While most civilians that have some relation to a newly initialized Vanguard tend to be somewhere between awestruck, and concerned for the Vanguard’s wellbeing. Others tend to… have a more negative reaction that causes them to lash out in some way.

Most from a sense of fear which was particularly common in 2020s.

Another chunk because of a sense of jealousy and/or denial.

And a select few lash out due to blind anger against Vanguard as a whole.

That last one is the one that can hurt a new Vanguard the most.

It hurt Shadowtag pretty badly for sure.

-An excerpt from an interview with Shadowtag’s AI Spectyr, 2033

I winced at the sight of my point total, dropping from seventeen-thousand to three after only a few purchases hurt quite a bit.

You’ll be able to earn them back later, for now focus on your new clothing.

Nodding in agreement I opened up the box that had dropped onto the sink counter and found myself giggling in anticipation.

It might have been a bit stereotypical of me to be this excited for new clothes, but I could have a bit of giddy enjoyment of something I bought for myself without feeling guilty.

I took the tiara off, then pulled the dress up and over my head… and instantly got tangled up in an ocean of fabric.

“Pyri?”

Yes Spark?

“How do I get out of this?”

Pyri ended up laughing in my ear the entire time she played out directions on my glasses. Arms here, grab and pull there, a shimmy here. All until I was finally released, and now standing in my underwear with the dress wadded up in my arms.

Now fold it up like the diagram shows, and hang it on the towel rack so it doesn’t wrinkle.

I hung the dress up only to hear more giggling from the tag-along inside my head.

“What now?”

I’m just wondering if you will eventually learn how to properly take off a dress.

“I could just learn how, and then refuse to do it properly anyways.”

You and I both know you aren’t contrary enough to do that dear.

I rolled my eyes while I pried off my boots, “Says you.”

Not wanting to waste anymore time, I pulled the jumpsuit out of the box, it had some sort of strip of material instead of a zipper like my old one, and had a gel section just like the helmet. Probably for my eventual tail.

“Pyri, will this thing cover my tail in gel?”

It can, but it won’t by default. Vulgorans prefer their tails to be in open air.

Nodding in response I pushed my dainty new feet down into the legs of the suit one after the other, eventually leading to the suit hugging the lower half of my body. It was incredibly comfortable, and Pyri had clearly used the measurements that she had of my body to tailor the clothing to the point of perfection. My arms soon were inside of their sleeves and the rest of the suit was either resting against my back, or hanging off my front.

“This feels like I’m about to power wash in the winter,” I quietly muttered as I squished some of the fabric between my fingers.

If you wish to further the experience, you could purchase further hydroelectric weaponry while summoning and detonating cryogenic grenades at your feet.

I shook my head as I began pulling the ends of my suit together when the material began to just softly snap together like magnets. Noticing my surprise, Pyri explained before I could ask.

Easier to protect against electric charges if the fastening method is embedded in something that can’t conduct electricity to begin with.

I shrugged, as long as it didn’t pinch me, or get stuck in itself like a regular zipper I honestly didn’t care what the thing was.

Unless it was buttons.

Those deserved to die alongside the antithesis.

Pulling the helmet out of the box, and tucking it in my arm. I walked out of the bathroom and over to Evie who was sitting at a table reading with Autumn. She looked up at the sound of my boots clomping across the floor and gave a low whistle.

“Damn girl! Does Pyri take commissions? That looks stunning on you!”

I blushed, “I assume so? I think she was able to work so well with this, and the dress because she made the blueprints for this body?”

[While true, I tailor your clothes to your current form to the best of my ability,] her voice took on a tone of pride, [which is far better than what a human could do without a prohibitive amount of equipment, training, and time.]

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Autumn looked up in curiosity, “How big of a difference is it?”

[What I did to create Spark’s suit, from measurements to the final ‘stitch’, for lack of a better term, would take a human tailor with zero enhancements ten entire years.]

The sound of someone walking up behind me interrupted us before Autumn could shake off her amazement and question Pyri further.

“Who in the ever-loving FUCK are you, and what are you doing in our house!?”

Aunt Nyra was awake, and looked… really, really angry. More furious than I had ever seen her, and the fact that she was directing that energy at me had me locking up in fear. Only one thought managed to surface through the murk.

‘I am in danger.’

“Mom! That’s-“

“Not now Evie!” she snapped. “This Samurai is trespassing on our land!” Her voice was filled with enough venom, with particular emphasis on ‘Samurai” it made me flinch slightly.

‘I am in danger.’

“Aunt Nyra stop! You’re-“

“What’s wrong you trashy piece of filth?” She snarled while stomping up to me, “Can’t handle when one of us lowly commoners out in the wastes calls you out for acting like you own the place?”

