She'd been in the bathroom of his warehouse for well over an hour by the time she finally emerged again. It was five in the afternoon and she was dressed to the nines, her hair long and straight, pulled over her right shoulder and cascading down her breast. She was wearing make-up, too, along with a short black skirt and low-cut lavender silk blouse with the pearl choker Steelbeak had given her a week prior. In four-inch tall silver stilettos, she was surprisingly graceful.

"What do you think?" Tegwen asked, turning around slowly to show off her new outfit.

Megavolt opened his mouth to reply, to ask her what on earth had happened to her hair, when a knock on the door interrupted him.

"I'll get it!" She exclaimed, grabbing a little silver purse and moderately sized gift-wrapped box from her mattress.

"Hey, wait!" Megavolt grabbed her arm before she could get to the door. "Where did you get all this stuff?"

Tegwen frowned. "Well, I made this," she replied, motioning to the box. "And I bought the rest."

"With what money?"

She looked away quickly. "Just. . . Some cash I found."

There was another knock at the door, and Megavolt released her arm.

"Thank you," Tegwen snapped, hurrying to open the door.

Steelbeak gasped loudly when he saw her. "Wow!"

She looked away bashfully. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Ya look fantastic! I -- ya look so good. . . I was gonna take ya out someplace nice but de money I'd set aside fer it, well. . . I t'ink I lost it."

Tegwen glanced down at herself guiltily. It had not been her finest moment, the things she'd had to resort to doing to get what she wanted.

"We can still go out 'n' have fun. 'S de Goldeneye okay?"

"It. . . Sounds great. I'm uh -- I'm sorry about your money."

Steelbeak laughed. "Yer too pretty ta have ta apologize fer anyt'in'. Besides, it's not like you took it." Gently, he put his arm around her waist and guided her out of Megavolt's place.

Glancing over her shoulder in shame, she caught a glimpse of Megavolt staring after her in shock before the door closed.

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