Melissa, Neil, and Hudson had spent all day interviewing people who wanted to become the head costumer at Bear Buns Denver. They sent out the second to last candidate and talked among themselves.

“What did you think?” asked Melissa. “On a scale of ‘kind of a disaster’ to ‘total disaster,’ where was she?”

“Total disaster,“ answered Neil.

“Why would she admit to us that her biggest motivation was seeing the dancers naked?” asked Hudson. “No way we could’ve hired her. No way.”

“We’ve only got one more candidate left,” said Melissa with a sigh. “If we don’t end up clicking with this one, we’re going to have to go another week without a costumer…but I’d rather we end up hiring the right head costumer than hiring the wrong one and having to fire them later.”

“Excuse me?” asked one of the spirit bears, appearing in the interview room. “Are you ready for your last applicant?”

“Send them in,” said Neil.

In came a woman who wasn’t just curvy but knew how to dress in a way to accentuate her curves. She had a portfolio in one hand, a lovely purse in the other. Melissa couldn’t identify the designer.

“I’m sorry, I don’t usually do this, but what brand is your purse?” asked Melissa. “It’s gorgeous and unique.”

“Oh, that?” asked the newcomer. “I made it myself. In fact, I made everything you see today. I thought I might as well bring my portfolio and wear some of my pieces, too. Watch.”

The woman put her purse and portfolio down on the table. Then, the woman leaned over in front of them, touching her toes, before getting down and doing a split and standing back up to do a jumping jack.

“Impressive,” said Neil. “You know this is an audition for a costumer, and not a dancer, right?”

“I know,” said the woman. “My name’s Grace, Grace Martinez. I’m a master costumer. I know how to work with all kinds of fabric, for all kinds of bodies. Trust me. I can dress myself, a BBW, with ease, but I can also outfit big alpha male strippers like the ones you have here.”

Grace took a seat at the table and opened her portfolio, stopping on a page showing members of a modern dance-style circus performing. There was a couple consisting of a man and a woman wearing matching costumes performing some sort of aerial trick. What was intriguing was that the man and woman had matching outfits, but very different body sizes. The man was big, a shifter by the looks of his hands. He was all muscle, and the skintight costume left nothing to the imagination. The woman he was with, well, she was all curves. Her soft, luscious curves were covered by a skintight costume that hugged her curves. Both were engaged in complicated aerial tricks and the costumes still looked good.

“Okay, you must be a witch or something, because I’ve never seen anyone do this kind of stuff with fabric,” said Neil, turning the pages of the book.

“Why do you want this job?” asked Melissa. “Are you really into male strippers or something? You can be honest. Your work is good. I joined up because I saw a pair of bears propose to their fated frikkin’ mate on stage, and it helped me believe in true love again.”

“I’m not interested in strippers for sexual reasons,” said Grace. “I’m interested in outfitting the entire club. I’m interested in the unique challenges that outfitting strippers presents. As you can see from my portfolio, the majority of my experience as a seamstress and designer is in theatrical costume design. There’s the question of the role of costumes within scenes. Costumes are going to need to be glamourous but easily cleaned. They’re going to need to be breathable without being transparent. Stripping combines athleticism and theater. If I can outfit this club, I can outfit anyone.”

“When you say, ‘the club,’ what do you mean?” asked Hudson.

“Obviously, the strippers need costumes, but the waiters will also need to be outfitted, as will the bartenders, support staff, and so on and so forth,” said Melissa. “Guests to the club need to know what someone does just by looking at them. Those outfits won’t be custom made, but I’ll figure out color schemes and what pieces need to go into the outfit. The staff needs outfits that are flashy without being tacky, comfortable without looking slovenly, and that won’t outshine the outfits worn by the dancers.”

“Interesting,” said Neil. “We’ve never thought about it that way.”

“You also need new merch in your store,” said Grace. “Your designs may have sold well in Seattle, but they won’t work in Denver. It’s a different city. There’s a different culture. I’ve compared this club to the one in Seattle. They’re different clubs. That means they’re going to have different fanbases. Why aren’t we selling snow sports equipment? Where’s the giant Bear Buns snowboard helmet featuring our logo?”

“Good point,” said Hudson. “Sounds like you really did your research about the club.”

“Of course, I did,” said Grace. “I’m a serious costumer. I’m not here to mess around. I see Bear Buns as a space where I will not only hone my craft but learn about an entirely different performance arts industry.”

“Is there anything else we should know about you?” asked Neil.

“Yes, there is. Even though I’m not looking to find love at my job…I have to admit, I’m open to it, to love, to finding it via a job,” admitted Grace. “I was also in the audience at Bear Buns on opening night. I saw the proposal the mountain bears gave to their fated mate. Even if I don’t find love at Bear Buns, I’d love to help others find love, by creating beautiful costumes for the strippers to wear. After all, some species of birds have big, colorful petals to attract their mates. What’s the difference between giant rainbow feathers sticking out of a bird’s butt and a pair of shiny sequin shorts on a bear’s buns?”

“I’ve only got one more question,” said Melissa. “When can you start?”

“In a month,” admitted Grace. “I have to finish a project at work, and then I can help you with the club.”

“I think we’ll find a way to survive without a head costumer for a month,” replied Melissa. “Welcome to Bear Buns, Grace. You’re hired. “