"Is that Lara Croft?" Ronald asked, trying not to gawk too much.
"Yup," Leonard chirped, obviously enjoying his reaction. "Like the shorts? It was a lot of work getting the straps and belt right."
"Yeah, uh, the shorts are nice." Ronald dutifully shifted his gaze away from the tiny crop-top, down past the creamy bare midriff, and focused on the appropriate hip-hugging article being discussed. "I'll bet you were a hit at the con."
"Like you wouldn't believe," Leonard giggled, shifting excitedly from one foot to the other. At this point, his pants had shrunk rapidly upward before opening up into a short skirt that showed off a good amount of leg. The fabric darkened into black leather as a thick belt formed, crossing in front in a design a lot more aesthetic than functional. Below that, his shoes had become a simple pair of pink sneakers with no socks.
Unaware of his drastic wardrobe change, the costume enthusiast swiped to the next picture.
Again, Ronald scraped up a reasonable response. "So, I take it you like Final Fantasy, too."
"Definitely!"
"Tifa, right?"
Leonard nodded. "Dissidia version."
Ronald turned from the phone and gestured towards Leonard's new skirt. "And that's the same "
Striking a pose, Leonard ran a finger down the side of his smooth thigh. "Like it? It was so comfortable that I figured I might as well use it. After removing the suspenders, of course."
"It's very flattering," Ronald said with full honesty. Clearing his throat, he tried to change the subject. "So, that piece of armor in your bag. What was it for?"
The nerd, if that term could even apply now, stepped closer again and started flipping to another picture. "Oh, here, I've got the reference pic somewhere. Got it." He passed the phone to Ronald. "I'm planning to dress as a female Thor. I may change a few things, but I hope to get it done in time for this year's convention. Kyla's going as Loki."
Ronald nearly dropped the phone. "K-Kyla!?"
"Oh yeah, she's really into this kinda thing, too. She helps me make a lot of my costumes."
It was difficult to imagine the socially awkward girl dressed like a Norse deity, but who could say? Maybe she looked different without her glasses. Like Leonard, Ronald thought. In an attempt to hide the resulting smirk, he absently swiped to the next picture.
There was no hiding the jaw drop this time. Noticing his expression, Leonard leaned forward to see what had come onto screen. A cute "Eep!" escaped his lips as his hands darted out for the phone.
The boy dodged, eyes still glued to the image. "Is that you?"
"Maybe." Leonard made another unsuccessful lunge. "Let me check, and I'll tell you!"
"That is you! You're blue. And naked."
"I'm not naked!" The cosplayer objected, only remembering to lower his voice halfway through. Thankfully, the room had almost finished emptying, so only a few classmates gave him a curious look. "Not completely," he admitted in more of a whisper, his cheeks going bright red. "T-There's a little bit of latex. And lots of paint. Anyway, that one wasn't for a con or anything. I was just trying it out for fun. In private."
"Are you Mystique? But I thought her hair was red."
"It's Cortana. From Halo. You know, the game."
"Ah, yes. I see it." Peering closer at the photo, Ronald took note of something important, or to be precise, a lack of a certain something important. And with no loose clothing in the way, there was no room for doubt. Reflexively, he checked the front of Leonard's skirt, but he already knew it would be no use thinking of her as anything other than female, now. "You sure make a lovely computer hologram, if you don't mind my saying."
Even though she seemed a bit pleased at the compliment, she set her jaw and stuck out her hand one more time. "May I please have my phone back?"
Knowing when to give in, Ronald acquiesced. "Sorry for looking. I didn't mean to embarrass you. And I wasn't kidding. You're really good at this. It's amazing!"
"Thanks," she said before lifting a finger. "But you owe me one."
"Alright, what do you want from me?"
The girl considered it for a moment before answering. "Gimme your phone."
Ronald did as she commanded, putting in his password for her. Quickly, she began tapping away at the touch screen. "I'll think of something later, but this should make it easier to contact you."
With one final tap, her own phone buzzed. "There." She returned his phone with a smile. "Keep this with you. I gotta go."
Grabbing her bag and purse, she left Ronald by himself. Looking at the screen, he saw his contact list with a new number added. It was saved under the name Laine.
