His glance gets him a smile, and she won't press the subject. She can keep up a quiet stream of conversation that doesn't require much of a response. Letting him know when things will be in-season in the farmer's markets, what new shops she's noticed or discovered, when this or that bit of restoration for the museum is expected to be completed. Maybe it's not much he's interested in, but it doesn't hurt to hear.

"I'm going to start trimming your nails now," she slips in before transitioning to the next part of the manicure. His nails will be trimmed, filed, and carefully shaped. She trims them short, with just a thin band of white at the top. Long enough to look healthy without snagging on things or getting in the way.

When that's done, she washes her hands and gets a bowl of warm water from the sink. "Time to take off the mask." Since there's no clay in the mix it's not hard to wipe off with a wash cloth.