The trio was on their way to the commander's office, but the commander stopped halfway and turned to SOP II.
"I just got some paperwork to finish, you're free to do whatever."
The commander looked out a nearby window at the trees illuminated by the warm mid-day sun.
"Have some fun outside, you two. Just make sure to keep an eye on eachother."
Both SOP II and Aite looked at him in confusion.
"Wait, what do you mean keep an eye on ME?"
SOP II pouted, but the commander quickly diffused her pretend-anger by kissing her cheek.
"Just come back before dinner."
The commander turned and walked in the direction of his office; SOP II kept staring at him as if hypnotized but Aite's voice brought her back to reality.
"Sooo... what are we doing?"
"Ah! Right. Let's uh- go outside then!"

The pair exited the base, the slightly chilly air and warm sun of early spring made the weather ideal.
The command center was decently secluded from the rest of the base near a patch of green zone forest, and the sounds of the commotion inside was faint.
"So what do you want to do?"
SOP II spoke with her usual cheerful tone.
"We can play a game, walk around the forest, look for some critters..."
"You're really different from other dolls."
"Huh? how so?"
"You act more like one of the kids than the adults."
Aite spoke so nonchalantly that SOP II wasn't sure if she should be offended or not.
"Anyway, we can play hide and seek."
"Ah- erm... sure! do you want to count to ten or twenty or-"
"No, I want to hide first."
Aite took every chance to interrupt SOP II and set her own rules.
"Sure! I'll count to ten then and you-"
"No, count to one hundred."
SOP II started to get a little uncomfortable, but she didn't know better when it came to children so she didn't think to set any boundaries.
"W-well... Alright then. I'll count to one hundred and you try to hide."
Aite smiled innocently once everything was decided, and kept that smile until SOP II leaned on the wall and closed her eyes.
The moment she heard her count 'one', Aite dashed into the forest in a sprint.
Her small frame let her nimbly jump over any rocks or stumps; She weaved between the bushes and trees like the wind itself.
She heard the sound of rushing water in front and picked up her speed; The moment she saw the river in front of her, she used her momentum and leaped over the three meter wide gap with ease.
The base was long gone from view, and Aite started to feel exhausted.
She quickly gathered some leaves to cover and hide herself, and put her hand over her mouth to make her hyperventilating less noticeable.
She wasn't sure what distance she covered, but she guessed SOP II's count was around ninety-something and she'll start looking any second. All she had to do now was to stay hidden till SOP II gave up her search, and then she's free to escape the base.
Her breathing steadily slowed down, and she listened to the leaves rustling; Although they weren't loud, Aite's focus on all the sounds around her made them sound almost deafening.
After a while the sun started to set, painting the forest a warm orange in contrast to the cold wind.
Aite decided to take the risk of getting caught and got up, as the fallen leaves she covered herself with did not help her keep warm and she risked hypothermia if she kept still for longer.
She looked around the completely silent forest; she spent so much time shivering under the leaves that she forgot which way she came from and where she was heading.
Panic started to set in as the cold wind blew, all the paths in the forest started blending together and the sunlight slowly dimmed.
She kept looking side to side but no tree looked familiar, no path led to safety, and then she heard a voice...

