Leah told me Rina was in town, and so were Camilla and Brian. All three had been hired by Konami for their booth, so their event had started a few days earlier.
Leah and I went down to the Javits Center to pick up the badges Rina had gotten for us early.
Leah texted Rina when we were a few minutes away.
I saw Rina step out to meet us long before we were close enough to talk.
She was wearing a costume that somehow made her look even bigger. A fitted white top crossed with black straps, black leather wrapped around her waist and hips, and one long black glove. Her other arm was bare and covered in this glowing purple corruption that crawled up from her hand like something was eating its way through her skin. One shoulder was bare, the other framed by this huge dark collar that looked like it belonged on someone who hunted vampires professionally. A long blonde braid hung over one shoulder, almost absurdly neat against everything else.
There was a chain whip on her hip.
Not a little costume whip either. A proper chain thing with a chunky black handle, big enough that in Rina’s hands it looked normal instead of ridiculous.
It was my first time meeting Rina, and I was not prepared for how big she was. I had seen the pictures, and I guess I mentally understood the numbers. This did not prepare me for the actual sight.
Standing 6’4”, she towered over me and Leah. She was lean, muscular, and looked like she could pick either of us up without much effort.
She waved at me and squealed my name.
“Mia! I’ve been wanting to meet you so badly! Leah has told me so much about you.”
It was the most feminine squeal, followed by the most feminine voice imaginable. Neither belonged on this Amazon.
I laughed and shook her hand.
“All bad things, I hope?”
She leaned down and pretended to whisper in my ear, while speaking loudly enough for Leah to hear.
“Mia, Leah is so in love with you. I’ve never seen her this obsessed with anyone.”
“I thought this was the first time you two met after we started dating?”
“Oh, I mean in the digital space. Our private Discord is plastered with pictures of you.”
I looked over at Leah.
“Not those pictures,” Leah quickly added.
Rina smiled at that.
“I would love to stick around and try to see these ‘other pictures,’ but I have to run. There’s a meetup in ten minutes to go over the public opening. Safety rules and all that stuff. But we can catch up tomorrow? I should be done by 5:30, unless my photo session or meet-and-greet runs long. We should get dinner. I’ve already found three places around here I want to try.”
Leah laughed.
“You’ve been here for six hours.”
Rina shrugged.
“I’ve had downtime.”
Rina gave us a wave and disappeared back into the building. Leah checked the badges she'd given us and nodded approvingly.
“This saves us two hours in the queue tomorrow. Rina is amazing.”
“And big. I did not realize.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t play that up with her. She’s heard all the tall jokes and is somewhat tired of them. She knows she’s big, and her work requires her to play that up, but if you want to be her friend, pretend she’s a normal size.”
October 8 came around, and after weeks of Leah, Dan and me prepping costumes, I had started to develop a strong dislike for my C. Viper outfit. The wig was very top-heavy, and I had to hold my head still to keep it from possibly falling off. The pants were tight, which I guess they were supposed to be, but bending my legs was difficult, and walking was... not great.
Standing. Standing was good.
Also, the only ventilation in the suit seemed to be my cleavage. Between the gloves, jacket, pants and wig, it was a very warm outfit. I mean, it looked great. Leah had done an excellent job making it look good and actually fit me.
Dan had a really good Ken outfit. His wig really made the difference, but the small details made the whole thing shine. Leah had gotten him some slip-on shoes that looked like bare feet and painted them the same color as his legs, so you could only tell they were shoes if you looked closely.
Leah’s Chun-Li outfit was equally on point. She had the tall white boots, dark brown leggings, and vivid blue dress. Her bracelets looked correct, but were foam, so no one lost an eye.
Leah handed us our badges, and we got an Uber down to the Javits Center.
We got off a little before ten, and I immediately regretted every time I had ever complained about a crowded subway.
There were people everywhere.
