"Well Five? What have you to report?" demanded One, sitting upon a small block of wood and trying to look regal. That was before he had a crown or cape, so he wasn't as intimidating as he eventually would be.

Five glanced away from Eight, who was sitting close by and jabbing a needle at the floorboard. "O-oh! Nothing, sir. N-nothing happened during the night." His eye kept flickering down and up as he spoke, his expression all too serious. This was a lie. This was an outright lie, and it was killing him. He could faint.

One studied Five's distraught face. "Nothing. Not even a sound?"

Five shook his head, voice caught up in his voice box.

The older doll continued to stare into his very soul, as if rooting around for the truth. "Good. Return your weapon where it belongs and go about your business." he dismissed.

Relieved, Five did just that.

It was late in the morning and the dolls had been holed up in the wall for a couple of hours. Mostly all had stirred, other than Three and Four. Two was the one to convince One to have Eight at least move the brick enough for them to pop out into the bedroom, though Seven had to give him a little extra help.

Despite One declaring no one was to go far, Seven was a free bird and left anyways. She had been cooped up near and inside the wall for three days, and that was too long. She left to roam the building, needing her space.

When Three and Four finally woke up it was an hour after noon. The sun filtered through the clouds and dust enough to brighten up the bedroom and shine through the small holes in the wall. Enough light was coming in to support the stitchpunks without need of fire.

Five sat at a little makeshift desk made of a thick, flat-topped hunk of scrap metal and some balled up fabrics for a cushion. Head on his hand supported by an elbow, he had been staring at the wall and daydreaming for a while. The twins ended up at his side.

"W-what are you two doing?" he asked them as they blinked light in his face. A hand came out to push Three back. They had a problem with personal space.

The twins blinked some more and tilted their heads in unison, looking at him.

Five shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know what you want, guys. L-look, if you're looking for Seven, she left to do- well, I don't know. Be free or something." he chuckled at himself.

The two settled on their knees in front of him and looked at each other. Five always thought it was a little creepy how they read each others minds like that, no matter how cute they were. "Maybe she'll bring you guys back something?"

The twins looked pleased and bounced a bit. They exchanged light for a second, then leaped up and ran off to bother someone else.

Five watched them go, then turned back to the desk. He resumed his prior position. He was unsure how long it was he had been gazing into the dark wall before Two came to greet him.

"Good afternoon, Five." said his mentor, walking up and looking terribly glad to be there.

Five, blank expression and all, turned and said "Huh?"

Two sat next to him, a comfortable space between them. "It appeared Three and Four wanted me to see how you were doing." he laughed, leaning on the scrap metal.

Five shook himself out of his stupor. "Oh. Oh! Yes, they were just over here, looking at me in that weird way they do."

Two nodded. "Don't I know the feeling!"

They exchanged smiles before Two went on.

"They went to the trouble of coming out of the wall just to push me back in, toward you." he said. "I would assume it's because you've been so.." he paused, thinking. "mopey."

Five rose an eyebrow. "Mopey?" he asked incredulously.

"Ah, maybe distant is a better suited word?" his friend tried, amused by the expression on Five's face.

Five let out a sigh, resting his head on his hand once more. "I've had a lot on my mind today. That's all."

Two hummed. "Oh?"

A little nod. "Yup. Nothing Three and Four should be shoving you over here for. Don't worry, Two."

The elder sat there, looking at Five with interest. He changed the subject. "Alright. How was the watch?"

Five let out another sigh, unknowing to himself. Maybe he was being mopey. "Boring. I hope One doesn't make me do that again."

The one eyed doll realized what he said. Oh, he was making out to be more of a liar in this one day than he had been all the weeks leading up to it. He felt guilt eating at him. He didn't directly mean to lie to Two, but he had done it anyways. Despite the long tedious hours of his watch, he had learned a great deal about the thing on the other side of the door. He was immensely curious. Five would be more than delighted to have another watch.

"So nothing special occurred, I take it?" Two asked politely with genuine interest.

Five shrugged and looked away. "Nope."

Two smirked at him. He leaned forward a little. "Are you certain?"