"Found you~"
Aite yelped and slipped on the damp leaves; after she tumbled around to lay on her back she saw a recently familiar pair of red eyes.
SOP II was hanging upside down from a tree, having wrapped her legs around it's branch.
"That was fun! I was wondering how long you'd stay in that pile."
"Wuh? you knew the whole time?"
"Of course I did, I'm an excellent tracker!"
SOP II released her legs from the branch and fell into a handstand, then front-flipped back on her feet.
"How is it fair when you use your fancy doll parts..."
SOP II kneeled in front of Aite and smiled.
"And how is it fair that you used my goodwill to try and escape from the base~?"
SOP II booped Aite's nose, and changed her tone to be more gentle rather than playful.
"What would you have done if I didn't find you?"
"I would have been fine!"
Aite grew a little angry because she knew how hopeless she was but didn't want to accept it.
"Everything the commander and the dolls do is for your own good, Aite. I know that you don't like being locked up in the base but the world outside is very harsh for small, cute girls like you."
SOP II stood up and offered to take Aite's hand.
"Let's go back? the commander will be finished with dinner soon."
Aite tried standing up but fell on her hands; the combination of extreme physical strain and freezing air took a toll on her frail body.
"Do you need some help? come here."
SOP II picked Aite up and placed her on her shoulders.
At first she held SOP II by her head but instinctively grabbed her horns for a more stable grip, and SOP II instantly started protesting.
"Aaaahh- nonononooo- stop stop! don't- ah- don't touch theeeemmmm!"
She almost threw Aite off with her flailing, only stopping when she released her horns.
"Please don't do that... I have a lot of sensors in them, and they're connected directly to my skull..."
SOP II nursed her horns with gentle strokes, and afterwards let Aite hold onto her hands.
"Phew... okay, holding steady up there?"
"Yeah."
She grinned and lowered her body into a sprinting start position.
"Then let's go!"
SOP II went from zero to dashing speed in an instant, catching Aite by surprise. She clung to the doll with all her might, crossing her legs on her chest and holding her hands tightly.
SOP II's reaction time was more than enough to dodge the incoming trees and even though Aite couldn't visually confirm it at the speed she was going, the sound made it seem like SOP II toppled a few on the way as well.
Aite kept her eyes shut and pressed her head against SOP II's, and eventually the doll slowed down eventually and Aite opened her eyes to see the base again.
"And down you go!"
She grabbed the nyto with one arm and placed her on the ground, after which SOP II stretched and did some athletic jumps.
"Ahaha, it's so much fun to let loose!"
Aite kept watching as SOP II jumped from a standstill to a headstand, jumped back while balancing on one leg and cartwheeled into another headstand standing on one arm.
After she had enough jumping around, she approached Aite and offered her hand.
"Do you feel better now? I guessed a rush like that would refresh you."
Aite was a little surprised to see herself standing, now that the adrenaline wore off.
She meekly took SOP II's hand and started walking to the base, but the doll wouldn't budge.
"Actually... Before we go in, I wanted to ask you something."
SOP II led Aite to a bench and the pair sat down.
"When we first met, why did you try to startle me?"
Aite kept quiet; SOP II tried to reassure her by placing her hand on Aite's thigh.
"I won't berate you or anything, I'm just curious."
SOP II got a little worried that her actions might seem aggressive so she retracted her hand, but Aite spoke up either way.
"Because... because I need to be strong. Need to find ways to outsmart the adults."
"But why? The adults here protect you. They'd do anything they could to help you."
"They help me, and they help those like me..."
Aite stood up and stepped in front of SOP II.
"But there are more people who need protecting! The ones who are still out there..."
"Like who?"
Aite looked to the side, and her eyes shifted to the ground with visible sadness.
"Let's just go..."
Aite turned to walk back to the base, but SOP II held onto her shoulder and stepped in front of her. She kneeled down to her eye level, gripped both her shoulders and offered a reassuring smile.
"Aite, I protect everyone who's important to me, just as I will protect anyone important to you. That's my duty.
"That's just your job..."
Aite looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.
"No, that's my reason for being! Most other dolls were made to do menial jobs humans didn't want or couldn't do-"
SOP II gently grabbed her cheeks and locked eyes with Aite.
"But I was designed to be between all the bad things in the world and those who I care about. That includes you, and anyone you care about too."
SOP II slowly moved Aite closer to herself and closed her arms around her in a hug.
Despite how defiant Aite acted, she couldn't resist genuine affection and the pair hugged for what felt like a minute.
Aite clung to SOP II a little longer after she released her, and she looked much less tense.
"Let's go then; The commander's probably waiting for us."
The pair walked into the base, holding hands again.

