Gasher rolled out of bed at about three o?clock in the afternoon. His hair was a greasy mess and he smelled bad. He went to the mirror and peered dazedly at his reflection. His dark eyes were bloodshot and puffy and his limbs were numb, for he had been asleep for close to fifteen hours. The shy sorcerer didn?t like water very much, but, even he had to admit it ? he needed a shower.

He peeled off his sweat-soaked t-shirt and stepped out of his crusty jeans as he walked into the bathroom, leaving a trail of garments behind like dead snake skins. In the bathroom he busied himself with fishing a wad of lint out of his belly button and scratching his scalp, which itched fiercely. He neglected to lock the door, figuring he had the basement of the mansion to himself, as usual.

Finally he stepped into the shower and cut the water on, forcing himself to stand under the stream. Although he turned the water to its hottest setting, it still felt cold as hell. Water was so unpleasant. He began bathing quickly, determined to stay under the shower as briefly as possible . . .

The shy sorcerer had almost finished bathing and was about to shut off that unpleasant water jet when he heard the unmistakable sound of someone piddling about the sink in the bathroom. The squeak of a towel on the mirror? The sawing sound of teeth being brushed? Who the? He knew it couldn?t be one of the girls; both Jenna and Molly thought Gasher was a weirdo and wouldn?t come down to the basement.

Skyler was most likely screwing around with him, that was it. He poked his head out from behind the shower curtain, opened his mouth ? and yelped. ?Eeeehhhh!? His back hit the rear wall of the shower as he lurched back inside. That wasn?t Skyler, that was some hot chick in a miniskirt, brushing her teeth in his sink! He desperately wanted a towel to wrap around himself, but it was hanging on the bar on the other side of the sink.

Gasher shut the water off, wrapped the shower curtain around himself awkwardly, even his head, and whimpered to her in a frightened voice. ?W. . .who are you??

Get outta here! I?m trying to take a shower! This is my bathroom and you?re intruding! I don?t have any clothes on! Well, that was what he wanted to say. But he was so shocked at her presence, Gasher was simply speechless. All he could do was hunker down, wrapped in the shower curtain, moaning in fear. This had to be a bad dream. He was soaking wet ? a state he loathed because he hated water ? and was dying to get out and dry off, but that little girl out there was blocking his towel.

?Um, could you like, throw me a towel? Don?t hand it! Just throw it up over?? He called this out to her miserably, a pained, dejected expression on his face. He would figure all this out later. He would find out who she was, why she was here, then change the locks to the basement if necessary.

Damn his modesty. He wished he could be like Skyler. That kid walked around butt naked sometimes and didn?t care who saw him. Gasher wanted to cry. It was almost like getting raped, someone barging into your shower like this. Perhaps he could cry, after this Suki was good and gone. For now, however, he cringed down in the bathtub with the shower curtain wrapped around him, waiting in terror.

Gasher listened to the girl's lecture in shock, cowering behind the shower curtain, mouth working in disbelief. He was insanely distressed by her very presence, as well as the things she said. He wouldn't answer any of her questions, he just wanted the hellish situation to be over, to be away from her where he could regroup and get his mind straight. Gasher was way too shy and timid to stand up to someone as bold as Suki, even with his clothes on. Without them, well, he stood no chance at all.

He fumbled for the towel and wrapped it around himself, making a worried whining sound inside his closed mouth. He braved a peek out from behind the curtain into the bathroom, his dark wet hair plastered to his head. Suki was still staring at him, brushing her teeth! His face quickly shot back behind the shower curtain, as if yanked off stage via a hook, hiding once more.

It became clear to her that he was trapped. She might stand out there all day long, for all he knew. And she definitely didn't look like someone who'd listen to him, so he knew that telling her to leave was out of the question. Finally, he reacted on instinct. The shy sorcerer took a deep breath and bolted out of the shower, holding the towel around his lower body. He sprinted by her as fast as he could, but his wet feet slipped on the bathroom floor. He fell on his ass and slid into the wall, but managed to keep the towel wrapped around him. Too embarassed to cry out he simply stumbled back to his feet and ran out of the bathroom, disappeared into his room and slammed the door. Only then did he drop his towel and dive into the safety of his bed and claw his way under the blankets.

Gasher huddled under his blankets, whimpering to himself. "My room doesn't smell bad," he lamented, his face buried in the sheets. "Who was that girl? How did she get in here? What did I do to deserve this?"

Huddled naked under his blankets, Gasher heard the strange's girl's voice again. He winced audibly, letting out a string of vulgar curse words. In his embarrassment, he didn't think about the fact that by slamming the bathroom door, the girl would be trapped in there. Now she was out there again, refusing to go away. He whined into his mattress, thrashing about. "Just go away, please! Whoever you are..."

A hand thrust out from the pile of blankets and grabbed onto a dirty pair of pants that just happened to be lying on his bed. He put them on as he lay there, struggling and writhing around. Once he was half clothed again, he felt better. Gasher peered out from under the blankets, eyes Nasuki with fear, looking to make sure she was leaving. He refused to show his face until she was gone. The shy sorcerer was so, so embarrassed.