Taz was dismayed when she saw Belle's face fall at her request. She hadn't considered all of these issues but brightened up considerably when she talked about working her way up the ladder to be a roady. She was beaming at Belle.<br/><br/>"Oh yes, please! That would be fantastic! I'll do anything, I'll scrub anything, carry anything." she found herself practically bouncing in her chair with excitement. The idea of traveling and seeing places was beyond exciting, and if that meant working her hiney off to do it, she was game. She knew she was smart and would do well given a chance. A chance to get off the streets, to finally feel safe, maybe get her GED even? Nah, that was unlikely. Just getting a bed and roof not made of cardboard was great. She kept day dreaming as she cleaned up, putting what could be put away in the dishwasher and hand-washing the rest. She had read that kitchen knives should not be put in the dishwasher and so, a lot more carefully now, she washed the knives, dried them, and put them in the block.<br/><br/>Belle's offer of clothes surprised her. At first her pride reared its head but was quickly tamped down by pragmatism. She did need clothes, badly and she resolved to work extra hard for Belle to earn them. But the question that came next before she could even say thank you surprised her. Her preference? Could she tell Belle that dressing like a tough little punk was a defense mechanism? She didn't really know what clothes she actually liked. She didn't think she'd worn a skirt since she was a toddler, even when she lived with her mother until two years ago, she had always dressed in a way which made her look unapproachable, rough, and combative. Feminine clothing neither belonged where she lived, nor where her mother lived. She wasn't even sure she'd like it, not that she had ever given it any thought. "Belle, that's super nice of you, but I just get stuff from the Salvation Army and GoodWill, it's super cheap and quite good there." She looked at her, "look, I can't go walking around in new clothes. It'll be noticed and that's not safe for me." ....<i>or you,</i>she thought,<i>especially you.</i><br/><br/>After she got dressed and left, Taz walked to the bus stop which was almost half a  three-quarter mile away. Busses didn't come to these kinds of neighborhoods. Belle had said she enjoyed looking at her naked body, called herself a dyke. Taz knew Belle was a lesbian, hell, she was one too. Wasn't she? She was pretty damned inexperienced when it came to sex. She knew she was more attracted to women, and had on more than one occasion fantasized about having sex with one of the nurses at the health clinic where she got sanitary items, but she hadn't ever dared make a pass at her.<br/><br/>That night, Taz dreamt of Belle undressing her and looking at her naked body, touching her. When she awoke reluctantly from the dream she realized that the arousal she had felt in the dream was mirrored by her body in reality. She squirmed trying to relieve the pressure she was feeling, and tried to go back to sleep, but it was early morning and the camp was waking up.