The monastery had many pilgrims, those who would travel great distances to bask in the glory of the Lord among those who devoted themselves fully to his cause. Today, these visitors would be greeted by a youthful, blonde haired boy dressed in a monk's robe. He hummed cheerfully while holding a bucket filled with dirty mop water, swaying back and forth to the tunes he formed with puckered lips. A bright, red mark had formed upon his forehead, and the taste of iron crept down his throat as he nursed the space where a tooth once had been with his tongue.
One passerby took curious to this sight; such a pleasant young boy burdened with such a filthy task. That man, visiting the monastery's cathedral for a brief prayer, decided to comment: "Why, you're especially cheerful! Have you just completed your chores?"
Justin snapped out of the spell created by those happy tunes to answer the visitor's inquiry. He smiled, showing off that gap in his teeth as he smiled wide, "Foiled again!" This was punishment for his quick little fingers, as he was caught dipping into some of the desserts from the kitchen before dinner was served. The confrontation with one of the priests resulted in a chase and a literal locking of horns: a headbutt among brothers, of such a force which knocked one loose tooth clean from Justin's jaw. They'd yet to recover the tooth which likely dropped between the floorboards or among the pews. Those sweets were traded for a bucket of warm, icky water.
As a priest approached, the expression upon Justin's face formed into something much more serious. He puffed his cheeks out and returned to nursing the bleeding gap with his tongue, allowing his shoulders to slump under the weight of that bucket. He made himself appear helpless to the punishment given to him: certainly, he looked like he was learning a lesson!
It was quite a show for this passerby, as Justin's demeanor soon changed back to one much more cheerful once the priest took his leave. This boy, who arrived to the monastery under mysterious circumstances, was even more cryptic in his mannerisms.
Of course, the priests were sure Justin will grow out of this phase; what an unfortunate assumption for them!