Angel and his cleaning cart shuffled along the blue-grey carpet in a very humble and diminutive fashion. The door to his left marked his 16th room of the day, his final stop before this shift's cessation. With one swift and abrupt knock, the man quickly determined the room's vacancy, which gave him the implied consent of entry.
But some rooms you are better off not entering, and Angel quickly found this to be the case of room 210. Discarded fingernail clippings littered each surface, and the employee counted at least 3 used condoms in the far-right corner. There was even more to be said for the bedsheets, which contained more mysterious stains than there were letters in the alphabet. These stains varied significantly in color, shape, and size, much like human beings. But Angel had never seen a human being anywhere near as hideous.
As he scrubbed, replaced, and aimlessly searched the grungy hotel room, Angel wondered how he had gotten to this place, both mentally and physically. He wondered how he had gotten to be so dull both in mindset and occupation, and he wondered how much more mindless scrubbing and bleaching it would take to get rid of the red ringlets around the quaint shower/bath combo.
How many times are we going to have this exact line of thought? We could package and sell your mopeyness and make twice as much as you do working at this dump.
Angel smiled as he wiped.
"Do you have any better topics in mind? Anything cheerier I should let simmer in my brain while I wipe excrement from floor tiles?"
Though it is impossible for a disembodied voice to smile, Angel felt this must be exactly what she was doing. He reached for another paper towel, but in finding none, settled for a well-loved cleaning rug.
I just might. But what's the fun in just telling you?
He was about a hundred harsh wipes in before deciding that these bathroom hieroglyphics were a lost cause. Angel scanned his work, inwardly contemplating whether or not his hopeless attempts would be rewarded with a scolding. It wasn't as if he couldn't get another job, but there were certain conveniences that came with this gig. Not to mention the excruciating effort it would take on his end to so much as apply anywhere else.
You've become lazy.
Angel began to gather his things and return them to their grey/blue shelf, his semi-stocky body languidly leaning in different directions so as to ensure he grabbed as much as possible with the most minimal amount of movement.
"You're killing me Buff," Angel teased, eyes scanning the room one last time before flicking the final switch. He closed the door quickly, not wanting to be left alone in the dark.
Which do you think is worse for your health; an intangible brain buddy, or your inability to put forth any actual physical effort?
Angel was grateful to her for not targeting his squeamish reaction to the split-second of hotel room darkness. He wished that he could be as selectively blind as his friend, but he was cursed with a tragic case of dwelling, among other things. He lowered his voice now. Though there were no visible passerbys in the hallway, he still thought it better not to risk causing any potential guests discomfort.
"Please just tell me what you were thinking of. It's been a long day, I could use the distraction."
Either teleporters were a thing, or Angel hadn't properly scanned his surroundings. A scrawny woman pulled her child closer upon seeing him, a grown man, dressed in all black and speaking to himself. He tried to shoot her an apologetic glance, but she had already sped down the burgundy hallway, dragging a very confused little boy by his tiny grimy fingers.
Taking pity on his humiliated state, Buffy threw the towel in. Angel could feel the smile again, though it remained impossible to put into words how such a sensation could be known and labelled. He had what was practically an entire filing cabinet worth of Buffy reactions, but the smile was by far his favorite. He considered for a moment, how lucky he was, but the feeling of partial bliss was immediately replaced by a state of curiosity. He "listened" intently, as his perky friend began to speak.