I was fighting to keep myself from breaking down into tears, I couldn’t stop myself from trembling

‘I am in danger.’

“Mom, that's enough!”

Spark, are you okay?

She towered over me, “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

‘I- I- No I-‘

Aunt Nyra got a distant look in her eyes, after a second I saw her fists clench as Pyri urgently warned me.

Spark, she’s looking through Homeplace’s security cameras!

My eyes got as wide as dinner plates as my blood ran cold.

‘I am in danger.’

“You come here, destroy our home, then chat up my DAUGHTER!?”

Before I could process what she said, she lashed out with a fist and clocked me upside the head,almost sending me to the ground, only saved from hitting the floor by the exoskeleton locking up to prevent it . My helmet clattered to the ground next to me.

‘DANGER!’

‘RUN!’

‘FLEE!’

Without controlling them myself, my arms snapped out to grab the helmet and pushed it down over my head. I was too dazed to notice the material shifting out of the way to not catch itself on my glasses. I pulled myself to my feet as the yelling continued.

“Oh! So you can move! Get up, and get out before I put a bullet in your head!”

[Miss Narcell.] Pyri’s voice had a layer of palpable anger to it, [Do not harm my Vanguard again, or drastic measures will be taken.]

All that did was make her angrier, “Of course it’s YOU! Get your fucking pet out of my house right now you conniving AI BITCH!”

‘YELLING. BAD. RUN.’

“STOP IT!” Summer screamed, “Stop being mean to Spark and Pyri!”

“Spark!? He’s not even here?! I-“ Nyra cut herself off as she realized what she was about to say.

“Yeah, Mom,” Evie snapped, her face distorted in frustration “Spark ‘isn’t here’ because you just slugged her upside the head!”

Nyra turned to me with shock, muttering something I couldn’t hear, before turning back to me.

She took a step forward, arm outstretched.

‘RUN!!!’

I bolted. I got through the door and rushed up the stairs as fast as I could, the shouts of concern, and distress coming from behind me went completely ignored.

Do you want me to order Marian to guard the BioShifter while you are gone?

An attempt to state I could do that myself, had me realize in horror that I couldn’t speak. A second attempt at communication unfortunately proved that subvocalization wasn’t an option either. I gave another small nod, totally unsure if I could even do anything else.

Before you panic about not being able to speak, you’ve likely been pushed into a nonverbal state as a result of the panic attack you just endured. It is a temporary condition in which the person experiencing it is unable to speak in stressful situations, and thankfully shouldn’t have lasting consequences.

I thought to myself for a few moments as I listened to the sound of my boots pounding into the gravel. By the time I had reached the door to the shop, I had thought of something that might work. I made a quick typing motion with my fingers, to which Pyri ‘projected’ a keyboard underneath using a feature of my glasses.

[thank you]

You’re very welcome Spark dear. As for my question, do you want Marian to guard the BioShifter while you are away?

[yes pls]

I will call her over now. Go ahead and start equipping yourself.

The keyboard faded away as I opened the door. Sitting there in all its glory was the machine that gave me my new body, the body that my- that Nyra didn’t recognize. My feelings about that were a bit conflicting. On the one hand, I was different enough from my old self that I wasn’t immediately recognizable, on the other… she had basically attacked me just for being there.

Shaking my head from the errant thoughts, I walked over to the pile of equipment I had left next to the chairs. My toolbelt, bandolier and holster belt all were all draped atop my backpack zapper. Mounted on either side of it was my Trill rifle and C-Foam Launcher. Finally the armor plating was back in its inert form stacked up underneath my old helmet.

The armor went on much faster thanks to being comparatively lighter than earlier, and the fact that I had a basic idea of what I was doing with them.

The belts and pack all went on very easily with a bit of strap adjusting here and there. Another attempt to speak ended in failure and sagged shoulders when I looked at myself in the mirror by pure chance.

I looked good.

Like a high-tech knight in shining armor who would sweep the princess off her feet and carry her to safety, not allowing any harm to be done to her whatsoever. I just looked, strong. Like nothing could stop me, and seeing that and knowing that it was a girl underneath that armor had me feeling a certain type of way.

[Pyri i think i might look good in this suit]

My companion’s response was to giggle.

[time to go then?]

Yes, there isn’t anything else for you to do here. Now onward brave little Spark! There are monsters to slay, and your weapons thirst for chloroplast!

[how will i track them?]

I can highlight tracks they made in the field to help guide you, I do advise finding some form of transport though.

[ill take the gator]

[it is mine after all]

[Nyra can get mad about it if she wants to but it won’t change anything]