As the one requesting the harness, Rebecca went in with some ideas about the design, but her understanding of the physics involved was limited. Part of her worried that Cafas would tell her the request was impossible and she would have suffered all that embarrassment for nothing. She was so glad the idea seemed doable, she was going to follow whatever instructions he gave her to make it happen.

For his part, Cafas was courteous enough to give her a quick warning before he started touching her. Rebecca tried to stay still unless he had to move a limb, hoping to be the perfect subject so the measurements were accurate. While he stretched tape along her shoulders and arms, Cafas started explaining his plans to make a safe, comfortable, functional harness. He thought it was best to incorporate her thighs, which was an idea she was open to exploring. ”As lang as Ah can still bend mah legs an’ kick, sure.”

The measuring process meant close proximity for a noticeably lengthy period of time. It was certainly enough time to realize Cafas had the scent men got after some hard work. Metal, smoke, and sweat. Rebecca was a fan of the pleasant scents of women, but there was something to be said of that hard-earned scent.

With the tape around her sensitive neck, Rebecca tried not to flinch, focusing on the groundwork for ring placement. ”Weel, Ah can help keep rings in place, sae ‘at shoodsnae be a problem.” She was not being measured for a dress; realistically, she would need dozens of small, precise measurements once they were further along in the process.

>> "I'm also thinking about your breasts,"

There was no answer to that, or at least not one Rebecca was finding. All she could do was stand there, slack jawed, trying not to instinctively cover herself with her arms. Eventually, his own words hit him, and Cafas clarified what he was thinking. He did not explain himself cleanly, but he was genuine enough for Rebecca to smile. ”Ah get it. Hm.” The redhead took a moment to think of her own breasts before replying. ”Ah think th’ leather coods frame them as either roonded triangles ur diamonds. If it’s placed richt, it shoods be fine and provide support. Some mair elaborate lingerie disnae e’en need cups by daeing at,” she explained before remembering that she was explaining something that may or may not have been in her closet. ”Ur sae Ah’ve heard.”

Okay, he could get himself together. He had to, for his own sake if nothing else. He was in a new situation under awkward circumstances. That didn't mean he needed to compound the issue by getting all nervous. Seriously, it was just Rebecca. Yes, she was hot. Yes, her swimsuit left little to the imagination. Just take a deep breath, and deal with it. He needed to take some awfully personal measurements, and they were only likely to get more so as the process went on into other phases. He wrestled with his brain for control.

This is going to be hard enough without you using up brainpower on gutter.

Not that the topic lent itself to that. Cafas ignored several thoughts that flew through, then jotted down "Cupless lingerie - Research" on the bottom of the notesheet. "Mhmm, so you've heard, well I'll look into it I guess. I'm about to have a real interesting search history." He figured that was going to involve some pretty interesting measurements to do properly too. He went back to measuring. "Touching." The waist measurement required him to take a knee in front of her. "The legs could hamper mobility, but I'll try to work something out. Touching." High hip, shuffling around to find an angle that wasn't too awkward. "I figure it'd take some of the strain off your muscles to keep them elevated in some positions. It will possibly let you use a seated position in the air too, take the pressure off your groin."

Cafas left a deliberate pause, then "Touching." Underarm to hip. He jotted that down, then added a line for shoulder to hip. He threw the leg measurements on as well. "So, this is probably going to require several fitting sessions as well. Gonna need to know what sorts of times and days are good for you at some point. Touching." He stood and took shoulder to hip. That was the last one he could think of that wasn't in some way going to be awkward.

I should probably warn her.

"Okay so, not that this has been super comfortable thus far, but these measurements are gonna be a little more personal. I just want to let you know these in advance. Gotta do over, under, and around your bust, your hips, thighs at the top and near the knee, in seam, outer seam, and because this is a harness, around your hip joint or whatever on both sides. Are you okay with that?" He wasn't sure if he was. He had to be though, he had to get some professional composure, not stick his foot in his mouth, and try to keep his brain in check, because if it was uncomfortable for him he didn't want to imagine what it was like for Rebecca, who was handling it so much better.

