Diamond managed to sleep a little, overcome by exhaustion. A couple of hours later, a warm smell woke him: something was cooking. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes, and put on his shoes before going out into the hallway.
The house wasn't big, but it did have several nooks and crannies. After peeking into a couple of the wrong rooms, he finally found the kitchen. There was Change, standing by the stove, preparing something simple but appetizing.
"I see you're awake," said the ceramic man without turning all the way around. "Are you feeling better? If you need one, there's a doctor in town... although I know that falls don't affect rag dolls as much physically. You're so... malleable."
His tone wasn't mocking, but almost analytical.
"I feel a little better..." Diamond replied quietly. He didn't seem entirely convinced, but he was trying to sound strong.
Change nodded, serving the food onto two plates.
"Good. Eat something; it helps more than you think."
He placed the plates on the table along with the silverware and gestured for Diamond to sit. The doll obeyed, taking a seat beside him. For a few minutes, only the quiet sounds of the meal could be heard: the clinking of silverware, the faint sizzle that still lingered in the pan.
Change let him eat in silence. He didn't pressure him, he simply waited, respecting this moment of calm that he so desperately needed.
When they had both finished, he gently moved the empty plates aside and turned to Diamond.
"Now then," he said in a deep but calm voice. "Tell me... what happened to you?"
Diamond hesitated, looking down at the table. For a few seconds, he seemed to be torn between remaining silent and speaking. Finally, he exhaled slowly.
"I... I lived on a material transport ship. I had a quiet life... I studied, I worked... But everything started to go wrong recently."
"What happened?" Change asked, without breaking his calm tone
"A boy approached me," Diamond continued, trembling slightly. "He lied to me... he was a ceramic doll."
His hands closed tightly on the edge of the table.
"He managed to frame me for a crime he committed... he killed one of my friends. And... mistaking me for a ceramic doll, they threw me off the ship."
His voice broke at the end, choking back with sobs.
Change watched him silently for a few seconds, then sighed and, with a surprisingly gentle gesture, offered him a handkerchief. Diamond didn't take it at first, so the man leaned down slightly and wiped away his tears in one swift motion, from top to bottom, across his cheek.
"There," he murmured softly.
Diamond finally took the handkerchief in both hands, pressing it to his face as he continued to weep softly.
Diamond stopped sobbing for a moment as he felt Change's arms encircle him. The man lifted him easily, sitting him on his lap. Then, with disarming calm, he began to slowly, silently stroke his head.
Diamond had promised to stay alert, to be wary... but at that moment he couldn't. The exhaustion, the fear, and the pain weighed too heavily. He ended up burying his face in Change's chest, surrendering to his embrace, letting the tears flow again
"Now you can start over," Change whispered in a low, almost paternal voice. "Something new and beautiful... something better."
Diamond shook his head between gasps, clenching his fists into the fabric of the man's coat.
"I don't want something better..." he murmured, his voice a thread of a breaking sound. "I want my ship... my bedroom, my
clothes, my toys..."
He paused, trembling.
"But more than all of that... I want Vic back..."
Change lowered his gaze slightly, still holding him.
"You'll make new friends," he tried to say gently.
"I don't want new friends!" Diamond suddenly shouted, his voice booming with a mixture of anger and sadness.
The silence that followed was heavy, but Change didn't let go. He continued stroking his hair, letting the little boy vent until the crying slowly subsided, like rain that no longer has clouds
Change sighed, letting the silence do its work before speaking again. He waited for Diamond to calm down, for the trembling in his shoulders to gradually subside.
"You'll see him again," he said finally, his voice deep but calm. "One day, you'll meet again."
Diamond looked at him, his eyes still red, blinking.
"How...?" he asked, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand, for the umpteenth time that endless day.
Change observed him for a few seconds before answering, with a calmness that seemed to come from someone who had seen too much.
"Life and death are not a beginning and an end," he explained. "They are a circle, a cycle that is never broken."
Now he had to part from you... but one day, when you least expect it, he will return."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"Or perhaps you will be the one to find him."
Diamond lowered his head, thoughtful. He didn't fully understand what Change meant, but his words ignited a small spark within him, something akin to hope.
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