This seems less like giving someone a bath and more like cleaning off an old toy--the joy of it comes from revealing the priceless porcelain doll that is hidden beneath. Phalanx has a beautiful paleness, he thinks, and it will be nice to see it on more than just their face.

But this will take a while. He's not out to get every speck of dirt, but he would like to take them out in public and pass them for more than a pile of walking laundry. He wrings out the cloth, he scrubs in more soap, and he draws on of his oldest conversational time-wasters.

"Phalanx, would you like it if I told you a story?"