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It had been two days since they arrived at Helga's home. Two days where Jewel had been hiding with Alex, the wolf clinging close to her and afraid to leave for fear of seeing Phyllis. Helga didn't press them to leave, and Jewel had only left once to grab her laptop so she could work on her paper. Both because she needed to work on it, and needed the distraction from all of this insanity.

For most of the time, three furs are in the house. Jewel and Alex, often near each other, and Rebecca, making her way through the house doing chores and offering to cook meals. The pitbull got Alex's attention enough to learn some real cooking from the wolf, giving Jewel a breath of fresh air in the meantime. As guilty as she felt for thinking it, she couldn't stay inside with Alex like this all the time. They had to face reality eventually.

Or at least the outside.

"I'm home." Amethyst calls out midafternoon as she walks in the door. Not knowing the vole's class schedule, Jewel assumed her former...were they former friends anymore? Shaking her head, she closed her laptop and headed over to her.

"Hey, Amy, do you have a minute?" She asks. The vole blinks with curiosity, but nods anyway, "Great..." Jewel looks to the direction of the kitchen, then whispers, "Somewhere private?"

"Yeah, sure," She says with a whisper before shouting, "Rebecca, I'm taking Jewel to the basement for research on her paper. Please don't interrupt us."

"Ok!" The pitbull called back, "Alex is volunteering to cook tonight. But she says we're missing a few things. Can you go shopping for them later?"

"Just give me a list." She said, letting Jewel follow her down the staircase into the semi-furnished basement. Like Phyllis's dungeon, the basement had been decorated in bondage furniture, hanging straps, and walls filled with toys, paddles, and other implements hooked against it. Stepping onto the gym padded flooring, Jewel surprised herself at how mundane it all seemed to her now. The smell of the leather all around her didn't even phase her, not after a week of interviews in one.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Amethyst asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

Jewel ran her fingertips across the cold edge of a bondage horse, so much like the one Phyllis tied her to and almost tazed her on. That memory didn't fill her with chills, no matter how much she believed it should. Maybe because Alex saved her in it, breaking from her own restraints to wrestle the psychotic mink she'd been subservient to for so long. "It's about Alex," she said, "She's been..." The badger paused, trying to find the most comfortable set of words to say.

"The basement is soundproof." Amethyst said, "Feel free to speak your mind."

Sighing, the badger leaned against the metal support beam in the middle of the room. Its cold surface against her spine as she slumped down, "She's so afraid and it's suffocating. I know that's so shitty for me to say, but it's true. I want to help her, to get her through this, but I can barely breathe and it's just not healthy for her to stay cooped up here."

Amethyst didn't give her a look of contempt or judgment. With empathy in those indigo eyes, she kneeled down to the badger, "Yeah, we've noticed she's been rather clingy. It's why Rebecca was happy to get cooking lessons from her."

"Wait, what?"

Amy nodded, "You heard me." She said, turning her head upwards to the kitchen, "Rebecca said she'd try to help Alex come out of her shell. We still don't have any board games so she figured she could try some cooking and get Alex's opinion. Turns out, Alex knows how to cook better than any of us."

With how Alex had been a servant under Phyllis, it wasn't hard to see why. Still, Jewel blinked at the realization that Amethyst and company hadn't been leaving them alone as she originally thought. They'd been slowly trying to help Alex adapt. "Thank you, really." She said, cradling her own arm as she hugged herself, "Has...has your mother contacted you about a court date or anything?"

"No," Amy said, shaking her head, "Helga has actually been making the first moves on that, seeing what she can do on the offensive rather than wait to get sued. Something about Phyllis really riled her up."

Recounting how much time she'd spent with Phyllis, Jewel couldn't help but nod along, "Yeah, yeah I can't blame her. So anyway," she said, putting her hands together, "About that thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Amy asked.

"Ok it's a lot of things but this is the most important one," Jewel pointed her clasped hands to the vole, "Can you accompany me and Alex to the mall?"

