Javier rarely ever lost things, or even misplaced anything. Due to his anxiety, he was constantly checking and re-checking everything on and around his person, and kept tabs on all his possessions when out and about. He had never forgotten a hat on the bus, or a book on a bench, or any of his keys anywhere, ever. So, when he realized that some of his sewing kit was missing, his first reaction was surprise.
The second was to blame Booker.

Not that he thought it was the librarian who had stolen the tools, or even had Javier leave them on purpose. But to be fair, the last time he visited Booker's apartment, Javier had been greatly... distracted, by other things. Like, his first kiss with Booker. Or having just survived a superpowered fight. Either way, some of his cosplay stuff was forgotten, left at Booker's place - including his utility belt, which contained some of his actual sewing and measuring tools. Which he needed now, to work on an order he had to finish. He had plenty of time, but he liked to get a jump on things. Like... jumping on an excuse to call Booker.

So, Javier did. Hopefully, Booker would suggest a way to get the utility belt back to him. Or maybe come by himself?...

The gargoyle was comfortably curled on the couch at the Bookman residence, pouring over a small novel. Nessa was doing something with the Block Party, and Gina has slipped into that “I hangout at my girlfriend's house even when she's not here" position common to college students. It was quieter than the Co-Op, and she enjoyed Booker's company.

In a distant part of the house, she heard the musical chime of something electronic, and an indistinct murmur. Phone call? She couldn't tell. The conversation persisted as Booker came into the living room, head craned to the side to press his phone between his ear and shoulder. His hands were preoccupied with thing a Tetris-themed bowtie as he spoke. He also seemed to be toting a rather… decked-out belt.

“Javi, baby, I know you really need your tools… for work, I know, I know… let me call my boss, see if it's cool for me to come in a little late, and I'll… what? Yeah, of course it'll be fine… Yes, I'm sure.”

Gina had, at this point, looked up from her book, tail curling inquiringly. The fabled Javier? She hadn't met him, yet. Only heard of him.

“Really, it'll be no trouble, love. I'm never late. Scout's honor… no, I insist. Really… I mean… are you sure? Okay… I'll figure something out… love you too… bye…”

Booker hung the phone up and sighed, dedicating his full attention to the bowtie. Gina closed her book, tucking a bookmark between the pages.

“Everything okay?”

“It's Javier… He accidentally forgot some of his sewing tools over here… but I probably can't take them over I until lunch.”

He was a tailor, that's right. Booker groaned, “I'll call in and say I'll be late. He doesn't want me to, but...”

Gina smiled, nodding her head. She didn't actually know, but it did sound like quite the dilemma.

“Hey, you know… I'm not doing anything. I could run the tools to Javier.”

Some persuasions, a street address, and a few words of persuasion, and Gina was off. A short flight later, and she found herself in the neighborhood of Javier's alterations shop. Gina crossed through the doorway, adjusting the messenger bag across her chest. There were clothes everywhere… and it was very quiet.

“...hello?”

Javier instantly felt bad about bother Booker with returning his things. He had been the one who forgot the belt, after all, and the librarian did not have the flexible work hours that Javier could set for himself in his own shop (even though he really never changed them). He was very nice about it, but the schedule was just not working out; in the end they agreed to figure something out by lunch. Until then, Javier had ample time to sit around, work on some other projects, and feel bad about forgetting things at Booker's place.

>>“...hello?”

Javier was so lost in thoughts that he did not hear the front door of the shop open. When he heard the female voice, he hurried out of the back room to see who the visitor was.

"I'm sorry, I got caught up..." he looked at her and the messenger bag she was holding, wondering what kind of an order she had ".... um, hi. My name is Javier. I own the shop. What can I do for you?"

Gina’s tail flicked idly, only pausing when someone stepped out of the back. He was a Latino dude with a shaved head and some scruff. Javier apologized, wasted no time introducing himself and establishing that, yes, he was Javier, owner of the shop. Gina, of course, knew this—because she was nosey and, as soon as Booker had announced that he had a potential boyfriend, the gargoyle had demanded pictures. He looked just like his picture.

