Sitting in the busy waiting area I swipe through the cheap tablet in my hands. Gripping the flimsy plastic casing I try to find what I was looking for, the menus seeming to fight me as they lead my path down towards more expensive and personalized options.
Each time I reach an item I'm forced to back out with a sigh, my eyes going wide as I see the prices that some of the individual pieces could go for these days. The Swap Clinic had always been expensive, unless you had something of value to give up, but these days the prices seemed to be almost unobtainable.
It had been what led everyone else in the waiting room here, or at least it's what I had to assume, people selling off traits in the inflated trait market for quick and easy cash. This normally required a partner to swap with, someone eager to purchase that trait with the Swap Clinic as a middle-man. However, with the hot market and buyers becoming fewer and further between the Clinic had started a new system.
My eyes light up as I find what I'm looking for, a grin spreading across my lips as I quickly select the option hidden deep within a maze of sub-menus
Body Bundles - 50% Off Sale
Out of fears of the market drying up, worrying about a price correction at best and an end to swaps entirely at worst, the Swap Clinic had started to buy and bank traits coming through their doors. Purchasing these traits themselves and taking a loss they would simply store these assets in their minimum wage staff, waiting for a wealthy buyer to come at some point down the track.
Over time however these trait banks soon began to grow full, what were once normal men and women becoming warped both physically and mentally. To combat this an organization system was put in place, attempting to keep people looking and acting relatively normal as they stored the Swap Clinics purchased traits.
Still, the rate at which these traits were going out simply didn't match the rate the traits were coming in. New staff would need to be hired, more money spent without any increase in outgoings. And what if the staff wanted to quit? The traits stored in them would need to be replaced.
In order to cull their back catalog a new system was invented, born from the trait matching system they had built to keep their employees appearing normal under these trying circumstances.
Body Bundles were simple a bulk collection of traits sold all together. Each was themed, largely based on what was on hand at the time, to create a certain aesthetic even if sometimes a little exaggerated. Both body and mind would be warped and reshaped into the idea behind the bundle, taking dozens of traits and applying them all at once for one discounted price according to the adverts.
These bundles were not cheap by any means, though could come down with a decent trade-in. Where the savings really came from were the sales. 10%, 25%, or even 50% off sales would occur on specific bundles a few times a year, the surplus of relevant traits requiring the Swap Clinic to disgorge them back into the public at large.
These sales weren't entirely a loss for the Swap Clinic though. Due to the hidden nature of what was in the bundles all manner of negative features could be added in. These traits were largely sold to the Swap Clinic, with the customer paying to be rid of a nasty habit or ugly feature. These would be carefully slipped into the bundles to 'add to the aesthetic', essentially leaving only profit on their acquisition.
I had been waiting for a while for one of these sales.
Since losing my job, and struggling to find a new one, the thought of trying something different and new had been all too intriguing. However, to actually purchase a new lease on life from the Swap Clinic piecemeal would have cost me an arm and a leg... literally.
These bundles were all I could hope for when it came to getting access to the clinic at a price I could afford, my stomach churning with anxiety at the thought of the limited options I would have in the end. It would be worth it though, worth it to try something new and to get out of the rut I seemed to be stuck in.
As I make my way onto the sale page my heart sinks, my eyes darting over the many grayed-out options on the page. Dozens of bundles all appear to be sold out or simply not a part of any sale, the little red button beneath the title being entirely un-selectable.
Swiping through the pages I glance over each one, my mind wandering as I wonder whether they had simply sold out of the bundle. While not common it could happen, the Swap Clinic running out of a key trait that made up the core of the aesthetic in the bundle itself.
Just as I'm about to give up I see one, the bright red 'Add to Cart' option acting as a beacon to me. Before pressing it I snap out of my stupor, realizing how wrong I had been going about it all. Turning to the top of the page I sort by 'In-Stock' and watch as the same item remains the only one not grayed out and available for purchase.
My heart races in my chest, my eyes darting to the sides as though to check if someone was watching as I press add to cart for...
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