before you actually passed out,”
Tinick said. “I hope you never find out for yourself, though. At
least you’re not risking cracked ribs or spinal deformity, I’ve
seen both many times when someone is trying to fit into an outfit.
You’d think that would be at and end, but self-adjusting clothing
just isn’t fashionable, I suppose. Try to finish your breakfast
while you get used to that.”
Aspen finally caught a
full breath. “This isn’t worth it,” she said, gesturing at the
dress. “And I don’t know how much of that I’m going to get down
while I’m being wrung out in the middle.”
“Just try, I had to
trade the plate they put together for you for this one. There is a
guest down the hall who is wondering why they are breakfasting on a
melon wedge and a glass of juice. Just don’t sit down for a while
after you’ve finished. I’m sorry to say, standing up straight may
be the only way you can keep it down.”
Aspen did as she was
told since she was still hungry anyway and was part way though her
second slice of melon when she asked; “So, how is it here at the
new palace?”
“I’ve been busy,”
Tinick said. “There are many guests here who are wealthy refugees,
so I’ve had to help dress most of them. The fashion industry has
been just about crushed, since most manufacturing was driven by
computers and machines. I’ve become important again,” she said
with a grin. “You never see them, but I have eight apprentices that
are always sewing.”
“I never considered
how busy you’d be without AI’s running the show.”
“Oh yes, a transport
leaves every week with the clothing I make for the houses that still
have estates away from here. It left just yesterday, should be back
next week for another shipment. The Countess has been generous enough
to let me run my shop from here, but then, it’s only a way to
ensure that one of the last high calibre designers remains in her
service.”
Aspen made a mental
note to watch for that shuttle, it didn’t seem like the kind of
thing that would be under heavy guard. She didn’t like how long it
would be before it would return, however. “Are there a lot of side
businesses running on the property?”
“Keep eating,”
Tinick said before replying. “There are a number of them, all small
operations though, so they use fast ships much like the Fleet
Feather, only not quite as pretty.”
Aspen carefully started
on the pre-cut grape fruit. “Is there any trade with people on the
planet?”
“Oh, no. This world
is in recovery. It was one of the first places that the UCA carpet
bombed, mostly with EMP’s, when they started their campaign. The
Countess moved in here shortly after her recovery, it didn’t take
much work to restore, and the shield blocks out everything she
doesn’t want to see. The Fleet Feather is our ferry. It’s used so
much that it’s almost never locked when it
young thing, there are so many things I could drape over your form
and you’d look wonderful, but you know how this goes.”
“The Countess gets
what the Countess wants,” Aspen said, realizing what was about to
happen after glancing at the slim purple gown on the bed. She put the
napkin down and finished swallowing her last bite of pineapple. “I’m
glad you didn’t let me finish that plate before this.”
“Are you ready?”
Tinick asked.
“How many sizes am I
supposed to go down?”
“Three. Well, three
and a bit,” she said, activating the garment wrapped around her
subject.
Aspen exhaled as most
of her body was squeezed, almost falling over before it was finished.
Then she tried to inhale and only caught a short breath. “Oh my
God,” she gasped. “To tight!”
Tinick loosened the
garment’s grip on her a little and Aspen was able to get most of a
breath. “I’ve caught people,” she gasped, “wearing these, is
it always this tight?”
“Oh, you’d be
surprised at how tight this could go before you actually passed out,”
Tinick said. “I hope you never find out for yourself, though. At
least you’re not risking cracked ribs or spinal deformity, I’ve
seen both many times when someone is trying to fit into an outfit.
You’d think that would be at and end, but self-adjusting clothing
just isn’t fashionable, I suppose. Try to finish your breakfast
while you get used to that.”
Aspen finally caught a
full breath. “This isn’t worth it,” she said, gesturing at the
dress. “And I don’t know how much of that I’m going to get down
while I’m being wrung out in the middle.”
“Just try, I had to
trade the plate they put together for you for this one. There is a
guest down the hall who is wondering why they are breakfasting on a
melon wedge and a glass of juice. Just don’t sit down for a while
after you’ve finished. I’m sorry to say, standing up straight may
be the only way you can keep it down.”
Aspen did as she was
told since she was still hungry anyway and was part way though her
second slice of melon when she asked; “So, how is it here at the
new palace?”
“I’ve been busy,”
Tinick said. “There are many guests here who are wealthy refugees,
so I’ve had to help dress most of them. The fashion industry has
been just about crushed, since most manufacturing was driven by
computers and machines. I’ve become important again,” she said
with a grin. “You never see them, but I have eight apprentices that
are always sewing.”
“I never considered
how busy you’d be without AI’s running the show.”
“Oh yes, a transport
leaves every week with the clothing I make for the houses that still
have estates away from here. It left just yesterday, should be back
next week for another shipment. The Countess has been generous enough
to let me run my shop from here, but then, it’s only a way to
ensure that one of the last high calibre designers remains in her
service.”
Aspen made a mental
note to watch for that shuttle, it didn’t seem like the kind of
thing that would be under heavy guard. She didn’t like how long it
would be before it would return, however. “Are there a lot of side
businesses running on the property?”
“Keep eating,”
Tinick said before replying. “There are a number of them, all small
operations though, so they use fast ships much like the Fleet
Feather, only not quite as pretty.”
Aspen carefully started
on the pre-cut grape fruit. “Is there any trade with people on the
planet?”
“Oh, no. This world
is in recovery. It was one of the first places that the UCA carpet
bombed, mostly with EMP’s, when they started their campaign. The
Countess moved in here shortly after her recovery, it didn’t take
much work to restore, and the shield blocks out everything she
doesn’t want to see. The Fleet Feather is our ferry. It’s used so
much that it’s almost never locked when it
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