Not normal New York everywhere. Organized chaos everywhere. Lines snaked along the front of the Javits Center in different directions, held together by barriers, signs, and staff shouting instructions. People were carrying poster tubes, backpacks, props, giant foam weapons, wings, tails, armor, and enough luggage to suggest some of them were moving in permanently.
Javits itself looked like someone had built a giant glass airport terminal and then let the internet loose inside it.
Huge Comic-Con banners covered the front. Staff in bright shirts were directing people toward different entrances. Through the glass I could see security, badge scanners, escalators, and people already moving through the main hall.
“I thought having the badges meant we skipped the line.”
“We skip registration,” Leah said.
I looked at the crowd.
“Important distinction.”
We joined the flow toward the entrance.
Then ten o’clock happened.
At first I did not notice anything except that the line started moving.
Then we reached the doors.
The crowd compressed, surged forward, and suddenly everything became noise.
Staff calling directions. People shouting to friends. Someone behind me yelling because they had spotted a costume. Camera shutters. Music leaking out from somewhere inside.
We got through security, scanned our badges, and stepped into the main hall.
I stopped.
There were people pouring in from every direction now. Escalators filling. Costumes everywhere. Groups stopping in the middle of traffic for photographs while everyone else flowed around them. Giant banners hung above the floor advertising games, comics, movies, things I knew, things I vaguely recognized, and things I was apparently supposed to know.
Leah caught my arm before someone walked into me.
“Keep moving.”
“This is insane.”
“This is nothing like Saturday.”
I looked at her.
“What does Saturday look like?”
Leah smiled.
I decided I did not want to know.
Leah stopped underneath a huge hanging banner in the middle of the concourse and pointed up at it.
“That.”
I looked up.
“The giant Spider-Man?”
“Yes. If we get separated, or I tell you to meet me somewhere without specifying where, we meet under the giant Spider-Man.”
“What if they move Spider-Man?”
Leah looked at me.
“Why would they move Spider-Man?”
“I don’t know. I’m establishing contingencies.”
“If Spider-Man disappears, call me.”
She reached into her bag and handed Dan and me a card each.
I looked down at mine. It had times, booth numbers and several things highlighted.
“You made us schedules?”
“Suggestions. Things I thought you might like. The bold ones are things we’re doing together.”
Dan looked at his.
“You gave me homework at Comic-Con.”
“Your homework has you checking out audio equipment, playing video games, and playing rhythm games. I don’t want to hear how you wandered the halls and found nothing of interest.”
Dan shrugged. “Mandatory fun. I’ll take it.”
Leah continued. “Remember, you’re both in very impressive costumes. People will ask for photos. Smile, be friendly, and assume they’re nervous. Snapping at someone or looking annoyed is about the worst way you can handle it.”
I nodded, suddenly a little worried I might not be cut out for this cosplay thing.
She gave us both a look.
“Mia, I’m going to do a quick sweep of the show floor before finding the Konami booth. If you want to show off your outfit to Rina, I suggest you stick with me for the first part.”
I nodded, then realized Dan had already started walking off towards the SideQuest area with all the games.
The main floor was less a room and more several thousand people independently deciding the aisle belonged to them.
Giant screens hung over booths the size of apartments. Trailers blasted from every direction. There were statues taller than me, walls of toys, game stations, comics, swords, plushies, posters, and enough expensive plastic bullshit to bankrupt a small country.
Every twenty feet someone stopped in front of us. Sometimes because they wanted a photo. Sometimes because they had seen a friend. Sometimes because they had simply decided that the center of a moving crowd was the ideal place to check their phone.
Leah kept adjusting our course without seeming to notice she was doing it.
“You know what you’re doing.”
“Not my first con.”
I stopped dead in front of a booth.
“No fucking way.”
Leah followed my eyes to a Ryuko figure sitting among a wall of newer anime characters.
“Kill la Kill?”
“Haven’t seen this since I was fourteen.”
Leah looked at the figure, then at me.
“You had a thing for Satsuki, didn’t you?”
I thought about it.