Graciously, Cafas did not question the familiarity with which Rebecca spoke about lingerie, but he did plan on looking up what she was talking about. It likely would have made things easier if she just brought an example for him to examine, but the thought of bringing her risqué lingerie to another woman’s boyfriend was a line Rebecca was not about to cross, regardless of the practical justifications for such a decision.

As expected, the process of creating the harness would be slow and would require several sessions just to plan out. Rebecca knew she would have to be patient waiting for the end result, and with the harness not being a top priority, she was not going to push Cafas to hurry.

With the complex, form-fitting nature of her request, Rebecca knew she would have to ignore her shame and embarrassment, because some of the required measurements were going to be intimate. She did her best to keep a neutral expression as Cafas listed off all the aspects of her body he would be measuring. ”Ah knew whit Ah was gettin’ intae,” she confirmed. Rebecca was comfortable with her body, taking some degree of pride in her hips, legs, and breasts. With some work and dedication, she had even become less self-conscious about her butt. If she was not presenting herself to Cafas, she would feel less awkward about the whole experience.

Bracing herself for an upcoming series of touches to sensitive locations, Rebecca focused on the mental schedule in her head. ”Weel, mah class an’ office hoors ur consistent an' easy tae plan aroond, an' mah recordin' schedule is flexible since Ah set it.” Rebecca put herself in a great position over the summer by recording a small cache of videos she could pull from in a pinch, giving her a few more weeks to be lax with recording sessions. ”We can wark something it after, y’know, all thes is done.” Rebecca was not exactly in the position to pull out her phone and check her calendar.

Well, it wasn't as explicit as he would have liked, but it was permission. With a little hesitation he started. "Arms up. Touching." He wrapped the tape around, and rather awkwardly had to do it from the front. It was important the tape wasn't so tight as to indent, and he really couldn't see that from the back. He kept his face neutral and bent all his focus on the job and the conversation. It was mostly effective. He wrote down the over bust and moved down. "Touching." He did his best not to interrupt her, and to just keep his eyes squarely on the tape. It was not the most comfortable part of his day to have to adjust its angle.

Why does this always insist on being the hardest measurement. Well, do you want the long answer or the short one?

Cafas glanced over Rebecca's attire and situation, and had to admit it probably was difficult for her to check her schedule like that. "Right, well it shouldn't take too long now." He finally got the tape properly aligned after a couple of false starts. "That's right, you do that viewtube stuff. How's that going? Gotta admit I mostly just use it for tutorials and music." He wrote down the measurement and flashed a look up just to show he was really interested. It was a medium he'd had very little experience with, and it was seemingly ever growing.

Suppose some of those interview requests when Dusk was releasing were for that. Maybe I shouldn't have dismissed them.

"Touching." Underbust. He figured if Rebecca was talking, they might both be a little more comfortable, or at least distracted from their discomfort. Boy did he have some of that going on. He scribbled the number and took a knee. "Touching" For the most part it had just been the tape touching, but it was a tight outfit she wanted, he couldn't really play fast and loose with the numbers. He just had to pick the least awkward location to hold the tape. In the case of hips, it was on the bone.

Huh, expected more fat, guess that's all squats. CAFAS!

"Uhm, could you spread your legs a bit for me? Please? Did the please make that more or less weird? I don't know, it felt rude not to..." He was at such an awkward height.

Despite her go ahead, Cafas seemed uncertain about proceeding with the intimate measurements, but in the end he sucked it up and got to work. They were professionals, and costume design was just another aspect of superhero professionalism. They were mature, responsible people who could handle the necessity of hands brushing against her chest. She would fight the urge to squirm at the sensation, because it would be unprofessional to be a fussy subject.

