Loading User Commands:
[X] "Thanks for believing in me."
[X] "Why don't we have a short break?"

---

"Thanks for believing in me," Grimnír says.

Alice looks away and covers her face for a moment. Shanghai rests herself on his shoulder.

"Why don't we have a short break?"

She gives him a slight nod before heading down to the cottage.

Grimnír glances at the doll on his shoulder. Looking closer, the doll seems to be capable of humanlike expressions. Unlike her other dolls, he can't see the seams or joints of Shanghai. If he didn't know any better, he would think that she was a miniature human being. Even the doll's hair feels real. He strokes the doll's hair gently as he examines it.

Shanghai silently giggles at he touches her hair. He can't help but think about why it feels so real. Suddenly, he gets a strange idea. Does Alice use her own hair in her dolls?

...

"Thank you, Shanghai," he says to the doll as it pours him some tea.

Shanghai bows and smiles brightly at him. She floats over to Alice and starts pouring her some tea.

"She really is amazing," he comments. "I find it hard to believe that she's a doll."

Alice gently pats Shanghai on the head.

"She and Hourai are my best works," she says. "Though the materials I used are slightly different, they both share the same type of core. Thanks to that, I am able to infuse some limited independence into them."

"So you were able to make independent dolls?" he asks curiously.

Alice shakes her head.

"They aren't completely independent in the sense that they have their own will. Their movements and actions are closely tied to myself. Everything they do is based on their owner's will and mental state."

Shanghai rocks her head gently back and forth as Alice fixes the doll's hair.

"You can think of them as little versions of myself," she says with a smile.

"I see," he says.

Alice brings out a tiny hairbrush and begins brushing Shanghai's hair. Grimnír watches them silently as he drinks his tea. The sight is quite relaxing.

After a few minutes, Shanghai cocks her head in his direction. She pulls away from Alice and flies closer to him. She raises her little hand to point at his face.

"How can I help you?" he asks the doll.

Shanghai makes several cute gestures in front of him, but he doesn't understand. Without warning, the doll hops on his shoulder and hugs his neck. His eyes widen slightly as he realizes how soft and humanlike the doll's embrace feels.

"I-it seems like she wants to be your friend," Alice says without looking at his eyes.