The door opened, and a strong smell of beef greeted them; The commander put aside his kitchenware and walked over to the door.
"Why is your hair full of leaves and twigs?"
SOP II put her hands to her sides with an irritated groan.
"At least greet me before you start your nagging!"
"Yeah, hi, why do you look like you brought half the forest with you?"
The commander was surprised to see Aite hiding behind SOP II, but not surprised she was just as filthy.
"Huh, and you look like you brought the other half."
He sighed deeply, then chuckled to himself, considering the fact that this was probably the expected outcome when he told that particular doll to play outside. He should be glad the nyto is back in one piece.
"Anyway, wash your hands and de-forest yourself, dinner's ready."
SOP II led Aite to the bathroom and they helped each other pick out the twigs from their hair while the sound of pots and spoons rang from the kitchen.
When they got out, the commander was waiting for them with two bowls of soup on the opposite side of the table.
"Huh, why only two? Are you not eating?"
"It's almost an hour past dinnertime, I couldn't wait for you forever."
"Rude!"
SOP II sat down at the table and called over Aite to join her; She was a little unsure at first, but couldn't resist a hot bowl of soup after a long day outside.
They thanked the commander for the food and started scarfing it down.
"Wow... did you really cook this, commander?"
"Yeah, I did!"
The commander took the chance to show pride in his work.
"It's almost as good as what the dolls cook for us."
And Aite shattered that pride as fast as she encouraged it.
"Heh, kids really do say the darndest things..."
"Cheer up, commander! Here, say aaah~"
SOP II brought a spoonful of beef chunks up to the commander's face.
"I already ate, that's your share."
"Yeah, but it wasn't me feeding you."
"So?"
"So say aaah!"
She refused to back down, so the commander brought his face closer to the spoon and closed his mouth around it. But instead of letting go, he bit down on the spoon and pulled it out of SOP II's hand.
"Hey, give that back!"
"Why? you're the one who offered it."
The commander held the spoon away from SOP II and she kept trying to reach for it over the table.
Aite looked at them weirdly at first, but then started giggling at their antics. Noticing her laughter, the pair settled down and couldn't help but start laughing as well.
After the girls finished their meals, the commander placed their bowls in the sink and SOP II hugged him from behind.
"I'll go take Aite back to her dorm, don't get too lonely now~"
"Easier said than done."
SOP II turned the commander to face her and grabbed his cheeks.
"You'll be fine, I just know it!"
She gave him a kiss, hopped over to Aite and left the room with her.
The commander chuckled as he watched them leave, then opened the pot where he cooked the soup.
There was still some at the bottom, and he poured it out into SOP II's bowl.
He lied about eating beforehand, he just didn't expect SOP II to bring Aite along and didn't prepare enough for all three of them; But if he admitted it, SOP II would sacrifice her own meal for him since she technically doesn't need to eat.
He quietly ate his leftovers and waited for SOP II to return.

After a few minutes, the door to the commander's room opened again and SOP II stepped in.
"So, had fun today?"
"Yeah! I promised Aite I'll take her out again tomorrow and she looked excited!"
"Heh, glad to hear it."
She walked over to the commander and he tensed up expecting a hug, but SOP II just stared at him with a smug grin.
"I know you lied to me, by the way."
"Uh, what?"
She tapped the side of her head, pointing at her eyes.
"I can see the change in the body temperature around your stomach between when I left and now. You just ate, didn't you?"
"Can't hide anything from you, huh?"
"Nope!"
SOP II squeezed the commander, just as he eased up.
"But I know you probably had a good reason for it, so I don't mind."
The commander hugged her back.
"You're too good to me, SOP."
"I am! But not much I can do about it now, hehehe..."
The pair kept their embrace for a little longer.
Later, SOP II told the commander all about her adventures with Aite, which got her very excited about the upcoming days and she couldn't settle down. The commander did manage to calm her down eventually, and they went to sleep.

Notes:
-I'll be honest, I'm starting to think Aite's character is a bit out of my writing league.
I'm trying to write her as someone who's stubborn and quick witted while also being childish and naive. Smart enough to construct a plan and stubborn enough to follow it through but needs more world experience to pass any unexpected turns.
I just hope my intentions with her character flow with the story; She's not a regular kid, but that also means she's not a boring kid.
-I also feel like establishing the relationship between skk and SOP is important if I want them both to have a family dynamic with Aite, even if it does feel a bit self-serving.
-Ending's a bit weak, but I wasn't sure how else to end this arc.