After some noticeable fumbling and trying to get his tape straight, all of which Rebecca tried to endure with a straight face, Cafas was finally getting his measurements. In a merciful move, he wanted to start up some conversation so they did not have to focus exclusively on the act of body measuring.

ViewTube was a great place to start because it was something Rebecca could talk about easily. Much of what she did on the platform involved talking at length about topics, so she had gotten rather good at the monologue as an artform. ”It’s gang well! Ah’ve had th’ chance tae develop a community ay th’ fowk who follow me. It’s fun tae hae fans involved an’ Ah get tae dae a wide variety ay content.” Vanessa was probably in a better spot for recognition and financial success with The POW Block Party, but Rebecca was still reveling in the fun of being the one in charge of what she was doing.

”Maybe ye shoods look intae it sometime, Old Media,” she teased, but the last word of her comment dissolved into giggling when he measured her underbust and brushed a particularly sensitive spot. Quickly regaining her composure, she tried to put on a serious face with minimal success. ”Sorry, wee bit ticklish, Ah guess.”

Cafas continued down her body, and Rebecca watched his progression, still feeling naked as her body was quite literally assessed. She offered a silent prayer of thanks for the workout program she stuck so diligently to, because the last thing she needed to deal with was the compulsion to justify the flat a** she had been so frustrated by once upon a time. She was not about to receive any calls to be a background dancer in a nineties hip hop video, but she could at least be proud that her silhouette had one more noticeable bump along the way.

Things were going surprisingly well, so it made sense when Cafas made a request to fix that. She could feel the burning in her ears, but she could handle such an odd request in stride because Cafas was making such an earnest attempt to be less weird as he was basically at hip level. Rebecca sighed and shuffled her feet so she was standing in a more open stance. ”Ye know, most people treat me tae dinner first afore a request loch ‘at,” she teased, trying to challenge the awkwardness by acknowledging it with humor.

It was funny to think of himself as Old Media. He was so new to what he did still that it didn't feel old to him, and yet he absolutely was. Traditional Media was more how they liked to think of it, but that was just splitting hairs really. Maybe he'd do a ViewTube thing with someone to see what it was all about. It was certainly not as profitable though. Not that he exactly needed any more money. It was just collecting. He needed to figure out what to do with it all.

>>”Ye know, most people treat me tae dinner first afore a request loch ‘at,”

Cafas laughed, but he could feel the blush redoubling in his ears and cheeks. It was silly, really it was. Why was it so much more difficult with Rebecca? The swimsuit certainly played in to it, but he'd taken the same measurements on people before. Well, most of them. He was certainly going to have one new one at least. "I thought about it, which I guess tells you how well my relationship with Calley was going at the end there. Touching." He started with the lower thigh measurements, reaching through Rebecca's legs to wrap the tape around. Had she anticipated this? Her legs were certainly smooth. Not even really a prickle where his hand brushed. He was suddenly aware that it had been a few weeks since he'd shaved his chest. It made him feel a little self conscious.

Don't think about that. Measure. Just measure.

"Touching." Opposite thigh. He wrote down the measurements. "So how big do you need these rings? Just big enough to take your weight? Do you need a significant mass of metal to lift yourself? Touching." He slid the tape up, still looped around the back of her leg. With paranoid care in hand movements, he took the measurement about the widest point of her thigh. He noted the measurement, repeated "Touching," and took the measure of the opposite thigh. His eyes were utterly fixed on his work, face a neutral mask.

Well... Here goes nothing I guess.

"Okay, I'm kind of improvising this measurement, and I just thought of like, four others I'm going to need, but after that I got em all. Touching." Cafas wrapped the tape around Rebecca's thigh like the previous measurement, then pulled the outside up to just above the hip joint. He toyed with the positioning at the top a bit, then noted the number. "Touching." He carefully moved the tape to the other side, and took that measure too. He'd wasn't sure he'd ever been more glad to stand up in his life. The only issue was it brought him back to eye level, with his face glowing.