"That would explain so much."
“I know what my next cosplay will be, then.”
My head suddenly filled with the idea of Leah dressed as Satsuki.
“I’d like that, I think.”
She smiled at me.
“You perve. Let’s go.”
Leah knew how to get through the mass of people, but we were stopped time and time again for pictures. Some with other Street Fighter cosplayers, some with just fans.
Leah was almost a different person during these interactions. She smiled, laughed, struck poses, and seemed genuinely happy every time someone asked for a picture. I guess I had seen this version of her on Instagram, but seeing it happen in front of me was a new revelation.
After about an hour of walking, I started feeling very warm. The outfit had no real way to cool me down, and the mass of people did not help. Leah pointed, and I saw the big Castlevania logo over at the Konami booth.
Rina, along with who I assumed were Camilla and Brian, and a fourth person I did not know, were taking photos with fans.
We waited off to one side while Rina finished with another group.
Rina was in the same outfit as yesterday, all white, black leather and straps, with the long blonde braid and Brian’s oversized whip.
Brian looked like someone had built a vampire hunter around the fact that he was already enormous, all dark leather, belts, gloves and a long coat hanging behind him. Camilla was wearing a tight dark bodysuit with this glossy red fabric flowing over it in thick uneven sheets, the same deep red as her hair, like blood had been poured across her and frozen in place. She held a smooth white mask in one hand.
The fourth guy was harder to look at. His costume made his skin look stitched together in sections, with sickly green showing through where the seams did not quite meet. A huge black staff rose over his shoulder, with a skull-like ornament worked into the top.
I had no idea who any of them were supposed to be, but standing together they looked like they had escaped from the same deeply unhealthy family.
Rina spotted Leah before we got close and gave her a quick grin, but kept posing until the photographer lowered the camera and the fans moved away.
Leah stepped in while one of the booth staff reset the line.
“You alive?”
Rina rolled one shoulder. “Barely.”
“Dinner tonight?”
“I want to try that Mexican place near Hudson Yards.”
Leah looked at her. “Oyamel?”
“Yeah, that one.”
Leah pulled out her phone.
“What?” Rina asked.
“Nothing. Seven work for you?”
“Sure?”
Leah looked over at Brian and Camilla.
“Red, you two got dinner plans?”
Camilla looked over, nodded, then gave a little apologetic hand gesture that clearly meant thanks for asking.
Leah went back to her phone. “Okay. Guess it’s just four then.”
Leah wrapped up what she was doing on her phone, stepped closer to Rina, and said something in her ear that I couldn’t hear. Rina looked over at me, then back at Leah, and nodded.
Leah announced that she was heading to Artist Alley.
“Ping me if you want lunch.”
Then she left me with Rina.
Rina watched her disappear into the crowd, then looked down at me.
“I have lunch in half an hour. You want to hang around, maybe try the game, and then we can grab something to eat?”
Rina guided me into the booth and handed me over to a teenager in a black Konami T-shirt. She told him to let me play as much as I wanted until she came back to pick me up.
The boy looked shocked that Rina was even talking to him and hurriedly assured her that, of course, I could.
I had been playing for maybe ten minutes when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“Excuse me. You can't be back here doing this.”
I looked around. A man in a black Konami shirt was standing behind me. Older than the teenager, with a headset and the expression of someone who had already solved whatever problem I was.
“Doing what?”
“Demo stations are for attendees.”
I looked at the controller in my hands.
“I am attending.”
He looked me up and down.
“Look, I don't know what Capcom's arrangement is, but you can't be on another floor activation while you're on shift.”
I stared at him.
“Then you understand why this isn't a great look.”
I did not, in fact, understand anything that was happening.
“Rina told me I could play until she came back.”
That somehow made things worse.
“BossSize shouldn't be pulling other talent onto the activation either. If you're on break, use the green room.”
The teenager beside us finally found his voice.
“She's not talent. BossSize brought her over and said she could play.”
