“—I can’t talk to her,” Mal says, appalled, “she’s nekkid.”

"I bet she'll stop being naked soon! She came right in with a plan to get someone's extra clothes for when they're older?" The concept of bringing in spare clothes that don't even FIT you yet is so baffling to Masozi. 

"Sounds like a prospect, then."

Masozi nods. "Good. And - I don't know if you've met Lucy yet? She and her brother are the ones who have spider familiars. I dunno if you'll want them on your crew but they seemed to be meeting a whole lot of people so maybe they'd know who to introduce you to? Lucy was really helpful." 

"Sounds mighty promisin'. I'll let you know how it turns out."

Has the girl acquired clothes and thus become speakable yet? That whole situation does sound like a symptom of a stone-cold badass.

It does in fact transpire that Bobbie is clothed before too long, and back in the cafeteria with the rest of the crowd.

She is really enormously tall. Mal's gonna get a crick in his neck.

"Wrestled any good water buffalo lately?" he asks her, somewhat admiring, with all the subtlety of a steam shovel in a china shop.

"No, they kicked me out of the league after I won my third championship. What do you want."

"Your ass, my corner," he says, cheerfully succinct.

"And what has your corner got that my ass might want?"

"With any luck? A literal corner. Gonna stake out some space in the library. Crew to watch your back. An' whatever we can scrape up to share. Got any use for an enchanted underwire?"

" - See, you should have led with that. But it sounds like you want more of a commitment than I'm willing to give just yet."

"Don't worry, I ain't breakin' out the friendship bracelets yet. You give it a shot, you decide it ain't your speed, no hard feelings."

"Well then. Who else is in your little gang?"

"It's up-an'-coming," he repeats, bright and full of bullshit.

"...So, just you."

"Get in on the ground floor!"

"Way it looks to me is you want someone tougher than you to watch your back and don't have a ton to offer in return. Unless that underwire was not purely hypothetical in which case I'd like to know how the hell you got it."

"Have to be a sucker to want someone less tough to watch my back. Brought it in, how else?"

"Were you expecting a lot of girls to come in without bras or are you into crossdressing."

"It was light and enchanted and I had it."

"Well I won't press further. Think it'd fit me?"

"Reckon so. Enchanted for it -- stick it in, y'know, delicates, an' they fit."

"...That is both more and less practical than I was expecting. What kind of would-be gang leader can't say 'tits'?"

"You don't stick it in your--"

He makes a cupping motion in front of his chest instead.

"--you stick it in your. Lacy shit. You know."

(The answer to her question appears to be: the kind who can't say bra, either.)