Ajax laughed softly at the man’s joke and he shook his head in amusement. “Ah, my friend, if I were beautiful enough to replace Ganymedes then surely I’d have been whisked away already. But alas, I’m merely an average mortal man with features akin to my peers. I’m nothing special,” he retorted playfully as he turned to face Maximus. He couldn’t help but allow his gaze to run over the man briefly, and his lips parted ever so slightly as he took him in. Maximus may have been the one praising him, but despite the scars and calluses that marked the body of a working man, Ajax found himself rather enthralled by the wanderer’s form. Why he felt such an attraction he couldn’t truly say; he’d been attracted to men as well as women for as long as he could remember, there had been a number of beautiful boys he’d fancied throughout his teenage years after the death of his first true love. Prior to being married off to his wife, he’d taken a number of other young men into bed, and even been bedded by a handful of older men, but none of them had been like Maximus in looks or personality. They’d been true Greeks, mainly upper-class men that were members of families he was familiar with. He didn’t comment on the man’s appearance, however, and certainly not on his attraction to it. He simply followed Maximus to the edge of the tub, watching as he slid in before following suit.<br/><br/>The water was tended frequently and kept comfortably warm by a handful of his servants. Steam filled the room, providing a warm, hazy environment that deadened the soft flickering of the candlelight emitted from scattered sources across the walls. It made the environment that much more comforting and relaxing, a soft glow shining across the decorative tiles that spanned the floors, walls, and benches of the half moon shaped bath. Ajax let out a long, contented sigh as he slid down into the depths of the warm, glittering water, settling in against the textured wall and stretching his long, elegant legs out in front of them, spread a comfortable distance apart. He gladly took hold of the offered cup, taking another sip of the sweet wine held within as he watched Maximus settled down beside him. The water around him immediately began to turn murky with the filth that had amassed over the vagabond, but unlike many Ajax didn’t react at all to the muck. He remained settled relatively close to his guest, smiling at the man’s happy gushing.<br/><br/>“Well, I’m glad you’re content, Maximus. If the need ever strikes you to bathe while you’re here in Athens, I’m sure you’ll know where to come,” he murmured pleasantly before Maximus set aside his cup and proceeded to pull himself beneath the surface of the water. After the man emerged her already looked considerably better, the top layer of grime having been sloughed off by the warm water and the insistent scrubbing of his fingertips. Ajax paused, moving up onto his knees on the benches and reaching over to a small cabinet that was settled just behind where they’d settled in. He pulled open one of the small wooden doors and withdrew a handful of rags alongside a small bar of soap.<br/><br/>“My butcher’s wife makes the best soaps out of the leftover fat she’s rendered, and ash from the neighboring baker's fire pit. She scents them with violets and lilies, so you’ll smell quite nice after you’ve washed,” he noted as he set them down onto the bath's edge beside Maximus before sitting back on the bench once again. He glanced over at his guest as he brought up another observation, alongside a question. Ajax pursed his lips slightly at the query, furrowing his brow and remaining silent for a few moments as he took another long sip from his cup, trying to formulate an appropriate answer.<br/><br/>“I do spend a fair bit of time in here alone, yes … As easy as my life may seem, and I won’t deny that it is cushioned and comfortable, it can get to be rather overwhelming at times,” he admittedly softly as he ran a hand slowly over his abdomen, gazing down at the water thoughtfully. “My wife specifically can be a bit much, and she prefers her own personal tub to communal baths, so I frequently seek solitude in here. It’s quite a nice place to relax and reflect on where I am in life, what I’d like to do, who I’d like to be and be remembered as … It’s serene,” he explained further, lifting his gaze and smiling faintly at Maximus. “You likely think I’m mad, to want to escape from the luxuries I’ve been afforded by the Gods,” he muttered with a soft laugh, shaking his head and lifting his cup to his lips again.