"However, once someone wears them they can communicate mentally with the wear" Matthew explains, walking up behind me as I fiddle with the suit between my fingers. I continue to rub the tanned tight and flexible material, marveling at it in silence as I slowly register what Matthew had said.
"So they can hear your thoughts?" I ask, tilting my head as I look down the line of shelves at the masses of Suits piled up within.
"No...well...maybe" Matthew explains with a bit of a befuddled expression. "It really depends on the brand. New Beginnings' Suits are more like a costume than anything else, with the morphic field keeping you yourself for when you want to...well...be you again. The suit will allow you to hear their thoughts, but you'll need to talk for them to be able to hear you."
I nod along, weaving around the corner of the shelf and leaving the tanned suit behind. I beginning to slowly pace around the store, gazing at the pure variety of Suits. It was amazing that there were so many, though this technology had been around for quite a while. It was certainly long enough for a backlog of Suits to have been made without owners.
"So...I'll still be me then? Inside I mean" I ask, clarifying what I was asking as I inspect the shelves.
"Ye...Actually...That's complicated" Matthew mutters, frowning as he tries to work out how to phrase things without scaring me off. "New Beginnings' Suit, absolutely...but...well there's no way of knowing what is a New Beginnings' Suit and an E-Z Suit with trying them on" he explains, chewing his bottom lip nervously.
"Those E-Z Suits...well...they aren't a costume. The longer they're worn the more they break down the person inside, converting them into a replica of the person they appear to be. On top of that, the longer the suit is worn the more the suit and wearer...blend? Is that the right word. The wearer starts to feel more like the suit had, though never to the point of becoming them completely" Matthew continues, quickly throwing in the last bit defensively in case he freaked me out. "This can even lead to a bit of...mental back and forth."
Matthew's eyes go wide as he realizes something. "By converting I mean you're still you! Any ailments or advanced aging the Suit had won't affect you...inside...You'll just be them at...well...your age while looking like...them at theirs" he stammers, trying to explain a complex subject in a manner that wouldn't scare me away or go over my head.
I pause mid-stride, turning to face the shorter man as my face grows pale. "So...if I get an E-Z Suit...what do I do to get out?" I ask, my heart rate picking up.
"Well...if you can get to an E-Z Suit office in time they can remove the suit, but otherwise you'll be stuck" he states, cocking his hip and placing a hand on it. "Trust me, delaying until...say...your vacation is over isn't a great option" Matthew states playfully before blushing, quickly returning to his more professional stance.
I swallow hard at the information, terrified of what could go wrong. Taking a deep breath I try to remind myself why I was doing this, the cozy position at my dream school. It was perfect, a cushy position behind the scenes helping with research and teaching along with a small apartment on campus at one of the finest institutions in the country. The only problem was this one condition, to help a Suit in need.
I continue my search up and down the aisles, inspecting Suit after Suit with my eyes and hand. I begin to notice a pattern rather quickly, my eyes scanning the room to confirm my suspicion.
"They're all so...similar" I mutter, voicing my realization. While the skin tones varied the suits all appeared practically the same, with rubbery unblemished skin and a fuzz of extremely fine hair on their head. The hair was so fine it was practically impossible to see their hair color aside from on the more pale complexions.
"That's right sir" Matthew chirps, returning to his salesman persona. "Tall or short, thick or thin, tattooed or clear skin they all turn out the same in the end. Though once they're on you'll see just how lively they can be"
"So...I have no clue who I'm..." I trail off, unable to bring myself to say the words.
"That's correct. In fact, you may not even look entirely like them" he states with a bit of a wince. "You're...rather tall...so the morphic field may have some issue fitting in some of the smaller Suits. On the flip side if your Suit was...larger than most, you might even lose a few pounds" he explains, trying to be as tactful as possible.
"So I may seem like a bit of a mix?" I ask, a little confused.
"No, no you'll be them just a little off to the untrained eye. If you're Suit is an E-Z Suit it'll fix itself in a few days" Matthew clarifies, smiling nervously as he looks down at himself for a brief moment.
"Fix...itself?" I mutter, unsure as to what he meant.
"Well...if you were...say...underweight or lacked your full...assets...you'd crave the calories necessary to match you to the Suit. On the other hand, if you need to lose mass you might sweat it out or..." he explains, trailing off as he looks for a distraction.
"Uh...so sir, have you seen a suit you like?" he chirps, hoping to move the topic onto something more positive in an effort to avoid scaring me off.
"Well...it's a blind pick right? I guess I'll take..." I mutter, trailing off as I begin to do laps up and down the shelves as I look over the samey Suits that line the aisles.
"This one I guess" I say with a grimace, reaching out and grabbing a...
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