Doll mentally backpedaled from the revelation, so much so that she shot up from her excessively laid back position and sat upright on the couch. 

"I.. Did!?". 

"I saw it.". Yeva confirmed with a sigh as she felt relief wash over her, the weight of knowing that who had ruined her happiest years of her life was now gone. Had been gone for the last two weeks almost, but telling her daughter sealed the deal and now whe world almost looked physically brighter to her. A small smile teasing her lips while she looked up at the roof for a second and reminisced, all that mental fog, all those restless nights now felt... worthwhile? She couldn't tell. 

Doll meanwhile was stunned, her mind racing light speed as her reality reordered itself and all the puzzle pieces she had been bashing together in her head now slotted together in a completely different picture then what she had been expecting. Instead of her suspicion towards J or Rebecca of being the parent killer due to their capability to take their life controlling job seriously compared to the admittedly convincible N being correct. It had been V, the lazy self centred one who she had almost died to more then any of the others. It had been V, Doll took a second to recall that night when she had finally and unwittingly put the stake to the demon and exorcised it from the physical realm. The wash of heat from her revived from being incinerated by the destruction of her dad's one remaining work, if she had been of a clearer mind she would of spotted the ouroboros like irony to that situation. Right now however only one thing was clear on her mind, not only had she won but she had won twice technically and that showed on her face.

"Come on, Let it out, I'm here...". Yeva tried to comfort as she took to waiting patiently for the girl to do whatever she needed to, the mother somewhat misunderstanding the situation. A few seconds passed and Doll took a rushed breath, then another and before long she had calmed her nerves and 

"Uh, well.". Doll mentally blanked, one hand finding itself resting atop the scrapbook and the other holding her mothers arm. 

"I kind, of did already i think...". Doll stated, her quick burst of victorious euphoria quickly settled into a more manageable feeling of lightness. The girl quickly quelling her growing smile from becoming to wide and noticeable.

"Oh.. you sure?". Yeva questioned as she wholeheartedly listened to what Doll had to say and noted the smile. As much as she felt tiredness pulling her towards yet another restless attempt at sleep Yeva would have to lie to herself yet again to claim that she wasn't intrigued by the mini adventure her daughter had whisked off on. Disappearing in the night, almost dying to a murder drone, sacrificing herself to save her lacklustre performing mother, killing a murder drone and saving the colony all while befriending another and to finish it off she then reappeared at her doorstop the next night. There was probably a huge amount of detail she was missing to fill out the blanks between those events and it honestly felt like it could compare to her own older adventures. Hopefully not on second thought, those ones would of left the younger girl like her mother. Nearly alone and barely functioning. Of course she didn't say anything.

"Asides, from and almost being fried alive and the fact that Rebecca, the, the weird blue murder drone from the door bit... Again, sorry about that, almost dying in front of you and all.". Doll admitted to her mother, bringing one hand up to readjust her hairband while she did.  

"Tch... I'm just glad your safe.". Yeva looked over at Doll again, reminiscing on that event and concluding to herself that this was the best thing she could want. Almost. She wondered what and how Doll had done to be almost melted but she guessed it was something to do with those laser blasters the murder drones had, she had seen them firsthand before enough to know they could in fact melt things. 

"So... She, she was still in the colony the day after i left.". Doll admitted, an awkward emotion present on her visor as she watched Yeva double take on that knowledge.

"SHe WHAT?". Yeva sputtered out, a trio of exclamation marks appearing in the top left corner of her visor as her jaw almost dropped before righting itself. The mother frowning for a second before a now further abashed Doll could explain. 

"Yeah... we forgot about her, assuming its because of me and N getting our heads scrambled by an EMP. Probably.".

"... i, I'm just surprised there was no mass murder after that. This, uhm whoever it was blue murder drone didn't do anything to the colony.". Yeva mentioned back with a slight hand motion towards the air, almost like a shrug. Knowing that if anything like that had happened then she very likely would of heard it from the kids Sarah had accidentally forced her into taking care of yesterday, and probably tonight as well. 

