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The day following Oz's first transformation, he was more mobile, but still in pain when he tried to move. After a long battle with his mattress to remove the stained sheets, he shuffled into the shower awkwardly, turning it on a high heat. Oooohhhhh...that felt good...like he was melting. He leaned forward, resting the top of his head against the tiled wall and just looked down, watching the water drip from his nose. It also meant that most of the water was running over and down his shoulders now, just where it ached the most.

Strewn across the floor of his duplex were various items of clothing. Jeans. T-shirts. Even sweatshirts. What did they have in common?None of them fit any more. His shoulders were too wide for the shirts, and his bum too big for the jeans, causing many a torn seam. The only thing that still fit him were two pairs of xxl boxer shorts he'd bought by accident, and his bath robe. How fetching.

He heard a knock at the door. It must be Gaius, checking up on him. Oz had yet to think of way to repay the horseman for his help yesterday, especially considering the absence of shops around here.

"Come in! The door's open!" he shouted from his bathroom.

Wait a minute, that wasn't Gaius. It was Sayuri! Ack! Quick, turn the water off! Get something to cover yourself....

...too late...

Just as he was reaching for the towel draped over the sink, Sayuri wobbled into the doorway of the bathroom. Poor Oz scrambled to cover his particulars and save Sayuri that sight, covering himself with the towel as she wandered back into the main room.

"I'm sorry Sayuri!" he hurried from the shower, stumbling slightly on his damaged knee.

He grasped the cane and hobbled into the room, quite flustered and obviously apologetic in his mannerisms. The towel was just barely wrapped about his waist, needing an occasional adjustment to keep it in place.

Oz was just as embarrassed as Sayuri, and equally as flushed. His heart was thumping in his chest, and all feelings of pain and ache had been supplanted by the overwhelming awkwardness of being exposed in front of Sayuri. How much had she seen? And what would she think?

"Umm...none of my clothes fit anymore..." he replied sheepishly, clinging onto the towel for dear life as it was starting to slip more and more.

"And it wasn't your fault Sayuri. You don't have to say sorry."

Ah yes, Sayuri had been in such a hurry to escape the naked form that his appearance might have gone un-noticed. He couldn't even answer her question in his head, let alone form the words needed to say 'Because I started to mutate yesterday.' Noticing she was still covering her eyes, Oz took this chance to let the towel fall to the floor, and then grab a pair of the xxl boxers.

It was a mild struggle, having to balance mostly on his right leg and using the cane as a prop. But he got there in the end and whilst he wasn't fully clothed, he was no longer a threat to Sayuri's innocence.

"Yes, it's covered," he replied, smiling a little.

If Sayuri had worried about her appearance at her second change, Oz could now relate. Her reaction echoed through his skull, that expression of worry and shock burning into his memory. He practically flinched, still so confused and numb about what had happened. His mind had been so preoccupied with dealing with pain, aches, fatigue, that he'd barely had the chance to think.

But now wasn't the time.

"I'll be fine," he said, forcing a smile. It did warm his heart to think she was concerned about him. "Nothing a big guy like me can't handle."

"How are you?" he asked, quite geuinely. It had been a few days since he last saw her.

Sayuri's comment conflicted with what Oz saw. He felt uncomfortble, like some kind of great hulking beast scaring the daylights out of the damsel. But...she missed him? He must have made a good impression on her then.

"Yeah, I've missed you too," he replied, his tone gradually sounding more cheerful, despite the odd grimace and groan caused by his twitching muscles.

"And we can be cripples together," he said with a snort of laughter, limping over to the bed and sitting down with a big 'floomp.' "I bet you're a fantastic swimmer though."

"Why don't you like the lake?" he asked, partly curious, partly fearful of the answer. Sayuri might not be the only aquatic beast here, and any others could be a might more ferocious.

Oz saw Sayuri look around, a little perplexed by her actions.

"You can sit down you know," he chuckled. "You don't need permission."

He glanced to the space beside him on the bed, wondering if his appearance really was that off-putting now. She really did seem so delicate compared to his now bulky musculature.