Amy quirked her brow, staring down Jewel enough to make the badger feel all the smaller under her guise. As though the question wasn't worth asking. "Sure? I'd have to make a call, but why now?"

Exhaling her tension, looked over to her friend and said, "Well, Alex...I think suffers from gender dysphoria and-"

"Jewel, she's a herm. She has both genders."

She shook her head, "It doesn't matter if she has both, what matters is that people have told her to be male her entire life and I figured it's high time I fixed that. So I want to take her shopping for some clothes. I just don't think she's willing to leave the house with just me, even as clingy as she is. So maybe you could come along?"

"And how are you going to pay for her clothes?" Amy asked, "You're not planning on just buying her an entire wardrobe are you?"

"I..." Jewel twiddled her fingers, "I have savings...I'm not really using them."

"Not now you aren't."

"If I can't use them to help someone I care about, then what's the point?"

"Just seems like a lot. I like the idea, but I don't know if you can afford-"

"She's never worn a skirt!" Jewel shouted, taking a step to her friend, "She's never been allowed to dress up like a girl, to do her hair nice or wear pretty colors. I know this concept of femininity can be insulting sometimes, but she's never gotten the chance to embrace it. After, I don't know how long she's been under Phyllis's command, but after that, she deserves two fucking closets worth of skirts and I want her to know that she's never going back to having people force her to be what she is. It's her decision, I just want to give her the chance to make one."

Taking a moment to breathe, she felt a wave of relief hit her. She'd been holding that in for too long, and she really shouldn't have needed to. She just wanted to give Alex a nice 'girls day out' like she'd seen in so many shows before. Not that she'd ever had one herself. Never had a friend group to go around the mall with and waste money on clothes when she had her shows to watch. Come to think of it, even when Amy and Jewel were close, they didn't really do much beyond hanging out and watch anime.

"Well we might as well take my car," Amethyst said, "I need to fill it up soon anyway, so this gives me an excuse." Heading back the steps, she turned to the frozen badger and smiled. "What? You think I'm gonna say no to help a friend? I just wanted to make sure you weren't expecting me to pay for a bunch of clothes. 'Sides, I know a cheap place in the mall we can use."

Smiling back, the badger followed her up the stairs. Now for the hard part: convincing Alex.

She and Rebecca were found watching a youtube cooking video, with Alex verifying how accurate each statement was or pondering if she could try that herself. The wolf smiled as they entered, tail wagging with each step closer Jewel came to her. Swallowing her worries, Jewel said, "Alex, I've been thinking. We've been inside for a while now, and I imagine you're feeling cooped up-"

"Not really," Alex interrupted, "I'm used to it." She answered with no hint of sorry. Jewel held her tongue for a moment, trying best to figure out how she needed to word the rest of this sentence.

Amethyst did it for her, "Well, we were thinking it would be nice to take you out today. We can't just have you stay in the same clothes for another day right? I know a great place for those with a budget. It's where I grabbed most of my punk clothes for the first time."

"I thought you got them at Hot Topic?" Jewel asked with a raised brow.

"Hot Topic doesn't really sell punk attitude anymore. Mainly counterculture stuff, which translates to corporate brand names in 'outrageous' color." The vole explained, "Honestly, nothing annoys me more when someone older than me calls me Hot Topic. Just shows how dated they are."

"Is that a good idea?" Alex asked, "I mean..." the wolf squeezed her fingers, "Phyllis is still out there. She found me before, right? What's to stop her from finding me at a mall. It'd be safer to just-"

The pitbull rested her hand against Alex's shoulder. Smiling, Rebecca said, "We'll be with you. I might be a pacifist, but I'll make an exception if she tries to touch you."

Alex's ears drooped, "Don't you need your Mistress's approval?"

Rebecca blinked, then turned to Amethyst, "Mistress, can I go?"

"You may."

"You gonna ask Mama?"