Doll let go of a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding, glad that her few suspicions had been put to rest and almost disappointed that she had let something so dangerous slide by her notice. Then again, with the unholy thing that was the V worm had been defeated and Rebecca and N left the colony she had assumed it was safe in its entirety once more. Forgetting about the hole in the roof and having been way to almost dead and shocked to think about the possibilities of the more violent of the squad either staying in the bunker or sneaking in occasionally had been Doll's only way to get any sort of proper rest afterwards. Even if it had been more a lapse in judgement rather then a conscious decision on her part. Still, it felt weird to know that they could of came back at any stage but apparently didn't. 

"I'm, yeah she really, Why didn't she?". Doll asked herself as she crossed her arms, not really expecting an answer at all until her mother gave one.

"... Outside somewhere, i-.. if she isn't in here.". Yeva concluded, yawning once as drowsiness returned to her again and interrupted her speech. Despite its growing pull she had decided that sleep could have her later, she'd rather be here and still had to be hospitable for the kids later. Maybe a nap would help with that, but then again that could turn into a full twenty four hours missed and leaving the front door unlocked was something she couldn't bring herself to do.

"With the other ones?". 

"Mhm, N and J are the other two's names. Or.. Serial designations but those are used as names anyway.". Doll informed her mother as she passed the blanket back to her, the heat in the room from the air conditioner growing to make it uncomfortable to keep on.

"J's not exactly nice and N is well, you saw it.". Doll paused as she was caught with an vaguely familiar but unexpected feeling in her chest, warm but not temperature related. She shifted herself and put one leg over the other, reminiscing back to their last interactions once more. Flying together and trusting him somewhat absurdly not to drop her, talking to each other or that daring final face off against the V worm that had now taken new refuge in her nightmares. Rotating saws inside her halved head wizzing in the chill air as those infernal cameras watched her every move from any shadow within a her imagination, as infrequently active as it were.  

"I might be missing parts, but he must of been at least nice to you considering how he piggybacked you out the roof.". Yeva dragged Doll's attention back to the real world.

"Mhmm.". Doll hummed back, internally looking back on the somewhat frightful ride that had been with a smile. Wind on her face as the chill night let them pass with no resistance and the pair had been closer to the stars then she could ever remember being, those specks of light shining down as they went. Glints of blues and whites upon the snow and ice until they landed with a rough crash and Doll went somehow stuck said landing perfectly and in an accidental pose Uzi would of called her a weeb for doing. 

"He's.. nice.". Doll continued when Yeva stayed silent, the pair shifting so that Doll's head was on her mothers shoulder and Yeva held onto the scrapbook with the other hand. Comfortable silence as the pair processed everything they had said to each other beforehand, they had just... Fixed? Their relationship as mother and daughter. Restarted? Restored it? They didnt quite know but both felt infinitely better then they had before this.  

"A little, sweet for what he is...". Yeva listened to her daughter talk about her murder drone companion, happy that she had found another friend but at the same time concerned for her safety with said friend. Not every parent deals with the idea that their daughter is technically a genocidal angel of death thats teammate had torn your husband and hundreds of others from the mortal plain.

"Looked like it.". Yeva replied, idly opening up Molotov's scrapbook only to close it again with a thud once she saw the first page. Unwilling to truly go any further down memory lane right now, just his neat but still unkempt signature in the bottom corner was another reminder of him. 

"And, mom...". Doll paused, noting the scrapbook and Yeva's reaction to what was inside it as half visible memories of watching as Molotov put photos into the book. Doll's pill baby form held up by the comforting hands of her sister, the knee length red haired drone with her dad's cyan eyes who responded to the name Pin and was rarely in the home. Always somewhere else, to Doll's feint memory at least. She shoved them to the side before continuing softly, voice catching in her throat.

"Mhm?.. wait.". Yeva started. Thinking back to what she heard on the television and from Lizzy of all drones the day after Doll returned.

"What, did you mean by almost getting boiled alive?". 

"uah.. that was, only reason that didnt happen was because N and Rebecca came and saved me. But... it was because i kind of, exploded dad's crossbow.". Doll said with a small incredulous chuckle.

"It... Oh, thats why...". Yeva connected the dots, remembering Doll's appearance when her daughter had returned to her one night later from when she left. That load of washing was, somewhat concerning afterwards she had to admit to herself.

"I was a little banged up when i came back here? Yea..".. Doll answered, taking a breath to cool her heating insides. Emotional toil less then before but still present.

