When Yin arrived at one of Alucricity's hideouts, just on the outskirts of Tokyo, and told them she was seeking shelter, she was surprised she wasn't immediately killed. The large burly man lowered his defenses and looked at her with, almost recognition. But they had never met before, so Yin thought it impossible. Yet he seemed so trusting of her despite this.

She almost tumbled to the ground as he clamped his strong hand down her shoulder and led her to the four long rows of connected housing.

"We're home!" He called. Yin wondered how a member of an organization so similar, if not even worse than the Syndicate can refer to such an institution as "home".

A large crowd of people rushed to greet her, and she would've been overwhelmed had they not been so gentle with her. They coated her with "Welcome home"s, and "It's been so long"s, and other things that wouldn't make sense if you were saying them to someone you'd just met. But the words flowed so smoothly, and they seemed genuinely happy to see her, so she couldn't help but play along.

They all huddled together in a large group hug so soft, and so warm, that Yin didn't know what to do with the feeling. Once they all parted a hoard of women whisked Yin into one of their many homes.

"Come sister, let us bathe you." Spoke an older woman. She appeared to be in her early 40s.

Yin remembered the knife Hei concealed for her and moved away from the hands that pulled at her clothes. "That's okay."

"Aw, she's shy..." She laughed toward the group.

"Can I undress myself?" Yin hoped they didn't think her request too odd. She didn't want to get caught so quickly.

"Sure thing," Yin entered what she thought would be a simple bathroom, only to find that the door led to some kind of bathhouse. There were rows of showers with a large ofuro tub against the wall. She undressed and folded her dress, concealing the knife within her foldings.

She heard a knock on the door and a muffled, "Sister? Can we come in?"

Why did they want to bathe her so badly? "Uh...Okay," She hadn't met anyone besides Kiko who actively wanted her to get naked.

A number of them flooded the room and sat her down at one of the showers let the warm water coat her with a refreshing dose of cleanliness. They collectively rubbed her down, showing no discretion with their scrubbing, and rinsed her off. And though she didn't feel it necessary, they began washing her hair as well.

"This reminds of when I first became apart of the family..." One of the girls reminisced as her fingers massaged Yin's scalp with just enough roughness. One by one the girls tried to recall whether or not their arrival to Alucricity included a shower. Yin was mistified by the overwhelming sense of comradery that enveloped the room. Everyone was so friendly, and the air was so playful. It was so foreign to her that Yin didn't even care if it was all a ruse, she'd still be grateful.

Vivid tales continued to spill from their mouths even after they'd rinsed and dried Yin hair and body. Yin was fitted with a plain white dress with red trimmings and detached sleeves. Her large sleeves started just above her elbows. The women cooed and buttered her up with compliments on her looks. Two of them offered to braid her hair. Yin wondered how they could do it without getting in each other's way, but they made it happen none the less.

As the women shared tales that ranged from their own experiences to legends relying solely on them to be kept alive, Yin was left to wonder what she'd been so worried about.

Hei was worried sick. Though he would never admit out loud, he couldn't help but stress over if she was alright. He felt that same sinking feeling he had when she ran away, and Huang kept pressuring him to kill her. But it returned to him even stronger this time, because if anything happened, it would be on him. He didn't realize he'd miss her this much, it felt odd to long for someone's return other than his sister's.

He hadn't realized what a constant in his life she'd become. Her silent presence had always been in the back of his mind. She'd always been there to support him, even when it didn't benefit her. Even when she knew she wouldn't be recognised for it. She remained loyal to him, even when he'd treated her like nothing more than a disposable doll. Which was something he was only now beginning to notice had affected her.

He just starting to appreciate her friendship as well. He wondered if she'd formed some sort of intimate alliance with someone at Alucricity yet. He hoped so, he came to realize it was much safer, even in the Syndicate. Somehow, he felt less safe without her around, he could only imagine what kind danger she must be in, how afraid she must be.

One would think that someone as lethal as the black reaper would have no problem functioning without a doll. But he was surprised at how often his life hung in the balance. To make matters worse, wasn't without a doll. The Syndicate, being careful as they are, fitted the team with a temporary, or possibly permanent, doll for them to work with.

She wore a bright orange dress that contrasted with her raven colored hair and generally gloomy presence. Though he was used to depressing environments, she did throw him for a bit of a loop. He kept trying for her name but she insisted it wasn't important considering she wasn't staying long. Hei found it odd that she'd think that, since such a thing hadn't officially been decided, and there was no reason for her to care about what happens to Yin during her stay at Alucricity.

Let's just say she wasn't much help on the battlefield. She gave the bare minimum when it came to giving directions, not caring if Hei's getting lost would cause him to stumble upon the enemy in a compromising position. She was especially useless when it came to giving follow-up directions. Whereas Yin would warn him of extra assailants or impending traps, she would remain silent. Any warning she gave was so vague that the enemy would already have the upperhand by the time he'd figured out what she'd meant. It was as if she were trying to kill him with passive aggressiveness.

She wasn't particularly friendly either. She seemed to hold a healthy amount of disdain for each member of the team. Even Huang's constant jarring behavior wasn't as harsh as her cold stare. She looked upon them with resentment and something akin to rage. It wasn't the fact that she held such strong emotions after only knowing them for a short while that made them all so uncomfortable, but the fact that she was most definitely still a doll. Hei'd never met a doll other than Yin who was this expressive. Some part of him still refused to believe that any of this was possible.

He wondered what they had Yin doing. A ruthless organization like that probably had her working like a pack mule. People rarely gave dolls a chance to breathe before putting them to work. He only felt worse as he realized that Yin was probably used to such treatment anyway.

Yin felt out of place in such a friendly atmosphere. She felt like she should be doing something, taking some sort of order from an authority figure. The way they all sat littered around the room in such a careless manner was strange to her. Some of them lay draped across each other, with their legs over another's lap, or their head resting against the breast of their "sister". Even one of the older women whose voice Yin was beginning to find very soothing, had moved Yin to sit on her lap. Why let a stranger enter your personal space unless you were ordered to?

"You're awfully quiet dear." Someone spoke from the crowd.

"I haven't been addressed," Yin clarified. The women grunted in disapproval.

"You don't need to worry about that sister, you can join in anytime you want!"

"How...how do I when to..."

"It doesn't matter! We interrupt each other all the time! You learn to get used to it in a group this big." Said another.

"I don't..I don't have any information. What am I supposed to say?"

The women shared glances at each other not knowing how to get the poor girl to open up. But they weren't too worried, they'd dealt with dolls before and they knew there was hope in each one. They could already this one was special. She had an air around her that revealed what she was feeling, if you tried hard enough. They could tell she was afraid and uncertain, but they've welcomed much more stubborn people into their large group.

"It's okay, I know you'll come around."

Yin wondered if she'd disappointed them, but somehow her untoward presence didn't dampen the light air surrounding her.

"Ah-! Uh, sister...will you be staying here tonight?" The girl who sat in front of her asked almost tentatively. Which was new to Yin since none of these women seemed to have any modesty.

"...Am I?" Something about the question must've been hilarious because the women erupted into uproarious laughter.

"It's up to you sister," One from the far back spoke once the laughter had died down.

"So...I...decide?" Yin had only ever been given one decision to make for herself since she'd become a doll, and considering how the Syndicate continued to treat her, she wondered if she'd made the right choice. But maybe here, they'd give her more. She could learn how to decide for herself.

"Where can I stay?"