The final four measurements breezed by, neck to navel, neck to waist at the back, and armpit to hip on either side. "Well, I think that's pretty much everything for now. Feel free to get dressed again if you want." Cafas stood uncomfortably, trying not to dwell too much on the experience they'd just shared. If they didn't end up better friends after than, he had no idea what it would take.

The ViewTube vs. Traditional Media debate was one Rebecca had some conflicted, yet passionate opinions about. She loved movies and television, so she was not one of the creators claiming those older forms of entertainment would die off; that sounded absurd and unrealistic to her, given their cultural impact and longevity. If Rebecca did take up arms in a debate, it was to defend ViewTube’s rights as a media platform, demanding respect for the creators who made a name on it. They all worked hard on their own content, and some of their fanbases were massive. It was also one of the easiest forms of media to strike out and make a name on your own with, though not as easy as some might think. People, particularly Traditional Media, treated them like a fad or a group of amateurs, and that was a shouting match Rebecca could get into on her best days.

While Cafas worked on her legs, he dropped an admission Rebecca was not expecting, particularly not in the almost casual way he said it. The pink-haired movie star at one point considered asking her out, which was not a reality Rebecca thought was on the table. Of course, she did not know when that was, though bringing up his relationship with Calley gave some form of a timeline. It was likely she was with Agnes at the time, so it was still an unlikely possibility, but it was flattering nonetheless that he caught her eye in such a way. ”There is nae crime in it. Ah’d hae been tooched. Just, ye know, nae loch thes,” she added, realizing the position they were in.

They moved on from the topic, which was probably for the best; no sense dwelling on almosts and never weres. Cafas was back in planning mode, considering the rings. Rebecca gave the lynchpins of her harness some thought. ”Let’s see. They need tae be durable enaw nae tae snap wi’ pressure oan them. Sae Ah guess as smaw as they can be withit ruinin’ th’ structural integrity?” The harness would defeat its own purpose if the rings were so bulky, she struggled with them as she moved. ”Wi’ enaw rings, mah weight an’ mah pull shoods be spread it.”

Of all the measurements, Cafas apparently saved the most intimate for last. Rebecca would endure it because they had come so far already. She stood still as a stone statue as the tape looped around her though and the high point of her hip, trying her best not to make noise at a very rude bit of tape making its presence known. She kept any squeaks or sounds from slipping out, but the heat was returning to her face.

A heavy sigh of relief came when they were finished with the day’s measurements. Rebecca knew they would have more sessions with equally touchy results, but she could only handle so much in one day without bursting into flames. If Cafas had been anything other than the consummate gentleman, the whole process might have been unbearably embarrassing. They somehow kept things within the acceptable levels of bearability.

Rebecca did not need to be told twice to return to her clothing. She grabbed her pile and started by returning to her top, buttoning a few buttons to conceal her chest and tummy again. The bottom of the shirt covered most of her bottom and front as she grabbed the slacks, leaving her firearm on the table for the moment. ”Sae aff th’ top ay mah head, Ah think Ah’m free oan Wednesday an’ Saturday afternoons, but Ah’m honestly pretty flexible,” she admitted, before hastily adding, ”schedule-wise.”

Holstering her firearm on the inside of her hip, she smoothed out her shirt and felt significantly less naked. ”Ye hae mah number, sae ye can caw ur text wi’ any random questions, but otherwise… er, this was interesting?” That was certainly a word for it.

Hey Becca, first prototype is ready for a fitting. Wear what you intend to have under it. Same time and place as last time still work?

It had taken two more measurement sessions to get all the measurements he'd needed. The first had been pretty quick, a few things he'd realised he would need. The second was far more involved. In order to ensure a perfect fit he'd had to measure distances between each ring and its neighbours for the leather strips. That had been a painstaking process. There were a lot of rings. It wasn't exactly making chainmail painstaking, but it had taken a good few hours.