"Turns out, Dad's crossbow went out in the same fire V did, V... she did this, she turned into a claw baring nightmare worm and Me, N, Thad and Rebecca somehow managed to kill it. And then, i came back here... and was, so relived to find out you were still alive even if i didn't say anything.". Yeva listened intently, instantly realising that Doll's little outside adventure was more perilous in outcomes then she had originally thought. Worse was that, she had had the chance to kill V properly herself and missed. Furthermore, because of her emotional stint and being incapable of seeing that V was still alive in some state she had endangered her daughter. Yeva's mind flashing back to her kneeling over V's corpse and being swamped by emotions, she was, right there. The mother just hummed to herself thoughtfully to signify she had heard Doll at all, the pair then sitting in comfortable silence.

"i think i need to go back out- side the bunker. To apologise.". Doll switched her language involuntarily as she glanced over to Yeva to check her face. Finding Yeva to be a little conflicted at that prospect and Doll almost cringed at herself for asking, for putting more pressure onto her mother after revealing almost everything and while she would love to stay it just felt so pointless to do so. Especially now that she had seen the wider world, growing up and getting a job in the colony would be all fine to her if it wasn't under near constant threat still and if she was ever allowed back inside properly. Doll looking back without fondness at how easily she cast it all away for N in the moment, for the colony. She corrected herself mentally. 

"You sure..?". Yeva asked despite already knowing from the tone of her daughter's voice and the look in her eyes that she was sure, she'd have to let her go to heal properly. Yeva took a breath and looked towards the television as it sounded again with the dull calls of the now gone Copper-9 aquatic life, soothing her ever so slightly while she fought her heart down. While keeping Doll around would be amazing and would guarantee safety to her daughter, with the current position in society it would be akin to keeping her in limbo for the rest of her life or until the ban was lifted. If only she could ask Sarah to lift it and then her daughter could stay here.

She could, ask her a favour.

"I'm sure, mom.". Doll got up hesitantly as she answered, taking the scrapbook from Yeva's lap softly before returning it to the shelf while passing the now smaller candles and glancing towards opened kitchen cabinets on the way. 

"...If, If you weren't banished, would you stay?". Yeva offered, voice almost choked as she watched Doll. Thankful to her daughter for everything while wishing for herself to keep her close, a classic parental conundrum that she had yet to face fully. Doll was stunned, placing the scrapbook back quickly and settling back onto her feet properly while she thought over it briefly. 

"I. I don't think i would.". 

"..Understood.". 

"Mom, its just that.. fixing my situation here would take the whole council.. probably, if they'd even want to let me back in with all that i did.". 

"They.. shouldn't of banished a child in the first place.".

"They shouldn't, but I'm twenty one.".

Yeva stalled as she counted the years and almost laughed at how she had let them slide past her like this, she almost argued against it. But no. Her little Doll was all grown up and she did it without Molotov or Pin to see her while she had played a blind eye that in retrospect almost disgusted her. Rather contempt to writhe in restless nightmares or stare at the wall for hours of which she was forbade from sleep then spend time with her own daughter. She stood slowly, blanket discarding itself like a shifting avalanche while she spoke. Pausing to silence a yawn that almost interrupted her. 

"... Then how are you going to keep safe out there, and how would you leave here?". She watched her daughter while turning the television off as it had finished its last video, Yeva didn't stand for more then an extra two seconds before she was back on the couch and wiping her visor. The noise she made when she sat heavily catching Doll's attention from the kitchen where she was now and causing the girl to turn to look back at her mother. 

"I have a vague id- mom?". Doll took a step forward before she figured out what was happening and frowning slightly in response, having always disliked when this happened. Internally annoyed that her mother couldn't choose better times to fall asleep on her. She knew she had sleeping problems but it still, this time it hurt to have to cut conversation short especially after such revelations. Sometimes Doll wondered what exactly had made her mother like this, why she hadn't tried fixing her sleep. 

"He- Doll.. I'm...". Yeva yawned as her vision dulled slightly and the room felt warmer, driving her further to sleep as it always had. For once she wanted to turn the heat down, but almost wanted to leave it as is. 

"Tired, just, I'll wait for when you get up. Ok.". 

"Okay..". Doll's mother muttered in a small voice, trying and somewhat failing to keep her attention on Doll as her systems lagged into sleep mode only for her to force them back to being awake. 

"Love you, Doll.".