As Arcturus took off his shirt, he couldn’t help but to be baffled over the fact that he was lying down on the sofa bed fully clothed in odorous and dirty clothing. Not washing for months had been ingrained into his mind as the norm that it didn’t occur to him that he needed to do so. He took a good look at himself in the mirror.
He undid his hair and noticed how long it had become since he first set out. His hair was normally short and he had preferred it that way. His hair was messy, coarse and not in good condition; it would be best to have it cut. He eyed the pair of scissors resting inside a mug, but then glanced over at his hair once more. Having long hair was a new experience he never dreamed of had he stayed in Lamina. It feels like a waste to cut it…
He then fixated on his face. He looked a lot gaunter than he had remembered; a lack of proper nutrition really did have an effect on the human body. He didn’t remember being this thin back home. While he wasn’t the type to head to the gym every often, he did remember that he did not have the upper ribs sticking out before. If possible, I need to exercise while I am here. I can’t protect Nova, let alone anyone, in this state.
He took off the rest of his clothes and then put all of them in the empty basket in the corner. He proceeded to take off Nova’s bandages and then leaned his body against the corner of the room so that he could take a shower first. The feeling of warm water sprinkling against his skin felt rejuvenating. It was as if all of his stress had washed away like waves in an ocean. Having his hair and scalp be soaked in water was a longing feeling. The shampoo resting in the corner seemed to be quite full. He opened the lid and took in a whiff of its scent.
It’s rose scented. Interesting.
He lathered it until it was heavily foaming and then proceeded to wash his hair. The process took a bit longer than he had expected due to his unfamiliarity with washing long hair. After a few minutes of lathering, he rinsed and repeated the process with the conditioner. After washing his hair completely, it was time for body wash. Once he was completely done, he dried himself off.
He heard a knock from the door. “Here are some clean clothes.”
Arcturus slightly opened the door. Murphy handed him a neatly folded pile of clothes for both him and Nova. Once he closed the door, he thought about what to do with Nova and decided to wash him first.
Because he was washing another person, he knew it would be a bit of a longer process. He carefully carried Nova into the bathtub. He went in as well in order to have a good angle to wash Nova’s hair. As he was getting the water warmed, Arcturus noticed Nova’s hairpin was gone. He examined his golden hair and saw how neat it was.
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I’m not sure if Castle Lavender had a bathroom, but if it didn’t, his hair is rather clean for someone who hasn’t left the castle for twenty years. How do immortals wash? He proceeded to start shampooing and conditioning his hair. He then washed his body.
Once he was done, Arcturus had placed him on the closed toilet seat and started drying him off from head to toe; he dried himself off too. Noticing body lotion, he put it all over himself and on Nova. He then got himself dressed. The clothes Murphy had given him were a soft black turtleneck with a striped pattern, olive green sweatpants, and fluffy black socks. He then clothed Nova; the clothes that were given to Nova happened to be a pink pajama set consisting of a cute pink shirt with a teddy bear drawing, fuzzy pink pajama pants with a matching jacket and socks. They were a perfect fit.
All that’s left is to dry our hair. He plugged in the blow dryer that was in the bathroom cabinet and dried both his and Nova’s hair. He then finished off the process by running his fingers through his long hair; he didn’t want to use a stranger’s brush as it felt rather unhygienic to him. Once he tied his hair into a loose ponytail, he put on his earring on his left ear. He then used his fingers to brush Nova’s hair.
Done. Arcturus scooped up his slumbering companion and exited the bathroom. He placed Nova back on the sofa bed and tucked him in. The smell of the stew Sophia and Constance were making caught his attention.
“How was the shower?” Murphy asked, diverting Arcturus’s attention away from the fragrant odor.
“It was great. I haven’t washed in months, so it was so refreshing.”
“That’s great. You must be hungry, right? The stew is almost done, so have a seat.”
“Oh no, please let me help set up the table. It’s the least I can do!”
“Then, that’ll be helpful!”
Arcturus helped place four table mats on each side. Murphy placed the cutlery and plates on each of them. Once they were done, Arcturus couldn’t help but to wonder why there were four tablemats when only three people were eating.
“Constance doesn’t eat, so why are there four tablemats?”
Constance’s ears twitched as she turned to look at Arcturus. “I don’t eat, but I just like sitting on a decorated table. It makes me feel human, you know.”
“I see.”
Murphy then handed Arcturus another table mat. “Can you place this one on the edge?”
“You have another family member?”
“No, it’s just for Nova..?”
Arcturus could hear uncertainty from his words, which confused him. “He’s asleep?”
“Then, who’s that next to you?”
Murphy’s words caused Arcturus to become worried. He quickly turned towards his left to see an unfamiliar face standing next to him. He quickly turned around to see that Nova was no longer on the bed; in his place, there was a long trail of lavender hair that traced back to the male stranger next to him. Taking a good look at him, he was wearing the same clothes as the ones Arcturus had dressed him in, but he wasn’t Nova.
Frantic, he wailed, “Who are you?”
The stranger glanced at him with his lavender and gold eyes. With a gentle smile he introduced himself. “It’s me, Souhait.”