The hammer was bothering him. He was sure some kid had put it there as a joke. They liked to do that sort of thing. Not that they were really meant to be in there, but since when had that stopped any of them going wherever they pleased? It had certainly never stopped Cafas, so he wasn't about to get hypocritically angry.

It also bothered him that he couldn't feel it. The whole ceiling and rafters was kind of just an indistinct mass at best, and he was having to concentrate enough to give himself a headache just to get that much detail to stick. Eyeballing it, he tried to nudge the hammer. Nothing. Whatever, it could stay there, it wasn't like it was hurting anyone. Actually, that only became more likely as he prodded it with an unstable mutation.

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

"Oh man, detachable would make sense." Cafas muttered to himself, tracking his eyes very carefully down a wall until they were rested safely on his bench. There, safe sketch pad, nothing terribly risque there. Well, except the design drawings, and some research photos. Despite initial jest, he had tried his best not to think of it as a BDSM project. The evidence did not suggest that at all. Underneath his lining note, he added detachable bra? and set the pencil down. Those things did need washing, after all.

That would have been an awkward oversight...

>>"Huh. You really do have a lovely butt, Rebecca. Mine's like 2 pancakes stuffed in my trousers."

Cafas stifled a giggle at the image that had evoked. He also shoved down several hilarious but unkind comments. He was in no position to be teasing his girlfriend. Not if he happened to like having one. Also on the list of things he liked having (and should limit himself to one of) cookies appeared on his bench, so wholesome and innocent next to his decidedly otherwise research folder.

>>"She must work out."

"Hadn't thought about it that much." He lied. He'd spent so much time measuring, it had been impossible not to. He'd stopped short of asking for her routine. He could probably guess though.

>>"I missed you. Coffee?"

"I missed you too, how's your day been? Coffee would be great!" Cafas beamed back, face still glowing like a brake light. "And I think my opinion on your butt has been made abundantly clear. Though if it bothers you, I could totally dig out one of my workouts, wouldn't take much modification." He had about eight floating around, and most of them would serve Maya's purposes nicely. Why did he have them? None of your business. A guy was allowed to feel pretty if he wanted to! He was also allowed to make up for his stumbles with overly animated happiness that he totally didn't feel. Before he could think down that line too far he bounced into a hug, pulling Maya close and tight. The ability to squeeze was still so novel. Even one handed, as he surreptitiously picked up and bit down on a toasty warm cookie.

"I know it's not how that works, but I'm pretty sure I just put on a pound...

"Again, not that you need them." Pretty much how he ended that conversation every time. Perhaps not so laden with self consciousness.

Cafas ventured a look to see how Rebecca was getting on. It was a gamble. Then again, he was going to have to mark all the alterations. Oh boy it was only gonna get better wasn't it? There would be no avoiding looking at her butt, and if anything he felt less nonchalant about the process seeing her in the fruits of his labour. Yeah that research had tainted it.

As Maya pointed out, the boyshorts were a good call. Enough of her was already on display, though she was conflicted over the compliments her boyshorts-clad bottom was earning. On the one hand, it was a surreal moment where a couple was making her butt the focal point of conversation. On the other, there was a time when Rebecca was very self-conscious about her butt. Receiving targeted compliments, even if one was a slip of the tongue and the other was very direct, was validating.

Receiving praise from a woman Rebecca thought was attractive would always put a smile on her face, and Maya was quite the looker in her own right. ”Psh, please. My butt used tae be flat as a board. ‘At can be worked oan, bit Ah’ll ne’er hae legs loch yers. Yer loch… eighty percent gorgeous legs,” she replied sincerely, finicking with the latches and holstering her chest into the built in bra of her harness.

Over her shoulder, she could hear Cafas and Maya sharing a sweet couple moment. Hearing how they missed each other, it just felt warm and genuine. Rebecca returned from London long past whatever kind of courtship they shared, so she came back to a new, but clearly better dynamic. Rebecca was committed to avoiding relationships and love for the foreseeable future, but it was hard not to feel a small pang of envy when she was the third wheel to a happy couple.