Five began to tap the finger of his free hand on the metal piece. "Yuuup."

Two stared at him a few seconds longer before leaning back. "I don't think I believe you. You look so nervous. Five, are-"

"Okay okay!" Five burst, reaching his arms out, palms forward. "I'm a liar! I'm a big fat no good liar!" He ranted, turning to lay his head down and covering it up with his arms, as if fearing retaliation.

Two, being the peace maker he was, only cackled at Five and patted him on the back. "N-no that's okay!" he said, trying to send away the giggles. "No harm done, son!"

Five peeked out of his arms. "Really?"

Two nodded in assurance, so Five came back out of his shell. He held an awful expression of shame. That probably wouldn't go away for a long, long time.

"A little white lie is okay sometimes, Five. No need to look so torn up." Two squeezed his shoulder to comfort him, that dumb grin of amusement still on his mug. "You should probably work on your poker face, though."

Five blinked. "Poker face?"

"Your lying skills." Two elaborated.

"Oh. Yeah." Five looked down, smiling sheepishly.

"So!" Two got right on it. "Considering all that, what did happen last night?"

Five shifted a little, fidgeting with his hands in his lap. He wasn't sure why he was so reluctant to tell his closest friend what had went on. Perhaps it was that he no longer believed the noise to have emanated from a machine. One had been intensely violent about the stealing. How would he deal with a stitchpunk culprit? But Two- Five knew Two wouldn't be so harsh. Two had suggested a stitchpunk beforehand, anyways.

"Well," Five breathed. "I just h-heard a little noise is all."

Interested, Two gave a small "Oh?"

Five nodded. "More than a couple of times. They chipped the wood a little."

Two scrunched his brows. "Who's they?"

"What?"

The other explained. "You said 'they chipped the wood.' Who's they?"

Five stared at Two a moment before it came together again. He was quiet, before finally speaking his mind. "Maybe it's not a machine, like One said."

Two cut his eyes, looking around the wall. One was a good distance off, blabbering with Eight. Lord only knew how that brute could stand One's company.

"Well, isn't that funny. I mentioned the possibility to One but a day ago, when our stuff had first been taken." Two replied, almost vainly. "Is there a reason why you believe this?"

Five shrugged, as if not knowing the right answer. "I mean, it didn't really sound like a machine. It just.. sounded like someone trying to get in. Like a stitchpunk huddling in the dark. Trying to be sneaky. And failing." he began to await Two's response, before adding "Oh yeah, and I stuck some string out there and they grabbed hold. I pulled, and they hit the door." Five looked off, thinking. "Like.. like something soft, kinda. Not like a big hunk of metal machinery."

Two took in the information sagely. "Hm. Even without knowing that, I thought it was absurd there would be a murderous monster that small. It's Six, no question. Our missing number has followed us back to our little corner of the Earth."

Suddenly Two went quiet, his eyes roaming. One passed them by, glaring in that way he seemed to glare on even the most beautiful and sunny of days. He stomped on to the collection. Two and Five kept their mouths zipped closed, even though One was out of range. One picked something shiny up and waltzed back again, heading once more to his guard some ways off.

Five let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding in. One made him so nervous, especially after Five had lied right to his face.

"Now, suppose this number Six wants inside. What shall we do?" Two suddenly asked, dragging Five back into their conversation.

"Well," Five began. "We can't just leave'em out there. I bet they're lonely." He looked upset.

"And if they're stealing things, perhaps not so smart about being on their own, either." Two suggested.

"How do you mean?"

"If they cannot find what they need in all the mountains of debris in the Emptiness, resorting to taking what others have found for them, then they can't be very well off, can they?" he continued.

Five agreed.

After that conversation Five felt full to the brim with total worry for the rest of the fleeting day. Before night fell, Seven had returned. She came into the wall with some strange expression of snide knowing on her face. Five had been in the middle of busy work at his bed, trying to pry the old Ipod they owned apart by jamming a small flat-head into the crease. When Seven and Two came up, looking down on his sitting form, he had been ready to toss the driver across the hollow.

