Anybodys burst through the doors of the plant shop that went by the name of Mushnik's Skid Row Florists, finding it to thankfully not be quite as stiflingly cramped and small as Doc's drugstore and the all dolled-up and pretty woman who was now looking up from her magazine at her from a table in front of the counter to be a potential issue. If she's anything like Ice and Riff's girls, thinkin' she's better than me for bein' all lady-like, we're gonna have us a problem. She very hesitatingly let her guard down slightly as an expression that appeared to be friendly crossed her face and she approached and stood in front of her, even her sashaying movements a champion and winner of the revolting principles and accompanying bodily aspects of femininity that had been forced upon Anybodys all her life in spite of her tireless efforts to escape them. "Welcome to Mushnik's Skid Row Flori-" Anybodys didn't manage to catch the rest of her message over how exactly she was delivering it to her.
God DAMN who told her to make like a tea kettle and whistle for 'em? And why is she still doin' it?! She tuned back in to the woman's voice as she looked at her with concern. "-sir? Is everything okay?" S-she thinks I'm a guy!... I bet I can keep this good thing goin' as long as I'm workin' here- Her euphoric thoughts scattered as a door at the opposite end of the shop opened and an older man with envy-inducing broad and masculine eyebrows and facial hair and shoulders and... pretty much everything else about him, that he had been lucky enough to be blessed with while others such as Anybodys and women in general weren't for some reason... walked through it, prompting both of them to face him. He looked Anybodys up and down for a moment, pausing for a bit too long in certain areas, and she only managed to stop herself from making him regret that choice and begrudgingly force herself to listen to him after remembering that doing otherwise could cause the woman to question her initial evaluation of her as a man.
"Ah, a customer! I was about to discount the possibility of any of you ever again gracing my shop with your presence..." He lowered his voice to an almost inaudible growl. "It's almost like the boy's haunting the place like he always did..." Without missing a beat, his voice took once again took on that note of almost mocking cheeriness. "Anyway, what can we do for you today, ma'am?" ...SHIT she knows now AND I don't look like a guy... I won't ever look like a guy... Despite her devastation, she managed to get her wits about her enough to respond after several seconds, desperately avoiding the woman's briefly confused and then understanding gaze. "...Actually, I'm here about the ad ya put in the paper. Says yer lookin' fer a floral arranger and ya have a room ta rent. I'm real good with delicate work like that, and I've been tryna find a place ta stay... Whad'ya say?" Why did it have ta be somethin' as girly as floral arranger... The man pondered this for a moment before making his way over to her with a large gait, causing the woman to quickly get out of his way, and once again addressing her.
"...Tell me, kid, have you ever used a knife for anything other than its intended purpose?" Confused and proud of the fear that she had once inspired in Action by 'borrowing' his pocket knife and wielding it against him after he had dared to insinuate that she wished to get into bed with him, Anybodys thought for a moment before responding. "Well, if a fight started and won counts, then I sure as hell have!" Joy coursed through her as the woman looked at her in shock and amazement. "...Wait, really?" The man had the audacity to interrupt Anybodys' unfortunately short lived attempt to regale her with the tale of her gloriously virile triumph. "That's close enough. As long as you don't..." He mimed running a knife along his wrist while doing the sound of the cutthroat gesture. "You'll be less of a liability to my business and sanity than the zhlob who came before you." His hand harshly made contact with her shoulder for approximately one second before she managed to back up and away from it, which he seemingly didn't notice or at least didn't care about. "Welcome aboard-"
He paused for a moment, looking angrily over her shoulder, before looking at the woman. "James, show her to her room, I've gotta..." The man trailed off as he stalked towards and out of the shop's front door, and Anybodys turned around to see him yelling at a group of three teenagers... who were around the age of most of the Jets before the gang had fallen apart by the look of them... about something to do with loitering, as far as she could tell from his muffled cries. James, who was apparently fortunate enough to have been given a male name even if she hadn't been quite as lucky with what gender she ended up as in the first place, redirected her gaze from the commotion outside to Anybodys and addressed her. "...They're fine, don't worry, Mr. Mushnik just doesn't like them hanging out at the entrance for some reason... here, I'll show you your room." Anybodys followed her to the door that Mr. Mushnik had entered the store front through and down the steps that were on the other side of it, finding herself wondering amazedly if there were more plants in this relatively small basement than in the shop itself before James snapped her out of her contemplations by addressing her.
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to keep coming down here and taking care of Seymour's plants. I never knew him, but I'd hate to see them die, considering that as far as I know they're all that's left of him... oh, and I also go by Audrey, but I understand if you would rather stick with... James for me like he does." Confused, Anybodys joined James... Audrey? on Seymour's... now her... bed. "...Yeah that's fine, but why don'tcha wanna go by James?... You know it's a guy name right?" Briefly, pain flashed through her eyes before she lowered them to her lap. "...Yes, I know that I should be going by that name only, and I really will understand if you use it instead, it's just that... my friends, mostly the girls, who Mr. Mushnik has hopefully stopped berating by now... use Audrey for me." Anybodys cocked her head at her in confusion. "...Wait... why 'should' you be usin' the name James, 'sides the obvious that lettin' ya have a guy name is the next best yer folks can do for ya afta makin' ya a guy in the first place?" Audrey gave her a puzzled look for a brief moment before once again looking at her lap, her voice taking on an even heavier note of melancholy despite her shy smile.
"...Oh, I'm not really a woman, I just... want to be one-I know that's awful, but I can't help it." ...She... WHAT?... someone lucky enough to be born a guy wantin' ta be a girl? When all of us would give both our legs for a third one? Audrey dragged her out of her astonished reflections by addressing her. "...I'm sorry, I should've asked earlier, what's your name?" After several seconds, Anybodys managed to wrap her mind, still reeling from the sheer impossibility of Audrey's earlier divulgence, around this question. "...Anybodys..." She remembered to clarify after Audrey appeared to be perplexed by this, feeling some pride in the origins of her chosen name peaking through her bewilderment... as well as longing for the days when she had been blissfully unaware of the fact that they were a lie. "'Cause my ma ain't never known who my old man was, not that I needed 'er to! He woulda just held me back." Instead of once again giving her that awed look that she now craved, Audrey reacted with... pity?! At least she thought better of putting her hand on her like the boss had done...
"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have had to go through that. Are you... okay now?-As okay as you can be after something like that, of course." ...Shit now she thinks I'm some kinda stupid pansy... Anybodys managed to crack a confident smile and puff her chest out despite her embarrassment. "Oh yeah, I can take care of myself just fine, plus any loony who was dropped on 'is head as a kid enough ta think that gettin' in my way sounds like a wise idea!" And there was that intoxicating amazed look. "...So... what happened in that fight you said you were in?" Anybodys gleefully sprung to her feet, spreading her hands so that they were to the sides of and slightly in front of her shoulders and her palms were facing Audrey in order to fully encapsulate the macho epicness of her conquest that day. "Well..."