A Gaz in Need

I had originally intended to question Gaz as we ate, but I put that plan on hold. I was too busy staring in amazement as Gaz picked up her hotdog...drenched in mustard and relish...and shoved it into her mouth, chewing briefly before swallowing it. It must have been three hotdogs in that she noticed my gawking.

Wiping her face with her thumb...and promptly sucking the mustard off it, Gaz cleared her throat. "I...haven't eaten in a while," she confessed. She downed the glass of soda I gave her, cheeks turning red. I guess she had just realized how it must have looked, what with the near total abandonment of table manners. Fortunately I'm not easily disgusted by that sort of thing.

Seeing the opening, I decided to ask my questions before she resumed her onslaught (I only had a couple more hot dogs left, after all). "Gaz, I...hope I'm not being too intrusive with this, but...how did it come to this?" I asked. "Come to what?" she replied, seemingly confused. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I decided to stop being delicate about it. "Okay...being blunt, you look like you haven't had a good meal, a shower, or some sleep in days. I'm asking why this is."

"Oh, that," she answered. "I...was playing video games." My expression must have been incredulous...mostly because I was feeling incredulous. "I...look, when...when I get caught up in a game, I...forget things," she explained. I was starting to understand. This Gaz had an addiction to games. She'd get so caught up in them that she neglects feeding herself, sleeping, etc. I imagine that if she wasn't a robo-slut, she'd be in much worse condition. Man...they really went all out with giving me a **** Gaz. The voice over the phone merely said she would have a chink in her armor, but this...?

Strangely though, I didn't mind. In fact...I kind of liked the idea of taking her in, helping her get better. It was almost modern day storybook. ...how did the company know I'd be into this? I didn't even know this was something I wanted. I hoped it was coincidence...because otherwise I would be freaked out to know that this random company knows more about me than I do.

"Well," I said, finally biting into my own hotdog (which had gone cold by now), "we'll fix that. Once you finish eating, we'll get you cleaned up." Gaz quirked an eyebrow at me. "You're going to bathe me now?" I almost choked on my hotdog, prompting her to giggle slightly. "Relax, I was kidding." She ate another hotdog. "...maybe next time." ...I don't think she was joking that time.