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Well, at least it was all over now.
Chimbley sat on the edge of an open window sill, watching people pass, spotting a few contestants walk by as well. His broom sat inside, leaning against the edge of the window's opening. The building he sat in was abandoned, of course. It was half-crumbling as well, likely caused or at least worsened by tourney fighters. The thought made Chimbley frown deeper.
Wishing for the lives of everyone in the city back didn't instantly revitalize the city itself.
In a way, Chimbley was glad it didn't. His wish would've been for everything to have stayed the same, after all. It's not like the wish that was made particularly beneficial to the boy, though he wasn't selfish enough to not see why it was made. People cared for eachother.
The boy openly sighed to nobody, and raised his cigarette to his lips once more. Chimbley did wonder what all of the contestants coming back to life entailed. Hopefully none of the blood thirsty loonies that were deadset on ending him came over for a second round.
Especially not the stone bloke that actually managed to get him out. Chimbley was still unsure if his ribs were fully intact after the kick he received, not that he could even do anything if one was broken. It was Chimbley's fault for getting out anyway, cornering himself in his own city like a bloody moron.
There wasn't much of a point to linger on that though. The city was still standing at the least, and he managed to overhear old man Angus saying something about exploiting the energy of Talos to get investors for the city. The idea sounded outlandish and probably dangerous to Chimbley, but he'd certainly had enough of getting involved with trying to help out the city himself.
Taitle would pull through, she always did.
Chimbley was about to leave, take the time he had to scavenge around and see if any contestants had left anything valuable behind before any other poor orphans with only slightly slower wits than him did. Better to do it now that the tournament was over and he wouldn't get his head chopped off while trying to nick things for cash. Then he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Ch-chimbley? Is that you?"
The boy in questioned turned his head to see a tall mannequin with uneven eyes standing there, nervously holding a pickaxe at his side. Climber. The same doll who had saved him not even hours ago.
Why was he still here?
"I's me. Wot do yew want?" Chimbley swung his legs back inside the building, and hopped off the window sill, moving to walk towards Climber, who strangely stepped away from him as he did so. Oh, right. Flammable doll person. Chimbley had just about enough of all these magical walking talking blokes who were supposed to be inanimate.
Nonetheless, he put out his cigarette, tossing it to the ground and grinding out the end. Climber visibly relaxed, before realizing Chimbley was waiting on a response.
"Oh! I don't want anything, not from you," Climber smiled, then continued, not realizing how his words could come off as rude, "I just wanted to see how you were doing,"
Chimbley narrowed his eyes. Surely this was some sort of joke. The mannequin was soft-hearted, literally and metaphorically, but searching through the city to check up on one random kid seemed to be going a bit far.
Hell, Chimbley himself had barely recognized Climber when he first saw him. It was hard to keep track of every face that has tried to kill or maim him, even the especially odd ones like Climber. So for the mannequin to go out of his way to find the boy, just to 'see how he was doing'? Chimbley wasn't buying it.
"Awright guv, nice try. Wot do y' really want? Anuvver fight? I 'ate to break it to yew but I am done wiv all 'iss tourney fightin' business, y'll 'ave to find some ovver poor sod to bother," Chimbley crossed his arms, glaring up at the now drowning doll.
"I don't want to fight you!" Climber sounded incredulous, and Chimbley swore he heard a tinge of annoyance as well, "You're my friend... sort of. I just want to know you're okay!"
Chimbley stood, apprehensive. If Climber was telling the truth, the mannequin was more hopeless than he'd previously thought. If he was lying, Chimbley was about five seconds away from a pickaxe to the stomach if he let his guard down. He had to get a better reading on the situation.
The boy was awful at reading expressions, but especially on a drawn on doll face, so that was no use. The mannequins body language didn't give him much either, but at least, he didn't seem poised to attack, what with his potential weapon being held loosely at his side, almost as if it was a burden to have to carry. And Climber's tone of voice was conveying about as much genuineness as one could get.
While Chimbley had certainly met his fair share of actors and liars, he doubted the fluff-headed doll was one of them. At the least, he certainly didn't seem skilled enough to be able to trick Chimbley. The boy relented.
"Okay guv. I believe yew," Chimbley acquiesced, "I'm doin' fine."
Climber smiled slightly, "That's good! I was really worried about you since that fall, err, flight? And between that and the crazy stuff going around in the city..." the mannequin trailed off.
"Hm?" Chimbley prompted Climber to continue.
"... I'm really glad you're safe, Chimbley," the doll finished.
Chimbley was taken aback. His mind nearly immediately gave him the response that this was bloody *corny*, before he found himself unable to say or think much of anything else at all.
Climber had enveloped him into a hug.
The doll had to kneel down to do it properly, given he was nearly twice the boy's height. Chimbley would wonder after how Climber had moved so fast that he wasn't able to realize or dodge what the mannequin was doing before soft arms were wrapped around his fragile body. The pickaxe had clattered to the ground.
