[Shenandoah]

((Cool. I've modified that part a bit.))

[Vox]

((Ah, ok. I thought the pencil explanation was cool too. << information addict))

Maia straightened up in a hurry at Brian's "Yes, sir?" Oh,my Lord. She stood quietly, pretending nothing was amiss. when they had finished, she said brightly, "You know, I think I can get you some of those pencils today - some of our execs grabbed them out of the supply cabinet. I think they like all the pretty colors!" She laughed, a little bit artificially. "I'll see if I can round some up."

Omigod, omigod...

She left and entered the nearest women's bathroom. At this end of the building, there were some currently unused meeting rooms and offices, and the employees that did work at this end were male, so hardly anyone ever used it. It hadn't been upgraded in some time, and it was drafty in winter, as it ran along the outer wall of the building. Nevertheless, it was Maia's favorite.

I can't believe he saw my ass.

It held two narrow stalls and one overlarge one, intended for handicapped users. The latter was so long that the janitor had thoughtfully stacked boxes of extra toilet paper and cleaning supplies at the end farthest from the toilet. There was still room for a wheelchair to turn around. The wall rose to a ledge, on which there were still watermarks and circular stains from the potted plants some enterprising soul had put there, once upon a time. Best of all, there was a long, narrow window that cranked open and shut. It was currently open.

He probably thinks I'm a skank.

Maia swiftly disrobed, hanging her shirt and necklace on the hook behind the stall door. Her skirt and underwear were folded and placed on top of a box printed with "Ultrasoft Bath Tissue." No sooner had the last piece came off than Maia's form shrunk, grew dark fuzz and sprouted whiskers and a tail. A young black-and-white cat huddled on the cold tiles.

What a crappy day!

She leaped on the cardboard boxes, from there to the ledge, and out the window. There was a convenient tree branch within reach and she jumped onto that, running up to the trunk. The sun shone on this part, which was concealed from view of the building from any other window. Shreds of bark and old, browned scratches were visible on the trunk. She reared on her hind legs and added fresh scratches as her claws furiously tore down bark. Being a small cat, she didn't do much damage to the tree itself, and only the outer layer of bark was affected.

When her fury had eased somewhat, the shreds of bark under her claws became annoying and she dug them out with her teeth, then busily groomed herself. Licking her paw with her raspy tongue and dragging it over her head soothed her. So what if she didn't have it all together like Miss Moneypants. So what if Brian and the guys were laughing at her. Maia would catch up one day, and the guys would forget it by tomorrow.

She didn't think of her ability as a power, curse or condition. It was just something she did, the way some people picked their nose or drank to excess, behind closed doors. It was private, it was something she did to blow off steam, and it was more hygenic than digging for gold or boozing up. Probably.

A small form shot from the trees onto a ledge in the building and disappeared inside. A moment later, Maia exited the ladies' room, hair slicked back and her face composed. She walked quickly by the drafting office - nothing to see here! and she went back to her desk.

[Shenandoah]

Rachel happened to be passing through the hallway to the copy machine (conveniently choosing the one in the drafting room so that she could get a glimpse of Brian) when she spotted Maia. She raised an eyebrow at the subtly changed appearance, noticing that her hair had been rearranged. "What did you do to your hair?" she asked, not bothering to sensor her words because as far as she knew there was no way to sensor the words... especially to another woman.

((Do you eventually want to hit five and they go home? We could either have something happen after work [at a restaurant or at the store or something] or skip right to the next day.))