Between additional measurements, research, and design, it was after Halloween before Cafas had managed to begin the leather work. At least he'd been able to just order lengths of leather strips. Cutting them to length had been easy. Coming up with a clear labelling method for each strip and ring had been far less so. That had been a full day of the process all on its own. Then the sewing. It just wasn't as simple with leather. He'd had to awl each hole, by hand in Cafas' case, then make sure it all lined up so you could feed the thread through. He possibly could have riveted it, but those pulled through so much easier; Given how close they were working to minimum safe specifications the risk of a catastrophic cascade was too high.

At least this way one good tug doesn't risk dropping her.

It had been an excellent distraction from the events of Halloween at least, and it got done. Cafas was pretty happy with how it had turned out. As happy as he could be at least. The bra was an estimate based on the measurements he had; His (thorough) research had suggested he took a few more measurements, and those had proven very useful with his test pieces for Maya. He'd wait to see what Rebecca said about the fit before he took those on her though. He'd already pushed the limits of their acquaintanceship with the measurements they'd taken before that point. The amount of time he'd spent measuring for the relatively complex hip set up had seen to that.

Hard to maintain a conversation measuring five points of connection on someone's butt...

The X-man sat on his bench next to the the cloth wrapped bundle and waited for Rebecca. A loose steel circle rose into the air off the table momentarily, wobbled, and fell with a ringing clatter. He sighed in frustration, picked it up, and hurled it across the workshop, running his fingers through his still bleached hair. "At least I can still manage that." He muttered sullenly, trying to console himself.

Plenty of time was spent by Rebecca staring at the text message in contemplation. She always had an idea of what she planned on wearing under her harness, but it never occurred to her that Cafas might want to try a true fitting with realistic conditions. With Agnes’s return and the continuance of whatever her and Maya were doing, Rebecca was not putting much forethought toward the obvious steps in getting her harness ready. She went to additional measurement sessions and, as best she could, handled Cafas’s thorough assessment of her body. Inch by inch, he probably knew enough of her dimensions to make a Life Model Decoy Rebecca.

A weird thought the Scot pushed away quickly.

Despite the prerequisite awkwardness involved in measurement sessions, Rebecca was growing to trust Cafas, who had been nothing but a gentleman to her each time they met. He even made sure to give Maya the heads up about what exactly he was helping her with, so they did not feel like they were doing something dirty behind her back. The fitting would be the barest she would likely ever be in front of the man, but they had already gotten so far. They could handle it; it would be a funny story to talk about over drinks later.

Returning to the familiar workshop, Cafas was already waiting for her atop the work bench, playing with a levitating metal ring. Nudging the ring with the magnetic waves in the room, she pushed it in her direction. ”Oy, tha’s mah thing,” she said with a grin. ”Also, hi! Ah guess today’s th’ first moment ay truth.” She looked at the bundle of cloth beside him, guessing what it was hiding. As nervous as she was, she was excited to see the fruits of Cafas’s labor.

The sound of the Scot's voice pulled Cafas out of his own head and back to reality. He smiled at her ruefully and shrugged. "Hi. I wouldn't be too worried, it's been barely functional since Halloween. I'm doing well to lift a hammer, and I lose control of everything within seconds." He slid himself off the table and stretched his shoulders. Tossing the ring like that had pulled a little. Too much force on cold muscles.

"But yeah, first fittings are always exciting. I doubt it will fit perfectly, though it will hopefully be close. I mean, it fit the dummy." He indicated a brand new dressmaker's dummy in the corner of the shop. It had been an incredibly useful purchase. Expensive for the degree of adjustability, and the limbs, but totally worth it. Still, it wasn't the woman herself, so it was really just a good approximation.

The stomach curve is a touch off, but I think I adjusted properly...