Pulling out her phone, Amethyst tapped Helga's contact information. "Hey, me and the girls wanted to take out Alex for clothes. That ok? Uh huh. Yeah. Ok, sure you can hang out with your friends tonight, just don't drink too much." She frowned and sighed, "Mama, I know two beers isn't enough to make you drive drunk, it's just...uh huh..." crossing her arm, she leaned into the call, "Mmhmm," she hummed dryly as the call continued on, "Eat something just in case then. We good? Ok, love you." Hanging up, she smiled back to the rest of them, "Well, let's get going. I'll drive."

Alex frowned, blinking slowly after that exchange, "Did...did she ask you permission for something?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"But...you're her slave."

With a grin, Amethyst shrugged, "It goes both ways, Alex. That's how relationships work."

***

Jewel hadn't been to the mall since...well ever. She knew it existed, but it never really had any shops that grew her interest. Most stuff she liked the badger had ordered online. Staring at the wide area for the first time, the first thing that crossed her mind was why there were so many clothing stores. Looking at the map, even the second floor had been littered with them, from brands like Hot Topic, Forever 21, etc, but barely any hobby shops. Not even a tabletop gaming shop. Maybe at some other mall.

Alex clasped her hand tight, shoulders hunched as the four of them headed into the mall. The wolf wore baggy workout clothes meant for Helga, saying that she'd look too familiar with the clothes she arrived in. It gave her the appearance of a social misfit, which to be fair, she was. It didn't help that she stood with two girls in wildly different skirts and another in jeans. Looking over her group, Jewel almost found herself smirking at how ridiculously different they all seemed. How a punk, an anime nerd, a gym brat, and a basement dweller all decided to hang together must have been a story on any passerby's mind.

Judging from the lack of turned heads, no one cared. That came as a relief to Jewel, more for Alex's sake. "So, where's this cheap shop?" she asked Amy. The vole, eyes locked into her phone, looked up, and pointed up. Alex watched the other mallgoers as they moved along, keeping a shifty eye out and pulling over her hood. "You know, my mom used to say that the hood makes you look more obvious." She said, smiling to ease the tension.

The wolf's frown proved otherwise.

The store in question was called 'The Cellar' and covered in bargain or half-off signs for what had to be a 'going out of business' sale. Alex shifted her head around as they entered, mesmerized by all the different options available. She stared over to the skirts, but looked away when asked about them. Jewel turned to Amethyst, having no idea how to do any of this.

"I think this would look great on you," The vole said, pulling out a jean skirt from the rack. Alex said nothing, her grip growing tighter.

"This...this was a bad idea," the wolf whispered, "These aren't me. I can't pull them off."

"What's your favorite color?" Jewel asked, looking around the room for anything that might fit her answer.

"Green..." Alex said nervously, "Light green, but it doesn't matter, we should just go."

Jewel found a skirt that fit, a light green mini skirt with a pink floral design. With it in hand, she turned to the wolf, "You should try this on."

Alex looked at the article of clothing, then back to Jewel. She shook her head, "No, I can't pull it off."

"Yes, you can," She said, "And if it doesn't fit, we'll find one your size. Help me help you, Alex. I can't force this on you, and I would never want to, but you can't spend your life afraid."

The wolf looked over to Amy and Rebecca, who nodded or gave looks of encouragement. Her frown didn't waiver, making Jewel's heart tight as Alex scanned the store. Had this been a mistake? She mentally slapped herself, of course it was. No one little shopping trip could undo years of trauma. But that wasn't what she was hoping to do, at least not remove all the years of it.

Taking a knee-length purple skirt off the wall, Alex blushed and said, "I'd like to try this one first..." She stopped talking, mouthing out permission on instinct. Smiling, Jewel nodded and took the skirt, "That's no problem." She said.

After a few more skirts, and some tops, Jewel and Alex headed to the dressing rooms. Amy and Rebecca decided to check out some more options, leaving the two alone at the door of an empty stall. "Just try them on and show me." The badger said, handing them over.

Twiddling her fingers, Alex looked down the hall and asked in a whisper, "Could you come inside with me? I mean...you've already seen me naked so it's not like I'm hiding anything."