"Oh, Seven! The twins had been looking for you this afternoon." Five said upon seeing her. He then realized Two had accompanied her. He set the heavy Ipod and flat-head to the side. "I-is something up?" he asked, noticing the look on their faces.

Stepping forward, Two held out a shining gold button and wiggled it in his hand.

Five's pupil dilated with familiarity, leaping up to take it from his mentor's hand. "W-where-?"

Seven puffed up, jabbing her thumb into her chest. "I found it!" she gloated. "Upstairs!"

"This is the.. button that was missing. The one the twins like." Five grinned.

"Mmmmhm!" Seven swayed a little. She was getting an ego. "You know how when we first got here you and me went around the house, looking for stuff?"

Five seemed bewildered, nodding vigorously.

"Welp, I went up to the second story today. Y'know. Doing my thing. Being cool."

Two rolled his eyes. "Go on, just tell him." he joked.

She heh-heh'd. "So I went into the bare room, the one with all the dust and boxes. I noticed something in one of the boxes, so I went over and-" she tipped her head toward the button. "There was that! And some little scribbles on the cardboard with charcoal, along with said charcoal. Oh, and maybe a few ink stains. And the inkpot. And-"

"Everything stolen was present." Two concluded.

Five looked between them. He stared into the button, thinking. Shock was still present on his face. Eye back up, he finally was coherent enough to reply. "Wow- oh god. What do we do. If One f-finds out-"

"He won't do jack shit." Seven said with sudden venom, crossing her arms.

Five covered his mouth to resist a snicker. She could be so vulgar, but it tended to be hilarious.

"There's simply no way One would be so cruel as to harm one of our kind on only the basis of taking needed supplies. Why, if any one of us were in that same position, I imagine they would steal, too." Two sympathized with the unknown stitchpunk.

Seven and Two were confused at Five's swift change of demeanor. He hunched into himself slightly, taking on the kicked puppy face he pulled when he was being submissive. Five nodded forward and the two dolls turned about. Eight lumbered their way, and they were lucky Five had stopped their conversation.

"One says come here." he said bluntly in that deep voice upon reaching them, pointing to One who was currently throwing firewood onto the clay shard.

The three dolls exchanged anxious looks. Burying the button in Five's blankets, they followed Eight.

When the trio met One he assumed his typical 'I'm better than you so you have to listen to me' stance. He rattled off about how he felt one night of silence was not enough to prove that they were in the clear. Eight was made to close the entrance with the brick, while One assigned the night's watch. The three dolls were just glad he had apparently not suspected that they knew anything of importance concerning their intruder.

After declaring his high hopes that Five had learned his lesson, he gave the night over to Seven. Two mostly told him he was stupid to have only one guard at a time when it was more reasonable to have two. So One gave that duty to Two for the obvious explanation.

Before One could even start moving for his match, Seven brought up something that had been on her mind since she'd found the stash in the upper room's box.

"Sir, since we recently lost some supplies, might I be so inclined to ask that we scavenge for replacement supplies?" she sugared her sentence.

One scowled. "And wander around in the dangerous emptiness with who knows what? Impossible."

The girl scowled right back. "Five, Two, and I are more than trained to protect ourselves."

Two nodded quickly. "Ah- and remember how tiny that hole in the door was? Surely against something so little-"

"Enough!" One cried, slamming his cane down. "I get it. Go out and get yourself eaten for all I care- lose an eye like Five!"

Five cringed and continued to keep to himself. He couldn't look at One.

"Oh, thank you your highness!" Seven bowed humorously.

One crossed his arms. "Sure. Just bring back enough to replace our loss."

"We'll head out tomorrow morning." Seven then cheered.

The three dolls were pleased with their results, waited for the night to set in, then did as they were made to. Five squirmed uneasily and restlessly in bed all night, occasionally finding himself looking at the golden button. Seven stood at the kitchen mouse hole, Two at the front entrance, nearly sleeping propped up by his weapon.

Even though there were infrequently soft sounds from outside, there was no significant noise at either of the doors.


Thanks for the reviews, 9 Fan. Glad to see someone really is still around to read 9 fanfiction! :O