By nightfall, the mansion was barely recognizable.
The blood was gone from the floors, the dust wiped from the shelves, and the furniture had been dragged back into something close to order. Yunfeng's arms ached from hauling and scrubbing, and Jai had long since given up pretending he wasn't tired. They worked without much talking after that first strange question, the rhythm of wet cloth against wood filling the silence between them.
Yunfeng stood in the entryway and looked over what they'd done. It wasn't perfect—the smell of old blood still clung faintly to the air, and a few of the rugs were beyond saving—but it was livable. It was a place they could sleep.
Jai wiped his hands dry and stretched his back with a wince. "I'm heading back with Shinju and Kailun. We'll take the mansion next door."
"Jai's place," Yunfeng said, and Jai smirked.
"Apparently. You really did pick the two houses closest to each other, huh?"