Jewel nodded, figuring it's best to let Alex have as much as she wanted. The stall wasn't made for two people, however, so Jewel had to suck in her gut and scoot by her friend to sit at the corner seat built into the wooden walls. Hanging the clothes on the hooks, Alex dressed down to her underwear and bra. Her hands shaking, she reached for the purple skirt, taking a heavy breath as she took it off and inspected it. Jewel held her tongue, not sure if Alex was just nervous or if she was nervous and didn't know how to wear a skirt.

"There's a lot of buttons on this." She said, slowly unbuttoning the garment. Wrapping it around her waist, the wolf took a heavy breath as she rebuttoned it, then pulled her arms away to stare into the mirror. Jewel noted the blank expression that reflected back and bit her lips.

The wolf whimpered. Tears formed in her ears while she covered her maw. Jewel stood up, "What's wrong?" She asked, unsure what she could even do.

"I'm..."

Jewel ran her responses in her head. She'd tell Alex she wasn't ugly, or too masculine for the skirt. Hug her and whisper that she was beautiful.

"I'm wearing a skirt..." The wolf sniffed, "Oh my god...I'm wearing an actual skirt..." She tilted her head down into the reflection, wiggling her hips. A haggard laugh escaped her lips as tears fell to the flow, "It's so breezy...I'm worried my dick will flop out but...I'm not really scared."

She fell to her knees. A mix of happiness and despair overwhelmed her. Trying to speak, only slurred words escaped her lips. Throwing caution to the wind, Jewel hugged the crying wolf, whispering every practiced compliment into her ears.

"I'm not sad," She half-lied, "It's just...I can't stop crying. It's my first skirt, and it's dumb that I'm crying, but I can't stop." Alex sniffed, trying to rub her tears away, "It's stupid."

"It's not stupid," Jewel said, "And you look pretty in it."

"You're just saying that." Alex said, not entirely wrong but it didn't stop Jewel from throwing more compliments. She knew Alex needed to hear the encouragement, to be praised for who she wanted to be the first time in her life. The wolf didn't push her away, smiling back with a heavy blush in her reflection. "So...what should I try next?"

"Whatever you want, Alex."

***

Several outfits and a trip to a salon had Alex walking throughout the mall with a confident swagger that drew Jewel's attention to the wolf's tight bum. Gone were the baggy clothes she'd walked in, replaced by a green floral miniskirt, and cute pink top, with purple and white kneelength open paw socks. Her black headfur had been styled into a pixie cut with a blue butterfly hairclip, followed by light blue nail polish on her fingertips and toes. That precious smile made Jewel feel her own butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know someone could smile that wide and not look creepy.

She made a point to not look too much at her funds during the endeavor. While Amethyst had been helpful in picking out the cheapest options, it still took a toll on the badger's savings. Enough that the vole took over for some clothes and their food, neither willing to tell the wolf to slow down in her enjoyment. Rebecca, on the other hand, joined in Alex's fun. The pitbull walking out of the salon with black highlights in her red hair and a focus on red nail polish. Jewel had a feeling that if they'd found any obviously punkish clothing, Rebecca would have worn them in spades to mirror Amethyst. She couldn't tell if her friend was embarrassed or charmed by it.

But most of all, as she sipped the chocolate shake in the foodcourt and laughed with the other girls, Jewel realized how much fun this entire day was. Growing up, she used to look down on this bratty mall life that people expected highschoolers to have. Focusing entirely on shallow looks and better ways to waste money that wasn't really theirs. She remembered joking about how 'thankful' she was at not being so braindead to enjoy shopping for shopping's sake.

But it wasn't about that. It was about hanging with people she cared about, even if they didn't buy anything at all. She certainly didn't, at least nothing for herself. Turning to Alex, she knew that the wolf's smiling face would be worth it all.

