One week after the events at the old coven’s headquarters:

 

The house that once resided in the middle of a quiet forest is abuzz with activity. It will take a long time for the scars left by the former matriarch to properly heal, but thanks to Athena’s guidance the witches and dolls she’s rescued have gotten off to a great start with their recovery, and many of them are now figuring out what they want to do with their newfound freedom, whether that involves staying here and helping their sisters in this new coven, or heading out to forge their own trails.

 

“Are we ready to head out, love?” Lori asks as she walks down a busy hallway.

 

“Pretty sure we are, yeah.” Ava says, catching up to her partner. “Right, you two?”

 

“That’s right, Miss!” 01 exclaims with plenty of luggage in hand. “Everything’s accounted for, Miss!” 02 follows up, carrying luggage of its own.

 

“Great! I know it’s only been a week but I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this day.” Lori wraps both of her arms around Ava’s, pulling her close.

 

“I mean, when you think about it we have been.” Ava says, smiling as they walk side by side with the dolls following quickly behind. “At least we got there in the end, right?”

 

The four of them reach the end of the hallway and find themselves at the front door of the house, where someone is already there waiting for them.

 

“Hey, Maya!” Ava says, greeting her fellow witch. “Were you able to pick out a starting point for us?”

 

“Good morning, Ava” The witch says back with a bow and a polite smile. “I think I have found a location that will please all of you. It’s a small town located on the coast of the next continent over from where we used to live. Apparently it is known for its beaches, and this time of year is the ideal time to visit.”

 

“That sounds perfect, doesn’t it?” Lori asks, looking up at Ava.

 

“Yeah, it’s been forever since we got to go to the beach. Sounds like a great place to spend a few days before setting out.”

 

“Should I prepare the door for you then?” Maya asks.

 

“Yes please, we’re all set to go here.” Ava answers alongside a thumbs up.

 

“Very well then.” Maya grabs the door handle and closes her eyes. She focuses her magic, reaching out towards the town she had identified in her earlier search. 

 

When the town is clear in her mind, she opens the door to reveal a portal that will lead directly there. One advantage of living in a house that now exists outside of the physical realm is that a witch with the right skillset and training can open doorways back to any point in said physical realm without much effort. Maya is new to this sort of thing, but Athena has been a huge help when it comes to figuring out what she needed to do.

 

“Here you go,” Maya starts with a satisfied smile, “please step through when you’re ready.”

 

“Thank you so much for this, Maya.” Lori says. “We wouldn’t have known what we were doing if we had to sort this all out ourselves, you’ve been such a great help.”

 

“It’s my pleasure.” Maya says, beaming. The witch was more than happy to help, even just a few months ago she never would have been able to imagine using her magic to genuinely help others, and it brings her no small amount of joy to do so. This sort of work is much more satisfying than the invasive surveillance she was forced to carry out previously. “I wish you all well on your journey.”

 

Ava and Lori say their goodbyes to Maya and are about to head through the portal when they’re interrupted by someone calling out as they run to meet the group.

 

“Hey!” The brunette doll yells. “You’re leaving!?”

 

“Hi Amelia!” 01 yells back. “It’s good to see you!” 02 adds.

 

Ava gives the doll a smile. “Yeah, we’re gonna travel for a while, go see the world.”

 

“The two of us have been talking about this for a very long time, even before we became witches.” Lori explains.

 

“Why are you going so soon though?” Amelia asks. “Don’t you need more time to feel better?”

 

Ava feels Lori’s grip on her arm grow just a bit tighter, and she lets out a sigh.

 

“Yeah, that’s… that’s why we’re leaving, Amelia. Don’t get me wrong, things are great here, but… we just need a break from all this coven business after being stuck with it for so long. We’d like to have some time to ourselves, just the four of us, to figure out what we want our future to look like.”

 

“Are we ever going to see you again?” Amelia’s concern for the group is obvious.

 

“Of course you will.” Lori says. “I can’t promise we’ll ever properly rejoin the coven, but we’ll definitely make sure to visit when we can.”

 

“Yep, I’m sure these two will want to stop by and say hello fairly often.” Ava smirks, gesturing towards her dolls.

 

“Yes yes, it’s true!” “This one enjoyed spending time with you, Amelia!” The dolls interject.

 

“Okay, but are you sure you don’t want to wait a bit before you go?” Amelia asks. “Miss hasn’t fixed your arm yet.”