Without much of a pause, he continued, "This fitting is actually more to test your ability to get in and out. No sense in adjusting everything if you can't strap it up, right? Then we gotta see if it messes with your movements, and if it's fit for purpose. Then we can worry about the small adjustments." He was actually confident it would work. Certainly it should be quick to put on. All the parts that needed to come apart to allow Becca in and out were made out of modified rock climbing carabiners, all self locking. It allowed the top four rings to detach at the front to step in, the waist to be loosened enough to fit the hips through, the bra open at the middle, and if necessary the thigh sections to be completely detached. Cafas was rather proud of all that.

"That's all the boring part though, isn't it? Let's do the fun bit. You ready to see the prototype?" Of course she was. Everyone was always so excited to see and try on their new toy. Hell, it was probably the best part of the job, watching people's faces light up. for some people it was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream to see themselves in armour, or to hold their very own sword.

Suppose I probably looked like that.

With a flourish, he pulled the harness from within its cloth bundle, holding it up for Becca to see. Without a person inside it, it wasn't really as impressive, but he wanted the first time she saw it in all its glory to be when she had it on. No point robbing that moment of wonder.

The harness was constructed primarily of black patent leather strips, connecting a series of green rings. The rings were steel, plated in aluminium, then anodised and dyed green. The bra was black silk, with green lace in the styled after a magnetic field. The whole thing had cost him more to just make the prototype than he cared to admit, and he really hope Becca liked his embellishments. The lace had been a particularly painful custom order to place on short notice. Ultimately he felt it had been worth it. Still, that wasn't really for him to decide.

I mean... You're not helping the BDSM look at all though, are you?

"Ta da, I suppose. I hope you like it, I know I didn't really discuss the fancy bits with you. Now I'm gonna guess you want to put it on, and I may need to show you how the first time so, as is traditional, I'm going to have to ask you to undress." He winked, far more comfortable with the idea of Rebecca in her swimsuit than when they'd started. It was amazing what hours of close proximity and awkward positions could render normal.

Once again, Halloween reared its ugly head. Maya ended up in the infirmary wing, and apparently, Cafas’s powers were nearly spent. ”It’ll aw come back suin enaw,” she assured him with a sad smile. She could not blame him; if her powers were shut down, it would feel like she could not see. Hopefully his downtime would be short and he could be back to full strength in no time.

In the meantime, they had happier things to focus on. Exciting things. Kind of awkward things. To his credit, Cafas went all out taking care of her request, going so far as to buy a model to work with to nail the approximate body shape. He wanted her to try the harness and take it for a test run to see if they were on the right track. It was comforting to realize how far along in the process they were.

Rebecca’s mismatched eyes shimmered with anticipation as Cafas grabbed the bundle of cloth and promised the great reveal. He pulled the cloth away and she could not help but gasp. It was not a very impressive sight, but that was no fault of its own. Without a body to cling to, the many parts struggled to maintain form. What she could be impressed by was the quality; between the black leather, the green rings, and the built-in, embroidered cups, (which she was not expecting but was a very nice touch,) it was aesthetically pleasing enough to almost stand on its own.

Not that she had intentions of using it as such.

Cafas presented her with the harness, apologizing if he overstepped his bounds with the design choices and encouraging her to disrobe for the fitting. ”Nae, it’s bloody gorgeoos, which Ah’m wicked thankful fer,” she promised with a smile, before it waned. ”But… weel, ye said tae wear whit Ah’d wear ‘neath thes, an… weel… Ah wasnae gonna wear much.”

Sighing as she admitted what he was going to find out anyway, Rebecca pressed forward. ”Ah’d be wearin’ panties, but beyond ‘at, it’d basically be… erm, naething.” Initially, the plan was to wear her t-shirt bra as well, but with Cafas’s design choices, an extra bra would be unnecessary. ”Sae maybe if ye coods look th’ ather way?”