Alex wasn't smiling. The wolf stared off into space, ears straight up and eyes wide. Jewel and the rest of the girls turned to where Alex's nose pointed, her heart sinking at the sight. Even with her back turned, Jewel could tell Phyllis was there, the brown-furred mink enjoying a salad across the food court. Reaching for the wolf's hand, Jewel gripped tight, "We should go." She said, pulling Alex along.

She didn't budge.

"Alex, it's ok, we can-"

"No," The wolf responded, her voice almost cracked, "We...I need to face her." Her body shaking, the wolf stood up and marched her way over to the mink, leaving her bags at the table. Jewel followed after her, looking to her friends for any hope that they had a better plan. Their worried eyes confirmed her fear.

The wolf froze behind the mink, fists tight and tail between her legs. Swallowing her fear, she muttered out, "I-I'm not yours," loud enough to carry an echo throughout the food court. Heads turned amongst the commotion, eyes focusing in on the drama about to unfold between what, at a glance, looked like a mall brat telling off a stereotypical Karan.

"I'm not your boytoy. J-just because I have a dick doesn't mean I'm a boy. I..." She gulped down her fear and slammed her foot to the ground, "I'm done letting people like you decide which gender I am. It's my body, and I get to decide. Maybe I want to be both genders, cause I certainly have the tools required for each. But right now, I'm a girl and you can't-"

The mink turned, her confusion locking Alex midspeech. Jewel's own heart stopped, eyes widening when she saw that Phyllis wasn't Phyllis. It was just a mink that looked like her from behind. The wolf couldn't finish, her tongue-tied in shock and embarrassment as everyone now turned their attention to her.

Jewel grabbed her hand before she thought of anything, pulling Alex away from the crowd on reflex. How many people were recording this? Ready to publish this public embarrassment over the internet for meaningless likes or upvotes. She didn't stop running until they were outside of the mall, heart pumping in her ears and out of breath reminders that she needed to exercise more.

Paws sweaty, Alex slipped through her grasp when they stopped. The wolf slumped against the concrete wall of the mall, hiding her face in her paws and muttering how stupid she was.

"I can't believe I thought it was her," She said, "Just...I just thought that I could face her. Every step felt like another chain but I had to do it. I had to fucking tell that...that monster...that I'm not just some cock."

The badger sat next to her, "It's ok-"

"No, it's not!" Alex screamed, "It's not ok! You and your friends take me out, treat me to new clothes and a makeover, treat me like I'm a normal girl instead of some freak with both genitals. And how do I repay you? By embarrassing you, your friends, and that lady all because I think it's her. All because I needed to finally stand up to her." Hugging her legs, Alex buried her face into her knees, "I was so caught up in the maybe, I didn't take two seconds to realize it wasn't her. I'm such an idiot."

"You're not an idiot."

"What I did back there says otherwise," She sniffed, "Who was I kidding? They probably think I'm just some dude in drag. I should just go back to guy clothes."

A more socially conscious person would know what to say. All Jewel had to back herself up for these social situations was countless hours of anime. None of which were really appropriate for this. Without a word, Jewel leaned against Alex, resting on her androgynous frame.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice cracking.

"Being here, with you." Jewel said, "I...I wish I knew the magic words to solve this problem. That one rousing speech that could move you forward and make you brave or something. But I don't, and searching for it might cause more harm than good. I just..." Cool air blew through her rainbow dyed headfur, "I just want you to know that I am here for you, for as long as you need me to be."

She didn't answer back. Instead, she rested against Jewel, letting time pass them by on the outer wall of the mall. Amethyst and Rebecca came out from the door, carrying all their bags. Both were worried, but the vole smiled when she saw the two of them nestled against each other.

"For what it's worth," Amethyst said, "The lady did accept your apology, from us anyway." She explained, handing her bags to the pitbull and pulling out her phone, "Also, my mom called. Alex, she'd like to speak with you personally so she can build a case. Mama told her everything you told us."

Taking a heavy breath, Alex gripped Jewel's fingers tight and said, "F-Fine...on one condition. I want to deliver the note or whatever the fucking file is about the court date in person. I want to see that bitch's face then."