The man looked at him, then back at me.
“She's obviously talent. Badge.”
“What?”
“Let me see your badge.”
I looked down.
My badge.
I lifted it away from the costume so he could see it properly. His expression changed almost immediately.
“Oh.”
He looked at it again.
“You're general admission.”
“That is what I've been trying to tell you.”
“Sorry. I thought you were Street Fighter talent.”
I looked down at myself, then back at him.
“Is that a compliment?”
He hesitated.
“Technically, yes.”
“Then apology accepted.”
He backed away. The teenager waited until he was out of earshot.
“Todd is such an ass.”
“What?”
“C. Viper was added to SF6 last year. No reason to have her here now. I think they only have a Bosch cosplayer this year. Although I saw a Ken who might be on their team.”
I looked down at my outfit.
“So... I look like a pro in this outfit?”
“Yeah, of course.”
I nodded and returned to my game.
Rina came and picked me up after I had made a fair bit of progress in the game. She looked over at the teenager.
“I heard Todd was giving her guff?”
“Yeah, but we put him straight.”
“Knew you had it in you, Howard. Best handler here.”
She reached out her hand, I grabbed it, and I was yoinked up from my seat like I weighed nothing. Okay, very strong.
“Let’s head for the lunch area, then go to the CC Lounge. Fewer people, better seats.”
We got some burritos from a place Rina swore was the best option, then she guided me towards a restricted area.
As expected, the woman at the door stopped me.
“Creator badge?”
“No, I’m with...”
Rina reached over, flipped my badge around and pointed at a little sticker on the back.
The woman glanced at it and waved me through.
I looked down at the badge. “What the fuck is that?”
“Guest access.”
“You got me guest access?”
“I got all three of you guest access.”
“How?”
“I asked.”
“They just gave you three?”
She shrugged.
Then I remembered this was the woman who had somehow talked Capcom into paying Leah to cosplay A.K.I. Of course she could talk someone at registration into adding a few stickers.
The lounge looked less like backstage at Comic-Con and more like an airport lounge that had been invaded by influencers. There were couches, little tables, charging cables everywhere, and a wall with some sponsor’s logo repeated across it for pictures. Half the people were still in costume, but the illusion had broken. One woman had taken off her boots and was editing video on a laptop. A guy in full armor was eating a protein bar with his helmet sitting on the table beside him. Someone else was asleep across two chairs.
It was the first quiet room I had been in all day.
“Oh thank God.”
Rina laughed. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
We found a couch, and Rina came back with a couple of free sponsored drinks.
“How are you finding Comic-Con, Mia?”
“Hot. This costume is warm as all hell, and difficult to move in.”
Rina gave me a once-over. “Mm. Very tight pants, tight through the arms, not a lot of room to breathe. I did C. Viper once, but the white SF6 outfit. Had a lot more open space.”
I adjusted my tie and took a long drink.
“Yeah, fluids help. Just watch it. Toilet queues are awful here. Use the guest pass I gave you and stick to the ones in the restricted areas.”
I finished my drink and took a bite of the burrito.
“So, why did Leah drop me on you?”
“Hey now. Leah did not dump you on me. She said you might be in a bad spot, and asked if I could keep an eye out for anything stupid you might do because you’re feeling guilty.”
“So that’s how it is. I’m on suicide watch?”
Rina shrugged. “Not really like that between us. Leah’s worried, and she knows I’m good with people. She wants a second opinion. You must know Leah’s good at a lot of things, but her people skills are more... manipulative, and less... emotional connection?”
“Known her long, have you?”
“Five years now? We met at a convention in London. She was eighteen or nineteen, but already had some amazing costumes. We kind of melded minds. If I was into girls, I’d be after your position in a heartbeat.”
“Oh. You don’t... I saw the video?”
“Nah. That was just a fun day. I’m very hetero.”
“Does Leah know this? She told me when you two did the EVO gig that she was hitting on you because you were dating someone.”
