The offered soap was a delight. While unimpressive in color, maintaining an almost sickly and off-putting grayish hue, Maximus found pleasure in the floral scent overtaking his nostrils. He took the bar of soap and a rag into his hand, wetting both, and continued to scrub himself clean as Ajax spoke. The addition of the soap helped to rid his hard body of the more stubborn crusts of dirt. He watched as puddles of grime left his body, this time accompanied by oily ribbons of scented fat. Strangely beautiful, this intermingling of cleanliness and filth, he thought. Perhaps not unlike this burgeoning friendship between himself and Ajax. A shiny upperclassman inviting a vagabond into his home, into his wine cellar, into his bath. How fortunate Maximus was this day to encounter Ajax at all.<br/><br/>The wanderer smiled at Ajax’s mild self-deprecation, shaking his head as he dragged soapy fingers through his fire-touched beard. “Mad? Hardly. Perhaps you are mad for inviting an enemy of the establishment such as myself into your home, giving him food and wine, but mad because you happen to find stressors in your daily life? Never. I believe you are indeed quite sane to see the flaws in your own privileged existence.” He bent his head down, rinsing off his cleansed hair in the water. “This may come as a surprise to you, my friend, but while you do indeed enjoy a number of luxuries I myself do not, I do not think your life any better or worse than my own. We are all puppets of the gods, and every man has his role to play on the gods’ sadistic stage.”<br/><br/>A long sigh left his lips, but it was not a sigh of remorse or resentment. It was oddly content, leaving Maximus with a gentle grin. “I think the world will always contain those who have more and those who have less. It is the responsibility of those who have excess to share with those who struggle to put food on the table, or to clothe their children. A little generosity goes a long way, as you can clearly see.”<br/><br/>Grabbing a fresh rag, Maximus dipped the cloth into the water before rubbing it against the bar of soap. He shifted in the bath, gliding smoothly as he positioned himself in front of the handsome young Athenian. “May I?” he asked softly, delicately pressing the cloth against Ajax’s chest. “Consider it a small display of my gratitude.” He dragged the cloth across smooth skin, sharing with Ajax the gift of cleanliness the young man had so graciously given to him.<br/><br/>“These struggles with your wife, I think they are not uncommon,” Maximus mused. “As you can imagine, I am an unmarried man. Not many would enjoy the life of a wandering philosopher, you understand. Many women I have encountered and have spoken to in hushed voices craved stability, something my life cannot promise. If there is someone out there for me, I have yet to discover where they have been hiding. Men tend to be more… available to me, but even a man has needs.”<br/><br/>He paused, bright eyes glinting as they looked up to catch Ajax’s gaze. “Does your wife… does she meet your needs?” the wanderer asked curiously, eyebrow cocked.