Spin of the Chore Wheel: Bathrooms!

Posted on Mon Dec 29th, 2025 @ 11:20am by Jennifer Bryant

685 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Episode 7: Pathogens and Contagions
Location: Xavier Mansion - Studen Bathrooms

There were many advantages about living at the Xavier Mansion. Desmond was sure there were. He had heard Kennedy, Jean, and even Professor Xavier list them off. But for the life of him, he couldn't quite remember what. This week he had lost at Chore Roulette Wheel. The bathrooms needed a deep clean, and he was one of two suckers appointed Bathroom Scrubber of the week!

So here he was, lugging buckets, mops, bleach, all-purpose cleaner, rags, brushes, and more rags to the girls' bathroom. That was first on the list. He knocked on the door, loudly. "If anyone is in there, shout now. I need to start cleaning and don't want to start a fight!"

"I can go check," Jennifer said as she came up. She had dressed in clothes she didn't care about. Sweatpants, sweatshirt, and sneakers that had seen better days. She might have overestimated how messy this would actually be. She was dragging a mop and a bucket already full of water. "I think we're supposed to put some of the cleaner in it," she said.

"Please!" Desmond sounded a little pleading. "With the luck I've been having today, Sarah's showering in there, and I get screamed through a couple walls and into the National Park." His ears were still ringing from their practice bout. "I've got cleaner, I've got bleach. I have enough cleaning chemicals to kill wipe out any bacterial alien lifeform that could be growing here."

Jennifer left the mop where it was and pushed the door open, sticking her head in. "Anyone in here?" She stepped all the way in for a moment and then came back out. "You're good." She reached for the mop to roll it in.

Desmond, armed with all the supplies followed her in. The bathroom was a spacious room covered in white tile, with band of soft green tiles at roughly eye height. Seven sinks stood at one wall, each with their own mirror over it. At the far back there were five toilets, each in their own fully enclosed stalls. All five had their doors open, and one had a little basket with various feminine hygiene products stacked. And on the other long wall stood five more cubicles, these with showers in them. Someone had seemingly forgetten their shampoo or conditioner.

"You know, I think you guys have a nicer bathroom than ours." He counted the toilet stalls, "You have more toilets than us..." His eyes roamed further, "But you don't have urinals." He considered this for just a moment, "I think that might be why it's nicer here."

"What are we going to do with urinals, Desmond?" Jennifer said. Then she scrunched her face up. She wished she hadn't asked that. She was imagining something now. "We should sweep and mop first and then get down on hands and knees for the spots that doesn't take care of," she suggested. "Then we do the toilets, sinks, and showers."

"Sounds like a plan. We do have those long-handled scrub brushes." He held one up, rough plastic bristles standing proudly on a full length broom handle. "Let me kick my shoes off. I just got them and I don't want to ruin them with bleach or anything."

It was a rather comedic sight. 6'9" tree man hopping on one leg, and then other as he undid the laces on his new Nike's before throwing them out the door. On his second foot he had to fully windmill his arms just to keep from falling over.

"You ok?" Jennifer moved as if she was trying to steady him, though, given the differences in height, he might easily just fall over her.

The second Nike shoe flew into the hallway, and Desmond tipped over backwards. With some surprising dexterity Desmond was able to catch his fall on his arms. He grunted in discomfort as he heard the distinct, sharp crack of two floor tiles splitting under him. His eyes found Jennifer and he smirked awkwardly. "That can't be good, can it?"

"Not really," Jennifer said. "This stuff happens to people like us. Jean'll understand."

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