“Lately, I’ve noticed my suit hasn’t been getting as clean as it was when I first received it. I tried to restore it to it’s former glory, but it never seemed to return to such a state.”
[The janitor pulls out his suit and brings it toward the washboard he prepared on his left.]“I have a theory about why that is. I don’t think the suit is getting dirtier. I’ve been washing it when it’s dirty, sewing it back together when it frays, and making sure it still fits me despite all its wear and tear.”
[Kleen shakes his head as he plunges and scrubs the top half of the suit.]“I think that the stains are all mental. The outfit itself might as well be as clean as a whistle, but our minds perceive it as filthy due to the unsanitary actions we made in the past.”
[Beat.]“Take me, for example. Ever since I had to perform… something nasty as the Yellow Python, I haven’t seen things as bright and vibrant as they once were. Sure the suit might look pristine to you, but ever since that incident, the very fibers of this suit always seem unclean to me.”
[He pulls the shirt out to observe the fruit of his efforts. He groans before scrubbing it with the washboard again.]“No matter how much bleach I use, the whites don’t seem as white anymore. No amount of cleaning solution can make the colors as lively as they once were.”
[He sighs.]“I’m sure you felt the same way as a fashion designer, haven’t you, Narcissa? Back then, you utilized your past traumas to create lovely and colorful outfits that breathed life into Arcadia.”
[He briefly pauses as he moves on to scrub his leggings.]“Overtime, however, your dresses began to fray and become as listless as every other article of clothing in Arcadia. Your actions, from you planting the bomb that blew up the ring at Mount Olympus, to your kidnapping of Zeus, started to make your costumes not seem as vibrant as they once were.”
[The custodian shakes his head.]“When news of your actions broke out, revealing you as the leader of the Uprising, that’s when the mental effect fully kicked in. You couldn’t create anything that wasn’t associated with the vile actions you’ve performed under their name. As a result, you stopped designing altogether, choosing instead to sully your reputation further by associating with murderers and monsters.”
[He takes a quick look at his pants before nodding, setting them and the shirt aside to dry.]“Not even bleach will get the blood off your hands now. When we meet in that ring, I’ll make a mess out of you and reduce your movement to nothing more than a nightmare.”
[He scoffs.]“No matter what happens, however, my hands will remain clean.”
[Cut.]