Doing her part, Rebecca turned to face away from Cafas and toward the closed door of the workshop. All she had to do was disrobe and figure out how to get into her harness. Then she would only be almost completely naked in front of her friend. She shed her jeans and her sweater, then carefully undid the clasp on her bra. Standing only in her boyshorts, Rebecca looked over the harness to assess the best way to put it on. Silently, she confirmed that they had clearly reached peak awkward. The measurements were one thing, but they would have to try hard to top this.

Cafas had been out of sorts since Halloween. So much out of sorts that Maya just didn't know what to do to cheer him up. He'd really thrown himself into working on Rebecca's BDSM fantasy flight suit (or as Maya liked to call it "the BFF"). She hadn't seen it —Maya tried to let Cafas do his shop thing without snooping too much— but she had heard about it plenty. It was one of the few things that could get him talking animatedly. She'd probably heard about every single specification: the color scheme, the reasoning for the ring placement, the special lace... because BFFs needed lace?

If he needed something to focus on, that was fine, but Maya wasn't about to let Cafas throw himself entirely into the project. He needed a reminder that it'd be okay: mutational malfunctions weren't abnormal. So, she decided there was only one course of action to take. She was going to ambush him with cookies.

And today was the day. Operation BFF Ambush started with sugar and butter and ended in a pile of warm, soft chocolate chip cookies. There was no reason to doubt the power of a classic. She also packed a thermos of coffee just heavy enough that Maya thought her arm might fall off. Now that Cafas would drink coffee in her presence again, she wanted to make sure there was plenty.

And of course, because the coffee and the cookies were hot, and that was half the allure, she had to go as fast as she dared.

Maya flung open the front door, a gust of wind that was winter's doing rather than her own blew past her leggings and swirled around— huh. Maya hadn't seen that much of Rebecca outside of the X-men locker room.

"Ha- Happy fitting day!"

Maya shut the door behind her so that poor Rebecca wouldn't be flashing anyone else. At least she had those little manties on.

"Sorry! About the door and the— You look cold." There was no getting out of this moment was there? "I brought coffee and cookies?"

He went from relief to renewed awkwardness in the space of three pause laden sentences. He supposed if he'd really thought about it, he'd have come to that conclusion for himself. He'd been so focused on research, design, and construction. He hadn't really paused to consider what the built in breast support would mean for the fitting. He'd been actually devoted quite a bit of brain power to not thinking about Rebecca actually wearing his work.

If you could divert some power that way now, that'd be sweet.

"Right uh, yeah no worries." Cafas quickly pivoted, without realising that he was still holding the harness, "Uh, okay well if you have trouble with it I guess just let me know." Because he hadn't described it at all had he? "Trouble like the fact I'm still holding it..." He sighed. He was letting the awkwardness get the better of him again. With his eyes diverted, the X-man deposited the harness on the table next to Becca. He would just convince himself that piece of cloth was a rag, nothing more personal. He turned once more and made himself busy with his design pad. Right up the top in large block letters he wrote Lining! and underlined it in heavy strokes. That leather wouldn't be comfortable for extended periods.

"So the connections are carabiners. You can probably see the loose leather loops? Should be pretty self explanatory where they go. The legs can be detached too, if you feel like it." Not that he saw much reason to, but you never knew.

Cafas kept his eyes to non-reflective surfaces. That was harder than it sounded in a workshop so largely maintained by a metal manipulator. He was just starting to think about lining solutions, and potential padding, when he heard the door fly open, aided by the frigid gust it allowed in to the already not warm enough space. The violent and unexpected sound made Cafas spin instinctively to face the door. The surprise on his face easily could have been misconstrued as guilt.

"Oh! Hey sweetheart. What a lovely - butt..."

Right. Rebecca had been changing.

Cafas diverted his eyes to absolutely anywhere at all.

"Surprise! Lovely surprise! That was totally just a shocked statement. Sorry Becca, not that you... Tell ya what, I'm gonna just shut up. Did someone say cookies?"