With everything in place, Rebecca sighed deeply and turned around. Her instincts were to wrap her arms around her chest, but she quickly dropped them to her sides. The whole point of the fitting was to examine how it worked on her; that meant no hiding. Biting her lip nervously, she jumped back into the conversation. ”Weel, Ah’m certainly glad Ah hae a costume tae wear o’er this, bit honestly, it seems tae fit.” There were a few places where straps seemed snug against her body, but nothing was too loose, which was a huge win. ”If th’ craftsman wants tae inspect.” Nothing about that would be weird, surely.

Looking past Cafas and Maya, Rebecca spotted the coffee and cookies that were filling the workshop with their tantalizing scents. In an effort to focus on something that was not her half-naked body, she joked, ”Dae Ah gie a snack, tay? Ur are they only fur people yoo’re sleeping wi?” The aim was to be friendly and teasing, while simultaneously avoiding being awkward or suggestive. In retrospect, given her situation, she felt her particular joke might have been a questionable choice, but it left her big mouth before common sense had the chance to review and revise.

There was so much social weirdness going on that Maya didn't even know where to start.

Cafas was squirming and distracted. So he obviously felt bad about something. Rebecca's discomfort could be explained by the near-nudity. She didn't have a power like Maya's that came with its own wardrobe hazards and, clearly, she hadn't lived with Cafas who would take any excuse to disrobe. Nudity was less and less of deal to Maya. Cafas had told her that for actors it was less and less of a thing.

It should not have been a thing.

> "...Yer loch… eighty percent gorgeous legs,”

Ah yes. The girl thing where women over complimented one another to stay on each other's good sides. That wasn't what Maya had been intending to start, but she couldn't help feel herself softening toward Rebecca anyway.

"Thanks." She spoke without turning around or letting go of Cafas, afraid of what her eyebrows were giving away. Plus, Cafas was already getting into the cookies. At least she'd done something okay here. "I'm still getting used to them, really." Maya gave Cafas one last little squeeze and went to find something to busy herself. There were enamel coffee cups to fish out of her little reusable grocery bag. She should have brought plates. They would just have to eat the cookies in their entirety. Maya set up instead of trying not to be entirely insecure and accusational. She'd brought everything in multiples of 4 just in case Verdy was about. Maya still didn't understand her schedule, if there even was one for this hobby shop Cafas was running.

Cafas' super cheery-to-the-max reply just made her want to throw things. Instead she plastered an equally cheeriffic smile on her face. Two could play horribly at 'nothing is wrong here' and she pushed a cup of coffe toward him. Sure, he was supposed to be scrutinizing the BFF and how well it hugged the curves of a certain red-head, but surely he had a hand left for coffee.

> ”Dae Ah gie a snack, tay? Ur are they only fur people yoo’re sleeping wi?”

"Oh there's plenty to go around."

Wasn't that an apt reminder? She and Cafas weren't anything really. Just sleeping together. Her cheerific smile slid a notch closer to horrific.

No! She had to trust Cafas. That was what she believed in most: trust. Trust had gotten him through his alcoholism... sort of. Trust had gotten Maya several allies who should have been trying to kill her, but they'd ended up friends instead. Trust. Trustrustrust.

There'd been plenty of space between the two adults at the time of Maya's entry. Though that wasn't a guarantee for earlier or times previous or, or, or...

She re-squashed the same mental bug. It was like a cockroach, though, and ready to weather a nuclear apocalypse. She poured a distracted cup for Rebecca. Maya considered throwing a Rowan-style fit. Wouldn't that be satisfying to throw things and roll around? Temporarily? Yeah. Later she'd be ashamed of it, especially since she'd have to help clean it up in the end.

"Would you be willing to show me some things?" Maya approached Rebecca with a guarded expression and her best peace offering: a coffee, a cookie, and a compromise. She really should get to know Rebecca better. That was the best solution to her insecurity. "H-how to work out, I mean. Going to the gym with Cafas is nearly intolerable." Yes. She was going to talk like his wasn't there. He could just deal with it. "He says nobody's looking and he's entirely wrong on that front. He's in movies and that's a draw, but he's the guy and that's his space. So the more interesting thing to watch is the other person." Spatial vision brought her an extra level of awareness that just couldn't be shut off. Was her throat tight? That was, surely, just because she needed coffee. Maya went to go get some.

And wasn't Rebecca a vision in black and green and lace and flushed skin?

"It's a shame the harness will go underneath your uniform. It's so pretty. Do you think it'll make you lumpy?"