They got to work.
But after flipping setting the last of the heavy wooden chairs upside down on top of the tables.
Taylor's toddler body had reached its absolute limit.
Fully fatigued his legs gave out.
Then he dropped straight onto the floorboards.
Lying flat on his back.
Luckily Lennie had appeared from the kitchen.
In his field of vision just in time.
Looking down at him with a sturdy wooden cup in her hand.
"Here! Have some for your worries."
Taylor didn't hesitate for a second.
Reaching up, he took it from her.
Sat up and gulped it one aggressive go.
The sweet, crisp citrus flavour rushed his tongue.
"Haaa… refreshing."
I he said letting out a satisfied breath.
-Thud!
He placed the empty cup firmly on the floorboards.
Dropping back down to rest his aching spine.
"Really? I just juiced some oranges that came from Angela's. A fresh batch just came today."
Taylor suddenly remembered.
"Oh… do you perhaps know the man from the bar you sent me to?"
Lennie thought for a moment.
Then her brow furrowed, recalling the man.
"Oh. You mean Caster."
"Yes."
"Yeah, the man from the bar. I know him."
She said, a flash of her usual internal disgust rippling across her face.
"He tried to offer me a job at his establishment. The [Velvelt Anchor] he wanted to hire me as one of his girl toys. Of course I rejected him."
Lennie snorted, crossing her arms on her chest tightly.
"Really? It seemed like a nice… bar."
"I don't think I'd ever want to work under a weak, pampered rich kid like that. Plus I'm doing this for someone as a favour, so I can't just pack up and leave like that."
She paused, her sharp eyes.
"Why are you asking, anyway."
Taylor answered calmly.
"Nothing serious."
He lied smoothly.
*He presented himself as a nice person. But there's no such thing as a nice person, either he person was extremely naive or just hiding his true sociopathic nature. He didn't seem naive at all, the way he was masking his face in that calm yet simple smile. So, he must fall in the second category.*
"I just met him today, that's all."
"Good. Because it's best if you stay away from people like him. They're are the most dangerous. Got it."
Lennie's demeanour turned solemn.
Her voice dropped in a authoritatively.
"Yeah, I'll keep it in mind."
Taylor answered simply, nodding his head.
He memorised the name Caster for the future.
"Huaa…."
A yawn escaped his mouth.
"I'm getting tired."
"Okay, I'll be right there. Just need to put these glasses away."
Taylor marched up the stairs.
His muscles screaming for the relief of hot water.
***
Stepping on the dim washroom.
He climbed the barrel bath.
"Haaa…"
Taylor sighed, his muscles finally relaxed.
*I shouldn't stay too long and go to bed.*
He noted, as a yawn escaped.
Once he was done scrubbing away today's grime.
He stepped out, secured a clean white towel around his waist.
Then he proceeded to the room.
Taylor changed into some lose, comfortable clothes.
Exhausted, he jumped onto the mattress.
Immediately rolling over onto his right side.
Ready to let sleep claim him.
After a few quite minutes.
-Creak!
-Creak!
The door creaked open as Lennie came in.
-Clink!
She closed it softly behind her.
She moved through the shadows to change out of her heavy, structured uniform.
Following the rustle of the fabric.
A sudden, concentrated silence settled over the room.
Thinking she was finally done. Suddenly…
"One… two… three…"
Her voice was strained, breathily whisper.
Taylor peeked over his shoulder.
She was squatting with exertion.
*Oh, it's seems she's exercising again."
Taylor was used to this routine by now.
Every time before she slept she'd exercise a bit.
Wether it was upstairs or down stairs.
Several minutes flew by. Taylor had barely focused.
As he watched the disciplines precision of her movements.
"Ninety eight…! ninety nine…! one hundred…"
With a final sharp exhale she was finished.
"Are you done?"
Taylor asked breaking the silence.
"Yes, I am."
She panted lightly.
Wiping a start bead of sweat from her forehead.
She was wearing a simple.
Lightweight white shirt and her undergarments.
The linen shirt was left unbuttoned at the bottom.
Not excessively so, but just enough for the faint moonlight to trace the contours of her stomach.
Looking closely at her physique.
Her conditioning was undeniable.
It wasn't the bulky, hyper exaggerated musculature of a heavy knight, but rather the lean, whip-cord athleticism of a pro athlete from his old world.
*Does she seriously have rock hard abs?*
Taylor thought a pang of envy hitting him.
*I want that six pack too.*
Right now his toddler frame was just soft, fragile and utterly lacking in definition.
Lennie caught him staring and raised a playful eyebrow.
"What are you staring at…?"
She asked in alight tone.
With the mental composure of a fully grown adult.
He just couldn't bring himself to stammer out a lie.
So he simply answered with total candor.
"Your abs."
She was visibly taken aback by the absolute boldness of his answer.
Blinking down at him.
"My abs?"
She repeated, a stunned chuckle escaping her.
"Can I touch them?"
He asked.
Lennie seamed confused at his statement, for a fleeting second.
Like trying to reconcile his innocent child's voice with clinical intensity of his soft, dark brown eyes.
But sensing no malice in him.
She shrugged.
"Sure."
She answered, treating it as if it wasn't a problem at all.
Lennie closed the distance.
Stepping right up the edge of the bed.
Taylor stretched his small hand.
His fingers bringing the gap until they made direct contact with her midsection.
The sensation was immediate.
Her skin remarkably smooth.
Yet underlying musculature was hard and perfectly defined—soft to the touch, yet rigid as iron underneath.
Even though, she had just finished taxing workout.
She didn't smell of stale sweat.
Instead, a clean scent of lavender, soap drifted from her.
Carried by the residual warmth of her skin.
*I remember, I used to have abs exactly like these. Back then my grandmother used to absolutely hate it. She would constantly scold me, fussing over my lean build and forcibly pilling extra portions onto my plate because she genuinely thought I was starving myself.*
Lennie brought him back to earth.
"Are you done."
Lennie asked softly.
Her voice shifting into a slightly flustered pitch as the silence stretched.
"Ah, yes."
He muttered, snapping out of my trance.
Taylor immediately pulled out his hand.
From her smooth skin and cleared his throat.
"Sorry about that."
"No worries."
Lennie replied softly.
***
A/N:
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