The dried blood made 5 itchy. An older battle had already emptied this area of town of humans and the machines had followed them. He could still hear the gunshots echoing through the barren streets but for now it was farther away.

Of course they couldn't have left someplace intact, he thought with what would have been annoyance if he hadn't have been so shell-shocked. Why were the machines hunting the humans anyway? It didn't look like they were gaining anything from it. 5 stopped for a moment to study another badly damaged building. There was plenty of space to hide at first glance, but it looked so dilapidated that it was liable to fall in a stiff breeze. The stitchpunk kept walking. He wasn't putting himself at risk of being crushed again.

5 had initially tried to find his way back to the lab after the boy's death. It didn't matter to him if it wasn't safe with the Scientist; it was the only place he knew and it had to be safer than out here. Unfortunately he'd spent so much of the ride in the bottom of the boy's pocket that he couldn't even guess at what direction it was in. It was past noon when he gave up on that and decided to take any shelter that worked.

The rubble piles were casting long shadows when he noticed a building with its roof and all four walls mostly intact. The small, single-story wooden house's windows were boarded, but the front door hung wide open.

It's better than everything else I've seen.

He entered the house carefully. Much of the furniture was overturned, with sundry human items lying strewn on the floor. The clutter left a myriad of hiding places big enough for an eight-inch doll. One room at the back of the house reminded him in some ways of the lab. No machinery, but it had a desk and chair and many bookcases. Most of the books had been knocked down to the floor, except for a batch still remained on a wall-mounted shelf above the desk. As he explored from room to room, he even found a metal watering can lying half-tipped on its side, propped up on the saucer of a dead houseplant in the living room. There were a couple inches of water left in the can.

That settles it, 5 decided, relieved to have a chance to wash, I'll hide here for now.

5 crawled into the watering can and splashed himself with the water, taking care not to slide to the bottom of the can and be submersed. As he looked up from the water he saw a small brown and red doll sitting next to him. He jumped in surprise, almost falling into the water. The other did exactly the same thing.

Is that...

He looked at the figure and lifted a hand experimentally. The figure copied his movements precisely.

...me?

It was just his reflection in the shiny inner wall of the watering can. He stopped to study himself, fascinated. He's never seen his face before. The cloth of his face was burlap, like the rest of him. Over half of it was burgundy with the boy's blood. Unlike the humans he'd met he had no nose or ears. The most prominent feature were binocular-like optics of metal and glass. He blinked one eye and watched the nearly white shutters close and open.

I'll have to watch the water around those, he thought, and returned to washing. The blood stopped itching now that it was wet again, but although some of it was running out of his burlap he wasn't going back to his original colour.

There's got to be something in this mess to do this better, he thought, searching the house again. On the bathroom floor he found a bone-handled toothbrush, a wooden nail brush, and a half-used tube of toothpaste. They were perfect for the task ahead. 5 hung the nail brush off his shoulder and hefted the toothbrush like a rifle. The toothpaste gave him some problems until he hit on the idea of dragging it back by the folds of its consumed end. New tools in hand, 5 started walking back to his water source.

He was almost there when something ducked behind a heavy book on the floor so quickly he couldn't tell what it was.

"Hello?" he called out into what he'd thought was an abandoned room. He let go of the toothpaste and took the toothbrush clumsily in his hands like a quarterstaff. For a moment all he could hear was the quiet whir of his accelerating gears. Then came a quick patter of feet. Not machine feet, or human feet, but little feet, like his own.

"Hello? Please don't hurt me, whoever's out there."

Silence. But someone had to be in the room with him, someone his size. It occurred to him that the other being might be as scared as he was.

"Hello?" he repeated, then his voice became oddly steady as his need for companionship overrode his fear.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone. If you're a ..."

Hmm, there was a problem. What exactly was he?

"If you're a cloth person," he finally settled on, "Then I'm your friend. The Scientist told me to find you."

At first there was no response. 5 felt his anxiety building when a pair of optics, like his own, in a blue hood popped up from the clutter eight feet away. The optics disappeared, then popped up again a moment later with a second, identical set next to them. Then they disappeared from view and he heard the pattering of feet.

"Wait!" he called, dropping the toothbrush, "Don't go!"

But the steps were coming towards him. A second later two identical stitchpunks, shorter and slighter than him with pale cloth skin, bounded out of cover and stopped within inches of him. Their optics clicked and flashed as they circled him like eager puppies.

Okay, calm down, they're just looking at you. Calm down.

"Um... I'm 5. Good to meet you. What are your names?"

They stopped clicking and each pointed to a symbol on their chests. 5 found he could read the symbols despite never being taught how, just like how he understood and spoke a language he'd never learned. He wondered momentarily what other inborn knowledge he would discover as he asked, "3 and 4?"

They both nodded, then 3 started flashing at him.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked. The pair looked at each other, optics flashing back and forth. Like a conversation.

"Is that how you speak?"

They looked back at him and nodded. This time 4 started flashing at him.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

The twins flashed at each other, then turned back to him. 4 studied the tube of toothpaste for a second while 3 picked up the toothbrush and handed it to 5.

"Thanks. Is this place yours?"

They nodded.

"Can I stay?"

The twins had another flickering conversation then nodded so vigorously they seemed to bounce in place. Before 5 could say anything else they scampered back to the heavy book they had hidden behind and lifted its cover with childlike enthusiasm. They were engrossed in reading it in seconds.

"Okay," he called over at them uncertainly, grabbing the tube of toothpaste. He'd never been ignored before.

"I'll just be cleaning myself up in that can over there."

The twins didn't seem to hear him. 5 sighed and dragged his supplies to the watering can. He hoped his new housemates didn't always ignore him.

The toothpaste worked beautifully. 5 settled on the nail brush as his tool of choice and lightly scrubbed his damp burlap. After the events of his first day alive the simple task was relaxing. Soothing even. For the moment he was able to block out how he'd gotten bloody in the first place and simply get it off. He tried to keep the amount of water he used to a minimum; although it didn't bother him on his cloth skin it felt odd and a little uncomfortable to have it soak through. He started with his face, wanting to see it as it was supposed to be now that he'd just discovered it. He didn't use the toothpaste on his optics. It felt slightly gritty to his hands, which wasn't a problem for the burlap but could scratch the delicate glass.

There, that's better.

He tackled his legs next. More gentle scrubbing, and gradually more and more clean cloth. He was working on his chest when light footfalls shook the watering can slightly. He glanced towards the mouth of the can and was pleased to see 3 and 4.

"How was your reading?" he asked as he kept scrubbing. They smiled at him.

"Good. I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves."

3's optics lit up with a steady glow, projecting an image onto the wall of the can.

Now that's useful, 5 thought, looking at the image, I wonder if I can do that.

The picture was of two women in a bright kitchen laughing as they did the dishes. The meaning was clear when 3 picked up the toothbrush and 4 dug into the toothpaste.

"I'd appreciate the help. You don't mind, do you?"

In response 4 started rubbing a small amount of toothpaste onto his back while 3 dampened the toothbrush's bristles. The tiny hands on his back were the best thing he had felt since the Scientist picked him up that last time. They took turns with the toothbrush, flashing at each other as they worked and occasionally showing 5 some of the pictures they had memorized. At one interval 3 left the watering can and returned soon after with a thimble. The silent stitchpunk filled it with water and used it to start rinsing away the toothpaste.

"Nice find," 5 said, by now growing accustomed to the twin's silence. 3 flashed a quick response at him and smiled. 5 smiled back. He didn't entirely understand his new companions, but he liked them. He hoped the others would be as friendly.