They split up

It was a ten minute walk to town; the college was well-placed. Emily tried to walk faster, but she was limited by Steph skipping along beside her. Literally skipping, insistently holding onto Emily’s hand and being far too active as she led the way.

Which unfortunately left Emily with just one hand to keep pushing her skirt down, a task made harder by Steph’s up-and-down skipping.

She tried not to think about just how much she could feel the air. The breeze was gentle, but it was cool against parts of her thighs and stomach that were never normally exposed to it, and if her skirt flared high enough, against spots even more intimate than that.

“So, er, how far to the shops?” Emily said, a little unsteady.

“Not far now,” Steph said breezily. “Hey, I need a supply run for snacks, mind if we take a detour before we get to clothes shopping?”

“Um,” Emily said. “How about you just point me in the right direction, and we meet up after?”

Steph paused, looking sideways contemplatively. Emily didn’t have any time to wonder why Steph seemed so conflicted by that possibility because a step later her corset slipped.

Emily yelped, quickly lifting her free hand up to push her breasts back into her top, going beet red. As soon as she had, and adjusted her top, her hand shot back down to pat her skirt lower. She missed the smile crossing Steph’s face.

“Sure,” Steph said reluctantly, “Looks like you could do with a change.”

“Y-yeah,” Emily said.

She stared down at the street as they kept walking, unwilling to make eye contact with anyone they passed. So long as she focused on keeping her skirt down and tried to forget what slipped into view, she could do this.

After a few more minutes, they finally reached the shops. Emily quickly looked around.

At least this place wasn’t a surprise. A road down the middle, the sidewalk, a line of shops that led down to an adjacent street… There was a bank there, a few cafes, bookshops, general stores, the kinds of things she’d expect. Though she couldn’t see a place that sold clothes.

“Okay, this is my stop,” Steph said as they passed a shop. “Take that right, it’ll be on the left side of the street.”

“Thanks,” Emily said. “Meet up by, ooh, that statue in an hour?”

“Sounds good!” Steph said. “See you then.”

Hopefully with an actual outfit. Emily nodded, and quickened her pace away, finally able to move as quickly as she wanted to.

Steph said this way. Emily hurried down a thinner alley, then out onto another street, looking around. So down here…

She moved cautiously, keeping an eye on all the buildings she passed. Her one worry was that she’d be unlucky enough to find that there was a shop that exclusively sold Steph’s taste in clothes, though she felt that was unlikely. At least she prayed it was.

“Excuse me miss, are you lost?” a stranger passed her. Emily flushed just from someone talking to her while she was wearing this.

“N-no,” Emily said quickly. She hesitated. “Wait, er, I don’t suppose you know a place they sell clothes? I’m new here.”

“Oh, you want clothes?” he said, eyes giving her a once-over. “I don’t think someone as lovely as you needs them.”

“I, er, well, er,” Emily took a slow step back. “Never mind.”

“Just a suggestion,” he said quickly. Apparently he actually cared she was uncomfortable. “I guess if you’re really going through with it, head down that way. It’s just past the Starbucks.”

“Thanks,” Emily said.

She took a careful few steps back, and as soon as he’d turned away, started moving faster again.

There! Finally she saw a store with mannequins in the window. Admittedly one was of a downright skimpy string bikini, but there had to be actual clothes somewhere in there.

She crossed the threshold, eagerly looking around. It was a decent-sized place, there had to be something in here, and once she had a wardrobe she was comfortable with she could finally start enjoying herself.

Unnoticed by her, a shop assistant spotted her and pulled out their phone.

“Hello?” Steph said, on her mobile. “Oh! She’s just gotten there? Thanks for letting me know. You got the message from Leo?”

After a few seconds more she smiled, and hung up, wandering aimlessly. She still looked at her phone, and pulled up the app that would loosen the magnet holding Emily’s skirt together.

There was no way her corset would last much longer, if it was even holding together now. Which meant as soon as she sent a message…

Steph whistled to herself, still wandering. When should she do it? Maybe she should wait for a message, but damn it, she was always a bit impulsive.

A little longer waiting…

Eventually she sighed, glanced at her phone together, and shrugged. To hell with it. She tapped the screen, and wished she could see the look on Emily’s face when she realized her skirt would now be struggling to cover even the little it already did.