It should be better than this.

9.

The sun had barely risen, casting a hazy golden light upon the dolls who began their morning routines. Some dolls had returned through the portal, blabbering on about all the fun they had with their child, and some dolls were just preparing to join their child again. Lou however, as per usual, reluctantly trudged alongside the large robotic dog to collect his chores, clearly disconnected from reality and more in touch with his thoughts. However, with the metallic mutt clanking loudly with every step, it made it impossible for Lou to think.

"You got a silent mode or something?" Lou sighed, stopping to readjust his shrunken suit against his figure. The dog only snorted in response. "Just that, I'm trying to think right now."

A questioning look was returned at the doll.

"What? You want to know?" A nod from the robot.

"...Fine, but let's go somewhere quieter, yeah?"

The two found themselves in a garden on the side of the Institute, where the fabric bushes and lush shrubs created a comfortable enclosure. Lou leaned back against the carved wooden bench, looking up at the sky, while the dog observed him, ears perked up in intrigue.

"Well... How do I put this..." The doll began, running a hand over his face. "I've been thinking about how to talk to Ox."

The hound tilted her head - half stunned and half perplexed.

"Yeah... I don't know how to approach this. Mandy said that I treated Ox similarly to her, and that hit me hard, so I want to apologise to him too. ...But it was difficult enough to apologise to Mandy, and I was only able to do so thanks to Nolan... This time though, I don't think he can help. And I don't even know what I should say to a doll such as Ox. He hates my guts now..."

He paused for a moment, recollecting what Nolan said previously. "...But whether he hates me shouldn't matter, should it? An apology is still needed. But still, I said some really stupid things last time I properly spoke to him."

The robot could recall it; the back and forth between the two ex-friends. In those fleeting moments before his downfall, she could've sworn Lou was blinded by rage. Or sorrow, she couldn't tell. Either way, it ended with Lou breaking the portal.

...

Lou felt his face press hard against the concrete, the large needle scraping against the floor before rolling to his side. He was panting, his heart was racing, and a pain pulsed through his body. Still, he clutched his head and forced it up with a grunt, noticing the cracked portal with a twisted smile plastered across his face. He staggered to his feet, supporting himself with the needle, quickly dragging himself to finish the job.

Ox tried to get up, only to collapse to the ground weakly, with his ears falling over his face. All he could do is watch. Watch as his old friend - the one he always trusted and admired - ruthlessly crush his and everyone else's dream of venturing out into the Big World. With desperation in his eye, he extended his arm hoping to pull Lou back to his senses, but the distance between them was too great. Finally, in a last-ditch effort, Ox yelled out: "Lou, no! Don't do this!"

...

Perhaps he should've listened to his old friend. But he didn't.

Lou slumped even further back into the bench, as if the waves of the past were crashing against him. "What was I even thinking..." He mumbled with a dry laugh, which faded into a melancholic silence.

Amid the quiet, the dog bowed her head, surveying her surroundings. She watched as the dolls go about their day, particularly observing a short-blue-haired doll running around with a bunch of posters in hand, pinning them down wherever she could. Eventually though, her attention was captivated by a familiar green Uglydoll. Slowly, Ox opened the wooden window shutters and peered out at the institute. The dog and doll locked eyes, exchanging a smile towards one another.