 

Ava chuckles. “I already told her, I don’t need it fixed. If I need any help I’ve got another six right here to help me.” Lori leans into her a bit, and the two dolls smile proudly.

 

“We’ll be okay, Amelia.” She continues. “We just need to be somewhere else for a while. Maybe 01 and 02 can write you letters while we’re gone, you can be pen pals or something.”

 

“This one would like that!” “It would be fun!” 01 and 02 are clearly fans of the idea.

 

“Wait, how do we send stuff here? Is there like an address, or…” Ava asks, looking at Maya.

 

“I can figure something out.” She responds with a smile.

 

Ava turns back to the doll. “See? You’ll hear from us soon, Amelia.”

 

“Okay,” Amelia says, starting to calm down, “this one hopes you all enjoy your trip!”

 

Another set of goodbyes is exchanged, and the group of four finally step through the portal. Amelia doesn’t have long to dwell on the departure, however.

 

Amelia, my dearest, could you join me in the workshop?

 

“Sure thing, Miss!” It says before running off.

 

---

 

One very welcome change to the house that came alongside its new, more otherworldly location is that physical renovations are no longer necessary, the magic embedded within will allow the house to grow and change on its own to suit the needs of its residents. This new feature couldn’t have come at a better time considering the huge, sudden influx of new witches and dolls staying here after Athena played her trump card, and one request that a lot of them ask for is a quiet place where they can have some time to themselves when needed.

 

Some witches have chosen to remain almost exclusively in these quiet parts of the house, limiting their interactions with others until they’re ready. One such witch is Null, who is currently seated at a table in her bedroom, opening and closing the fist of her new, wooden hand, watching the ball joints as they move.

 

“How’s the hand treating you?” She hears someone ask, and she looks up to see Penelope putting a small box on the table before taking a seat across from her.

 

“Pretty good so far. Everything seems to be working properly.” She replies, continuing her inspection.

 

“You know you didn’t have to settle for an artificial hand, right? Athena could have just given you your old hand back if you asked.”

 

“Yeah, I dunno…” Null sighs. “I guess I didn’t feel like that was the right thing to do. I needed a reminder of everything I’ve done, to make sure I don’t do it again.”

 

“Fair, I guess. What about the whole soul thing, how are you finding that? I’m guessing it feels pretty different to how you were living before.”

 

Null lowers her hand and leans back, looking towards the ceiling. “It’s pretty scary, to be honest. It’s not a bad thing, it’s definitely nice to actually feel like a whole person now, but all these new feelings and thoughts, it’s a whole fucking lot, and pretty much all of it is completely new to me. Don’t really know how to handle a lot of it, plus it’s really putting into perspective just how empty I was. Kinda has me wondering if Athena felt the same way at first, back when she swapped with that doll of hers.”

 

“Did she say anything about that?”

 

“Nah, she’s been checking in on me all week, but she never mentioned anything like that. She has been showing up less often in the last few days though, not sure if there’s something going on or what. I won’t pretend I really get this stuff yet but it seems like there was something on her mind the last time I saw her.”

 

“Eh.” Penelope shrugs. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, I’m not sure any of us could ever really understand her at this point. With everything she did to get us here she pretty much exists on a different level to everyone else now. If there is something bothering her I doubt we could even do anything to help.”

 

“Yeah…” Null trails off, and the two sit in silence for a while. Penelope idly taps the box, unsure of how to continue the conversation.

 

“Penelope.” Null finally says. “There’s… There’s something I need to ask you. When I first woke up here, Athena explained everything that had happened, about her magic, everything with… with the matriarch… and how she gave me a proper soul after bringing me back here. She also said that she let you decide what to do with this body, and that you chose to let me keep existing instead of trying to… you know… bring back the person it used to belong to.”

 

Penelope closes her eyes and sighs. “Yeah, I did tell her to do that.”

 

“Why? I thought you hated me for taking her away from you.”

 

“There were a bunch of reasons, I guess. There’s nothing I want more than to be able to go back to the way things were, but even if I brought her back there’s not a chance in the world that could happen now. I’ve been through too much in the past few years, I’m… I’m not the same woman that Nova loved anymore. I guess I’d rather move on and accept she’s gone than take my chances with a recreation of who she once was.”

 

“Besides,” Penelope chuckles weakly, “if I did bring her back I know she’d kill me if she found out it was at the cost of someone else’s shot at life. She was always a huge softie like that.” She takes a moment to collect herself, and calmly continues. “I do want to make one thing clear though. I don’t hate you, or at the very least I don’t anymore. It’s not your fault that any of this happened, the way I see it you’re just as much of a victim in this shit as I am.”