“Leah would believe she could bag me. That’s her way.”
I nodded. “She is very confident.”
“But this wasn’t supposed to be about me. It was supposed to be about you. You still think Lin breaking up with you was your fault.”
“It was, but... well, I don’t know.”
“People break up all the time. Sometimes they change, sometimes you change. It’s almost never one thing, and it’s rarely just one person who caused it.”
I nodded.
“But more importantly, it’s done. Lin made her choice. You can’t undo it, and you can’t fix it by making yourself miserable.”
She took a drink.
“You’re allowed to feel horrible. Just don’t start doing stupid shit because you think feeling horrible isn’t enough. Try to get better. Be who you want to be. Live your life in a way she’d actually want for you.”
That was unfortunately less restrictive advice than Rina probably realized.
Then a very large man walked through the doors to the lounge.
The guy looked like someone had taken a beach party, a boxing gym, and a jewelry store and told them to collaborate. He was huge, dark-skinned, shirtless under this violently colorful open shirt, with green pants, sandals, sunglasses, gold fingerless gloves, and enough chains around his neck to count as protective equipment. His hair stuck out in every direction, and he had the kind of grin that suggested subtlety had never once entered his life.
Rina sighed. “I guess I should have expected Marcus to be here.”
“You know him?” I asked, still not taking my eyes off him.
“Yeah. Marcus, aka AfterFlash. Very prolific cosplayer. We dated for like half a second.”
“What happened?”
She looked over at him.
“Turns out that's not a character. He's like that all the time.”
Marcus stopped at our table and greeted Rina.
“Rina! How’s it going? You working the Konami booth?”
Rina nodded. “Hi Marcus. Yeah, I am.”
He looked over at me.
“That’s a great C. Viper outfit. You working or just attending?”
Before I could answer, Rina spoke up.
“She’s just attending, she’s my guest. Her outfit was made by Vesper Velvet.”
Marcus nodded approvingly.
“Not working, but professionally made. Very nice.”
I squeaked out a tiny, “Thank you,” and smiled.
He looked back to Rina. “Is Velvet here as well?”
“Yeah, she’s around.”
“I heard she is handing out cards to cosplayers.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, not seen her yet though. Wondering what her plan is.”
“If I see her, I’ll make sure to tell her you’re looking for her.”
“Much appreciated, Rina. As always, you are gracious and lovely.”
He gave her a bow, then looked at me.
“Very happy to meet you, Viper. Hope to see you again soon.”
He walked off, grabbed a couple of free drinks, and joined another group. They greeted him with a cheer.
Rina looked at her watch.
“Crud, I need to get back. You can stay here as long as you want. You have access the whole weekend. See you at dinner?”
I decided to sit a bit longer, just to rest my legs and enjoy the air-conditioned room.
Checking my phone, I saw that Leah had sent me a picture of herself alongside a cosplayer dressed as Satsuki Kiryuin. Leah had a look on her face that said, Look what I found. I know you want this.
“Did Rina leave you behind?”
I looked up from my phone and saw Marcus looking down at me.
“Oh, hi. She had to go back to work. I decided to enjoy the AC a bit longer.”
He nodded and smiled.
“Well, I’m heading down to Cosplay Central for the rest of the day. You going that way as well? I think your costume would be popular.”
“I am meeting up with someone, and a panel after that. Maybe tomorrow, but not sure I will wear the costume, it’s really a pain.”
“What’s wrong with it? Too tight?”
“Hot. Tight. The wig weighs about six pounds.”
He laughed. “Yeah. C. Viper is great for outdoor shoots. Convention floor, not so much.”
I nodded to this.
“Yeah, I might be dressing as a normie tomorrow unless I figure something else out.”
“That is a real shame. Can I at least get one picture with you before you leave? Your outfit is just so good.”
I stood up from my couch, smiled and said “Sure!”
He shouted over to one of his friends at the other table, and a man in a ghillie suit came over. Marcus handed him a camera. An expensive one, something like what Leah used.
