"Well, we had public baths, in Paris," Marius explains with a shrug. "And most people had their own tubs and barrels at home. But in the time that I'm from, bathing, specifically, bathing often, wasn't as seen as the light that shines upon it today. People did it rarely." He shrugs again. "And I was poor, so, more often than not, I bathed with cold water, alone in my room." He manages a small smile. "It's not glamorous, by any means. My time is caught somewhere between the even more distant past, and this modern age, if that makes sense."

Marius has thought about going to the public pool on multiple occasions, just to teach himself how to swim. But the thought of modern swimwear makes his cheeks redden again.

"Grantaire has turned drinking into an art," Marius says with a knowing smile. "I'd say, from what I do know of the two of you, you are mutually capable of being bad influences." He winks after he says this, just to assure Dorian that he is, indeed, joking.