 

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me all week, just like pretty much everyone else has?” Null crosses her arms. “Don’t worry though, I get it. I’ve hurt a lot of people, it’s not exactly fair to consider myself a victim here. For the record I don’t blame any of you for still being scared of me, the fact that all the others can recognise me as that Nova woman now isn’t helping things either. I’ve accepted that none of you want to be around me, and you’ve all got a lot of very good reasons for that, so don’t feel like you have to start playing the ‘I don’t really hate you’ card.”

 

“Look, it’s not like that. Not for me anyway.” Penelope takes a deep breath, and looks down. “Sure the matriarch is gone now, but everyone’s still all fucked up and it’s gonna be a while before things start to be okay again. I’m sorry for not visiting you sooner, but I needed some time to figure out how to do it, what I’d even say to you after everything we’ve said and done to each other. I won’t pretend it still doesn’t hurt like hell to see that face when I know it belongs to someone else now, but I know that’s not fair on you. Everyone needs help getting back on their feet right now, and that includes you as well. You’ve got years of catching up to do when it comes to emotions and shit, and I don’t think you’re gonna make much progress without help.”

 

“...What if I don’t deserve it?” Null asks quietly, curling up in her chair. “That horrible spell she taught me, do you know how many people I killed with it?”

 

“That’s not fair, Null… You didn’t exactly have a choice in any of that did you? Athena told me about how you didn't have any free will, you weren’t even allowed to think about disobeying those orders. I don’t think anyone blames you for-”

 

“I doesn’t fucking matter!” Null yells. “I still did those things, didn’t I!? Even if you wanted to patronise me and say those actions weren’t mine, it doesn’t matter because you know what!? Those memories are! Even if she was controlling me the whole time, I still have to remember the names of everyone she made me kill! I can’t fucking escape it Penelope! The way they would plead for their lives, the looks on their faces before it happened… hell, the look on your face when I almost did the same thing to you, I don’t know how to make it all stop! I’m stuck reliving these moments every fucking day!”

 

She takes a deep breath, and continues quietly. “I get why no one wants anything to do with me. Even if I’m an actual person now, it was still this face, these hands, that did all of those things. Why would I expect anyone to trust me after everything I’ve done?”

 

Penelope just sits there for a while, continuing to look at the ground, until she finally sighs before responding.

 

“Look… I get where you’re coming from, but-”

 

“You ‘get where I’m coming from’!?” Null yells. “You didn’t do those things! You didn’t kill those people, how could you possibly fucking-”

 

“Shut up!” Penelope barks as she stands up, slamming her hands down on the table. Null visibly recoils at the outburst.

 

“I’m doing my fucking best to give you a chance here, so you do not get to tell me what I do or don’t feel! Do you have any idea what it feels like to have the person you love suddenly go missing one day, and then when she finally shows up again with some new hairstyle she says she hates your guts and doesn’t remember us ever being together!? To try and find people to back me up, only for them to not even recognise her as the same person!? To spend three fucking years trying to figure out what’s going on, why I’m the only one who can still see her face, only to be called crazy at every turn, be punished for stepping out of line, or for the person I would have fucking died for to try and kill me in cold blood!?

 

Sure, all those other witches can see it now, some of them have even apologised to me, but does any of that even matter!? Is there even a chance in hell that I can trust any of them after they spent years denying everything I tried to say!? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at any of them the same way again! You don’t understand how much torture I’ve had to endure over the past few years, so don’t… don’t fucking tell me that I don’t know what it feels like when shit hurts like hell…”

 

Penelope starts to calm down from her outburst, and looks at Null who is clearly quite taken aback.

 

“Fuck… I’m sorry.” She says, placing a hand over her face. “That’s… I didn’t come here to yell at you. It wasn’t meant to come out like that, I just wanted to say that I understand what it’s like when there’s no one you can trust.”

 

“Wow… getting yelled at like that really hurts a whole lot more than it used to…” She tries her best to laugh before collecting herself. “I… I think I get it though, and… I’m sorry too. This is all new to me, but you’re right, I shouldn’t ignore that there are other people dealing with similar issues. I have to ask though, if all of your problems can be traced back to me, whether you think it was my fault or not, why are you even here? Sure, a lot of the witches here ended up hurting you because of that hex, but there has to be someone you’d prefer to be talking about this with instead of me, right?”

