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Bert strolled through the park with his lighting stick propped up on his shoulder, watching as his breath made foggy clouds ahead of him. Today, he was a lamplighter, going through the park and lighting each of the kerosene streetposts by hand. He quickened his step as he approached his favorite spot in the park and lit the last two lanterns. Just a week ago he and Neleus were dancing on those very lantern poles till he found the Banks kids out and about with no coats on. Speaking of Neleus...
With the new-found goal, Bert walked towards Neleus' plinth. But when he reached him, he was greated with a somber sight. The poor statue had been snowed on badly, and it was pileing up all over him.
"Well that just won't do." Bert muttered to himself as he began to dust the snow off his arms, using the end of his stick to reach the top of his head. Once he was finally done, he stepped back and looked at Neleus with a smile. "Ah, much better, wouldn't you say?"
The statue's eyes focused from it's etched position, moving to lock eyes with his friend. "Oh, quite!" Neleus said as his body slowly reanimated.
"Must be real chilly up there in all this snow without anything to keep you warm."
Neleus looked down at Bert for a moment, thinking through the words. Did he feel chilly? While he couldn't quite remember what it felt like to be made of flesh and bone, he did know that his marble skin was cold to the touch of others. Was he always chilly?
"I'm not sure...?" Neleus replied hesitantly, "I haven't really thought about it before." He admitted quietly.
Bert instantly put a hand to his arm, "You feel awfully frigid my friend. Clearly that sculpted chiton isn't helping."
Before he could even respond, Bert clapped his hands together with a bright idea. "Oh, I'll go get you a blanket!"
"You really don't need to do that—"
"Oh yes I do! What kind of friend would I be if I let you freeze out in the cold like this without any help?"
Neleus sighed, "Surely you could do something else, maybe light a bonfire?"
"And make the park keeper ban me forever? He's already got his reservations about my presence to begin with..."
Neleus chuckled, "If you insist, I'm not against reciving a blanket. But don't get upset on my behalf if you can't."
"Course not, 'cause I'll find you one no problem."
"Right.." Neleus muttered with fondness as he watched Bert run through the snow towards the park gates.
Down on 17 Cherry Tree Lane, the household was asleep. The lights were off in every room, every room but the nursery, where a little tea party was taking place.
"And what would you like Mr. Valentine?" Jane smiled as she poured herself a cup of tea, though it was actually water in her mum's stolen tea set. She leaned over the table to grasp Valentine, lowering her tone in a crude replica of the doll's true voice. "Hm, I would like a... a...." She faltered slightly, looking over at Michael who had been tinkering with his telescope.
"Michael! What type of tea do you think Valentine prefers?"
"I don't think dolls drink tea."
"Why of course they do! What else do you think they drink at those odd court meetings? All lawyers drink tea you know." Jane asserted matter-of-factly.
"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say he drinks something simple, like black tea." Michael shrugged slightly as he put his eye against the peephole of the telescope.
Jane scrunched her face in disgust. "Plain black tea? Sounds disgusting." She glanced back at her party guest, "But I suppose I could arrange that for you Mr. Valentine."
"Why are you having a tea party with him anyway?"
"Because—" Jane barely got a word in before getting interrupted by a knock on the window and a jumpy Micheal.
"Hello you two! Up awfully late, eh?" Bert said as he pulled open the window, small specks of white escaping into the warm room and melting almost instantly.
"Bert!" She exclaimed, startled but happy nonetheless. "I guess it is a bit late..."
"Please don’t be too loud! Everyone else is sleeping right now." Said Micheal.
"Why you little mischief makers, ignoring your curfew." Bert beamed as he tousled Michael's hair through the window. "What are you doing anyhow?"
"We could ask you the same thing!" Michael giggled slightly, "You know daddy doesn’t like when you loiter on our roof."
"Well, it's my job to loiter on your roof!"
"No it's not! The rest of those sweeps came by just an hour ago!" Jane raised an eyebrow.
"And aren’t you a lamplighter right now?"
The lamplighter in question let out an exaggerated sigh as he got caught. "Ah you've got me there, smartypants indeed." He said with a wink.
"Of course we are! Daddy says we're very smart for our age!" He boasted as he puffed out his chest with pride.
"Does he now?"
"Oh yes! He's been very nice lately!"
