Lexi turned and met Trull’s eyes, sensing the woman’s excitement. She nodded eagerly.
“Let me get dressed, and we’ll go,” Lexi said, hurrying to the bathroom. After washing up, she headed back to the bedroom to rummage through her duffle bag. When Trull entered through a random door across the hall, Lexi jumped in surprise.
“Where the hell did you come from? Is that even part of my suite?”
Trull giggled softly. “Lexi, it’s your closet.”
“My what?”
“Your walk-in closet. Come, look.”
Lexi hurried over, hoping that Trull was playing some kind of joke on her. When she got to the doorway, Trull stepped aside, and Lexi saw rows upon rows of clothes, shoes, and bags, all displayed artfully in revolving racks.
“What do you want to wear?” Trull asked, gesturing at the gowns and heels. Lexi shook her head.
“I was just going to wear jeans. Unless there’s a dress code.”
“No.” Trull shook her head. Lexi liked Trull’s clothes … a simple, soft wraparound dress that tied at the waist. It looked very comfortable and had an understated style.
“Should I wear something like what you have on?”
“You can if you like, but it is generally staff that wear the simpler clothes,” Trull answered. “This is actually just a wrap.”
Trull lifted the skirt so Lexi could see Trull was wearing close-fitting slacks and a stretch tank underneath.
“I like the pants,” Lexi said. Trull raised a finger to signal she’d had an idea and dived into a nearby drawer.
“Here, try these,” Trull said, pulling out a pair of gray pants.
Lexi eyed them doubtfully. “I don’t think they’ll fit.”
“Try them on,” Trull said, grinning.
Lexi wriggled into the pants, liking the soft fabric but feeling slightly ridiculous. They were too big in some places and too small in others. It looked like there were a variety of pockets, but all of them were too small to fit anything in.
Lexi was about to congratulate Trull on a fine joke when the pants suddenly rustled as if they were alive. They tightened on her waist and hips, and the waistband adjusted itself. All the pockets lengthened and settled themselves into neat folds.
“What the fuck?” Lexi muttered.
Trull laughed. “Nova Aurora clothes have some very fun features,” Trull said. “These are all-weather pants. If it rains, they’ll turn waterproof. The fabric will thin out if it gets hot to keep you cool. The pockets will change shape depending on what you need to put in them. If the temperature drops, they fill out to keep you warm.”
“I have to say, this is super cool,” Lexi said, bending over to admire the pants.
“They’ll change shape on you too. They will never ride up your butt.”
“I’ll take ten pairs,” Lexi exclaimed. Both of them laughed heartily. It felt very good to have a friend. Even after only knowing her for a short time, she felt very close to Trull.
They got ready to leave, and Trull begged to wear Lexi’s jeans, just for the thrill of wearing something from Earth. Lexi opted for all Nova Aurora wear, a tight singlet of the same smart fabric, and a stylish jacket that would change shape according to the weather.
They took an aircar to the main street, and Lexi noticed Trull walking a little uncomfortably as they got out and headed up the sidewalk.
“Earth clothes not all they’re cracked up to be?” Lexi said, laughing.
“They actually do ride up the butt,” Trull said, adjusting the waistband for the tenth time. “I didn’t actually know what that meant … I thought it was a joke!”
“Clothes riding up is no joke,” Lexi said with a very straight face.
“I’m getting that,” Trull moaned. “The novelty has truly worn off. I can’t believe I have to adjust these damn things myself. How the hell do you Earth women survive?”