 

Penelope thinks on it for a moment before responding. “Well, let me ask you this. You’ve probably had it worse than anyone else here, but here you are now regardless. No one would have blamed you if you chose to become a doll, certainly would have been easier than dealing with all of this shit now. So, why’d you do it?”

 

Null slumps in her chair. “I don’t really know. It just felt like the thing to do at the time, I guess. What about you though? Don’t pretend you haven’t had it just as rough.”

 

A hint of a smile can be seen on Penelope’s face as she leans on the table. “Heh, I guess you could say I’m not exactly sure either. I think I might just be too fucking stubborn to give up like that. That’s kinda what I’m trying to get at though. The matriarch fucked us both up real bad, but we’re still here, still kicking. Maybe I just didn’t want to give up this chance to keep going, not when so many other witches didn’t make it this far. You get what I mean?”

 

“I’m sorry...” Null replies with a puzzled look. “I mean I guess I do get it, but what does that have to do with you coming to see me?”

 

Penelope sighs again. “Fuck, sorry about that, started rambling a bit.” She stands up straight again, not quite able to look the other witch in the eyes, but doing her best regardless. “I’m no good with words, that was always her job, you know? I guess what I’m trying to say is that while I’m not sure what it’ll take for me to be able to trust anyone again, I’ll probably have an easier time trusting someone who’s just about as messed up as I am, figure they’ll get what it’s like more than anyone else would. Think of it this way, I’m going to have a hard time moving on from everything I’ve lost, you’re going to need help learning about all those new feelings and how to deal with them, I’m not saying we have to become best friends or anything, but maybe.. I dunno… we can at least try to have each other’s backs or something, make sure neither of us are going through all this alone...”

 

Null looks up at her in surprise. “Are… you sure? Out of everyone in the coven, am I really the one you’d want to do this with?”

 

“To be honest, I think it might have to be you.” Penelope says, looking down again, the brim of her hat blocking her face from view. “Not just because of the whole trust thing, but also… as much as it’s going to suck for me, I’m not… I’m not sure I’ll be able to really accept she’s gone until I’m able to look at you and see you for who you are now, not for who used to be in that body. It’s also why I brought this along, in a way.” She nervously gestures towards the box she placed on the table when she came in.

 

“Oh yeah? I’ve been wondering what that was about.”

 

“Yeah, I guess you could say it’s a bit of a peace offering.”

 

“Really? I feel like this should be the other way around if anything. I mean, you didn’t need to-”

 

“I-I did… though.” Penelope quickly interrupts. “This… is for my own sake, just as much as it is to help patch things up with you. It’s also a part of the reason it took so long for me to come here, I had to make sure I got it right. Open it up and you’ll see.”

 

“Okay then…” Null takes the lid off the box, while Penelope looks up a bit to watch, and she finds a small chocolate cake inside. There’s also a knife to cut a slice, plus a plate and spoon to eat it with. The cake is very simple in design, with little in the way of decoration other than a few berries on top.

 

“She loved baking, you know.” Penelope says, having returned to looking towards the ground. “It’s not as fancy as how she could do it, but this was her favourite recipe. I’m not sure how it turned out in the end, but I… I figured if I’m gonna keep going… w-without her… I should try to carry on the legacy, or something like that.”

 

“Is… Is it alright if I try some now?” Null asks, to which Penelope wordlessly nods.

 

The witch quietly takes a slice for herself, and makes a small noise as she eats the first spoonful.

 

“H-How is it?” Penelope asks as she starts looking towards Null again, her face unreadable.

 

“It’s… It’s really good.” Null says quietly, followed by the most genuine smile she’s given since she first came into existence.

 

For just a moment, Penelope saw something in that smile, a warmth that she hadn’t expected to see from Null, one that reminds her just a bit too much of the one who that face used to belong to, and it’s enough to tip her over the edge.

 

Almost immediately, she starts sobbing uncontrollably, leaning on the table with both hands to try and keep herself upright. Years of pain and grief that have built up inside her finally finding a release.

 

“Hey…” Null says as she stands up. Having only just started taking steps to get a handle on her own emotions, the witch is woefully unequipped to handle this sort of situation, but that doesn’t stop her from feeling concerned when faced with a sight like this. Even if she doesn’t quite know how yet, a part of her already understands that she should try to help.