Beet red and barely daring to breathe, Cafas very carefully examined the ceiling. How the heck did a hammer get up in the beams?

Rebecca had to make sure to give Cafas fair warning because slipping into the harness was not going to be a quick process like slipping on a t-shirt. She would have to carefully slip her arms and legs through the right holes of an item that was comprised mostly of holes. Keeping the straps straight would be important since they all needed to be flush with her body to fit correctly, so one twisted strap would make the whole thing feel wrong. The carabiners were a helpful touch to make getting into and out of the harness a possibility.

Making it down to the last of her clothing, Rebecca was standing in nothing but her panties when a familiar feminine voice called out and grabbed her attention. Maya, also known as Cafas’s fraking girlfriend, not to mention a friend of Rebecca’s. She entered the workshop like Cafas and Rebecca were studying for a math exam, casually carrying a plate of cookies. There was an initial hitch in her voice when she realized Rebecca’s situation, but the elemental powered through it.

It was a grace under pressure Rebecca lacked, particularly when Maya made her comment about the cold, prompting her to wrap her forearms across her chest. ”Ay, definitely gettin’ chilly these days. Er, hi Maya!” she squeaked, sure her face was reaching new reds previously unknown to the color spectrum. On the (relatively) short list of people who had seen her breasts in the world, Maya had now unintentionally claimed a spot.

Cafas did his best to prove Rebecca was not the only one without a clue of how to handle their surprise guest. In a spectacular Freudian slip, Cafas made it abundantly clear that he turned around on instinct and caught a view of his own. Rebecca had never been more thankful to be wearing panties. The only thing easing her nerves was Cafas’s sweet attempt to take the foot out of his mouth and replace it with the other.

Rebecca let Maya move past so her freckle-smattered bare back was facing both Maya and her boyfriend. If Cafas was going to focus on the positives and not the awkwardness of Maya’s presence, she would as well. ”Thanks fer bringing some goodies.” Hmm, that word choice did not sit well, once Rebecca gave it some thought. ”C-cookies soond loch a nice reward fer gettin’ thes dain. Jist need tae slip… thes… oan.” Carefully, Rebecca managed to get her legs in place while being painfully aware that up to four eyes might be watching her. What would even be going through Maya’s mind after walking into a scene like that?

For a moment, after seeing Cafas' face, Maya wasn't sure if she was invited. She squashed that thought like a very juicy bug. If she wasn't invited, then that was all the more reason for her to invite herself. She wasn't going to let anyone steal away her Cafas. Not even a friend.

> "Oh! Hey sweetheart. What a lovely - butt..."

"I'm... sure it is! Good call on the boyshorts. The bra's built in, but nothing else."

Poor Cafas sputtered a failed recovery and Maya apologized for the both of them with a shrug. Rebecca was trying desperately to match her skin to her hair and Maya could not find the whole thing any funnier. Her teammate was trying desperately to be not full frontal which was impossible while she and Cafas had her flanked so Maya skirted around to give Cafas a hug. He looked like he needed one. Or maybe Maya needed a hug from Cafas. Either way she was paying for it in butter-laden bribes.

And, of course, since he'd mentioned it... on her way around she had to look.

What was so great about a butt?

Once she saw it, she knew.

"Huh. You really do have a lovely butt, Rebecca. Mine's like 2 pancakes stuffed in my trousers." Well. When she wore trousers, that's what it was. Which was never. Today was as close as she got in leggings and a long chunky sweater. She turned her back to her teammate, really not too put off by the semi-nudity. More put off by the fact that they were both all kinds of flustered about it. If they looked guilty...

Maya squashed that mental bug as well.

True to form, there was no Maya butt to speak of-- only cookies, which she slid onto a surface near Cafas once she'd reached him.

"She must work out." She beamed at Cafas once she was close. True, it wasn't polite to comment on another person's body, but at least it was a compliment. "I missed you. Coffee?" There was still a part of her that was making up for lost coffee, maybe.