Sammy sighed as he leaned against the back of the Stein household, pulling out a cigarette from behind him (ignoring the fact that he hadn't been carrying one when he came outside) and taking a depth breath with it. While he cared deeply for the toons (he was still surprised sometimes how much he'd come to care about them), he could only stand to be around them and their antics for so long. Sammy had never been the most patient or social person, though after all the time trapped in the studio made him a lot more open to others people company, and he could not understand how Linda and Henry could handle all the energetic little inkblots.

"How are you doing Sammy?" Norman asked, causing the former music director to jump in surprise and let out a squeak.

"You have a projector for ahead, making you a walking spotlight" Sammy grumbled as he composed himself. "How in the world are you still able to sneak up on me!?"

"Trade secret," Norman chuckled before leaning against the house next to Sammy. "But how are you doing? I know with everything going on with Bendy and other the other toons, we've all been focused on them. So I just wanted to make sure you aren't struggling without anyone realizing it."

"If you mean you concerned all the talk about religious things and Bendy has stirred up some of my old "prophet" persona, then don't be," Sammy rolled his eyes, returning his attention to his cigarette. "I haven't had any urges from my old madness in a while, thank god, and the concern I have for Bendy and the others is my own. I know it's hard to believe, especially on how I treated my old band some days, but I can care about other people."

"Oh, I'm well aware that you're secretly a softy under all that anger and sarcasm," Norman replied, and Sammy knew that if he had a mouth, Norman would have a big teasing grin. "And to be fair, you Joey put you and everyone under a ridiculous amount of stress and pressure. It's only natural you'd be even more short-tempered then you used to be. Still… I'm glad you've been doing well."

"Yeah… just being out of that (bell ring) hole does wonders for one's mental health, not to mention having a body in constant pain," Sammy said, looking at his black and white hand, and enjoying having five fingers. "How are you doing Norman? I know things haven't been easy for you as you're still very much stuck between being something closer to human and toon, so how are you handling things?"

"I'm doing alright," Norman replied. "Being mindless most of the time in the studio made it easier for me to get deal with the trauma I did have once I came back fully to myself. And you're right, it has been difficult dealing with the fact that I'll probably never be anything remotely human over again. But being around everyone, seeing the progress we've all been making, and seeing the joy in all the toons and they experience the wonders of the world outside of the world of the studio, has made it worth it. While I do miss my old family, I've grown very attached to this new one, something you have experienced as well."

"Yeah," Sammy agreed, a soft smile on his face as he thought about the fun he has had with the toons and their many music sessions. "Have you thought about contacting your family? While our experiences here have unfortunately clearly demonstrated how we get mixed reactions for being ink creatures, I'm sure your family would be happy to hear from you."

"Maybe…" Norma said slowly before falling silent. When Henry had offered to find his family months ago, Norman had refused thinking his family would be better without him suddenly coming back into their life. But now that he's had more time to adjust to his situation, he couldn't help but wonder if he should contact them. Even if he could never go back to being the husband and father he had once been, he wanted to be a part of his children's lives.

Norman and Sammy were broken out of their thoughts by and ink-black spot forming on the wall next to them. Both of them barely did more than a blink in mild surprise at the sight of the familiar portal. (Sammy slightly amazed how not too long ago the site of the portal would have filled him with fight and awe.) Bendy came out of the portal and looked around. When the demon toon spotted the two, he put a finger to his mouth, signaling them to be quiet and then he hid behind some nearby bushes. A moment later, Edgar came out of the back door and began looking around, obviously in search of the hidden demon.

It took a minute, but the spider found the demon, but Bendy escaped at the last moment by sprouting his wings and flying out of reach. Edgar squeaked angrily at the giggling demon as Bendy flew to an open window upstairs.

"Not fair!" Edgar shouted before the toon spider climbed up the wall and after the demon. Sammy and Norman watched this silently before laughing at the toons antics.

"And to think you used to worship that little imp." Norman teased.

"Well, he was a lot more terrifying," Sammy chuckled good naturally, tossing his cigarette butt behind him where it vanished into thin air. "Come on, I have a feeling Henry's going to need our help to keep their game from getting out of hand."

Norman nodded and the two-headed inside. They would never ask for this life or everything they had to go through, but it was the life they had. But seeing all the laughing toons running around their smiling parents, they could both agree that it wasn't all bad.