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Dress the Part

Daisy was not given a chance to resist or argue, and she was led from shop to shop by the mice, who were picking out outfits for her. She was shown a wide variety of dresses and blouses and skirts, most of which were designed to make it clear that the wearer was a mouse, while being conservative enough to not reveal much.

The mice were giggling as they were trying out different outfits, and Daisy was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but she didn't want to stop them. "I admit, I'm more surprised there are mice fashions that even fit me. Brood mice must not be as rare as I thought."

The mice were all gathered, looking her over, and they began to discuss amongst themselves what they liked and disliked. Cindy shook her head and crossed her arms. "It's not that brood mice are common. It's that people change a lot. People who were large become mice, or mice become large, or other things." She waved it off. "Bottom line, big mice need clothes too. There are a lot of people who become things they weren't, so you can find clothes for just about anything. In the long term, it is a good idea to find a tailor that you trust and work closely with."

Trudy grabbed a shirt and thrust it at Daisy. "Try this on! I think it'll match your eyes delightfully." The other mice nodded at that, and Daisy took the shirt, putting it on. She turned and showed off the outfit. It was a simple blouse and skirt. She was surprised that it fit her so well.

In the mouse style, it accentuated nothing, in terms of her shape, but it, somehow, did draw attention to her eyes. "Huh. Not awful." She placed the shirt on the counter, with a few coins to pay for it. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not shamed of how I'm shaped. Is it bad?"

"It's not bad, it's wonderful!" Trudy said with a laugh, and the other mice nodded at that. "But, we're not trying to shame you. We're trying to teach you what it's like to be a mouse woman."

Brittany clapped her hands quickly. "What you have is wonderful, but it's also private. We mice don't throw it out for every random person to ogle at. That's for extremely close friends and your family. It's not for just everyone."

Cindy nodded. "And, it'll make your life simpler. People won't be so fast to harass you if you're not wearing something that flaunts everything."

Michael lifted his whiskers. "We heard, about how you were bothered. We're all so sorry about that. Men can be such fools sometimes. We want to help you."

Daisy felt a warmth in her chest, a feeling she couldn't quite define, but she thought it was a good thing. "I appreciate all of your efforts." She reached to ruffle their heads, but they danced away. "Oh, that was forward of me."

Trudy inclined her head. "That's a brood mouse thing."

Brittany nodded quickly. "Yes. Brood mice are very tactile with their family." She flashed a huge smile. "Daisy thinks of us as family."

As one, all four mice gave an emphatic aw of appreciation. "You're a good girl." They said, and they all rushed in for a group hug.

Daisy wasn't quite sure what had happened, but she didn't mind it at all. She returned the hug, feeling fluttery about it. "It's, um. This is nice." She was quiet a moment before she dared to move. "Got some clothes, let's move on."

They did just that, and they wandered off to a nearby park, to sit under the shade of the trees. Daisy was quiet, but comfortable. "So, what's the deal with mice and men?"

Michael lifted a large ear. "Do you mean, um, having a family?"

Trudy burst into titters. "If you like a human, then why not? I'd tell you to raise them like a mouse, but you're still learning how to do that for yourself." She offered Daisy a cup of juice, and Daisy took the cup gratefully. "But, really, you could love anyone." She winked. "But we want to see our new sister have a mouse man in her life."

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Daisy flushed.

Brittany elbowed Trudy. "Don't listen to her! You have to follow your heart. Also, don't mean to be rude, but you are a brood. Even if you plan to be monogamous, I'd be shocked if you pulled it off."

The others laughed.

Cindy waved that away. "She can try. She can certainly try. That's all that counts, really, is trying. We're not going to stop her if she wants that." Cindy turned to look at Daisy. "But you have to know what you are, as well. You are a mother of mice." She spread her hands out over the group. "You're doing things celibate, I hear, good idea. Once you start down that path, brood mice fall in easily. They're made to breed and birth, after all."

Daisy's ears flushed. "Is that a bad thing?"

Michael shook his head. "Absolutely not. It's a wonderful thing. You can be a wonderful mother." Michael sighed gently, rocking in place. "But brood mice think about their litters, multiple, not any one child. It's all about the big, um, family." He fidgeted in place. "We'd be happy with just one or two."

Trudy nodded to that, and she took his hands. "We'd be very happy with that. You're a very good man, and I'm sure you'll be a great father." The other girls awwwed at that, and Trudy blushed. "I'm not saying that to, gosh!" She turned away from Michael, her color growing worse. "Just, Daisy, please, we're trying to help you. We want to see you succeed. We want to see you do well."

Daisy nodded slowly, and she looked at the group. "So, you want me to think about the future? Sure, of course. But you're also hinting I should stay celibate, forever, or being a brood mouse will 'win' over everything else."

Trudy nodded. "That's the size of it. If you decide that's not what you want, and you want to be a brood mouse, that's great. But you're not ready to be a brood mouse."

Cindy stood up and circled around Daisy, examining her from new angles. "If you do decide you want to be a brood mouse, come back to us. We'll keep you safe and secure. You'll have a home with us." She smiled warmly and leaned in. "And if you want to get busy, there are lots of us that would be happy to have you." Her eyes went wide. "Um, that sounded wrong."

Daisy crossed her arms. "I'm really not sure how I should take that. I thought I was getting to like you all, but you're getting a little creepy."

Trudy stepped in and swatted at Cindy. "Stop that!" She looked at Daisy. "She's just a little excited, and she's been a little lonely. We're not a harem."

Michael laughed tensely at the idea. "Besides, can't have one of those with me in it." He smiled with clear nervousness. "anyway, look, just enjoy the clothes. We're not trying to demand anything." He waved at the group. "We just want to help, and we're all a little awkward. We've not really had to help someone new like you, and we've all probably said a lot of dumb things."

Daisy sank down, nodding slowly. "Yeah. Yeah! I get that." She reached out, hand on Cindy's head. With on objection coming, Daisy ruffled gently. "I'm new to here, but I was even more awkward before, and I'll be more awkward later. Let's just put this behind us. Today's been a lovely day. I'm glad to meet all of you."

The group was quiet a moment, and then Trudy stood and bowed her head to Daisy. "Daisy, we want to officially welcome you into the local Mouse Society."

Daisy lifted a round ear at that. "That's an official thing?!"

Trudy nodded. "We're not a huge group. Mostly just social, and we try to keep in touch, but yes." She looked over the others, and the rest of the mice agreed with her. "Daisy, we invite you to join the local Mouse Society."

Daisy considered a moment even as she stood up. "Sure. I'd love to talk with you all. I'll be at the school, learning magic, but you're all welcome to stop by whenever."

They exchanged hugs, and then they departed. Daisy headed back home, arms full of clothing. She had a lot to learn, but she was starting to get a handle on it.