Conversation · Leopard-patterned bodysuit

This is a men's size L leopard-patterned unitard with short sleeves. There are bits of seaweed stuck to it. It speaks to the animal inside you.

Actually, this is a leotard, not a unitard. Unitards have legs.

Who cares, it's a tard-suit either way.

Slow and steady, boy. You know how to handle this.

Drop it now! This thing will eat you.

What should I... do with it?! (Continue.)

Run, you idiot!

There's only one thing left to do -- see how it fits.

Just know that once the leotard goes on, it never comes off. You will change, irrevocably.

But don't you want to feel different? It can be a secret that only you know.

Not worth the risk. [Discard item.]

You crumple the leotard up into a small ball and place it discreetly in the corner. It's someone else's problem now.

Try it on -- but only for a moment.

You slip from your briefs into the leotard. It's very tight. You've never been cradled so firmly before.

Putting on the garment feels like stepping into a warm summer lake -- the silky warmth engulfs you.

Something else is in charge now.

Yes, this is the type of animal I want to be.

Your fingers run down your pectoral muscles, your abdominals, your hips -- it's impossible to tell where you end and the leopard begins.

The dried sea salt chafes against your soft flesh.

Again: once the leopard comes on, it's never ever coming off.

[Rip it off!]

You tear yourself free from the leotard and hurl the crumpled mass into the corner. It's someone else's problem now.

[Leave it on forever.]

It's wearing you now.

Get this thing off me!

It's on very tight. You might rip it if you take it off now.

Feel the material between your fingers.

Despite the time it's spent in the water, the garment itself is surprisingly silky. The leopard spots are slightly textured. The garment label says it's composed of 85% polyamide and 15% elastane.

There, along the inside shoulder seam, you see the words: No Truce (TM), made in Igaunija. This must be the brand.

Put it away. [Leave.]

Where did it come from?

The wind blows through rocks and reeds. Days spent in the saltwater have washed off any clues of its origin.

The Greidian Irbis -- or common snow leopard -- is native to the Ohota mountains in Graad. Weighing up to 85kg, it is the apex predator of its ecosystem, though extensive poaching and habitat destruction have reduced its range significantly in the last 40 years.

Wait, am I in danger?

Can't you feel the hairs on your arm and on the back of your neck standing up? Your heart rate's through the roof, your pupils are the size of marbles. This is irreversible peril!

Yeah, but why does it taste so sweet?