The boy stood in the courtyard as the drained man staggered in, a look of amusement appearing on his face at the sight.

“You took longer than I expected. Is that body of yours already slowing down from your age?”

“I’m not exactly accustomed running up huge hills,” he said between gasps. “Besides, I’m only 34.”

“Really? Your face looks older... Anyway, are you ready to clean?”

“I suppose so, but what do I do with these,” He asked as he held out the cloths he had been carrying.

“Here,” the boy said, taking and separating the cloths. “I’ll go put the one away, and you can keep the other one.”

Talon took the one the boy was holding out, “Why?”

“Well, you aren’t clean right now, but changing into that will definitely make you feel better, Let your body breath, you know,” he said while motioning to his bare torso.

He looked inquisitively at the boy and the simply cloth he wore around his waist. “I suppose you’re right. You called it a lungi at the market, right?”

“Yeah, do you need help putting it on? I can show you how if need be.”

The man peered closer at the boys lungi. “Looks simple enough,” he noted to himself. “I think I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so. Meet me in the house once you are done changing,” he said as he turned and walked towards the large silent building. “Do whatever you want with your old clothes,” he called back when he reached the door.

Talon found a good spot hidden from the street entry by one of the gardens. “It would be weird for me to be seen naked outside after all,” he thought as he removed his clothing and placed them on the ground. He held out the new piece of cloth, studying it to determine which way to put it on. Upon deciding on the longer side, he wrapped it around his waist, tucking it until it looked similar to the boy's. “I guess he was right, it does feel nice,” he thought as the breeze blew across his now bare torso. After retrieving his old clothes, he made his way to to the door the boy had entered.

“I’m done,” he announced as he entered the doorway into the stuffy room, the majority of which was occupied by a large, stone couch, its surface covered generously with brightly colored cushions. Ei stood in the center of it all, silently looking over everything, turning only to Talon's words, his dull and wistful eyes meeting the man's.

“Is… everything okay,” he asked, a bit of concern entering his voice.

“Yeah, everything is fine,” he whispered. 

“Well... I got this thing on at least.”

The boy's glossed, green eyes brightened again as they reached Talon's waist, the mans free hand planted on his waist. “I trust everything went well,” he asked, clearly stifling laughter as he returned to his normal self.

The man's concern was replaced by growing irritation. “Are you insinuating something,” he challenged.

The boy burst into laughter, doubling over as he clutched his stomach. “Only if you plan on using both hands,” he gasped out as he approached, trying to reclaim his composure. “Here, I’ll put your old clothes in the basement while you undo that mess.”

“Fine,” he grumbled as he handed them over.

He took the clothes from his hands and walked off to a door along the wall that divided the room. “I won’t be a minute, so be ready for me to help you when I get back.”

Talon watched as he disappeared through the door, the sound of old hinges squealing coming shortly after. He began undoing his outfit, carefully pulling it apart to avoid any knots that may form. After he had it fully removed, he heard a small yelp from where the boy had left. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he heard the boy call back. “I stumbled coming back up. I need to get a lamp or something for that stairwell,” he said, entering the room again. “Are you ready for my help now though?”

Talon looked down at himself, his failed lungi in hand, “Is that really a question? Hurry up now, I feel ridiculous standing here like this.”

“Okay okay, no reason to get upset,” he said as he approached and took the cloth. “This isn't hard once you learn it, so pay close attention,” he said as he opened up the cloth and began nimbly maneuvering it around the man's waist. 

“This is humiliating, having to have myself be dressed like I'm a child,” he mumbled.

“You only need to look down to see you aren’t a child,” the boy said with a smirk.

“Don't use that vulgar talk in polite company,” he scolded, landing a light punch into the boys white hair.

“How mean,” the boy said, raising a pouting face.

“Don't use unwarranted vulgar again and I won't have to do it again.”

The boy let out a sad smile, “It kind of feels nice ya know.” 

“Getting hit?”