 

“You… You okay?” She quietly asks as she places a hand on Penelope’s shoulder, and mere moments later she finds herself wrapped up in a tight hug, the other witch clearly having no intention of letting go as she cries loudly. The unfamiliar sensation has an effect on Null, and before long she finds her own arms wrapping around Penelope as the emotions start getting the better of her as well. The hug, the cake, baked just for her, the offer for the both of them to help each other out for their mutual benefit. She won’t deny it all feels comforting, she knows she needs the help, but it only causes her guilt to bubble up to the surface again. Does someone like her even deserve help? To receive comfort from another person?

 

“I-I’m… s-sorry.” Penelope eventually manages to stifle out between sobs. “I… I know you’re n-not her… but please… j-just let me have this… one l-last time…”

 

Null doesn’t say anything, she can’t say anything, not in her current state. She responds by simply holding on to the other witch just that much tighter.

 

“N-Novaaa...” Is the last thing to escape Penelope’s lips before she too becomes too overwhelmed to say any more.

 

The road to recovery will be long and painful for the both of them, but if nothing else they can at least move forward knowing that neither of them are going through it alone.

 

---

 

“Are you there, Miss?” Amelia asks as she opens the door to the workshop.

 

“Yes. Please, join me.” Athena is sitting on a wooden chair, back where everything all started. She’s looking out the window, observing a grassy field back in the physical world that’s lit up by the moon above. She smiles warmly, but there’s a look in her eyes that suggests something has made her feel uneasy as the joints in her wooden body emanate a soft, green glow, lighting up the underside of her hat. Amelia hops up onto her lap, and she starts stroking its hair, just like on that fateful night.

 

“How are you doing, my dearest?” She asks her doll.

 

“This one is doing well, Miss!”

 

“I’m very glad to hear that. You know, sometimes I wonder what was going through your head when you first made me. Could you ever have expected everything that ended up happening?”

 

“This one doesn’t really remember a lot from back then, but this one can say for sure that it's happy it did! Miss is very kind to this one, and this one has made so many new friends since then as well!”

 

Athena chuckles. “You sure have, haven’t you?”

 

“Everyone’s doing so well, aren’t they?” She asks after a few moments of silence. “Despite all the pain they’ve been through, they’re still helping each other get back on their feet.”

 

“Yeah, this one wishes some of them didn’t want to leave though.”

 

“Don’t think like that, little one. They told you they’d come back and visit one day, right? I think it’s wonderful that they’re willing to take a big step like that. It means they still have the strength to move forward on their own, to make their own choices… without needing any further help from me.”

 

“Is everything alright, Miss?” Amelia asks with concern in her voice.

 

“I’m okay, my doll. I’ve just… had a lot of time to think over this past week. About everything that’s happened, and my role in all of it.”

 

“You sure have done a lot for everyone, haven’t you, Miss?”

 

“Honestly, I’m not sure I had any choice in the matter… It would have killed me to allow everyone to keep suffering like they were.”

 

“Is that because Miss was originally created to help people?”

 

“In a way, yes, but I think there’s more to it than that. That purpose did stick with me after we swapped places, but as time went on it developed into something else, something more powerful. Do you know what it was, Amelia?”

 

The doll shakes its head, and Athena looks out the window again with a soft smile.

 

“It was love.” 

 

“Not quite the same as what you and I share,” the witch continues after a few moments, “but love all the same. It wasn’t just about fulfilling a duty for me, I had a deep need to help them, to care for them, to make sure that woman could never hurt them again. It caused me so much pain every time I learnt of another witch who was suffering, but at the same time few things have made me happier than bringing them under my protection. When you look at everything I’ve done, everything I’ve become…” She looks at one of her glowing hands. “I’m not sure there’s a single force in the world that could have driven someone to do all of this other than love.”

 

Amelia wordlessly leans into Athena and closes its eyes, and she wraps the doll up in a hug.

 

“And yet, I find myself wishing that I could have done more, that I could have helped everyone sooner. So many great witches had been broken to the point where all they wanted was to become dolls, and I can’t help but wonder if there was any way I could have saved them from that fate. I know it was the only option any of them had left, including you, my dearest, but it still breaks my heart to see so many have to give up on so much of who they were in order to live a life where they don’t have to suffer.”

 

“Don’t worry Miss, this one is glad that it became a doll.” Amelia says.

 

“I know, you’ve really enjoyed helping out around here, haven’t you?”

 

The two of them stay like that for a while, as Athena continues to observe the scene being shown in the window. Amelia rests in her witch’s embrace, almost falling asleep.