“Hi,” Gina greeted brightly, “I’m Gina. Booker sent me with your stuff!”

More like, she volunteered. Because once again, she was nosey. Gina started rummaging through her bag, retrieving the sewing tools and setting them upon the counter.

“I’m Nessa’s girlfriend,” Gina explained further, all smiles, “I’m going to school right now, so I was, like, not busy at all.”

Her excitement was barely containable. Alterations was very much akin to what she wanted to do, and so her eyes were roving around the shop, trying to drink it all in.

“So, you do alterations?” the gargoyle continued, leaning on the counter, “Do you get to work with many mutants?”

The girl in the doorway did not look familiar, but she was acting like she knew Javier. The tailor looked at her, wondering if he should remember who she was, or if they had met before... even though his rational mind told him he would probably remember. He did not hang out with other mutants all that often.

>>“Hi. I’m Gina. Booker sent me with your stuff!... I’m Nessa’s girlfriend. I’m going to school right now, so I was, like, not busy at all.”

"Oh." Javier blinked, watching as she pulled his sewing gear out of the messenger bag, slowly understanding what she was saying "Oh! Thank you! That's very kind of you. And nice to meet you, Gina." he offered a hand "I'm Javier... you probably already know that." he added with a chuckle.

>>“So, you do alterations? Do you get to work with many mutants?”

"Alterations and design" Javier nodded, noting the interest in Gina's voice as she peered around "I have worked with some mutants, yes. I do special orders for... various requests. Do you have something in mind?..."

"No problem," Gina replied, all sing-song as she spoke. She extended her hand and shook hands with Javier, leaning over the counter to reach him. She was grinning and full of excitement, bouncing on her feet, "Nice to meet you!"

>> "Alterations and designs. I have worked with some mutants, yes. I do special orders for... various requests. Do you have something in mind?..."

Gina shook her head, curls bouncing.

"I'm studying fashion at school," she said brightly, "I think... altering clothes for people with mutations is super cool."

>>"No problem. Nice to meet you!"

She was very cheerful and friendly. No wonder she and Booker got along. Javier had not met Nessa yet, but from what he heard, Booker was very fond of his sister, and if this girl liked her too, well, she had to be a nice person. Gina still was practially bouncing with excitement as she looked around.

>>"I'm studying fashion at school. I think... altering clothes for people with mutations is super cool."

"Oh." Javier's face lit up with a warmer smile "Yeah... it is pretty great. I have some clients that need all kinds of alterations, and depending on the powers they have... it gets really challenging. In a good way." he chuckled "So, is that what you plan on doing? When you finish school?"

Gina nodded eagerly when Javier asked if that's what she wanted to do. More specifically, she wanted to design clothes (and was sdoing some freelance stuff, and had a small internet following in-thanks to Nessa's notoriety) but yes, she wanted to do something like alterations for mutants.

"That's my hope," she confirmed. Javier was probably a busy guy, being an adult with his own business and all, but the gargoyle's curiosity was piqued.

"I don't suppose you have a portfolio of your work, do you? I'd love to see your stuff!! If it's not too much trouble. You're probably busy. But this is the first time I've been in a shop that sometimes services mutants. You know?"

Gina looked very interested in Javier's work. Having inherited his father's nature, Javier rarely hung out with people in his profession, and when he did, he usually felt awkward. But Gina, much like Booker, was very friendly, and honestly curious. Javi did not mind talking to her at all. Especially if she shared his enthusiasm for working for mutants.

>>"I don't suppose you have a portfolio of your work, do you? I'd love to see your stuff!! If it's not too much trouble. You're probably busy. But this is the first time I've been in a shop that sometimes services mutants. You know?"

"That's okay, I'm not busy right now" Javier smiled, and nodded to her to follow him to the back room. "I haven't had a lot of... special clients yet." he admitted "My own powers don't really need alterations. But I have some sketches for a friend of mine..." he rustled about with the papers on the work table until he found the designs he made for Jack. Jack had a unique body shape, and Javier had been long planning on designing some outfits that fit her better than altered off-the-rack clothing.