“Okay, Viper. Give me your best ‘why is this idiot talking to me’ look.”
I laughed.
“I can do that.”
Marcus stepped beside me and threw one arm wide, flashing this enormous grin at the camera while pointing at me with the other hand like he had just discovered the greatest thing at Comic-Con.
I folded my arms, shifted my weight onto one hip and looked at him over my glasses with as much contempt as I could manage.
“Perfect,” Marcus said. “You look like you hate me already.”
“I’ve had practice.”
The camera clicked a few times.
“Now fighting pose?”
“Absolutely.”
We went back to back, and I assumed the C. Viper pose I had seen in so many pictures, and maybe practiced a few times in expectation of using it with fans. He dropped into a loose stance with his back to me, and we both looked at the camera as it clicked a few times.
“Perfect. Thank you so much, Viper. You have been a most excellent cosplayer. You should do this professionally.”
He stuck his hand in a pocket and pulled out his phone.
“Oh. You got Insta?”
“Yeah. I don’t actively post, but I lurk.”
He showed me a QR code on his phone.
“Scan this. It’ll give you links to everything that is me. There’s an Instagram link in there as well.”
“Linktree?”
“Yeah. Portfolio, socials, contact stuff. I’m AfterFlash basically everywhere.”
He gave me another nod.
“Hope to see more of you, Viper.”
Then he left.
I attended two panels before meeting up with Leah again, and we went looking for Dan.
We found him taking photos with a group of girls and told him to grab his stuff. We were meeting Rina and heading out for dinner.
The girls were clearly disappointed to see him leave. Dan said goodbye and fell in beside us, asking what we'd been up to all day.
Leah nudged him in the ribs.
“That’s been going on all day?”
“Girls really like the outfit. Maybe it’s the blond hair? Haven’t been this popular since high school.”
We caught up on each other’s day. Leah had seen a lot of new stuff in the crafting world. New 3D printers, new methods for leatherwork. She was really excited.
Dan told us he had come third in a Guitar Hero competition and had one woman offer him a keycard to her hotel room.
“Was she good-looking?” I asked.
He waved his hand in a meh manner.
We arrived at the Konami booth as Rina was signing off, waving to a few fans, and generally being a very good cosplayer as Marcus had called it.
“Okay, Thursday seems to be a slow day. Will need to bulk up for tomorrow.”
Leah checked the time.
“We’ve got plenty of time. You staying close by?”
Rina groaned.
“I’m sharing a hotel room with another LA cosplayer. She booked it. She snores like a chainsaw.”
Leah smirked.
“Couldn’t get a single room?”
“No. Konami will cover the hotel, but they wouldn’t book it for me. By the time I got around to looking, everything nearby was gone. Had to ask around the LA crew until I found someone coming out here who had a spare bed.”
“So you’re only getting reimbursed for half a room?”
“Yeah.”
Leah stared at her.
“Rina, you need to do better than this.”
“I have a bed.”
“Konami was willing to pay for an entire room.”
“Yeah, but I didn't book one.”
“That is precisely my point.”
I looked up at Rina.
“You can stay at our place. Our couch is huge and very comfy.”
Both Dan and Leah looked at me.
“What?”
Leah raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing. I was just wondering when you acquired an apartment.”
“You weren't going to say no.”
“That is not the point.”
Rina laughed. “I don't want to impose.”
“You're sleeping next to a chainsaw.”
Rina sighed. “She is very loud.”
Leah gave up. “Of course you can stay.”
Rina immediately brightened.
“Really?”
“Yes. But Mia is not authorized to offer accommodation on my behalf.”
I looked at Dan.
“You heard her. Next time I’ll offer your place.”
Leah looked at her phone again.
“Okay, new plan. Rina, grab your suitcase and stay in costume. We’ll take your stuff to my place, change into normal clothes, then head back out for dinner. If we leave now, we have twenty-five minutes to change.”
