Notes: Thanks to Aubrie for the "It's nothing you haven't seen before" line. This piece amuses me. I love bonus themes, so I will be doing those as well as the thirteen main themes.
#18. Nudophobia; Fear of Nudity (in only my birthday suit)
Alister leaned back after turning the taps on the bathtub. Immediately the water leaped out of the showerhead, beating against his clammy skin and pressing down his already-damp hair. It felt good to wash away the evidence of the past hours' excitement.
It had been a long night, and they had been gone even past sunrise, but it had gone well for a first meeting. Now the Egyptian God cards were in their possession. Raphael was probably giving them to Dartz right now. And Dartz was no doubt very pleased.
They had lost one of their number---the old man, Gurimo. He had fallen to the Orichalcos once the Nameless Pharaoh had defeated him. But oh well. If he was not able to take the pressure, then he did not belong in their little organization. And it had not really been a surprise. It was one thing to be able to defeat runts like Rex and Weevil. It was quite another to go up against the reported King of Games. The Pharaoh's victory had really seemed imminent from the start.
He reached for the shampoo bottle, flipping open the lid and leaning away from the shower's reach as he squeezed some of the sticky liquid into his short red locks. Now the Nameless Pharaoh knew about them. And now he would naturally worry. But it was Raphael who was the most interested in dealing with him. He could certainly have him. Alister only wanted Seto Kaiba.
He had been studying Kaiba and his corporation for many years by now, and the rivalry with Maximillion Pegasus's company Industrial Illusions was certainly not lost on him. It was something he could use to his advantage . . . well, once Pegasus was taken care of. And Valon's little addition to the group should be handling that angle.
That was fine with him; he had nothing against Pegasus. But if it was necessary to get rid of him in order to get to Kaiba, then of course he would do the task personally. If that Mai Valentine person failed, however, then Valon should be the one to face Pegasus, since he was the one who had brought that woman there in the first place.
It was hard to know what to think of her. Obviously she had been one of the top duelists, at one time, but her popularity had been slipping. That was why Valon had brought her there, wasn't it---she was a washed-up has-been and she did not know anymore what to do with her life? And of course, he was smitten with her for some odd reason. That had been obvious from the start, and Alister had argued with him about the subject shortly after her arrival.
Dartz did not really care one way or another. She was another person whom Fate had brought to them, he had said, and her skills should be sufficient enough to be useful. What she and Valon did on their own time was their business, as long as it did not interfere with the ultimate plan.
Of course, she did not give Valon the time of day. He really should have learned by now that she did not like him, but then he seemed to be a slow learner on a lot of things. He would not even listen to Raphael's concerns, and he and Raphael seemed to get along well most of the time.
Now he took hold of the soap, lathering his hands more before beginning to spread the suds over his body. A damp lock of hair fell in his eyes as he leaned over to get at his legs. Maybe he had not put the shampoo enough throughout his hair. That would have to be gone back and corrected. If there was not the right amount, it would be hard to get it to the proper volume once it was dry.
Setting the soap aside, and rinsing his hands under the shower, he reached for the shampoo and began to apply another layer.
Now, what had he been thinking of before his mind had wandered? Ah yes, Industrial Illusions. Oh, Kaiba was going to be unpleasantly surprised when he found what Pegasus was going to do next! Or at least . . . what he would think Pegasus was doing next. His first meeting with Alister was going to be incognito. Alister was going to travel to Duelist Kingdom, in the guise of Pegasus, and make Kaiba come there to fight him. Then at some point during the battle, he would reveal his true self. And Kaiba would no doubt be astounded!
Maybe that would be their only battle, but he had to hope not. After waiting so long, he wanted more time to turn his enemy's life upside down. There were several ways to bypass the outcome of an Orichalcos duel and turn it into a draw, if one could not secure a victory. Or maybe he would not use the Orichalcos at all in the first round. There were so many possibilities.
Without warning the door was suddenly flung open, sending a chill breeze through the skimpy shower curtain. The redhead paused, his fingers lathered with suds and held in his hair, a deep frown gracing his features. There was only one person who would have the audacity and the idiocy to come in like this. . . .
"Valon . . . !" he yelled, pushing the curtain aside just enough to see the spiky-haired Australian standing in the doorway.
"I've been looking for you for ages!" came the scolding answer. "Dartz is callin' a meeting and he made me come to find ya." He crossed his arms, obviously annoyed with the task. Then his eyes widened and he immediately looked away, clapping a hand over his face.
"And OY, Alister! Couldn't you keep the curtain closed or something? Now you'll be givin' me nightmares!"
Alister looked down at himself, rolling his eyes as he reached with a soapy hand to bring the edge of the vinyl around his lower half. "That's what you get for walking in on someone when he's showering," he retorted. "And it's not like it's something you haven't seen before."
Valon muttered something under his breath that was probably another indication of how distressed he was. Then he quickly turned to go. "Well, just . . . come on down when you're finished," he mumbled, continuing to make a show of keeping his eyes covered until he had gone back out the door. With a groping hand, he finally took hold of the knob and closed it behind him.
"And make sure you're wearing clothes!" he yelled through the door.
Shaking his head, Alister pulled the curtain across the rest of the way and resumed his lathering ritual.
