#vdau

"So I see you've become acquainted with my Dollies, Taekwoonie." Auntie tells him some time later, and it's a more terrifying moment than when Tree Bark reached his hands out of one of the broken panels to almost wrap around his neck.

"Wh-What are you talking about, Auntie?" he tried, swallowing thickly and fisting into his pants.

"Don't lie to me, young man." she demanded, and he jumped, already feeling phantom bruises forming on his body. "The Dollies, my Dollies. The adorable ones in their little cases in the basement."

He bit his lip, wondering if he should run with his lie or not, but when her look pierced right through him, the truth garbled out all at once, ending with "I'm sorry Auntie, I'll never do it again, please don't punish me!"

But Auntie laughed, less cackling and more bell-ish and light, almost as if she were delighted at this turn of events. "I'm not going to punish you, silly boy!" she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm simply glad you finally met them without me introducing them. They're so lovely to guests, aren't they?"

Taekwoon recalled almost being choked and the one time Mannequin snapped and grabbed a shard of his glass wall to stab him with. He shivered. At least Ink stopped banging on the glass when he was around.

"Well, either way!" She flipped her hand. "Feel as free as you'd like to go down there—as long as I'm not there first, that is." And there was an underlying threat there he didn't want to acknowledge, for fear a punishment might not be as easily passed up next time.

So then, he began going there during the days when Auntie wasn't down there; which, now that he knew about them and she knew he knew, were less often (maybe so he could have more time.)

Heels clicked down the stairs and Taekwoon whipped around to see Auntie appear—his Doll enveloped in her arms. She stepped down the last step and all the torches flickered to life. Groans alerted Taekwoon that everyone else was waking up. He hoped Hyuk rested enough from when he accidentally woke him up before.

"Good evening my lovelies," she greeted sweetly, and then saw Taekwoon. "Oh, my baby is here too." she cooed. "Are you having fun with them? They're being nice to you, aren't they?"

Taekwoon looked from Auntie to Ravi still on the ground, but now Ravi was peaking through his fingers, eyes murderous and body shaking. He slowly nodded.

Auntie grabbed the chair and moved it back to the table, placing his Doll down. The Dollies slumped over where they were and he heard a loud splash, wondering if Ken fell into his tub.

"Auntie . . ." he began shyly, wringing his hands together. "How come they do that . . . ?"

She looked at him, eyes sharp and dark for a moment and he almost excused himself, but then her expression softened into a sly smile. "Well my dear, they are dolls after all. Aren't they so fun to play with?"

He didn't know what that meant, but Ken began sobbing loudly and N sighed on the other side of the room. Auntie shushed Ken, gliding over to his window and placing a palm up. Ken rushed from the tub, pressing himself up against the mirror and Taekwoon widened his eyes. Ken looked like he wanted nothing more than for her to hug him, but when Taekwoon looked over to N, the same murderous look from Ravi appeared in his eyes. Hyuk rustled into hiding behind his tree.

Auntie's answer left him with more questions, but he decided not to push his luck anymore.