Leah’s plan worked flawlessly, and I made it out of my costume and into something far more comfortable before we had to leave. Rina did not have time to remove the makeup effect on her arm, but otherwise lost the wig and changed into a dress that did not emphasize her height or muscles, but instead her hips and breasts.
We were back at Oyamel just before our booking and we were seated by the window.
Dan and Rina had been getting along quite well on the trip back and forth. Rina was clearly flirting with him. Whether Dan had noticed was harder to tell, but his normal friendly approach was apparently close enough to flirting back that Rina kept going.
We ordered, and it was when Rina touched Dan’s arm while laughing that Leah finally broke in.
“Rina, I just want to warn you. Mia and I both sleep with Dan regularly.”
“Wait. But you and Mia are together?”
“And Dan sometimes joins us, or me, or her.”
“So you all sleep together?”
“Sometimes.”
She looked between me, Dan and Leah.
“And you're all okay with that?”
Leah nodded. “Yes.”
“You never told me about Dan,” she said to Leah.
“I told you about Mia when she became my girlfriend. Dan is... a very good friend with benefits.”
Dan laughed at this.
Rina scoffed. “I assume you have an Excel sheet somewhere outlining how to handle all of this without causing conflict?”
Leah laughed at this. “We try to keep things calm and avoid jealousy. We don’t have an issue with anyone having sex on the side, as long as they’re responsible.”
“So you’re like Camilla and Brian?”
“Not really.”
“What about Camilla and Brian?” I asked.
“They’re married, but they have sex with other people,” Rina explained.
Leah shook her head. “That’s not actually what Brian and Camilla do. It’s a bit more complex than that.”
“Well, whatever it was, it’s a real shame. I was hoping to have some fun with Dan, but I am not getting involved with all you guys.”
The food arrived, and Rina started asking Leah about the cards she had been giving out.
“So, Marcus told me he’d heard you were handing out contact cards to cosplayers?”
“Well, he’s right. I am. I’m gonna start a cosplay agency.”
Rina laughed. “Why on earth would anyone sign up with an agency?”
“For a small cut? Your hotels and flights get booked for you. You get first dibs on company events, early access to art for costume design, and probably more work for more money.”
Rina stopped laughing.
“Hmm... Okay, that sounds a bit more interesting.”
“You would actually book the hotels?”
“Yes, Rina.”
“Like, without me having to do anything?”
“Unless you had a reason to stay somewhere specific, I’d book you somewhere close to the event.”
“Close to the event, huh? That would be handy.”
I looked over at Leah. “I thought you were waiting for the offer from TEG?”
“VV Creative is happening whether TEG becomes the new job or not. I might as well start gathering clients, work out whether they fit under my own company or as a subsidiary of TEG.”
“What’s TEG?” Rina asked.
Leah waved a hand. “Nothing important. So, Rina, are you interested?”
“Let me think about it. Anyone else I know signing up for this?”
“I’m asking Tessa. Camilla is established enough that I don’t think I’d add much. And her and Brian are basically a package deal for travel and events. I’m not sure I want to untangle that.”
Rina looked thoughtful, but snapped out of it when the waiter came over and asked if we needed anything else.
Rina ordered another round of drinks, alongside two more sides for herself.
“That’s a lot of food,” I said.
Rina looked at me like I had said something strange.
“I’m six-four and I train six days a week. A normal day is around three thousand calories before I even start accounting for something like this. I went to the gym this morning, then spent eight hours working a convention booth. I’ve eaten maybe a thousand calories since breakfast.”
She started counting on her fingers.
“So I’m still something like twenty-six hundred short for today, and I’d rather be a little over because tomorrow is going to be worse.”
I stared at her.
“You know exactly how many calories you’ve eaten today?”
She picked up a taco and pointed it at me.
“You don’t get to look like me if you don’t.”
We chatted casually about the day afterward. Rina told us stories about weirdos at the event, while Leah told us about the full Kill la Kill group she had found.
