Begin Prompt in 3, 2, 1…
Washing Away the Ash
Prompt: Helpy and Lefty teamed up to clean up the remaining ashes.
Any building looked like a sanctuary when compared to the unknown darkness of the outside world. It was nothing more than a bathroom in the middle of a parking lot, in the middle of a park, which looked like it had been abandoned for some time. Probably due to the time of year, as it wasn't really time for visiting the park.
Lefty opened the door and peered inside. It was just a normal bathroom, and he flicked on the light which buzzed lightly and only sent a dim, yellowed light. Still, it was better than nothing, and he propped the door open. Helpy scampered inside right away.
"Oh boy, it's already warmer than outside!" Helpy cheered as he rushed inside and looked around. "Kind of gross though…" He turned to the door and beckoned. "Come on, Mr. Stripes! It's nicer in here!"
The Puppet lingered outside and Lefty knew that it didn't want to get too close to him. Silently he slid back, moving behind the door and giving more space. With the door now between them, the Puppet rushed inside and moved to the far side of the bathroom, near the end of the sinks. It watched him through the reflection in the mirror warily.
Lefty was not surprised that the Puppet was still scared of him, but he was disappointed by it. There still was the desire to protect it and there was a strange hurt from its rejection. He still understood it though, so he didn't protest. Instead, he just locked the bathroom door to make sure they would be safe inside.
"Would you help me up?" Helpy chirped to the Puppet. Unlike Lefty, the Puppet seemed to be more than comfortable with the little bear and lifted him onto the counter without any delay. Helpy got one look at the dust settled on his white exterior and let out a squeak. "Ugh, look how dirty I got! How am I supposed to go out in society like a productive citizen when I look like a ragamuffin?!"
The Puppet chimed in amusement, as though laughing, and grabbed a few paper towels out of the dispenser. It turned on the sink and dampened them in the water, then began to clean the ash off Helpy's body.
"You're doing good!" Helpy cheered. "Almost there!" The Puppet continued to wipe him down. "Now the tail!" Another chime and a gentle rub on the backside. "Great job! You really showed that dirt whose boss!" Helpy cheered, jumping up and down on the sink like it was a massive victory. He then looked at the Puppet's body. His arms, body, and even mask had a sheer amount of dust. Either it collected while it was in Lefty or after it had left him. "And now I'll clean you!"
The Puppet tilted its head in a mix of amusement and confusion. Helpy was determined; after all, he was created to be a helper. He rushed over and hopped up to grab a couple more paper towels, then returned, dampened them into nearly a wet mush, and grabbed the Puppet's hand. Then he began trying to clean the back of it.
"All this ash is gonna be gone in no time!" Helpy chirped. The Puppet again chimed, both in amusement and from endearment at how determined the small bear seemed. It all went well for a few moments until Helpy spotted and remembered Lefty. "Hey, Lefty! Why don't you grab a paper towel and clean Mr. Stripes' too? I can't reach too much."
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Lefty took a tentative step forwards only because Helpy was still looking at him expectantly. As soon as he moved, the Puppet's head snapped to him and it gave a burst of warning static. The bear was unsurprised, but oddly enough Helpy did seem to be.
"Hey, that's not nice!" the little bear scolded. "He just wants to help! I know you're scared of him, but he's not going to hurt you again."
Again. Lefty was supposed to be an emotionless machine and yet that "again" hurt. Helpy didn't mean it. His blunt honesty was a part of how he was made, to assist and correct mistakes. It didn't make hearing it any easier. Lefty noticed how the Puppet looked away again, now looking down at the small bear who continued trying to work.
Lefty was patient. He waited a few minutes before he dared to step closer again. He knew the Puppet was watching, so he stopped alongside it and waited until it calmed down. Once it did, watching as Helpy switched arms, Lefty slowly reached for the mound of wet paper towels and grappled them between his thick fingers.
He reached for a striped arm and received another, quieter warning noise. Again, Lefty hesitated a second, but then continued to grab it by the wrist. The bear began to gently wipe at the white stripes and watched as the thin amount of dust started to clean away. The Puppet was tense and wary, and yet it didn't pull away. This had been the closest they had been since…
"There you go! Good job, both of you!" Helpy cheered as he looked up at them. "See, all we got is each other, so we're gonna have to help out each other from now on!" Both Lefty and the Puppet knew that he was right. If they were going to make it out here, then they would have to learn how to cooperate.
Baby steps might work.