Throughout the day, Eryx exhibited an infectiously positive attitude that was nearly impossible to resist. Even shoveling out stalls, working in the blistering heat of the day, and utterly exhausting their bodies, his demeanor remained upbeat and optimistic. How could any man bear to live a life like Eryx had, and still be so positive? How did his soul remain so pure in the face of such suffering? Tempus found himself wondering if that soul would remain so pure for many lifetimes to come if he never interfered. Would he always be his own positive, upbeat self? He had no intentions of waiting to find out, but it did cross his mind nonetheless.<br/><br/>It came as a relief when they shut the last horse up for the night. Tempus frowned and inhaled a short breath before scrunching up his nose at the apparent stench of sweat and body odor. Ugh, this was what it was to be human... hunger, sweat, aching bones... was he sure he wanted to endure this until he could take Eryx's soul? He was starting to<i>hope</i>that he'd die young.<br/><br/><i>You could kill him yourself...</i>The very thought as it crossed his mind made him go pale. By now they'd reached the creek, but Tempus stood back a bit and stared off into space as he thought. The look on his face was incredibly troubled, and he missed a perfectly good opportunity to admire Eryx's naked body. By the time he snapped out of it, Eryx had already walked into the deepest part of the water and began to wash. Damn it....<br/><br/>Eyes flickering upstream, he let out a small laugh and began taking off his clothes. He too stripped down to just the skin, and unlike Eryx, his body was clearly unmarked by blemishes or scars. As a matter of a fact, it was clear from the lack of whip marks or anything of the sort that Tempus had lacked the usual suffering associated with life as a slave. "I don't think I need to go far to enjoy a pleasant view," He murmured this mainly to himself as his eyes slid over Eryx washing himself. From his gorgeous rippling muscles, to the unashamed manhood hanging between his legs. The scar caught his attention, but unusually he didn't find it unattractive. Still, Tempus remained grateful that his own body was still flawless for the most part.<br/><br/>Choosing to keep a few meters of distance between them, Tempus began to wash in the relaxingly cool water that flowed at his knees. He kept his back turned to Eryx as he tried to focus primarily on the task of washing away all the dirt and grime that had accumulated throughout the day. Their clothes could probably use a good wash as well, but Tempus was so hungry, he couldn't bear the thought of washing them and waiting for them to dry. It was simply too much.<br/><br/>He chose keeping his back to Eryx because he was very attracted to the man. Even now, knowing he was exposed, stooping over in front of the other... it made him grow a little aroused. He had hoped that by keeping his front turned away, Eryx wouldn't see. Or if he did see, he'd take Tempus as being shy about it. There was a fine line he was trying to walk between being too bold and being too hesitant. He<i>wanted</i>Eryx to like him. It was such a strong feeling that he even started to feel desperate about it if he let himself think about it too much.<br/><br/>Finally finished, he turned to the other and his cheeks flushed ever so slightly. "Is every day you work so exhausting? And hot? Don't you ever get tired of it? And you... you're not a slave. You have the choice not to do this, yet you continually subject yourself to this backbreaking work. Why?" He needed to understand this strange man.