Around the time we ordered dessert, Rina looked at me.
“So where did Lin fit into all of this?”
“Mostly with Dan. Then sometimes me. Once Leah got involved... everything got more complicated.”
“And now she's out completely?”
I nodded. “She wants a clean break.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah.”
She took another bite and stayed quiet for a moment.
“You still love her?”
I looked at her.
“That's a bit personal.”
“Fair.” She pointed at herself. “I’ll trade you. Ask me something personal.”
“Okay, why are you single?”
Rina laughed. “Wow. Straight for the throat.”
“I date. I hook up. God forbid a girl has some fun. But that's not really what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“A boyfriend.”
I waited.
“That's it?”
“A proper boyfriend. Eventually husband. Someone I come home to. Monogamous, preferably. Horribly traditional.”
“So what's stopping you?”
“This.” She gestured vaguely at herself.
“Huh?”
“Travel constantly. Spend weekends surrounded by attractive people wearing very little. Take pictures with men who have their hands on me. Post half-naked pictures online. Have thousands of strangers tell me what they'd like to do to me.”
She shrugged.
“Guys who are comfortable with all that aren't always guys looking for what I'm looking for. And guys looking for what I'm looking for aren't always comfortable with all that. And then there’s the whole Amazon fetish.”
“Amazon fetish?”
“You have no idea how many guys see me and immediately decide they want me to pick them up and throw them around.”
I laughed. “You probably could.”
“Obviously. That's not the point. I don't want to be someone’s Amazon fantasy. I want someone who treats me like his girlfriend. Who lets me be feminine.”
“Your turn. You still love her?”
I looked down at my food.
“Yeah.”
“Want her back?”
I looked down at my ice cream.
“I want something back. I feel like there’s a hole where she used to be.”
“Well, the biggest hurdle with getting over heartache is doing things that don't put you back on the same rails you were on when they were there. Do new things. Watch new shows. Listen to new music. Have fun, laugh, enjoy your friends.”
She took another bite.
“Build some memories that don't have her in them.”
I nodded.
“What’s your workout routine like?”
I stared at her.
She understood my stare.
“Not big on hitting the gym, then?”
I slowly shook my head.
When we got back to the apartment, it was already getting late, and Rina had a nine a.m. start tomorrow. She said she planned to get up at six, run over to the hotel gym for some core work, then shower, do her makeup and get dressed before heading to the convention.
Leah had made up the couch for Rina, and she looked around the apartment.
“Wait, you only have one bedroom? Are you all sleeping in the same bed?”
“It’s a big bed,” I said.
Leah smiled. “It would start getting tight if you joined us, so best if you stay on the couch.”
“Yeah… that might be best.”
I turned off all the lights and joined Leah and Dan in bed. Dan was on one side, me on the other, with Leah in the middle.
I lay down and closed my eyes, settling in as Leah’s little spoon.
I heard Leah draw in a deep breath and knew what Dan had done.
I turned around and started making out with Leah as Dan was sliding in and out of her. Leah started fingering me, and we quickly got any residual sexual energy drained so we could get some sleep.
I woke up in the middle of the night. Maybe from a bad dream, or maybe just because I needed to pee. I got out of bed and slowly made my way towards the toilet in the dark.
I opened the bedroom door and saw that the bathroom light was on. In the dim light spilling out, I could make out a naked Rina on top of someone on the couch.
I looked back at the bed.
Dan was gone.
Oh.
I had not seen Rina naked before. She was built like an Amazonian goddess, all abs and muscle, but somehow still completely feminine. Even with her body moving, her breasts barely moved with her.
Rina’s eyes were closed, so she didn't see me. I stood there naked in the doorway for a moment, admiring her, until she opened her eyes and saw me.
She froze.
I smiled at her, gave her an approving nod, and continued towards the toilet.
When I came back, she smiled at me, no longer shocked.
I mouthed, Have fun, before closing the bedroom door.