It was warm. Chimbley wasn't able to recall the last time he'd been hugged, certainly not without mal-intent. The boy couldn't find it in himself to pull away, or fight against it, even if his mind was partially screaming at him to do so. He let himself be hugged by the plush mannequin, and maybe he pushed his face a bit harder against his chest, and maybe for a moment he let himself... breathe.
Climber was the one to pull away, only to look down at his clothes, unable to hide a look of dismay. Stained with soot and dirt, of course. Still, Climber smiled, a bit embarrassed.
"I'm sorry for hugging you without asking first, Clarice tells me that I shouldn't do that," Climber sheepishly spoke, looking to the side. He was awfully human for a mannequin, Chimbley thought.
"'S awright," Chimbley mumbled, "Jus' don't go around hugging any of 'ese ovver contestants, 'ey seem a lot less forgivin' den I am,"
It was safer if Climber thought he didn't like the hug. It was safer if Chimbley didn't admit he liked it to himself either. The doll could go back to wherever it was he came from and not worry about some random street urchin.
"I wouldn't hug anyone else here, silly. I wanted to hug you because I care about you!" Climber continued smiling dopily.
Larks, the doll could stand to be a bit less honest. Chimbley felt his face heat up at the ridiculous thought that someone cared for him. He instinctually tugged at the end of his hair. Could this mannequin leave already?
"Don't yew 'ave somewhere else t' be? I can't imagine 'at little stone fellow yew were wiv authorized dis meeting," Chimbley tried to get Climber off his case.
The doll's face lit up with realization, then disappointment. Chimbley almost felt bad. But it would be comical to feel bad for anyone but himself, considering... everything.
"Mister Jack did say we needed to bring Karl back to the park, and to be quick, but I needed to make sure you were okay first," Climber looked at the boy with something that seemed like a cousin of pity and a sister of endearment. Chimbley couldn't identify the feeling as nobody had ever looked at him like that before.
"Well... yew should probably get to 'em then," Chimbley was relieved this interaction was coming to an end, and he ignored the sinking feeling in his perpetually empty stomach.
"I should, I wouldn't want to upset Mister Jack," Climber fiddled with his cloth hands, then leaned down and grabbed his pickaxe.
The doll stuck out his free hand to Chimbley, and the boy stared at it. Why couldn't he just be left alone? Cor, a handshake with an oversized stuffed toy, and it wasn't even the oddest thing to happen to Chimbley that week.
Chimbley put his small, soot-stained hand in Climber's. He was unable to properly grasp it, given the size difference, but Climber grinned anyways, clasping his cloth hand around Chimbley's. It was like another, smaller hug.
Suddenly, the doll blurted out, "You could come with me!"
Climber looked as if he almost didn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. He didn't retract them though, and kept his grip on Chimbley's hand.
"I don't fink I can, guv," Chimbley wouldn't, couldn't, even fathom the thought of leaving his city. Especially after what it had been through so recently. And hell, he had no idea where living dolls like Climber came from, and was not too curious to find it out personally.
Climber's crumbled. His grip softened, but stayed. Chimbley wasn't able to help but imagine that if the doll had the capability, he'd be tearing up.
"Are you sure?" Climber spoke, almost like a plea. Poor sod must've been awful lonely to be begging some random orphan to come with him. Chimbley stayed resolute though, nodding his head. He wasn't leaving Taitle.
Climber sighed, and released Chimbley's hand, letting it drop back to the boy's side. It felt cold after Climber's warmth.
"I understand," Climber said, and for a moment, he didn't sound like himself, but at the same time, the words were undeniably his, "I don't think the park is very good for humans anyway."
Chimbley slowly nodded once more, feeling at a loss for words. There weren't any quick quips or smart wits that would help him here. He simply felt sad, as much as he hated to admit it. The mannequin stood still, giving one last small smile.
"I'll see you again, Chimbley. I promise!" Climber declared, then abruptly jumped out the window.
Chimbley felt a sense of alarm that he had watched someone jump out from a 4th story window, before remembering the mannequin was, in fact, just that. He saw the doll pick himself up, then dashing off to the left, surely to find his fellow not-so-inanimate acquaintances.
There was a sense of relief, Chimbley wasn't going to deny that. But he also couldn't deny how he felt overwhelmingly lonely in that moment. He almost wished he asked the kind doll to walk him home, surely he wouldn't have denied the boy, even with his priorities in place. Then on the other hand, Chimbley wasn't interested in being the one to show Climber the more direct horrors of poverty.
The boy slumped against a wall. He really ought to start his scavenging now while there was still light out. Chimbley grabbed his broom, and walked down the stairs, and halfway down the building, he noticed something.
There was a small tuft of stuffing in his hair.
Chimbley shoved it in his shorts pocket. It could be useful for something. That's what he told himself when he hid it in his cash box, anyways.