"Far more then ever before," Jane added, "It feels a little odd, but it's sweet." Michael nodded aggressively in agreement, corroborating her words.
"Why are you on the rooftop anyway? If you're not working... are you just looking out at the sky?"
"I like looking at the sky and all, but it's a tad too snowy to see much of anything tonight." He looked over at the still proped up telescope. "Might wanna save that for a clearer day."
Michael pouted and began to disassemble it.
"You still haven't answered me." Jane said in mock annoyance.
"Right! Sorry, sorry. You see, it's very chilly out there for us folks without any nice nurseries like these." He gestured out grandiosly, "But poor Neleus is stuck on his plinth out in the cold!"
Jane's face fell at the idea, "Oh, it must be terrible for him..."
"Wait, but aren’t you also stuck in the cold?" Michael frowned.
"Ah, I suppose, but I've got my own body heat and clothes to keep me warm—"
"And Neleus has got nothing at all! Rocks don't have any heat.."
"But he's not made of rocks Michael, he's made of marble." Jane corrected him.
"Which gets even colder then rocks." Bert shook his head, "So I came here to ask if you could possibly lend a blanket for him! I promise to give it back as soon as the snow bates." He held out a pinky that was quickly taken by Michael.
"I'll go find a blanket for him right now!" Michael grinned as he took off towards the hallway closet.
"Oh, don't be so loud! You’ll wake everyone up!" Jane called after him, being equally as loud.
Bert began to lift a foot up to enter the window before being stopped by a little held out hand.
"Wait! If you come in you'll bring all that mud and snow inside, and Mrs. Brill just cleaned the floors earlier today."
"Sounds fair enough to me!" Bert said as he pulled himself fully out the window again, instead opting to lean against the outer sill. "I see you're hosting a tea party?"
"Oh, yes. It's for Valentine, to apologize for ripping his arm!" She smiled and walked over quickly to pick up Valentine gently, a small line of bright blue stitches on his newly fixed limb.
"How kind of you! I'm sure he appreciates it."
Michael pushed the nursery door open just a moment later, a thick wool blanket folded in his arms. "I found one! Its nice and warm, and a pretty shade of purple!"
Bert grinned as the blanket was plopped into his arms, the weight feeling heavier then it looked like it should be. "This is perfect! I'm sure Neleus will be delighted!"
"We should come and give it to him with you!"
"Ah, I'd love for you two to tag along, but it's far too late and far too dangerous. How about we all visit tomorrow when the sun's up?"
"We could play in the snow!" Michael smiled.
"And build snowmen!" Jane added.
"Yes, all of that! Tomorrow. Now, you two should go to bed to have plenty of energy to play, sound good?"
"Yes!"
"Of course!"
"Glad to hear it! Goodnight and sleep tight!" Bert said as he began to asend off the window dormer and up to the rooftop proper.
"Goodnight Bert!" The children said in unison, already excited thinking about tomorrow.
"Oh Neleus! I've brought back a blanket just for you!" Bert said in a sing-song tone as he approached the statue about an hour later when when they had talked.
Neleus beamed as Bert came into view, holding a warm purple blanket. He wiped off the sbow that accumulated while we was gone and drapped the fabric across the statues shoulders. "Feel any better?"
The blanket did feel nice and warm, surprisingly enough. Though, the thick wool felt wool felt foreign against his skin. And the color brought back an odd sense of... nostalgia? If he focused hard enough, Neleus could almost remember a time where he always wore a purple cloak much like this one. But the memory felt far and distant.
"Much better, thanks to you!" Neleus said as he crouched down to look at Bert properly, before wrapping his arms around the man in gratitude.
Bert gave a crooked smile and patted him on the back. "It was no problem at all! Though, you are still very cold...!" He said as his smile turned to one of rictus.
Neleus let go quickly. "Oh! Sorry!"
"Ah it's alright, I appreciate the sentiment." Bert said casually as he took a seat upon the pedestal. "Mind if I stay with you for the night?"
"Go ahead, it's not like I was going to do anything else tonight." Neleus said as he looked out at the snow covered park, the paved floors still not swept up yet and the sky bright with reflective light. Perhaps tomorrow he'd go for a jaunty saunter, but for now, he was content to simply relax with his friend.