[Disgusting, isn't it? If you want clean water, I might have a fix. But… it comes at a price.]
Yichen exhaled slowly through his nose. "I knew you'd say that."
[Don't look at me like that, Master. This place is dead. The tanks have been sitting here since before the fall. You want soap, hot water, clothes without bloodstains? I can give you that. But..]
"What's the catch?" Yichen asked flatly, fingers brushing the cold steel.
[You have to kiss her. In exchange I'll clean it up..]
His lips twitched despite himself. "Of course."
[Don't pout. You like her anyway. Think of it as efficient resource management. One kiss, and I'll purify the tanks, heat the water, even spin up detergent and clean clothes. Your little flock will think you're a miracle worker.]
Yichen stared at the tanks for a long moment, his shoulders rigid. A kiss for clean water. Soap. Fresh clothes. Something like normalcy in this rotting world.