 

“You know, my dear…” she says after some time, “now that things are a lot better around here, I’ve wondered if I should ask if you wanted me to change you back, and let you live as a person again. But I had too many doubts, I don’t think I could have gone through with it. You’re so much happier now, and even if the matriarch is gone, becoming a witch again would still bring back all those memories, along with the pain that comes with them. I’d never be able to bring myself to allow you to go through that again.”

 

“It’s okay, Miss. This one likes things the way they are.”

 

Athena smiles as she lets go of her doll, but it’s clear that there’s still something bothering her. “Come on, let's stand up for a bit. There’s… something else I want to talk to you about, Amelia.”

 

Amelia hops off Athena’s lap before she gets up and wanders around the room.

 

“I did whatever I needed to do, became whatever I needed to become to save everyone, but now that it’s all over I can’t help but wonder what role someone like me would even have moving forward. They needed a god in order to put an end to that old coven, but is there any use for one now? Wouldn’t it be better to let them stand on their own two feet than have some all-powerful being tell them what their next steps should be?”

 

“What do you mean, Miss?” Amelia asks, following her around. “Everyone loves having you here, you’ve helped us all out so much!”

 

Athena leans forward, resting her hands on one of the benches.

 

“Amelia, I’m… planning on leaving soon. I’m going to return to the dimension that this power came from and see what awaits me there.”

 

“Oh? How soon are you leaving?”

 

“Immediately, if I can.” 

 

“When will Miss be back?” There’s a hint of worry in its voice.

 

Athena sighs. “...I won’t. Not unless something happens that could only be fixed with these powers.”

 

“What!?” The doll shouts. “You can’t leave Miss! Everyone wants you here, this one needs you here!”

 

“Well, it doesn’t have to be just me…” Athena stands up straight and turns towards Amelia. “If I could make one selfish request, I’d like for you to come with me, my doll.”

 

“But… But Miss, we can’t leave!” Amelia yells in shock. “What about the others? How will they run the coven without you?”

 

“There are a lot of brilliant witches here, Amelia. I know that I can trust them to lead the others to the future they all want. I’m sorry, but this world doesn’t need a god anymore, and unless that changes I don’t want to get in the way of everyone finding their own paths in life.”

 

“But… this one wants to keep helping them… but this one also doesn’t want to leave Miss on her own…” Amelia starts sniffling.

 

“Oh, come here, my dearest.” Athena pulls it into a hug. “I know how much you want to keep helping out, but that’s also part of why I’m doing this. For as much as I’ve done for everyone, we can’t forget that none of it would have happened if it weren’t for you, Amelia. We originally swapped places so that you would be able to stop working so hard, but you’re still running around all day finding things you can help with. And I know you’re happy to do all of that, but it still worries me to see that you don’t take any time for yourself, I’m scared that you’re going to run into the same problem all over again.”

 

She holds her doll even closer. “You’ve done enough, my doll. You’re allowed to rest, you deserve it just as much as anyone else does.”

 

“Are… Are you sure, Miss?” It asks softly.

 

“Yes, I’m sure. I know you’re worried about everyone, but we’ll be able to observe them from afar, you’ll get to see for yourself just how well they’re able to handle themselves. You’d still be able to send those letters to your doll friends as well, I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.”

 

Athena lets the doll go, and steps back. “Now, I want to make it very clear that this is entirely your choice. Whether you choose to come with me or stay with the others, I’ll accept your decision and I’ll continue to love you either way. My precious, darling Amelia…”

 

She holds a hand out.

 

“Do you want to come with me, and find a place beyond the cosmos where we can rest together for as long as we want?”

 

---

 

“Hello? Is anyone here?” Elle asks, entering the workshop.

 

Felicia had asked the fellow doll to help clean and organise the room today, but it could have sworn it heard someone talking from inside when it approached. It seems to be completely vacant, however, so it’s not sure if it was just hearing things or not. It decides to quickly look around the room just in case before it starts dusting, and the doll happens upon something that catches its attention.

 

“What’s this doing here?” It asks.

 

Sitting on a chair on the far wall of the room is a lone witch’s hat, devoid of its owner. Elle picks the hat up to inspect it.

 

“Did someone leave this here by mistake?” The doll wonders to itself as it gives the hat a look over. The hat is oddly comforting in the doll’s hands, almost like a warm hug, but there are no signs as to who it could belong to.

 

“This one guesses it should find out who this belongs to, cleaning will have to wait!”

 

With that, Elle runs out of the workshop with hat in hand, and the room finds itself in darkness once again as the doll closes the door behind it, at least until another witch has a project they wish to work on.