As he focused on the hooks, Mabel nibbled her lip nervously, trying to minimize her breathing that had become - if possible - even shorter. She swallowed, doing everything in her power to resist thinking about how close Dory was to her chest. Dizziness was threatening to take over, and her hands shook slightly; this was the closest any man had gotten to her and it happened to be one of her closest friends. Friends. Right. Nothing more. It was likely Dory wouldn't see much in her anyways - he'd likely been with women far more beautiful and alluring than Mabel.

Pulling that thought out of the millions of others that were swirling around in her mind, Mabel hung onto it like a lifeline. Yes, there was no way that Dory would feel anything more for her. The buzzing she felt in the air was likely residual from the dunk in the Black Lake. She begged her brain to latch onto any logical thought she could muster, but it seemed to have been stored away someplace she wasn't able to find it.

In the midst of her internal struggle, Mabel had completely missed his question, and stared at him blankly, blinking in confusion. When the comprehension finally came to her, she shook her head vigorously. "No!" She exclaimed, completely forgetting she was standing in front of him in a thin chemise. "You - you didn't hurt me at all." As a shiver drew her spine upwards, she realized just exactly how vulnerable she was, and drew her arms across her chest again. "I'm - I'm sorry, I'll go change..."

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