Garwa & Gunna both start plumping up, despite not eating berries

The next week or so, things changed slightly in your work. Mostly in how you were still getting caught up and the number of critical system maintenance had been pushed back in favor of things that were "Quality of Life" or were "Bothering Me". Garwa had gotten externally angry for the first time since you'd known her as you two took an emergency lift to the reactor to exchange spent fuel cells.

"These goddamn fucking cranial cretins. They had been changing lightbulbs on day one instead of this?" Michael gesticulated wildly as he stood across from Garwa in the lift as it speed towards the core, jostling slightly.

"Yes!" Garwa emphatically agreed, nodding. "This is an egregious oversight. Who approves of this? Who lets this happen?" She balled her fists and they quivered in front of her slightly, before she dropped them against her thighs and sharply sighed, calming herself, "I am sorry I lost my composure, Mr. Zambac." she bowed her head slightly towards him.

Michael, however, noticed something different. He noticed how Garwa's thighs wobbled from the impact of her hands. How the waves went down her smooth legs, encased in her environmental suit, which keeps her skin properly hydrated, tapering to her ankles, then how her feet widen as they reach where toes would be. Her stylish boots holding sturdy fins instead of feet. Tracing back up, his eyes gazed back and forth as if in slow motion as her thighs came to rest, going up and wider to her hips, then tapering to her soft waist. Despite how her Maintenance uniform and been flattering before, it was now snug around her hips and thighs. He caught glimpse of her hands, webbed fingers to the second knuckle on each, and from her index knuckle to her second thumb knuckle. Michael's eyes went further up, her breasts were still the same modest size, and he for a brief moment inspected her rebreather, which was held by an apparatus so that it could move freely where she looked. Which, Michael finally reached her pale eyes.

Both quickly looked away from each other. Unknown to Micahel, Garwa's right foot rotated slightly on it's ball.

A silent moment passed.

"I-- I don't know who made the list, honestly, and I'm going to make a bypass so I can reorder it and set priorities myself. I'll message Candice and see what I can learn about that list."

"Candice?" Garwa asked, head tilting slightly, "Oh yes, the welcoming liaison. Why do you think she knows?"

"I don't but she probably knows who to knows." Michael pensively shrugged.

"Yes, yes." Garwa paused, "Mr. Zambac, exactly how critical is this maintenance? My study of this reactor series did not retain in my mind."

"Well, the alarms haven't gone off, so it's isn't that bad. We may just have to reset the fuel cell exchange circuit or maybe the arms have a bad servo." Michael postulated as the lift came to a stop. "Let's get to it." Both exited the lift and donned hazard suits as a precaution. Michael began a mechanical examination, as he was more dexterous than Garwa, who began a system diagnostic.

    "Garwa, there's a corroded rod under that terminal you're at, it's what's stopping the automatic exchanges. Can you get down and reach it?" Michael asked, looking down at her. He was head and neck taller than her, and her build much smaller. This often went that she could fit in smaller spaces, where Michael's high dexterity was not as needed. 

"Yes, Mr. Zambac, I should be able to reach it." Both knelt down, Garwa opened the access panel and looked at the opening. It was just large enough for her to fit in... normally. She hesitated before getting on her hands and knees. 

"You okay, Garwa?" Michael asked, secretly guessing why she might hesitate.

"Yes!" she answered quickly, "I just- need the part first." she found a convenient excuse. Michael went over to a maintenance closet and procured the appropriate part and brought it to her. If she had eyebrows, he would've seen the waves of emotions passing through her, but even then, these were not external. Garwa gripped the part and a small multitool in other hand and started crawling into the small space. She crawled forward, then crawled forward some more. Michael tried not to stare too much, but he was truly concerned if she'd reach far enough as her hips came close to the opening, and they were wider than it...

Garwa was near panicking in her suit. She shimmied forward and felt her hips touch and press against the opening. If she could blush, she would be beet red. She reached her arms forward and twisted slightly, allowing her to see ahead, and thanking the Great Sea of Selan, she was able to reach far enough with her arms fully extended to replace the part. She started squirming back out, accidentally striking Michael with a kick as she dislodged her hips from the opening. In a show of some panic never seen before, she scrambled out, stood up, and straightened out her uniform.

"Mr. Zambac, please, I offer my humblest apologies for kicking you." Garwa bowed her head and held it there.

"It's fine, Garwa, it was an accident, yea?" He replaced the maintenance panel and stood next to her, "It's alright" he touched her shoulder and retracted his hand.

"Thank you. Now, uh, what's next on our list?" Garwa desperately tried to keep things moving.

Garwa and Michael sat in the Central Maintenance, cleaning their tools after a particularly nasty run in with the chemical neutralizing station was clogged.

"Tell me again why Gunna is on this station? Is she an adult Selanian?" Michael asked as he set aside a bit.

"She has an internship with one of the research grants studying artifacts from Selan. And, I wasn't aware children weren't allowed on the station, Mr. Zambac." Garwa replied as she disposed of some ruined tools.

"Well, I haven't seen any anywhere. And that dosen't answer my question." Michael shot back.

"We're sisters. But not like how Humans have siblings. Selans are much like your sharks, we can have a litter of several young at once. We share the same mother but are from different litters; and she is an adult, if you must know." Garwa replied

"Sharks? Your skin looks so smooth, though. Er, uh, do you have the sharp rows of teeth?" Michael redirected as Garwa startled slightly

"W-We only have one set of teeth, they are sharp, but not unlike your incisor teeth." Garwa responded.

Then, suddenly, to both persons relief, the subject of their conversation entered: Gunna.

"Hello Gerwy!" Gunna exclaimed, making Garwa almost wither visibly, "And Hello Mr. Michael." she strode in and sat next to Garwa.

Michael looked up to her as she strode over. Really looked at her, like he had Garwa earlier. She was shaped differently, her environment suit also slightly different in color, possibly indicative of skin tone? Either way. While she was roughly the same size in build as Garwa, her shape after eating those berries was different now. Where Garwa had larger thighs and hips now, Gunna had grown more in her hips and breasts, to say nothing of her rear, which he wouldn't be able to comment on as he hadn't seen it. Michael shivered slightly, and shifted in his seat.

"What brings you here, Gunna? You know you don't have clearance to be here." Michael slightly chided her.

"What? Can I not visit my only older sister on the station? And her smart and logical friend?" Gunna replied, Garwa shot her a look.

"Eh, I guess I'll allow it, this time." Michael went back to polishing an autowrench, "By the way, why is your suit a different color?" Michael looked to Gunna's eyes, they were a light pale grey as opposed to Garwas more medium grey.

"Oh, it matches skin tones!" Gunna replied cheerily, "Except for well, the more.. uh... other skin tone."

"Gunna, please, stop embarrassing yourself." Garwa said a bit louder than she usually spoke.

"What do you mean 'other skine tone'?" Michael asked as if he was not trespassing on any social barrier.

"Mr. Zambac, please forgive Gunna's faux pas, speaking of those kinds of things is not appropriate in these situations." Garwa shot a small punch into Gunna's side.

"No offense, and sorry for imposing" Michael smirked, "Anyway, you two feeling hungry?"

"Very." both replied.