“Ah, whatever, don't worry about it. Look, I’ve just finished anyways,” he said, stepping back and returning to his normal self.

The man looked down at the boys handiwork, their outfits now matching. “Oh, that was quick.”

“It isn’t really that hard to do once you’ve done it a couple of times, though doing somebody else's makes it more difficult. You’ll master it in no time.”

“You really think so,” he asked while he started doing strange stretches. “I’ll admit, you did a good job, it’s really staying in place.”

“Well yeah… there really wouldn’t be much of a point if they didn't. Enough of that though, we need to get to work, follow me.”

Talon followed quietly through the impressive kitchen in the next room, its surfaces covered in layers of dust, to an opened hatch in the corner. The hatch led into a dark stairwell that they started down, the sound of cascading water becoming more apparent as they descended.

“What’s that sound,” he asked as slowly made his way down the stairs, his hand running along the wall to guide him.

“What sound?”

“It sounds like there is water running through somewhere dow-,” he cut off at the sight that met him as he reached the bottom.

Enough lights trickled through the many grim covered windows to illuminated a large tub that filled much of the room. Several fountains poured into the basin, its water overflowing and pouring into paths that cut into the floor before disappearing into holes in the wall.

“Wait... your house has its own private bath!”

“Yeah, it’s even been running this whole time, I was rather surprised myself,” he announced, triumphantly placing his hands on his waist.

“This whole time? You mean you haven’t used this since you moved out to that workshop?”

“That’s right,” he said while he walked over to the corner along the stairs to a cluster of objects partially obscured by the darkness. “I’ve just been going to one of the public bath houses. It’s pretty cool that this thing has been going for all these years without any problems though.”

“I suppose that’s one reason to be impressed about it.”

“Here,” the boy said returning and handing a broom to Talon, a carpet beater in his other hand. “Once we’re done you can take a bath as a reward. It hasn’t been heated all this time, so it’ll pretty cold in there, but it will probably feel nice to get clean after all this time.”

“Then I guess we should get to work, it’s a pretty large space to clean after all.”

“Oh, we’ll just be doing down here and the main floor.”

“Not the top story?”

“Nah, we'll just ignore it right now. For now, just sweep the stuff on the floor into the water drainage and meet me upstairs, don’t worry too much about perfection.”

“Got it,” he called to the boy as he took off up the stairs, beater in hand.

Though he wasn’t accustomed to housekeeping, he tried his best, recalling the times he had seen Arletta sweep and mimicking her movements. Using only the light that filtered in from the windows, he tried to keep track of where he had been and where he had yet to do. Occasionally when he would approach the tub, he would dip a hand in, its cool waters tempting him and quickening his pace. Once he finished, and confident in his shoddy work, he made his way back up the stairwell.

“I see you opened up the place,” he remarked as he entered the main room, all of its shuddered windows opened, allowing the breeze to clear the air.

“You’re already done down there,” the boy asked as he came in the door, cushion in hand.

“Yeah, what do you want me to do next?”

The boy threw a doubtful glance at the man as he placed the cushion back on the couch. “Sweep the kitchen and the sitting room naturally, though you’re going to have to sweep it all over here to get it outside,” he replied, taking another cushion with him out the door.

With the same haste, Talon began sweeping his new area, the sound of Ei’s beating on the cushions occasionally overtaking the sound of his broom.

“While I doubt you’re doing the best job, at the pace you’re going and all, you’ll probably be done before I have to leave,” the boy remarked as he came back in with his latest victim.

“You really think so!”

“Don't sound too excited now, it's just a bath in the end.”

“It’s been a while,” he grumbled back.

“As long as you’re motivated I suppose… Anyway, I’m done with these,” he announced as he threw the cushion in his hand back onto the couch. “I’ll go clean the windows downstairs to let in more light. I’m sure you’ll finish before me, so just come down there once you've finished,” he instructed as he left him alone.

“Who's he to lecture me,” the man thought as he began again with new vigor, the chance to get clean once again fueling him onward.