Gina eagerly accepted the sketches as Javier held them out to her, trying her best to crinkle the pages. If she did, though, she couldn't help it! She was so excited. The person in question seemed buggy in appearance, broad across the chest, narrow in the waist, and with enormous forearms.

"Is this a stylized sketch?" Gina asked. It was a reasonable question-- their proportions were wild. Some fashion people drew all their designs on stick-figure people... maybe Javier was one to exaggerate physical mutations. But... if he wasn't... then Javier's friend would need some radical alterations, in human-clothes.

Her tail swished, "I haven't really done anything except for myself," she explained. And a few commissions online, but really only because Nessa's reputation had given her a spurt of internet fame.

She took the papers with visible excitement. Javier watched her face as she took a look at the sketches. At first she looked surprised, and it took him a moment to realize that it was not that design that was throwing her off.

>>"Is this a stylized sketch?"

"No" Javier chuckled, shaking his head "That's actually more or less what she looks like. She has a physical mutation. Kind of like... a giant mantis shrimp."

Jack was beautiful in a unique way - and in a way the fashion industry was definitely not prepared for.

>>"I haven't really done anything except for myself,"

"You make your own clothes?" Javier asked curiously, just noticing the tail.

>> "No, that's actually more or less what she looks like. she has a physical mutation. Kind of like... a giant mantis shrimp."

"Dude," Gina said appreciatively, "I foresee... a lot of stretch-knit tops..."

The shrimp's forearms were freaking huge, there would be no way that they could fit their arms through anything less than a moderate stretch knit armhole, without... someone like Javier to assist them, that is.

>> "You make your own clothes?"

"Sometimes," Gina said, with a smile, "Mostly I just modify them though... all I really need is tail-holes and wing-holes, and adequate snaps to support said holes..."

She said this modestly, as though discussing her own alterations was nothing to necessarily boast about. And it wasn't! For Gina it was just a fact of life...

Jack's mutation was definitely spectacular. Javier was used to it, having known her for a while and having seen... pretty much all of her, but he was aware that someone seeing her for the first time might need a moment to get used to the idea.

>>"Dude. I foresee... a lot of stretch-knit tops..."

"I'm hoping to make something more dapper than that" Javier smirked. He had some ideas. And Jack did look good in a vest.

It was clear that Gina's enthusiasm for mutant fashion was genuine. Given that she herself probably needed alterations, it was not a giant leap of logic to assume she made some of her own clothes too.

>>"Sometimes. Mostly I just modify them though... all I really need is tail-holes and wing-holes, and adequate snaps to support said holes..."

"That sounds complicated" Javier noted. For moving parts like that, where one had to be able to get in and out of clothes, but also hold them in place while they were on, a lot of creativity was needed. Especially for the added bonus of also looking good. "Do they work well while you move?"

>> "I'm hoping to make something more dapper than that"

Gina nodded, “I'd love to see the finished project.”

Because she was nosey, and wanted to see what professional work looked like. She was just a novice, a student who was only just delving into the field.

>> "That sounds complicated. Do they work well while you move?"

Gina shrugged, “I have to wear a lot of low-cut jeans and mostly fitted shirts. Loose blouses tend to sit weird around my wings, or will ride up… if it was always summer I'd probably wear shirts with open backs all the time."

It was good to talk to someone who was interested in his work. Gina had a reason to be interested in working with clothes for mutants, but Javier could tell that her curiosity went beyond her own necessities.

>>“I have to wear a lot of low-cut jeans and mostly fitted shirts. Loose blouses tend to sit weird around my wings, or will ride up… if it was always summer I'd probably wear shirts with open backs all the time."

"I can imagine the fabric makes a whole lot of difference" Javier nodded at the comment on blouses. With the movement of three extra limbs, the fabric had to be able to keep up too. And she was right, while open back shirts probably made her life easier, she could not wear those all year round.

"So... where are you studying?" he asked, curious to hear more about her plans. "Do they actually teach... stuff that is specific to mutants? Or it that something you are just interested in?"